Westerdam Review - Oct. 31 7-day East: From the Corner Aft Suite 5190

This is a review of my 9th HAL cruise and 31st overall cruise, onboard the Westerdam for the second time. This cruise was more about the ship, the cabin, and the getaway, as I’ve been to all of the ports recently and often – but the cruise was part of the ‘casino free cruise’ offer that originally offered a slate of 10-day cruises which were already sold out, so after some negotiating on other available cruises I happened upon this one. The ship and itinerary were nearly the same as I took in 2013, but the key temptation was the ‘free’ room offer, with the ability to pay a very reasonable price to upgrade from the inside cabin offered to a larger room. I have usually taken HAL’s SS cabins which I find quite ideal in size, but thought this could be a fun opportunity to try out the larger suite…when the HAL representative listed the available SA/SB/SC cabins for this cruise and ‘5190’ came up in that list – I leapt at the offer. I’ve always wanted a corner aft suite on these ships, known to be among the largest balconies on the sea, and fully covered as well. That’s how I came to be on this Westerdam cruise. My photo gallery link for this cruise is here:

Westerdam Cruise November 2015

Breakdown:

Day 1 – boarding. I’m conveniently close to the port, being a S. Florida resident, so a short 20 minute drive down to the port was easy-going around 12:45pm. Arriving at the terminal around 1:05pm, I was routed to the mariner/suite priority line, completed the health questionnaire, and with only 2 people in front of me, was at the gate agent checking in in just a few minutes. By 1:30pm, I was in my cabin to unpack my carry-on.

The room: Though the aft corner suites are a bit smaller inside than the side suites, it was still notably larger than the SS I’m used to. Coming in the door, there’s a fairly long l-shaped hall heading into the room, first passing the small dressing room and make-up table, with 3 closets behind, and then the door into the bathroom, which is the same size and layout as the SS bathrooms I’m used to (shower stall, separate bathtub with shower, two sinks on a long counter with twin mirrored cabinets, toilet). Around the corner past the dressing room, you pass the minibar on the right and more cabinets and end table on the left. The long couch with coffee table and two chairs to the left, row of 5 closet doors to the right along the wall with the twin beds next to those opposite the couch. Past the couch on the left was a long countertop with storage below, bending around the outside wall with desk in front of a large picture window, then the door to the balcony to the right next to the beds. Very spacious and comfortable room – unbelievable storage even compared to the generous SS suites. There were far more closets (6 total spaces) and storage cabinets (5) plus drawers (8) spread all over the cabin that it was close to impossible for two people to fill them all for a 7 day cruise.

The balcony: There are no words or descriptions that can properly convey just how amazing and beautiful this balcony is. Photographs cannot adequately capture the space. It’s just huge! Open the door and to your left there’s room for the two chairs with ottomans and end table between the door and bulkhead. Still to the left, there’s room in front of those chairs for a table and 4 chairs to sit. And past that, at least 4 more feet of empty space to the end of the glass rail. Straight out the door it’s almost 10 feet to the rail at the aft of the ship. To the right, there’s a day-bed and another 8 feet or so to the port rail. I’d guess there’s close to 16 feet, maybe more, from the left bulkhead to the port rail. But wait – there’s more! As you head right towards the port rail, the balcony continues down the side of the ship towards the bow…at the same standard width as the regular balcony cabins, you can walk down almost 18 feet – two more recliners were down that side of the balcony plus some extra space before reaching the divider to the next cabin. And the entirety is covered above, for privacy, weather protection, and usually someplace you can go for shade or sun, your choice.

The suites do seem to enjoy an extra degree of attention from room attendants – ours was most excellent – Anton always seemed to be right outside the door and responded to any request within minutes.

I did my usual ship tour while most of the ship ate at Lido, just wandering and taking photos. I also stopped by Neptune lounge to see what it was all about – the Neptune staff asked my name and cabin that first visit, and remembered it throughout the rest of the cruise. Amazing considering the number of Neptune suites on board! The Neptune was spacious and private – no seeing inside from the halls, lots of couches and seating, computer for use, magazines, and a television. Cold and hot drinks were available anytime, and various snacks and hors d’oeuvres were put out throughout the day. It was a bit of a hike to the Neptune from the aft of deck 5, so I usually just stopped by on my way to or from Crow’s Nest or other parts forward.

