Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

"Live" from Westerdam Alaska Sept 21-27, 2013

sue117

By sue117,
in Holland America Line

 Share

Recommended Posts

startwin

startwin

Posted
Posted
Sue

 

As you are in a Neptune Suite -- please update us on the Neptune Lounge and let us know if the sneeze guard has been installed and if the side bar now has all the food that it should have.

 

Here is what we had at breakfast -- only cereals -- nothing for the rest of day -- no cookies -- no chocolates, etc.

 

Westerdam_ship_pictures_3_026.JPG

 

Wow! On the Zuiderdam it was stocked with food all day. And at breakfast there were bagels, bread for toasting, and muffins, danishes, etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
canadianbear

canadianbear

Posted
Posted

http://photo57-Copy_zps704859f3.jpg

 

Is this what you are referring to? We just got off the Zuiderdam Saturday and this is what they had.

 

 

Sue

 

As you are in a Neptune Suite -- please update us on the Neptune Lounge and let us know if the sneeze guard has been installed and if the side bar now has all the food that it should have.

 

Here is what we had at breakfast -- only cereals -- nothing for the rest of day -- no cookies -- no chocolates, etc.

 

Westerdam_ship_pictures_3_026.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites
sail7seas

sail7seas

Posted
Posted
Yes the chocolate seduction shop is on either deck 3 or 4 tucked away somewhere. Sells hot chocolate and chocolate drinks with alcohol in them. But again wen I asked about the PB and chocolate drink the lady said they only had chocolate and not any of the fancy drinks.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Loving your review.

 

We found the Chocolate Seduction Bar to be a BIG disappointment.

 

They can't even make Chocolate Martini's there. The drinks you see on what Sue posted is it!!!

 

 

We passed by the Chocolate Seduction Bar a number of times and nothing tempted us to stay and order. It was ho hum to me and I love chocolate. :)

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
sail7seas

sail7seas

Posted
Posted
I am a dark chocolate lover. So I bring my own dark chocolate candies on all cruises.

 

 

I like dark chocolate, too. That's my favorite. :)

 

HAL used to have delicious small dark chocolate truffles they served on the silver server after dinner in Pinnacle. I liked the fondant filling but haven't seen them for a while. We also haven't seen the 'original' lemon balls rolled in confectioners sugar. What they served on our recent Veendam cruise didn't come close to those wonderful lemon candies. Gone!!! Sigh....

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
sue117

sue117

Posted
  • Author
Posted

There is nothing on that side bar at all. They only have the circle thing in the middle that has food on it, and it's very "fancy" food, nothing that I would really like...ya know? But then again, remember that I have taste buds like an 8 year old! HA! I will take a pic and post later.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
sue117

sue117

Posted
  • Author
Posted

SUNDAY- At Sea

 

 

As expected the ship was rockin’ last night. I love sleeping when the ship is rolling like that though. We could hear all sorts of creaks and moans from the room though. Nothing horrible though.

 

 

 

So in our bathroom we have both a shower and a bathtub. They are separate from each other. Both hubby and I took a shower in the separate shower. It wasn’t a good experience! Lol The shower was tiny, the curtain was very long and covered the drain, and I thought the water in the bottom was going to slosh out of the bottom of the shower. I didn’t realize until I got OUT of the shower that there WAS a shower in the tub as well! HA! So from now on we’ll be taking a shower in the tub. Ha.

I wasn’t feeling great this morning. I wasn’t feeling barf sick, just off. So I hung out in the room while hubby and dad went to breakfast. My dad didn’t feel great himself, kinda like me. Not barf sick, just off. So after breakfast he just hung out in the room watching dvds that he brought.

 

 

 

I spent the morning on the balcony reading. It was cold, but I had on lots of layers and it was nice to get the fresh air. While sitting out there the captain came on and said that our schedule was completely changed. Monday instead of Juneau we are going to Ketchikan. Then we will go to Glacier Bay as planned. Then we will skip Sitka and go to Juneau on Wed instead of Mon. Then we will head down to Victoria and be there longer than planned before.

 

 

 

I emailed our independent excursion in Ketchikcan to tell them that we would be there 2 days early. Luckily I heard back quickly and they said it wasn’t an issue and they would see us on Monday at 745. Great!

We lounged around most of the day. I am sorry to say that we did NO ship activities today. Yes we are lame that way, but we enjoyed sitting around our cabin, napping, reading and watching tv. We watched 5 episodes of last season’s Criminal Minds that we had brought with us.

 

 

 

Lunch was fine. Crowded as usual in the Lido, but fine. I tried to go walking around 6pm because I was feeling like a sloth, but they had closed the decks midship on both sides! So I did two trips where I did the U-turn mid way, but I’m sure the people sitting at dinner weren’t completely thrilled with me walking back and forth in front of their windows 4 times, and it was frankly annoying, so I gave it up and came back upstairs.

