Westerdam Review - Jan 24-31 First Neptune Suite

[Katie333]

We are a couple in our 40s, sailing HAL for the third time aboard the Westerdam in our very first full suite. We booked primarily to enjoy the amenities offered for a very reasonable price. This included the Neptune Suite, along with the explore4 package. We wanted to get away to the Caribbean to enjoy the warm weather and had minimal interest in the ports given we had been to all of them before, multiple times.

 

Firstly, I will say that we absolutely loved the suite. All that glorious space, with a huge balcony and every amenity that came along with it were just fabulous. We used virtually every perk (except for the pre-dinner hors doeuvres as we were never hungry enough to justify ordering them!). I did find the Neptune Lounge and its concierges to be a much more useful perk than I thought it would be. They were wonderful hosts and really did help make the experience special. The only disappointment was the Pinacle Breakfast which I was really looking forward to. The ambience was nice as always, but since it's the same menu and quality as the regular dining room, my DH was served loose scrambled eggs and cold breakfast potatoes the first day we dined there. I had all cold entrees so no issue for me, but my DH decided it was not worth it and preferred to go to the buffet where he could at least get exactly what he wanted and easily replace anything that wasn't up to par. He's not the type to complain publicly but having to send food back while your companion eats isn't a great experience either.

 

Beyond our suite, we found the cruise to be very relaxing. Having explore4 for the second time was indeed a great delight and we splurged on every type of non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverage you can image. Contrary to our last HAL experience, the barista Sheena was just fabulous and we looked forward to our cappucino and tea latte every morning.

I really loved the decor and ambience aboard the Westerdam. This ship easily ranks in my top 3 favourites and I found little to complain about in terms of the condition and look of the ship. Great blend of traditional elegance with festive colourful touches.

 

This won't be a very helpful review in terms of the ports or even the activities onboard. We did very little of either, opting to see one comedian (Kevin Jordan) who was fine, though his material was clearly geared towards the older age demographic that represented the vast majority of the audience. We intended to see BB King Blues Club which we have loved on past cruises but just got so lazy we didn't even do that!

 

I will comment further on our dining and shopping experiences. We had a fairly large OBC and with beverages and a number of for-fee dining experiences included we had funds to spare, and we decided to treat ourselves. We indulged in two lunches at the PG, both were good but some diminishing returns on the second trip there (which was near the end of the voyage). Still, really enjoyed our lunches, especially those waygu burgers! We had dinner at the PG and once again, had a great dining experience, lovely steak, fantastic service, just an amazing meal. We dined at the Canaletto for the first time and we were very pleasantly surprised how much we truly enjoyed the experience. It was a wonderful meal, we enjoyed everything we ate (though the sea bass was probably our least favourite). We will go back to both PG and Canaletto on future cruises. With that said, the rest of our dining was very inconsistent. Some of it was downright bad (the Caribbean BBQ meant waiting in a long hot line up outside where mayo-laden salads sat in the heat, only to be served a tough as a nails chicken breast), some of it was ok (breakfasts, dinners, room service), and some really quite good (taco bar, Dive In, late night snacks, quieter lunches/dinners in the buffet). Overall, I'd say food was generally fine, but despite my enjoyment of the ship, not our favourite in terms of dining (except for specialty, which of course, costs extra). We used the shops onboard to suck up the rest of our credit, and bought numerous T-shirts, duty free liquor (unfortunately they had a very poor selection, we would have rather bought in port, but again, we were using up credits), jewelry and a few other odds and ends. The onboard shopping flash sales were a good gimmick and very well attended. I won a bracelet at one of the raffles and am happy with everything else we bought.

 

Overall, a very good cruise, made extra special by the Neptune Suite and the amenities we had. We did buy a future cruise credit but will go back to Princess for our next trip and try HAL again in the future.

[Susie51]

Thank you for your review. Sounds like you did have a nice amount of obc to use.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for taking the time to write a review. Sounds like you had a wonderful time on the Westerdam.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

Glad you had a wonderful cruise.

Westerdam is one of our favorite ships.

[portofrome]

Thank you for the review.

[erewhon]

Thank you for your review.

Sounds like you enjoyed the Neptune Suite.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the review!

[kazu]

Thanks for the review.

 

I found it balanced and really glad you enjoyed your Neptune Suite.

 

and welcome home:D

[0bnxshs]

Thanks for the thoughtful review. Glad you enjoyed your cruise and we hope to do the same in just a couple of months!

[jbd2003]

Nice review. Can you tell me what ports you docked in. I can't find it anywhere. We will be on Westerdam-Eastern Caribbean on March 7th and can't figure out which port we will be in because I want to decide what to do in each port. I hope this makes sense to you because I'm getting confused. lol

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Glad you had a great time..

[JimAOk1945]

Did your bathroom have a separate shower stall with a glass door and bathtub or a bathtub/shower combo with a high side that was hard to climb over?

 

Thanks!

Edited February 2, 2015 by JimAOk1945

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Glad to hear you enjoyed the Suite Life.

[thesea4me]

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.

[cruz chic]

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.

[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.

[sail7seas]

Thanks for your review(s) in this thread. I enjoyed reading them. :)

[Quendryth]

We always call housekeeping when leaving the suite in the a.m. to ask for it to be attended to while we are out & about. We always let them know when we will be going out for dinner & approximately what time to expect us &/or guests to return. It only takes a minute & the stewards really appreciate you taking the time to keep them included with your plans.

 

It just takes all of the questions out of what to expect when you come back.

[POA1]

Thanks for the review!

[cruisersMandW]

We were on the same cruise but in a verandah cabin. Perhaps not surprisingly our experiences were in some ways similar and in some ways quite different.

 

Our cabin stewards were extremely efficient. We don't rush out of the room early, yet the room was always made up before we returned. We asked for the ice to be refilled the first day and that was it. Never had to ask again.

 

We ate in the dining room every night. We really used to enjoy fixed main dining, but after missing quite a few shows/games etc due to scheduling conflicts we switched to Anytime Dining on our last cruise. And while we agree that HAL is having a tough time adjusting to Anytime Dining is general, this cruise was much better in terms of wait times for a shared table than our last. After a long wait the first night it got much better.

 

The service was very uneven, though. While the staff was clearly trying, there were sometimes long gaps between seating and ordering or between courses.

I tend to be very cautious when ordering meals that are prepared for large groups. Maybe that's why I found both the quality and presentation to be fine. I did, however sometimes have a tough time with selections as it was very "seafood heavy".

 

We never got to meet George in the Crow's Nest but after encountering two bartenders that were curt bordering on rude we found Dinge at the Ocean Bar and all was well.

 

Overall it was a great cruise with friendly vibe.

[JimAOk1945]

The Neptune Suites have both a shower and tub but the shower has a curtain not a glass door.

 

 

Thanks for taking the time to answer my question.

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for taking the time to post your review.