Westerdam, November 15, 2009 - Another Review; Another Vewpoint

[sail7seas]

Because of how many times I've written 'reports' here on CC, I've taken the style of jotting down some notes.

 

We don't often go to show so can't comment on Entertainment aboard the ship and we rarely do ship shore excursions. We've been to the islands so many times........

 

We booked this cruise for several reasons. We wanted to see friends who are on this ship that we have not seen for years. We had never sailed Westerdam and thought it time we saw this sister of Noordam and had heard so many good things about her. We initially booked this as back-to-back but the cruise prior became a charter and we decided we did not want to stay aboard for Thanksgiving cruise which followed. The week aboard proved to be perfect.

 

It was perfect for a number of reasons including the weather. It is rare to have the amazingly glorious weather we enjoyed day after day. HMC we had some clouds and a brief shower once around 1 P.M. but that was the only rain I recall seeing. It maybe lasted 10 minutes. :)

 

Starting at the beginning, we arrived at the terminal and were aboard the ship about 11:30. At check-in, the lovely check in person told us there was a Mariners Brunch in the Main Dining Room. When we crossed the gangway and had our cards scanned, we were directed to Lido. No mention was made of MDR Mariners Brunch but we like to go to Lido on Embarkation Day so didn't ask. Because we were in an "SA", we knew we had the choice to go to Neptune Lounge but preferred to go to Lido and enjoy our lunch before it became very crowded and that is what we did. Comparing one Lido to another is always tricky IMO but I can't give Westerdam's the best rating ever. Best Lido awared (IMO) goes to Maasdam (though, of course, Lido is much smaller on the "S" class ship) and ties with Noordam and Eurodam. Those, to our taste, are the best we have enjoyed. Our lunch was fine and nothing really wrong with it but it wasn't to rave about either. We had no trouble finding seats, it was a bit of a nuisance going back and forth and up and down in order to organize getting what we wanted.

 

I had a sandwich, salad and wanted an iced tea. Two hands cannot carry three articles. Because we still had our carryons, it was okay DH was waiting at the table with them so it wasn't like someone would take my food when I went to get us iced tea. Minor thing but an inconvenience personally in my own viewpoint.

 

New system for Life Boat drill is to not bring life jackets and that is wonderful. Without the bulky jackets taking so much room, it was more comfortable standing there without bumping into each other. No attendance was taken. That was a first for us.

 

We were invited to share sailaway with friends in the Penthouse and it was great. Very kind of them to have us and we really enjoyed it. We all then changed and went to Suite Welcome Aboard Party in Crows Nest. Most unusual it wasn't in Neptune but was wonderful. We saw our Officer friends and loved every minute with them and our Penthouse friends and was a nice time.

 

We had our first dinner in the dining room and were happy to be seated at the table we requested. Dinner started well enough with our very nice stewards introducing themselves, taking our order, filling water glasses, bring bread basket and all the rest.

 

DH enjoyed his prime rib which is something he never gets at home..... fat, cholesterol, calories. :eek: That's what a vacation is for. :D I asked for plain grilled salmon and it came drowned in sauce. I couldn't eat it and was so disappointed. That is my favorite food and I was hungry but out of all the times I have ordered the 'available every night' salmon on so many ships, I have never seen it served that way. It was not at all to my taste. Okay, no big deal. I won't starve and clearly didn't. Wine steward was great and took our order and poured promptly and we enjoyed him. Actually, we're all pretty sure we have sailed together before.

 

We placed our Room Service menu out and it arrived at the very end of the 'time window' we requested and that makes it 'on time'. Steward came in and dropped the tray. Happy we had tip ready to hand him or he would have flown by without us thanking him. We are used to Maasdam where Room Service is very, very different in our cabin but we know from Eurodam it is different on the Vista Ships. Fine, no big deal. We are able to remove dishes from a tray and pour our own coffee. :) There were a few things not exactly right with the order but not a problem. We're right across the hall from Neptune and certainly can find plenty there to satisfy.

 

Ahhh, we are at HMC today and the weather is fine. Seas are calm and we can go ashore. Life is definitely good.

