Disappointed on Westerdam

First let me say that this was my very first cruise! I am 54 and my sisters finally convinced me to try cruising. Alaska was our destination which I have also never been to. They are avid long time cruisers and my expectations of this trip were quite high based on their prior stories of their great cruises they had previously taken on other ships. This was also their first time on the Westerdam. The suite was lovely and perfect for the 3 of us. The views were wonderful and our room stewards Ahmad and Kadar (I think I spelled them correctly) were fantastic! Also the ladies in the Neptune Lounge Margarery and Ivy were great. Bong in the sports bar and Roger at the Lido bar were also great!

The disappointment truly was regarding the quality of food, the lack of selections and the overall preparation of the food not being cooked as ordered. This encompassed the Lido buffet, the Vista Dining room and the Italian restaurant Cannolinos. The Pinnacle Grill dinner was very good in all areas including service. That was only the first night at sea. We kept hoping that with each meal that something would be better but alas, it was not to be. In addition they did not serve any Alaskan King Crab! I had to come home to Florida to eat that meal!

The service of our Stewards and the ladies in the Neptune Lounge was fantastic, the suite was lovely (so glad we got the larger suite) the scenery was wonderful but the food was not even average at best. Juneau was a nice town. We visited the Red Dog Saloon hoping to have a good dinner but it was just ok. Fun place to grab a drink though! Glacier Bay was absolutely beautiful! The John Hopkins glacier took my breath away! Sitka, first what a great small town and the people were very friendly. Was able to purchase seafood and have it shipped back home for a very reasonable price at the Northern Pacific processing plant. You have to really look for the shoe box of a store by going in between the two buildings and the store will be almost all the way down to the entrance door at the end of the walkway. It is on the left side and although I do not know how to spell her name correctly we were greeted by Aralia who handled my sister and my orders splendidly! They even opened just for us on that Wednesday as they are only open on Friday and Saturday for a short period of time. Mark from the fur store called for us and got them to open it up just for us! If you get a chance stop in and say hi to him! I bought my husband a furry jock strap as a joke and after he modeled it for me our cats decided I bought the furry front and tail for them so much for that! :) I really liked Ketchikan. Jewelers galore but we found a nice shop called Exotic Gems and we all bought a beautiful ring from Rajah and his partners Sonny and a beautiful lady whose name I did not catch. They were very nice and sized my sisters ring in no time at all! They also have a store in Port Charlotte Fl that I will be visiting when they open up in October.

All in all the cruise and staff were wonderful! Unfortunately due to the poor food choices and quality I do not think I will be able to cruise with them again.

Published 05/21/15

Your experience was a classic case of you being given TOO MUCH INFO prior to your 1st cruise! I think you will find most ships to have (on average) food that I would rate no higher than 2-3 stars, at best. Folks who LOVE cruising tend to overstate and perhaps, over-remember, just how good everything is onboard!

In years past, you could get 3-4 star food...not anymore, unless you book a true "luxury" line.

Thanks for the info cb at sea. I thought I was on a "luxury cruise"! Guess not.

Your experience was a classic case of you being given TOO MUCH INFO prior to your 1st cruise! I think you will find most ships to have (on average) food that I would rate no higher than 2-3 stars, at best. Folks who LOVE cruising tend to overstate and perhaps, over-remember, just how good everything is onboard!

 

In years past, you could get 3-4 star food...not anymore, unless you book a true "luxury" line.

Likely a bit of the case. We've done 12 cruises and I can say that food at best is "average". The specialty restaurants (steakhouses) usually rank up to 4 stars or so, but regular dining has been from good to atrocious. But needless to say, Im not on board for gourmet food, so as long as its edible (were on one cruise it wasnt), we're fine.

Welcome to cruise critic. I'm happy you had a good time and you have fabulous memories of Alaska.

I've been on Carnival, Princess and Celebrity, and all of the food I would rank on par with a TGI Fridays, Applebees, Olive Garden type of restaurant on land. With the exception of the specialty restaurants, which would be a slight step up. Whoever goes on a mass market line and raves about the food doesn't know good cuisine. I'm sailing on HAL for the first time this August to Alaska, and am expecting nothing different as far as the food is concerned - edible but that's about it. As long as you go in with low expectations, you won't be disappointed. If you do get a good meal, then you will enjoy it that much more.

