Our Review of the Beautiful Westerdam - Alaska Cruise

[rbyrd2531]

Westerdam Review

Saturday, 8/22/2009

First, I refuse to go into much detail about the horrible experience we had with Continental Airlines and how they damaged my partner’s wheelchair and how the airport security treated Steve in both Houston and Seattle. (I guess I missed the news story about the group of paraplegics who took over and hijacked a plane) To be fair, the crew on the plane itself was very nice and helpful.

Not much time to explore Seattle, as we spend all of Saturday after our arrival trying to find a rental replacement for the severely damaged chair. Seemed like a great city though and on this day the weather was cool and sunny.


Sunday, 8/23/2009

We arrive at Pier 91 and here our vacation begins. The Holland America staff greets us and escorts us through every step of registering and even have the rental chair secured in their office which they bring out to Steve for him to drive onto the Westerdam. They assign a gentleman to escort us onto the ship and he offers to take us to either the Lido restaurant or to the Neptune Lounge. (I cannot remember his name, but it floors me five days later to see him again on the ship in the restaurant where he calls us by our names!) We chose the lounge which was very nice but we left shortly after to go to the Lido and go outside on the aft deck. We were told in advance that it would be after 2 PM that the rooms would be ready for us, so it was a nice surprise when they announced they were ready by 1:30 PM.

We go to our suite (Deluxe Veranda aft # 6175) and see that it is very nice and clean. I notice the model ship I had ordered online was there waiting for Steve in gift wrapping. There is a bowl of fresh flowers floating in water on the bar. A bottle of champagne chilling next to it, and a bottle of some sort of fancy water. There are automatic buttons behind the bed to open and close the curtains on the window and veranda door!
I found out by accident that another button behind the bed is some sort of panic 911 call and the front desk called to ask if we were OK.

As the ship departs from Seattle, we drink some of the champagne on the veranda and watched as Seattle faded into the distance.We take a nap, but miss the RSVP Bon Voyage party. We explore the ship some and eat in the Lido restaurant. (Every time we went into the Lido restaurant, the manager would spot us and assign someone to assist with food and drinks) Back to the room and we also meet Made (maadee), our room steward. Very nice young man who always smiles.

Wake in the middle of the night for some caregiving duties, and push the blasted 911 alarm button again while trying to find the button for the light. They call and confirm we are OK and I apologize again.

Monday, 8/24/2009

Have a great room service breakfast and explore the ship some more. When back in the room, we notice a new addition of a fully stocked fruit bowl has appeared and is very welcome for snacks in the coming days. (Anytime we ate some of the fruit, it would be replenished later that day)

Once again, I push the “panic button” instead of the one to open the curtains. I briefly entertain the notion of faking a heart attack this time when they call me, but decide I can’t pull it off.

The captain announces that a low pressure system has formed and the forcast is for the sea conditions to become “fierce”. Having never cruised before, I was worried but also assumed it was normal for ships to go through this. I am glad that I had went to my doc the previous week for the patch to prevent seasickness and had applied it that morning.

The sea does turn very rough with large waves and wind. The closet doors fly open and shut again, as well as the drawers under the bed and the wine glass cabinet doors fly open and spill the assorted sized wine glasses all over the floor. Trying to manuever around the ship and down the halls was a little tricky during this time.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Beautiful and calm Glacier Bay cruising....great views from the verandah and also go the the other outside decks of the ship. They were serving hot chocolate or stronger drinks as well as handing out bowls of split pea soup to keep people warm.


Wednesday, August 26, 2009


Juneau

We had two tours scheduled in Juneau. The first was a float plane trip to the TAKU Lodge. The tour was not a sponsored HAL wheelchair accessible tour, but we were assured by the salesman that they dealt with persons with disabilities all the time and had a great crew to help load him. The actual experience was quite different from what the salesman had promised. Upon arrival and down the the plane dock, the pilot comes up to us and asks Steve if he can walk up the steps and we say no, he is paraplegic. He” turns to me and says I hope you can lift him into the plane because I have a bad back”. I respond that I lift Steve several times a day but might need assistance since I usually don’t lift him and carry him up a plane ladder. We did get Steve loaded, and the plane ride was nice and smooth. We arrive at Taku Lodge, and the people there are much more helpful than the plane crew and we have a great time and wonderful smoked salmon lunch.

Fly back to Juneau in time to meet the people for our Jeep tour , http://www.juneaujeep.com. They are great to deal with and I would recommend them to anyone looking for a tour in Juneau. We saw a lot of great sights in and around Juneau from the Jeep.

