Westerdam Alaska 5/30 Review...the balcony of paradise!

[callmebetty]

We have just gotten home from our Alaskan cruise. We ran into some terrible luck with our return flight and after 24 hours, we have finally returned home to Connecticut. Nothing like a red eye and a time change to end a wonderful vacation when one has to work tomorrow. United really dropped the ball on this one, but this is not the place to air those issues! Onward...

Highlights before my more detailed review after a much needed nap.

We had a fabulous time and the Pros helped make it wonderful. The Cons were mere annoyances and really didn't effect the overall experience in the long run.

Some Pros:

Aft Neptune wraparound 6177 was absolutely fabulous. We didn't use the side balcony much while underway because it was too windy, but we had some great views of Orcas, bald eagles, and otters (pictures hopefully to follow) while in port. We saw lots from the aft balcony while cruising too! We had ample storage space for the way too many clothes that I brought.

The concierge ladies were wonderful and even sent us chocolate covered strawberries the night of our anniversary. I forgot to pack DH's dress shoes and they were able to arrange a rental for us.

Neptune Lounge- great place to grab coffee and tea on my way back from the spa each morning. Also a nice place to go and sit quietly for a little snack.

Big shout out to Ram (a waiter by the Seaview Bar). Long story short, he hunted down some pickle juice for me from the Dive In and went above and beyond to chit chat with us and make sure we had what we needed.

The Cons:

Two of the lamps in the room were held together by electrical tape. The handle on the outside of the balcony was very loose and at one point I thought we would be spending the night out on the balcony! I felt like these little maintenance issues should not be issues

Hours of Operation (food)- I felt like the Lido should have been open earlier and later for those of us struggling with a time change. I know room service was an option, but choices were limited after 10PM and a few time when I called at 8:30 to order the 10-10 menu I was told the dining room was already closed for room service. We didn't starve by any means, but we were not the only ones that were wondering what to do about breakfast/early lunch between 9:30 and 11:30. I did feel like HAL was sub-par to NCL and Princess in this department.

We had the Explore4 and I made it my mission to try every drink on the menu. I found that a majority of the bars used the carton of concentrated syrup in place of what the menu said was "fresh strawberries/raspberries". If you are advertising a Skinny Berry Citrus Rita that is sugar free, it should not have that syrup in it. And with the sour mix, it wouldn't be sugar free anyway. I came to enjoy the Fashionista and the Pomegranate Ginger Martini. I also enjoyed the Wine Collins, but if the bar is out of fresh grapes, the drink becomes rather unappetizing.

Random Bits:

I split the thermal pass with another CCer. We made plans for me to pay for it and she would give me cash. The spa ladies actually split the charge between the 2 rooms which was great! Just give them the two room numbers and they will take care of it.

The thermal suite itself- beware of intense relaxation! My routine became the pool, the steam room, and then the heater lounger. I was apparently so relaxed I fell asleep on the heated lounger for quite sometime- a metal clip on the back of my bathing suit strap heated up over time and I now have a brand on my back. DH says it looks like Alaska so we have a little reminder :)

 

I will go into more detail when I have gotten back in the swing of the East Coast time zone and removed 24 hours of airport grime!

[USN59-79]

We were also on the 5/30 Westerdam. In fact, the OP was kind enough to host our small meet and greet in their stateroom, while supplying drinks and snacks also. It was much appreciated.

Concerning the cruise: A week or so prior someone had posted somewhat ambiguously that they were disappointed with the Westerdam on her first Alaska cruise of the season. So I thought by number 5, either the crew would be bored and lazy or they would get better and better. They must have gotten better and better, because it was a very good cruise. We prefer fixed, early dining, but were assigned anytime as we booked rather late. When we got aboard, we looked up the Dining Room Mgr., Havid and he said "No problem; come by at 5:30 and I will have something for you. He assigned us a nice 2-top and we had two great waiters every day of the cruise. We had an outside cabin amidships on deck 1 and 2 competent stewards whom I never met, but did a great job. We enjoyed Glacier Bay, particularly the presentations by both the Park Ranger and the Linget person who explained how the glacier overran their village about 250 years ago. (local people are commonly called Tlingets, but now they prefer Linget) The entertainment was good, but a new cast came aboard yesterday. Everything worked fine in our cabin, and I thought the food was very food and well presented in the dining room. All in all, it was a pleasant week for us.

