Dave’s Review of Westerdam Mediterranean/Adriatic Collector cruise, Oct. 2-26, 2017

We recently went on the Westerdam on a Mediterranean/Adriatic DreamCollector cruise, and I decided to do a review. On several previous cruises, I did live blogs, but decided to do areview after the cruise because this cruise was particularly port-intensive which meant we expected to be very busy. So, I took photos and kept notes as the cruise went along, and have written a day-to-day account.

It has been a while since the cruise, but I hope it is still useful. This was the last time for this itinerary in2017, and no HAL ship is doing this particular collector cruise in 2018, butthere are ships visiting most of these ports and some of you may appreciate apeek at them. I hope you enjoy.

We took shore excursions in most of the ports, and I have includeddescriptions, photos and opinions. Thereview also provided an opportunity to review the Westerdam and some of thechanges made in their overhaul earlier this year.

Here is the map of our itinerary. It consisted of a 12-day cruise from Civitavecchia to Venice and thenanother 12-day cruise back to Civitavecchia.

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More later,

Dave

Pre-cruise

We arranged air and hotel through HAL. We flew from Seattle on British Airways business class overnight to London Heathrow. At Heathrow, we cleared customs andimmigration, and then had a long hike to another line to clear again for ouronward flight to Rome. We had asked fora four-hour time between flights to ensure we made it through the process, and had a while after clearing all the bureaucracy, so we went to the BA business lounge and joined the dozens of people waiting for onward flights.

The flight to Fiumicino was uneventful, and we cleared immigration quickly. We at one point encountered a long line and expected a wait, but DW noticed a sign that said that the long line was for people holding passports from countries that needed visas, and that if you were from one of the below countries, go this way. The U.S. was included among the many countries whose citizens did notrequire visas, so we went to the very short line and we through in a few minutes.

At that point, our luck ran out. There was noHAL rep in the baggage claim area. So, we gathered our bags and went through the nothing to declare portal and outinto the terminal where there were many people holding signs for arriving passengers. No HAL rep. I left DW with the bags and trolled inside and outside the terminal, without finding a HAL rep. Luckily, I had printed the instructions page from our cruise docs – I returned to DW and got the paperwork. As I thought I had remembered, it had a number to call if there were no HAL rep when we arrived. I got help from one of the great multilingual courtesy staff the airport has on hand. He phoned he number, spoke to someone from the company HAL contracts with, and then took us to a particular exit of the terminal and said a HAL rep would join us shortly.

Indeed, within only about 2 minutes, a HAL rep approached. She had us on her list of HAL passengers, but said she had been told we were already in Rome. She had us wait a few minutes while she collected another couple ofpassengers from another flight, and then sent us off in separate taxis to our hotels.

We stayed at the Savoy Hotel on via Ludovisi, just off Via Veneto, for three nights before boarding Westerdam. I did not take photos of the hotel, but it is an older grand hotel from the Via Veneto heyday. It is comfortable, the staff was very helpful, and it had a great breakfast including eggs and bacon, as well as cappuccino machines, bread, rolls, sweet rolls and pastries, etc. There was a HAL rep in the hotel lobby each day for at least a few hours.

We spent the two full days mainly just trying to adjust to changing nine time zones, and enjoying a stroll followed by coffee and then later by lunch at some old favorite place. We have lived in Naples for six years, so we were familiar with Rome, and did not rush about to see St.Peter’s, the Coliseum, etc.

I did startto believe that they had put a couple of blocks more into the Via Veneto upfrom Piazza Barberini to our hotel, but DW pointed out we had been about 15years younger the last time we had walked that way.