 

W went to the gangway about 9:30 and only had a short wait for the Henry Hudson to take us ashore. We were the only ship in which was fantastic. DH and I enjoyed some time on our lounge chairs, a walk on the beach, very much enjoyed the barbeque and were walking back to our lounge chairs when we passed by friends' cabana. They kindly invited us to join them and we had a drink and fun visit. Their cabana fellow (or was he a butler - I'm no sure) took our drink orders and it was great we didn't have to move our sorry selves to get our own drinks. :)

 

Any day when we put our feet in the sand at HMC is a good day and our second day on Westerdam was, indeed, a good day.

 

We met friends for drinks at Ocean Bar and it was fun and then went with other friends for dinner at Pinnacle. What a pleasant evening that was. We so much enjoyed being with them. Food was delicious and we rate Westerdam's an excellent Pinnacle. Great wine, great friends, great food......... Formal night and we all got decked out. A pleasant evening with nice memories.

 

Now we have a sea day and M & G. Edie did a great job putting it together and I so appreciate her efforts. It was nice to meet her but sadly I don't think we ever passed by each other again during the cruise. If we did, I'm sorry to say I didn't notice and am sorry. A nice group appeared as did the GRM, Marion. She and the Bar Manager repersented and were delightful as always. A nice display was set up for us but it seemed we were a 'sit down' crowd. :D We all took a seat and most of us just chatted with who was beside us. Other times we've been a roam around group and get to meet more people. I enjoyed being there and meeting those with whom I got to chat.

 

Next up is Aruba and my oh my what a time we had in Aruba. This was a visit of huge memories for us!

[IRL_Joanie]

Going to hold off comment till I read all, but looking good so far, except the salmon! Ewww sauce?? ewwww. (I like you, like it without sauce.

 

OK awaiting Aruba and more:D

 

Joanie

[sail7seas]

We love Aruba and always look forward to a visit there.

We arrived to gorgeous day, safely docked and Room Service breakfast on the way. That is one of the treats I love best on our cruises. While Pinnacle breakfast is very, very nice, breakfast on our veranda in the Caribbean is what I love more. Again, our order arrived within requested time span so all was good, sort of. Again, the order was not complete and, in fact, my omette wasn't delivered. This is getting annoying but whaaddyagonna do? DH had brought back treats and nibbles from Neptune and I had coffee so I was good to go.

 

Dressed and ready to go enjoy Aruba. The shopping has gotten really good here and prior to coming, DH mentioned there were a few things he wanted to pick up. He is hugely busy in his profession right now and rarely takes much time to shop at home so during vacation is when he can enjoy looking for the few things he wants. Off we went and found exactly what he was looking for and a few things for me, as well. :o Not big deal but nevertheless made it fun to carry a few bags back to the ship.

 

Westerdam was sailing late and we made plans with friends to leave the ship for dinner in Aruba. They knew of a special restaurant and had made reservations and transportation plans and oh my word....... what a night we had. We went to a restaurant named Flying Fishbone.... Look on line; they have a website and are associated with another fine restaurant named Screaming Eagle, I think. When we were driving, DH said to our friend, we must be almost there because we just ran out of road. :) This restaurant has table set under palm trees right on the beach. Our table was about five feet from water's edge. It was FABULOUS. They had advised we wear sandals/flip flops so we could put our feet in the soft as silk sand. I could not restrain myself from having to put my feet in the water and it had to be 86 degrees or more and even with only tiki type torch lights, the water was so clear I could see to the bottom. And what a meal. This was one of the most special nights we remember from all our cruising. To have had this experience with friends about whom we care so much is a treasure and we will never thank them enough for it. Our meals were all exquisite. I ordered a gazpacho first and it came with two prawns that were 8" or more long each and I never ate anything more delicious I don't think.

 

Back to the ship in plenty of time and we watched a beautiful sailaway.

We were tired and slept well that night. :)

 

I have not yet commented about a great surprise for us.