[summer slope]

Sounds like you two have a fabulous Alaskan cruise.

[madera1]

Y to hear you had a great trip.

 

 

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[bjarrett7]

We were also on the 5/30 Westerdam. In fact, the OP was kind enough to host our small meet and greet in their stateroom, while supplying drinks and snacks also. It was much appreciated.

 

Concerning the cruise: A week or so prior someone had posted somewhat ambiguously that they were disappointed with the Westerdam on her first Alaska cruise of the season. So I thought by number 5, either the crew would be bored and lazy or they would get better and better. They must have gotten better and better, because it was a very good cruise. We prefer fixed, early dining, but were assigned anytime as we booked rather late. When we got aboard, we looked up the Dining Room Mgr., Havid and he said "No problem; come by at 5:30 and I will have something for you. He assigned us a nice 2-top and we had two great waiters every day of the cruise. We had an outside cabin amidships on deck 1 and 2 competent stewards whom I never met, but did a great job. We enjoyed Glacier Bay, particularly the presentations by both the Park Ranger and the Linget person who explained how the glacier overran their village about 250 years ago. (local people are commonly called Tlingets, but now they prefer Linget) The entertainment was good, but a new cast came aboard yesterday. Everything worked fine in our cabin, and I thought the food was very food and well presented in the dining room. All in all, it was a pleasant week for us.

 

 

So glad to hear this as another cruiser reported that it was the worst food they ever had on a cruise. [emoji22] I know food is subjective but I was also hoping for a different opinion. Thanks for sharing!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Glad you all enjoyed your Westerdam cruises in Alaska.

[callmebetty]

Day 0-Getting there is half the fun?

We both worked a half day since our flight out of Hartford wasn't until 6:25. Make that 7:25. There were some weather issues in Texas so flights were being rerouted and we almost missed our flight because the agents were trying to rebook half of the terminal.One angel of an agent scooted us through and we made it! We got to Chicago and had a minimal delay on our connecting flight.

We arrived in Seattle at 2AM and gathered our bags. The free hotel shuttle only runs until 11 PM so we grabbed a taxi for our 4 mile ride to the Wyndam Suites by Hawthorne. After we paid $28 for the ride (a bit higher than I though for a 6 minute ride) we were greeted in the parking lot by a scantily clad woman with a billy club in the parking lot. Turns out this "all suite" property is more of an efficiency complex. We were informed the shuttle I had booked was nowhere in the paper work so we had to wait until 7AM when someone else came on duty to confirm.We got our directions to our room and had around a 4 minute walk in the darkness through some sketchy looking paths...you get what you pay for is the moral of the story...The room was an efficiency...who knew I would need a dishwasher for a 6 hour stay? The ice machine appeared to be possessed...there was no bin to catch the cubes in the freezer so they ricocheted off the freezer walls all night. As luck would have it, there was a softball tournament and it was prom weekend. I woke up to creak, creak, creak above our room at 4AM. I will continue to tell myself it was people working on their fast pitch. I was up at 7, showered and ready to go. We went to the lobby and found others would be joining us on our "private" shuttle. There was a breakfast buffet set up and we saw quite a cast of characters. Who knew boxers and tan tops were restaurant attire?!?When in Rome...just kidding...I convinced DH to keep his clothees on and not participate in the push-up routing going on on the front walkway. We went for a walk (they sell some pretty decent Washington Pinot Noir from a local vineyard at the gas station since I busted into one of our bottle upon arrival at the hotel) and eventually met the other two couples that would be sharing the shuttle. This is where it gets interesting. All of us were told by the desk clerk the shuttle was $20 round trip. We get on the shuttle and the driver tells us it is $20 each way. After a bunch of back and forth and a few phone calls to the company, they agree to give us that price. We go on our merry way to pick up another couple. Onto the freeway and we have a constant pulsing beep beep. The driver (with coffee in hand) makes a call with his other hand and describes the problem. At this point, DH notices the backdoor is open and all of the luggage is balancing precariously on the edge. What better reason to stop on the freeway? Perhaps the driver (and our luggage should get hazard pay). We arrived at the terminal and were very pleasantly surprised to see we had all of our luggage and there were only 2 ships in port (we are used to NYC).

