So impressed with the Westerdam!

My family and I (4 people in 2 cabins) took the Christmas cruise on the Westerdam and it may have been my best HAL experience ever.

First I have to say that the 2017 dry dock makes this seem like a new ship. The colors in grays and mauve were warm and inviting. It has a modern feel and all areas were nicely decorated, clean and comfortable.

The Crowes Nest is more open and they took away seating to put in the ExC boards and learning centers and I miss the separate coffee bar but it also was bright and a great place to hang out and watch the world go by.

There were more families on board as it was a holiday cruise and teens as well. We were told the cruise was sold out but it never felt crowded.

Cabin: we were in a signature suite on the 8th fooor. Very spacious and double sinks in the bathroom are welcome, but they did remove the cabinets so closed storage in the bathroom was limited. The 8th floor was a great location to get to the Crowe's Nest and Lido deck by walking up a flight or two and far enough from the dining room and Pinnacle Grill that I could justify taking the elevator back up!

We had booked adjoining cabinets and were very happy with having our balconies accessible to each other. That we way knew if the other cabin was awake or sleeping (or napping) since closed curtains meant do not disturb. There was also an inner connecting door but that was less desirable since it left us with one less closet.

There was some noise at time she from being directly under the Lido Market, but not so much that is interrupted our sleep.

Food: hands down the food service and taste/quality was the best I've had on any ship. Our dining room main waiter, Nada, was fantastic handling any request with ease. We saw how he remembered special requests for other families with young children that delighted the children and gave the weary parents a break.

The food tasted as good as it looked and there was a very nice variety. We had dinner at Caneletto one night and although the service was SLOW (they never have enough waitstaff) everything we ate was so good. I recommend trying the meatball and gnocchi, as well as the zucchini risotto. The desserts lack excitement and we only had an assortment of gelato.

I did mss the NY pizza from other ships but the Dive In was as consistently good as other ships. I just wish the dice in was open later.

We had breakfast in the dining room on all but one morning as we like a slower pace and not having to search for an open table (and then remember where it is).

Dinner at the Pinnacle Grill was of good quality. I had the shrimp cocktail and the 12 oz Strip steak but my favorites here are the sides. they are served in smaller portions but will bring more of the popular items. Honestly, I think I only ate half of my steak to feel like I got my $35 worth! Dessert of chocolate volcano cake didn't push me over the top but the tray of truffles and candy they bring you did.

Wwe also had lunch at the Pinnacle one day; a first for me. The menu is shorter and contains a few other lunch size items like a sandwich or two. I tried the mushroom ravioli and was very pleased. The big problem was with the service. I asked for the aioli for my fries and was told that was only served at dinner. Disappointing but I understood. However, my brothers steak ordered as medium rare was delivered well done and my sister asked for tea and received a mostly empty teapot with a used tea bag in it. The staff just didn't seem to have it together. Nada in the dining room provided substantially better service than we had in both of the Pinnacle experiences.

A delight was afternoon tea. We only had a chance to go once but the seating was for smaller groups rather than the longer tables we've had on other ships and we were served a three tiered tray of sweet and savory treats. I much preferred this to waiters circulating with large trays and it made things go much smoother since people arrived in waves.

Entertainment was as expected for HAL. Music venues were nice and popular. The shows were lacking and the magician was just plain bad. Over the years the number of available activities has diminished and that continues. I appreciate the BBC shows and Q&As but more enrichment activities beyond Windows computer classes would be nice.

Americas Test Kitchen events were repeats of those on an Alaska trip in September so I did not attend those. I suggested in my HAL review that since you do not get to try the food you watch and smell them prepare, to tie it into menus at the Lido or in the dining room or have special tasting sessions.

Last item I'll mention is the spa. We booked the week long pass on the first day and enjoyed the heated ceramic loungers a lot, as well as the hydro pool. It was very warm but once you were in, it was fabulous. The only issue we had was with most spa staff who seemed less than thrilled to help anyone or didn't know what was going on.

Although I mentioned a few things that could be improved upon, the entire Westerdam experience makes me want to travel on her again!

Appreciate your feedback!

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Very nice report. Thank you.

keith

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

Glad you enjoyed the Westerdam and your cruise.

Thank you for taking the time to post your comments.

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

Great review!

Glad you had a great cruise!

Thank you for sharing your cruise experience on Westerdam. We have not sailed on her since the dry dock and it sounds like she's even more lovely than I remember. Terrific ship!

Thanks for the review. My mom and I will be transiting the Panama Canal on the Westerdam in March and your remarks are very helpful.

Great feed back -- getting on her 2/4 - so excited and expecting an amazing ship HAL is wonderful

I was so happy to read your review as we just booked a last minute Feb cruise to Hawaii. Thank you for such a detailed review.

I did mss the NY pizza from other ships but the Dive In was as consistently good as other ships. I just wish the dice in was open later.

 

Americas Test Kitchen events were repeats of those on an Alaska trip in September so I did not attend those. I suggested in my HAL review that since you do not get to try the food you watch and smell them prepare, to tie it into menus at the Lido or in the dining room or have special tasting sessions.

Thanks for sharing your impressions of Westerdam. (My first-ever cruise ship.) It seems like HAL is making an effort across the fleet. I wish NY Pizza would go fleet wide; I think their pizza is excellent. And your suggestion re ATK is inspired! I hope they implement it.

Thanks. That was a great review. I , too, am interested in the week long pass at the spa. Is it only possible to get those on the ship, as I don’t see them advertised on the HAL webpage.

Thank you for your review.

Thank you for reviewing your Westerdam cruise.

Thanks for that great review of the Westerdam ,last August we cruised around the med and so enjoyed the Westerdam , really enjoyed the sail away from Kotor in the Crows Nest, it was our first cruise on Holland America, we booked while on board the SB cruise of Alaska and 3 nights at Denali then train to Anchorage, we are so looking forward to our Alaskan trip this August and being on the Westerdam again.

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Sunworthy, - they will offer that pass 1st day on the ship - usually a discount of some kind - check it out - we did it on the AK cruise - would love to do it again some time.

Thank you. I keep looking for it on the web-page. You just saved me some time. I will book it when I get on the ship!

Thanks for your review. We enjoyed our Westerdam cruise in December very much and hope to sail on her again. The ship and her crew made our Panama Canal transit cruise very special! A cruise is a fantastic way to travel!

thrilled with your post -- We board her on sunday

We are on the Westerdam in April for a short Pacific Coastal. Looking forward to it!!!

We were on Westerdam in November for a trans-Canal cruise and I thought she looked lovely. Both of us agreed that the food was the best we have had on any cruise in many years. The last two years our cruises were on another line that seems to specialize in lukewarm, taste-free food, so we felt like we hit the jackpot. Taste is subjective, of course, and food is not a deal breaker for us, but in the days of cutbacks and substitutes, we were expecting less and got more. Nice cruise, nice ship.

Thanks for posting that. So good to know!