Comparison of Westerdam and QE

[Scrapnana]

After reading SJSULIBRARIAN's comparison of HAL and Princess, I decided to do something similar between HAL and Cunard and, more specifically, between the Westerdam and Queen Elizabeth rather than writing a typical review. For a little background, in the past year I have spent 130 days on QE and 21 on Westerdam. On QE I had a Britannia balcony stateroom and on Westerdam an oceanview (forward facing). My first HAL cruise was on Westerdam's Panama Canal repositioning cruise in April. These are my observations. YMMV.

 

The ship-

*The QE is a Signature class while Westerdam is a Vista, so the layout is similar although Westerdam is slightly smaller and older.

*QE has a definite advantage with the Queens Room which has a very large dance floor. Westerdam has a few small dance floors but nothing like the two story Queens Room.

*Pools and outdoor areas are very much alike although Westerdam does have the sliding roof over the midship pool.

*I like the Art Deco design on QE.

*I like the outside elevators on Westerdam.

 

Cabins-

*Westerdam does not have drawers in the desk which I missed. On QE I kept makeup, electronics, pens, etc. in those drawers so they were easy to get to but out of sight. QE also has three drawers in the bedside table where Westerdam only has two. Closets were much the same as well as the under bed drawers.

*Westerdam gets a plus for the lighted make-up mirror.

*Another plus for Westerdam for the hand held shower head. Although my knees do not allow me to take a bath, the bathtub was nicer than the tiny showers on QE.

*QE gets a plus for a larger counter area around the sink, a shelf under the sink, and providing Q-tips/cotton balls.

*The quality of the provided toiletries were similar.

 

Theater (Vista Lounge - Royal Court Theatre)-

*QE does not have the number of poles throughout the theater that Westerdam has (rendering a number of seats useless). I believe the Royal Court Theatre can seat more people.

 

Library-

*QE comes out way ahead on this. The QE library is a separate room on decks two and three with a spiral staircase connecting the two parts. Much greater selection of books on QE as well. Who thought putting a library and the Crow's Nest in the same room on Westerdam was a good idea?

 

The Lido-

*Layout is much the same on both.

*Westerdam gets a big plus for the sandwich bar (QE has one also but not as good a selection and not open as long).

*QE has longer serving hours for each meal.

*QE has a better selection of rolls and and a better location (Westerdam's are before you get your plate).

*I liked the pizza better on Westerdam. (Did not try the pasta on either.)

*Ice cream and cookie selection is much better on Westerdam (especially loved the meringues!).

*I thought the lack of trays on Westerdam would be an issue but it really wasn't. Except for the first day, there was always a friendly crew member asking to carry my plate.

*Was not overly impressed with the Dive-In and it was much slower than QE's Lido Grill.

 

Afternoon tea-

*QE has table service and freshly brewed tea (not hot water and a tea bag) and served in the beautiful Queens Room. There are also small tables on QE so you don't get the feel of a college dining hall. Although the food was good on Westerdam's tea, the atmosphere wasn't conducive to just sitting and chatting.

 

Prices-

*I found the cost of things (drinks, excursions, specialty restaurants, etc.) to be very similar.

*The one thing that was very different is the solo supplement. On QE I can get a balcony for 175% but on Westerdam it is 200% (on longer cruises that can add up to a big difference). So, unless there is a great sale, I am in OV cabins on HAL.

 

Shops-

*Both ships have too much jewelry for sale IMO.

*QE has a definite advantage with their bookstore where you can get greeting cards, ship prints, small souvenirs (such as pens, bookmarks, etc.), some craft supplies, and of course, books.

 

Dress Code-

*I must admit I like the dress code on QE better. I know I am a dying breed but I like to "dress" for dinner on a cruise (never get to do it in real life). At dinner I had to constantly remind myself I was not on QE, especially when there were two men wearing baseball caps in the MDR (they were on the four day San Diego to Vancouver segment). I was surprised that nothing was said to them.

 

Laundry-

*Being a solo traveler I did not think I would get my money's worth from the unlimited package so I chose the "stuff a bag" option. Considering Cunard charges $40 for the same thing (and it is not available any day you choose) I thought Westerdam's was a great deal. Cunard does have free washers and dryers but I hate wasting half a day doing laundry at sea.

 

Odds and Ends-

*Loved the craft classes on Westerdam.

*Enjoyed the Needlework/Knitting group on QE which are held every sea day. There were a few similar get togethers on Westerdam but they were too early in the morning for me (I'm a night owl).

*Easier trivia for Americans on Westerdam but better prizes on QE.

*Unlimited Internet on Westerdam was fantastic. (I hope it becomes the standard.)

*Liked the cloth hand towels in the public restrooms on Westerdam.

*On QE you only have to attend muster drill once whereas I had to attend three in 21 days on Westerdam. You also meet inside on QE (but you do have to bring your life jacket with you and learn how to put it on).

