Review: Westerdam 3-day (4/19-4-22)

[ahwahoo2006]

My girlfriend and I just returned from a delightful, albeit way too short, 3-day cruise to Nassau and HMC on the ms Westerdam.

 

We flew in the morning of the cruise and luckily everything went well - we made our connections easily and got in to FLL a few minutes early. Our bags were waiting on the carousel by the time we got down there. Taxis were plentiful and we had a very nice driver who waited for us while we ran into the Total Wine store to pick up some libations for the cruise.

 

Check-in was simple and well-run. We had done online check-in, so all we had to do was pick up our ship cards and head upstairs to wait for the gangway. I was surprised that no one even looked twice at the case of wine bottles I was carrying - I could easily have brought several bottles of liquor instead. We were onboard by noon and told that our stateroom would be ready around 1:30, but it actually turned out to be more like 2pm. We enjoyed a nice lunch in the Lido while we waited. The stateroom was fantastic, we had a verandah room, and a wonderfully attentive room steward, Ahmad, who kept us well stocked with ice and champagne/wine glasses. My only complaint about the room was that the queen bed was actually two twin beds put together, which meant that there was a small, but uncomfortable gap between them. Also, the beds arent particularly sturdy, so they can make a bit of noise if there is, um, vigorous activity on them. (Also, apologies to our neighbors in 4031 if we kept you up.)

 

The first night we attended the CC meet and greet. Many thanks to HAL for providing complimentary appetizers and drinks. It was so nice meeting all the other CCers on the cruise and I am sorry I did not get to spend more time with them.

 

We really enjoyed the activities we did as well - Sunday we went swimming with Dolphins at Blue Lagoon Island and Monday we spent the day on Half Moon Cay. The weather was perfect on both days and I only managed to burn the tops of my feet. For evening entertainment we saw their stand-up comedian and performance rock show (I forget both names). The rock show on the last night was amazing - the band played songs that most people knew and were singing along to and everyone had a great time - highly recommended. I spent a little bit of time in the casino, but it was always very crowded. I mostly played slots and won 1500 (2 cent tokens). I loved that HAL had poker with an actual dealer, but there was only one table and always a huge line to play.

 

The lowlight of the cruise for us was dining. We booked late so we had open seating. Unfortunately, open seating isn't really all that open. The first two nights we tried showing up (both times around 8pm). The first night we were seated after a short wait with 4 other people. The second night we wanted to eat by ourselves, and were forced to wait almost 40 minutes to be seated. The final night, we tried making a reservation, but they had no good times or any tables for 2 available, so we just went when we wanted. After a 20 minutes wait they paged us and we followed the host to a table... that was completely filled with people. This confused everyone and we were forced to wait yet again while they found us a spot. While we very much enjoyed the food, the waiting situation was very aggravating. HAL definitely needs to work on their dining configuration. There is no point to having "open" dining if you need to have a reservation. I think the best way to do this would just be to have a first come, first served section (i.e. downstairs) and a reserved section (upstairs).

 

Overall, however, it was a great experience, and I would certainly go back. I have made a cruiser out of my girlfriend, who was already planning our next cruise as we were walking off the ship.

[Solo Cruiser]

She waited until disemarking before starting to plan??? :eek: I usually start doing that as soon I start planning the one I'm taking LOL. Thanks for the review. Although I've always had anytime dining on Princess I had assisgned dining on HAL and loved it. Hopefully they will get the kinks worked out of the As You Wish soon.

[hammybee]

Thanks for sharing your amazing 3 days with us.

 

As it relates to your dining experience, passengers are never guaranteed of getting the table size they prefer, when sailing mass market cruise lines. It all depends upon how many other people want the same thing, at the same time. And then the fun begins.

 

There are a limited number of two tops on every ship. Those who book very early and/or those sailing in Deluxe Suites often snag them, as they relate to fixed seating.

 

It comes as no surprise that two tops are often popular in Open Seating too. Getting one depends again on how many want the same thing, at the same time, as you do. There is no way to predict this, as demographics change, sailing to sailing.

 

The more I think about the silly tag, " As You Wish Dining ", the more I am convinced it is the most truthful of all cruise line dining tags. Wishing is a logical fallicy, especially in situations like dining on a cruise ship, when there are always factors ( how many others want what I want, when I want it) beyond my control.