The Westerdam still looks good – a little weathered here and there but nothing that ever bothered me on a ship – they’re meant to be used and cruised, so a little wear and tear doesn’t get to me. I am reminded how I’ll miss the old designs which Westerdam is the last to hold onto – the wonderful quiet tables outside Crow’s Nest which have become either cabins or ‘cabana’ areas on the other ships…and the chocolate bar on deck 3…plus the wonderful and open pool area without all the ‘cabanas’ surrounding it.

Day 2 – At Sea – nothing much to say – I read, I relaxed, I enjoyed! Formally known as ‘formal’ night was this night…I can say that most of my last 4-5 cruises I’ve seen a few jacketless persons here and there slipping into the dining room on formal night, but a vast majority were dressed up. With the new, somewhat controversial re-wording of ‘Gala Night’ dress code, the change was noticeable – many more were dressed in ‘smart casual’ style – maybe on order of 15% whereas it usually falls less than 2%. More surprising were that they were admitting 2-3% in what could only be called ‘full casual’ dress – golf shirts, jeans, and I even saw one pair of shorts. I’m only posting this for informational purposes – I don’t really get into the debates as to what is right or wrong…I still wear a jacket and tie myself as I enjoy it. But I can say there is a notable change compared to my past HAL cruises.

Day 3 – Grand Turk. The morning started with rain – uh oh! Was it going to be a rain-out? No – only for the first hour or two, then it cleared and from about 9:30am there were no more showers that day. There’s not a whole lot to do on this small island, though a vast majority of passengers spend their entire day at the captive/planned port facilities created by the cruise companies. I’m not a big fan of those types of facilities as I prefer to see the ‘real’ face of the islands or places I visit, so I passed through the port facilities and out to the main road. My last visit here, I walked to Cockburn Town – but it’s quite a hike and I wanted to see a bit more of the island this time, so I found a rental facility just outside the gates that had ATVs and golf carts available, and decided to rent an ATV to get around. I toured through Cockburn Town, then up to the north end to visit the lighthouse, past the salt ponds to see the flamingoes, and just all around the island which is pretty easy to cover. A pleasant day!

Day 4 – San Juan, Puerto Rico. The morning again started with rain, mist, cloud, wind, light fog…sailing in past El Morro was drizzly and grey and looked like it might be a wash-out. It rained all the way to the docks…then stopped. Once again, the rest of the day was fine – a light drizzle at around 5:30pm, and clear again for the rest of the night. I love walking the old town, so I just did a self-guided tour. I took the Paseo de la Princesa down under the walls, past the Raices fountain and through the Gate of San Juan, up the hill to the church, through the old town, working my way up to the walls above La Perla, then into the Castillo of San Cristobal…I enjoyed walking all the levels of the fort, then worked my way back to the town, and down the walls back to the ship. A lovely day of walking.

Day 5 – St. Thomas. You guessed it – pouring sheets of rain as we pulled in. The first few hours at port, more sheets of rain kept coming over the hill from town and to Crown Bay where we were docked. I stayed on my balcony which faced the town and watched as wave after wave of heavy rain came over the hills thinking I might just have to skip going to town – but as with all the other days, the showers stopped by around 11:30am, and I was able to catch a taxi to town, walk all around Charlotte Amalie, and just have a nice peaceful day of walking and touring. Around 3pm I got back to the ship as a big sheet of rain was coming over the hill – I got onboard and by the time I was taking the glass elevator back to my floor it was pouring outside! That shower cleared, and the rest of the day was clear again until we sailed away, with the rains returning to the island as we pulled away.

Day 6 – At Sea. Same as before – I read, relaxed, enjoyed. ‘Formal’ night again, similarly relaxed as the first night.

