PhillyCruiser

I have stayed at both the Hilton FCO and the Marriott Park, nearby.  Currently, the shuttles for the Marriott Park are not running.  They were suspended at the beginning of Covid, and have yet to return.  A taxi from the airport to the Marriott Park was 35 euros, a fixed rate, in 2018.  Back then, the Marriott shuttle van to and from the airport was 5 euros per person each way.  The shuttle bus to the center of Rome was 10 euros per person.  In terms of the Marriott property itself, it was a popular convention hotel with a resort-like swimming pool, pizzeria/gelateria, in addition to the full-service restaurant and bar in the main building.  During the pandemic, the hotel closed for renovations.  It has recently re-opened.  I have a reservations at both the Marriott and the Hilton for a short post-cruise stay.  I am waiting to see if the Marriott pool opens this summer, and if the shuttles return.  If they do, I will stay at the Marriott, and combine morning sightseeing with afternoons by the pool.  However, without the shuttles, I will go to the Hilton, because it will then be more convenient.  I’m waiting to see which reservation gets canceled.

It will be interesting to see if the three dining rooms on Majestic Princess will be configured for social distancing, with 3- to 6-ft. of space between tables.  In the normal, pre-pandemic configuration, there was hardly any space between the tables for 2.  

We are on the first Majestic cruise, leaving this Sunday.  We’ve been in the Green Lane since the day Princess IT got our app to work.  This morning, we awoke to find that we were in the Yellow Lane, but now, without doing anything, we’re back to the Green Lane.

If we arrive at the pier this Sunday and find order rather than chaos, we will be delighted.

The person who shows up with a fully-paid-for cruise and no working app might be me.  I’m on the first cruise to Alaska on the Majestic Princess, two weeks from today.  I opened a ticket with Princess IT 3 weeks ago, and have heard nothing.  Let’s see what happens!

I just watched you leave on the Port Everglades webcam.  The weather looks absolutely beautiful.  Enjoy your cruise!

I think you'll really enjoy Vigo and Ponta Delgada. Nice itinerary change! From Vigo you can easily go to the university town (and pilgrimage site) of Santiago de Compostela. It's lovely! I much prefer the "southern" route. Instead of grey skies, chilly weather, and potentially rough seas, you have a greater chance of sunshine and warm weather close to, and while in, the Azores.

Enjoy!

Bon voyage! Hope that you have a smooth crossing.

If they are putting down cable, that's a great sign of improved internet! I'll be on the Crown in late May. I don't care about the Ocean Medallion, but after having cruised on the Regal this past January with the greatly-improved internet, I was dreading the old slower-than-dial-up internet on the Crown. Let's hope that internet antennas and wiring are one of the items on the dry-dock list!

I experienced the new drill on the Regal back in January, and found it both informative and educational. If you've flown any commercial airline lately, you will find that the video that is part of the safety talk before take-off is in a similar vein.

On the Regal, you had to watch the safety video on your cabin tv before you could change the channel and watch something else. That was very clever! We all watched the safety information twice: once at the muster drill, and once on our cabin tv.

My next cruise to the Mediterranean is going to be on Crown Princess this summer. While I enjoyed my cruise on the Westerdam, I truly appreciate what Princess has to offer. Can't wait to get onboard.

Bravo was amazing and blew me away! I don't mind seeing it numerous times.

I just got off my first cruise on HAL's Westerdam on June 9, and wrote a comparative review on the Princess Board. I've been on 24 Princess cruises.

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Dedicated Princess Cruiser Travels on Holland-America's Westerdam

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The "Plan a Cruise" is definitely broken. I searched for Europe 2018 and got various sailings (Alaska and elsewhere) in 2017. Hope they fix it soon.

AF1: there's always room service if you get munchies. Although, I'd just grab items off the buffet and stuff them in my cabin refrigerator in case pangs struck. It's not the same as Princess, let's face it.

