Westerdam Review

[jbobst]

We just disembarked from a 7 day Mexican Riviera cruise aboard the Westerdam, round trip from San Diego. This was our 19th or 20th cruise (don’t remember exactly), but only our 2nd cruise on Holland America. Our only other HAL cruise was aboard the Ryndam back in 2008. My wife and I enjoy cruising mostly because of the cruise ship. The ship is typically our main destination. Since we’ve done the Mexican Riviera cruise a number of times before, we didn’t have any plans to get off the ship on this particular cruise. I did end up leaving the ship for about 5 minutes while we were docked in Puerto Vallarta to take a few photos of the ship exterior, but that was it. This review will only be about the ship for the most part. One of the things we love about cruising is the variety of cruise lines and ships.

Overall, we had a very nice cruise. My impressions of the Westerdam and Holland America was one of some really good high points and then a few low points that seemed out of place for any cruise line, especially one regarded as a slightly higher end line like HAL.

 

We had originally booked an interior guarantee cabin. A few weeks before sailing, we received a few upgrade email offers. We passed on the first two as the “deal” was not a deal at all compared to the prices when we originally booked a few months ago. By the third offer, just a few days before sailing, the price had come down enough for a balcony cabin (verandah) that we decided to go ahead and upgrade and we were assigned a verandah cabin on deck 7 forward.

 

My wife and I like our cabin on the cold side. Immediately when we got to the cabin, we noticed that the thermostat was turned down to the lowest setting, but the room was not cool at all. We gave it a couple hours, but no change. We let our room attendant know, and he said he would call someone to investigate. Rather quickly, a lady from the front desk showed up with a thermostat gauge and took temperature readings in our room. I don’t remember the exact degree reading, but she said it was within their specification. It took us two days and almost three nights in our original cabin, but they FINALLY agreed to move us to another cabin. Our original room never cooled down much and was actually warmer in the evenings making sleep uncomfortable. We were happy to finally get another cabin by the time we left our first port (Cabo), but it really was frustrating because we kept being promised that someone would call us about another cabin but we never received any follow up. I made several trips to the front desk and tried to be very polite. By the end of the first port day, we gave up and figured there wasn’t another room or that they were just going to keep ignoring our requests. I finally went and asked for a fan (figuring we wouldn’t be moving) and they said they would send one up right away. 2 hours later, no fan and no communication. Finally, I met with one of the supervisors and she said she had another cabin for us (someone had apparently disembarked in Cabo permanently). After another hour, we finally got a cabin on deck 5 The AC in this cabin blew VERY strong and cold! It was great! However, the room condition was not as nice as our original room. This replacement cabin had much older and worn carpet, ugly marks on the mirrors where the finish had worn off in several places, and pealing wallpaper seams. The balcony was in fairly rough shape with rust, paint flakes all over and very dirty. The couch and chair were older looking, and the worn curtains were not as nice as the first cabin. Despite this replacement cabin feeling much older and in disrepair, we did not care as we finally had a nice working Air conditioning! Yeah!

 

As a follow up, they did send my wife some flowers for the cabin trouble. While we can roll with problems fairly well, the frustrating thing about this whole situation was 1) lack of communication 2) making us feel like there was absolutely nothing wrong with the cabin air, when it was like night and day between the two cabins. and 3) it wasn’t until we were actually carrying our luggage down to the new cabin when our room steward finally admitted that there was a known problem and that other cabins in our hallway had similar problems and complaints. If they know about problems like this, they should do a better job communicating to the guests and try and give them warning or alternate options.

 

Back to the review…

 

The Ship –

 

While the Westerdam is due for a dry dock next spring, the main public areas of the ship I thought were very nice and in very good shape. The main atrium area had updated and new carpets and looked very elegant and nice. Other places like the Crow’s Nest/Explorers lounge were also very nice and elegant. The pool area was more elegant than other cruise lines and had nice touches like higher quality loungers and table furniture. On the other hand, the cabins were dreadfully out dated (at least the two we had). Also, the public stairway areas had a mix of carpet that mostly seemed old, dirty, and slightly different shades from other similar pieces. This didn’t distract from the cruise, but the overall feeling of the ship was really nice in some places and really bad and outdated in others.

 

The locker room areas in the spa/fitness center were also extremely nice, as was the thermal suite area. On the other hand, we thought the hydrotherapy pool area was in need of updating and serious deep cleaning.

We did buy the couples pass for the Thermal suite/hydrotherapy pool ($249 per couple and $149 for single passes). While we enjoyed it, I am not sure it is worth $249. By the end of the first day at sea, the water in the Hydro pool was VERY foamy and not very clean looking. I asked the staff, and they said they cleaned it every night and sanitized with Bromine, but that they only change the water out once a week. I am not one of those people who gets disgusted by public pools or hot tub on a ship, but the amount of foam and the water quality in the hydro pool was not good in my opinion and really detracted from the experience. They should refill the hydro pool more than once a week. The large 2 person “rinse off” shower in the hydro pool area was in desperate need of cleaning, and the blue non-slip mats they have all over the floor were really gross and black in the main walking areas. The “shower” jets they have in the hydro pool seemed clogged up a bit and didn’t spray very evenly. Some of the “tropical” showers in the thermal suite didn’t operate completely and had missing light bulbs and misting features. I am not trying to be nit picky, but to spend $249 on this exclusive area, I expected a little more. I did enjoy the steam rooms and heated loungers. The thermal suite room was very nice and clean with great floor to ceiling windows!

 

The Casino smoke smell traveled between decks fairly easily and didn't smell very good. The shops were fine, but the sales people were a bit too pushy and way too many raffle tickets attempts were pushed.

