Westerdam - tell us!

[wild_rose]

We're on the Westerdam on a B2B in February 2005. Haven't found a 'good' review yet, and there's much we'd like to know. We're from Canada.

We're in an SS Suite; what's it like? Is there a small fridge?
A duvet? A lounge chair or two on the balcony?

How is the food? Can we buy a bottle of alcohol on board to mix drinks in our room, or is that 'forbidden'?

Hope someone can help

[jhannah]

Any info you can muster on Zuiderdam and Oosterdam will substantially hold true for the Westerdam. There is a mini-fridge in an SS. It's a nice, roomy cabin with a great bathroom. (2 sinks and regular shower in addition to the tub.) On the veranda are two padded wicker chairs with ottomans, a small round table with two chairs. We found the food on the Zuiderdam to be very good. We didn't order booze for in-cabin consumption, so I can't answer that one for you. I'm sure someone will be along soon to fill you in on that. I'm sure you'll enjoy the ship.

[doone]

There are pictures of the Westerdam on these boards under the Photo Gallery. I went in and looked at them, she's a beautiful ship. Look at the photo's there, you won't be disappointed.

[Krazy Kruizers]

:)

You can pre-order alcohol for in-room consumption by calling Ship Services at 1-800-541-1576 or room service when you get on the ship.

:)

[richkat]

Looked at the photos and we are drooling all over this ship! Wow! We're booked on the Zuiderdam in November and cannot wait to try this class of ship. We sailed the previous Westerdam so it would be a hoot to sail the new Westerdam, too. Guess we'll have to do a Med cruise.

-- R&K

There are pictures of the Westerdam on these boards under the Photo Gallery. I went in and looked at them, she's a beautiful ship. Look at the photo's there, you won't be disappointed.

[lknick]

The Westerdam is the latest of the Vista class ship. Anything relating to the physical plant will be the same as the Zuiderdam and Oosterdam. Public rooms, cabins and amenities will be the same. Vibration issues reported during the first year of Zuiderdam's service have been corrected and have not been a problem in the other ships.

The decor is just a bit more formal than the Oosterdam and much different from the Zuiderdam.

Dining will be the luck of the draw based on the executive chef and who you get for server. So will be cabin steward. It can range from wonderful to not-so-wonderful.

I think all of your questions have been answered.

When you said "Haven't found a 'good' review yet" did you mean a comprehensive review or a positive review?

[doone]

Richkat, I agree, seems like HAL learned from their mistakes on the Zuiderdam and did a super job with the Westerdam.

I sailed on the old Westerdam as well, she was a great ship, would be nice to sail the new Westerdam too. Friends of mine are sailing the Westerdam March 19th on their very first cruise, they sure picked a great ship.

The Westerdam is doing the caribbean this winter, maybe you could do back to back cruises between the Zuiderdam and Westerdam, now there's a thought!!!!!!

[richkat]

Yes, we've just discovered the Westerdam's Caribbean itinerary so hubby is working on booking that for us for next year. I'm especially taken with the decor of this particular ship.

Richkat, I agree, seems like HAL learned from their mistakes on the Zuiderdam and did a super job with the Westerdam.

I sailed on the old Westerdam as well, she was a great ship, would be nice to sail the new Westerdam too. Friends of mine are sailing the Westerdam March 19th on their very first cruise, they sure picked a great ship.

The Westerdam is doing the caribbean this winter, maybe you could do back to back cruises between the Zuiderdam and Westerdam, now there's a thought!!!!!!

[wild_rose]

I really appreciate your responses....

lknick: By "good reviews" I meant both "comprehensive" and "positive".
But I am fairly new to this board, so perhaps don't know exactly where, or how, to look!

[jdrblue]

Wild Rose - We did the Eastern Med round trip out of Venice last May. It was the third cruise for the new Westerdam. We liked the ship and were very satisfied. We would do it again in a heartbeat. If there was one thing I would change, it would be the dining room arrangements. We like the late seating time but now they basically have four seatings. The fourth was a little too late for us. We didn't feel we had much personal attention from the waiters. Service was a little slow but not bad. After a 12 day cruise you normally feel like the waiters are old friends. On this cruise, they were so busy we didn't have much interaction. Two of our table mates were from Ontario and they were very positive about the entire experience. The other two kept comparing the HAL experience to Silversea and Crystal. They liked the ship and the itinerary but were critical of the food and service. Of course the cost of HAL was probably half that of a similar Silversea cruise.

[digby]

We were on the Westerdam's second cruise out of Venice in an aft "S" Class 'suite.' The best part of the cabin was the HUGE deck. I thought the food and service was very good. The ship is beautifully decorated.