Live from the Westerdam Oct 18 - 29, 2016

[canadianbear]

The double UGH was for the General Alarm at about 11:30 last night.

 

Evidently an A/C motor in the Queen's Lounge overheated and was smoking. Boy howdy that speaker in the headboard is plenty loud especially when asleep.

 

Got back to sleep after Captain Mark assured us all was fine. At least it wasn't 4am like last time. Also lights didn't come on this time. Didn't want to post anything during the alarm as family members may read CC and didn't want to alarm anyone unnecessarily.

 

We are fine and happy and Westerdam is her glorious self and ready to collect the rest of our friends in San Diego tomorrow.

 

Hubby & I were in the Queens lounge for this. About 7 minutes prior I asked him if he smelled something strange-like a burning candle strange-but he didn't. Another 5 minutes went by and I said to him we need to leave, something isn't right & just then obviously staff saw/smelled something too. It was well handled and we went to our stateroom right away & heard them sound the alarm. I'm glad they kept us informed because being there when it was 'fresh' was a bit scary and luckily handled quickly.

 

A note about the Pinnacle-we have 3 nights booked there this 11 day cruise which is not the norm for us. We had dinner there on Thursday and it's the best we've ever had! Hubby had the lamb and I had the filet mignon with a small lobster tail. Love the vegetables too-absolutely everything was cooked to perfection.

 

Tonight we are trying the Canalleto-we usually do it once per cruise.

 

Sorry we didn't see the rest of the CC'ers in Vancouver-we were there but didn't see anyone. Hoping to connect today at the San Diego sailaway.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Greetings from San Diego aboard the Beautiful Holland America Westerdam. Tom and I are all unpacked, think I will fix my hair and makeup before we head to Life Boat Drill then an informal Meet and Greet with fellow CCers at the Sea View Pool bar for Sail Away. Then we have 7 reservations at Pinnacle.

At 2pm we went to the Mariners Reception this was the first one we made it to, no Officers in attendance. Just Orange Juice and that rot gut nasty stuff they call champagne [emoji37]

[Alberta Quilter]

Welcome to San Diego! And thank you so much for your live posting!! We will be sailing the westerdam on November 5 :-)

 

Thank you for the welcome! You may be interested to know that the gala nights are the first and second sea days. Just found that out on the new Explorer that we received today.

 

Also, this morning we went to the MDR for breakfast - there's a new breakfast menu! They don't seem to have the Japanese or Scandanavian breakfast (I was looking for the one with the herring for DM). They now have Dungeness Crab Eggs Benedict. Usually DM and I share an order. Not this time! No way was she going to share her crab with me. It was okay. DM didn't think there was enough crab but to be fair to HAL, I think there would have to be a whole crab worth of meat for there to be enough for DM!!! I'm not sure I would order it again. So, if you like crab, definitely try it and judge for your self. They also list alcohol on the menu for sale, like Bloody Mary, mimosas, etc.

 

We toodled around SD for the morning. We took a pedicab up to the Horton Plaza mall. DM's feet have been bothering her so we tried to find some new shoes. We found success at Macy's. I also got some new shorts that were so ridiculously cheap (even when accounting for the 33% exchange rate) that I HAD to buy them! We walked down Broadway, stopped in the Visitor's Info centre and then went to Seaport Village. We took a pedicab back to the ship.

 

The embarkation lunch was served again today but it was a different menu from what we had on Tuesday in Vancouver. This one had pulled pork sandwich, buttermilk chicken (which was the best I've ever had and it was HOT!). Lunch took an awfully long time to be served but I think some of that had to do with tablemates who ordered many appetizers and the steward waited until they were finished. We were getting a little cranky with the time it took to be served. And then we ate in ten minutes! Just like at home!!!

 

We finished just after 2 pm and went straight up to the Mariner's Reception in the Crow's Nest. It was so HOT up there! OMG, was it hot! I don't know how I'm going to cope with Mexico! What was I thinking when I booked this cruise?!! Must sign off for now; have to have a cold shower before meeting up with the CC gang at the Seaview Bar.

 

Oh, one other thing! Those of us who are carrying on from the past cruise DO NOT have to attend the muster drill.

 

More later!

