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Just Off Westerdam, 6-13 Dec. Longish

vcdarty

By vcdarty,
in Holland America Line

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vcdarty

vcdarty

Posted
Posted

Capt van der Hoeven had called it a "brochure cruise", and it pretty much was: kind seas and fine weather for the most part. Far too little time in San Juan and high winds at Grand Turk prevented snorkel/scuba activities. Overcast there, too, but GT is such a hohum port at best. A personal summary of the week follows:

 

The ship's in good shape--carpets, curtains and fixtures in good condition with little of the glitz that's crashing into the industry these days. Stateroom decor a bit tired, but well-maintained as is the case everywhere. Our cabin stewards just fine even though they must tend to 30 cabins each day. Too many, IMHO. Morale is a growing issue.

 

In MDR, too--to an extent. One hardworking DR steward per table, not a couple as in the past. And a steward mentioned that he'd been up till 3am the precious night trying to get his personal laundry done: broken washing machines on both A and B decks with consequent long lines.

 

Food OK, esp rack of lamb and duck. Beef tended toward tough and gristly. Soups and breads excellent as always. Service professional if rushed at times. Except first night dinner a disaster: slapdash, careless, even rude servers. A serving tray grazed my head. Not anywhere near HAL standards, and the server knew it. His exit line: "See you tomorrow night . . . Hopefully."

 

'Twas not to be. I spoke with the DR manager, efficient pleasant chap, and we received 1) a written apology, 2) a plate of chocolated strawberries, and 3) a different table that suited the three of us perfectly. The manager and various subordinates visited often to check up on our experience.

 

DR and elsewhere on ship-- far less dressy than in past. Sign of the times, I guess. Except, generally, at Oceans Bar where dancers looked pretty good, made the effort. HALcats just fine, esp Gabie the girl singer.

 

OTOH, the Adagio violin/piano duo were execrable, soul-less and tone-deaf. Once even announced Haydn, then played, badly, Boccherini. A happy surprise: the BB King Blues folks. Wonderful musicians and classy entertainers.

 

The cruise was billed as a big Dancing With The Stars At Sea item, and that it most certainly was. Four or so of the major pros from the TV series were on hand as were their fans. Hundreds of them. Four competitive events whittled down 15 winners of dance contests on each HAL ship to 10 dancers, then to 6, then to 3, then to the Mirror Ball Trophy winner for 2014--a hugely talented young man from Halifax, NS. The DWTS dance pros served as judges, and put on an evening show that tore the roof off.

 

Fly in ointment: emcee for the competition, a brash, nauseating chap name of Jason. Grade-school innuendos, smug mockery of foreign accents, condescending if not insulting remarks about contestants' backgrounds--the winner's in particular. A disgrace to HAL standards.

 

But gotta go. Fine week at sea. Too bad about short stay at San Juan. A two-star, wonderful week. Way to go, HAL.

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kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the report. It sounds like you made the best of it and got some things corrected. Two star cruise is not the Westerdam we were on last time. I sure hope it improves in time for our cruise.

 

 

Many thanks for the review and welcome home.:)

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JRR

JRR

Posted
Posted
Capt van der Hoeven had called it a "brochure cruise", and it pretty much was: kind seas and fine weather for the most part. Far too little time in San Juan and high winds at Grand Turk prevented snorkel/scuba activities. Overcast there, too, but GT is such a hohum port at best. A personal summary of the week follows:

 

The ship's in good shape--carpets, curtains and fixtures in good condition with little of the glitz that's crashing into the industry these days. Stateroom decor a bit tired, but well-maintained as is the case everywhere. Our cabin stewards just fine even though they must tend to 30 cabins each day. Too many, IMHO. Morale is a growing issue.

 

In MDR, too--to an extent. One hardworking DR steward per table, not a couple as in the past. And a steward mentioned that he'd been up till 3am the precious night trying to get his personal laundry done: broken washing machines on both A and B decks with consequent long lines.

 

Food OK, esp rack of lamb and duck. Beef tended toward tough and gristly. Soups and breads excellent as always. Service professional if rushed at times. Except first night dinner a disaster: slapdash, careless, even rude servers. A serving tray grazed my head. Not anywhere near HAL standards, and the server knew it. His exit line: "See you tomorrow night . . . Hopefully."

 

'Twas not to be. I spoke with the DR manager, efficient pleasant chap, and we received 1) a written apology, 2) a plate of chocolated strawberries, and 3) a different table that suited the three of us perfectly. The manager and various subordinates visited often to check up on our experience.

 

DR and elsewhere on ship-- far less dressy than in past. Sign of the times, I guess. Except, generally, at Oceans Bar where dancers looked pretty good, made the effort. HALcats just fine, esp Gabie the girl singer.