 

Unlike our last cruise on Royal Caribbean, the Westerdam elevators were quick, efficient, and never busy. We could never get an elevator on our Royal Caribbean cruise. (we do try to take stairs often though)

 

Some other nice touches on the Westerdam were things like a full outdoor promenade deck with nice loungers, rinse off showers out on every sun desk…even on decks far from the pool areas. There were plenty of public restrooms and a great library lounge (Explorers lounge) with free snacks and specialty coffee drinks (extra charge).

 

Food –

 

This is a very subjective subject of course, but here are my thoughts. We were thoroughly impressed with the quality and selection in the buffet area. It was probably my favorite buffet in all my 20 cruises. Their fresh, made to order pasta station was top notch. The salad bar was great. The Asian food station was very good as well. Deserts were not always up to the variety or quality that we would have liked, but the rest of the food sure made up for it. One of the highlights was the Dive In burger bar. The food here was also top notch for a burger bar. From the delicious fries, to the brioche buns and crispy onion stings on the burgers, to the Nathan’s hot dogs…it was really delicious (for a pool side grill area). The taco bar also had so many options and was a great alternative option. From the custom made omelets to the great assortment of juices, to the made to order crepes, breakfast was also very good quality compared to the other cruise lines. I highly rate the buffet food and buffet service on this cruise!

 

On the flip side, the buffet area felt a little outdated, but really no big deal. The real problem with the buffet is the limited hours and the lack of seating at prime time during sea days. It was great that the pizza and pasta area were open all afternoon and evening, but by 1:30pm, pretty much everything else was either closed down or out of food. The Dive In was always packed at prime time and often required a decent wait to get your food. But we could live with that because it seemed fresher, made to order, and was delicious. The buffet area could also use another ice machine. At prime times, it was usually out of ice and couldn’t keep up with the demand. A drink/Ice station out by the pool would be ideal.

 

My wife’s birthday was during the cruise, so we made reservations for Pinnacle Grill on Thursday evening. We also decided to splurge and give it a try the very first night of the cruise. Pinnacle Grill was again one of those things that was either extremely good or very disappointing. One really disappointing thing about the Pinnacle Grill was that they charge a $35 surcharge. This is on the high side in my opinion for an extra charge steakhouse. But to make matters worse, the beef isn’t even “Prime” grade. And, if you want a lobster tail, you need to pay an additional $10 upcharge on top of that! I was shocked to see in the steak section of the menu, that if you wanted to larger Ribeye cut, it was an outrageous $69 upcharge!?!?! (at least I think it was $69…I remember it was close to $70 extra). I realize it is a very large steak, but for a non-prime cut of beef, that is absurd. They also will not allow you to order multiple items. On my wife’s birthday, she wanted a petite filet and the mushroom ravioli. They said there would be an extra $15 upcharge if she wanted to include the ravioli. We have tried multiple specialty restaurants on other cruise lines. Princess, for example, never has any additional surcharges for bigger cuts of beef or lobster. And they often encourage you to try multiple entrees (with no extra charge).

 

The first night in Pinnacle Grill, I ordered the “normal” Ribeye steak and tomato salad. The salad was very bland, and the ribeye was extremely disappointing. The steak was thin and extremely average (think regular grocery store quality). I would have immediately cancelled the second reservation later on in the cruise if it hadn’t of been for my wife’s birthday dinner. However, on the second visit to Pinnacle Grill on her birthday, we both ordered the Filet Mignon. That was a fantastic cut of beef and very flavorful. Other than my wife being denied a second entrée, the second attempt at the Pinnacle Grill was a complete success and probably my favorite meal of the cruise.

 

One last thing to note about the Pinnacle Grill… On the first visit, I had asked the hostess if there was a corkage fee for a bottle of wine I had brought onboard if we wanted to open it at the table during our meal. She said there was no charge and to just bring it with us that evening. After we were seated at the table and the wine steward came by, he informed us there was going to be an $18 corkage fee. This is normal for a cruise line to do, but the misinformation was kind of frustrating. I ended up leaving the bottle corked for dinner. Why pay $18 to open a bottle of $6 wine? I know, first world problems :)

 

We only ate in the main dining room once, so I can’t really comment on that too much. I thought the waiter was great, but the food I had was not so good (Carne Asada main entrée). But it wasn’t the best choice out of the options that evening, so I am sure there were better quality options, I was just in the mood for something beef like. It seemed on par with every other cruise line, but only being there one night didn’t give me enough information to draw any other conclusions.

 

We didn’t try the upcharge Italian restaurant. I was already thoroughly enjoying the included pasta bar and the rest of the buffet, that I didn’t see a need to try it.

 

Random thoughts –

 

The crew members we interacted with were all very pleasant and seemed dedicated to providing the guests with a great experience. We would have liked better communication from the front desk staff or room steward with regards to the AC problem, but they were still pleasant.

 

As mentioned above, I really liked some of the extra touches Holland offers (like real glassware in the buffet, or being sensitive to when it was appropriate to open and close the retractable roof over the pool for the ideal mix of temperature/shade/sun). On the other hand, the décor of the ship feels like it’s stuck in the 80’s…even though it wasn’t even built until 2004! :) We had two cabins on this cruise, and while one was better than the other, they both were seriously dated and in need of update/repair.

 

Plenty of hot tubs available! Fresh water main pool! (both pluses) We’ve been on a couple other ships that have serious shortages of hot tubs compared to the number of guests on board. This was not the case on the Westerdam.

 

Beds were not very comfy, but this is subjective.