 

 

 

Tonight we had reservations in the Pinnacle at 8. That was the only time they really had left. It was fine. We usually don’t eat that late, but my dad does. It was formal night so we all gussied up and went to the PG. Food was great as usual. No kids menu for me tonight. I had a Caesar salad and the Filet Diane Steak. Yum. I also had the volcano cake for desert. I wasn’t going to get desert as it was now 10pm, and I knew I was just going to go up the room and sleep, but the lady who took our desert order MADE me get it! Lol I told her that didn’t want desert and she asked “Even the volcano cake?” and I told her how when I had it on the Zaandam in Nov it was gross. Made with like a “rose” flour or something and wasn’t at all like I remembered. She swore that it wasn’t like that here. So I trusted her and got it. When she brought it she made me try it while she was standing there. The whole thing was funny, but she was right and it was delicious!

 

 

 

We have made reservations for 2 more nights in the PG for the rest of the cruise.

 

 

I didn't take many pictures today, sorry!! I will post more for tomorrow for sure when we are in Ketchikan!

 

 

 

me and my dad before dinner

 

IMG_6055_zps64ffe693.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
canadianbear

canadianbear

Posted
Posted

Make sure when the Pinnacle is open for breakfast you go there too! I loved that perk the best.

 

Glad you got your excursion sorted out quickly. Great photo of you and your Dad.

 

My husband found the shower in the tub area much better-he is 6'4". Nice to have options though isn't it!:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
carri cruiser

carri cruiser

Posted
Posted
SUNDAY- At Sea

 

 

As expected the ship was rockin’ last night. I love sleeping when the ship is rolling like that though. We could hear all sorts of creaks and moans from the room though. Nothing horrible though.

 

 

 

So in our bathroom we have both a shower and a bathtub. They are separate from each other. Both hubby and I took a shower in the separate shower. It wasn’t a good experience! Lol The shower was tiny, the curtain was very long and covered the drain, and I thought the water in the bottom was going to slosh out of the bottom of the shower. I didn’t realize until I got OUT of the shower that there WAS a shower in the tub as well! HA! So from now on we’ll be taking a shower in the tub. Ha.

I wasn’t feeling great this morning. I wasn’t feeling barf sick, just off. So I hung out in the room while hubby and dad went to breakfast. My dad didn’t feel great himself, kinda like me. Not barf sick, just off. So after breakfast he just hung out in the room watching dvds that he brought.

 

 

 

I spent the morning on the balcony reading. It was cold, but I had on lots of layers and it was nice to get the fresh air. While sitting out there the captain came on and said that our schedule was completely changed. Monday instead of Juneau we are going to Ketchikan. Then we will go to Glacier Bay as planned. Then we will skip Sitka and go to Juneau on Wed instead of Mon. Then we will head down to Victoria and be there longer than planned before.

 

 

 

I emailed our independent excursion in Ketchikcan to tell them that we would be there 2 days early. Luckily I heard back quickly and they said it wasn’t an issue and they would see us on Monday at 745. Great!

We lounged around most of the day. I am sorry to say that we did NO ship activities today. Yes we are lame that way, but we enjoyed sitting around our cabin, napping, reading and watching tv. We watched 5 episodes of last season’s Criminal Minds that we had brought with us.

 

 

 

Lunch was fine. Crowded as usual in the Lido, but fine. I tried to go walking around 6pm because I was feeling like a sloth, but they had closed the decks midship on both sides! So I did two trips where I did the U-turn mid way, but I’m sure the people sitting at dinner weren’t completely thrilled with me walking back and forth in front of their windows 4 times, and it was frankly annoying, so I gave it up and came back upstairs.

 

 

 

Tonight we had reservations in the Pinnacle at 8. That was the only time they really had left. It was fine. We usually don’t eat that late, but my dad does. It was formal night so we all gussied up and went to the PG. Food was great as usual. No kids menu for me tonight. I had a Caesar salad and the Filet Diane Steak. Yum. I also had the volcano cake for desert. I wasn’t going to get desert as it was now 10pm, and I knew I was just going to go up the room and sleep, but the lady who took our desert order MADE me get it! Lol I told her that didn’t want desert and she asked “Even the volcano cake?” and I told her how when I had it on the Zaandam in Nov it was gross. Made with like a “rose” flour or something and wasn’t at all like I remembered. She swore that it wasn’t like that here. So I trusted her and got it. When she brought it she made me try it while she was standing there. The whole thing was funny, but she was right and it was delicious!

 

 

 

We have made reservations for 2 more nights in the PG for the rest of the cruise.

 

 

I didn't take many pictures today, sorry!! I will post more for tomorrow for sure when we are in Ketchikan!