 

OTOH, the Adagio violin/piano duo were execrable, soul-less and tone-deaf. Once even announced Haydn, then played, badly, Boccherini. A happy surprise: the BB King Blues folks. Wonderful musicians and classy entertainers.

 

The cruise was billed as a big Dancing With The Stars At Sea item, and that it most certainly was. Four or so of the major pros from the TV series were on hand as were their fans. Hundreds of them. Four competitive events whittled down 15 winners of dance contests on each HAL ship to 10 dancers, then to 6, then to 3, then to the Mirror Ball Trophy winner for 2014--a hugely talented young man from Halifax, NS. The DWTS dance pros served as judges, and put on an evening show that tore the roof off.

 

Fly in ointment: emcee for the competition, a brash, nauseating chap name of Jason. Grade-school innuendos, smug mockery of foreign accents, condescending if not insulting remarks about contestants' backgrounds--the winner's in particular. A disgrace to HAL standards.

 

But gotta go. Fine week at sea. Too bad about short stay at San Juan. A two-star, wonderful week. Way to go, HAL.

 

Just got off the same cruise and mostly agree except: Seas were rough at times and the ship rolled around. Captain called it "swells" and announced that the ship's motion would be felt. They even put the sea-sick bags by the elevators several times. I was very uncomfortable two of the evenings.

 

Dining room and room stewards have indeed been cut back and it shows. In MDR at dinner our guy was very rushed and he made mistakes several times. Food quality was uneven: fish was good, meat (as stated above) was not, some of the food was not hot, only room temperature; soups were good but most were luke warm.

I thought Adagio was good but when she spoke it was silly and her command of English poor. They need to stick to playing music only. The Explorers Lounge is not large enough for this type of group as many of the seats do not afford a view of the duet, the view is blocked.

Room Maintenance leaves something to be desired. Sofa in my room had dirt stains on it; bathtub drain and sink drain had problems and there was a distinct sewer odor in bathroom. All this was reported and the drains were fixed but not the odor. Also AC had problems and they brought a fan the first night then tried to repair AC and by the third night it was fixed. Front Desk was very nice about it all though, they gave me a free beach towel for the problems and I thought this was very kind of them.

Not a bad cruise, but after third time on Westerdam I would look for another ship next time. HAL needs to re-think where they are cutting back and how it affects the customer base. It will do them no good if they save money and lose loyal customers.

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Folk Singer

Folk Singer

Posted
Posted
Capt van der Hoeven had called it a "brochure cruise", and it pretty much was: kind seas and fine weather for the most part. Far too little time in San Juan and high winds at Grand Turk prevented snorkel/scuba activities. Overcast there, too, but GT is such a hohum port at best. A personal summary of the week follows:

 

The ship's in good shape--carpets, curtains and fixtures in good condition with little of the glitz that's crashing into the industry these days. Stateroom decor a bit tired, but well-maintained as is the case everywhere. Our cabin stewards just fine even though they must tend to 30 cabins each day. Too many, IMHO. Morale is a growing issue.

 

In MDR, too--to an extent. One hardworking DR steward per table, not a couple as in the past. And a steward mentioned that he'd been up till 3am the precious night trying to get his personal laundry done: broken washing machines on both A and B decks with consequent long lines.

 

Food OK, esp rack of lamb and duck. Beef tended toward tough and gristly. Soups and breads excellent as always. Service professional if rushed at times. Except first night dinner a disaster: slapdash, careless, even rude servers. A serving tray grazed my head. Not anywhere near HAL standards, and the server knew it. His exit line: "See you tomorrow night . . . Hopefully."

 

'Twas not to be. I spoke with the DR manager, efficient pleasant chap, and we received 1) a written apology, 2) a plate of chocolated strawberries, and 3) a different table that suited the three of us perfectly. The manager and various subordinates visited often to check up on our experience.

 

DR and elsewhere on ship-- far less dressy than in past. Sign of the times, I guess. Except, generally, at Oceans Bar where dancers looked pretty good, made the effort. HALcats just fine, esp Gabie the girl singer.

 

OTOH, the Adagio violin/piano duo were execrable, soul-less and tone-deaf. Once even announced Haydn, then played, badly, Boccherini. A happy surprise: the BB King Blues folks. Wonderful musicians and classy entertainers.

 

The cruise was billed as a big Dancing With The Stars At Sea item, and that it most certainly was. Four or so of the major pros from the TV series were on hand as were their fans. Hundreds of them. Four competitive events whittled down 15 winners of dance contests on each HAL ship to 10 dancers, then to 6, then to 3, then to the Mirror Ball Trophy winner for 2014--a hugely talented young man from Halifax, NS. The DWTS dance pros served as judges, and put on an evening show that tore the roof off.

