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About Your Ship: Westerdam

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Departs Seattle aboard Holland America Line – Westerdam

Sailing Date(s): September 28, 2013


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	Average Westerdam Rating



	SORT BY: Most Recent \| Positive \| Negative \| Helpful 1 - 10 of 22 \| Next 10 >
	Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 30 - 49 Cruise Experience: 2 - 3 cruises Traveler Type: Family w/older children Stateroom Type: Balcony Some shortcomings by Eugene H from Lake Worth, FL Sailing date: Apr 2010 Pros: Dinner in the formal dining room -- each night dinner was excellent....also Joel Mason's entertainment was great! Cons: Dirty room....took two days to resolve, two managers, gurest relations manager had to get involved we sailed on the HA westerdam...when we checked into our room it was dirty... first impression is a lasting impression! Took two days to resolve....two days too many! everyone was "sorry" but there was no real effort to resolve until I had to become visibly upset about it and force the issue. We enjoyed the nightly dinners in the formal dining room...diner was excellent each night....Joel Mason's Elton John impersonation was on the money as was his comedy routine...the ship was quaint, lots of older people, not many fun activities on the ship, the ship itself was clean...staff was spiteful in making it difficult to find our luggage when we returned... they had cut off all our luggage tags, 5 pieces of luugage with 3 luggage tags each....MISSING! - even the HA staff at Ft. Lauderdale thought it was suspicious Ship Details: Ship Quality Dining/Food However, the breakfast and luch buffets just okay.... special dessert buffets on deck were terrible--- cheap food! Stateroom Quality as i mentioned, DIRTY.... even the closets had a scent of high school lockerroom Ship Staff Quality overall staff was friendly, however the removal of our luggage tags really spoke volumes of the lack of professionalism, spitefulness, immaturity Entertainment & Activities most activity was boring...the ship's dancers/broadway show was lacking in entertainment quality...Joel Mason was a saving grace for the ship... Children's Programs Terrible! 5 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 50 - 65 Cruise Experience: 7+ cruises Traveler Type: Couple Stateroom Type: Balcony Mediocre at best by Dave B. from Phoenix, AZ Sailing date: Dec 2008 Pros: The ports of call Cons: Food and Entertainment Food and Entertainment were mediocre. Don't book this ship unless you want to be underwhelmed or asleep by 9PM every night. Celebirty and Carnival Liberty food quality and service far surpasses this ship. Our first and last HAL trip. Ship Details: Ship Quality Dining/Food No better than other ships we've been on (Carnival, Celebrity, NCL, RCL, Princess), lower quality than others. Stateroom Quality Ship Staff Quality Entertainment & Activities Only two good shows out of 7 night cruise isn't fun, it's boring. Read this user's port of call reviews: Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; Grand Turk Island; Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Cruiseline Private Island) Collapse List of Ports Ports of Call: Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico Two severe hurricanes damaged the reef and life but still a good dive. Dive shop was far away at 45 minute drive each way, almost on top of Belize border. George Town, Grand Cayman Rained heavily the day we were there. Went shopping and out to lunch. Don't miss Casanovas Italian if you're in the mood, you won't be sorry. Grand Turk Island A scuba diving hot spot, never a bad dive on this island. Hurricane damaged parts of the reef but still clear dive with abundant life. I will miss Alexandar, the 45 LB grouper who's no longer there. Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Cruiseline Private Island) Clean and well planned spot. Snorkeled right from the main beach and filmed an octopus swimming around. 6 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 30 - 49 Cruise Experience: 4 - 6 cruises Traveler Type: Group Stateroom Type: Balcony Worse than other cruise lines by Eugene D from Philadelphia Sailing date: Oct 2008 Definitely caters to a certain audience. The repeat Holland America cruisers we spoke to, were happy with the trip. We were in for a bit of culture shock. * Under no circumstances should it be considered acceptable for smoke to permeate the staterooms of non-smoking passengers. Because they allow smoking anywhere on the ship -- there isn't even a single floor/deck set aside for non-smokers -- cigarette smoke is felt as soon as you step on board the ship. * Except for the pizza and taco bars, there was almost no "off-hours" food service -- lunch hours were strictly 12 - 1:30, and afternoons or > 9pm it was hard to find any edible snacks. The last day's breakfast is over by 8am, even though the last group disembarks at 10:15am. * Entertainment was limited (karaoke was contest-only; theatrical shows were revue/variety only). Food lacked variety -- no tropical fruit or various smoked fish for breakfast, like on Princess. Not enough dancing -- actually, no dance classes at all. No karaoke, except for the contest which you must enter on the first night, and there's more verbal abuse of the contestants (a la american idol) than there is actual singing. No real cover bands like Norwegian; would be nice to have some reggae to get into the spirit. Instead they try to be classy with a string quartet before dinner, which gets boring, and anyway they were flat / out