draftxhorselover

So just read a recent Westerdam/European cruise where the reviewer states:

This is our third cruise. We sailed with Raphosy of the seas and celebrity reflection both were really good and far superior to westredam in any aspect. The Celebrity was the best. We are not fussy in any sense and don't mind if things are not perfect but this was just a poor experience. And the sad things is it cost us more than the celebrity cruise. We paid quite a lot of money for this cruise but got nothing in return!! We are a couple in our mid-40s with 2 girls 15 and 9. The average age was probably 70.

 

So many old, unfriendly and grumpy couples that don't seem to like younger people and kids. They just everywhere you go on the ship. Entrainment was non-existent. Poor shows that lasted half an hour. Celebrity had the tenures of rock on for 2 amazing shows and 4 live bands playing all day all over the ship. We sadly had to go to bed at 10 every night and just watched a movie. No discos or parties to go to. :confused:No bands in the pool, no pool parties, no activities for younger the More crowd. The BBKING band was good but played the same oldies songs every night. The whole place was like sedated. It felt like old age home rather than a cruise ship.

 

The daily activities were mostly talks and seminars about how to fold towels, how to diet and bridge card game. Old people staff all day long. Great basketball court but no activities on it.

 

Food was repeatable. Sma every night. For instance, the celebrity had a theme night. If we docked in Greece they had Greek food and so on. Nothing like that on the Westerdam. Food was always the same. Eating time are very short especially for lunch which was 12-14. If you missed the time then no food! so if you onshore you have no chance of making it back for lunch. How stupid!! Celebrity had the dining room open till 4 for lunch which made life much easier. Not enough staff to clean the tables. They did not have one BBQ party on the pool deck for the whole 10 days!! It felt like the whole ship is running on a really tight budget.

 

The ship is also built really funny. It's an old ship very poorly decorated. Felt like in some sort of a rundown 80s hotel. No central area. Unless you are penthouse VIP passenger. you cannot access the front of the ship at the top deck so it was impossible to watch the ship entering ports from the front ogf the ship. The back of the ship there is a pool, and a bar it was always flooded with water and people were smoking there the whole time which made it really unpleasant. The Gym was but only strech classses which full of old ladies :eek: Destinations were fabulaous. Especially kotor and venice. Bot the ship dont giver you much time onshore. The had to back on the boat by 16:30 and some days it was 15:30! Less

 

Published 09/02/17

See Westerd

OMG.. WHY would you choose a cruise ship which doesn't fit your way of vacationing? If you want excitement and zing! Go on that kind of cruise! Yet I read her previous review and she complained that the rock wall was too busy and the music at the pool was too loud and always a party... AAACK!

Okay.. I feel better now :)

CAMPOLADY Is amazing. Not familiar with Enric... Thanks

When I cruise I take a cardboard drink tray from McDonald's or Starbucks. I can put 2 travel cups of coffee in it and pick up several rolls or danish and bring it back to the room win one hand free for room key.

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That's a brilliant idea.. the little cup holder area would hold things more securely! ;)

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The only real negative I noted with the event was our fellow passengers. As soon as the crew members came out with the sweets, hundreds of passengers (I think everyone on the cruise was waiting on deck 6) descended on them like hungry seagulls. There was jockeying for position and I'm sure many a crew member feared for their lives. It was a sad example of Western World greed.

:( Really?? I guess they missed Breakfast, snack, Lunch, snack, Dinner, snack...:( Especially after all these terrible natural disasters around the world in the news... tsk tsk

anything since someone else is cooking and doing the clean up :-)

Sounds like the perfect day to indulge in a poker tournament!

I Just read on HAL website that once onboard you simply click on your web browser and Navigation automatically comes up. Looks like a lot of Carnival Hub features are the same as this, but no option for Chat(text).

Darn! The $5 chat option looks like the perfect accessory for those of us with friends on different parts of the ship.. 'e.g. what time shall we meet for dinner?'

On the Westerdam Sept. 20 Barcelona to Venice. Can anyone tell me how much a glass of house wine costs at dinner? Does it pay to get a beverage package if I only drink 1-2 glasses of house wine at dinner?

COME JOIN OUR Meet and GREET.. Its going to be a blast!

Yes, on every cruise I have been on (including 3 on the Westerdam). And slot tournaments too ;)

That's good news. Also good about real dealers.. my DH HATES those digital BJ tables

The App I downloaded is Ship Text.. is that the same as the Navigator app you speak of?

The intro on the video is ironic considering that they have just dropped all ports in Turkey.

 

It's too bad they aren't taking over the Casino space. One of our favorite "explorations" activities is to sit in the quiet of the Crows Nest and watch the world go by. But promoting shore excursions more heavily probably wouldn't offset the loss of gambling profits.

