ms Westerdam

[T Rex]

Ship: 10

Crew: 8

Spa Services: 10

Stateroom (6158): 7 (huge balcony with NO PRIVACY)

Food: ZERO

 

WOULD I CRUISE ON THIS SHIP AGAIN?: NO

1. If you are planning to select this ship and book a "S" class cabin, do not book a stateroom at the stern. You have practically no privacy and there is a great deal of stack deposit if the wind is blowing just right, particularly while the ship is at sea.

 

2. High tea featured TEA BAGS, herbal yet, and thawed cakes and sandwiches. HORRIFYING.

 

3. The pina coladas on this cruise were a 10. The Lido deck bar near the bow (pool) made the best.

 

4. If you are going for the food I recommend you pick another ship or line.

[cruznon]

Wow! Never to board the Oosterdam again...

 

Sorry you had such a terrible cruise, even though ship, crew and service got high marks from you.

 

Yes, aft verandas are open. The view and size are spectacular though!:)

We LOVE the aft cabins. We've had little soot, but if the wind is a certain direction, it does happen.

 

For us, the only thing horrible about the Oosterdam was having to leave! We loved the ship.

 

Hope your next cruise makes you happier.

[General Max]

We booked an "S" suite between the glass elevators and the Neptune Lounge.

 

Cheers general Max

[bepsf]

I always wonder what people want to do on their balconies that they require/demand so much privacy...:rolleyes:

[lcruiser]

T Rex, sorry to hear the food was that bad.

 

I am glad I did not had that experience when I cruised the Westerdam.

 

If I might ask, who was the chef and what was the bad points on the food.

[1stMate]

I always wonder what people want to do on their balconies that they require/demand so much privacy...:rolleyes:

 

I'm sure you don't have to dwell on it too long to come up with a few ideas.

We're sure glad we had privacy;)

 

I wouldn't have given the food a zero, I thought the Lido was good and the Pinnacle was great.(It would have been outstanding but the desserts were ordinary). The Main dining room left alot to be desired, in terms of service & quality.

 

The High Tea was embelmatic of the Cruise, great idea, inferior execution.

[Krazy Kruizers]

There has been a lot of talk the last few months about the "S" aft cabins on deck having no privacy - I know I mentioned it when we came home from the Oosterdam Feb/Mar 2004. We were able to look down onto those balconies from the Lido Deck.

We did back-to-back cruises just this past January on the Westerdam and didn't have any problems with the food. SO - please go into detail why you gave the food a ZERO.

Also noticed that you gave the crew an 8 - what was wrong there? We found them to be very friendly - some we knew from previous ships.

What other HAL ships have you sailed on?

[Gardendog]

I was just on the Westerdam. The food in the main dining room is definitely better than a zero IMHO. Lido food might have been good, but who wants to stand in line to get food on vacation. We went to the dining room whenever they were open for breakfast (or had room service) and lunch to avoid feeling that we were back in college again, waiting in a cafeteria line, looking for an empty table with your tray weighing you down. Not my idea of elegant cruising.

[doone]

I had an aft corner suite on the Zuiderdam last month, first time in a suite. I can tell you we LOVED this suite, even though, and we knew this ahead of time, there was little privacy. I'll tell you, we hardly ever saw anyone on their balconies, I think we used ours more than any of them, but if we did, we said hello and that was it. We enjoyed it, but I am sorry you weren't aware there was little or no privacy with these cabins, aft.

 

Friends of mine were on the Westerdam last month and they have raved about the food, service and the crew. Food is hard, its so subjective. Maybe Crystal would be a better choice for you in the future, T Rex.

[T Rex]

I always wonder what people want to do on their balconies that they require/demand so much privacy...:rolleyes:

 

We like to lounge around in just our bathrobes without half the ship's population looking down our shirts.

 

My sister is a chef and we come from a long line of excellent cooks and bakers, so I am horridly spoiled. The food was cold when it should have been hot, warm when it should have been cold, and old.

 

As I mentioned, the cakes and sandwiches for High Tea had been made in advance and refrigerated. We noted that, throughout the week, the same items were served over and over. By the end of the week the lettuce on our sandwiches was wilted and unappetizing even to look at. The ham was dry and shrivelled.

 

The cakes suffered the same fate. One item made with Jello-O, which was acceptable early in the week, was disgusting to see on the platter by Friday. On other items the frosting had dried out, the cake itself was stale, others things were squashed.

 

We were floored when we were given herbal tea bags for High Tea. Herbal tea should NEVER be served at HT. There are a variety of black teas that pair with HT food items. To their credit, the kitchen sent a couple of token darjeeling sacs.

 

The only truly amazing food item aboard was the smoked salmon. I reckon I ate at least $100 worth throughout the week.

 

As far as room and tea service, 25% of our orders were in error.