 

As we were fully aware, HAL caters to an older crowd. We are in our early/mid 40’s, but really enjoy the older crowd compared to the multitudes of young children on other lines or the younger party crowd. HAL is definitely more our speed. This cruise had about 700-800 people who had booked with a Southern Gospel tour that had multiple private special events each day. Because of this, there were times when the ship felt like a ghost town. On the other hand, prime time at the buffet on sea days was crazy busy. Every cruise ship has this problem though I suppose.

 

Other than listening to the classical violinist and pianist duo for one set, we didn’t partake in any of the onboard entertainment this cruise. I heard good things though.

 

Without trying to start a smoking debate, it does seem HAL has a little more relaxed view of smoking than other cruise lines. I know the balcony smoking rules will change next year, but there were frequent balcony smokers up wind from our cabin. It wasn’t so bad after we moved rooms, but the first room we had seemed to always have the guy next door smoking on his balcony. There seemed to be two large public deck areas that allowed smoking and the casino of course was no stranger to stale cigarette smoke smell. Maybe it’s the older generation they are trying to cater more too…not sure. But, it will be nicer in the future to have smoking banned on the balcony (sorry to offend all you smokers).

 

We would like to do another HAL cruise again, but maybe on a more updated ship. It was nice to try a “new to us” ship. I missed a larger central Atrium “hub” that other cruise lines offer on their ships, and the Westerdam felt a little less “open” than other cruise lines, but it was nice to mix it up a bit.

 

Embarkation and Disembarkation went well for the most part. However, can I just ask the rhetorical question about the people who don’t show up to customs screening on the morning of Debarkation? What is wrong with you??? We were delayed from departing the ship for about 45 minutes due to the non-US citizens who didn’t show up to clear customs. The cruise director made a polite, but stern announcement to them letting them know they were holding up the rest of us :)

[OlsSalt]

I see online offers for Westerdam 7-day Mexican Riviera starting at $479, or approximately $70 a day for room, board, entertainment and transportation. Oceanview.

[easyboy]

Despite certain issues, glad to know you enjoyed your cruise overall.

Thank you for the honest and objective review.

[jbobst]

I see online offers for Westerdam 7-day Mexican Riviera starting at $479, or approximately $70 a day for room, board, entertainment and transportation. Oceanview.

 

Yep. On our cruise, the price went down to $399 for interior (didn't check oceanview prices at the time). Are you just doing a little advertising for the Westerdam or trying to say that it's an inexpensive cruise so don't be critical?

[OlsSalt]

Yep. On our cruise, the price went down to $399 for interior (didn't check oceanview prices at the time). Are you just doing a little advertising for the Westerdam or trying to say that it's an inexpensive cruise so don't be critical?

 

$57 dollars a day for room, board, entertainment and transportation. I don't blame you for being unhappy. Reminds me of cheap motels I have stayed in that could be described in similar terms (grotty and dated), but that was to be expected for the price. Sorry to learn this happened on a HAL ship. But we too have occasionally gotten a clinker cabin. For the price you quote, that puts it down as a Super 8 motel experience which it looks like you ended up with. Except all they provide is a "free" breakfast: package rolls, Tang and machine coffee packets.

 

However, I did learn on our last cruise 73 -77 degrees is their institutional standard for cabin temperature. "Hot" is a subjective term when it falls within that HAL standard range. Our cabin went up to 81 degrees which they did remedy. However, differing humidity levels also affected temperature perception greatly. As well as outside temperature and timing of full sun exposure striking the cabin.

 

Worse is when neighboring cabins leave balcony doors open which throws off the A/C in all other cabins on the same HVAC circuit. What i also learned is the cabin was at least 10-15 degrees lower than the outside temperature. And it helped a lot to close our curtains when the sun was pouring in on our side.

Edited November 20, 2016 by OlsSalt

[puppycanducruise]

Thank you for taking the time to post your comments.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

 

In spite of the problems, glad you enjoyed your cruise.

[Heartgrove]

We were on the Westerdam the week before and have read all of the threads related to it during this Mexican Riviera season. We really had a great time with the itinerary including the sea days that allow for relaxation. Now it is back to the grind!

 

My thoughts/observations are:

• We had passengers join us in Cabo. That may affect being able to move passengers to different cabins until all are on board.
  
• Years ago I fouind that ordering a filet is the way to go if dining at a restaurant. My DW did have to send her filet back as the chef's idea of being done is different than ours.
  
• My DW actually preferred the lighter and older decor of our SA on the Westerdam compared to the darker decor SA we had on the Niew Amsterdam. Both are scheduled for the suite update later next year.
  
• A 15 degree difference in temperature from outside is usually what a home HVAC is designed for. We found that closing the curtains when we had the sun on our side of the ship helped. On the next cruise I will pack my non-contact thermometer.
  
• We received an email about staggered embarkation beforehand. It was still crowded as many thought that it didn't pertain to them. Probably the least pleasurable embarkation we have had.
  
• Disembarkation was chaos as later colors/numbers were crowded at the gangway - and then barged in once their color was called. I realize that the crew wants passengers off as soon as possible but this could be corrected through the use of portable barriers and redirection as I have seen on other ships.
  

One other topic was the state of the seas. Other than some swells which caused pitching on the second sea day (Friday) heading back, the sea was calm the entire cruise.

Edited November 20, 2016 by Heartgrove

[cbr663]

Thanks for the very detailed and helpful review. While there are some CC posters who love the Westerdam, it is one of the HAL ships that I avoid, primarily for the reasons that you have listed.

 

It is great to read though that even in spite of the numerous misses that you are willing to try HAL again.

