sea-n-me
January 19th, 2005, 12:54 PM
Westerdam Review 1-9-05 Eastern Caribbean
This was our fifth cruise with HAL. We have previously sailed on the Zaandam, Ryndam and twice on the Zuiderdam. My DH & I are in our mid 40's and we had our 12 year old daughter with us. (NOTE: There have been previous threads regarding minors and picture IDs. At no time was she ever asked for a picture ID - not at either airport, not at cruise line check in, not in any port where we exited the ship.)
We arrived at the port from Cleveland, OH on Sunday, 1-9, at about 1:00 p.m. Went to the suite check in line - computers were down. Partial check in was completed, but we were told that we would have to finish check in (pictures and credit card matters) with the concierge in the Neptune Lounge. Got our gold stickers (LOL) and off we went. We were escorted up to the Neptune Lounge. Since there was quite a line there, we went directly to our cabin 7051. Everything was ready for us, including chilled champagne, not wine as some have reported receiving. Luggage arrived promptly. We were fortunate to have a wonderful cabin steward. He always made time for a smile and a short chat with us everyday. He even tracked down a child size robe for our DD. We were very well taken care of throughout the cruise. The new bedding was wonderful!
Suite reception was at 7:30 in the Neptune Lounge. We were only able to stay about 10 minutes as we had dinner reservations at the Pinnacle. Met Krazy Kruizers there - they actually recognized us first because of our daughter.
The Neptune Lounge had all the usual amenities - love the coffee machine! We were not overly impressed with the concierge, Aaron. A little too stand-offish IMO. I guess I prefer someone a little more friendly and outgoing in that position.
Dining was a definite plus. We ate at the Pinnacle embarkation night - outstanding food and service as always. The Lido had an excellent selection -usually ate breakfast and lunch there. Best pizza at sea IMO! We had 8:00 p.m. seating for dinner. Wonderful table location (thanks KK!) upper dining room along the railing. Received excellent and attentive service from our dining room staff, though a bit slow between courses. Our head waiter was also very attentive, always asking if he could bring us more of something (crab legs, lobster, etc.) Our DD received a lot of attention from them and was genuinely sad when she had to say good bye to them on the last night.
The ship itself was lovely. I saw many improvements (color wise) over the Zuiderdam - a bit more toned down. We felt right at home right away as we were already familiar with where everything was located from our past trips on the Zuiderdam.
The shows were all very good compared to other ships we have been on. The Westerdam "cast" shows were very well done, great singing, dancing and costumes. We also saw an illusionist and a wonderful singer, Alfreda (who performs on tour with Yanni).
Ports of Call
Nassau - never did care for this port and we were only there for 5 hours. IMO, they should just skip Nassau and substitute an entire sea day.
St. Martin - there was an unbelievable total of 9 ships in port that day and we were the second smallest ship! Had to tender in - 4 ships docked, 5 ships at anchor. Tendering was a nightmare - very choppy waters which caused delays from just trying to get passengers loaded onto the tenders. This is usually my favorite port, but there were just way too many people. We walked around the shops in Phillipsburg for a while, had lunch and got back on the ship.
Tortola - took the ships excursion to Virgin Gorda and the Baths. Beautiful place - would highly recommend. Next time, we will go there on our own in order to be able to spend more time on the beach, as there is not much else to do in Tortola. Minimal shopping opportunities - a "straw market" setup and a few shops downtown.
Half Moon Cay - as always, the highlight of our cruise. We had a beautiful day there. My DD and I did the horseback riding excursion - highly recommended! It was fantastic and the guides that work this excursion are wonderful. I would do this one again in a heartbeat. My DH & DD also did the Stingray excursion. Having done this excursion in Grand Cayman with the wild stingrays, my DH was a bit disappointed, but my DD really enjoyed the experience. BBQ lunch was great - ribs, burgers, hot dogs, etc. were served.
Overall, we were very impressed with the staff and atmosphere aboard the Westerdam and really enjoyed ourselves. I would not hesitate to recommend her to those who are thinking of booking her, and to those that already have, I am confident that you will find her and her staff to be as welcoming and willing to please as we did.