Back on the ship, and see Made in the hallway and mention the wind and waves a couple nights back. I tell him I figure he was used to that weather by now. He responds that he had been with HAL for 4 years on different ships, and that was the worst he had ever seen it.

Later in the evening he comes into the suite with these wood wedges and we ask what those are for. He says they are to keep the drawers and cabinets from flying open again. because the weather is supposed to get worse then the first storm we had.
I start to worry a little now, ( if a big wave hits the ship and knocks it over, I admit to myself that if I push the panic button once more, no one will pay any attention) :>)

I replace the patch for seasickness and we go explore the ship some more. (At this point, I am regretting showing Steve the glass elevators on the side of the ship because he likes them and insists on riding them whenever possible) As the weather gets rougher, we ride up to the LIDO deck and go outside. The water is spilling out of the pool as the ship rocks, and the HAL people are busy stacking up the deck chairs and lounges away from the wind.

We decide to go to the front desk to ask for our account balance. As we ride the glass elevators down, Steve proclaims “wow!! look at those waves!”. I tell him not to speak to me, because I am trying to use whatever latent psychokenetic ability I may have to help hold the ship together.

On the way to the front desk, I notice the lights in the hallway are very bright and hurt my eyes. I ask for our account balance at the front desk and the lady looks at me warily as she prints out the account for the room. On the way back to the suite, I notice the patch is missing from behind my ear. Back home, I go to wash my face and notice that my eyes are dilated totally black, with not a trace of the green they usually are. I remember the warning on the patch prescription that says not to rub your eyes after handling the patch because it contains the drug that eye docs use to dialate your eyes. Great, now the front desk people think I am some sort of drug addict that enjoys pushing panic buttons.

I will never forget the beautiful sound of the waves hitting the front of the ship, sounding like thunder..and then several seconds later looking out the aft deck windows and see the back of the ship rise and fall. We actually ended up enjoying the storm. :>)

Thursday, August 27, 2009

The captain announces that due to hurricaine- force winds over 60kts will prevent us from docking at Sitka. Instead, we will plot a course directly to Ketchikan and spend the night at port there. We had planned a shore excursion with Allen Marine through HAL, which we were credited for immediately on out account. I really liked dealing with Allen Marine, as they went out of their way to show us accessible tours they offered.


Friday, August 28, 2009

After a calm night at dock in Ketchikan, we go into town and just stroll around and shop. Is a wet day in town, but we have a great time.

Saturday, August 30, 2009

Milder seas and dock at Victoria. Not too much to share here, as we elected to stay onboard. Had a great dinner at the Vista dining room.



Observations from first time cruisers



I) If all of Holland America’s ships are as beautiful as the Westerdam, I look forward to our next cruise with them. Everything looked so new and nice. (They may have spoiled us from ever trying the cruises from other lines that leave from nearby port of Galveston)

2) The food was far better than I expected, including the LIDO, room service, and the Vista Dining Room. We never tried the Pinnacle Grill, even though we were kindly invited by our travel agent who was also onboard. We would not have felt comfortable in that setting, although I am sure it is very nice.

3)The people, including our steward and all the other HAL people were excellent. This includes the great attention we always had in the LIDO from attentive staff. The room service people always called an hour or so after the meal to ask if it was good.

4) This was also an RSVP gay charter cruise and the RSVP people were very nice and always around if we had questions. We didn’t participate in most of the events or see any of the shows but I hear they were great.

5) One lesson learned the hard way...never take a shower in the morning and fall asleep looking out the veranda window soon after without getting completely dressed. Otherwise , you may wake to see you have docked within yards of people from the deck of another ‘dam ship (Veendam?) who can easily see into your room.

[IRL_Joanie]

Originally Posted by rbyrd2531

Westerdam Review

Saturday, 8/22/2009

Great review of my favorite Dam Ship!! Ain't she so grand

Loved you description of doing an awesome job of holding the ship above water And will definitely put clothes on before exiting the bathroom after my bath

Welcome home to you and Steve both!

[aliaschief]

A great review and writing style. Thanks

[CowPrincess]

I am ROFLMAO here. Thanks for the review, loved your humor! Glad you enjoyed your cruise, and sorry you missed Sitka.

A couple of questions, if you don't mind. Do you think you would cruise again, not with RSVP or similar charter? Do you think it being an RSVP charter contributed HUGELY, moderately, or not substantially to your enjoyment? Or was it the "panic button" that was the biggest contributor to your enjoyment?