[jbobst]

$57 dollars a day for room, board, entertainment and transportation. I don't blame you for being unhappy. Reminds me of cheap motels I have stayed in that could be described in similar terms (grotty and dated), but that was to be expected for the price. Sorry to learn this happened on a HAL ship. But we too have occasionally gotten a clinker cabin. For the price you quote, that puts it down as a Super 8 motel experience which it looks like you ended up with. Except all they provide is a "free" breakfast: package rolls, Tang and machine coffee packets.

 

However, I did learn on our last cruise 73 -77 degrees is their institutional standard for cabin temperature. "Hot" is a subjective term when it falls within that HAL standard range. Our cabin went up to 81 degrees which they did remedy. However, differing humidity levels also affected temperature perception greatly. As well as outside temperature and timing of full sun exposure striking the cabin.

 

Worse is when neighboring cabins leave balcony doors open which throws off the A/C in all other cabins on the same HVAC circuit. What i also learned is the cabin was at least 10-15 degrees lower than the outside temperature. And it helped a lot to close our curtains when the sun was pouring in on our side.

 

You are right, the price we paid was a decent price, IF you are only considering the base price. However, after all was said and done, the total cost of this cruise for us came out to almost $2000 ($284 a day to be precise...and that did not include transportation cost to and from the ship or any beverage charges as we didn't drink anything other than the one bottle of wine I brought on board). Now, that price included extra's like the $149 internet package, the $249 spa package, and two nights at Pinnacle Grill. All of those are "optional" charges of course, but that was the true cost for the experience we choose to get. Even $284 is a pretty good deal. If you consider staying at a decent hotel in San Diego for example, you probably pay that each day JUST for the hotel room...no food included. So cruising is still a good deal.

 

I know I was critical of certain things, but that is part of submitting a review...giving the good and bad. HAL has quite a few awesome things that we really enjoyed that were definitely a step up from other cruise lines. I also said we had a great cruise.

 

I know when I read certain negative parts on a review, I am smart enough to know and expect that everyone has different experiences and that you need to roll with problems when they arise (if they even do). I knew going into it that the Westerdam was in need up some updating, but still a nice ship. No problem there. However, the way they upcharge and run Pinnacle Grill (in my opinion) was not very good...at least compared to other cruise lines...and I wanted to call them out for that.

 

Yes, temperatures can be varied and subjective, but the cabin they ended up moving us to had ice cold, hard blowing, air conditioning. NOTHING like the first cabin we had. Plus, the lido buffet, the atrium, Explorers lounge, and other public places had ICE cold AC throughout the cruise. I just wish they would have not made us feel like everything was "normal" and within specification in our first room as if we were making up the problem.

Edited November 20, 2016 by jbobst

[kazu]

Thanks so much for taking the time to share your cruise experience with us.

 

Glad you enjoyed the cruise overall.

 

The wine in the PG has me a bit perplexed. I wonder if they thought you were bringing a bottle that you had already paid corkage on? (Any bottles above the one are charged corkage and can be consumed anywhere on the ship. The "free" bottle is for in room consumption only.)

 

Welcome home.

[TonyC1952]

I was on the Westerdam two weeks ago, and agree with some of the comments about the Pinnacle Grill. We dined there on our cruise, and followed our waiter's recommendation about getting our filets 'medium rare', which is the way we like them. Came out of the kitchen rare. Sent them back, not once, but TWO times to get them palatable.

So we decided to try it for lunch, two days later. My wife likes her hamburgers 'medium rare'. Came out of the kitchen overcooked, well done. Sent it back for another, the second one came back the same way. Ugh.

We've previously thoroughly enjoyed the Pinnacle Grill, but we're done with it now. A chef that doesn't know how to cook a steak or burger shouldn't be cooking for this expensive restaurant.

Edited November 20, 2016 by TonyC1952
language

[frankc98376]

I'm really surprised with the PG review. We were on Westy last month for 11 nights and only dined in PG.

 

Everything was perfect every night. PG uses Double R Ranch beef from Eastern Washington. Double R doesn't sell supermarket grade beef. Some of our best restaurants in WA use their beef. We heard no complaints from any diners on our cruise.

 

As far as the $35 upcharge- The same steak at Metropolitan Grill in Seattle would be about $70 a la carte. We don't mind paying it especially with our Mariner discount. I believe you can order a second entree for a $10 charge.

 

Sounds like you were that unlucky diner that hit an off night,. Seems when something goes wrong everything goes wrong. Have had many dinners that started off bad and went downhill from there.

 

We met and complimented the chef several times.

Edited November 20, 2016 by frankc98376

[Tom O.]

Thanks so much for taking the time to share your cruise experience with us.

 

Glad you enjoyed the cruise overall.

 

The wine in the PG has me a bit perplexed. I wonder if they thought you were bringing a bottle that you had already paid corkage on? (Any bottles above the one are charged corkage and can be consumed anywhere on the ship. The "free" bottle is for in room consumption only.)

 

Welcome home.

 

Yes, I found that strange too. It is a well known fact that there are corkage fees in all restaurants on HAL ships - and every other cruise ship I know of as well.

So, there must have been some communication problem. A misunderstanding. Sorry, OP, you were given misinformation.

[baja mama]

When does the Westerdam go into dry dock and what are they doing to her?

 

 

Thanks

Lynn

[slidergirl]

I'm really surprised with the PG review. We were on Westy last month for 11 nights and only dined in PG.

 

Everything was perfect every night. PG uses Double R Ranch beef from Eastern Washington. Double R doesn't sell supermarket grade beef. Some of our best restaurants in WA use their beef. We heard no complaints from any diners on our cruise.

 

As far as the $35 upcharge- The same steak at Metropolitan Grill in Seattle would be about $70 a la carte. We don't mind paying it especially with our Mariner discount. I believe you can order a second entree for a $10 charge.

