Westerdam Christmas Review!

[respondeat.cruiser]

Happy New Year from a long time reader, first time poster! I'm back from a big family Christmas cruise aboard the Westerdam. And with a lot of other big families on board, the ship had 240 more passengers than usual. This kept the whole crew hard at work and they did a terrific job.

 

Just keeping up with that many passengers was a toll on some of the staff. For instance, we did not see many towel animals--but we went on a cruise, not a safari. And one night, the assistant dining room manager apologized that his waiters could not perform their usual magic tricks, they were just too busy keeping up with our orders. We understood completely.

 

Waiting in a short line for ice cream in the Lido one day, I thanked a server for all his hard work. He said "You deserve it. You work hard too, sir."

 

Unfortunately, not everyone was part of our mutual admiration society. The night before our last sea day, some idiots decided to throw glass and chairs into the aft pool. They were placed under cabin arrest. The pool had to be drained and cleaned, but it was reopened by 2:00. So that was some added work that the crew certainly didn't need. And it deprived the sun-worshipers of their pool.

 

On that same note, I can't believe that glass is allowed anywhere near the pools. All it takes is one piece of broken glass to drain a pool, and you don't need a bunch of idiots for that. Royal Caribbean is much better about keeping only plastic out on the Lido deck.

 

Also, someone broke his hip, so the Captain diverted to St. Thomas for an emergency disembarkation. It's nice to know that safety is such a priority. But again, the strain on the crew must have been tough.

 

Other thoughts--

Vista Dining Room:

My family loved the fixed first seating. It's helpful to know when dinner will be when you're traveling with a lot of people. No need to worry, no need to plan. The food was phenomenal, and the variety of options was great.

 

The steaks, in particular, were incredible. I can't imagine what the value added is for the Pinnacle Grill, especially after looking at the deck plan for Deck 2, which suggests that the MDR and PG share a common kitchen. I think it's the Emperor's New Restaurant. But to each their own!

 

Excursions:

The only organized excursion anyone in my family took was "Certified SCUBA" in Grand Turk. The experience could not have been any better. Two fantastic dives on the continental shelf led by experienced and friendly Jamaican dive masters. And at $119 pp, which includes all necessary gear, that's the cheapest day of diving I've ever had! We would do it again in a heart beat.

 

Entertainment:

The ship's singers and dancers were outrageously good. I still can't get over their big show at the end of the trip. Comedian Bill Bradley was hilarious. Another comedian was crass enough for me to leave in the first five minutes. And a magician was honestly a little creepy.

 

Traveling with all those families:

Loved it! I like the midship pool because of all the shade there. And I loved having all the children jumping, sliding, and ball throwing through the pool. That's what a pool's for, I think. Fortunately, I never heard any "Marco Polo." But I think that there should be a lifeguard there to keep everybody safe.

 

The teenagers in my party loved their programs, and I think that kept a huge contingent contained.

 

Half Moon Cay:

I was a little nervous about HMC after reading so much negativity here. But it was incredible! We nearly broke the Westerdam's record for passengers tendered over. If only we had each tried a little harder...

 

But I was nervous about tendering after a bad experience at St. George two years ago. Nothing to worry about. Got on the first boat and was there in no time. Family members followed later in the day and reported no problems.

 

I got in a big swim along the whole beach, was stalked by a hungry looking barracuda, and only got yelled at by two lifeguards and one mother (she happened to be mine).

 

I honestly think many of you are working yourselves up too much over these 2-story cabanas, and that is really an epitome of bad cruising, alongside insulting other cruisers for holding legitimate opinions. (ha ha) Fact is, the best place to look is the water. And I really don't think they are eyesores at all. Same goes for the "shipwreck" bar. I think it's a fun venue, and climbing to the top gives a great view of the whole island.

 

I've also read facetious suggestions that Holland America should open a hotel on HMC. Could anything be better? Just imagine a small hotel on the other side of the island, for maybe 300 people, who could get there by way of a small ship akin to Celebrity eXpedition, which could make continuous runs between NYC, HMC and Port Everglades. I'd go in a heartbeat!

 

So all in all, best cruise ever!

 

Respondeat Cruiser

[Himself]

Thanks for a nice review on the Westerdam.

