Dedicated Princess Cruiser Travels on Holland-America's Westerdam

[trbarton]

Thanks for taking the time to write about your experiences. I agree that sometimes you pick an itinerary that you like even if it's on another cruise line. Last year I cruised on the Celebrity because of a cruise, 14 days, Canada/New England out of New Jersey.

 

You can't beat the military/stock benefits that Princess gives out.

Tom😎

[Cindy]

We are equal opportunity cruisers…we will consider almost any line and choose based on itinerary, schedule, and price. As an example, our last four cruises have been Princess, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and most recently Holland America. Our next cruise is on Regal Princess so maybe we're repeating the cycle, who knows?[emoji38]

 

We were on the first Westerdam cruise following dry dock at the end of April. Like the OP's cruise, ours was extremely port intensive. It was a 12 night cruise with only one sea day. We thought the ship was an excellent choice for such a port intensive itinerary, but I don't think we would choose it for an itinerary with a lot of sea days. One change that was made during drydock was the addition of Billboard Onboard, a dueling piano bar that packed people in every night. That venue and Lincoln Center Stage were always crowded and had loyal followers. We appreciated the smoke-free casino but didn't spend too much time there. I was lucky enough to hit a decent payout on a slot machine early in the cruise and thought it prudent to lock up the cash and stay out of there! I can't tell you much else about the nightlife because our days were so long and tiring we became early to bed cruisers!

 

In my opinion, the food in the dining room and Lido was very good. I liked having items served in the Lido, and the limited hours were not a problem for us because we usually had lunch on shore. We had any time dining and never had to wait for a table. The burgers and fries at the "Dive-In" window were excellent! We also enjoyed specialty dining in the Pinnacle Grille and Canaletto.

 

We were in a suite which had been beautifully refurbished during the dry dock. Service throughout the ship was exceptional, and we had no problems that were related to the drydock. The Crow's Nest was closed during our cruise due to continuing construction. We were given a $200 OBC each for that inconvenience.

 

I thought the ship was a great choice for the ports that we visited. My preference on this kind of itinerary is for a "smaller" ship, which ruled out quite a few options. My other requirement was a minimal number of sea days since I can get those closer to home without spending the money to fly transatlantic. Believe it or not, I actually could have used an additional sea day! We loved the places that we visited, but it really was very tiring.

 

Because it was early in the season we were frequently the only ship in port, and as such we were able to dock almost everywhere. The itinerary was the reason that we chose this cruise, and we really enjoyed it. Based on this experience, Holland America would be at or near the top of my list for another port intensive itinerary.

 

 

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Edited June 17, 2017 by Cindy

[Cindy]

Sorry...I was trying to edit and accidentally reposted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[beckntom]

....<snip>

Because it was early in the season we were frequently the only ship in port, and as such we were able to dock almost everywhere. The itinerary was the reason that we chose this cruise, and we really enjoyed it. Based on this experience, Holland America would be at or near the top of my list for another port intensive itinerary.

 

 

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That was an amazing blog you did for this cruise, Cindy. Incredible pictures and port/ship descriptions and info. Can you provide a link here?

[princess09]

Very good review. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience.

[Cindy]

That was an amazing blog you did for this cruise, Cindy. Incredible pictures and port/ship descriptions and info. Can you provide a link here?

 

 

 

Thank you! I'd be happy to share it. Believe it or not, I still have 3 or 4 more posts to write![emoji15] Every time I try to finish something gets in my way!

 

https://theworldthroughmylens.blog

 

 

 

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[davidlocky]

Hi! Thanks for doing your review.

 

We are the reverse doing our first Princess cruise in September after doing HAL for the last four summers, so noted the differences with interest.

 

Think your observation on HAL spot on and we have always found the entertainment disappointing other than the R&B club.

 

Regards

 

David

[sp2]

Thanks for the review OP! We have cruised primarily on Princess as well,but have enjoyed our 4 HAL cruises. Just a comment, as you mentioned there is no International Cafe. When we sailed last December on the Westerdam there was a coffee bar with some snacks up in the Crows Nest-has it been removed with the changes?

 

Also, the Dive-In Grill and the little Mexican self-serve bar were available options for us when the Lido was closed. We never seemed to have a problem finding food.

 

Thanks again for your review!

[BarbinMich]

Cindy, I enjoyed your review and perspective, especially re this class of HAL ship being especially good for port-intensive itineraries vs TAs with lots of sea days. Perhaps we'll give HAL another chance when we do such a cruise, such as in the Caribbean.

[DJVKN]

Thank you so much for your review. Enjoyed reading about the differences.

[geoherb]

Thanks for posting your review. We sailed on the Zuiderdam in Feburary to the Panama Canal. The dining room was open for lunch only on sea days. Perhaps with your port-intensive itinerary you did not have any.

 

Princess is still our first choice, but I would take another HAL cruise with an attractive itinerary at a good price.

[OlsSalt]

HAL ships do offer the following food venues open throughout the day, well after the main noon buffet closes: Dive Grill - gourmet level hamburgers, hot dogs and fabulous French Fries with various sauces.

 

The aft deck pizza staton also offers prepared salads and desserts. The full nacho, fajita bar with dozens of toppings and salsas is also open until 5pm poolside.

 

Afternoon Tea at Three - both sweets and savories. Small snacks at the Explorations Specialty Coffee Bar. And the pasta and salad bar stations remain open after the Lunch time Lido full service closes.