Day 7 – Half Moon Cay. For a change, the day didn’t start with rain…and stayed clear all the way through. I don’t do the ‘beach’ thing much since I live in Florida and have access to beaches anytime I want, so my usual routine is to walk the island – first to the north end rocks past the end of the beach, then past the horse ranch, left out to the big salt bay, then around to the Sting-Ray area and back behind the food pavilions, and eventually back to the tenders. I prefer to skip lunch on the island and just get it back at Lido, since I usually get back when most passengers are still on the island. A good day.

Day 8 – disembark. They started very early – just before 8am they were already calling color tags. I stayed in bed until 8:30am, as I was a ‘Pink’ tag, and could de-board anytime. As my ride wasn’t coming until around 9:30am, no need to rush. At 9:10am, I slipped out in between color tags to avoid the rush, down to the luggage area where Pinks were down to just 15 or so suitcases making my two very easy to find, then through a reasonably short customs line that took maybe 8 minutes. I was outside calling my ride at 9:25am, and picked up by 9:30am…home unpacking and drinking coffee by 10am.

Other mentions: Food. I’m not an avid ‘foodie’ who measures every morsel in my mouth against some mythical standard, but I like food – in general, the main dining room is always acceptably good, with occasional stand out dishes and a few not so great, but overall consistent and decent. I didn’t partake of Pinnacle Grill this trip, though always know it to be very good. I also didn’t bother with the Pinnacle breakfast for suite guests – I’m often a late starter and sometimes miss breakfast altogether – if I did make it, I’d usually just get an omelet at Lido and be done with it. Lido lunch was solid as always – the Dive In grill is wonderful as always, with very good burgers, hot dogs and chicken sandwiches and good fries…the pizza is slightly improved over past HAL cruises though still far below a New Yorker’s definition of pizza…the sauce actually had a little flavor and they used oregano for a change, but the crust is still like a piece of bread. The Asian station was very good – surprisingly in 9 HAL cruises, this was the first time I bothered to try anything there. I will definitely visit it again on future cruises. I didn’t do dinners at Lido, and for lunch I never tried any of the hot selections other than Asian, so I can’t comment on that…I am typically a sandwich/salad/burger person for lunches and not much for plates of hot food.

Other mentions: Entertainment. Not HAL’s strongest suit – I didn’t attend any of the ship cast productions, but noticed the last show ‘Ever After’ was the same that I saw last year on Eurodam – and was well done then. There was a decently funny comedian (safely G-rated) for one night, and a magician who was competent but a little dull show-wise. I skipped a few evenings to enjoy BB King’s and casino instead.

That’s all I can think of! One more time, linking to my photo gallery from this trip:

Westerdam Cruise November 2015

Ask any questions if you have them – I’ll answer them if I can.

Wonderful photos and write up! Thanks for sharing all this. You know your birds...

It was nice to meet you at the meet and greet.

As for the rain, we didn't find it very bothersome (although I think all your times were about 1 hour of on each report since I can't do rain with my scooter. We were at our 6:30pm diner reservation during the last rain in san juan and we were on our way to lunch with a friend at around noon in St Thomas)

Overall this was a very relaxing and enjoyable cruise and we also enjoyed the Neptune lounge and our balcony. :)

Great photos! Thanks for the review.

Great review - thanks. We are sailing in an aft-wrap, deck 5 Oosterdam in less than a month so your review really hit home!

Wonderful photos and write up! Thanks for sharing all this. You know your birds...

Thank you! I am a bit of a nature and wildlife photographer at home, so when I travel, even though I don't have my big birding lens along, I still like to see what I can find. Half Moon Cay has a lot of migrants this time of year.

It was nice to meet you at the meet and greet.

You as well!