[kazu]

Greetings from San Diego aboard the Beautiful Holland America Westerdam. Tom and I are all unpacked, think I will fix my hair and makeup before we head to Life Boat Drill then an informal Meet and Greet with fellow CCers at the Sea View Pool bar for Sail Away. Then we have 7 reservations at Pinnacle.

At 2pm we went to the Mariners Reception this was the first one we made it to, no Officers in attendance. Just Orange Juice and that rot gut nasty stuff they call champagne [emoji37]

 

What a shame on the Reception Lisa - we just asked for an alternative and had it :). Have a great time on board the elegant, beautiful Westerdam

[kazu]

Thank you for the welcome! You may be interested to know that the gala nights are the first and second sea days. Just found that out on the new Explorer that we received today.

 

Also, this morning we went to the MDR for breakfast - there's a new breakfast menu! They don't seem to have the Japanese or Scandanavian breakfast (I was looking for the one with the herring for DM). They now have Dungeness Crab Eggs Benedict. Usually DM and I share an order. Not this time! No way was she going to share her crab with me. It was okay. DM didn't think there was enough crab but to be fair to HAL, I think there would have to be a whole crab worth of meat for there to be enough for DM!!! I'm not sure I would order it again. So, if you like crab, definitely try it and judge for your self. They also list alcohol on the menu for sale, like Bloody Mary, mimosas, etc.

 

We toodled around SD for the morning. We took a pedicab up to the Horton Plaza mall. DM's feet have been bothering her so we tried to find some new shoes. We found success at Macy's. I also got some new shorts that were so ridiculously cheap (even when accounting for the 33% exchange rate) that I HAD to buy them! We walked down Broadway, stopped in the Visitor's Info centre and then went to Seaport Village. We took a pedicab back to the ship.

 

The embarkation lunch was served again today but it was a different menu from what we had on Tuesday in Vancouver. This one had pulled pork sandwich, buttermilk chicken (which was the best I've ever had and it was HOT!). Lunch took an awfully long time to be served but I think some of that had to do with tablemates who ordered many appetizers and the steward waited until they were finished. We were getting a little cranky with the time it took to be served. And then we ate in ten minutes! Just like at home!!!

 

We finished just after 2 pm and went straight up to the Mariner's Reception in the Crow's Nest. It was so HOT up there! OMG, was it hot! I don't know how I'm going to cope with Mexico! What was I thinking when I booked this cruise?!! Must sign off for now; have to have a cold shower before meeting up with the CC gang at the Seaview Bar.

 

Oh, one other thing! Those of us who are carrying on from the past cruise DO NOT have to attend the muster drill.

 

More later!

 

Dungeness Crab eggs benedict ? Oh my :). that sounds like a VERY nice option.

 

Great news on the muster drill :). May it continue for future cruises :)

 

Great reports :)

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Had a nice little gathering of CCers at Sail Away

[canadianbear]

Great photos Lisa! Sorry I didn't get back to meet everyone but was there early & finally met Alberta Quilter & mom!

[SilvertoGold]

Concerning the new breakfast menu on the Westerdam:

 

-- agree with A.Q.that the crab eggs benedict was underwhelming because there was so little crab it could hardly be tasted.

 

-- the Japanese breakfast is now called the Pan Asian Breakfast and is exactly the same.

 

-- herring lovers can order the European Breakfast (or something like that), with ham and cheese, pickles hard boiled egg, etc.

[Alberta Quilter]

Glad someone can post pics!! Just wish I wasn't in some of them!!!

 

Concerning the new breakfast menu on the Westerdam:

 

-- agree with A.Q.that the crab eggs benedict was underwhelming because there was so little crab it could hardly be tasted.

 

-- the Japanese breakfast is now called the Pan Asian Breakfast and is exactly the same.

 

-- herring lovers can order the European Breakfast (or something like that), with ham and cheese, pickles hard boiled egg, etc.

 

Yes, there was something called the European Cold Breakfast but I didn't see herring in it. However, I could have missed it. DM doesn't actually eat herring at breakfast; we just ordered it for an appetizer for her dinner tomorrow night.

 

I'll try to photograph the new menu, or maybe LaffnVegas can do it since she can actually post pics, unlike technologically challenged individuals like myself.

