Westerdam 7-day E BIG REVIEW & gallery - Nov 9, 2013

Review of Westerdam 7-day eastern Caribbean cruise, Nov 9, 2013 (gallery link at the end of the review)

My reviews are sometimes a little different, because the focus of my cruises can be different from others – there may be things I write about that are of little interest to some, and there are things I may not write about at all that readers may have wanted to know about. Hopefully, at least parts of the review can be helpful or interesting, even if they don’t always apply to your own cruise priorities! I don’t hold the food onboard, or entertainment, to be important, I don’t do any ship tours at ports of call, and often photography is a primary focus of my self-guided walking tours…while onboard my primary focus is relaxation, reading, and photography. So, here goes!:

Port Everglades boarding on Nov 9 – Our ship had a somewhat unusual 4pm scheduled departure time, rather than the more usual 5pm – so my 1:30pm arrival time was pushed forward to 12:30pm (it’s just a 20 minute drive to the port for me, being a S. Florida local). While I was worried this might put me in a longer line with the bulk of the passengers, surprisingly, it didn’t…I had a porter waiting for the luggage, walked inside to the ‘sick declaration’ paper with just a handful of folks, over to the Mariner priority line where I walked right up to a desk, checked in, and walked aboard in a grand total of 14 minutes from exiting the car. Onboard, it was pleasant to hear that the cabins were ready – so I headed up and unloaded the luggage. Then while everyone hits the lido to eat (99.9% of the passengers seem to go there first), I roamed the ship taking photos of the empty lounges and public rooms below.

Cabin 8075 – SS Class minisuite – My favorite category of cabin of any ship, any line – I’ve never quite felt the need for the large suites, but the SS is a significant step up in size and space over the standard cabins…I consider them perfect. This cabin is on Navigation deck 8, starboard side, under the deep overhang of Lido, protected from most weather and nicely shaded (unless sailing southbound in the late afternoon!). The only note to make about this cabin for those unaware is that it is a connecting cabin with 8077 next door – not anything of great concern to me, but the door connecting through to the other cabin does take away one bank of closets, leaving you with two rather than three closet sections. Those with lots and lots of clothes, take note!

Departure did not go as planned – the blame was placed on the Emerald Princess parked next to us. We were hemmed in at Port Everglades as 5 ships were in port that day – we were parked facing east, with the Emerald Princess at our bow facing north and the Oasis of the Seas at our stern facing south…the three ships were like a giant ‘U’ and we were the bottom of the ‘U’ – which meant we couldn’t pull out until the other two did. Emerald Princess was delayed in their departure, and that caused everyone to be delayed. At about 5:15pm she finally pulled out, with Oasis following at 5:30pm, and we followed next, exiting the port channel at 6pm. Seas were slightly choppy as winds were sustained at 40 knots toward shore.

Day 2 – At Sea…Not – Day 2 was scheduled to be an at-sea day, however, we found out that during the night there had been a ‘brightstar’ alert, ie: medical issue, and the captain made an announcement to explain precisely why we were seeing some Bahamian islands extremely close off Starboard when usually our course would have taken us up into the Atlantic over the top of the Bahamas – he was headed for Princess’ private island, within sight of Half Moon Cay, to offload a passenger for emergency flight home. Half Moon Cay has no facilities, whereas Princess Cay sits on the tip of the island of Eleuthera, which has a city with facilities and airport accessible on the island. We pulled up next to Crown Princess around 11am, I’m sure confusing those passengers enjoying the private island and seeing a HAL ship pull up! The passenger was safely offloaded and we were back on our way about an hour later…the captain noted that he’d pick up speed a bit but it wouldn’t affect our arrival time in Grand Turk the next day.

Day 3 – Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos – We arrived around 8am in Grand Turk, and I jumped off the ship fairly early as my plan was to get away from the port facilities and walk to Cockburn Town. The Grand Turk port facilities are very much ‘captive’ by the cruise lines, much like Costa Maya – where the plan is to keep the passengers as self-contained as possible within the port facilities – keeping all the profits for the port and the cruise lines. There are cabs and tours available outside the port facilities as well, but I like a brisk walk, and Cockburn Town is about 3 ½ miles away – so I took the long walk (apparently not a common idea, as I saw no other passengers the entire walk to or from!). Some nice perks of the walk were being able to pop onto Governor’s Beach at several access points, see Columbus Discovery beach and park, greet and pet the wild horses standing alongside the road, see the John Glenn Friendship memorial capsule, walk by the salt ponds and see native flamingos, pintail ducks, herons, stilts, and other birds, and some quaint little buildings that the tours don’t stop by. There’s not much action in Grand Turk, but I still find taking a walk or a cab to Cockburn Town more interesting than the port facilities!