We arrived at our cabin when announcement was made all cabins were ready and as soon as we entered, our steward came looking for us. He was on the 'look out" as he knew I would squeal and that is what I did. Da Nang, one of the best cabin stewards ever, was to take care of us. He has been our steward on Maasdam at least three cruises in the last two years and I had no idea he had transferred to Westerdam. What were the odds we would be there, when he was, and he would be assigned as our steward? He and his assistant, WiDi took excellent care of us. We never once had to request a single thing. He remembered exactly what we like and how we like it and was the definition of perfect. Cannot thank him enough for once again pampering us to the max.

 

Next Port is Curacao and another favorite. We docked in a great place very near the floating bridge and it was a brief walk. (Floating bridge, one of only a few in the world) has recently been totally restored and is like brand new. It is always fun walking across and particularly fun when it swings aside to let a boat pass. )

If they would permit us to exit the dock area from the left side rather than having it fenced and locked it would be even more outstanding. As it is, for ship safety I am sure, they route foot traffic a circuitous way which makes a bit more walk but DH and I love to walk so fine by us. I could see some folks who struggle walking had a bit of a time. We truly had a great dock though and we enjoyed a wonderful day in Curacao. We've been many times so no tours for us. We also did a resort seven day stay there some years ago and have had port calls many, many times. It keeps getting better IMO. Better shops, better restaurants, very nice people....... There is a newer side through the stone arches with some good restaurants so ask around, read the map and look towards water's edge to find a very nice, fairly new area.

 

All aboard and off we go.

 

Those were all our ports so now have two glorious days at sea.

We liked this itinerary for the ports which are favorite, it's rare to go Southern Caribbean seven days from FLL and the two sea days at the end made it very relaxing.

 

DH loved aft pool and he relaxed and read and tanned a well roasted brown color. :) He loves that pool and probably will not be happy on a ship without one but that's a whole other subject.

 

Next post, some comments about the lovely Westerdam.

 

[NextOne]

Thanks for the nice comments about the M&G, Judy. Amanda in Seattle and Murat Kaya, the beverage manager, deserve all the credit - they know how to throw a party! I looked for you all week, too, but I don't think our paths crossed again. We just love the Westerdam & hope we'll have an opportunity to sail on her again!

Edi

[jmps]

Thanks so much for posting these notes. We will be on the Westerdam on the same itinerary in March and your info is much appreciated. It sounds like we will have a wonderful time. Your Curacao info is really appreciated because the one an only time we have been there I spent the day diving and didn't get to the see the town.

 

We were on the Zuiderdam in June and usually went to the Pinnacle for breakfast. This time we will not be in a Deluxe Suite and plan on room (verandah) service for breakfast. One question, when you had the misorders for breakfast did you try to have the missing items brought to you? I would like to hear how they handled it. I know in my case I would for sure ask for my omelet if it was missing. :-)

[sail7seas]

They offered to bring it but I declined. Once my order has been messed up and DH is eating his eggs, I don't want to eat 'in shifts'. Same for dinner. If the orders do not come together and each hot and as requested, I'm done with it. I wouldn't enjoy it at that point and would just feel like I was 'shoveling food'. I want to enjoy it first time round and with my DH. Even if they put it on the stove immediately and have the steward run with it up to Rotterdam Deck, DH is finished eating and my pleasure in enjoying Room Service breakfast with him is ruined. (I know that sounds like spoiled brat but truly that isn't the case. I just don't want a procedure of fixing and bringing and taking back and calling first thing in the morning. It's either right or it isn't.)

 

Another morning, we requested toasted bagels and cream cheese. They brought the cream cheese but no bagels. I went to Neptune where they have bagels and a toaster and put one into the toaster. I'm guessing the concierge called room service after I left because a few minutes later, a knock on the door and they brought the bagels. I didn't call them and certainly didn't ask him to but I know he wanted it corrected. We ended up wasting the bagels. I hate to waste food. I'm sure it was just confusion with us for some reason but beats me why. We've ordered hundreds of room service breakfasts. :)

[sail7seas]

We thought Westerdam a very beautiful ship in great condition. Like all of HAL ships, she is spotlessly clean and constantly being tended to. Everything seemed to work fine so far as we could tell.

 

Once in a while they were working on an elevator but that is probably routine maintenance more than anything and we never had a long wait to get one. Plumbing, air conditioning and everything worked as expected in our cabin our whole cruise. No service calls or complaints ever necessary. Every public restroom I entered worked fine and I truly never saw anything I thought needed attention soon.