If you stay at the Savoy, there is an easier way to get to the bottom of the Spanish steps, and more importantly, back from there to the hotel. If you go a couple of blocks further up towardthe upper end of Via Veneto, you will encounter Harry’s New York Bar (a landmark and worth getting a drink at). Next to Harry’s is an entrance to the Rome metro. It is a fairly long route to the exit at Spagna station, but is no cost and involves mostly escalators and movingwalkways. You find the other end by going north past the bottom of the Spanish Steps and Babington’s Tea Room, and turn right into the metro station. Take care to follow the signs to Via Veneto in that direction, or you may find yourself emerging into the Villa Borghese. And, this is a prime prowl for pickpockets, so watch yourself and your stuff. But, it sure beats the climb backup the hill to the hotel.

More later,

Dave

So glad you are doing a review, Dave. I always enjoy reading about your travels.

(Note: my images don't seem to be embedding as they usually do, but the links seem to work. If you click the link, it brings up a Photobucket page. You can enlarge by clicking the image of amagnifying glass with a plus symbol in it. Sorry.

2 Oct - Embarkation

Our instructions from the HAL rep were to have breakfast, put large bags outside our room by 8a.m., check out by 10 a.m., and assemble in the lobby and waiting room by 11:30 for the bus. We did as instructed, and a few minutes after 11:30, the bus arrived and disgorged passengers arriving from Westerdam. Oncethey were all unloaded, the hotel staff who had earlier collected our large bags from outside our rooms loaded them onto the bus, and we boarded.

The drive to the ship in Civitavecchia took about 90 minutes, first through Villa Borghese and then Rome streets, then suburban roads, then highways and freeways.

Embarkation was efficient, and included the usual health questionnaire, documents check and photo. There was a 4- and 5-star Mariner line that we joined and were through quickly. But, the other line was moving fast as well.

We had booked cabin 6119, a VC class room on the starboard side aft. Our room was ready, and I was able to get a couple of shots before we started cluttering it up with our stuff. Here are photos of the interior:

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More later,

Dave

2 Oct - Embarkation (Cont.)

Here are photos of the balcony:

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I did my usual assignment of making myself scarce while DW waited for the bags and then put things away. I checked out our dining assignment for early fixed – a two-top on the rail. I did a tour of the bars looking for familiar faces, and also buying a jug of distilled water from the Ocean Bar. And, I checked out the report that there wasno longer a library and that the area had been changed. More about that later in the review.

When I returned to the cabin, I set up the computer and created an internet account. The options for this cruise were not the number-of-minutes choices, but ones I had not encountered before:

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I had not planned to live blog, so I chose the Enhanced Plan with the length of cruise option. This was good for the 12 days to Venice; I purchased another of the same plan for the return cruise to Rome. At one point in the cruise I attempted to log onto Photobucket to post a photo, but the HAL system kicked me out of the site. Later, when I tried to log ontoTotal Wine to see if they carried any of the great Croatian white wine we had tasted, the HAL system also kicked me out. I understand that Photobucket is a high-bandwidth site and I had not paid for the premium service, but I don’t know why Total Wine was rejected – did they think I would order a case to be delivered?

The HAL Navigator, through which you access the internet, also has other applications, such as menus, itinerary, events on board, etc. The Navigator can be reached with a computer or with other devices via onboard wifi connection. You can access your shipboard account, so you can keep track without getting a printout. You can also make Pinnacle and Canaletto reservations, purchase shore excursions, etc. It doesn’t carry the Lido menus, though.

But the TV does. This is the second cruse we have taken where the older TVs and DVD players have been replaced with alarge-screen interactive TV. You can get menus, including the Lido ones, watch TV shows and movies (but not as many aswere in the old DVD list), watch the bow and aft cameras, etc. It has its advantages, but as others have noted, the location at the foot of the bed is a little awkward, and you can’t play any DVD movies you may have brought with you.

More later,

Dave

2 Oct - Embarkation (Cont.)

Feedback I’ve received from previous blogs is that some readers like to see the daily program and dinner menus. Others may not, but I will include those files for those who want them; you can easily just scroll past if you are not interested.