Food on the Westerdam: We had a good executive chef on this ship. The dinner menus had a nice variety; the quality was decent; and the preparation was satisfactory. I never felt the need to send anything back to the kitchen. Just as on Princess, there were "always available" items on the dinner menu, such as a steak and a caesar salad. If you find the food somewhat decent on Princess, I predict that you will find it likewise on Holland America. The cuisine on Holland America is similar in quality to Princess. There is the occasional "drop-dead" memorable dish, but it isn't the way it used to be ten years ago. They served prime rib, lobster tails, Dover sole, jumbo shrimp cocktail, and other traditional dishes. Many people complained about the coffee on the Westerdam (sound familiar?), but I drank exclusively cappuccinos and espressos (my solution on Princess as well), so I have no complaints. There was no coffee card available for purchase, so I handed my card to the assistant waiter every morning and evening. I also ordered a glass of wine for dinner just about every night. There was a dedicated sommelier in the dining room; a nice touch! Now, where does Holland America fall down? Those of us who are used to 24/7 food availability on Princess are spoiled! First, there is no International Café. The dining room does not customarily serve lunch either in port or at sea. (I do believe there might have been lunch in the dining room on embarkation day, but I got on board too late to take advantage of it.) At 2:00 p.m., the buffet on Holland America shuts down until dinner, and the only thing open is the Pizza and Pasta station. Princess has the best pizza at sea. I eyed the pizza on Holland America, heard others' comments, and decided to pass. When famished and desperate, I chose pasta. I usually got back on-board from my shore excursions around 1:45 p.m., and would make a mad dash for the buffet. Sometimes I was successful in getting a nice lunch, sometimes not. This is when I really missed Princess. Yes, there was always room service, and tea was served at 3:00 p.m., but still, I missed continuous service of food. One other thing about the buffet. On Holland America, most of us never served ourselves, like we do on Princess. Each station was staffed by workers who would place the food on a plate and hand it to you. This, I'm sure, avoided a lot of NORO virus. For dinner I had traditional late dining that started at 8:15 p.m. I sat at a table for 6, with very compatible table-mates. Our waiter and assistant waiter were personable and wonderful, and addressed us by name after a couple of days. Those who had the equivalent of anytime dining were seated at tables among those of us who were on the traditional seating. There is only one dining room on the ship. I had breakfast in the dining room several times during the cruise. I enjoy sharing a table, so I was always seated promptly. I occasionally ordered breakfast from room service. There were scrambled eggs and bacon on the menu, in addition to the usual pastries and cereals, but the eggs tasted like egg-beaters. Still, it was nice to see a room service menu with more than "continental breakfast."

Entertainment on the Westerdam: Let me first say that this was a port-intensive cruise, and that I chose to have dinner at the traditional late sitting (8:15 p.m.). That meant I finished dinner around 10:00 p.m., and often chose to return to my cabin to relax and sleep. I must have walked miles and climbed small mountains every day in port (slight exaggeration). I never went to the production shows. Instead, I saw the two comedians. There was a party band that played R & B and had everyone hopping, there were "dueling pianos," and there was the chamber quintet. Some evenings, when walking from one venue to another, I found myself alone. Nobody strolling, nobody conversing as they went from one lounge to another. It was, as they say, dead. I've heard that about Holland America. However, there were people in the various lounges. They just didn't seem to go from one place to another. It was just a totally different atmosphere from Princess. Another thing I missed: no ballroom dancing. None. This was not a deal-breaker on a port-intensive cruise, but I'd think twice about cruising on Holland America in the Caribbean or on a more-relaxed itinerary. One of my favorite activities is trivia. There were two trivia competitions every evening: one on a special topic, the other one general. The prizes were embarrassing: pins from the Caribbean or Hawaii, never from the Mediterranean. It was just, well, chintzy. Well, truth to be told, most people do not play trivia for the prizes. As always, I met wonderful people there, and we enjoyed each others' company. As for daytime activities, I don't remember any other than port lectures. No crafts, no pool games. On the two days at sea, I caught up on R & R.

Miscellaneous items: For the Muster Drill, we were made to go outside to the deck by our assigned lifeboat, where staff scanned our cruise cards. We did not bring our life-jackets with us. Thankfully, it was not a steaming-hot day. I prefer Princess' Muster Drills, where we sit inside. On Debarkation Day, we were instructed to wait in our cabins until our color was called. That was wonderful!!!! I hate dragging my luggage to a departure lounge, like we do on Princess.

So, to conclude, I was happy with my cruise on Holland America's Westerdam. If I had to choose between identical itineraries, I'd still choose Princess in a heartbeat, but, just to demonstrate how much I enjoyed this cruise, I plunked down a future cruise deposit on Holland America. I'll be back. (Next up is the Regal Princess for the fourth time, next winter.)

Cruiser 411: I would love to travel on the Pacific Princess some day...