 

We had two Concierges. One was Celeste and the other Gelo. For some reason, we hardly got to know Celeste but always went to Gelo with the few requests we had. He was really pleasant and helpful and the few things I asked help with, he took good care of where possible. I know these Concierges work very hard and on a Vista class ship, there are a lot of suite guests with many requests/requirements. They are always hardworking and put in long hours. We appreciated Gelo's help and said so on our comment sheet.

 

I brought my Acer Netbook and once again even though our cabin was directly across from Neptune Lounge, I had to leave the cabin door partially open to get a strong signal. Not a big deal. I either sat on the floor in the doorway or brought the chair from the desk and put my computer on my lap. I was always able to connect just fine.

 

We enjoyed seeing more Indonesian ladies working on Westerdam than we have seen on any ship. Apparently it has worked out very well having the ladies in Tamarind on Eurodam so HAL is bringing more to the ships. We saw several working in Pinnacle and it was a pleasure. Good choice, HAL, in our opinion. :)

 

We found the art on Westerdam very beautiful and particularly liked some of the stairwell art. I loved the full panel on one of the stairwells that depicted a Dutch Lion's design that was the forerunner of the silver dollar. I always stopped to look at the wall each time we passed. I also very much liked the crystal atrium design hanging near the stairs at Pinnacle. I thought it very beautiful.

 

As usual, our favorite bar was Ocean Bar and we spent many a before dinner stretch there and returned after dinner. Two great bartenders there who took wonderful care of us. Always a lovely greeting and their always great service.

 

We particularly enjoyed Pinnacle on Westerdam.... In the end, we only ate in the dining room three times and only twice at our assigned table. Every meal we had in Pinnacle was delicious, cooked perfectly and served efficiently. Excellent wine stewards and dining stewards and we were well pleased.

 

Each time we dined there, the company was the best and that always makes for great time. :) We dined with friends each time.

 

We liked Westerdam more than we expected and can well imagine returning. Maasdam and Noordam, of course, remain our all times favorites but Westerdam gave us a lovely cruise. Improvements: I think Lido needs a little work as does the main dining room. Nothing dramatic or extreme but some 'fine tuning' might be good'. Food service throughout with the exception of Pinnacle was good but not excellent.

 

We thank the crew of Westerdam for a wonderful cruise. They do what they do so very well and we are appreciative. HAL is important in our lives as that is where DH really can unwind and relax. Priceless!

 

 

 

 

[/b]

[hal lover]

Hi Sail7Seas!

 

Sounds like you enjoyed your cruise on the MS. Westerdam. Love your review!

 

Tell me though, you and I seem to really love the MS. Maasdam and I was wondering~ don't you think it's just the best of the HAL fleet?

 

DH & I are on the 17 night MS. Noordam on December 11th and I can't help but wish that we were booked on the MS. Maasdam again.

 

Maybe it's just that I don't like change well but the comfort of the MS. Maasdam just seems to fit.

 

I would be very interested in your thoughts on this matter.

 

Happy Holiday's S7S and to everyone else!

[IRL_Joanie]

Sail7Seas, now you know why I rave so much about my favorite ship!! She is a beaut, and I cannot wait our 65 and a WU to get back aboard her!!

 

Joanie

[sail7seas]

HAL lover:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Hi Sail7Seas!

 

Sounds like you enjoyed your cruise on the MS. Westerdam. Love your review!

 

Tell me though, you and I seem to really love the MS. Maasdam and I was wondering~ don't you think it's just the best of the HAL fleet?

 

DH & I are on the 17 night MS. Noordam on December 11th and I can't help but wish that we were booked on the MS. Maasdam again.

 

Maybe it's just that I don't like change well but the comfort of the MS. Maasdam just seems to fit.

 

I would be very interested in your thoughts on this matter.

 

Happy Holiday's S7S and to everyone else!

 

 

Thanks, HAL Lover. Happy you enjoyed the review.

 

We had a good cruise on Westerdam and thank the crew for once again providing a wonderful HAL time.

