Fresh Off Westerdam - Not Good :(

[tangerinebunny]

Getting really nervous about our Jan 11 trip on the Westerdam.

Haven't sailed HAL in about 10 years - have done only Regent & Lindblad since then.

 

Not worried about the Service issues - much of that is subjective, and is based on expectations, and how one reacts & interacts with others.

 

BUT - what really worries me are the many comments on A/C issues. SOme of it seems inconsistent to me.

 

We'll be in a suite near the Neptune lounge. We like it VERY COLD in the room at night.

I've read of the many A/C issues - but I wonder just how many issues there really are? Are they actually turning off the A/C at night via motion sensors? In all the cabins?

 

 

Some people like it warm, but I see some comments about vents being closed in some cases. Why? Even if a person likes it warm, why would they need the vents closed? Turn the temp higher, or turn A/C off. Or are there No thermostats?

 

Can the balcony door be left open at night for air?

 

Do we need to bring with our own fan?

 

We just returned from the Westerdam (Dec. 7-14). We were in 7078 and had one AC 'incident.' Luckily our travel alarm clock gives the temperature, so when it got above 75, we called the NL. They checked the cabins near us for open doors and temps; they were warming up too, so maintainence was called and the problem was quickly resolved.

 

I did hear another passenger say that he had to call five times before his AC problem was resolved. His vent was closed. I don't know if he was placing his calls with the NL or directly to maintaintence. I find that the NL staff excels at getting quick solutions.

 

It was a good cruise. The NL snacks are still not on a par with others in the fleet, but otherwise I can't find anything worth complaining about.

 

btw, we had an even numbered cabin which meant that we had the sunny side for the life boat drill. I don't know if that's always true. We had a shady morning in Half Moon Cay that was great for verandah sitting, so no complaints.

[sos1720]

The little round knob that adjusts the cabin temperature can be a little tricky to get it to your preferred comfort level. On a recent TA, it took me a few days (and nights) of adjusting for sleeping or waking to get it right. The TA was on the Noordam but last Spring we were on the Rotterdam and it took me a few days there as well. Its a very little knob, but the resulting temperature change for even a slight movement can be severe. Of course, this advice assumes the AC is working normally.

[RASHOPPER2]

WE just returned from the Westerdam (Dc.ec. 7 -14), and our cabin was unbearably cold. Even put on the warmest setting it was freezing. We did complain and someone can up and said that it was "just fine." Since I did not bring a fur coat with me, we had to open the balcony door at times just to warm up our cabin. Clearly that ship has a problem if some are too cold and some are too warm. We also found that the public rooms, Dining Room, Casino especially were very cold.

[Hlitner]

The little round knob that adjusts the cabin temperature can be a little tricky to get it to your preferred comfort level. On a recent TA, it took me a few days (and nights) of adjusting for sleeping or waking to get it right. The TA was on the Noordam but last Spring we were on the Rotterdam and it took me a few days there as well. Its a very little knob, but the resulting temperature change for even a slight movement can be severe. Of course, this advice assumes the AC is working normally.

 

One of our tablemates on the Veendam was convinced that the "little knob" was there for psychological purposes and was not even connected to anything :). In our case we simply kept it at the lowest setting which usually gave us about 75 degrees in our cabin (we have a digital temp gauge) most days...but got up to about 80 degrees on some other days. Not sure if turning it up to the high temperature would give us a free steam bath/sauna in the cabin :)

 

Hank

[CherryG]

I'm sorry you were happy with your cruise on the Westerdam. We were on the Westerdam Nov. 30 - Dec. 7, so immediately after you were. It was our first HA cruise. We couldn't have been happier with it. We upgraded to the Neptune Suite (7089), and everything was wonderful. We found the service in our room, in the Neptune Lounge and the Dining Room to be great. We were happy with the food, except the last night for me, as I don't eat seafood or a lot of other things. When I said there wasn't anything I wanted off the International Menu, our waiter asked if I would like chicken or steak instead. As for having trouble getting a drink, or wine, we didn't have any cocktails, just soda and always seemed to be asked if we wanted one. We had the wine package and our wine was there every night. We thought the bottle of wine was rancid and called the wine steward over, and he quickly replaced with a different type. Our dinner in the Pinnacle Grill was excellent, and Spenser from the Neptune Lounge arranged to have a bottle of bubbly from our room (we had two and hadn't drank one), to be chilled and available for us in the Pinnacle.

 

My only complaint and it was quickly taken care of, was two wrong charges for the spa. I went once, but had 3 different day charges. Turned out it was someone on another floor who had her hair done twice. I said I'm not leaving till this is fixed and I have a revised statement, and without 15 minutes I did. Once the toilet didn't flush immediately (last day), but it corrected itself within 20 minutes.

 

As we sit here in Ontario freezing this morning, we'd give anything to be back on the Westerdam sailing and enjoying the warmth. Can't wait to cruise again and we'll definitely look for a HA cruise.

[whogo]

One of our tablemates on the Veendam was convinced that the "little knob" was there for psychological purposes and was not even connected to anything :).

It is an old landlord trick. I have seen it done.