Westerdam Review and Photos

[DenNJill]

We have been back from the Alaskan Cruise on the Westerdam for just over a week and am finally getting my thoughts and pictures together ...

The review does not go into great detail other than to share how we felt about different aspects of the cruise.

You can view our pictures @: http://http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewshow.html?fl=2620866&alb=0 (sound included ;) )

.. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did taking them!! :)

 

 

Arrived @ Seattle airport around 11:30AM Sunday. The HAL reps were very easy to spot ~ very friendly and helpful. They whisked away our luggage and informed us which bus we needed to get on to transfer to the ship.

After a short bus ride to the port, embarkation went fairly quickly. The line was just beginning to build when we arrived. We had all of the needed paperwork in hand ~ so the entire embarkation took less than 10 minutes.

Once on the ship, we were asked to go to the Lido for a bite to eat. It was quite busy, but we were able to find a place to sit and before we were finished eating, the announcement came over the PA that our cabins were ready.

One of three of our bags was waiting for us when we went to our cabin. Within an hour the others arrived. We found that we were in need of an extension cord, so found our room steward (Yadi) and asked for one. Within one minute he was back at our cabin, extension cord in hand. He knew our names from that first day and every time we’d bump into him he would greet us by name – we were impressed.

We were pleased with our cabin (VC5150), it was not overly large, but big enough room for two of us. We enjoyed the verandah every chance we could. Yadi did a wonderful job each day! We especially enjoyed the towel animals … a snake, a swan and a monkey – all so cute! Fresh fruit was left each day as well.

We took a tour around the ship to acquaint ourselves … and by the end of the cruise I was finally getting a feel for where I was and how to get where I needed to go! It was humorous to listen to people as they got off of the elevator, trying to figure out where they were and which way to go.

The Westerdam is a beautiful ship ~ very clean and well kept. The entire staff was very attentive and friendly. No complaints from us whatsoever.

We pretty much fell into bed Sunday evening after a wonderful Vista meal, as we had been up since 1:00AM that morning.

We were retired to our cabin every night by 10PM except one. We always had good intentions on staying up and enjoying some of the “night life” – that didn’t pan out though. Just too pooped to pop most nights! We were up early each morning enjoying the scenes from our verandah. I would strongly suggest a portside room for the Inside Passage from Seattle. The scenery is breathtaking!

We ordered breakfast to our cabin one morning but it was nothing special though. The toast was not truly done, just sort of warmed and the fruit was not nearly as good as it was in the Lido. That was the only thing we felt was less than expected, but it was no big deal for us.

My DH and I were both surprised at how much the boat rocked throughout much of the cruise. It did not bother either of us while sailing – but now that I am home I am feeling the effects more than ever. Between the rocking of the ship and the most comfortable mattresses - sleeping very easy!! So easy, in fact, that we took an afternoon nap a couple of times during the week!!

We ate at the Pinnacle on Tuesday evening and it was marvelous. The entire staff was very friendly and attentive. We had a romantic corner table for 2 and enjoyed the passing scenery as much as we did the dinner itself. Our reservations were for 6:30, but we arrived early, intending to enjoy a cocktail at the bar before dinner. The restaurant was not busy so we could be seated before 6.

DH and I played a couple of games of bingo, group trivia and Pictionary during the week. Was a nice way to meet other cruisers.

Hubbard Glacier was wonderful. The day started off rainy and overcast but the sun broke out by time we reached the glacier. We spent a considerable amount of time at the glacier and watching the major calving that was happening. When the captain turned the ship around, DH and I retreated to our cabin and enjoyed the scenery from our verandah. It was a lot of fun listening to others on their balconies enjoying the calving. (Sounded a lot like spectators at 4th of July … a lot of ooohh’s and aahh’s going on.

The weather when we stopped in Juneau turned out to be very nice, sunny and mild. We were able to book a whale watching tour with (Captain Larry’s) Awesome Orca. Shawn and Captain Scotty did a terrific job and we were fortunate to be on a small boat with only 12 or so passengers. Spotted 5 or 6 whales, some eagles, harbor seals and sea lions. Once we returned from the whale watching, we took off on the bus to Mendenhall Glacier Walk/Helicopter Ride. Very beautiful! Again, it was nice to be on the excursion with only a few people.

