Saphire Posted February 20, 2011 #1 Share Posted February 20, 2011 We had a wonderful cruise on the Westerdam. February is THE time to get away from New England, and we met many people from Up North who were escaping their long winter as well. We flew in the day before and stayed at Hyatt Place North. The hotel is clean and the rooms very nice. Total Wine is around the corner so we bought some wine for the cabin. This is a very fun store to roam around in, and the employees are very eager to help or suggest wines. We ate dinner at Outback, which is also steps away from the hotel. The shuttle bus worked better than last year, which was chaotic. Now you sign up for a designated time, starting at 10:30 and running every half hour until mid-afternoon. Stewart, the driver, is friendly and helpful. We signed up for 11:00 and it all worked smoothly. When we got to the pier there was no line. The same friendly faces were there from last year, what a great group they are. We were onboard before 12:00 so went to the upper dining room to check out our table, then went up to our suite to drop off our carry-ons. I had booked an SZ guarantee, and a few weeks before leaving was offered an upsell to an SC or SA. The first offer we turned down ($400 pp) but the offer a week later was $250 pp. We took it and chose the SA! We were so happy and grateful to be able to experience a deluxe suite, it was really very special. The added square footage was luxurious. It was wonderful to be able to move about in the bedroom and bathroom. And I adored the little dressing area right outside the bathroom! Mirrors, closets, a vanity, plenty of drawers and outlets...what more could a girl ask for! The veranda was roomy and comfortable. We started and ended each day there, with many hours in between in the comfortable chairs and ottomans. We loved the sound of water moving against the ship, we loved the warm breeze dancing over and around us. The sunrises and sunsets were breathtaking. At night the moon, stars and clouds came out to play. Our fondest memories will include standing at the rail side by side beholding such beautiful creation. THIS is why we cruise! The Neptune Lounge was fun and convenient. The food offerings during the day were plentiful enough to keep us out of the Lido except for one lunchtime trip and an ice cream cone one day. The coffee was fabulous! The machine grinds the beans after you select what you want, so it was incredibly fresh and rich. The ladies there were so sweet and friendly. Our room stewards, Marde and Marde P., were wonderful. At times, language could be an issue, but their friendliness and willingness to please counteracted any hardship. The laundry and dry cleaning service was top notch. Our clothes came back looking better than they ever had, lol. We have always requested a table for two, but this time decided to go for a table for eight. Turns out it was a table for ten. We had a wonderful group! I am so glad we tried it, and now wouldn't hesitate to do it again. We were all suite passengers, but from all over the country. I really enjoyed seeing our table mates at different places...the Neptune Lounge, on the beach at Half Moon Cay, at the Pinnacle Bar, etc. It was just really nice to see some 'friends' in various places and chat for a bit. The food and service in the MDR was excellent. My favorite was the filet and lobster. Close second was a braised veal dish, delicious! This year they had more options for desserts. Besides the four offerings each night, they had four things always on the dessert menu. Brownie stack, assorted cheeses, fruit plate, and a warm fruit crisp. I tried that with vanilla ice cream, and it was very good. It was like an apple crisp, but with a few varied fruits. We had spectacular weather in Grand Turk, our first stop. We walked to Governor's Beach. I read about it here on the boards and followed their directions. We saw...donkey's, a herd of goats, a cow, dogs and a few cats. It was a 15 minute walk. Once we got to the beach it was really nice. Chairs for rent for $10 and they would carry it to wherever you chose. We opted for a $5 beach mat, which we used in the pristine water. It was a much better spot than the beach right off the ship, which we went to last year. This beach was not rocky at all. We enjoyed a few hours there, then walked back. We stopped at 'Local Village' on the way back. It is right on the beach, beyond 'Margaritaville. The beer is local (Turk's Head) and $3.50. Good island music, friendly owner, free chairs for those that want to hang out at the beach. Great spot! San Juan was our next stop. We decided to walk to the Fort. The streets were steep and the cobblestones were a bit damp and slick. My Teva's let me down, and I slipped on those cobblestones. I had white shorts on, but didn't get them dirty! My right knee took the brunt of it. It was bleeding and although I thought we packed a good bag for our outing, I didn't include a first aid kit. I had tissues at least. When we got to the Fort I headed to the ladies room, but it was very basic and they didn't have paper towels. So, I cleaned up with more tissues and water. The Fort was interesting, and a great place for pictures. As we were leaving the skies turned dark. We were planning on walking back, but my knee was complaining and the skies were threatening. We decided to wait for a taxi at the entrance. Just as the rains came, a taxi pulled up. The driver was nice and even gave me some paper towels to wipe off