 

Sounds like you were that unlucky diner that hit an off night,. Seems when something goes wrong everything goes wrong. Have had many dinners that started off bad and went downhill from there.

 

We met and complimented the chef several times.

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but:

Double R Ranch is part of the conglomerate Agribeef. Double R beef IS actually sold in supermarkets - Albertson's for sure in the PNW. It has Choice graded meat. So, it is possible that that steak you overpaid for in the Pinnacle was Choice that you could buy in a supermarket. If it wasn't labeled as "Prime" on the menu, it was probably just Choice...

From Albertson's press release:

"Double R Ranch Beef is USDA choice, melt in your mouth good and cut fresh every day at your local Albertsons. Oh yeah, you will also find this exceptional quality beef in exclusive restaurants from Boise to Beverley Hills, but now thanks to Agri Beef and Albertsons, Double R Ranch Beef has found a home on your range."

[Tom O.]

Well I am a BBQ fanatic. I have known to BBQ even in the snow. I cook steaks usually twice a week, year round.

We prefer New York Steaks, they have just the right amount of fat for my wife and I. Rib steaks are a little too greasy for us. Top sirloin is a little too tough.

All our steaks come from the supermarket. I have no idea what the grade is. Occasionally we get one that is a little tough.

I have yet to find any steak in a restaurant, that is as good as what comes off my Barbie. But, I rarely order steak in restaurants, because I have it so often at home.

I have reservations at the Pinnacle on my next cruise, I will probably try the steak and see for myself.

[OlsSalt]

Well I am a BBQ fanatic. I have known to BBQ even in the snow. I cook steaks usually twice a week, year round.

We prefer New York Steaks, they have just the right amount of fat for my wife and I. Rib steaks are a little too greasy for us. Top sirloin is a little too tough.

All our steaks come from the supermarket. I have no idea what the grade is. Occasionally we get one that is a little tough.

I have yet to find any steak in a restaurant, that is as good as what comes off my Barbie. But, I rarely order steak in restaurants, because I have it so often at home.

I have reservations at the Pinnacle on my next cruise, I will probably try the steak and see for myself.

 

They served "steak" often in the main dining room, and not just off the "anytime" menu. DH is the meat eater and he was surprised how good they were.

 

Pinnacle needs to up its game for the premium price because now it competes with the MDR. But PG also needs to reduce portion size greatly - smaller but higher quality would go a long way to making it a premium dining alternative.

 

Time to also put calorie counts on the menus so we can pay more attention to over all nutrition and not just opulent overkill for no nutritive value. I would love to see a 400 calorie full meal option on all menus -done creatively and with full flavor.

 

Have your 5 times recommended daily requirements in just one meal if you want, but others would like to know what we are doing up front when we make these choices about "food" on board. Loved many of the grab and go sandwiches, but would have also liked to know their total calorie content too.

 

Seattle pretty much controls meal planning. They could make a calorie count chart for each serving available to those who would like to see this upfront and pick accordingly. For those who don't think making things "sugar free' by using artificial sweeteners is "low calorie".

Edited November 20, 2016 by OlsSalt

[niceguyneastbay]

We just disembarked from a 7 day Mexican Riviera cruise aboard the Westerdam, round trip from San Diego. This was our 19th or 20th cruise (don’t remember exactly), but only our 2nd cruise on Holland America. Our only other HAL cruise was aboard the Ryndam back in 2008. My wife and I enjoy cruising mostly because of the cruise ship. The ship is typically our main destination. Since we’ve done the Mexican Riviera cruise a number of times before, we didn’t have any plans to get off the ship on this particular cruise. I did end up leaving the ship for about 5 minutes while we were docked in Puerto Vallarta to take a few photos of the ship exterior, but that was it. This review will only be about the ship for the most part. One of the things we love about cruising is the variety of cruise lines and ships.

Overall, we had a very nice cruise. My impressions of the Westerdam and Holland America was one of some really good high points and then a few low points that seemed out of place for any cruise line, especially one regarded as a slightly higher end line like HAL.

 

We had originally booked an interior guarantee cabin. A few weeks before sailing, we received a few upgrade email offers. We passed on the first two as the “deal” was not a deal at all compared to the prices when we originally booked a few months ago. By the third offer, just a few days before sailing, the price had come down enough for a balcony cabin (verandah) that we decided to go ahead and upgrade and we were assigned a verandah cabin on deck 7 forward.

 

My wife and I like our cabin on the cold side. Immediately when we got to the cabin, we noticed that the thermostat was turned down to the lowest setting, but the room was not cool at all. We gave it a couple hours, but no change. We let our room attendant know, and he said he would call someone to investigate. Rather quickly, a lady from the front desk showed up with a thermostat gauge and took temperature readings in our room. I don’t remember the exact degree reading, but she said it was within their specification. It took us two days and almost three nights in our original cabin, but they FINALLY agreed to move us to another cabin. Our original room never cooled down much and was actually warmer in the evenings making sleep uncomfortable. We were happy to finally get another cabin by the time we left our first port (Cabo), but it really was frustrating because we kept being promised that someone would call us about another cabin but we never received any follow up. I made several trips to the front desk and tried to be very polite. By the end of the first port day, we gave up and figured there wasn’t another room or that they were just going to keep ignoring our requests. I finally went and asked for a fan (figuring we wouldn’t be moving) and they said they would send one up right away. 2 hours later, no fan and no communication. Finally, I met with one of the supervisors and she said she had another cabin for us (someone had apparently disembarked in Cabo permanently). After another hour, we finally got a cabin on deck 5 The AC in this cabin blew VERY strong and cold! It was great! However, the room condition was not as nice as our original room. This replacement cabin had much older and worn carpet, ugly marks on the mirrors where the finish had worn off in several places, and pealing wallpaper seams. The balcony was in fairly rough shape with rust, paint flakes all over and very dirty. The couch and chair were older looking, and the worn curtains were not as nice as the first cabin. Despite this replacement cabin feeling much older and in disrepair, we did not care as we finally had a nice working Air conditioning! Yeah!