My cabin on the Westerdam was a Category VC on Deck 6 near the aft elevators, a "Veranda Stateroom." It was a cross between a deluxe balcony cabin and a minisuite on Princess. The balcony (or "veranda" in Holland-America speak) was completely covered and a decent size: larger than those on the Royal and Regal, smaller than those on Caribbean Deck on the Caribbean Princess and similar class ships. There were two chairs and two footrests, no table, on the balcony. The door to the balcony was not a slider; it was impossible to keep the door open while not on the balcony without devising an elaborate way to prop it open. For those who like to sleep with the balcony door open, this is probably not the ship for you. In addition to the bed (nice, new mattress!) there was a small sofa and nicely-sized coffee table, and a desk and chair. The refrigerator contained snacks, for which there would be a charge for any item consumed. I found the hair dryer in the desk. The plug was not permanently attached to the back of a drawer, as it is on Princess, so I found this hair dryer a lot easier to use. The T.V. is mounted on the wall, and is similar to the system found on Royal and Regal: lots of movies and t.v. shows from which to select, plus a few music channels. There were not many live t.v. stations: CNN, Fox News, BBC News, and two flavors of ESPN. The Westerdam does not have rebroadcasts of many of the activities on-board, such as the quiz shows on the Royal and the Regal. Plus, the Westerdam had a camera that overlooked the aft of the ship, rather than the bridge. There were three European-style wardrobes to hold clothing and shoes. One of the wardrobes had a full-length mirror mounted on the interior of a door. I prefer a full-length mirror that is mounted to the wall; it's easier to use. It's my impression that there is more space for clothes in a standard Princess cabin, but that's relative. There was more than enough space for what I brought with me. The bathroom contained a standard-sized tub shower, with a plastic shower curtain. Only once was I able to shower without having water leak onto the bathroom floor, and I tried my best to direct the shower head to an angle where that wouldn't happen. I've had water run from the shower onto the floor in cabins on Princess, too. All-in-all, I loved my cabin on the Westerdam, and I wouldn't hesitate to book another "Veranda Stateroom." It was quiet, the bed was comfortable, and it was in excellent condition.

Next: food and entertainment on the Westerdam

This was my first time on Holland-America Line, so I thought I'd give some perspective on the experience, after 24-or-so cruises on Princess. I chose to cruise on the Westerdam in the Mediterranean based on itinerary alone. I especially wanted to cruise out of Venice. As we all know, Princess has been absent from Venice for a couple of years, and next year - sigh - will be no different. In 2014-2015, Venice banned all cruise ships greater than 96,000 tons from the Giudecca Canal and St. Mark's Basin. I was on the May 23, 2017, cruise on the "Mediterranean Dream" itinerary (12 days Venice, Sarandë, Argostóli, Katákolon, Nafplion, Athens (overnight), Mykonos, Santorini, Naples, Civitavecchia).

The ship: The Westerdam was built in 2004 in the Fincantieri-Marghera Shipyard, so it is the same age as the Caribbean Princess, which was built at Fincantieri-Monfalcone. It is a "Vista class" ship, a common hull-design shared by several Carnival Corporation brands (Cunard, Costa, P&O). It is approximately 82,000 tons, a much smaller ship than the Caribbean Princess at approximately 113,000 tons. That reason alone allows it to dock in Venice. The Westerdam recently emerged from dry-dock in Sicily with refurbished interiors, and a set of new cabins on Deck 10. In terms of the decor of the public rooms, I greatly prefer Princess to Holland America. The Westerdam was done in dark colors, such as browns, rather than the warmer colors used in Princess ships. There is no piazza on the Westerdam, just a small atrium on Deck 1 where Passenger Services is located. Passengers do not congregate in that atrium as they do in the piazza. The Captain's Welcome party was held in the theatre. The Dining Room is two-stories high, at the rear of the ship. Panoramic windows overlook the stern. There is a modest spiral staircase that connects the 1st story with the 2nd. The public rooms are on Decks 2 and 3. One very nice feature of the post-drydock Westerdam for those of us who love classical music is Lincoln Center Stage, on Deck 2. It is a small room with a stage and classroom-style rows of seats with a center aisle, and a couple of sofas along the side. Every evening, a wonderful string quintet played three concerts there. By the end of the cruise, the string quintet's performances were standing-room-only, due to the wonderful programming and the excellence of the performances. This compares to Princess' more modest (but beloved) classical music performances by string quartets in the center of the piazza, where the performances are more background music to those who are snacking and drinking at the various venues located around the piazza. I did not "contribute" to the casino on the Westerdam, but it was noteworthy that smoking was banned from the area. Imagine, a casino without smoke! The retail venues on Deck 3 were modest affairs that lacked the pizzazz of the shops on Princess. There was less merchandise from which to choose, and less traffic in the shops. They carried many items familiar to those of us who cruise Princess, "Inch of Gold," $10 handbags, watches, etc. I didn't spend much time there. For those who love the "Christmas sale" on Princess (not I!), with merchandise displayed on tables in one of the dining rooms that entices crowds of people who sort through the piles looking for the ultimate bargain, you may be disappointed with Holland America Line (tongue-in-cheek). I won't comment about the other public rooms on the Westerdam, as they are similar to those on any cruise ship: nicely-decorated places to gather, socialize, enjoy the view, and listen to entertainment. Deck 9 has the main swimming pool with a retractable glass roof, and no Movies-Under-The-Stars blaring screen. It's nice; very nice. There is also a decently-sized aft pool, just like on the Caribbean Princess. The aft pool was my favorite spot to be when leaving port. The Lido Market is the buffet restaurant on the Westerdam. It was redone in the style of the Horizon Court on the Royal and the Regal Princess. No pastry aisle with an espresso machine, though. On Deck 10 is the Crow's Nest Bar, which now shares space (since drydock) with the shore excursions office and the future cruises office. This space overlooks the front of the ship, and is another great place to be when arriving in or departing from port. I didn't care for the hybrid use of such nice real-estate. All in all, I prefer the design and decor of a Princess ship, but, to be fair, the design and decor of the Westerdam would not stop me from traveling on a Holland America ship again.