[The4thPr]

Thanks for the review. Only 8 days till our time on the Dam. This will be our first on HAL, so it's good to hear the about your experiences. Sorry you ran into the rough seas & mishaps with patches and buttons. It looks like you can away a positive attitude though, glad you enjoyed the trip.

[RuthC]

Thoroughly enjoyed reading your report. Sounds like you found the "up side" of whatever you faced.

Didja ever think of marking that panic button so you'd know what it was???
A big red X should have done the trick.

Thanks for telling us all about it.

[rbyrd2531]

Originally Posted by CowPrincess

I am ROFLMAO here. Thanks for the review, loved your humor! Glad you enjoyed your cruise, and sorry you missed Sitka.

A couple of questions, if you don't mind. Do you think you would cruise again, not with RSVP or similar charter? Do you think it being an RSVP charter contributed HUGELY, moderately, or not substantially to your enjoyment? Or was it the "panic button" that was the biggest contributor to your enjoyment?

Don't mind at all...I would cruise again with or without the charter. The first time was good that way for us, because I was so worried about so many aspects of the first cruise, (accessibility, space, etc.) that I didn't want to add on top of that being around people who would be uncomfortable around us. (I know it is not likely, but had read somewhere on here that a gay couple sat at dinner with people who found out they were a couple and then moved to a different table)

That said, the RSVP reps were so nice to deal with and went out of their way to be inclusive for Steve. We just did not go to the shows because I know Steve. He sustained a brain injury as well as a spinal injury back in 1999. As a result of the brain injury, he does not have patience to sit through a live show or even a movie. I was afraid it would offend the people in the show if we went and he decided to leave early :>) The RSVP environment for us was just a nice backdrop against which we could relax and be ourselves. Most of the time we were on the veranda because it was so nice out there.

But people surprise me all the time so my worries were probably for nothing...when the pilot of the float plane tour asked me if Steve was my father, (Steve is 50 and I am 47, but I have always looked younger than my age) one gentleman and his wife overheard and they couldn't have been nicer...asking how long we had been together, etc. The man had a baseball cap with the with a picture of the USS Enterprise so I assumed he was a veteran from that ship. I would love to have heard some of his stories.

I don't think the RSVP aspect affected the HAL people one way or the other. They were so nice on their own and I don't have a single complaint about a crew member. Unless one or two of them have something to say about me pushing the panic button, then I will complain plenty! :>)

Also, the other passengers were very nice..always holding the elevators for Steve. There didn't seem to be crowds everywhere, either because there were only about 1500 passengers, or the ship is so big that everyone is spread out. Most often, we were alone in a hallway and usually had an elevator to ourselves. Is this the norm?

[rbyrd2531]

Originally Posted by RuthC

Thoroughly enjoyed reading your report. Sounds like you found the "up side" of whatever you faced.

Didja ever think of marking that panic button so you'd know what it was???
A big red X should have done the trick.

Thanks for telling us all about it.

sure now you tell me But now I think about it why is there a panic button in there..because it is an accessible room or do all rooms have them?

how are you doing Ruth? Your posts as well as many others sure did help us to prepare for our cruise

[rbyrd2531]

Originally Posted by The4thPr

Thanks for the review. Only 8 days till our time on the Dam. This will be our first on HAL, so it's good to hear the about your experiences. Sorry you ran into the rough seas & mishaps with patches and buttons. It looks like you can away a positive attitude though, glad you enjoyed the trip.

I hope you have a great time...I am jealous you will be on my ship!

Even in rough seas, it would be hard to be unhappy on the Westerdam and I hope you feel the same way after your cruise.

Oh, I think I forgot to mention in my review the captain announcing he was deploying the stablizers that would make us feel only 15% of what we would feel otherwise...anyone have a picture of these things? They sound remarkable.

[rbyrd2531]

Originally Posted by IRL_Joanie

Great review of my favorite Dam Ship!! Ain't she so grand

Loved you description of doing an awesome job of holding the ship above water And will definitely put clothes on before exiting the bathroom after my bath

Welcome home to you and Steve both!

thanks so much! only now am I starting to feel like we are on land again...earlier this week, I still "felt" the movement of the ship

[CowPrincess]

There didn't seem to be crowds everywhere, either because there were only about 1500 passengers, or the ship is so big that everyone is spread out. Most often, we were alone in a hallway and usually had an elevator to ourselves. Is this the norm?