It's all about customer base of TODAY. I heard that some new cruises are being launched in the Asian market and they will include larger casino spaces, vip casino Mah Jong parlors (think Poker rooms) and serious reduction of the sunbathing/swimming pool area plus and a new ballroom with room for a 5 person band/DJ. Why? The Asian middle class is traveling and they don't seek out the things the western traveler enjoys.

guess we will have to wait until we experience this new life-changing offering to determine if it is anything more than hype and a new sales pitch. While I agree that having local experts on board to personally introduce their culture, city and sights is a great idea, I find that HAL'S justification, i.e. to open our eyes, hearts and mind, is a little over the top. What does HAL think all these thousands of passengers are doing on the ships, to begin with. Corporate headquarters doesn't realize that most of us have already done considerable research into the various ports and that many of us have traveled several times to some of them?

HAHAHHAH.. like those folks who intend to use Dollars in European Cities? (no I'm not talking about the Caribbean)... There are many folks who aren't world travelers and have no savvy on doing research...in fact they want to be TOLD WHERE TO GO, WHAT TO DO, WHAT TO EAT, etc... I personally plan a vacation like a war campaign but that's just me and although many of my questions are what to expect re cruising, I have been on many land based vacations. I think the EXC is a great concept and I'm sure you can buy a drink nearby! JMHO

You're probably the one who made the suggestion! :) I just couldn't remember who it was. The ones I found at our grocery store are called Covermate Stretch To Fit Food Covers. I think they were about $3.75 for an assortment. We didn't use them on the ship, but they come in handy at home when you have something too tall for a normal plastic container. You know the situation. The item is too tall and the lid of the container won't fit.

 

Anyway... Thanks for the tip!

These are great for pastry/pie covers too. Find them in the dollar store.

I'm bringing zip lock baggies to bring goodies back to the room for cocktail hour :-)

Silliest thread... I'm visiting ... in Spain and wondered if the shops and restaurants will take US Dollars or do I have to convert to Euro??

DUH.... You are not in AMERICA

uh... ok.. so a crisp is a crumble?

We were once on a cruise where one man wore a bathrobe all week, all over the ship. We never saw him in the MDR or PG so I presume they wouldn't let him in those places, but he wore it to the Lido, bars, shops, Crow's Nest, and main showroom!! :loudcry:

Like those college PJ parties where the girls where babydoll nighties?? :cool:

I feel very fortunate to have convinced my husband to go on his very first cruise with a pair of dear friends and myself. He was always saying..." BEEN THERE.. DONE THAT... NEVER WANT TO GO ON A CRUISE AGAIN... Of course he was referring to his time in the USMC and those 'cruises' he had to suffer through.. I think we convinced him after several all inclusive trips on land and now he is looking forward to the Cruise as much as I am.. NO, It won't be like your USMC Midshipman cruises.. yuck

Just off a 12 night on the Westerdam. The Gala nights were the two sea days, which were days six and nine.

\\That will help me.. I'm on a 12 day Westerdam out of Barcelona :-)

I suppose it depends on the Roll Call, the one I am on is very active, has tours coordinated by a kind soul via an elaborate spread sheet, etc.

Everyone is entitled to express their differing points of view -- that's what makes a conversation. I see no one "lecturing" anyone here, except possibly you. We are just sharing our opinions and thoughts.... I don't know your situation and you don't know mine. However, that doesn't change the statistical probabilities which indicate we are extremely unlikely to be involved in anything other than some very minor crime (such as pickpocketing) when traveling outside the US.

 

Between 2009 and 2013, 1151 Americans were killed abroad. That's an average of about 230 per year. For comparison, there were 15,809 homicides in the US in just one year (2014).

Definitely travel smart, its the same whether you are visiting Washington DC or Barcelona. I have more fear of being killed by a texting distracted driver!!! THEY ARE TRULY DANGEROUS

:rolleyes: rolling your eyes.. get with it :);)

Nova Scotia lox and cream cheese.

 

 

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It could be that ginger works best as a preventive and no so well after one is green on her bunk. I actually sat in a lounge with a clear view of the pool emptying itself and crew members trying hard to cover it and getting splashed with giant pool waves. I took great pictures! But I wasn't seasick because I had taken Bonine.

 

 

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Yeah, I have experience with taking my meds in advance or at least chewing on Ginger candy and not being exceptionally queasy. Once the rough seas take ahold, its too late and you will be fighting it for hours..

Oh and for me.. its not just ships but amusement rides, back seats and bus rides!

Innards, chitlins, brains, kidneys, .. and such.. yuck

Bacon with a side of bacon lol

 

 

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EVERYTHING IS BETTER WITH BACON:halo:

Oh... and can you order off the kids menu or do you need to have a kid in the room? e.g. PB&J :)