thoughts on the Westerdam....12-12-04

[xeena]

We thoroughly enjoyed our cruise ! Last year we were on the Veendam and really liked the smaller size of the ship...but the Westerdam was great. A few startling colors...like the benches in the halls by the elevators...what were they anyway? the elevator doors were very interesting and we enjoyed the glass elevators as well.

 

the bedding was supberb ! usually i am ready to go home to my own bed, but not this time ! our cabin steward was wonderful....great service. we "slept with the suid" as another poster referred to the Main deck....had a window though ! we were under the casino and i was fearful of the nosie that might engender, but we heard nothing but an occasional grinding that couldnt have been casino noise ! we never could figure it out as it was so random. it did not disturb us though. it was nice to have everything almost brandy-new !

 

the food was good....we had the latest seating for dinner, and although that was not our choice (TA messed it up and it never got resolved) we got used to a long cocktail hr ! our travel companions ate at the Pinnacle the first night and raved about the meal the whole week ! our service in the diningroom was very good as well....a great pair of waiters...smiles that lit up the room ! we found the Lido great as well, breakfast and lunch was easy....staff kept the tables clean, carried trays, found seats....and they did have waffle cones ! my hubby had several !! he said the ice cream was better than on the Veendam....i did not have ONE dessert...no, take that back, i did have a no sugar raspberry mousse at the dessert extravaganza. that and high tea were also very good....

 

we thought the shows ranged from really good to frantic to weird ! but everyone has a personal opinion in that area ! there was never a problem getting seats for the shows, maybe the early show was different though. the stage productions had so many costume changes we got dizzy !! how they did it amazes me. the comdedian and the illusionist were great ! the jugglers and the singer....well, not my cup of tea. but others seemed to like them....as i said, all a personal preference. the cruise director was cute and did a good job.

 

it was our first time to HMC and we loved it ! snorkeled with our own gear there and found it just fine.....that surpised us as we were disappointed with the snorkling in Tortola. we had bareboated in the BVI's several times and i guess i remember fantastic snorkling from those trips. maybe the Baths were good though....weather a bit churny with heavy showers early in the am....certainly might have affected it.

 

St M was soooooooooooooo crowded ! hardly worth the effort to get off the ship. I think there were 7 ships in the harbor that day ! too many for that little island.

 

neat little find for me was interent access.....went to the library in Nassau (near the center of town) and an internet cafe just off the ship in Tortola...rates were quite good and i got my email fix in ! i sure do miss my computer when away...and i wasnt about to pay the ship rates. did that once and found the connection soooo slow it was painful. maybe it has improved, but i did not test it out !

 

that's all i can conjure up for now, any questions about our experience are welcome , we had a great time !

[sea-n-me]

Xeena:

 

Thanks for the review. We are on the Westerdam 1-9. Can you describe a bit further what you encountered in St. Martaan? On the day we are scheduled to there it appears there is going to be 10 ships! Did you go to any of the beaches? Where the shops crowded? What times were you there from? This is one of my favorite ports and I am afraid it is going to be so crowded that there will be no room to move!

 

Thanks for any input. Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

[xeena]

we had stayed in St M for a week a few years ago and didnt really care if we got ashore or not. we had 7 ships in the harbor with us and were told that 3 anchored on the "other side" but do not know if that was true though.

 

there were throngs of people in the area just off the ship....lots of road work there as well. did not go into any stores, so i cant say how crowded they were. took a cab to Marigot, not that impressed this time around either....and then took another cab back to the ship. this cabbie was daunted by the traffic, turned around and took a "short cut" ( didnt seem short to us) but we got to see more of the island that way i guess. i think he lost money on that trip !! sorry i cant be more helpful....we felt we would have done better to stay aboard and enjoy the empty ship !

[Krazy Kruizers]

When you were in Marigot, did you see any tenders? That would tell you if there really was 3 ships anchored out there.

[the2ofus]

Xeena, we were also on the 12/12 cruise and wish we had stayed on board. Some of the shops did not seem all that crowded, but the streets were just teeming with people, cabs and buses. We took a ship See and Sea excursion and got caught in gridlock traffic returning to the ship at 5:00 p.m.

 

Would hate to see what Phillipsburg would be like with three more ships in the harbor. 7 was bad enough!!

[bkreader]

xeena,

 

Thanks for that review. It is great to hear from someone who does NOT have a suite or verandah. :D We also are going to be down there on the main deck with a C cat. amidships on our Jan. 4 Westerdam sailing. Is there anything we should know about these outside cabins? Any idiosyncracies?

 

Were you able to get to the second shows after a late seating at dinner? We have late seating too.

 

Was the water chilly at HMC?

 

Also, what time did you arrive at the dock, and how soon were you on board?

Thanks - Jane :)

[xeena]

it is nice to know that you will enjoy your room even tho it has no balcony ! we made jokes about being on squid level and sleeping with the squid...we spent much time on the promenade, lido and observation decks...and did not feel like we were suffering at all ! the room was great ! large window....comfy bed, ample closet space and an improved bathroom...large medicine chest and under sink storage...hairdryer is in the cabin and not the john ...that was a good thing. we were in 1014

 

we never had a problem getting seats for any of the shows in the Vista lounge..... bar staff ready to get drinks if you chose to order one....

 

as for the water at HMC....it was chilly at first, but after a minute or so it felt fine. we snorkeled on the left side by the rocks and saw a good variety of fish...lots of them out at the perimeter by the swim bouys. we stayed in each time for about 1/2 hr...by then, it was enough and we were getting cold ! had a great time

 

we got to the ship around 11 am (took the shuttle from Amerisuites where we left the car for free)....and i think we were onboard before noon. there was a long line checking in, but it moved along nicely. luggage was in our rooms after lunch...i think they said all rooms would be ready for occupancy by 1pm. our luggage had already gotten there by then....maybe a perk of being Mariners with the tags on the luggage? probably just because they were pretty darn efficient overall ! the turnarounds always amaze us.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Pam, So glad to hear you had a great time on the Westerdam. We are so looking forward to our cruise on the Westerdam in March. I did notice you mentioned that you stayed at Amerisuites. There has been so much discussion about the Amerisuites not being a nice place to stay. I have reservations to stay at the Amerisuites for the Saturday night before we leave. Because we are going during Spring Break it is now getting really hard to find anything else even close to what we are reserved to pay at the Amerisuite. So my question for you is How was Amerisuites? We are not expecting the Four Seasons but slightly better than Motel 6:D Was it easy taking their shuttle to the pier?

 

Thanks again for you review.

[xeena]

they had just replaced the sofas in all the rooms at the Amerisuites when we stayed. they had just been taken over by Hyatt, which is a good thing i think ! the room was fine....i wouldnt want to stay there for a week, but it fit the bill for an overnight. they had a pretty decent breakfast spread....lots of people there though !

the parking was free for our week cruising. the shuttle going to the ship was a bit chaotic, but we got there just fine. coming back to the hotel was easier....we came in the day before our cruise and drove home the day we returned. car was safe and sound....we got it at $75. it is right next door to the Embassy Suites