[George C]

Thanks for the review, of the 3 recent Hal cruises Westerdam is our favorte Hal ship, I would never book Christmas or any time there are many children out of school partly due to "Marco Polo." Loved our last vacation which was a adult only resort.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

Pinnacle does have its own kitchen -- right next to the main kitchen on this ship. It is way smaller than the main kitchen.

If you had taken the kitchen tour you would have seen them.

What is this "Emperor's New Restaurant"?

[sunviking90]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

Pinnacle does have its own kitchen -- right next to the main kitchen on this ship. It is way smaller than the main kitchen.

If you had taken the kitchen tour you would have seen them.

What is this "Emperor's New Restaurant"?

 

I think this refers to the story of the Emperor's New Clothes. Having tried the Pinnacle finally on our last cruise, I disagree with this. The Pinnacle was fantastic, and is certainly better than the MDR (and we enjoy the MDR).

 

Respondeat.cruiser, thank you for your review. It sounds like you had a wonderful time. I like your positive attitude.

[sail7seas]

Thanks for your review.

Very happy you and your family had such a great cruise.

Happy you are now a poster here on CC as well as a 'reader'. Welcome.

 

[cmdchiefthom]

Thanks so much for your review of one of my favorite ships. I'm glad you had a great holiday experience. ;)

[Kathyh1313]

Thanks for your review. I'll consider a Christmas cruise for 2013. Its been 2 years since we have cruised...time to reconsider. Happy New Year! :)

[KirkNC]

Welcome to Cruise Critic. Thanks for the review, glad you enjoyed your cruise.

[hal lover]

Thank you for your review. Glad that you had a good time!

[respondeat.cruiser]

Wow! It's pretty neat seeing my post up on a website that I so enjoy. It reminds me of the first time I saw my name on a by-line in my high school newspaper. Ha.

 

And it's very interesting getting automated emails, and seeing how easy it is to make those smiley face emoticons. :D;)

 

Krazy Kruiser, I was indeed referring to the "Emperor's New Clothes." Maybe I'll try the PG sometime, but only when I'm bringing a much smaller contingent. But then, if I could just get a table for 2 in the MDR's first seating, I'd be happy as a king.

 

I realized that I posted almost nothing about Christmas in my Christmas review.

 

Let me say that cruising is a great way to spend Christmas. There were beautiful trees in the atrium. I think they had some kind of tree lighting ceremony, but I missed it.

 

At the start of the cruise, there was a great mix of Christmas music and regular music. The piano man did a great job taking Christmas requests. Being fair, he was a way better piano player than singer, and after Christmas, his ability to take requests seemed a little weak. He just didn't measure up to the great Don Alexander--who my family once put to work with three hours of nearly non-stop requests, all of which he performed!

 

Christmas Day was in Grand Turk, where my family split between diving and beaching at Margaritaville. I passed through there very quickly on the way to the dive boat and was impressed by their pool. The beachers said it was a great place to spend the morning, and really appreciated the free admission and free beach chairs. I appreciated that too.

 

Dinner on Christmas was formal attire. And we all really appreciated that there was a Catholic mass. But we divided over the priest, who gave, in my opinion, an extremely right-wing sermon that lasted too long. Politics is personal, but the mass should have been scheduled to get everyone to the first seating of dinner on time.

 

After Christmas there was still Christmas music, but less and less by the day. And it was great to have, because the whole experience was so surreal and stressless, that Christmas seemed like it could last for multiple days.

 

I did mention all the families, and my own. One thing I forgot is how fun this made the Northern Lights Disco. It felt like we were at some kind of super-joined wedding, with all the extended families having fun dancing with their individual members. Great atmosphere.

 

Two final thoughts:

HAL Cats--I really enjoyed when they played in the atrium head lined by a beautiful Australian woman with an alto voice. That's where I usually was after dinner, and then after the show.

 

The Steel Drum guy--he played for hours on end at the midship pool, and I liked every minute of it.

 

Orchids on the Lido tables--now that's a feature benefit. My favorite place in this world is the Orchid Room in the National Botanical Gardens, so this little addition went a long way for me.

 

Have a great new year!

 

RC

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.

