The ms Oosterdam is HAL's newest and largest ship in its fleet, with a passenger capacity of 1848. The Oosterdam is named for the eastern point of the compass; while her sister ships, the ms Zuiderdam, the ms Westerdam, and the ms Noordam are named for the south, west, and north, respectively. We were on the ms Oosterdam's maiden transcanal voyage through the Canal and the captain was presented a commemorative plaque during our passage.

The ms Oosterdam is almost what is referred to as 'PanaMax', or the maximum size of vessel that can pass through the Panama Canal locks.