What you've described is pretty much the norm in hallways, unless you (heaven forbid) cruise over Thanksgiving in the "cheap seats" -- then the hallways become playgrounds, meeting rooms, running tracks, places to discipline kids, places to shout down to the rest of your group We've always found the elevators overworked and crowded, regardless of the time of cruise.

That said, even over T-giving, the ship never felt "crowded".... except as the herds were storming down the hallway

I'm so very glad it was a great experience, and you'd do it again. If someone leaves a dinner table because you're there, let me know -- we'd be happy to join you! Even if you do give us a glassy-eyed, all pupil, no iris stare

[localady]

Thank you for a much enjoyed review!

We leave this Sunday on the Westerdam and do hope for a bit quieter seas than you had. I have to tell you that you trip was a real trial of your sealegs, sounds to me like you where born to sail the 7 seas on a DAM ship!

[RuthC]

Originally Posted by rbyrd2531

But now I think about it why is there a panic button in there..because it is an accessible room or do all rooms have them?

As far as I know, all the handicap rooms have the button, and none of the non-handicap cabins do. I know I've never been in a cabin that had one. And I'm glad to know that every single push of that button elicited a response. That's comforting.

Glad for whatever help I could give. Here's a tad more for next time: If you enter the show lounge on Lower Promenade/deck 2 (Vistas and E-dam only) there's plenty of room for a wheelchair, and it's easy to slip out without being seen.
On the S- and R-class ships there's space in Upper Promenade, and, again, you can slip out quietly.

[Pokeynose]

Thanks for your wonderful review. We cruised the Westerdam last year, the first day out the waters were bad, only day I got seasick. We also leave with the 4thpr on the 13th. I can hardly wait to meet them. My suitcases have been out for 3 wks. and am finally getting them packed and unpacked and packed again. I took too much the last time so am trying to be better. We will be celebrating our 52nd anniv. privately, no fanfair. I'm glad you were able to overcome some of your obstacles. I bet you'll be going soon again. You get that bug to cruise. Thanks again. Barb

[Susie51]

I enjoyed your review. Sunday I will board the beautiful Westerdam. I'm glad you didn't let bad weather spoil your cruise.

[Tamaracboy]

Originally Posted by rbyrd2531

sure now you tell me But now I think about it why is there a panic button in there..because it is an accessible room or do all rooms have them?

how are you doing Ruth? Your posts as well as many others sure did help us to prepare for our cruise

Robb & Steve,

Why didn't we meet on the ship ?? the CC M&G was almost empty considering the No. of people on the thread. I was directly 2 decks above you. I really hoped to meet more of the posters we get to know here.
The CC M&G on the Caribbean cruises is always one of the highlight events.

Feel sorry you did not attempt the shows. That is a great part of the rather steep RSVP price difference. BUT, the entertainment is frequently awesome. Amy and Freddie are a particular favorite of long time RSVP regulars. Their talent and energy are immeasurable and I bet even Steve wouldn't want to leave them. Leslie Jordan is a Hoot & A Half ! I think my sides are still aching.
I'm so very glad you both enjoyed both the HAL and RSVP experiences. The people of both are what make the difference.

Perhaps Ruth's Big red X should also be "Glow-in-the-dark" ??
HAL would pay attention if you made that suggestion.

I did not get the usual end of cruise questionnaire from RSVP. Did you guys get one ?

Suggestion: there are still a VERY few places left for the Eurodam RSVP Caribbean cruise in February (expected to be taken this week). Then you could experience Amy & Freddie and come to the CC M&G (and meet the rest of this fun crowd). The E'dam is almost identical to the Westerdam with a beautiful Asian restaurant and bar on top and 10 extra Spa Rooms also on the very top. (don't bother) Other than decks 10 & 11 the floor plans are exactly the same so you will feel at home.

Now for the most important advice: . . . . . . ALWAYS LISTEN TO RUTH !
She not only has the best answers but also the clearest perspective.
AND, is a bit of fun on top of it all. (She can easily be bribed with Chocolate)
{{Bribes usually NOT necessary}}

Hoping to see you in February,

r.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for your wonderful review.

The description of your "waves" sounds just like our Alaskan cruise in 2008.

[IRL_Joanie]

Originally Posted by rbyrd2531

I hope you have a great time...I am jealous you will be on my ship!

Even in rough seas, it would be hard to be unhappy on the Westerdam and I hope you feel the same way after your cruise.