Breezed on through after filling out a health questionnaire.

 

Next up...All aboard!

[nw gardener]

I was also on the 5/30 sailing and I need to apologize to the OP for missing the cc meet she arranged, lost track of time while having lunch in the MDR [yes, I enjoyed the food :)]. This was our first try at HAL [Celebrity and NCL previously] and DH and I loved it. Pro's far out weighed the con's and we booked our next AK cruise on the Maasdam for next summer. Food was good overall [would have liked a few more entree choices for the dinner menu], and the lines were too long to deal with to try the Dive In burgers, but overall a thumbs up. Loved the BB Kings group and Recycled Percussion, weather cooperated, DH and I relaxed and unwound and enjoyed the ports and scenery, and we happily hooked our traveling companions on cruising [they booked the cabin next to ours for next year].

[chefestelle]

Thank you callmebetty. That was a truly hilarious story. Only goes to show you that you have to be ready to laugh off the hitches. Was Wyndham suites booked as a pre-cruise or entirely separately?

[bjarrett7]

I was also on the 5/30 sailing and I need to apologize to the OP for missing the cc meet she arranged, lost track of time while having lunch in the MDR [yes, I enjoyed the food :)]. This was our first try at HAL [Celebrity and NCL previously] and DH and I loved it. Pro's far out weighed the con's and we booked our next AK cruise on the Maasdam for next summer. Food was good overall [would have liked a few more entree choices for the dinner menu], and the lines were too long to deal with to try the Dive In burgers, but overall a thumbs up. Loved the BB Kings group and Recycled Percussion, weather cooperated, DH and I relaxed and unwound and enjoyed the ports and scenery, and we happily hooked our traveling companions on cruising [they booked the cabin next to ours for next year].

 

 

I feel like cheering! [emoji3][emoji322][emoji95][emoji445] I have been reading the HAL boards recently and have found it rather depressing! Thanks for some GOOD news! We sail on the Westie for the first time in August so I am hanging on every word! [emoji41][emoji122]🏻[emoji122]🏻[emoji122]🏻[emoji322][emoji445][emoji95]

[TheSecondSister]

As luck would have it, there was a softball tournament and it was prom weekend. I woke up to creak, creak, creak above our room at 4AM. I will continue to tell myself it was people working on their fast pitch.

That made me laugh! Enjoying this thread immensely.

[clogaltocruise]

Thank you for your postings as DH and I are on the Westerdam on 9/5 & can't wait.

We were just on the Maasdam last month & loved her. I found the food on the MDR quite good IMO. I also enjoyed the dive in & specialty lunches on deck.

We've been to Alaska many times but this is our 1st on Westerdam. Thank you, again.

 

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Edited June 8, 2015 by clogaltocruise

[erewhon]

Thanks for reviewing your Westerdam cruise.

Were the room stewards aware of the maintenance issues?

[purrlinda]

I am interested in getting the thermal pass for the week. (I am on the 6/13 sailing.) Can you tell me how much the pass was for the week? Also, did you find it really busy at certain times? I'm really looking for some R and R while I'm on the ship because I have loads of exciting excursions planned.

 

Also, this is my first time on HAL and am really looking forward to it.

[callmebetty]

I am interested in getting the thermal pass for the week. (I am on the 6/13 sailing.) Can you tell me how much the pass was for the week? Also, did you find it really busy at certain times? I'm really looking for some R and R while I'm on the ship because I have loads of exciting excursions planned.

 

Also, this is my first time on HAL and am really looking forward to it.

 

The pass was 149 per person or 249 for 2. I went at various times and there were never more that 6 or 7 people between the pool, steam rooms, and loungers. It was quite wonderful!