 

The informal M&G was great! I finally met Frank!! He's not a figment of my imagination!! And CanadianBear, LaffnVegas, dobiemom (and Momma), jammen (who is sitting close to us at dinner, too), and a whole host of other CCers. It was a great time!

[Krazy Kruizers]

No, he's not new. He always announced himself as Captain Mark but his full name is Mark Rowden. According to his bio, the was appointed Captain of the Ryndam in 2008; he's been with HAL since 1998.

 

Thank you

We started to sail HAL in 1996 and I have never heard of him.

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

How quickly did the ship clear in San Diego? We have had long waits to get off the ship in that port.

[Assateague Island Princes]

Many thanks to Lisa for posting the photos! It was so wonderful to see Clipper and her Mom again - hi you two (waving wildly in front of my computer!). Carry on, all of you, I'm so enjoying your journey!

[Alberta Quilter]

How quickly did the ship clear in San Diego? We have had long waits to get off the ship in that port.

 

We cleared very quickly. Remember that we started in Vancouver, and we pre-cleared there prior to boarding. I expect that when we arrive back in San Diego next Saturday, it will be a different story. I've warmed DM that we will NOT be the cause of any delays; I couldn't hold my head up here if we were!!

 

I forgot to mention that they started the self disembark pax at around 8:30. We got off the ship at around 9 am to go to Macy's. We were there a little early and had to wait for shops to open. We were able to leave the ship at any time but had to be back onboard by 4 pm.

Edited October 23, 2016 by Alberta Quilter

[Alberta Quilter]

Many thanks to Lisa for posting the photos! It was so wonderful to see Clipper and her Mom again - hi you two (waving wildly in front of my computer!). Carry on, all of you, I'm so enjoying your journey!

 

Hey AIP! We're waving back to you! Wish you were here!

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Good Morning CCers just waking up here on the Westerdam, you know it really is good to be back on a Vista Class ship. The crew here are great you can tell Mark Pells runs a Happy ship. [emoji3]

We lost an hour of sleep last night as we head to Mexico with Cabo being in Mountain time. It felt good to sleep in this morning definitely the best nights sleep I have had in a long time. I am doing the spa most of the day with a massage and facial at 11 :45. I like to start the cruise with a massage to totally relax.

Hopefully will see many of the other CCer through out the day.

 

 

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[Krazy Kruizers]

We cleared very quickly. Remember that we started in Vancouver, and we pre-cleared there prior to boarding. I expect that when we arrive back in San Diego next Saturday, it will be a different story. I've warmed DM that we will NOT be the cause of any delays; I couldn't hold my head up here if we were!!

 

I forgot to mention that they started the self disembark pax at around 8:30. We got off the ship at around 9 am to go to Macy's. We were there a little early and had to wait for shops to open. We were able to leave the ship at any time but had to be back onboard by 4 pm.

 

 

Glad you didn't have any problems.

[SilvertoGold]

Glad someone can post pics!! Just wish I wasn't in some of them!!!

 

 

 

Yes, there was something called the European Cold Breakfast but I didn't see herring in it. However, I could have missed it. DM doesn't actually eat herring at breakfast; we just ordered it for an appetizer for her dinner tomorrow night.

 

I'll try to photograph the new menu, or maybe LaffnVegas can do it since she can actually post pics, unlike technologically challenged individuals like myself.

 

The informal M&G was great! I finally met Frank!! He's not a figment of my imagination!! And CanadianBear, LaffnVegas, dobiemom (and Momma), jammen (who is sitting close to us at dinner, too), and a whole host of other CCers. It was a great time!

 

Enjoying your posts a lot and appreciate the time and effort you are expending to do them.

 

About the herring: you can special order just about anything in the DR for any meal. Just ask your assistant DRM. Especially if you see Sekon who is really great.

[Alberta Quilter]

Enjoying your posts a lot and appreciate the time and effort you are expending to do them.

 

About the herring: you can special order just about anything in the DR for any meal. Just ask your assistant DRM. Especially if you see Sekon who is really great.

 

You were correct about the herring at breakfast. It is called the European Cold Breakfast Plate. Even though we made a special order for herring for tonight for DM, she requested a small portion of herring from that breakfast plate. She took it to our room and is about to enjoy it for lunch as I type.