 

 

 

me and my dad before dinner

 

IMG_6055_zps64ffe693.jpg

I am enjoying your posts, I think that silly little shower is kind of redundit!! (sp?)

why they need 2 showers in one bathroom is beyond me!! should've just given a longer tub!! especially for tall people!! Hope your dad is becoming a "real cruiser", you are lucky to have a daddy!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
startwin

startwin

Posted
Posted
I am a dark chocolate lover. So I bring my own dark chocolate candies on all cruises.

 

Me too! My secret vice (well, maybe not so secret:o) I go to the UK regularly and I stock up on Fry's Chocolate Cream bars - dark chocolate with peppermint cream filling. Oh yum. I always have a stash in the fridge, and take one or two with me on my travels.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
startwin

startwin

Posted
Posted
There is nothing on that side bar at all. They only have the circle thing in the middle that has food on it, and it's very "fancy" food, nothing that I would really like...ya know? But then again, remember that I have taste buds like an 8 year old! HA! I will take a pic and post later.

 

Oh my goodness - on the Zuiderdam the sideboard was fully stocked at each meal time for several hours, and in between there were cookies and fruit, and squares, and crackers. And the glass dome always had lots of stuff too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Linda&Vern

Linda&Vern

Posted
Posted
Oh my goodness - on the Zuiderdam the sideboard was fully stocked at each meal time for several hours, and in between there were cookies and fruit, and squares, and crackers. And the glass dome always had lots of stuff too.

The Westerdam NL has been "without" since a few days into our last cruise, which started March 3rd. KK also observed on her cruise which started March 17th. Apparently still no fix. How sad. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites
sue117

sue117

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Dad's First 2 days of reports. There isn't a lot of "this was good and this was bad", but more of a general review.

 

 

Alaska

September 21-28, 2013

Saturday, September 21, 2013

A good portion of the day was spent waiting. After breakfast in the hotel, we waited until check-out time, and met in the lobby about 11:30. We took a taxi to Pier 91, and went through several lines, dropping off luggage, going through a security check, checking in at the ship’s clerk to receive identification cards, then lining up to board the ship. We made our way to the cabins, 7151 for Pat and Sue on the Holland (7th) deck, in the starboard aft corner of the ship, and I’m in 7142 in the port aft corner of the ship. Both cabins are identical (mirror image) suites and both have wrap around balconies facing out and aft.

We went to lunch on the Lido (9th) deck, and I had a roast beef and cheese sandwich on sour dough bread with a salad. After lunch, Pat and Sue took me on a walking tour of the ship, showing me the crow’s nest bar, the recreation deck, the dining areas, the casino, the amphitheater. We stopped in the Neptune Lounge on our deck and made dinner reservations for this evening at the Vista Dining Room and tomorrow, formal night in the Pinnacle Grille.

At about 3:00 we had an emergency life boat drill, which turned out to be rather informal. The alarm sounded, and I went to my station. Pat and Sue had told me that they would check all IDs to make sure everyone was in attendance. No one checked my ID. No one demanded to know if everyone from 7142 was in attendance. After a life vest demonstration, we were excused.

The ship pushed off from the dock at 4:05, and Pat, Sue and I watched from their balcony.

For the rest of the afternoon, I spent the time unpacking suitcases and the duffle bag, which had been unopened the entire seven-day drive to Seattle. I read for a while. I walked down to the Neptune Lounge and got a couple of cups of coffee. Returning from the lounge, I must have exited on the other side from which I entered. I turned in what I thought was the correct direction, and walked all the way to the front of the boat before turning around and walking all the way to the rear where our cabins are.

For dinner this evening in the Vista Dining Room I had prime rib of beef au jus; Pat had salmon; Sue had macaroni and cheese from the children’s menu.

After supper, we walked down to the casino to watch a bit of Texas Hold’Em poker played at an electronic table. It didn’t look very satisfying to me. It was not brick and mortar poker with real cards and clay chips. It looked like ten people playing computer poker, only they were seated around a common consol.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Some time during the night we exited the Straits of Juan de Fuca, passed Cape Flattery, and entered the Pacific Ocean. Overnight the seas increased to 7’ to 9’ waves, and the going was rough. I ordered orange juice and coffee for room service, which arrived at 8:00. At 8:30, I presented at Pat and Sue’s cabin to go to breakfast. Sue was woosey from the waves, and Pat had already been out to get her some Dramamine. I had some, too. Pat and I went to breakfast in the Pinnacle room, but Sue stayed in her cabin.

When I got back to my cabin suite, the ship was swaying enough, and I was feeling unsettled enough, that I lay back down on the bed. By then I had finally remembered that Dramamine, for me at least, has the side effect of extreme drowsiness. I slept until 1:00, or so, when Pat and Sue arrived to go to lunch. We went up to the Lido Deck for lunch; I had a roast beef sandwich and ice cream.