Strangely, I've found Carnival to surprise me with decent to good food more often than the other lines...

I like HAL's food overall, but there are always 1 or 2 things that miss the mark. I just got off the Westerdam on May 1, and enjoyed most of what I had. Not sure what you mean by lack of selections. I found choosing difficult because there were so many selections.

Maybe Crystal or Silversea would be more to your liking.

Roz

Sorry your cruise was not to your expectation but you did have some high points to enjoy.

Welcome back and thanks for sharing your comments with us.

I've been on Carnival, Princess and Celebrity, and all of the food I would rank on par with a TGI Fridays, Applebees, Olive Garden type of restaurant on land. With the exception of the specialty restaurants, which would be a slight step up. Whoever goes on a mass market line and raves about the food doesn't know good cuisine. I'm sailing on HAL for the first time this August to Alaska, and am expecting nothing different as far as the food is concerned - edible but that's about it. As long as you go in with low expectations, you won't be disappointed. If you do get a good meal, then you will enjoy it that much more.

 

Strangely, I've found Carnival to surprise me with decent to good food more often than the other lines...

I would rate HAL's food higher than Fridays or the other restaurants you mentioned. I don't know about the food on the lines you mentioned.

I do take exception to your comment that anyone who raves about cruise food doesn't know good cuisine. Liking or not liking food is very subjective. It's possible that people who liked cruise food found things that appealed to their tastes. Or maybe they aren't particularly picky. A neighbor who has cruised several times on Carnival rated their food as excellent and then said "I only had to send back one thing each day." THAT kind of experience wouldn't get an excellent from me, but different people rate things differently.

We were on Westerdam this past winter, and we liked the food. I guess it wasn't rave-worthy because I don't remember anything specific from the MDR. I do remember enjoying the Pinnacle's rack of lamb. And I vaguely remember that it was difficult to find things we wanted on the last night. What we had wasn't badly done, just not what we were eager to have for dinner.

To the OP, I'm sorry the cruise didn't live up to your expectations. Food not cooked as ordered is not acceptable anywhere. Some of the other disappointment may have been that you expected too much. Also, you started at the top with the Pinnacle, and the MDR is never going to be as good. That upcharge pays for better grades of meat and a better server-to-customer ratio.

Thanks for the info cb at sea. I thought I was on a "luxury cruise"! Guess not.

You're right. Holland America line is not a luxury cruise line. Crystal Cruises, Regents, Seabourn, SeaDream and Silversea are luxury cruise lines. Also Azamara, and Oceania lines are known as "Poor Men's Luxury Cruise line." HAL, Princess and Celebrity Cruises are cruise lines for the masses, but they're little above Carnival, Norwegian or Royal Caribbean.

I know few people will disagree with me for sure.

I appreciate the selection of foods on HAL. I also, though ,have hard time near the end of the cruise finding anything I crave. I think it is because I am tired of eating; nothing looks good We were on a RC cruise on the last night and the waiter kept saying--"Have the turkey dinner tonight". We didn't chose this and the fish and beef we chose were tasteless and tough. Next time on RC I told my friends on the last night to take the turkey dinner. We all did and it was wonderful. Listen to the waiters!

I have never seen snails, the cold soups, great roll selection, sugarless and fatless desserts offered on Applebees----Olive Garden. I don't cruise for desserts but do get a cone now and then. Yes, servings are small but really folks now much should you be eating anyway.

I DON"T HAVE TO COOK, SHOP OR DO DISHES. HALLELUJAH!

I appreciate the selection of foods on HAL. I also, though ,have hard time near the end of the cruise finding anything I crave. I think it is because I am tired of eating; nothing looks good We were on a RC cruise on the last night and the waiter kept saying--"Have the turkey dinner tonight". We didn't chose this and the fish and beef we chose were tasteless and tough. Next time on RC I told my friends on the last night to take the turkey dinner. We all did and it was wonderful. Listen to the waiters!