*Liked the fabric of the bathrobe better on Westerdam but QE gives you slippers.

*The free Windows8 classes on Westerdam were great. QE has good iPad classes but most have a fee.

*I love the Golden Lion Pub on QE and never found a similar bar area that I liked as much on Westerdam.

 

Areas in which the two ships are very similar-

~ food, although Westerdam's was geared more for North American tastes

~ very few announcements

~ lots of quiet areas

~ entertainment

~ beds and bedding

~ fantastic crew

 

 

Summary-

 

Can you tell I really liked my first cruise on HAL? Each ship has certain things I really like and I will gladly sail on either ship in the future (and I did book a 35 night cruise on Westerdam while on board and am now planning an Alaska cruise for after that).

 

On both ships I have been lucky enough to be on amazing Cruise Critic roll calls which have really enhanced my enjoyment of cruising. Traveling solo it is really nice to get to know people before embarking.

 

Kathi

[rafinmd]

One thing I thought you missed was the excellent enrichment program with 2-3 lectures a day on Cunard. HAL does not usually have anything near that good. Was the Westerdam an exception?

 

I love the free washers on Cunard, they fit well into my morning routine. In the past, I'd have missed that on the Vista/Signature ships, but that's no longer an issue as I just made 4 star and will get free laundry.

 

Roy

[EbayCruiser]

Thank you for your review. I was questioning whether to sail on the Westerdam this next Jan. or the Celebrity Reflection and made the decision to cruise on Westerdam. I was happy with my choice and then read several negative comments on the Westerdam (mainly on the X board but that is to be expected).

 

Happy that we are sailing on the Westerdam - I think I made the right choice!

[kazu]

One thing I thought you missed was the excellent enrichment program with 2-3 lectures a day on Cunard. HAL does not usually have anything near that good. Was the Westerdam an exception?

 

I love the free washers on Cunard, they fit well into my morning routine. In the past, I'd have missed that on the Vista/Signature ships, but that's no longer an issue as I just made 4 star and will get free laundry.

 

Roy

 

We did have lecturers on our Westerdam cruise (was on with Kathi) and one in particular was very good.

 

I will leave it to Scrapnana to compare to QE though as I have not been on her.

 

Scrapanana - a great review and very interesting :) Thanks for taking the time to do it.

 

As far as the library on the Westerdam I and many people totally agree with you. It's a very dumb place to have the library IMO.

[1of4]

Thanks Scrapnana. Great idea to do a comparison. We hope to do a transatlantic on Cunard one day so I appreciate you sharing your experience.

 

For the record, both the Volendam and Ryndam had drawers in the desk so we really missed them on the Westerdam too. The shower only cabins also have a large counter and shelf in the bathroom sink area.

[POA1]

Thanks for the comparison, and may I just say, "D@mn, girl! 150+ days on cruises in the last year. That's living the dream!" :)

[summer slope]

Like!

[Scrapnana]

One thing I thought you missed was the excellent enrichment program with 2-3 lectures a day on Cunard. HAL does not usually have anything near that good. Was the Westerdam an exception?

 

Roy

 

Right you are, Roy, I totally forgot about lectures! We were lucky on this Westerdam cruise with Charles McClelland as guest lecturer. He is a professor from the D.C. area and did a series of about ten lectures (over the 21 days) on a variety of topics - the Panama Canal to "What ifs" of history. I caught most of his lectures either in person or on the TV and enjoyed them. He is a very engaging speaker and the lectures were well attended.

 

On Cunard we usually had at least three guest lecturers on at any given time. They would give three (or more) lectures over the course of a segment. On my crossing earlier this year we had 7 lecturers giving a total of 20 different lectures over 12 days.

[Scrapnana]

Thanks for the comparison, and may I just say, "D@mn, girl! 150+ days on cruises in the last year. That's living the dream!" :)

 

Retirement is a beautiful thing!:D:D:D

[Vict0riann]

Thanks, Scrapnana, we have enjoyed both lines, too, and were happy to read your comparisons. I think possibly QE2 was closer in size to Eurodam, and we liked both, but perhaps Eurodam a little more.

[rkacruiser]

Scrapnana,

 

You must be realizing that I am trying to decide: should I book QE for her British Isles cruise in 2016 or not? Pricing is good; no ports in Ireland, but in Northern Ireland at Belfast which is a priority for me. And, I think I need to do the booking ASAP in order to get the stateroom and pricing I want.

 

Thanks for your comments inasmuch as they are helpful. My most recent--best HAL--cruise was on the Westerdam. Expected not much; a 7 day right after New Year's at a good price. It could not have been better!

 

Decisions, decisions!

[clogaltocruise]

Thank you for your comparison. I'll be on the Westerdam in September for the first time. Now I'm even more excited. :-)

 

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