Mini Westerdam Review 3/29-4/05

[mrsltg]

Well, I am a HAL convert. I boarded the Westerdam last Sunday curious to see how it compared to other lines I had sailed. I left very happy and satisfied and ready to sail again!

My party boarded the ship about 11:45 and we were directed to the Lido. I was not overly impressed by the lunch but it was fine and did the trick. I was astounded by the number of guests in their 70's and 80's. I am 33 and really was taken aback. The sailaway party was more of a slumber party with barely enough guests forming a perimeter around the railing on deck 10. I called my husband and told him we may need to switch our anniversary cruise to a different line. By day 2 I was hooked and had had many interesting and wonderful conversations and interactions with the same people I had basically judged as too old the day before. I was shamed and am proud to admit it! I hope others will realize the age of the fellow guests is really not an issue. One woman of about 70 asked me for a drink recommendation. I was having a Miami Vice and we discussed some other cruise-type drinks. We ran through the list and I asked her, "Have you ever had Sex on the Beach?" She replied, "Oh honey, a lady never talks..." I about wet my pants... Don't judge folks, just enjoy the individual!

Anyway, crew service was outstanding. I know there has been a lot of talk on these boards about cutbacks. I did not see any because I have not sailed HAL before. I found a friendly crew eager to help and be of service. I found many friendly staffers who enjoyed getting to know me as much as I enjoyed getting to know them. My party had AYW dining and we were pleased with it. We ate around 7:30 each evening and did not have to wait long. The food was very good - sometimes great, sometimes okay, for an average of very good.

I went to the 5 star Chef's Table dinner on Friday night. It was $129 and I would have paid double for the experience. Andreas and Fernando were amazing and made for an incredibly enjoyable evening. After all of the wine I found standing in 5" heels on a moving ship a challenge. Fernando (the Cellar Master) steadied me and I told him I had enjoyed myself a little too much. He answered, "A lady never has too much wine. It's the height of her heels which make her sway." I believe I now have a new slogan for my life!!! If you have the opportunity to enjoy this program go for it! It's currently only on the Westerdam but there was a person from the HAL office in attendance to solicit opinions on the dinner and she indicated the program may be expanded.

I did not attend any of the shows in the evenings. After dinner I found I enjoyed the Promenade Deck and a good book and so I cannot comment on the entertainment.

Overall the cruise was wonderful. I made many new friends and spoke to some incredibly interesting people. I am amazed by the lives people lead - everyone has a story and most are pretty interesting! My husband and I will indeed cruise HAL in November and I cannot wait to come aboard again. We have three small children and will be cruising with them on HAL in the future. I had a fantastic time and I am sorry it went so fast.

If anyone has any more specific questions feel free to ask. I am glad to help anyone as so many helped me.

Thanks!
Erin

[SpankysMom]

Thanks so much for that very fine review! We will be on the Westerdam in May to Alaska and are really looking forward to it. I understand the library is now in the Crow's Nest (It was near the Explorations Cafe before, I believe). Did you use it? Did you read in the Crow's Nest and was that comfortable or did you find a better place on the Promenade Deck? That is my idea of vacation, quiet reading, enjoying my surroundings and looking at the ocean going by is a bonus. And of course, the food.
SM

[Hollyday]

mrsltg,

Thank you so much for taking the time to write your mini review. We will be sailing on the Westredam in 6 days and it is also our first HAL cruise.

Thank you also for bringing to light the fact that those that are referred to as the "nearly deads" aren't as nearly dead as we may have thought they were. I'm 51 and my DH is 44 and we have also had this experience with those older than us on other cruise lines.

My DH is a WWII buff and so enjoys meeting those that were there and we always seem to find some. They are great company, almost alway have a great sense of humor, love to talk, and tell great stories. I only hope I'm as much fun when I get to be their age.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome home!!

Glad you had a wonderful cruise.

[mrsltg]

Spankysmom- I read in the Crow's Nest and on the Promenade. I had not set out to do either but had to when I got a serious sunburn on my face. I spent close to 8 hours on Half Moon Cay on my first full day aboard. I used and reapplied sunscreen but my Irish skin couldn't take it! The next three days I spent out of the sun as much as possible. I came to LOVE the Crow's Nest and the comfortable reading chairs available. I also walked the Promenade a lot and found the reading chairs there very comfortable, also. In short, you will be at no loss to find lovely reading spots! I read two books on my cruise and as a mom of three young kids I loved every minute!!!

Hollyday- Your husband should have no problem catching up with WWII vets. I was fortunate enough to meet some lovely people on this trip and was humbled by their stories. I cannot wait to cruise again in November and truly hope to meet many more wonderful people.

Oh, as far as children are concerned - there was a comfortable number on board. All ages were represented. I did not see one single poorly behaved child. Further, the older guests were quite taken with the youngest cruisers. If you are considering bringing children I would not hesitate. They were well and warmly received on this cruise (even the teenagers!!!!)

[dmlee1990]

mrsltg....thank you for your review. We were also on the 3/29-4/5 sailing, and had a wonderful time. However, I did notice that there were some teens who were not so well behaved. One night I was in a hurry to go back to my cabin on the main deck. I got on the elevator on the Lido Deck. When I got on the elevator, there was a group of teens riding the elevator for fun, stopping at each floor (all of the buttons in the elevator were pushed). The teens started joking about all the stops, so I decided to get off and catch another elevator at the first stop.

Another teen incident was when a group of teens (may have been the same group as in the elevator) went running through the Lido Restaurant, almost knocking over my 10 year old DD, who was carrying a glass of juice. This really does annoy me when teens act this way when they are in a group. I also have a 15 year old, and she knows that I would be very disappointed in her if she acted this way. This behavior also annoys our daughters. That's why we enjoy cruising with HAL because of the lower number of children on board.

But overall, the cruise was wonderful. I will try to give a review of this cruise very soon.

[mrsltg]

dmlee - so sorry for your frustrations on the cruise. I guess it's just all about the time and place. I didn't see any rowdiness but I don't doubt it happened - in fact, I commented that I hadn't seen one badly behaving child on the trip and I thought that was strange. Maybe I was blinded by the sunburn?

[DutchByAssociation]

Chef Andreas is a hoot! And I love how you can always spot him in a line up! :)

[dmlee1990]

Although these occurences were frustrating, I wasn't going to let it ruin our cruise. Everything else was absolutely wonderful. The shows were the best I've seen on HAL. I also thought Kerry Watkins was the best Cruise Director ever!