This was our fifth cruise with HAL. We have previously sailed on the Zaandam, Ryndam and twice on the Zuiderdam. My DH & I are in our mid 40's and we had our 12 year old daughter with us. (NOTE: There have been previous threads regarding minors and picture IDs. At no time was she ever asked for a picture ID - not at either airport, not at cruise line check in, not in any port where we exited the ship.)
We arrived at the port from Cleveland, OH on Sunday, 1-9, at about 1:00 p.m. Went to the suite check in line - computers were down. Partial check in was completed, but we were told that we would have to finish check in (pictures and credit card matters) with the concierge in the Neptune Lounge. Got our gold stickers (LOL) and off we went. We were escorted up to the Neptune Lounge. Since there was quite a line there, we went directly to our cabin 7051. Everything was ready for us, including chilled champagne, not wine as some have reported receiving. Luggage arrived promptly. We were fortunate to have a wonderful cabin steward. He always made time for a smile and a short chat with us everyday. He even tracked down a child size robe for our DD. We were very well taken care of throughout the cruise. The new bedding was wonderful!
Suite reception was at 7:30 in the Neptune Lounge. We were only able to stay about 10 minutes as we had dinner reservations at the Pinnacle. Met Krazy Kruizers there - they actually recognized us first because of our daughter.
The Neptune Lounge had all the usual amenities - love the coffee machine! We were not overly impressed with the concierge, Aaron. A little too stand-offish IMO. I guess I prefer someone a little more friendly and outgoing in that position.
Dining was a definite plus. We ate at the Pinnacle embarkation night - outstanding food and service as always. The Lido had an excellent selection -usually ate breakfast and lunch there. Best pizza at sea IMO! We had 8:00 p.m. seating for dinner. Wonderful table location (thanks KK!) upper dining room along the railing. Received excellent and attentive service from our dining room staff, though a bit slow between courses. Our head waiter was also very attentive, always asking if he could bring us more of something (crab legs, lobster, etc.) Our DD received a lot of attention from them and was genuinely sad when she had to say good bye to them on the last night.
The ship itself was lovely. I saw many improvements (color wise) over the Zuiderdam - a bit more toned down. We felt right at home right away as we were already familiar with where everything was located from our past trips on the Zuiderdam.
The shows were all very good compared to other ships we have been on. The Westerdam "cast" shows were very well done, great singing, dancing and costumes. We also saw an illusionist and a wonderful singer, Alfreda (who performs on tour with Yanni).
Ports of Call
Nassau - never did care for this port and we were only there for 5 hours. IMO, they should just skip Nassau and substitute an entire sea day.
St. Martin - there was an unbelievable total of 9 ships in port that day and we were the second smallest ship! Had to tender in - 4 ships docked, 5 ships at anchor. Tendering was a nightmare - very choppy waters which caused delays from just trying to get passengers loaded onto the tenders. This is usually my favorite port, but there were just way too many people. We walked around the shops in Phillipsburg for a while, had lunch and got back on the ship.
Tortola - took the ships excursion to Virgin Gorda and the Baths. Beautiful place - would highly recommend. Next time, we will go there on our own in order to be able to spend more time on the beach, as there is not much else to do in Tortola. Minimal shopping opportunities - a "straw market" setup and a few shops downtown.
Half Moon Cay - as always, the highlight of our cruise. We had a beautiful day there. My DD and I did the horseback riding excursion - highly recommended! It was fantastic and the guides that work this excursion are wonderful. I would do this one again in a heartbeat. My DH & DD also did the Stingray excursion. Having done this excursion in Grand Cayman with the wild stingrays, my DH was a bit disappointed, but my DD really enjoyed the experience. BBQ lunch was great - ribs, burgers, hot dogs, etc. were served.
Overall, we were very impressed with the staff and atmosphere aboard the Westerdam and really enjoyed ourselves. I would not hesitate to recommend her to those who are thinking of booking her, and to those that already have, I am confident that you will find her and her staff to be as welcoming and willing to please as we did.