[IRL_Joanie]

respondeat.cruiser,

 

Thank you so much for the absolutely GREAT Review of the "BesterDam"!!! (My nick name for her:D)

 

Glad so much that you had a great time and were understanding of the hard work the entire crew puts out for us:)

 

Now, You do have me curious as to why your mother had to holler at you:D

 

Joanie

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for the wonderful review of your Christmas cruise on the Westerdam. Sound like you had a great time, thanks for posting.

[the2ofus]

Enjoyed your review and your writing style very much. We have done one cruise as a family and it was a great experience. Each age level could do their own thing and then we all came together at dinner to enjoy each other and share experiences. Hope to do it again in another year or two.

[Loreto]

Thank you for your enjoyable review of the Westerdam! Your family memories will last forever. I, too, would be in favor of an overnight at Half Moon Cay!:)

 

Karen

[NoobCruise]

I'm glad you enjoyed her so much! We did too :)

 

Honestly, we didn't see much of a difference in food between the MDR and the Pinnacle. The difference we saw in the Pinnacle is the service and atmosphere was much more personal and classier. We didn't think it was worth the charge, but I know a lot of people really enjoy that kind of attention and atmosphere.

 

That's so sad about the aft pool. I don't understand how some people think.

 

Thanks for taking the time to write it :)

[portofrome]

Thanks for the review.

[quixoticelixer]

Me and my girlfriend were on this cruise. Loved it! Thanks for letting us know what happened to the hooligans and the man that got sick. Also knowing they had 240 extra people is news too. Now I know why the lido restaurant was slam full. Lol

We did get to eat at Le Cirque, and O my!!!

All we said at the end was that it was the best meal we have eaten in our entire lives. We are only 28 but still, that's a lot of meals to compare it to. Unbelievably great food that took 2 hours to savor every bite.

 

And the show cast deserves tremendous support. They worked extremely hard on the TV movie production to only receive modest applause. Me and my lady were the only two standing.

Is that some unwritten rule of applause on a cruise ship?

 

 

My first cruise and won't be my last with HAL! LOVED it!

[igraf]

Depends on what is on the MDR menu. On some nights, the Pinnacle Grill is clear improvement. However, on the special formal nights the MDR holds its own against the PG.

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

I think this refers to the story of the Emperor's New Clothes. Having tried the Pinnacle finally on our last cruise, I disagree with this. The Pinnacle was fantastic, and is certainly better than the MDR (and we enjoy the MDR).

 

Respondeat.cruiser, thank you for your review. It sounds like you had a wonderful time. I like your positive attitude.

[PeaceLoveCruise]

Great review! Thank you!! I agree 100% with your assessment of HMC!

[jaguarstyper]

Thanks for the review. I agree with you about HMC. I was there the week before you and was not bothered at all by the new cabanas. I'm not really sure what all the fuss is about. While I really loved the rustic Island I first visited many years ago, I still love it even with the additional development. I also like the Pirate Ship and we had a couple drinks there while taking in the views from the top. Good stuff!

 

Thanks again.

[DaveOKC]

Depends on what is on the MDR menu. On some nights, the Pinnacle Grill is clear improvement. However, on the special formal nights the MDR holds its own against the PG.

 

igraf

 

This is why we always book the Pinnacle for a non-formal night. Best night to book is one where you have a late port stop departure (like after 6 PM). Since people often stay and dine on land, the MDR is not as busy and the food not as good.

[cccole]

I really loved reading your review and update on Christmas activities. I may have missed it but did you give the youngest and oldest ages of your party? I have taken 11 family members (age 1 year to 56 years old) on a cruise but not at Christmas and wonder what the little ones thought of it. What you described is my idea of a wonderful family experience where everyone enjoys themselves. Thank you again for your review and Happy New Year! Cherie

[respondeat.cruiser]

To all the thank you's--you're very welcome

 

Our ages ranged from 13 to 85. The teen program was very good. I don't know much about how the younger program was, but the midship pool was a happy, bustling place all day with so many kids having a such a good time.

 

I think that little kids were given an inflatable model of HAL ships at the Christmas Tree ceremony, because we saw a lot of little kids with them. One girl had two! She stuck one under each arm and used them like water wings.

 

They were fun to push around the pool.

 

And to a question from the top of the page--my mom and the lifeguards got mad at me for swimming too far out from the populated part of the beach! I started at the shipwreck bar, went down past the horses, and then came back.