So hereare the first four pages of the program, now called “When and Where”:

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More later,

Dave

2 Oct - Embarkation (Cont.)

Here are the other two pages of the program. Notice that there are no hours listed for the various bars. Odd.

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Here are the dinner and dessert menus:

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Fort what it’s worth, I had the tomato soup Florentine, beef short rib stroganoff and Viennese apple strudel; DW had chicken noodle soup, beef short rib stroganoff, and chocolate fudge brownie cheesecake.

More later,

Dave

3 Oct – Messina, Sicily, Italy

Here are the first four pages of the program:

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More later,

Dave

3 Oct – Messina (Cont.)

Here arethe other two pages of the program:

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In the morning, we cruised by Stromboli volcano and past the Straits of Messina, anarrow path with rocks and swirling currents, the basis for the Greeks’ Scyllaand Charybdis, which were fearsome rocks and a treacherous whirlpool that could swallow boats. (It’s also the same asbeing between a rock and a hard place.) The EXC staff did a scenic cruising narration, and we watched from the Crow’s Nest. Here is a photo of Stromboli:

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More later,

Dave

3 Oct – Messina (Cont.)

We pulled into Messina in the afternoon. Here is a photo of the waterfront as we pulled in:

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Here are the port guide pages for Messina:

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We had visited Messina when we lived in Italy, and had not booked a shore excursion, thinking just to go ashore and do a bit of walking around. But, it was turning rainy, so we stayed on the ship and puttered about before showering, changing and going to happy hourbefore dinner. Here are the dinner and dessert menus:

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I had the garden bounty salad, and DW had the chicken and chorizo soup. We both had the farfalle boscaiola, and chocolate delight.

More later,

Dave

4 Oct – Valletta, Malta

Today was a port call to Valetta, Malta. Here are the first four pages of the program:

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More later,

Dave

4 Oct – Valletta (Cont.)

Here are the other two pages of the program:

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And, here are the port guide pages for Valetta:

We had booked a morning shore excursion called “Legacy of the Knights” which was a tour of Valetta and surroundings with a focus on the Knights of St. John. Unfortunately, the morning tour wascancelled, and we decided not to book the afternoon version but instead do ourown walking tour of Valetta in the morning.

We pulled in before dawn, and instead of mooring at the pier Westerdam apparently had used all season, we were assigned to a berth on the south side of the harbor, across from the central town. But, the ship offered a boat shuttle across to the other pier, which was full with other cruise ships.

We walked ashore and just missed the first shuttle boat. We watched while it maneuvered and laid to for a while until finally heading between cruise ships, presumably to a landing. We were thinking that this process could takea while, and were considering our options, when it started raining. We decided to go back aboard to see it wasjust a passing shower. We almost made itto the gangway before the thunderstorm hit.

We went instead to the Crow’s Nest/Explorations Café to have a latte. We weren’t the only ones, but were early enough to get a table with chairs. We and fellow passengers then watched the amazing show as thunderstorm after thunderstorm passed over Valetta harbor and town. At several times, it rained so hard that we could not even see the other cruise ships on the other side of the harbor. This went on for hours, but we left after awhile and went to lunch, figuring the day was a total washout.

Most orall of the ship’s shore excursions were cancelled, and we were quickly reimbursed the entire amount on our shipboard account. The weather did lighten a bit in lateafternoon, but we were not about to be lured ashore just in time for another downpour, although some people did go. The passengers were not the only ones disappointed; we heard from some of the crew that their favorite wifi restaurant was on the other side where the ship normally docked, and they had not been able to get their usual skyping/etc.done.

More later,

Dave

4 Oct – Valletta (Cont.)

Since I don’t have any photos at all of Valetta, this seems a good point in the review to post some photos of how the Crow’s Nest has been altered during drydock, and what I think of it.

The Explorations Central (EXC) has taken over much of the area. In fact, they are now calling it the EXC at the Crow’s Nest.