 

As a follow up, they did send my wife some flowers for the cabin trouble. While we can roll with problems fairly well, the frustrating thing about this whole situation was 1) lack of communication 2) making us feel like there was absolutely nothing wrong with the cabin air, when it was like night and day between the two cabins. and 3) it wasn’t until we were actually carrying our luggage down to the new cabin when our room steward finally admitted that there was a known problem and that other cabins in our hallway had similar problems and complaints. If they know about problems like this, they should do a better job communicating to the guests and try and give them warning or alternate options.

 

Back to the review…

 

The Ship –

 

While the Westerdam is due for a dry dock next spring, the main public areas of the ship I thought were very nice and in very good shape. The main atrium area had updated and new carpets and looked very elegant and nice. Other places like the Crow’s Nest/Explorers lounge were also very nice and elegant. The pool area was more elegant than other cruise lines and had nice touches like higher quality loungers and table furniture. On the other hand, the cabins were dreadfully out dated (at least the two we had). Also, the public stairway areas had a mix of carpet that mostly seemed old, dirty, and slightly different shades from other similar pieces. This didn’t distract from the cruise, but the overall feeling of the ship was really nice in some places and really bad and outdated in others.

 

The locker room areas in the spa/fitness center were also extremely nice, as was the thermal suite area. On the other hand, we thought the hydrotherapy pool area was in need of updating and serious deep cleaning.

We did buy the couples pass for the Thermal suite/hydrotherapy pool ($249 per couple and $149 for single passes). While we enjoyed it, I am not sure it is worth $249. By the end of the first day at sea, the water in the Hydro pool was VERY foamy and not very clean looking. I asked the staff, and they said they cleaned it every night and sanitized with Bromine, but that they only change the water out once a week. I am not one of those people who gets disgusted by public pools or hot tub on a ship, but the amount of foam and the water quality in the hydro pool was not good in my opinion and really detracted from the experience. They should refill the hydro pool more than once a week. The large 2 person “rinse off” shower in the hydro pool area was in desperate need of cleaning, and the blue non-slip mats they have all over the floor were really gross and black in the main walking areas. The “shower” jets they have in the hydro pool seemed clogged up a bit and didn’t spray very evenly. Some of the “tropical” showers in the thermal suite didn’t operate completely and had missing light bulbs and misting features. I am not trying to be nit picky, but to spend $249 on this exclusive area, I expected a little more. I did enjoy the steam rooms and heated loungers. The thermal suite room was very nice and clean with great floor to ceiling windows!

 

The Casino smoke smell traveled between decks fairly easily and didn't smell very good. The shops were fine, but the sales people were a bit too pushy and way too many raffle tickets attempts were pushed.

 

Unlike our last cruise on Royal Caribbean, the Westerdam elevators were quick, efficient, and never busy. We could never get an elevator on our Royal Caribbean cruise. (we do try to take stairs often though)

 

Some other nice touches on the Westerdam were things like a full outdoor promenade deck with nice loungers, rinse off showers out on every sun desk…even on decks far from the pool areas. There were plenty of public restrooms and a great library lounge (Explorers lounge) with free snacks and specialty coffee drinks (extra charge).

 

Food –

 

This is a very subjective subject of course, but here are my thoughts. We were thoroughly impressed with the quality and selection in the buffet area. It was probably my favorite buffet in all my 20 cruises. Their fresh, made to order pasta station was top notch. The salad bar was great. The Asian food station was very good as well. Deserts were not always up to the variety or quality that we would have liked, but the rest of the food sure made up for it. One of the highlights was the Dive In burger bar. The food here was also top notch for a burger bar. From the delicious fries, to the brioche buns and crispy onion stings on the burgers, to the Nathan’s hot dogs…it was really delicious (for a pool side grill area). The taco bar also had so many options and was a great alternative option. From the custom made omelets to the great assortment of juices, to the made to order crepes, breakfast was also very good quality compared to the other cruise lines. I highly rate the buffet food and buffet service on this cruise!

 

On the flip side, the buffet area felt a little outdated, but really no big deal. The real problem with the buffet is the limited hours and the lack of seating at prime time during sea days. It was great that the pizza and pasta area were open all afternoon and evening, but by 1:30pm, pretty much everything else was either closed down or out of food. The Dive In was always packed at prime time and often required a decent wait to get your food. But we could live with that because it seemed fresher, made to order, and was delicious. The buffet area could also use another ice machine. At prime times, it was usually out of ice and couldn’t keep up with the demand. A drink/Ice station out by the pool would be ideal.

 

My wife’s birthday was during the cruise, so we made reservations for Pinnacle Grill on Thursday evening. We also decided to splurge and give it a try the very first night of the cruise. Pinnacle Grill was again one of those things that was either extremely good or very disappointing. One really disappointing thing about the Pinnacle Grill was that they charge a $35 surcharge. This is on the high side in my opinion for an extra charge steakhouse. But to make matters worse, the beef isn’t even “Prime” grade. And, if you want a lobster tail, you need to pay an additional $10 upcharge on top of that! I was shocked to see in the steak section of the menu, that if you wanted to larger Ribeye cut, it was an outrageous $69 upcharge!?!?! (at least I think it was $69…I remember it was close to $70 extra). I realize it is a very large steak, but for a non-prime cut of beef, that is absurd. They also will not allow you to order multiple items. On my wife’s birthday, she wanted a petite filet and the mushroom ravioli. They said there would be an extra $15 upcharge if she wanted to include the ravioli. We have tried multiple specialty restaurants on other cruise lines. Princess, for example, never has any additional surcharges for bigger cuts of beef or lobster. And they often encourage you to try multiple entrees (with no extra charge).

