Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Somewhat live from the Westerdam

frankc98376

By frankc98376,
in Holland America Line

 Share

Recommended Posts

frankc98376

frankc98376

Posted
Posted

Hello from the beautiful Westerdam!

 

I already covered boarding and embarkation day in other threads so I will skip those here. We left right on time and had a beautiful day to sail out of Puget Sound.

 

Westerdam is in her usual wonderful shape. HD is Mark Pells and that pretty much says it all about the condition of the ship- always a joy to be on any ship he is on!. The crew as always is happy and treats us like family. Our stateroom Steward Achmad is on top of everything and spoiling us. Our favorite beverage Steward Michael keeps us happy at the bars. Concierges are both on top of things and great.

 

We are just a few staterooms aft of the center elevators on deck 7- great location to get anywhere.

 

So far all has been smooth sailing- two great PG dinners and breakfasts. PG servers now use tablets to place orders with the galley. Service is impeccable as always. We are with probably our favorite server in the fleet Clifford. He is the ultimate professional and makes everyone feel welcome like we are extended family.

 

We got a $100 beverage card as part of our package and evidently were given a faulty card as on day one it appeared to be leaking. The dollar value was getting lower and lower with every receipt we got. Finally at about 6:30 pm we decided to use the balance of it for a bottle of wine and buy the Signature Beverage Package.

 

SBC now covers all drinks up to $8.00 (they raised most of the drinks to $7.50). Nice thing is most of the "premium" liquors didn't go up and are now covered.

 

Getting ready to head into Gastineau Channel shortly and will probably wander up to the bow and brave the cold (it's windy and chilly outside). A lot of fog this morning but clearing now a bit- good news is no rain.

 

We are heading up to Mendenhall after we dock then a little shopping in town.

 

Will update when I have something at least a bit interesting to say :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Lizzie68

Lizzie68

Posted
Posted

Great to hear from you and it sounds like you are in pretty much the same cabin location as we were, and with the same room steward! Michael and Maria were our favourite beverage servers, and Clifford - well he's just priceless. Is Franko still in the PG with him, and are they still doing their comedy act? Breakfast was a riot with those two.:D

 

Good info about the drinks - thanks. Looking forward to hearing more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Old As Dirt Mom

Old As Dirt Mom

Posted
Posted

Hi Frank - I'm so glad Clifford was still there for you in the Pinnacle Grill. He told us in May that he would be onboard through the end of the Alaska season before returning home to Mumbai.

 

I very much appreciate your "almost live" thread, as we will be sailing Westerdam in less than two weeks as she repositions from the west coast to the east via the Panama Canal. Do you happen to know who the sommelier or cellar master is? We had Margaret and Ivy as our concierges in the Neptune lounge, and while I realize the concierges rotate in from the front office, if those two very pleasant ladies are currently staffing the NL I know you will have excellent service.

 

Hope you have a lovely time on your cruise. You had an absolutely stupendously beautiful sailaway day on Saturday. I was on the Bainbridge ferry when you left Smith Cove and Elliott Bay, and I waved to you. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
0bnxshs

0bnxshs

Posted
Posted

Frank, sounds like a great start to your cruise. :)

 

As you see them, tell Mark the "Sail Away Gang" says "Silence on Deck!"; Roni the Yum Yum Man and Michael that Rich and Deb say "Howdy" and wish them well.

 

Hoping the rest of you cruise goes as well as your first day. :cool:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Lizzie68

Lizzie68

Posted
Posted
Frank, sounds like a great start to your cruise. :)

 

As you see them, tell Mark the "Sail Away Gang" says "Silence on Deck!"; Roni the Yum Yum Man and Michael that Rich and Deb say "Howdy" and wish them well.

 

Hoping the rest of you cruise goes as well as your first day. :cool:

 

Rich, Roni has gone on leave. I am getting regular updates via facebook.;) I don't think Mark and our Captain are likely to forget your medal ceremony.:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

Posted
Posted

sounds like an all star line up for your cruise Frank :)

 

Mark Pells & Clifford in the PG? What more can anyone ask for.?

 

Sounds like you are on the way to a marvelous time :)

 

Sorry about the leaking beverage card. It seems to be a problem on the ships. Ours leaked too :)

 

Looking forward to heraing more when and if you have time.

