Just Off Westerdam to Alaska

[casaloma]

Maybe!  But those eggs had to be powdered and you'd think they'd have 10000 tons of those.  

[MisterMatthew]

On 6/25/2023 at 1:20 PM, casaloma said:

Hi Everyone, 

Wanted to post a quick review covering the good, the bad, etc.  

DH and I haven't been on a cruise since our terrible 2019 horrorfest out of New Orleans which nearly ended our cruise career.  We wanted to jump back in and an Alaska cruise out of Seattle was perfect as we live within driving distance of the port.  

 

The Good 

I'd read a lot of moaning and groaning about the state of the Westerdam.  I should note that DH and I are not particularly picky and it takes a LOT to make us unhappy onboard a ship.  I didn't notice anything wrong with the ship.  I didn't have my sleuthing glasses on either.  The staff seemed happy and helpful, though busy of course.  I didn't think the public areas were particularly crowded, which is one of my sensitive areas.  

The food in the Lido Market was uniformly good.  WONDERFUL rolls of all kinds.  Unlike other cruises we've been on, they seemed to really vary the selection from day to day which we appreciated.  Servers were quick to get drink orders.  Except for one or two times it was easy to find a seat. 

Embarkation and debarkation could not have been easier.  We were on the ship within ten minutes of arriving.  

When we got to ports, they always advised people not to stampede the gangway and it must have effective because there were never any lines at the ports.  

I was using a scooter and they were good about advising what gangways were accessible.  Some of them were a little hairraising to get down but staff was right there to assist.  

After I lost a *certain* amount of money at the casino they gave me a nice little dessert selection.  Despite losing just as much on other cruises, no one ever gave me anything before lol.  

We had an aft balcony for the first time and we really enjoyed it.  Had soot one day and some jerk through his cigarette onto our deck once.  

 

Not So Good 

We ate in the dining room twice.  Both times they got my order wrong.  It was no big deal and I didn't bring it up to them, but the odds weren't great.  Service was SLOW.  The portions were TINY.  DH had banana french toast and I think they took a normal piece of bread and cut it into fourths.  He said we could only go back to the dining room if we planned to go directly to the Lido and have second dinner, like hobbits. 

The casino is right next to the dueling piano bar.  Guy was not good.  Girl was great. 

I got the unlimited soda package and I got soda more or less easily, unlike previous cruises.  At like Day 5 they pointed out I should have been using this glass tumbler they gave me but never told me to use it.  Guest Services was good about taking all the bogus charges off.   I sure liked the systems better that have the big coke machine you can use yourself.  

 

In summary, we find ourselves in love with cruising again.  Good thing, as I've already booked our next adventure to Europe in the fall.  We might go to Alaska again, the weather couldn't have been better and the scenery was breathtaking.  DH saw seals, we both saw orcas.  

 

Casaloma,

 

Thank you for your review.  Forgot to mention that!  Lets hope youre "back" to regular sailing.

 

----MisterMatthew

[scooter6139]

Thanks for the great and honest review!  We go in about a month to AK on Westerdam so I love reading about others recent experiences.  

[casaloma]

1 hour ago, scooter6139 said:

Thanks for the great and honest review!  We go in about a month to AK on Westerdam so I love reading about others recent experiences.  

It's really reignited my interest in cruising, tbh.  I read SO MANY terrible reviews of Westerdam I was almost afraid to get onboard and then it was delightful!  Just goes to show....

[casaloma]

On 7/18/2023 at 8:27 AM, vbecky said:

Can you boar early or do you have to wait for your boarding time? THanks

I think we were scheduled for one but got there about noon and walked right on.  

[deliver42]

When it comes to reviews. I look at the result. I disregard the ones that say I'll never cruise with this line again. Everything was awful, and I disregard the reviews that say everything was perfect, because they are cheerleaders. You will find a lot of plusses and minuses on a good review, then you can make an educated decision.

[RedmondCruiser]

Thank you for the review.  We were on the Westerdam in May.  We found the ship in good condition and well maintained.  Service in the MDR was very good and the food was excellent.  We ate in the Pinnacle twice and went there for lunch a few times.  Food in the Pinnacle was very good and the service was spot on.  Only shock was the $7 add on for a second appetizer, so you had to pay extra if you wanted a soup and salad before the entree.  With $35 a day for the add on tip (two people) I think its time for the lines just to add it onto the main booking fee.  Its like a resort fee, which had gotten totally out of control.  Another disappointment was the transformation of the Crows Nest into a multi functional space.  It should have been left alone.

 

We enjoyed the cruise but next time it will be a longer cruise, which HAL excels at.

[scooter6139]

How many kids did you see onboard?  We are in the middle of Summer, so wondering how many we can expect.  We just did a late June Alaska on NCL Bliss and the ship was chock full of families (4800 passengers, of the 4000 double occupancy).

 

We know HAL is more adult oriented so guessing there won't be a plethora of mini-humans running around.