thesea4me

I think the service issues "could" be more of a Westerdam issue than a hal issue. Two of my cruises have been on the Westy and I'm in no hurry to return. Not impressive.

No - definitely HAL issues. I'm a four star mariner so it's safe to say I have a bit of experience with their ships and service issues.

I can answer your questions since I was on the same cruise in a Neptune Suite. The ports of call were Grand Turk, Old San Juan, St Thomas and Half Moon Cay. The Neptune Suites have both a shower and tub but the shower has a curtain not a glass door.

Now a recommendation for anyone on a sailing that offered the Explore 4 package - the Pinnacle Grill was totally booked when we boarded and we were the first people to board and went directly to the Neptune Lounge to take care of dining arrangements. Our Explore 4 dinner in the Pinnacle Grill was booked for the last evening at 8pm and we could not change it because nothing was available. If you don't have the Explore 4 and want to dine in the Pinnacle Grill, book it online before sailing.

Best bartender on the ship is George in the Crows Nest. Get to know him and he will take care of you. The Explore 4 Signature Drink Package was great but I didn't even get close to 15 drinks a day. Wines by the glass are very limited and are not available in every venue - for example the Montepulciano is only available in the Caneletto. The chocolate kiss at Chocolate Seduction is amazing but rather odd being served in a paper coffee cup. When you orde a Bellini at the Caneletto you get Prosecco with peach. When you order a Bellini at the Pinnacle Bar you get a martini.

The cruise was good but HAL has really cut back and you can see it in the quality of the food and service. Service was slow in the dining room and HAL just can't figure out how to manage open seating dining. As a suite passenger you are supposed to have priority seating in the dining room but you can't reserve a table between 6:15 and 7:30pm. The new dinner menu layout is terrible and I was far from impressed with selections. The write ups did not always agree with what was served. Many dishes stated jasmin or basmati rice but regular long grain rice was served. Vegetables were fresh and plentiful when requested. Meat was low quality and I'm not sure that veal was actually veal.

I always enjoy breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill and the service was good. The first day sunny side up eggs were extremely underdone and had to be sent back but otherwise I did not have any complaints. The cabin was well maintained but not always timely. One day the room was not made up until 1-2pm. The next evening the turndown had already been done when we returned to our cabin at 6pm. It made it awkward since we were having guests and the sofa bed was opened.

Although I had some issues I had a great cruise. I've been to these ports many times but always enjoy exploring something new. In Grand Turk walk the beach to the conch graveyard. In San Juan walk outside the walls of the city and enter through the city gate. The cathedral is up the hill from the gate and le Casa Blanca the family home of Ponce de Leon is just a few blocks away. Also check out El Convento Hotel across from the cathedral - it has an amazing history.

I've asked for the bran muffin recipe and I got it. One of the ingredients is the bran muffin mix that you can buy in bulk!

Cabin 5002 should be fine as long as the anchor is not lowered.

Rental car shuttles are available at Port Everglades that will take you directly to the airport locations. Check out carrentalsavers to get a great rate.

Staying in Plantation (the Sawgrass Mills area) is definitely less expensive than closer to the port. There are many more options for shopping for last minute items as well as restaurants. Renting a car overnight is extremely inexpensive and Thrifty has a dropoff location at the entrance to the port. In the past I stayed at hotels on 17th and State Road 84 but now choose to stay in Plantation and rent a car. Last January the car was less than $30! Check out carrentalsavers.

Yes - across the street is a strip mall with Big Lots, a supermarket, liquor store as well as a Wendy's, McDonald's and Dunkin Donuts. Just be careful crossing the street - it's dangerous.

Ladies - the easiest place to carry your card key is in your bra! I do it all the time onboard instead of carrying a purse or wristlet. When I go swimming I put my cardkey in the waistband of my bathing suit bottom. It works great. If you are in need of a wristlet - check out Vera Bradley. They have all shapes, sizes, patterns and colors!

Thank you for all the info. I'm looking at the cabin for a Caribbean cruise and I would like the ability to lay in the sun on the verandah. I suspected that it was fully covered. 6166 it is!

I'm trying to decide between aft wrap cabin 6166 or 5190 on the Westerdam. I'm appreciate any details regarding comparisons in the size of the verandah/cabin and sun versus shade on the verandah. Thanks

I'm sailing on 1/4/14 on the Westerdam and am waiting for an upsell offer for the penthouse. I'm curious what the offer was for your cruise. My only experience was an upsell offer for $1500pp on the Veendam to Bermuda which was a more expensive cruise.