the raindrops (wish I had them earlier!). She had us back to the ship in ten minutes, and I was glad to get back 'home'. We stopped next in St. Maarten, and went on the Golden Eagle catamaran tour. This was our favorite excursion, ever. It helped that we had glorious weather, but this was a very well run tour. The catamaran was clean and comfortable, the crew so young but competent, the water so beautiful and the scenery so gorgeous. After sailing about half an hour we stopped at La Sammana beach for snorkeling and swimming. We will remember this all year. Simply perfect conditions, my husband and I kept pinching ourselves saying..."it is February 15th!!!" After lots of water time we sailed back. Rum punch, island music, warm sunshine, this was one amazing morning. The next day was a sea day and was our first overcast/rainy day. We went to the Mariner's Brunch and met more great people. We went to Trivia and did pretty darn good for a two-some. We took a nap. Heavenly! That night after dinner, I asked my husband to accompany me in the casino. I wanted to play my allotted $10 on the slot machine. He (reluctantly) agreed, and I settled on a 25 cent machine. I charged the $10 dollars to my room, sat down and pulled the lever. Before I had even adjusted myself to get comfortable, I heard the ding-ding-ding-ding sound. WOW! It kept going, and crept up to $85.00 before stopping! We laughed and laughed. My first spin! So, I stopped right there and told him "don't let me use more than $10 of this money!" Which is what I did, how quickly it got used up. But I did walk away, cashed in my $75, bought my husband a drink and gave the waitress a good tip, lol. Last day was Half Moon Cay. We were so grateful for yet another glorious day. We wrote the date in the sand and took a picture to put on Facebook. We walked past the last cabana and spent the day there. This is paradise! As I sit here with howling winds outside, I keep thinking about the aqua blue waters and how that sun felt on my face. It was a perfect day. We couldn't hear the music from the 'pirate ship'. We did check it out after lunch, however. There are good points. It seems really well made. There are multiple ceiling fans inside and it is breezy and comfortable. The upper decks are great vantage points, we spent some time up there looking at the island. But it does look somewhat corny from the outside. We had a great cruise, we met some great people, and as always, the crew on HAL ships are extraordinary. To hear our cabin steward attempt each time to pronounce our names perfectly humbled me. I just can't imagine working that hard, away from my home and having to learn another language as well. Until next year, God willing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DutchByAssociation Posted February 20, 2011 #2 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Glad to hear you had a wonderful cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare erewhon Posted February 20, 2011 #3 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Saphire, A pleasure to read such a positive review. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HamburgAvonLady Posted February 20, 2011 #4 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Thanks for the great review -- We are sailing on our first HAL cruise on the Westerdam this coming Sept. and I have read more than enough negative comments (especially about the food quality) to have some major doubts but you have put my concerns at ease, Thank you ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HamburgAvonLady Posted February 20, 2011 #5 Share Posted February 20, 2011 :) Thanks for the great review -- We are sailing on our first HAL cruise on the Westerdam this coming Sept. and I have read more than enough negative comments (especially about the food quality) to have some major doubts but you have put my concerns at ease, Thank you ! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sail7seas Posted February 20, 2011 #6 Share Posted February 20, 2011 What a great review. Such fun to read. Really happy you had such a great cruise. Thanks for sharing with us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpal1993 Posted February 20, 2011 #7 Share Posted February 20, 2011 The more I read the happier I am that I picked the Westerdam for our up coming cruise March 11.Thanks for the review.Sorry you fell.I think I will take the free shuttle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beyondthe7Seas Posted February 20, 2011 #8 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Will be cruising on the Westerdam on March 11th and you made me even more excited! I'm so glad to hear you had such a wonderful time :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted February 20, 2011 #9 Share Posted February 20, 2011 thank you for taking the tome to write your review glad you had a wonderful cruise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare kazu Posted February 20, 2011 #10 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Thanks so much for your great review. and congrats on enjoying the suite life. It is so nice when people share their experiences :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wefewee Posted February 20, 2011 #11 Share Posted February 20, 2011 We're two HAL newbies who sail the Westerdam in less than two weeks. And you couldn't have made us feel better - such an awesome review! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakemurraykid Posted February 20, 2011 #12 Share Posted February 20, 2011 We just returned from the Westerdam and had a wonderful Southern Caribbean cruise. I just wrote a review of this cruise, however, it has not posted yet. I hope you have just as wonderful a time as we did. Happy Sailing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wefewee Posted February 20, 2011 #13 Share Posted February 20, 2011 We just returned from the Westerdam and had a wonderful Southern Caribbean cruise. I just wrote a review of this cruise, however, it has not posted yet. Go ahead - please post it here (or, just like Saphire, on a new thread)! As we are also on the Southern itinerary, I'd be anxious to hear about your experiences in Curacao and Aruba. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portofrome Posted February 20, 2011 #14 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Glad to hear you had a great cruise. Thanks for the review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IRL_Joanie Posted February 20, 2011 #15 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Welcome home and Thank you for the positive review of the Westerdam. Yes, she is such a beautiful ship:) I love her and would love to be on her again sometime soon. How is your knee?? Joanie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusing Bob Posted February 20, 2011 #16 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Saphire, glad you had such a wonderful experience on the Westerdam but so sorry that you had a fall and injured your knee. This year will make our 4th cruise on the Westerdam and we really enjoy it. Is Andreas still Executive Chef or did he get his promotion to Culinary Operations Mgr.? Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oceanwench Posted February 20, 2011 #17 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Wow, what a great review! We love Westerdam and have sailed on her four times. Each experience was wonderful! Your descriptions were vivid, which made your review come to life. I could feel the sun on my face!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Lady Arwen Posted February 20, 2011 #18 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Thank you for posting such a positive review. We'll be sailing on the Westerdam in April and we're so excited! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saphire Posted February 20, 2011 Author #19 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Is Andreas still Executive Chef or did he get his promotion to Culinary Operations Mgr.?Bob It seems Andreas is still Executive Chef, I don't recall him being introduced otherwise. Joanie, my knee is fine, nothing more serious than a bad scrape...thanks for asking! :) I forgot to even mention the Pinnacle Grille. We had several breakfasts here and one special dinner. There we sat in a semi-circle couch in the corner of the room, facing out. Very romantic and comfortable. My husband had filet mignon, I had the New York strip steak. The filet was perfection, mine was good. The sides and sauces to choose from are superb. Service was excellent. We brought a good red wine with us. The wine stewardess was lovely, she chatted with us for a bit and returned to refresh our glasses. It was such a nice evening! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newfiegirl4 Posted February 20, 2011 #20 Share Posted February 20, 2011 WOW!!!Thanks Saphire for the awesome review.This will be our 1st time sailing HAL and so looking forward to the 4th,Mar.Our sailing date :) especially now that you have said such great things about it.We too have 2 reservations at the Pinnacle grill,the place looks beautiful and you make the food sound so good!Thanks. lakemurraykid,can't wait to hear your review of the Southern as that's our Itinerary too. Cathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brklynguy Posted February 20, 2011 #21 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Same cruise, same great time. We bumped one grade from SZ. Loved the ship, crew and total experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brklynguy Posted February 20, 2011 #22 Share Posted February 20, 2011 HA food (both times - Wester and Zuiderdam), was far better than any other line that we have been on in the last 10 years, and that includes Carnival, RCL, Princess, and especially QMII - similar class accommodations. HA also has the best crew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie1213 Posted February 20, 2011 #23 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Thanks for your review. Your cruise sounded wonderful. I hope your knee is okay, though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruz chic Posted February 20, 2011 #24 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Thank you for taking the time to write a review. I can't wait to board the ship in April:). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTcruisenut Posted February 20, 2011 #25 Share Posted February 20, 2011 We just returned from the Westerdam and had a wonderful Southern Caribbean cruise. I just wrote a review of this cruise, however, it has not posted yet. I hope you have just as wonderful a time as we did. Happy Sailing! I am so grateful for some positive reviews as I was beginning to be worried about the Westerdam. We usually travel in March, but are on the April 1st sailing to the Southern Carribean. Where is your review? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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