 

I have never seen snails, the cold soups, great roll selection, sugarless and fatless desserts offered on Applebees----Olive Garden. I don't cruise for desserts but do get a cone now and then. Yes, servings are small but really folks now much should you be eating anyway.

 

I DON"T HAVE TO COOK, SHOP OR DO DISHES. HALLELUJAH!

(bold is mine) And that gets me halfway to raving about the food!

I like your comment about the last night and being tired of eating. That may be why we had trouble choosing something.

Sorry you were disappointed in the food. Alaskan King Crabs are being removed from the Pinnacle menu because if their small size for the upcharge.

Glad you did enjoy Alaska.

Thanks to all of you for your input. The food on our trip which was 5-9-15 to 5-16-15 not on par with Applebees, Olive Garden etc. At leas that food is somewhat dependable and edible. Your right we did start at the Pinnacle and we should have stuck with it for only $29.00 per night for dinner. If I ever go on HAL again that is what I would do.

As others have said there are several "luxury" lines that would have provided amazing food in even the Main Dining Room as well as a more "all inclusive experience. The prices, however would not be even close to Holland America.

Looking at a 7 night on Crystal in early June a "Penthouse" (similar to a Neptune Suite on HAL) is at about $9000 per person. The Crystal Penthouse (similar to Pinnacle Suite n HAL) is about $17,500 per person.

We love HAL ships and especially the HAL staff on board. We do however eat in the PG every night- well worth the extra cost.

First let me say that this was my very first cruise! I am 54 and my sisters finally convinced me to try cruising. Alaska was our destination which I have also never been to. They are avid long time cruisers and my expectations of this trip were quite high based on their prior stories of their great cruises they had previously taken on other ships. This was also their first time on the Westerdam. The suite was lovely and perfect for the 3 of us. The views were wonderful and our room stewards Ahmad and Kadar (I think I spelled them correctly) were fantastic! Also the ladies in the Neptune Lounge Margarery and Ivy were great. Bong in the sports bar and Roger at the Lido bar were also great!

 

The disappointment truly was regarding the quality of food, the lack of selections and the overall preparation of the food not being cooked as ordered. This encompassed the Lido buffet, the Vista Dining room and the Italian restaurant Cannolinos. The Pinnacle Grill dinner was very good in all areas including service. That was only the first night at sea. We kept hoping that with each meal that something would be better but alas, it was not to be. In addition they did not serve any Alaskan King Crab! I had to come home to Florida to eat that meal!

 

The service of our Stewards and the ladies in the Neptune Lounge was fantastic, the suite was lovely (so glad we got the larger suite) the scenery was wonderful but the food was not even average at best. Juneau was a nice town. We visited the Red Dog Saloon hoping to have a good dinner but it was just ok. Fun place to grab a drink though! Glacier Bay was absolutely beautiful! The John Hopkins glacier took my breath away! Sitka, first what a great small town and the people were very friendly. Was able to purchase seafood and have it shipped back home for a very reasonable price at the Northern Pacific processing plant. You have to really look for the shoe box of a store by going in between the two buildings and the store will be almost all the way down to the entrance door at the end of the walkway. It is on the left side and although I do not know how to spell her name correctly we were greeted by Aralia who handled my sister and my orders splendidly! They even opened just for us on that Wednesday as they are only open on Friday and Saturday for a short period of time. Mark from the fur store called for us and got them to open it up just for us! If you get a chance stop in and say hi to him! I bought my husband a furry jock strap as a joke and after he modeled it for me our cats decided I bought the furry front and tail for them so much for that! :) I really liked Ketchikan. Jewelers galore but we found a nice shop called Exotic Gems and we all bought a beautiful ring from Rajah and his partners Sonny and a beautiful lady whose name I did not catch. They were very nice and sized my sisters ring in no time at all! They also have a store in Port Charlotte Fl that I will be visiting when they open up in October.

 

All in all the cruise and staff were wonderful! Unfortunately due to the poor food choices and quality I do not think I will be able to cruise with them again.

 

Published 05/21/15

You went into this with high expectations regarding the food. The food in the MDR is not cooked to order. It is banquet style. They have to serve thousands of guests in a short time. When I asked for a steak that was medium, I was told medium rare or medium well. No in between.