The next stop was Sitka. The weather did not cooperate, but it did not rain terribly hard, just sort of overcast and misty while we were exploring the town. We did not have excursions planned, so just walked around and browsed in the shops. Went back to the ship early, ate a light meal and enjoyed hanging around by the pool and sat in the hot tub for a bit.

Ketchikan was a fun little port – we had the Crab excursion planned and it began to rain on the way to St. George Lodge. Rain and water was not a problem though because rain ponchos were provided. It was fun to witness how crab fishing is done – and the crab that was served to us back at the lodge was awesome!!

Victoria BC was the last stop on the cruise. Again, DH and I did not have anything planned for the stop – so we took off walking – and walked and walked and walked! We were not running into any thing that looked to be of interest – (other than the beautiful flowers adorning the homes). We finally asked someone which direction we should be heading, and then walked to the downtown area of the city. We stopped at a couple of pubs only to find out they were full and we could not stay to have a drink. We did find a place off of the beaten path and enjoyed a Canadian lager. We walked back to the boat before dark and enjoyed cocktails and listened to the band in the Crow’s Nest.

Upon returning to our cabin, we finished packing and placed our bags in the hallway as instructed to do.

Sunday morning we woke up early, turned to channel 43 on the TV and waited our turn for disembarkation. {While waiting our turn to disembark, we talked with Yadi (room steward) and learned he is married and has 2 sons, ages 4 and 6. He said he enjoyed being on the ship as he’s been able to see so much of the world. He said when he signed on the first time, his oldest son had just been born and when he saw him again he was walking. He was not 100% if he was going to sign back on.} Once our color and number were called we disembarked, found our luggage very quickly (it pays to have bright colored luggage – it’s so easy to spot!) and got in line for a bus to take us to the airport. We were fortunate to get on the bus when it was nearly to capacity, so did not have too long of a wait before pulling out. We had several hours to kill while at the airport – we arrived before 10AM and our flight was just before 3PM. Thankfully, that time went by quickly. We finally pulled into “home sweet home” around 12:30 Monday morning.

Overall, both DH and I enjoyed the cruise. We thought the staff onboard did a great job, and thought the food was wonderful as well. We would have liked to spend more time in Ketchikan and less time in Sitka, but to us, that’s minor.

Next time we would like to take the railway through the middle of the beautiful state of Alaska.

Arrived back home early Monday morning with a lot or dirty laundry in tow! Only took a couple of days and it was back to business as usual! Now it’s time to start planning and saving for our next cruise!

[DenNJill]

For some reason the 1st link I posted isn't working - this one should be okay:

 

http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewshow.html?fl=2620866&alb=0

[southern_yarddog]

Thanks for sharing. The pictures were beautiful.:)

[krewzin]

Wow, awesome job on Photodex...great pics! Thanks for sharing it was really great!

[arzz]

Thanks for posting -- I am glad that you enjoyed the cruise as much as we did!

[Crazy]

As you know I was on the same cruise but have been under the weather since returning and am now just beginning to feel better. Your review was great -- I do intend to get some thoughts of my own written -- but it was a wonderful week. My girl friend and I loved our stateroom which was an 4185 -- it was wonderful. Our cabin steward was great, the Concierge in the Neptune Lounge was indeed helpful to both of us. We had a neat table for dinner, food was great. We preferred to eat in the dinning room rather than the Lido, but that is just us. We had breakfast on our balcony, viewed the Glaciers from our balcony. Played "bingo" and I won two times. Loved the penny slots. This was my 6th cruise with Holland America and have already booked the next one. The tours we chose were what we expected and we enjoyed them.

 

The only bad thing about this trip was getting sick when I got home. Yes, this room spoiled me and I will probably book a suite after my next cruise.

 

Emily

[DenNJill]

Emily ~ I'm glad you are (finally!) feeling better .... that was a long time to not feel well!!

Yes, the cruise was wonderful and I keep thinking about it now that reality has set in ... in fact - for the past week I think I've had dreams of the scenery (mountains, water, etc.) nearly every time I sleep! That's not a bad thing, is it!? LOL!

[earl_m]

Great review! I will be on her nov. 12

[JaiOfChi]

The only bad thing about this trip was getting sick when I got home. Yes, this room spoiled me and I will probably book a suite after my next cruise.

 

Emily

 

Emily - I'm sorry to hear that you became ill after your cruise and I hope you're on the mend. I can't wait for your review as I have 4185 on the 10/22 Western Caribbean cruise. I hope I become as spoiled as you did!!!

 

Jai