 

Fly in ointment: emcee for the competition, a brash, nauseating chap name of Jason. Grade-school innuendos, smug mockery of foreign accents, condescending if not insulting remarks about contestants' backgrounds--the winner's in particular. A disgrace to HAL standards.

 

But gotta go. Fine week at sea. Too bad about short stay at San Juan. A two-star, wonderful week. Way to go, HAL.

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to do this. Merry Christmas.

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dot73

dot73

Posted
Posted

The cutbacks in MDR staff would disappoint me the most as I enjoy a good dining experience. My last Caribbean cruise was on Princess and I felt that the MDR service has gone downhill with them also. I'll be spending two weeks on the NA next month and hopefully the service will be OK.

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JRR

JRR

Posted
Posted
Sorry you had a bad time. Maybe the prices are unsustainably low. Looking forward to traveling on the Westerdam in just a few weeks!

 

I would not say it was a bad time, just a few things I was pointing out. The rough seas was not their fault. You will notice the cutbacks in staffing and how it affects the cruise when you go in a few weeks I am sure.

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deck chair

deck chair

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hi

 

Over the years I sailed with HAL many times: sailed on the old Rotterdam, Veendam, Ryndam, Statendam, Maasdam and the newer Rotterdam. It was my preferred cruise line. No more since 2005 after a 35 days cruise on the MAASDAM voyage of the Vikings. I was very disappointed in the level of dining room service in the MDR. There were not enough waiters, a distinct and very obvious cutback. Service was slow, food arrived lukewarm on many occasions. This no doubt because the poor overworked waiter with too many tables to serve could not bring out the dishes from the kitchen fast enough. Of course, hot dishes would cool waiting to be picked up. To me and most of my table companions it was difficult to witness the overwhelmed sweaty waiters rushing around and clearly stressed out. Shame Shame shame on HAL for allowing this. And please keep in mind this was a long cruise with tons of repeat passengers so you would think HAL would make sure the experience was superb!

 

There were other clear cutbacks in the number of cabin stewards. They obviously had too many cabins to service. I helped my steward by telling him he didn't need to serve my cabin every day.

 

Another obvious cutback was the reduced quality and number of musicians on the ship.

 

I don't go on cruises to witness overworked stressed out crew members because HAL management cut back to save money. Management doesn't care about the crew. They obviously don't really care that much about the passengers. As evidenced by comments on the HAL board nothing has changed. If anything it has gotten worse.

 

In the next couple of years I plan a world cruise. It certainly won't be on HAL. Who wants to spend three months on a ship with overworked stressed out waiters and cabin stewards and a reduced number of musicians? Who wants to spend three months on a ship with mediocre musicians? So HAL, I will never go back. You lost me and my business. Why anyone sails with HAL and then returns is beyond me.

 

Good luck to all!

 

DECK CHAIR

Edited by deck chair
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OVgirl

OVgirl

Posted
Posted
Just got off the same cruise and mostly agree except: Seas were rough at times and the ship rolled around. Captain called it "swells" and announced that the ship's motion would be felt. They even put the sea-sick bags by the elevators several times. I was very uncomfortable two of the evenings.

 

Dining room and room stewards have indeed been cut back and it shows. In MDR at dinner our guy was very rushed and he made mistakes several times. Food quality was uneven: fish was good, meat (as stated above) was not, some of the food was not hot, only room temperature; soups were good but most were luke warm.

I thought Adagio was good but when she spoke it was silly and her command of English poor. They need to stick to playing music only. The Explorers Lounge is not large enough for this type of group as many of the seats do not afford a view of the duet, the view is blocked.

Room Maintenance leaves something to be desired. Sofa in my room had dirt stains on it; bathtub drain and sink drain had problems and there was a distinct sewer odor in bathroom. All this was reported and the drains were fixed but not the odor. Also AC had problems and they brought a fan the first night then tried to repair AC and by the third night it was fixed. Front Desk was very nice about it all though, they gave me a free beach towel for the problems and I thought this was very kind of them.

Not a bad cruise, but after third time on Westerdam I would look for another ship next time. HAL needs to re-think where they are cutting back and how it affects the customer base. It will do them no good if they save money and lose loyal customers.