 

We paid a lot of money to stay in a nice suite. We spent a lot of time cleaning soot off the balcony furniture, nibbling our way around terrible food, and drinking cheap bagged swill.

 

I'm glad we didn't book a penthouse as we had originally planned. It was already highway robbery.

 

The beef was wretched. Every cow saw it coming. I have never had to work so hard to eat so little. They should FIRE their beef purveyor.

[JDee]

Must have been a big, big change on High Tea. All the goodies, mostly sweets, were always very nicely displayed, chocolate covered strawberries, some finger sandwiches, mini eclairs, more cookie varieties than any big kid can handle, and many things I can't recall. At your table, hot tea was served. Many, many years ago I was stupid enough to ask for coffee----no way.....Like the event says, High Tea.......

 

Happy cruising.....

[T Rex]

High Tea consists of loose leaf tea properly brewed and served and fresh cakes and sandwiches.

 

I can buy a box of Lipton for $2 and swill bilge water at home. In this instance, I paid $2000 (roughly) to drink bilge water on the high seas instead. I was looking for the package experience and counting on HAL's great reputation to deliver.

 

I was robbed.

[Time2sail]

We will take our first cruise on HAL in May/June. Wish your cruise had been better and I hope this is not the norm on a HAL cruise.

 

May all of your future cruises be more to your standards and thank you for your review:)

[Gardendog]

T rex wrote:

High Tea consists of loose leaf tea properly brewed and served and fresh cakes and sandwiches.

 

I can buy a box of Lipton for $2 and swill bilge water at home. In this instance, I paid $2000 (roughly) to drink bilge water on the high seas instead. I was looking for the package experience and counting on HAL's great reputation to deliver.

 

I was robbed

 

Greta:

I have only taken 3 cruises and only this one on HAL. But what you wrote is what I thought when I came back. I only got the SS class and the room was lovely, but even if I had paid for a pent house, I still would have had to line up for luch in the Lido, and get room service, hit or miss, and be rushed at dinner, and I might have ended up with table mates with no manners at all, and you are stuck with them all week.

 

To each his (or her) own. I like more freedom and less line standing, and less rush at dinner. But I know which cruise lines would provide that, and would choose one of those the next time.

[avalon1025]

Enough bashing this ship, we sailed in a cate S on March 6th and for the price it was excellent. As for the aft cabins, ask your Travel Agent why he/she did not warn you that your balcony would be not private. If you are on these boards then you know that if you demand amazing food, then you not going to get it for $1800pp in a cate S on a main stream line ( you will get good banquet food), you then should be paying $4000pp++ on Seabourn or Silversea. Know what your paying for and don't board these ships with overblown expectations. When i want perfection (or as close to as I am going to get) I pay for it on Silversea or Seabourn, when I want a consistently good product I sail Holland America or Celebrity. Everybody wants everything for nothing....

[Candy]

$2,000 for a Cat S on the wake?

 

...snip... In this instance, I paid $2000 (roughly) to drink bilge water on the high seas instead. I was looking for the package experience and counting on HAL's great reputation to deliver.

I was robbed.

[dakrewser]

I have only taken 3 cruises and only this one on HAL. But what you wrote is what I thought when I came back. I only got the SS class and the room was lovely, but even if I had paid for a pent house, I still would have had to line up for luch in the Lido, and get room service, hit or miss, and be rushed at dinner, and I might have ended up with table mates with no manners at all, and you are stuck with them all week.

 

You line up in a buffet - that's the definition! But even in the lowest grade cabin you can also have lunch served to you in the DR or in your stateroom. Room service is only "hit or miss" if you allow it to be. And I would never allow someone to rush me at dinner. As to table mates, we always book a table for 2, and enjoy the company. :rolleyes:

 

f you do succomb to being placed at a larger table, than the maite d' will do his best to accomodate your wishes (to be moved, table size, etc.) - but you do have to ask. There are no mind readers on staff.

[Smmessineo]

I'm sorry you had such a bad time. In fact I'll be on the Westerdam this summer and am really disappointed to hear about high tea. I look forward to that experience on a cruise. As for the stateroom, you need to do as much research as possible before you choose one (or after you're assigned one, so you can change if necessary). I wanted an aft cabin, not a suite, and the first thing I noticed from photos was that most of those are exposed, so I booked the Navigation deck which is completely sheltered but still a little bigger than a side balcony. Your cabin location is within your control, so the cruise line is not really to blame for that, unless something is not "as advertised".

 

Happy cruising

Margaret

[General Max]

The "S" category cabin on our Alaska cruise cost us $3600 per person and was included in Cruisetour No. 18.

 

General Max

[shipcafe]

High Tea consists of loose leaf tea properly brewed and served and fresh cakes and sandwiches.

 

I can buy a box of Lipton for $2 and swill bilge water at home. In this instance, I paid $2000 (roughly) to drink bilge water on the high seas instead. I was looking for the package experience and counting on HAL's great reputation to deliver.