of tune. * The sauna/spa is a joke, it's tiny compared to other cruise lines, I think the "real" sauna is not free and part of the spa package (not like princess). * Food is definitely not any better than other cruise lines, though the "loyal customers" swear by it, and adore the head chef, it's not that imaginative or memorable. Lamb and escargot were good though. Read this user's port of call reviews: Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico; Grand Turk Island; Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Cruiseline Private Island) Collapse List of Ports Ports of Call: Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico Grand Turk Island Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Cruiseline Private Island) 6 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 30 - 49 Cruise Experience: First cruise Traveler Type: Couple Stateroom Type: Oceanview First time cruiser - Westerdam to Alaska by Celia S. from Sacramento, CA Sailing date: May 2013 Pros: Glacier Bay National Park Cons: Night entertainment The Westerdam was a very nice ship. I loved the ports of call. At Juneau, Westerdam had the best dock, right in front of the visitor center. The ship also had a good dock location in Ketchikan. It's important when there are 4 cruise ships in town. I spent most of my time on the top deck, the crow's nest and the back deck. Ship Details: Ship Quality All the food is at the back of the ship, while the entertainment portion is at the front which makes it easy to remember. The crow's nest was the best place to relax and enjoy the views and it wasn't too crowded. Crew staff is constantly cleaning the ship (wiping doors, panels, handrails, vacuuming). Overall, I felt that the size of the ship was adequate, not too big and not too small. Dining/Food The food in the dining room was top notch. Excellent service and delicious food. When busy, the hostess ask if you mind sitting with other guests. We did that two nights in the row and met some great people. Yet, we still got to have dinner by ourselves when we wanted to. It's nice to have the option. The food on the Lido deck was good and I felt that there was enough choices. However, it does get crowded and since there are no food trays, you are limited to carrying one plate of food and one drink. You basically have to go back to get dessert or other food items after you found a place to sit. The cruise also had 2 special dining event next to the Lido Pool. The food was good (BBQ salmon, baked potatoes and BBQ chicken) but as expected, the lines were pretty long. Stateroom Quality My stateroom was 1002, all the way at the front of the ship. Outside cabin with a window. Even though I was next to the Vista Lounge, it remained pretty quiet. Even when I heard the performers singing, the shows end around 11pm. I never heard people on top of me or next to me. If you need extra pillows or covers, they are under the bed (we discovered them as we were disembarking). Ship Staff Quality The crew was very nice and helpful. You can tell employees take their job seriously and are always making sure you are pleased with your room or the service. The staff at the Lido is very efficient and keeps the area clean. Entertainment & Activities Really enjoyed the trivia games everyday. I also was quite entertain by the illusionist show. I was dissapointed by the comedy show as the comedian's set was geared toward an older crowd. I didn't go see the rest of the shows (musicals). I also played bingo once but it was a bit too expensive for my taste. I also enjoyed the educational presentations the crew had on the different locations and the culture of Alaska. 0 out of 0 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 30 - 49 Cruise Experience: 2 - 3 cruises Traveler Type: Family w/older children Stateroom Type: Balcony A great experience! by Lisa Marie from Toronto, Ontario Sailing date: Mar 2013 Pros: elegant, beautiful ship, fun casino Cons: pools were quite small, not many chairs to lounge in, unless your over 65 you may be a bit too young to go on this ship! Overall, it was a stunning ship that was highly elegant, with quality food, drinks and great shopping. Beautiful decor, very professional on every front and the casino was fun. There was lots to do throughout the day, however, at night it was rather boring. Ship Details: Ship Quality Stateroom Quality I stayed in a balcony room. We had 3 people in our family, and it was quite spacious! Ship Staff Quality Fun, professional, and hard working. Entertainment & Activities 2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 50 - 65 Cruise Experience: 4 - 6 cruises Traveler Type: Family w/older children Stateroom Type: Oceanview Our Holland America Cruise by Cindy R. from Fort Wayne, IN Sailing date: Dec 2010 Pros: Large ship, nice room. Cons: Too many older people on this cruise. Not good for families. Food was pretty but tasted bland. It was unsalted and some was sugar free items. Food line wait was too long! Charged extra $11.00 per person per night for rooms! Nicely kept ship. Very pretty decor and was always kept clean. Ship Details: Ship Quality Dining/Food Bland tasting, cheap quality, they cooked most items to order so the wait in the food lines was horrible! The restaurant was slow getting food out too. Stateroom Quality Not enough covers or pillows. Hidden charge of $11.00 per person day for the room! We didn't expect that! $44.00 extra a day was added to our bill. I couldn't find my sweater and am going to report that to the ship. I hadn't worn it after the first day but couldn't find it when we were packing to leave. Ship Staff Quality Wonderful smiling