But, yes, I agree Maasdam and Noordam are still our favorites but that isn't really fair to Westerdam. :)

We have very, very special ties to those two ships and it takes a lot to even get close.

 

Maasdam is unique unto herself. Though we've sailed all the "S" class ships multiple times, Maasdam is special.

Noordam. She's gorgeous! She is a very beautiful ship with an awesome crew. Look forward to sailing her.... we can't wait to cross her gangway again. We love that ship. :) I think (hope) you have a great time on her. Almost everyone seems to really love Noordam.

 

[Two@Sea]

... But, yes, I agree Maasdam and Noordam are still our favorites but that isn't really fair to Westerdam. :)

We have very, very special ties to those two ships and it takes a lot to even get close.

 

 

Sail, I happen to be aware of the reason you have a "very special tie" to the Noordam. Perhaps one of these days you might vary from your usual polite sense of discretion? It wouldn't be aggrandizing...

[RuthC]

I've had positive feelings about my cruise on the Westerdam next May, and your review has served to reinforce those feelings. Thank you for that.

Although I still feel the ship is too large for my taste, I think I'm going to enjoy the ship.

Welcome home, and thanks for the report.

[Pokeynose]

I have not yet commented about a great surprise for us.

We arrived at our cabin when announcement was made all cabins were ready and as soon as we entered, our steward came looking for us. He was on the 'look out" as he knew I would squeal and that is what I did. Da Nang, one of the best cabin stewards ever, was to take care of us. He has been our steward on Maasdam at least three cruises in the last two years and I had no idea he had transferred to Westerdam. What were the odds we would be there, when he was, and he would be assigned as our steward? He and his assistant, WiDi took excellent care of us. We never once had to request a single thing. He remembered exactly what we like and how we like it and was the definition of perfect. Cannot thank him enough for once again pampering us to the max.

 

Sail, we also had Da Nang and his wonderful partner, can't remember his name on our last cruise. We never wanted for anything, they were the best. We also had Celeste as our Concierge, she was the best. They said they would be on our curise the end of Jan. , I sure hope so. We've never been to the Caribbean and we are looking forward to breakfast on the balconey with our g-daughter, if she can get up early enough.:D She is staying in an obstructed view cabin but will spend most of her time with us. I can't wait. Glad you had a nice cruise on my favorite Westerdam. Barb

[Coastalbreezes]

Thank you for such a positive and descriptive review! I leave in a few days and am even more excited to go.

 

I was so happy to hear you say "whaddayagonna do?!" and let things slide instead of ranting. Some folks let the smallest things ruin a fabulous cruise and it was refreshing to hear your comments.

 

Again, thank you!

Tracy

[GmaPajama]

Ahhh, I've been watching to see what you thought of the Westerdam - thanks for posting the review. The things that make HAL special do seem to be on every ship, but some more than others. Little glitches have never ruined a cruise for us - nor for you, obviously. I'm glad you had such a great time.

 

Do you have a strong opinion about the new daily program? Seems like some people really like it, and others just can't figure it out.

[ekerr19]

Great review Sail! Like you, we had a few small minor glitches, but overall, we enjoyed ourselves - especially nice was cruising with you and your DH. :)

 

Donna, while I'm not Sail - I have to say I personally did not care for the new daily program. I found it confusing. :confused:

[LVSue]

Sail, I was immediately struck by your room service breakfasts! On the Zuiderdam in September, we only ordered room service breakfasts twice, and the first time, I eagerly raised the lid on mine, only to discover a lonely triangle of potatoes. Didn’t have much better luck in the Pinnacle—asked for soft-poached eggs and they were hard as a rock! Looked like little yellow ping-pong balls.

 

Otherwise, we quite enjoyed the Zuiderdam, which came as a surprise. We have always sailed R ships (which we love) until last February when we sailed the Oosterdam, which we didn’t like very much. We just assumed it was because it was bigger.

 

However, next October we get to experience the vaunted Maasdam! Can’t wait!

[sail7seas]

Ahhh, I've been watching to see what you thought of the Westerdam - thanks for posting the review. The things that make HAL special do seem to be on every ship, but some more than others. Little glitches have never ruined a cruise for us - nor for you, obviously. I'm glad you had such a great time.