Next, I'll discuss my cabin.

I just used EZAir on a Mediterranean cruise on the Royal Princess. I decided to take this cruise at the last minute, when my schedule opened up suddenly. It was after final payment was due; two weeks from departure date. I wanted to fly non-stop from Philadelphia to Barcelona, and from Rome to Philadelphia, on American Airlines. I did not have enough frequent-flyer miles on American for a round-trip ticket, but I did have enough for one way. Plus, there were no frequent-flyer seats available on the Rome-to-Philly flight. EZAir to the rescue! I was able to snag the frequent-flyer seat on PHL to BCN, and purchase the FCO to PHL return flight that I wanted through EZAir for several hundred dollars less than what I could get on American's (or any other) website. Believe me, I investigated. I was amazed and overjoyed to get this deal! Without it, I don't think I could have afforded to take this cruise. Princess Cruises is the ticket "owner." The price is the group rate that Princess has negotiated with American Airlines. To make changes or cancellations, I would have needed to contact Princess, rather than do them myself. I paid my one-way fare to Princess Cruises, but I was able to get frequent-flyer miles and credit on American Airlines. What a great, flexible deal! I'll be using EZAir again, especially on itineraries with expensive airfare.

Hi Tracy!

Glad to see that you are blogging "live"!

We are on this sailing, too. See you on board!

We are also traveling today. Here's to smooth flights!

Joan and Jeff

Follow this link to read about the history of fettuccine Alfredo:

http://alfredo-roma.it/history.htm

Enjoy!

The Pride is estimated to dock at 11:00 A.M. We had a brief mechanical glitch around lunch time yesterday. The power went out for around 30 seconds. When the power came back on, it appeared that one of the propellers wasn't spinning temporarily. From 21 knots, our speed dropped to 13 knots for about an hour. Then the speed resumed to 19 knots. This accounted for 1 hour of the delay. The 2nd delay is due to heavy harbor traffic. We are allowed to stay in our cabins until 10:30 A.M.

Very nice blog!

If you are Jewish, you are unwelcome in Tunisia, and you take a risk by going ashore.

My first memories of the QE2 were from the mid-70s. I was on my way to Europe for graduate school, and eagerly booked the QE2 with a discounted student fare. The group of students headed to Europe for the academic year was quite large. We shared inside quad cabins on the lowest deck. The place looked like a dormitory, with students in the evening wandering from cabin to cabin, alcoholized, making a fair amount of noise. One of our favorite passtimes was "crashing first class." Even though we weren't supposed to be there, we went dancing every evening to the sounds of the big band in the Queen's Room. I had one formal gown with me, and I wore it every night. I also enjoyed tea every day in the Queen's Room. Nobody ever said a word that I (and other like-minded renegades) wasn't supposed to be in first class. The entertainment and tea in Transatlantic class was more basic, but it was also enjoyable. I was able to cart a lot of my belongings with me to Europe. I actually had a steamer trunk that was placed in the ship's hold. Naturally, at the end of the school year, I chose to return to the States on the QE2. Again, there was a section of the lowest passenger deck occupied by students. The food in Tables of the World Restaurant was basic and not exceptional in any way.

In 1987, I returned to the QE2 on my honeymoon. My husband and I had been in Italy, then spent a few days in London. We sailed home from Southhampton. This was a much more elegant experience. The food and service in the renamed (and remodeled) Britannia Restaurant were wonderful, and the evening entertainment was superb. We never missed teatime. By this time, there was only one place to take tea. There was less duplication of activities (previously, one tearoom for first class and one for everyone else), and much more variety. The only differences between first class and Transatlantic class were the location and furnishing of one's cabin, and the restaurant assignment. One could see the influence of the cruise industry on Cunard. It was the first time my husband had ever been on a passenger ship. (I was already a veteran of 2 transatlantic crossings on the Italian Line, and 10 or so cruises on various lines). My husband enjoyed the crossing so much that he vowed to always take vacations at sea (and we have).