[callmebetty]

Day 1-

After filling out the health questionnaires, we escalated ourselves to the processing area. We went through security. We were told to bring our bottles of wine to check in. Over we went, and as I unzipped the backpack, we were told to take them on through. No one even looked at the two bottles! We went through the expedited Neptune area where we got our keys and our card photos snapped. Through a door behind a wall, skipped a good portion of the hamster maze, and we were on board within 10 minutes of walking into the terminal!No line at the purser's desk.We did a cash account and this may be useful for others- they deducted the OBC from the required deposit amount of 60 per person per day. This could have been because we had the drink package, who knows...the money we didn't have to leave went to the casino anyway.

I was able to use the phone there to call and reserve my spa pass.

We zipped on up to the room, which was ready and were pleasantly surprised to see the liter of Jameson and Absolut that we ordered the day before already there! There was also invitations for the dinners we got through the promotion, both booked for that night. I know people like to eat on cruises, but 2 specialty dinners in one day...hmm. Stepped through the balcony door and I knew this is where I would be spending a majority of my time. It was huge! There were 4 lounge chairs, 6 regular chairs, a table, two coffee type tables, and a little tiny stool type thing.

We went off to visit the concierge and make arrangements for the meet and greet the following day and correct the reservations.

The Neptune Lounge is a gem of a place midship deck 7. We met Margaret and Carene. They fixed the dining. We also mentioned I forgot Jim's dress shoes. They filled out a form for rental shoes and we were set. I explained about the meet and greet scheduled for 12:30 the following day. We learned that the "good" menu doesn't start until 2 but they arranged for whatever was available to be sent up. If you plan on hosting a gathering, do it after 2!

Off to the spa to sign for my package and then to the lido for a drink and a snack. It wasn't overly crowded by this time. We met some great guys, Ram and Mannvick at the Aft bar on the Lido deck. This is where I began my quest to get through the drink menu. This is where I also learned the strawberry drinks are not made with fresh berries, but instead with the daquiri mix. I guess the berries were fresh before they went into the mix! The strawberry basil bellisimo and strawberries and bubbles were too sweet for me. I had the week to find my favorites so it was not an issue!

Time for work (ugh!). After the flight ordeals, I have learned it is important to plan for at least 2 days off following a cruise that involves flying! I woke up this morning and saw my car on the street from the bedroom window and was momentarily confused about why my car was outside of the ship. I was so used to seeing port views from the stateroom bed, I really needed one day of waking up without an alarm clock in my own house. Live and learn...

[kazu]

We were also on the 5/30 Westerdam. In fact, the OP was kind enough to host our small meet and greet in their stateroom, while supplying drinks and snacks also. It was much appreciated.

Concerning the cruise: A week or so prior someone had posted somewhat ambiguously that they were disappointed with the Westerdam on her first Alaska cruise of the season. So I thought by number 5, either the crew would be bored and lazy or they would get better and better. They must have gotten better and better, because it was a very good cruise. We prefer fixed, early dining, but were assigned anytime as we booked rather late. When we got aboard, we looked up the Dining Room Mgr., Havid and he said "No problem; come by at 5:30 and I will have something for you. He assigned us a nice 2-top and we had two great waiters every day of the cruise. We had an outside cabin amidships on deck 1 and 2 competent stewards whom I never met, but did a great job. We enjoyed Glacier Bay, particularly the presentations by both the Park Ranger and the Linget person who explained how the glacier overran their village about 250 years ago. (local people are commonly called Tlingets, but now they prefer Linget) The entertainment was good, but a new cast came aboard yesterday. Everything worked fine in our cabin, and I thought the food was very food and well presented in the dining room. All in all, it was a pleasant week for us.

 

thanks to both of you for posting. This sounds more like the Westerdam that we were on from April11 - May 1st/15.

 

We had a fabulous time as well.

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[callmebetty]

We hung out on the balcony for awhile, where I learned that it was not a cloud formation, but Mt. Renier off in the distance! Apparently I lost some IQ points when I crossed the US. We unpacked when our luggage arrived which was ridiculously quick!

The muster (or mustard as we call it) station was upon us. We went down to the 3rd deck. This is where I felt they could be a little more efficient. They lined us all up in rows of 7 nd our head communicator insisted on not using a microphone, but instead shouting out the names from each cabin. But it was not too hot and not all that long considering.