people!! They made the cruise so nice!!! Entertainment & Activities Children's Programs We had our 20 and 22 yr old kids with us. There was nothing for them to do! Read this user's port of call reviews: Oranjestad, Aruba; Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Cruiseline Private Island); Curacao Collapse List of Ports Ports of Call: Oranjestad, Aruba Kind of disappointed in Aruba. We docked in a not so great looking place. The shopping closed at 6;00 and or excursion didn't get over until then. THe hotels and dining were so far away from where we docked! We had to take a city bus to get something to eat b/c a taxi would have costed an arm and leg. The bus ride was horrible with island workers smashed in all around us! Our excursion to Paridise Island was nothing great. Food wasn't to good and snorkeling was ok. Banana boat guy closed 1/2 hour early so we didn't get to ride that. I don't think I would visit Aruba again. Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Cruiseline Private Island) Nice time, luckly it was a nice day. The food buffet looked amazing but again, everything was bland tasting. Don't Miss: Well, don't miss the boat! Some lady was left on the island because she was out swimming! Curacao Rained the whole time we were there. Cute island but shopping was boring. Clothing looked like it was 15 yrs old! No nice shops, just cheap stuff. Sun peaked out once so we went to Mambo beach. Nice place, paid $3.00 each to get in then had to pay $3.00 each for a lounge chair that were all over the beach anyway. Some people were sunbathing topless. There were families with small children there. No signs to warn anybody! 5 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 50 - 65 Cruise Experience: 2 - 3 cruises Traveler Type: Couple Ship Review by Loretta from Cincinnati, Ohio Sailing date: Mar 2007 State room had a bad odor, the food was overcooked and very salty, the gentleman that was in charge of our cabin was wonderful!! Read this user's port of call reviews: Grand Turk Island; Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Cruiseline Private Island); San Juan, Puerto Rico Collapse List of Ports Ports of Call: Grand Turk Island If you don't snorkel or scuba, there is nothing to do except go to margaritaville. Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Cruiseline Private Island) San Juan, Puerto Rico 5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 30 - 49 Cruise Experience: First cruise Traveler Type: Couple Ship Review by Chris from USA Sailing date: Feb 2007 Ship Details: Entertainment & Activities 0 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 50 - 65 Cruise Experience: 2 - 3 cruises Traveler Type: Couple Stateroom Type: Balcony A Caribbean Dream cruise by A Traveler from Chico, CA Sailing date: Feb 2009 Pros: The large stateroom, the food, the shows Cons: The cost of soft drinks, water or alcohol on board The Westerdam is a beautiful ship. While not the newest ship in the Holland America fleet, it is still clean and bright with all the ammenities you expect to find on a fine cruise ship. Ship Details: Ship Quality Dining/Food The food was wonderful! We we went to the Pinnacle Grill one night and it was absolutely perfect. The service and food even exceeded that of the excellence main dining room. And the buffet food was good, too. Stateroom Quality We loved our stateroom. It was larger than our room on another cruise line, and the bathroom was quite spacious. And, of course, the balcony is the best. Ship Staff Quality In seven days, we never saw a staff member who did not smile and say Good Morning, or something else appropriate. Our stateroom steward fixed 2 small problems (hair dryer and remote batteries) quickly and efficiently. All the staff was great. Entertainment & Activities We attended 4 shows and all were great - an Elton John tribute, a Broadway show tunes and dance show, a musical variety show and a comedy act. Liked them all Read this user's port of call reviews: Cozumel, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; Grand Turk Island; Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Cruiseline Private Island) Collapse List of Ports Ports of Call: Cozumel, Mexico The dolphin trainer shore excursion was excellent - such amazing animals, and wonderful, helpful and knowledgeable trainers. The fury catamaran snorkel and beach excursion was a great time and a great price! Highly recommend it. Don't Miss: Dolphin experience George Town, Grand Cayman Sting Ray City was the highlight for us. Our guide was informative and fun, and, of course, the sting rays were amazing. Don't Miss: Sting Ray City Grand Turk Island Unfortunately our shore excursion was cancelled due to high winds, but we had an enjoyable time just wandering around the island and, of course, swimming in the beautiful blue ocean. Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Cruiseline Private Island) A beautiful beach with all the amenities you could want. A great place to lay in the sun, swim and read a book. 15 out of 15 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 30 - 49 Cruise Experience: 4 - 6 cruises Traveler Type: Group We prefer a larger ship, at 2100 people, by Kathy from Gilbert, AZ Sailing date: Dec 2006 Pros: Spa, specialty restaurant and midnight extravaganza. We had a nice time, always do, as we are a family and all went together. However, Holland America is for a much older crowd and not in that sophisticated way, just a bit dreary in atmosphere. Ship Details: Entertainment & Activities 3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful?
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