 

The first night in Pinnacle Grill, I ordered the “normal” Ribeye steak and tomato salad. The salad was very bland, and the ribeye was extremely disappointing. The steak was thin and extremely average (think regular grocery store quality). I would have immediately cancelled the second reservation later on in the cruise if it hadn’t of been for my wife’s birthday dinner. However, on the second visit to Pinnacle Grill on her birthday, we both ordered the Filet Mignon. That was a fantastic cut of beef and very flavorful. Other than my wife being denied a second entrée, the second attempt at the Pinnacle Grill was a complete success and probably my favorite meal of the cruise.

 

One last thing to note about the Pinnacle Grill… On the first visit, I had asked the hostess if there was a corkage fee for a bottle of wine I had brought onboard if we wanted to open it at the table during our meal. She said there was no charge and to just bring it with us that evening. After we were seated at the table and the wine steward came by, he informed us there was going to be an $18 corkage fee. This is normal for a cruise line to do, but the misinformation was kind of frustrating. I ended up leaving the bottle corked for dinner. Why pay $18 to open a bottle of $6 wine? I know, first world problems :)

 

We only ate in the main dining room once, so I can’t really comment on that too much. I thought the waiter was great, but the food I had was not so good (Carne Asada main entrée). But it wasn’t the best choice out of the options that evening, so I am sure there were better quality options, I was just in the mood for something beef like. It seemed on par with every other cruise line, but only being there one night didn’t give me enough information to draw any other conclusions.

 

We didn’t try the upcharge Italian restaurant. I was already thoroughly enjoying the included pasta bar and the rest of the buffet, that I didn’t see a need to try it.

 

Random thoughts –

 

The crew members we interacted with were all very pleasant and seemed dedicated to providing the guests with a great experience. We would have liked better communication from the front desk staff or room steward with regards to the AC problem, but they were still pleasant.

 

As mentioned above, I really liked some of the extra touches Holland offers (like real glassware in the buffet, or being sensitive to when it was appropriate to open and close the retractable roof over the pool for the ideal mix of temperature/shade/sun). On the other hand, the décor of the ship feels like it’s stuck in the 80’s…even though it wasn’t even built until 2004! :) We had two cabins on this cruise, and while one was better than the other, they both were seriously dated and in need of update/repair.

 

Plenty of hot tubs available! Fresh water main pool! (both pluses) We’ve been on a couple other ships that have serious shortages of hot tubs compared to the number of guests on board. This was not the case on the Westerdam.

 

Beds were not very comfy, but this is subjective.

 

As we were fully aware, HAL caters to an older crowd. We are in our early/mid 40’s, but really enjoy the older crowd compared to the multitudes of young children on other lines or the younger party crowd. HAL is definitely more our speed. This cruise had about 700-800 people who had booked with a Southern Gospel tour that had multiple private special events each day. Because of this, there were times when the ship felt like a ghost town. On the other hand, prime time at the buffet on sea days was crazy busy. Every cruise ship has this problem though I suppose.

 

Other than listening to the classical violinist and pianist duo for one set, we didn’t partake in any of the onboard entertainment this cruise. I heard good things though.

 

Without trying to start a smoking debate, it does seem HAL has a little more relaxed view of smoking than other cruise lines. I know the balcony smoking rules will change next year, but there were frequent balcony smokers up wind from our cabin. It wasn’t so bad after we moved rooms, but the first room we had seemed to always have the guy next door smoking on his balcony. There seemed to be two large public deck areas that allowed smoking and the casino of course was no stranger to stale cigarette smoke smell. Maybe it’s the older generation they are trying to cater more too…not sure. But, it will be nicer in the future to have smoking banned on the balcony (sorry to offend all you smokers).

 

We would like to do another HAL cruise again, but maybe on a more updated ship. It was nice to try a “new to us” ship. I missed a larger central Atrium “hub” that other cruise lines offer on their ships, and the Westerdam felt a little less “open” than other cruise lines, but it was nice to mix it up a bit.

 

Embarkation and Disembarkation went well for the most part. However, can I just ask the rhetorical question about the people who don’t show up to customs screening on the morning of Debarkation? What is wrong with you??? We were delayed from departing the ship for about 45 minutes due to the non-US citizens who didn’t show up to clear customs. The cruise director made a polite, but stern announcement to them letting them know they were holding up the rest of us :)

 

I just came of the Westerdam. I agree with you on the Hydro spa. I know as of Friday night they did close it at 6pm for maintenance. I hope they cleaned it and took care of the foam from all the body oils. I did mention the excess of foam to the staff so hopefully they took care of it.

 

The ship IMO looked good. There were some spots where the wallpaper was touched up/repaired and/or scratched. It is a busy floating hotel. When it goes to Drydock next year they will be adding more rooms right above the Hydro spa. I will miss the large natural light opening right above the pool. Purple carpets are not my favorite color choice but I know what they use the dark colors.

 

We (6 of us) ate at Canaletto's the last night. We ordered almost everything and sometimes we asked for more. The food was great.It is not like Olive Garden. For the cost, it was a great way to sit with new friends, talk and enjoy good food. I will say, at Le Cirque, we did have the Pea soup. It was not my favorite at all. It was like they took peas and just blended it. It was very thick. Hard to describe. Just put the peas in a blender, heat and serve. They could have added cream to thin it out a bit. Overall I enjoyed most of the food onboard the ship. For what they do and how many they serve, I will not complain.