As for the rain, we didn't find it very bothersome (although I think all your times were about 1 hour of on each report since I can't do rain with my scooter. We were at our 6:30pm diner reservation during the last rain in san juan and we were on our way to lunch with a friend at around noon in St Thomas)

 

Overall this was a very relaxing and enjoyable cruise and we also enjoyed the Neptune lounge and our balcony. :)

I well could be off on my rain times. I tried to go by memory - but since I don't really do any shore excursions and am not one to rush off the ship, I don't always keep good track of times through the day. I know the San Juan rain was later just before sunset - your time sounds good for that. The St Thomas rains I kept even less track of as I just watched the rains sheeting in from my balcony, then when I saw them clear, I jumped off the ship and grabbed a cab to town. I shouldn't say the rest of the day was clear, because as I got back to the ship and went back up to my balcony, another big rain came passing through - maybe around 3pm? And of course as we sailed away the town was being blanketed by yet more rain.

Neptune Lounge was enjoyable but I only visited 4 or 5 times - it was far away from my suite - but my balcony made up for it...I never wanted to leave it!

DW and I were in 5190 in September and I have to agree Anton was great...the best room steward we ever had!

St Thomas was definitely a wash. :) but we had a nice lunch with a friend that lives there and I found a pair of earrings I loved... and I'm not usually a jewelery shopper. We went to non tourist places to eat each time.

You can add my voice to the chorus of praises for cabin 5190 and the cabin steward Anton. As Sapete said, he is the best cabin steward we've ever had. He works the aft section on deck 5 by himself, so anyone in those cabins will enjoy his outstanding service. We have two more Westerdam cruises booked in cabin 5190, and I'm even considering a third. :) Thanks for your review, Zackiedawg.

Thanks for taking the time to share.

Fabulous pictures. Best picture of Deck 5 Aft Wrap that I have ever seen.

You might want to share it with HAL site we are forbidden to mention.

Catherine

Glad to hear that we have another convert to the Aft Wrap Staterooms on HAL:)

Nopw you understand why I call them "My Penthouse."

Joanie

Great review.

We were in 8140 on our last cruise. Those aft corner suite balconies are just wonderful!

Nice review, thanks for all the info.

Thanks so much for the review and pictures, I enjoyed them.

I thought the room and balcony looked familair. I just checked the deck plan, I was in that same stateroom several years ago, with my husband and son.

Thank you for your review.

Glad you had a wonderful cruise.

Thank you all. It's neat to hear how many have had the deck 5 aft wraps, and how much of a following they have. I was a first-timer, but I fear becoming horribly addicted to that room and would definitely try to book it again if ever available. It's also neat to hear that Anton has been handling that section for a while, and also has an appreciative fan base. I usually find HAL staff and room attendants to be friendly, nice, and usually pretty good - but Anton moved the bar up a few notches. There was nothing he didn't do within minutes of asking, nothing he didn't do right the first time, and never seemed to be hard to find...as I said, almost like he waits right outside your door all day and night!

Fabulous pictures. Best picture of Deck 5 Aft Wrap that I have ever seen.

 

You might want to share it with HAL site we are forbidden to mention.

 

Catherine

I'll have to plead ignorant - I don't know about any other HAL site as this is the only cruise-related board I've ever tried...but I'd be happy to share the cabin photos - I was already planning on putting them up on one of the stateroom photo sites (now I don't know what other sites are forbidden to mention here!).

Google HAL cabin pictures.

It talks about FACTS about HAL

Thank you for reviewing your Westerdam cruise, and the link to your great photos.

It looks like the Westerdam's doors open onto the side rather than the Oosterdam's rear view. Yes 5190, either way is beautiful.

Thanks for your review, and I just looked at your photos via your link - they are great. Thanks for sharing.

It looks like the Westerdam's doors open onto the side rather than the Oosterdam's rear view. Yes 5190, either way is beautiful.

I found an online video walkthrough of someone with an Oosterdam 5190 - and it's exactly identical to the Westerdam's, other than furniture color. So shouldn't be any difference in layout or doors (ie: the balcony door from the room opens out to the aft).

And thank you all on the details of the 'other' cabin site - I get what it is now.

Oh, I forgot one interesting thing that wasn't mentioned. On day 6, as we were getting ready for dinner I heard the emergency system alarm for the first time in a cruise. It was handled quickly by the captain in about 5 minutes. Apparently there was a small electrical fire in a light fixture in crew quarters and it was put out.