 

I was robbed.

 

Yes it is regrettable that you did pay that much to only be concerned about how much a tea bag costs . . .

[Gardendog]

You line up in a buffet - that's the definition! But even in the lowest grade cabin you can also have lunch served to you in the DR or in your stateroom. Room service is only "hit or miss" if you allow it to be. And I would never allow someone to rush me at dinner. As to table mates, we always book a table for 2, and enjoy the company. :rolleyes:

 

f you do succomb to being placed at a larger table, than the maite d' will do his best to accomodate your wishes (to be moved, table size, etc.) - but you do have to ask. There are no mind readers on staff.

 

Greta here:

I have not written a review of this ship because I did not want to get those kind of replies.

I had a great vacation. If I cruise on a ship like HAL, I should have expected what I got. It's my fault. I forgot. The cruise in the middle (of my 3 cruises) was on Radisson Seven Seas Mariner, and I forgot that other lines were different. They had buffet lunch as well, but lucky for me, no lines.

Room service was only hit or miss as far as time delivered, and pieces of cutlery. Everything we ordered we got, and everything we forgot, we did not get. We did not get annoyed. We rolll with the punches.

 

We had table mates that would have been lovely to sit with for one evening. The other nights it just was not fun to have other people's kids complaining about the food and wanting to eat as soon as you got served, not waiting for each other. Other guests put their chewing gum on the plate before eating, lots of little things that make me look like the snob I am, I try to hide the snobbery as much as possible:).

I am sure that the maitre de would have moved us had I asked. That was too awkward for us. These are the people that were chosen for us, and we will stick it out. On our first cruise we were placed with a Russian family that spoke Russian the whole time, needless to say, we moved then to a table for just our family (5 at the time, this time 3, the kids have moved on in life). This time around, there was nothing that wrong. We had lots of fun in the DR at luch and breakfast with just "random" people, in fact so much fun that they asked us to leave (we stayed when they wanted to close).

 

HAL was a wonderful ship. I don't believe cruising on a mega liner is for me. Nothing wrong with the line, just with me.

[T Rex]

I've really enjoyed the smartass replies by certain individuals. People asked what was wrong and I told them.

 

My letter to HAL is six pages long and growing. Obviously I cannot post my entire list here.

 

Attacking me personally for having an opinion about my cruise experience with this line is very small-minded.

 

Congratulations! You have succeeded in discouraging me from ever posting on this board again.

 

Bon voyage.

 

Nice slippers, Steve.

[avalon1025]

Food a zero and $2 tea bags and who is small minded?

[Gerd]

Hello T Rex

 

As I look into your remarks about your MS Westerdam cruise, I’m wondering if you really been on this marvelous ship !?!

 

I just back home from its MS Westerdam - Western Caribbean Cruise, and my nice SS suite 8059 was located on Navigation Deck 8 mid-ship.

 

Your style to describe your adventure is very uncommon and do not at all reflect your login sign as a Cool Cruiser….. Especially your last remark on Nr. 22 shows me which kind/mind you are!

 

This is my very first time, that I put my opinion on cruising cruise critic web sides. But your contents are so bad, that I was obliged to do so.

I hoop HAL will refuse to take you again on one of there marvelous vessels!

 

Following your inputs, that you i.e. have found bilge water in your teacup is for me a sign, that you are certainly some one who always has to complain.

 

Your behavior is very similar to my last September cruise on the MS Prinsendam.

On the first evening, we have hade a couple on our table that was complaining in a non-stop and aggressive manner about the so disastrous food -> while we had exactly the same, but good food.

 

This was really unsupportable.

 

After we understood, that they have found this so bad food as always on all HAL ships (they was only on there 28 HAL cruise), leaded us to ask the Maitre-D to give us a different table.

But I did not forget to tell to this couple you should be either masochist or stupid to go 28 times to the same so awful Hal ships……

 

I don’t know what you mean about privacy, but on cabin 6158 you have a splendid view – and every body can sea you -> if they want to do so….

 

But usually, one check while booking where the cabin is located, and then I take it, or not. So if I don’t like it, I change it. Make noise after the cruise reflect that you did not plane your cruise correctly.

 

I'm wondering if you live in a Condo. There also one cane, as one want, have a look into all balconies lower then the same level.

And of-course, all balconies have the same windy situation, ones the vessel is cruising -> either in good, or in strong wind conditions.

 

 

And finally, all your other remarks are disqualifying you as a serious cruise critic person, and I think, in order to avoid for new-comer who want learn how cruising is, your statement to do not put anymore messages, will be very good for this server....

 

 

 

Best regard from a 7 times Hal on 6 different vessels - and always satisfied Cruiser.

[shipcafe]

Nice slippers, Steve.

 

Did I miss someone's slippers?