Back at the room, I was feeling better, and thought that I would read for a while. I read about three pages, then went back to bed and napped for most of the rest of the afternoon.

It was during this time, about 11:00 this morning, that the captain announced a change in the cruise’s plan. We are now NOT going to stop in Sitka. Instead, he turned the ship to make for the leeward side of Graham Island, and as the afternoon progressed, we got into much calmer seas, much to my relief. The plans now are to stop first, tomorrow, in Ketchikan, then spend a good portion of Tuesday circling in Glacier Bay. Wednesday we’ll be Juneau, but on an earlier than planned schedule. From there we were sail to Victoria, where we will spend almost a whole day, rather than the originally planned few hours. As a result of these changes, we (Sue) had to rearrange our excursions for Ketchikan and Juneau.

For dinner this evening, we dressed in formal attire and went to dinner in the Pinnacle Room at 8:00. We had a very nice dinner. I started with Dungeness crab cakes, and my entrée was medium rare King salmon. Pat had an enormous serving of Porterhouse steak. Sue had a filet Diane.

The day started off unsettled, I slept most of the morning and afternoon. Dinner was a resounding success. This evening, as I type, we are still on the leeward side of Graham Island approaching Prince Rupert Sound at 53°52.14’ N, 130°55.57’ W on a course of 351° at 13.5 kts, with trailing winds at 7 kts out of the southwest.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
sue117

sue117

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I have a ton of thoughts of things that have happened (nothing bad!), but I want to post pics and lots of pics, but it's hard to upload them and get them posted, so I might wait until I get home to put them all up with my comments. But so you don't get bored, I will post random thoughts here and there for your enjoyment. lol

 

Random Thought #1:

The cushions on our balcony were an issue. When we went to Hawaii last year the room stewards took them up each night, just in case, so they didn’t get wet overnight. Our cushions have stayed on the chairs on the balcony 24/7. So most of the time they are too soaked to get any use. Now, my dad’s room stewards have taken in some of the cushions each night, so if he wanted to sit on the balcony he would have a dry seat. So if you want to make sure that your cushions stay dry you might either ask your room steward to take them in each night or do it yourself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
startwin

startwin

Posted
Posted
I have a ton of thoughts of things that have happened (nothing bad!), but I want to post pics and lots of pics, but it's hard to upload them and get them posted, so I might wait until I get home to put them all up with my comments. But so you don't get bored, I will post random thoughts here and there for your enjoyment. lol

 

Random Thought #1:

The cushions on our balcony were an issue. When we went to Hawaii last year the room stewards took them up each night, just in case, so they didn’t get wet overnight. Our cushions have stayed on the chairs on the balcony 24/7. So most of the time they are too soaked to get any use. Now, my dad’s room stewards have taken in some of the cushions each night, so if he wanted to sit on the balcony he would have a dry seat. So if you want to make sure that your cushions stay dry you might either ask your room steward to take them in each night or do it yourself.

 

We found that out on the Zuiderdam, too. The cushions were wet all week, even though we ended up bringing them inside. They had gotten soaked through. So we sat on the wicker, with a folded towel.:o I don't think the room stewards go out onto the balcony at all anymore.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
sue117

sue117

Posted
  • Author
Posted

NEPTUNE LOUNGE REPORT

 

Another tidbit of info that people might be interested in. I took pictures of the Neptune Lounge. I guess the “sidebar” is truly empty. When I asked Michael about it he said it had something to do with the USDA and how they wouldn’t allow it because of sanitary reasons. He DID say that it would/should be fleet wide. He also said that since it was a US thing that when the boat is in Europe that there should be food on the sidebar. He ALSO said that if there was something you wanted (chocolate, etc) to ask, that they have it there in a cabinet at the desk. I also was “complaining” (ok, I was joking, but sorta serious) that I didn’t like the fancy food and that I wanted Cheetos. He said that they HAD Cheetos and he could get them for me later! Lol. So I guess if there is something that you really want, just ask and they will get it for you.

 

 

 

On Tuesday morning I went in to get a “pre-breakfast snack” (yes, pathetic, but it is what it is! Lol). On the sideboard were mini boxes of cereal and bowls. The toaster was also hiding right there too because it seems that was where a convenient plug was. Michael immediately asked if I wanted “bread”. So they HAVE the bread, it’s just in the back room on a platter. So even though it’s not out on the sideboard it’s still available.

 

 

I forgot to take a pic this morning of breakfast, but I will sometime this week.

 

 

 

Here are pics in the afternoon in the lounge:

 

 

IMG_6219_zps95ef4dbd.jpg

 

 

IMG_6217_zpsd873f3bc.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...