 

Things I do miss at HAL is the BBQ sailaway parties Mid Ship Lido deck. Miss hearing the bands play during the day.

 

I did like they had Mexican Ambassadors onboard the ship singing and dancing. It was a great addition to this cruise. I hope they bring on more Ambassadors to different itineraries. They did have a great outdoor party as we left Cabo. They brought out more tables and chairs on the lido back deck. They had shrimp kabobs, chicken, pig, beef, tacos ( not from the taco bar) and so much more stuff going on. It was a fun party on the back deck.

 

America's Test Kitchen is an UPGRADE. It was presented better than the HAL cooking shows they offer. If you like ATK, there is a channel dedicated to it 24/7 and also to Cook's Country.

 

I enjoyed the old On Location guide. It had more info of what is happening on the ship than the Daily Navigator. The new one is extremely plain. There is no information about drink specials or other onboard specials.

[Heartgrove]

 

I will say, at Le Cirque, we did have the Pea soup. It was not my favorite at all. It was like they took peas and just blended it. It was very thick. Hard to describe. Just put the peas in a blender, heat and serve. They could have added cream to thin it out a bit.

 

I enjoyed the old On Location guide. It had more info of what is happening on the ship than the Daily Navigator. The new one is extremely plain. There is no information about drink specials or other onboard specials.

 

Sounds like the Dutch Pea Soup served in Glacier Bay. It is enjoyable on deck. :)

 

We were on the Westerdam just two weeks ago and had the "On Location" with info on the drink specials. Has it been changed?

[Tom O.]

I was shocked to see in the steak section of the menu, that if you wanted to larger Ribeye cut, it was an outrageous $69 upcharge!?!?! (at least I think it was $69…I remember it was close to $70 extra). I realize it is a very large steak, but for a non-prime cut of beef, that is absurd. :)

 

I just wanted to point out the oversize steak you are talking about is a 36oz Ribeye steak for $59. it is sort of a novelty item as I don't believe anyone could possibly consume the entire thing. The regular ribeye is 18oz which is still very big, and there is no extra charge for it. If 18oz is not big enough, there is a 23oz porterhouse, also at no extra charge.

Edited November 20, 2016 by Tom O.

[cbr663]

However, the way they upcharge and run Pinnacle Grill (in my opinion) was not very good...at least compared to other cruise lines...and I wanted to call them out for that.

 

The challenge with the PG is that it is a heavily discounted restaurant. HAL enjoys a large number of repeat passengers and its passenger rewards programs allows for considerable discounts on PG dining. Many passengers actually receive complimentary dining in the PG. HAL also regularly included free dining in the PG as part of its Explorer 4 promos.

 

So, even though the PG is advertised at an uncharge price of $35 pp, the meal that is provided is based on the much lower average price received. The result is that the PG is not as attractive as other speciality dining venues on other cruise lines.

[jbobst]

Wanted to follow up a little to the comments. Regarding the corkage fee...I was very surprised when she said it was no problem to open it (free of charge). And, I totally expected the wine steward to tell me there was a corkage fee, so no big deal there, just a misunderstanding and I had very low expectations of it happening.

 

Regarding the beef. I was very, very happy with the Filet on the second meal. In my experience, "Prime" graded filet isn't always a huge upgrade from non-prime grade, with reference to the tenderloin cut. However, the 18oz Ribeye was very choice grade quality similar to my local supermarkets. It could have just been that particular steak, and I wouldn't judge every ribeye served in PG based on one steak. I've had Prime ribeye's from many "Prime" steakhouses and they are in a different league than the one particular piece I had at PG. Then again, the PG never claims to be a "Prime" steakhouse. I appreciate all the information about the PG, especially from cbr663. If PG was just tweaked a little bit I think there would be less complaints. If it had been a bonus thing or less money, I would not have had higher expectations. And, I was also comparing to other specialty restaurants on other cruise lines, which is probably not completely fair. We had a few minor service issues that I didn't mention in my review (they were pretty minor), but I think my wife and I just felt it wasn't quite worth the $70 per meal (on top of the cruise fare already paid). Just our humble opinions (even though one of the meals was superb).

 

I hope that everyone can decipher from my review that we did have a great cruise. I tend to be very critical of cruises, without meaning to sound disappointed or upset...if that makes sense. I like to pride myself on noticing details...both good and bad. Nothing is ever perfect, but I know that I like to read balanced reviews and hope that my review can balance expectations for future cruisers...both positively and negatively.

[ScottishMaid]

I hope that everyone can decipher from my review that we did have a great cruise. I tend to be very critical of cruises, without meaning to sound disappointed or upset...if that makes sense. I like to pride myself on noticing details...both good and bad. Nothing is ever perfect, but I know that I like to read balanced reviews and hope that my review can balance expectations for future cruisers...both positively and negatively.

 

Thank you for your review. We are going to Mexico in a few weeks so you have raised some good points. We have booked a verandah guarantee but may regret that. I will take a travel alarm clock with a temperature indicator as we like to sleep cool. The ships always seem to get run down when approaching dry dock. We were most recently on the Prinsendam just a few months after dry dock and everything was beautiful. Food was great. Price per day was about double for an outside cabin.

[Tom O.]

We would not be very happy if our room was too warm. We had a similar experience on the Diamond Princess on this same Mexican Riviera cruise. We could not get our room cool enough for us. Part of the problem was that the weather was very hot outside (South of Cabo). Once we were north of Cabo the weather was much cooler and we solved our problem by leaving the balcony door open slightly.