Off to the balcony for sail away and then down to the casino. We got the lay of the land and I threw some quarters into the rake type machine. There were quarters/tokens to win, a bundle of 25 singles, and 2 scratch off tickets. I missed the other lines that have chips for hats, t-shirts, and champagne in them. DH played some poker and we donated to the slot machines. There were about 10 two cent hot shot type machines, video poker, some dollar slots, and lots of pennies.. The Wolf Moon machines seemed to be quite hot this cruise. I enjoyed the Ninja game but bonuses were few and far between. On to 3 card poker and some amusement from Pachlovich (who we called bonus) and Jess (if you see her, ask her if she has checked any thingies lately). Maria was a funny and attentive drink server throughout our trip.

I think we hit the Lido for dinner.

[callmebetty]

Day 2-

I was up around 5AM. The time change was really messing with me at this point. Jim rearranged the furniture to accommodate the guests for our meet and greet. We went to the Lido for breakfast and from this day out we always went to the eggs benedict station. I don't eat eggs, but half an English muffin with bacon or sausage and a piece of cheese was a good way to start the day. DH was a fan of the Messina (egg, mushroom, and cheese sauce). It proved to be hit or miss for the poaching. Some days a hard yolk, some days a super slimy white, and other days, just right!

Time for the meet and greet! I called room service and ordered some cranberry and orange juice. We also stopped by the concierge to ask for wine glasses. I got a phone call that went something like this "Madam, we cannot get to the oranges in the store today. Because of this, we cannot make orange juice". All righty...make it pineapple!

The food arrived. We had some cheese, crackers, and bitty shrimp. The strawberries on the cheese plate made wonderful garnishes for the Absolut and Pineapple juices we served.

We had just over half of the RSVPers show up (I completely understand that others got swept away by ship life!). We had some wonderful discussion and a few drinks. We diddly-bopped on down to the casino for our slot pull. We headed for the Wheel of Fortune machine. 6 of us put in $10 and made our money back. We threw it in again and doubled our money. We didn't get many spins, but we had a good time! We also learned Jameson can cure a throat tickle and you can really confuse people if you stand by the elevator in a group and have drinks without actually taking an elevator. To the man we invited to the party...we truly weren't trying to proposition you!

Drinks I had today- Fashionista, a Pinot Noir from Washington, Jameson, and a Cucumber Lime Smash.

I think this was also the day we went to the piano bar. We sang, we laughed, and we danced. A good time was had by all!!! The piano man (for lack of memory) was fun and kept the crowd involved. It was time to call it a night since we were still on East Coast time.

[callmebetty]

Disclaimer...

DH is off from work this week. He had my "Fashionista" waiting for me, along with my robe and flip flops when I got home. Before I post anymore recollections (which I realize are becoming more and more like a cruise diary instead of hints and highlights), I will tell you all...we did not go to any shows, we did not get tot he Lido, and we did not go to Canneletto. I also forgot to mention we had DH's suit picked up for dry cleaning on Day 1 and had it back by the meet and greet on day 2. We also did not have any pictures taken by the photographers and did not play any bingo. If you care to hear about our cruise via my running stream of conscious thoughts read on :)

[chuuie]

Sorry we missed the meet & greet; sounds like we missed fun. The cruise was great; I could not believe that on the flight home there were folks on our cruise and they just said the weather was horrible. I just couldn't believe they were on the same cruise!!

[callmebetty]

Sorry we missed the meet & greet; sounds like we missed fun. The cruise was great; I could not believe that on the flight home there were folks on our cruise and they just said the weather was horrible. I just couldn't believe they were on the same cruise!!

 

I thought the weather was fabulous! Sure, the Victoria day was a bit foggy, but the only rain we encountered was when they were washing the balcony above us! And about 42 seconds of sprinkle in Ketchikan...

[lais]

It is so refreshing to read your review. It really bumped up my spirits about my upcoming Westerdam cruise and I hope I meet some fun loving upbeat people just like you. :D

[POA1]

Thank you for your review. :)