Day 4 – San Juan, Puerto Rico – This was really the reason I took this cruise…I have been to most islands in the Caribbean multiple times on many cruises over the years, so I try to find an itinerary that adds one place I haven’t seen, or stops at places I hadn’t been to in a while. I was surprised to realize I hadn’t been to San Juan in 7 years, and it’s such a lovely, historic town that I really wanted to get back to. We sailed into the harbor and past Castillo San Felipe Del Morro around 11:30am, and into port around noon. Once again, walking a self-guided tour of Old San Juan was my intent – so I set off into Old San Juan, along the harbor wall, past the Puerta, toured past the quaint old Capela de Cristo and Parque de las Palomas (the pigeon park), then to Catedral de San Juan Bautista where Ponce De Leon’s tomb sits, and worked my way over to Castillo San Felipe Del Morro, where I marched up and down the many levels and stairs of the beautiful old fort taking photos. I headed back along the north wall, to Ponce De Leon’s house, past Barrachina, checking out the noisy monk parakeets in the park by the bayside, and finally, back to the ship. I love walking Old San Juan!

Day 5 – Philipsburg, St. Maarten – Unfortunately, there was not much time in St. Maarten this cruise due to their planned early departure of 2:30pm. I get annoyed by these short stops and early departures – but you can’t control those – so rather than taking a cab to the French side of the island, or over to Maho beach to watch the planes scrape the beach…most passengers just stayed walking around Philipsburg – which is what I did as well. It’s a pretty town to walk, safe and upscale…so I enjoyed the sunny day. The King and Queen of Netherlands were on the island and staying in a nearby resort that day, and their intended tour of Philipsburg meant a fair number of closed streets, lots of police, and signs everywhere greeting them to town, with orange banners and décor everywhere. That was at least an interesting perk to see something a little different!

Day 6 – At sea – This was a generally relaxing day, though the seas through the day and into that night, got pretty steep and the winds were strong…the weather threatened rain, but only minor passing showers seemed to come through in the evening…the ship had some troubles keeping the schedule, as the captain had to slow down a bit with the big seas and high winds. There seemed to be less passengers at dinner that evening, and around the ship – likely some of those more prone to sea sickness were feeling it that day and night. The downside was that our slower progress meant we were not going to make it to our final stop on time.

Day 7 – Half Moon Cay, Bahamas – True to word, the captain wasn’t able to get to HMC until nearly 9:30pm, rather than the planned 8:30am…first tenders to shore weren’t ready until 10:15am…feet in the sand started at 10:30am…all of which would have been fine if they decided to bump departure by an hour or two – but due to the sailing schedule back to Port Everglades the next day, they had to stick to the 2:30pm all-aboard time. While it didn’t affect me personally, since my day on HMC involves walking all around the island’s nature trails, back bay, and beach, I would think those who reserved cabanas, those with tours planned, etc may have had some difficulties, especially considering it was one of those rare occasions where another ship was at HMC with us, the Ryndam. The weather stayed lovely and I enjoyed my walks and nature nonetheless.

Port Everglades debarking – as smooth as can be. The ship started letting passengers off by 7:40am, and called through all of the luggage tag colors by 9am…I often have a fairly early color tag (4th or 5th), but don’t rush to get off since I only have a short drive. My plan was to debark around 9am, as my ride was arriving at 9:30am. Getting off the ship was quick, and my luggage was one of only a handful still remaining in the pink section (they were letting off mostly blue tags by then, so everyone was headed for that area)…I had a luggage tender waiting, walked right up to the customs aisle with no line, and was outside by 9:10am with my luggage at curbside. I called the limo driver and found he was luckily already at the port waiting for 9:30am to come, so he buzzed over and picked me up by 9:15am, and I was home unpacking and making coffee by 9:40am.

Other minutiae: The ship looked in good shape to me – not brand-spanking new, but nothing too badly weathered, paint kept up, furniture looked good, carpets clean…minor wear and tear expected. The ottomans on my balcony had some broken wicker and unweaving on one edge…that was about the worst complaint I can come up with. Entertainment was something I didn’t frequent often – though one night had a comedian who was surprisingly good. Lido food was the same as on all previous HAL ships – plentiful and decent enough. Dining room was decent – though not quite as good as on previous HAL sister ships – some dishes were very well done – like jerk chicken, tamarind pork sauce, and a very good Weiner schnitzel…but other dishes were not quite as well done, meats were often undercooked, and serving sizes were rather small. Desserts however were excellent – the pastry/dessert chef was quite talented and never seemed to miss. An evening at Pinnacle grill was, as to be expected, excellent. I made the mistake of ordering the Porterhouse – a gorgeous and delicious cut of meat but the size of an actual cow…it had to be 25oz or more, not including the bone – nearly 2 inches thick and the size of the plate. The creamed spinach is divine, and I love the peppercorn sauce…and the spicy coconut milk chicken soup is actually SPICY – a nice change as things labeled such rarely are. Anthony the guitarist in the Crow’s Nest was very talented – and not overpowering which is very nice with the library nearby. Ship’s wifi was actually a decent speed in the library, though significantly slower even at the other side of the Crow’s Nest or other public spaces. While usable in other places, if you’re doing something a little more bandwidth-dependent, stay in the library area (I was remoting in to an office desktop).

That’s all! A fine cruise, as enjoyable as any. As usual, photography was a big focus of the cruise for me, because I love taking photos. I had two cameras and a bunch of lenses with me, though 7 lenses got most of the work between the two cameras. My galleries from the cruise are up, and can be found here:

http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/westerdam_nov13

All photos are labeled…hopefully correctly! Please feel free to look through or hit the slideshow – there are lots of photos in there. Any questions about the ship, ports, or photos, feel free to ask – and I’ll answer if I can!