 

Could you post your cabin number please, just to give those going in the near future a heads up. We'll be on her in January.;)

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cruz chic

cruz chic

Posted
Posted
Hi

 

Over the years I sailed with HAL many times: sailed on the old Rotterdam, Veendam, Ryndam, Statendam, Maasdam and the newer Rotterdam. It was my preferred cruise line. No more since 2005 after a 35 days cruise on the MAASDAM voyage of the Vikings. I was very disappointed in the level of dining room service in the MDR. There were not enough waiters, a distinct and very obvious cutback. Service was slow, food arrived lukewarm on many occasions. This no doubt because the poor overworked waiter with too many tables to serve could not bring out the dishes from the kitchen fast enough. Of course, hot dishes would cool waiting to be picked up. To me and most of my table companions it was difficult to witness the overwhelmed sweaty waiters rushing around and clearly stressed out. Shame Shame shame on HAL for allowing this. And please keep in mind this was a long cruise with tons of repeat passengers so you would think HAL would make sure the experience was superb!

 

There were other clear cutbacks in the number of cabin stewards. They obviously had too many cabins to service. I helped my steward by telling him he didn't need to serve my cabin every day.

 

Another obvious cutback was the reduced quality and number of musicians on the ship.

 

I don't go on cruises to witness overworked stressed out crew members because HAL management cut back to save money. Management doesn't care about the crew. They obviously don't really care that much about the passengers. As evidenced by comments on the HAL board nothing has changed. If anything it has gotten worse.

 

In the next couple of years I plan a world cruise. It certainly won't be on HAL. Who wants to spend three months on a ship with overworked stressed out waiters and cabin stewards and a reduced number of musicians? Who wants to spend three months on a ship with mediocre musicians? So HAL, I will never go back. You lost me and my business. Why anyone sails with HAL and then returns is beyond me.

 

Good luck to all!

 

DECK CHAIR

I suspect it's more a problem with the way they do things. I've asked how many people that the waiters take care of on hal and also on princess. Princess has slightly fewer people but they take all alcohol orders so it would make them even. I never see princess waiters sweating like you do on hal and the food is generally hotter as well. Don't get me wrong hal is my favorite but they do seem to struugle a lot.

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cruz chic

cruz chic

Posted
Posted
Am I hearing that there are even further cutbacks in the MDR staff? Just one server and no assistant? HAL is beginning to definitely not appeal to me lately, and my next cruise is on the Westerdam.

 

They had assistants on the NA but they tend to do the running so it may appear that there wasn't an assistant. They also had them on the Westy in April.

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idiebabe

idiebabe

Posted
Posted (edited)

We also were on this Cruise but had a completely different experience! We had an awesome Cruise!

 

Our Waitstaff was a 2-Man Team and was very friendly and gave excellent service! We had Main Dining. We thought the food overall was very good! There were two nights where the Soup was served warm instead of hot. There is always a night on a Cruise where we find the Menu to be so so and wish we went to Pinnacle but that just seems to be the way it is. We did go to Pinnacle the night of St. Thomas which was excellent as always. The Beef Wellington, the Filet and Lobster were delicious and very tender. Some of the Apps were the best we've had especially the Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart! The next to last night we mentioned to our Waitstaff that we would probably not be coming so we could make the DWTS Finale Show. They said come 10 minutes early and we'll get you out on time. They thanked us for letting them know so they could plan it. We arrived at 7:50, ordered 3 Courses (skipped Dessert) and were at the Show Lounge at 8:20. Awesome!

 

Our Room Attendants were very friendly and did a great job. We did not find them to be stressed at all. We had no problems getting our Room serviced. We had one Maintenance issue with the toilet not flushing properly and also what sounded like a constant dripping. Right before leaving for Dinner we called and reported it and also told our Room Attendant and it was fixed when we returned from Dinner to check on it.

 

We are not a fan of most of the Production Shows. They are just not our Cup of Tea. The Comedian was very funny! There was no Guitar Player in the Crow's Nest as there had been on Zuiderdam and also on the Ships with the Mix. We did miss that! All the other Musicians were very good and enjoyable! The Piano player was very good and it was always packed.

 

The Bar Servers especially in the Ocean Lounge were very friendly and gave excellent service. One thing I noticed is that they really worked together as a Team.

 

We booked this Cruise for the DWTS. The Shows were very good and we found the Emcee, Jason, to be very funny and not offensive at all! The Cruise Director, Jonathan, was also fantastic. He's leaving for Vacay and then going to Volendam. Everything was run very well with regards to the events except that seating for the Finale is an issue due to the size of the room. We arrived at 8:20 for a 9:30 Show and were lucky that we got the last two seats in the Nosebleeds by a pole.

 

We had awesome weather! One night we had some swells but nothing severe. They did put the barf bags out which actually surprised us as it didn't seem to be that bumpy to us!

 

Again, our experience was completely different and had a great Cruise (inspite of two nights of lukewarm Soup..lol)! We found that the Staff and Crew were extremely friendly and went out of their way and gave great Service. We're booked on the Westerdam in May for Alaska and very much looking forward to sailing on her again! :)

 

Eileen

Edited by idiebabe
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