Glad you enjoyed your cruise to Alaska except for the food. I understand 100%When folks who have not cruised comment to me about how great the food on cruise ships is, I always respond -"If you like banquet food". We have had everything from excellent to poor quality food on cruises. I think in the past cruise food was far better than it is today. But we don['t cruise for the food. We cruise for the itinerary, the escape, the fun, and the enjoyment of someone else doing the cooking and the cleaning.

Thank-you for your review. Alaska is a wonderful destination. Like you, we also have had very mixed experiences with food on HAL. It seems to be a recurring theme with some of the reviews that I have read, and it doesn't appear that HAL is motivated to make any changes in the near future.

I found it interesting that in a recent interview, Carnival Corp's CEO Arnold Donald referred to the contemporary mass cruise market and the luxury cruise market as Wal-Mart vs Neiman Marcus. Quite the analogy.

Glad you enjoyed your cruise to Alaska except for the food. I understand 100%When folks who have not cruised comment to me about how great the food on cruise ships is, I always respond -"If you like banquet food". We have had everything from excellent to poor quality food on cruises. I think in the past cruise food was far better than it is today. But we don['t cruise for the food. We cruise for the itinerary, the escape, the fun, and the enjoyment of someone else doing the cooking and the cleaning.

Ditto!!

we've never cruised for the food and we rarely dine out. but if there's not some music and dancing I'd be disappointed.

Sorry you were disappointed in the food. Alaskan King Crabs are being removed from the Pinnacle menu because if their small size for the upcharge.

Glad you did enjoy Alaska.

I hope they replace it with Dungeness crab then the up charge will be worth it.

First....they had very good food on most cruise ships. Then, they started cutting back on food, eliminated daily midnight buffets, took large shrimp off the lunch buffets, reduced the size of portions, did away with sides being served by waiters from platters and bowls, etc. And then they started some alternative restaurants that were either free or had a very small charge (such as $5). After a time they kept cutting the quantity and quality in the MDR and Lido, and started increasing the prices in alternative restaurants. Soon, the food and service in the alternative restaurants was what we used to experience in the MDR at nearly every meal. Then, they kept raising the price of those alternative restaurants. And finally, they started putting on extra fees on top of the extra fees in the alternative restaurants for food you used to get in the MDR!

One wonders what is next in cruising. There are already some line who are charging for certain items in their MDR! I am thinking that eventually some line will convert their Lido into something akin to an old Horn and Hardart Automat where you have to use your cruise card to retrieve certain items (at an extra charge). Perhaps they will even serve real coffee in the Lido from machines that accept your cruise card (or credit cards). Oh My!

Hank

Thank you for your review.

The disappointment truly was regarding the quality of food, the lack of selections and the overall preparation of the food not being cooked as ordered......

All in all the cruise and staff were wonderful! Unfortunately due to the poor food choices and quality I do not think I will be able to cruise with them again.

 

Published 05/21/15

Do you mean you won't go back on the Westerdam, or you won't go back to Holland America ? You had such a great time....I hope you'll try another one of their ships.

By the way, the next time you're in Juneau, have lunch or dinner at the Hangar on the Wharf. It's a "real" restaurant (not a saloon) with a beautiful view of the waterfront.

http://www.hangaronthewharf.com/

I think the real issue the expectation gap.

Cruise lines boast about their wonderful food. Some posters say the MDR is like dining in a fine restaurant. Well....that starts and stops with the place settings these days. And place settings, in our minds, do not alone make a fine dining venue.

Let's face it. MDR food is banquet food tarted up with a few decorations to impress people and to make them feel that they are getting something other than mediocre banquet food. Once in a while you get great food but you are just a likely to get poor food on a bad day or a bad cruise. It happens...and it happens on HAL just like it does on other cruise lines.

Sure, there are good meals from time to time. But all the mass market lines, most especially HAL, seem to be reducing the food spend, reducing the service level in the MDR to save money.

Not complaining as we have realistic expectations and cruising can be a bargain vacation. We do not expect fine dining...we are seldom surprised and seldom disappointed. Mediocrity. I guess they are trying to increase business at the pay dining venues.