 

Do you have a strong opinion about the new daily program? Seems like some people really like it, and others just can't figure it out.

 

 

The new program takes some getting used to. I have to admit I've never paid lots of really close attention to it so it seemed fine to me. It no longer has the perforated section that can be torn off and carried separate from the rest of the program but I never did that anyway so made no difference to me personally but may be disappointing to someone else.

 

It's fine...... nothing horribly wrong with it. IMO :p

[aliaschief]

Sail, A very nice review. Is the no life vest at Muster Drill just on the Westerdam or is it going fleet wide?

 

Got to wait just a few days before the MS Eurodam. Looking forward to that Neptune coffee machine and treats.:D

[mudscraper]

Sail, A very nice review. Is the no life vest at Muster Drill just on the Westerdam or is it going fleet wide?

 

Got to wait just a few days before the MS Eurodam. Looking forward to that Neptune coffee machine and treats.:D

Those life vests are uncomfortable when standing in the hot sun. As we were completing our safety demo on the Ryndam a few weeks ago I looked to my right and one fellow started doing the hospital wobble.

I was able to grab him as he was falling. First aid by the staff was very prompt.

 

It`s important to know how to put the vest on but standing in the hot sun for 30 minutes or so can be taxing for some people.

 

 

Rich

[sail7seas]

Sail, A very nice review. Is the no life vest at Muster Drill just on the Westerdam or is it going fleet wide?

 

Got to wait just a few days before the MS Eurodam. Looking forward to that Neptune coffee machine and treats.:D

 

Thanks, Alias.

 

Yes, I think the new life boat drill method is fleetwide.

 

It went a lot faster and more comfortably for many.

 

Have a great cruise on Eurodam. We sail her again in January. Hope you'll post some comments when you return. :)

[aliaschief]

Thanks, Alias.

 

Yes, I think the new life boat drill method is fleetwide.

 

It went a lot faster and more comfortably for many.

 

Have a great cruise on Eurodam. We sail her again in January. Hope you'll post some comments when you return. :)

 

Will post a review upon our return. It does seem that if you do a favorable review on the board these days it will pass fast with hardly any comments. If you complain about anything it will become a Blockbuster!:D As always, we are expecting another wonderful experience.

[mountainmare]

Thank you for your review.

It is good to point out some minor problems and you have a nice go with the flow attitude. Even though we do not sail in the best suite if I had the first breakfast messed up I would shrug it off--missing items on the second breakfast--especially in a top dollar suite would annoy me.

HAL should be a bit more careful when it comes to attention to details, we love HAL and it is our favorite line but if I was a first time HAL cruiser in a SA suite (or higher) I would think twice before coming back. For those prices I would jump to Regent or one of the other Lux lines.

[sail7seas]

Will post a review upon our return. It does seem that if you do a favorable review on the board these days it will pass fast with hardly any comments. If you complain about anything it will become a Blockbuster!:D As always, we are expecting another wonderful experience.

 

;) Funny..... You are the second person who just said that to me.

 

Another poster here made the exact observation. Maybe she (and you) are correct! :rolleyes:

 

Oh well, guess they'll just have to 'put up' with our positive reviews! :D

 

 

 

 

Thank you for your review.

It is good to point out some minor problems and you have a nice go with the flow attitude. Even though we do not sail in the best suite if I had the first breakfast messed up I would shrug it off--missing items on the second breakfast--especially in a top dollar suite would annoy me.

HAL should be a bit more careful when it comes to attention to details, we love HAL and it is our favorite line but if I was a first time HAL cruiser in a SA suite (or higher) I would think twice before coming back. For those prices I would jump to Regent or one of the other Lux lines

 

 

Oh my goodness........ We Love HAL ships and crews and I wouldn't dream of 'jumping ship' over a missing bagel :) but I do understand what you are saying. It would have to be way more important than a breakfast order. But that's just me and DH and our personal viewpoint.

 

[earl_m]

I did find it strange last month on the Westerdam . The Mustard drill

with no life jackets . it was more comfortable without the lifejackets. but there was no attendance taken and BTB cruisers did not have to be there for the second week drill.