Starting from the starboard side as you center from the stairwell, the first thing you encounter outboard is the Future Cruise Consultant room. This is a dedicated space, and the FCC we talked to was delighted not only to have her own space, but ample storage right there for her brochures, flyers, etc. An FCC desk needs to be somewhere, and this was done well.

Against the wall of the FCC office is a large display showing rotating photos of the ports and tour sites. Forward of that is a space that is mostly taken with display tables featuring factoids about the ports on the cruise. The tables have about six icons for each port and when you click on one, it opens a short dialog box with a factoid about that port. These tables are shiny toys, but you could exhaust their possibilities in five minutes, tops. I understand that HAL may be trying to attract younger people, but I don’t think these kinds of things are going to get it done. If I get bored with it after five minutes, they probably wouldn’t last longer than 30 seconds. I almost never saw anyone using the tables to look at the factoids, so it seemed to be to a big waste of effort and, more importantly, of space.

Here are photos of that area and the tables:

Inboard from the tables, where the Explorations Café coffee bar used to be, is the Shore Excursions deck. Again, this needs to be somewhere, and it is an improvement. It has display boards with what tours are available, as well as a hard copy of the shore excursions booklet. Part of the countertop is an interactive display of maps of the ports to be visited. This is useful, and several times we used it to orient where our excursion would be in relation to the ship/port. You could zoom in and out, and move the map. So, a plus. The downside is that the coffee bar has now taken up half of the Crow’s Nest bar. It works well as a coffee bar, but not so much as a drinks bar, since there are few seats at the bar, and much of the other seating has been removed.

On the starboard side forward of the EXC factoid tables is what remains of the “library”. This is a large multi-shelf unit holding coffee table books, the kind like a four-pound tome about the history of lard or something. And, there is a sign saying not to take the books away. I never saw a single person open one of the books. Here are photos of the “library” and the sign:

More later,

Dave

4 Oct – Valletta (Cont.)

It gets worse. Forward, where the magazine racks were, there is another large display screen, and a large table with interactive things that change daily. One of them I tried asked me to indicate on a map a place where a visit there changed my life for the better. I got bored with it even before I could finish that one item.

There are some loungers up front by the forward windows. These are comfortable enough, although padded arms would work better than wooden ones. But I found the first time I sat in one that it must have been designed by someone young, someone who has never had to struggle to get out of a too-low chair (usually by rolling out on my hands and knees and then using the chair to crawl to my feet). Here is a photo (of the chairs, not of me crawling to my feet):

Elsewhere they have some padded blocks that may be comfortable for someone younger than me, some plush lounge chairs, like the ones in the photo of the factoid tables (again too low) and several tables with normal bar-style armchairs. But the total amount of seating has been reduced. Behind the Crow’s Nest bar, where there used to be bar seating, are two tables with computer monitors. These are loaded with New York Times content. The problem is that the info is pre-loaded Sunday supplement stuff that I never noticed being updated. You could not get the score of last night’s World Series game, or a report of what the heck was going on in Catalonia. OK, you can get that from the NYT site, which is accessible free, and most passengers have a computer or device that can access it. But that brings up the question then of just why they have those two tables with computer screens?

Where the Captain’s Corner had been on the port side is now an arrangement of chairs in a theater-style configuration, which is used for EXC presentations on upcoming ports, etc.

But the thing that most set me off and caused me to make a disparaging comment on my cruise feedback, is what they are calling the Virtual Bridge. This consists of two large plastic displays that show engine orientation, time, location, etc. OK, these are pretty cool, and could even be useful. But, they have placed these screens squarely at the bow, where they block most of the view for scenic cruising or just staring at the ocean. What mentally-challenged individual decided to put them there? What was he thinking? – “Ya know, our passengers are sick and tired of seeing fjords, glaciers, the Pitons, etc., while cruising, so I’ll block those boring views with this neat Virtual Bridge.” Here is a photo:

I know they did not ask me when they were doing the re-design (shocking, I know), but if I were in charge, I would take out the factoid tables and make that space the EXC presentation area. The factoids and the ask questions bits could become part of the interactive countertop at the desk if they wanted to keep those functionalities -- you really don’t need separate screens for those. I would move the Virtual Bridge around where the library is located, but I would prefer they just took out the library and converted it to seating. In the space where the magazines were, I would remove the pretty much useless table and screen and put the coffee bar there. I would restore the Crow’s Nest bar to a proper drinks bar. And I would take out the padded cubes and replace them with actual chairs that people can sit in, ideally around tables, like in a bar. I would take out the useless NYT stations and put in seating, and I would restore the Captain’s Corner to comfortable seating where you could sit and read a book in the late morning or afternoon.

If they did all that, they would then retain what is useful about the new EXC, but also restore the Crow’s Nest to a place where people actually want to go. (Harrumph).

The actual EXC staff did a great job on this cruise. I particularly liked the way the shore excursions were organized. All tours met in the show lounge. As you entered, you went to a table up front, showed your ticket and received the usual colored and numbered ticket. But, your ticket matched the bus number, and the tour number. When your tour was called, say “Red number 10”, you exited the lounge and went to the gangway (or tender landing) and went ashore, where your tour guide was holding a sign with “10” on it. You then boarded a bus with a sign in the window that said “Red 10”. This worked well throughout the cruise.

More later,

Dave

(Note: Apparently my Word file had some wonky code in it -- by converting to plain text to import and go with default CC settings, my images seem to be embedding now.)

4 Oct – Valletta (Cont.)

We did our usual routine and then went into fixed early dinner. Here are the dinner and dessert menus:

I had the shrimp and calamari chowder, while DW had the vegetable and cheese tortellini soup. We both had the prime rib, and apple streusel.

More later,

Dave

5 Oct – Gozo, Malta

We had another opportunity to see some of Malta, when we visited the island of Gozo. Here are the first four pages of the program:

More later,

Dave

5 Oct – Gozo (Cont.)

Here are the other two pages of the program:

And the port guide pages:

More later,

Dave

5 Oct – Gozo (Cont.)

We booked the shore Excursion called “Victoria’s Secrets” which despite the inference was not about lingerie, but about the town of Victoria and other places on the island.

It was still pretty rainy when we started the tour. We drove first to Dwerja Bay where we had a photo stop to take pictures of the area, including the Fungus Rock, a large rock that contains a medicinal fungus much treasured … and guarded … by the Knights of St. John. It was at the time the only known site of the fungus. Our guide told us another site has been found, and the fungus has indeed been found to have medicinal qualities. Here is a photo of the rock:

We then drove to the Basilica of Ta’Pinu, which according to the tour literature is a center of pilgrimage. In 1883, a peasant woman claimed to have heard the voice of the Virgin Mary taking to her in an old chapel. The site became a shrine, and later a large church was built. It is a beautiful structure. We did not have time to enter, but I got a photo of the exterior:

More later,

Dave

5 Oct – Gozo (Cont.)

Next was a walking tour of Victoria, which is dominated by a large fortress, The Citadel, on the hill. We walked along narrow streets and past the central square of the cathedral, and then up to the Citadel which also had a large church. Here are some photos, including one I took of a sign outside of the St. George Cathedral, not so much to feature the renovations, but to capture the Maltese language the sign contains. The language seems to me to have Latin roots, but no doubt has had other influences over the centuries.

More later,

Dave

This is wonderful and I know you have more to go.

Keith

5 Oct – Gozo (Cont.)

We finished the tour with a visit to a Neolithic site, Ggantija, which has been dated to 3600 B.C. This was an impressive site, and we enjoyed the level of engineering expertise from such an early age, and were struck by how the site had been treated in the 1800s and 1900s – note the photo of the graffiti. We have noticed this at many other sites, and we regret it, but we need to realize I suppose that it was an accepted practice at the time. Here are a few photos:

It was a pretty damp day, with showers, but nothing like the storms we saw in Valetta. Our tour guide told us that there had been only four days with rain in the past several months, including that day and the day before – the Maltese equivalent I suppose of “Boy, we really need this!”