Great review and wonderful photos. Loved the wild horses on Grand Turk. Thank you for sharing.

Really enjoyed your photos. They brought back happy memories. Job well done. Thank you.:)

Thanks for your great report! Counting down our days until we follow in your footsteps.

Thanks for your review. Very enjoyable reading.

Welcome back. :)

Thanks for your review and great photos!

Great review and spectacular photos. Thanks for posting.

Helen

Many thanks, everyone.

BTW - one thing I forgot to mention in my review, that I felt was worth a mention...one of my big past complaints of HAL ships in general, and in fact MANY different ships, was the selection of free beverages in lido - usually limited to iced-tea, and the occasional lemonade. I had always felt Celebrity did it right, with several varieties of juices, lemonades, teas, and even milk on tap. I mention it all the time in my reviews and on the boards - and it seems at least on this cruise there was a definite step up in lido selections. Iced tea and lemonade were still available, with iced tea a constant and lemonade occasional...but the back lido stations near aft had a variety of different juices available, from cranberry/apple, to pineapple, to fruit punch, to apple juice. Most days there were at least 4 drink selections, sometimes 5. I do hope this is indicative of their future plans on all HAL ships, as it made the soda card completely unnecessary for me. I did pick up a 6-pack of Mountain Dew in San Juan, just for some variety back in my minibar, but the larger selection of juices and beverages was wonderful.

Excellent review and great pics. Thx for posting.

Very well done and great pics. Thank you for taking the time and sharing your cruise experience.

Many thanks, everyone.

 

BTW - one thing I forgot to mention in my review, that I felt was worth a mention...one of my big past complaints of HAL ships in general, and in fact MANY different ships, was the selection of free beverages in lido - usually limited to iced-tea, and the occasional lemonade. I had always felt Celebrity did it right, with several varieties of juices, lemonades, teas, and even milk on tap. I mention it all the time in my reviews and on the boards - and it seems at least on this cruise there was a definite step up in lido selections. Iced tea and lemonade were still available, with iced tea a constant and lemonade occasional...but the back lido stations near aft had a variety of different juices available, from cranberry/apple, to pineapple, to fruit punch, to apple juice. Most days there were at least 4 drink selections, sometimes 5. I do hope this is indicative of their future plans on all HAL ships, as it made the soda card completely unnecessary for me. I did pick up a 6-pack of Mountain Dew in San Juan, just for some variety back in my minibar, but the larger selection of juices and beverages was wonderful.

I sure hope so! Great review, and very enjoyed the photos too.

Great review. We are taking the same cruise in less than two weeks, and our cabin is 8072. First Holland America cruise we've taken and it's been about 15 years since we last cruised, so I'm a little apprehensive about it. Your review has given me a good idea of what to expect with this itinerary.

Thanks for this review. Doing same itinerary in JAnuary, and relaxing & photography are my primary interests, with a little snorkeling (with an underwater camera) thrown in.

ENjoyed the pics!

I leave on the same trip on the 23rd. Enjoyed the pictures and now I can not wait to get on board.

Thanks for the review of your Westerdam cruise, and sharing your great photos.

Thank you so much! Your timing was perfect as I leave Saturday on the Westie on my Eastern.

Andrea

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and your lovely pictures. You are an excellent photographer.

Thank you all - appreciate the comments!

We were getting off the Westerdam the day you boarded so reading your review was like reliving our great week aboard HAL! The morning we pulled into Fort Lauderdale and I saw where we were parked I mentioned to my husband that the ship was "stuck" until all others departed...nice to hear I was correct on that note.

Also interesting to hear about 2 ships in HMC on the same day! That thought went through my head on the day we visited. It was a busy place with just the Westerdam, I think two ships would make it crowded.

Love your pictures!! And your 'style' of cruising. My husband and I make it a point to do something " different" on itinerary stops as we've been to nearly all the Caribbean stops numerous times. We veer away from the suggested tours and the pier shopping.

Thanks for sharing your extensive review and pics.

We too were debarking the Westerdam on the same day as you were embarking, so really enjoyed reliving our trip through your review and all those wonderful photographs.

Thank you!

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Thanks for the wonderful photos, especially the backlit booby and all the pics of Old San Juan. I was there over 20 years ago but it doesn't seem to have changed. A cruise to San Juan and the So Caribbean is on our future cruise list.

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Thanx for the posting ... we sail the Westerdam in Dec

We'll tip a wine glass for you!

Nicely organized review. Enjoyed the way you highlighted the ports with a description. We also went in to town in Grand Turk and found the area quite interesting- but alas we took a taxi.

Do you have reviews of your other recent cruises? Would enjoy your take on the Noordam cruises. Thanks.

Many thanks all.

April, I have been writing reviews on these boards after each of my cruises for many years now - but you might have to do some historical searching to find my old posts I also post them in the member reviews...usually within about a week of the cruise debarking...if that helps you find them.