 

thanks so much :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
0bnxshs

0bnxshs

Posted
Posted
<SNIP>

 

We got a $100 beverage card as part of our package and evidently were given a faulty card as on day one it appeared to be leaking. The dollar value was getting lower and lower with every receipt we got. Finally at about 6:30 pm we decided to use the balance of it for a bottle of wine and buy the Signature Beverage Package.

 

<SNIP>

 

Mollyanne, Frank explained it best in his OP. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Old As Dirt Mom

Old As Dirt Mom

Posted
Posted
I guess my question then is why does this happen? Is Frank joking that the value decreased because of too many cocktails being consumed? :) Maybe I'm just a little dense this morning! :o

 

Yes, it's a very sad tale. It happens to me on every cruise, too :p Frank's beverage card leaked so bad he had to buy the Signature Beverage Package to stem the tide:D If we would only stop drinking that card would stop leaking:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
frankc98376

frankc98376

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Frank - I have a geek request. Ignore it if you don't have unlimited Internet or if you don't have time (or if you have a life ;) )

 

Can you do the occasional Internet speed check? The 3G or Satellite tests will probably be the best to run. Thanks!

 

http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest

 

An hour ago all tests failed due to no response. Just tested again and got 3.5M/340k. Ping was 768 ms. Has been very hit and miss. We took the top package $99 and I'm very glad we did. we did pick up the NPS folks a bit ago for Glacier Bay so possible the speed increase may be equipment in the area for their use.

 

I tried speedtest.net and also failed earlier however showed my IP as Carnival Corp Miami :). I'm guessing they are trying different services and packages on all of the lines until they find the "sweet spot" for pricing and speed.

 

I'll run tests from time to time and let you know the results.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
frankc98376

frankc98376

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Raining when we arrived in Juneau yesterday that turned into a rain/snow mix for a while. About 3:00 rain stopped and we had sun breaks theu the afternoon.

 

Went up to the Glacier- in all of our trips had never been up there. Enjoyed the ride up and seeing Costco, Walmart, and McDonalds :)

 

Great dinner in PG with Clifford accompanied by a nice Decoy Merlot. Went back ashore after dinner and walked around a bit to see Juneau after dark. Wow- only one jewelry store open!

 

Today is Glacier Bay and so far doesn't appear to be raining. I noticed on the program there is wine and cheese on the bow from 10:39 to noon. We got an invitation from the Concierge Team to join them on the bow for wine at 10:30. Said to make sure we bring the invitation as we can use it to get our second glass of wine "on them". Wow- the NS benefits just keep coming :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites
POA1 "Live from...." Rare

POA1

Posted
Posted
An hour ago all tests failed due to no response. Just tested again and got 3.5M/340k. Ping was 768 ms. Has been very hit and miss. We took the top package $99 and I'm very glad we did. we did pick up the NPS folks a bit ago for Glacier Bay so possible the speed increase may be equipment in the area for their use.

 

I tried speedtest.net and also failed earlier however showed my IP as Carnival Corp Miami :). I'm guessing they are trying different services and packages on all of the lines until they find the "sweet spot" for pricing and speed.

 

I'll run tests from time to time and let you know the results.

Thanks. The failures are usually due to satellite latency.

 

Have a great cruise!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
frankc98376

frankc98376

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Sitting here at the desk in the warmth of our NS looking at Johns Hopkins glacier out the window. We had to turn the heat up a bit yesterday.

 

Went up to the bow and lasted about 5 minutes- it is BITTER cold and windy up there. Hope the wine reception goes well.

 

May head up to the Thermal Suite to watch the last part of Glacier Bay form one of the heated loungers.

 

Right now though it's time head up to the Lido to track Michael down with his Bloody Mary cart!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Fb_cruiser

Fb_cruiser

Posted
Posted (edited)
Sitting here at the desk in the warmth of our NS looking at Johns Hopkins glacier out the window. We had to turn the heat up a bit yesterday.

 

Went up to the bow and lasted about 5 minutes- it is BITTER cold and windy up there. Hope the wine reception goes well.

 

May head up to the Thermal Suite to watch the last part of Glacier Bay form one of the heated loungers.

 

Right now though it's time head up to the Lido to track Michael down with his Bloody Mary cart!

 

Sounds like you're having a great time! Say hello to Frances and Verena for me!

 

And just noticed that Achmad is your stateroom attendant - he was great!

Edited by Fb_cruiser
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
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: Set Sail on Sun Princess®
      • Hurricane Zone 2024
      • Cruise Insurance Q&A w/ Steve Dasseos of Tripinsurancestore.com June 2024
      • 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...