This was a very good tour in my opinion, and we enjoyed it very much. The Neolithic site is especially worth a visit.

We returned to the ship and relaxed before happy hour and dinner. Here are the dinner and dessert menus:

I had the seafood fennel broth and rosemary roasted chicken; DW had the cannellini and lentil soup and tri-tip with roasted shallot vinaigrette. We both had rocky road ice cream for dessert.

More later,

Dave

6 Oct – at sea

Today was a day of glorious weather, of course, after two stormy days in Malta. Here are the first four pages of the program:

More later,

Dave

6 Oct – at sea (Cont.)

Here are the other two pages of the program:

Other major changes around the ship were:

- They had taken out the Atrium bar and installed the Rijksmuseum at Sea. There are reproductions of some of the famous art works, but they don’t change. I spent a pleasant 15 or 20 minutes looking at the art, and then was done; I did not go back the rest of the cruise. I almost never used the Atrium Bar so I am OK with the Rijksmuseum, but a couple of people said they missed their martinis at the bar.

- The Northern Lights disco is now the Gallery Bar, which is decorated with art work and has beers on tap. Across the way, the Sports Bar and Piano Bar haven been opened up into one bar area called the Billboard at Sea. Since we had the beverage package, we were hoping to find a quiet, non-outside bar while happy hour was going on in the other ones. The Crow’s Nest was just too depressing after all the changes. The Billboard at Sea also had happy hour at 4 p.m., same as the Ocean Bar. So, we thought the Gallery Bar would be ideal. The problem was, we never knew when it was open, the bar hours seemingly being a state secret, since they were not in the program, on the Navigator or on the TV. The few times we went by about 3:30 to 4, it was closed. So, because the seats were more comfortable than in Billboard at Sea, we ended up most afternoons in the Ocean Bar, where the bartenders and servers were wonderful, but it did get rather hectic and noisy at times. It was only in the last few days of the cruise back to Civitavecchia, we being kind of slow now and then, that we realized that we could get a drink from the bar in the Billboard at Sea and just take it over and sit in the Galley Bar. So, we did for a few days. It turns out the Gallery Bar staff did show up about 4:30 or 5 a couple of times, and we were able to get a second drink from them. I think the Gallery Bar is a big improvement over the disco.

- The Queen’s Lounge is now America’s Test Kitchen. Here are some photos:

It is a nice set for the ATK demonstrations. At night, the space becomes the B.B. King’s Blues Club – I never made it to a performance, but I have to imagine they draw a curtain or do something to hide the shiny pots on the wall.

More later

Dave

6 Oct – at sea (Cont.)

The Ocean Bar is still where it was and looks pretty much the same, although since we were last onboard several years ago, no doubt the furnishing and color schemes have changed. Here are photos of the Ocean Bar:

Although it is not a major change, I did notice that the atrium no longer had that beautiful crystal model of the Half Moon ship. Replacing it is an abstract design of rings. They probably are lighter than the ship model, but not as beautiful. Maybe I’m odd, but they remind me of those rotating rings that held the prisoners in the first part of the first Superman movie of the 1970s:

We had a lazy day, doing not much but have a latte, check out the shops, enjoy the sunshine on deck, etc. It was the first gala night of the cruise, so we put on our togs early and went to happy hour in the Ocean Bar before dinner. Here is the gala dinner menu:

I had the shrimp cocktail, sole, and black forest cake; DW had chicken with soba noodles, stuffed shells, and the chocolate soufflé.

More later,

Dave

7 Oct – Kerkira, Corfu, Greece

Today was a port call to Corfu. Here are the first four pages of the program:

More later,

Dave