[Alberta Quilter]

It's really foggy out now. It was a stunningly beautiful morning. The seas are very calm, and were almost all night, too, as far as I was aware. We did notice some movement during dinner last night but nothing after that. If there was some that I missed, I'll just blame it on the wine!

 

I spent some time at the jigsaw puzzle table last night and again this morning. I'm not fond of the puzzle; I think the people that started it got off in San Diego!

 

I asked at the Front Desk about the cooking classes and was told they were full up. When I said that I had been put on a waiting list, I was told that the class was filled by 5 star mariners getting their free class. I don't know if there is only one class or more but I guess what they have is full. So there will not be a report (from me anyway) about the cooking class. The demo this morning was the We Love Chocolate that was given on our first sea day so I didn't go to it.

 

I met up with DM again at Team Trivia. On this cruise, trivia is at noon. I'm used to it being at 1 pm. I wonder if that is to ease congestion in the Lido or at least pace it a little. Anyway, we tied to win! We actually tied with about four or five other teams and had a tie breaker. Our team and one other both answered the tie breaker correctly so both teams got Mexico pins (and bragging rights)!

 

This afternoon will be busy. We have wine tasting at 2 pm, Royal Dutch Tea at 3 pm and Bingo at 4 pm. And it's a gala night! For those who are about to sail this itinerary, the escargot are on tonight.

 

One other thing that I mentioned in another thread, the caviar in the PG now has a supplementary cost of $70 instead of $45. Just wanted to mention that here in case you missed my post in the Crab in the PG thread.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Good Afternoon from the Westerdam, I hope that Alberta Quilter does not mind me adding in my daily comments rather than starting a new thread. [emoji1]

The Fog has continued as the fog horn keeps sounding yet it is not that cool out. Actually quite comfortable to extremely odd for heading down to Mexico, the area is normally quite dry so not a lot of fog.

I spent several hours in the spa between the Hydro pool, then a massage and Facial which were both excellent. My experience this time was 1000% better than on the Koningsdam. The Westerdams next dry dock this spring they will be doing a total remodel of the Spa. I will try to get more details on that.

It may have been mentioned but it is official you can now Upgrade the Beverage package with the Explore4 on board to the Elite package. This gets you to $15.00 per drink and now the sodas and I think(not sure on the) water does not count toward you number of drinks per day. The cost we were charged for 7 days was $80.50 per person. There are several wines by the glass we like that cost $10.00 plus I think I can upgrade to a better tequila for margaritas will check that out later [emoji6].

Another thing we noticed was that they appeared to be serving breakfast in the Lido later this morning as well as I was able to get a salad and other items after 2 pm. This was great news since in the past the Lido was mostly closed. I just want something light after my spa treatments.

I agree the Westerdam does seem to be a Happy Ship. Who knows I may even book another Hal cruise [emoji6] I hear the Oosterdam is returning in 2018 to the West Coast.

 

 

 

 

 

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[1ANGELCAT]

Hi Lisa

Glad to hear the Westerdam is working out better for you than your time was on the KDAM

I agree Mark Pells runs a happy ship.

Enjoy your cruise I am off to the Oosterdam next week for her crossing back to Tampa. Turning 5* during the voyage .

Kathy

 

 

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[SilvertoGold]

Lisa: I was surprised that the new salad bar was open from 11:30 am through the afternoon. Loved having it available to keep me away from all the high calorie stuff!

 

A.Q.: really too bad about the Cooking Class! I wonder if this is the old Cooking Class or something from the new America's Test Kitchen?

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Thanks for this wonderful thread! I love it when several folks on the same cruise share a "Live From" trip review. Everyone has a different perspective. I love to read about everyone's experiences.:) Enjoying all the various reports:)

[Overtime4me2]

I'm enjoying following along with your cruise. Enjoy!! :)

[Alberta Quilter]

Lisa: I was surprised that the new salad bar was open from 11:30 am through the afternoon. Loved having it available to keep me away from all the high calorie stuff!

 

A.Q.: really too bad about the Cooking Class! I wonder if this is the old Cooking Class or something from the new America's Test Kitchen?

 

It should be from ATK. Maybe because it's so new, the 5 Stars want their perk. Of course, there are only so many spots available and, I suspect, many 5 star mariners.