 

It may take some time to know where to go to get these items after the lunch buffet stations close, and all can be brought back to your room if you do not want to use the 24hr complimentary room service that has many wonderful options - the club sandwich and the french onion soup being my own favorites along with their very moist chocolate cake with raspberry sauces - always available with a phone call from your cabin.

 

Then there is the late night buffet featuring different international items which has one of the most interesting variety of menus of all. So while no dedicated 24 hour restaurant, there is 24 hour food availability either on deck or by room service.

 

One bit of warning however, the A/C systems on HAL ships require you do not force your balcony door open. The fire suppression system also forces air out of the cabin when you open the door so you do not get fresh air coming into your cabin even if you do force the door open. Leaving the door open ruins the A/C ventilation for all the other cabins on that same circuit.

 

This may be entirely different on Princess ships so keep this in mind if you want to sleep with open cabin doors. You cannot and must not to this on HAL ships - the newer Konigsdam may be designed differently but the older HAL ships put a sign on the balcony door asking you to be considerate of this system in regards to the ventilation comfort of other passengers.

[WisCruiser2]

One bit of warning however, the A/C systems on HAL ships require you do not force your balcony door open. The fire suppression system also forces air out of the cabin when you open the door so you do not get fresh air coming into your cabin even if you do force the door open. Leaving the door open ruins the A/C ventilation for all the other cabins on that same circuit.

 

This may be entirely different on Princess ships so keep this in mind if you want to sleep with open cabin doors. You cannot and must not to this on HAL ships - the newer Konigsdam may be designed differently but the older HAL ships put a sign on the balcony door asking you to be considerate of this system in regards to the ventilation comfort of other passengers.

 

Every Princess ship we've been on also had the same sign requesting that the balcony doors be kept shut. However, there are always those who don't think that applies to them!

[hickmald]

Thanks so much for posting this comparison of the two lines. We have been dedicated HAL cruisers up until this summer, when we will embark on our first Princess cruise (because of the British Isles itinerary). I agree with many of your reflections on your HAL experience, and am looking forward to some of the differences you mention for Princess' cruises.

[sotiris]

Recently, we have sailed mainly on HAL. This has been based on itinerary. This year we are going back to Princess (our first since becoming platinum) for a British Isles cruise. We know there will differences but we will roll with the punches, so to speak.

 

The one big difference will be the size of the balcony. We really like the cabins on the "hump" of HAL ships. They have a bit more space inside and out. The BI cruise is port intensive and knowing British weather, our balcony time may be limited.

 

 

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[Lucky TGO]

Thanks for sharing.

Tony

[Cindy]

Recently, we have sailed mainly on HAL. This has been based on itinerary. This year we are going back to Princess (our first since becoming platinum) for a British Isles cruise. We know there will differences but we will roll with the punches, so to speak.

 

The one big difference will be the size of the balcony. We really like the cabins on the "hump" of HAL ships. They have a bit more space inside and out. The BI cruise is port intensive and knowing British weather, our balcony time may be limited.

 

 

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When are you going? We’re doing the same this year...we thought Princess had the best itineraries for the British Isles.

 

 

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[sewgood]

Thanks for posting your review. We sailed on the Zuiderdam in Feburary to the Panama Canal. The dining room was open for lunch only on sea days. Perhaps with your port-intensive itinerary you did not have any.

 

Princess is still our first choice, but I would take another HAL cruise with an attractive itinerary at a good price.

 

Thanks for clearing this up about the dining room being open on sea days. We are looking at a 24 day cruise on the Maadsdam Auckland to San Francisco next year and this has lots of sea days.

 

I do hope that they offer trivia on sea days during the daytime and not just at night (post 747 from OP). We like a few daytime activities during sea days especially when you have 5 in a row. We can do only so much kindle reading and deck walking each day. :D

Thanks Philly Cruiser for writing the review a big help to those of us considering sailing with HAL instead of Princess for one cruise.

[susancruzs]

Thanks for the great info about HAL, I do appreciate it. I haven't sailed HAL, pretty much stick with Princess but sailing for itinerary might do it one day.

[sotiris]

When are you going? We’re doing the same this year...we thought Princess had the best itineraries for the British Isles.

 

 

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We are going May 13. Looked at HAL but timing and cost were better with Princess.

 

 

 

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[Cindy]

We are going May 13. Looked at HAL but timing and cost were better with Princess.

 

 

 

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I hope you have a great time. We would have loved to sail with you again! We’re not going until the very end of June this year.

 

 

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[PhillyCruiser]

My next cruise to the Mediterranean is going to be on Crown Princess this summer. While I enjoyed my cruise on the Westerdam, I truly appreciate what Princess has to offer. Can't wait to get onboard.

[sotiris]

I hope you have a great time. We would have loved to sail with you again! We’re not going until the very end of June this year.

 

 

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Yes, that would have been fun. We like to be home in the warmer weather so we can enjoy the pool. Did you create another fantastic spreadsheet?

 

 

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[Cindy]

Yes, that would have been fun. We like to be home in the warmer weather so we can enjoy the pool. Did you create another fantastic spreadsheet?

 

 

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Yes, but it doesn’t have very many tours listed yet. This roll call has been slow to get going, but it’s started picking up in the last couple weeks.

 

We LOVE being out of town in the heat of a Texas summer! We originally booked in August, but changed weeks so we could go with friends.

 

 

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