Oh, I think I forgot to mention in my review the captain announcing he was deploying the stablizers that would make us feel only 15% of what we would feel otherwise...anyone have a picture of these things? They sound remarkable.

Hey there once more! I found a couple pictures and an article that show and describe a Cruise Ship Stabilizer system. This helps me out also, as I did not know what they were or how they were used.The URL for the explanation is NOT a HAL ship, but I think they would be similar for stabilizer description. It is on the right hand side under Push Button Science http://www.moore-mccormack.com/The-C...kNewsAut58.htm
passenger-liner_2.jpg

Stabilizer.jpg

[IRL_Joanie]

Originally Posted by Pokeynose

We will be celebrating our 52nd anniv. privately, no fanfair. Barb

52 years!! CONGRATULATIONS Barb!!! And may you have at least 52 more!!

[rbyrd2531]

Originally Posted by Tamaracboy

Robb & Steve,

Why didn't we meet on the ship ?? the CC M&G was almost empty considering the No. of people on the thread. I was directly 2 decks above you. I really hoped to meet more of the posters we get to know here.
The CC M&G on the Caribbean cruises is always one of the highlight events.

Feel sorry you did not attempt the shows. That is a great part of the rather steep RSVP price difference. BUT, the entertainment is frequently awesome. Amy and Freddie are a particular favorite of long time RSVP regulars. Their talent and energy are immeasurable and I bet even Steve wouldn't want to leave them. Leslie Jordan is a Hoot & A Half ! I think my sides are still aching.
I'm so very glad you both enjoyed both the HAL and RSVP experiences. The people of both are what make the difference.

Perhaps Ruth's Big red X should also be "Glow-in-the-dark" ??
HAL would pay attention if you made that suggestion.

I did not get the usual end of cruise questionnaire from RSVP. Did you guys get one ?

Suggestion: there are still a VERY few places left for the Eurodam RSVP Caribbean cruise in February (expected to be taken this week). Then you could experience Amy & Freddie and come to the CC M&G (and meet the rest of this fun crowd). The E'dam is almost identical to the Westerdam with a beautiful Asian restaurant and bar on top and 10 extra Spa Rooms also on the very top. (don't bother) Other than decks 10 & 11 the floor plans are exactly the same so you will feel at home.

Now for the most important advice: . . . . . . ALWAYS LISTEN TO RUTH !
She not only has the best answers but also the clearest perspective.
AND, is a bit of fun on top of it all. (She can easily be bribed with Chocolate)
{{Bribes usually NOT necessary}}

Hoping to see you in February,

r.

I am so sorry we didn't meet also. We were about fifteen mins late to the M&G..(kept passing it because I never saw a sign like for other meetings) I finally spotted Sassy and knew we were in the right place and went up to talk with her. Otherwise, it seemed such a weird layout, I think there were other meetings going on there at the same time. I can be shy talking to new people, so Sassy is the only one I approached since I knew her from pictures she had sent me. I wish we had met because you were also so much help to us in preparing for the cruise.

I am not sure we would be able to prepare for a cruise again in February. If there are few rooms left, I doubt they would have a wheelchair accessible suite left. And, I fear we may be spoiled to the suite amenities :>)

Another concern I have is what will happen to Steve's chair when we fly again. Continental totally demolished one side of his chair. I don't even know how they could have damaged it like this without trying. Our next trip may involve a train or maybe you can convince HAL to open a terminal in Galveston! We could drive to it then.

And, when I was originally considering a cruise..I had read that sometimes a tender port will not be accessible for someone to go ashore. Or, the captain may say the weather is too rough for people in wheelchairs to tender. My travel agent told me that was unlikely in an Alaskan cruise, but more often happened in Carribbean cruises. Which is funny considering the weather we went through:>) I probably would have been much less satisfied with our cruise if the weather had been bad, but only bad enough to prevent people in a chair from tendering to port. Does this make sense?

Also, I notice the Eurodam has no wheelchair accessible aft rooms at all. From the pictures, the ship does look nice and modern but seems to lack the same character the Westerdam has. Maybe no other ship will be as nice to me now. But the Westerdam seems to have more "warmth" to it's design.
Especially comparing the stateroom pictures.

I am sorry we didn't try the shows...we did run into Leslie Jordan in the hall while Steve was taking pictures of the ship. He ducked when he saw the camera. (which virtually made him invisible) :>) But Steve did not notice him or know who he was anyway. He was too busy taKing pictures of the ship. I am a fan though (someone else on board besides me with a southern accent!) and remember him from the Will & Grace days.