Westerdam Panama Canal Transit Review March 9 - 24, 2018

[FinnishFun]

We've been back a week now so I thought I would do a short (semi-short probably) review of our cruise.

 

Background: I was cruising with my 87 year-old mother. This was my 8th cruise and her 7th cruise on HAL. I live overseas and my mom lives in NC. Because it was just my mom and I on this cruise and I was traveling on a different airline, I decided to purchase the HAL pre-cruise hotel and transfer package. At $139 pp I thought it was a pretty good deal. My mom arrived in San Diego several hours before I did so having the transfer package meant that there was someone to meet her at the airport and take her to the hotel. We stayed at the San Diego Sheraton Hotel and Marina. Nice hotel and they were able to give us an accessible cabin. My mom has mobility issues and uses a walker. I had rented a scooter through Scootaround for her to use on the ship.

 

Embarkation: Went pretty smoothly. We were assigned bus numbers/times when we checked into the hotel the night before. there was some waiting at the hotel that morning but nothing too bad. Our luggage was picked up outside our hotel room and we didn't see it again until we were on board so that was another plus for the HAL transfer.

 

Ship: This was the first time we had been on the Westerdam. I wasn't too sure about it when I first got on but grew to love it. My mom really liked it. We were in cabin 4081, an accessible cabin, Main Deck midships right at the glass elevators. It was very small. Once the stewards separated the beds, there was more room to move around. With a scooter and a walker, it was pretty tight. Our room stewards, Gan and Joe, were great. They really went out of their way to make sure my mother was taken care of. We had extravagant towel animals every night and they cleaned/freshened up the cabin at least two times a day. I purchased the unlimited laundry package and was amazed at the turn around time. $105 for the 15 day cruise. Well worth it.

 

Captain: Mark Rowden

Hotel Director: Colin Jacob

Cruise Director: Keri Noble

 

Dining: We had early set dining table for two (a 4 top but only 2 place settings). Dinner was at 5:30 - a little early for me but worked for my mom. Our dining room steward, Anto and Agus, were great as was our wine steward, Allan. They had a great time parking my mom's scooter every evening. It turned into a contest to see who would get it first. Once again they went out of their way to make sure my mom was happy and taken care of. We enjoyed all of dinners in the MDR. There was only one night when nothing appealed to me and I had the classic salmon. We had dinner in the Pinnacle two nights and really enjoyed our meals there also. We ordered room service for breakfast every morning. It is so much easier than fighting the crowds in the Lido with mom's scooter. Room service delivery was always prompt and I included additional items on the order card and they were always included. Lunch was usually in the Lido or at the Dive In/taco bar. We ended up going to lunch before noon or after 1:00 to try and miss most of the crowds. It was really difficult at times to find a table but we managed.

 

Entertainment: We went to most of the shows at 8:00 pm. They were so popular that by the middle of the cruise it was necessary to get to the showroom before 7:30 to get a decent seat. I was not happy with the options for accessible seating. On deck 2 it is just a row of uncomfortable fold-down seats in the back row of which at least 4 of them were blocked by poles. I realized after the first night that we could access the showroom from our deck, Deck 1, allowing mom to park the scooter out of the way and allow us to get decent seats. I was impressed with the special entertainment. The comedian was great, Kevin Jordan I think? I did not have high expectations for the illusionist but was pleasantly surprised. Ruben Vilagrand (?) was quite good and funny. Alot of people enjoyed the pianist, David Howarth. He was very talented but I don't enjoy shows where they beat the piano to death. The best show was the Traditional South American Gaucho Show. Amazing dancing and gaucho skills. We enjoyed the John Denver tribute show by Jim Curry. The production shows were good but not outstanding. There was a couple that did a silks routine during the last production show that was pretty impressive. otherwise I wish the singers would learn how to enunciate. I don't think I'm that old but i had a hard time understanding the lyrics to many of the songs that i'm sure i was supposed to know! My mom's major complaint was the volume. She never put her hearing aids in for any of the shows :)

 

We did not get to BB Kings or the Lincoln Center Stage. I think they were both very popular. We went by the Billboard once when they were playing and were not impressed. It is not that big a space and they were VERY loud and off tune. America's Test Kitchen was very popular with standing room only many times.

 

We went to afternoon trivia almost every day. We never managed to win but we came close a couple of times. We met some very nice people and had a great time. We also attended the port guides talks and the Ask the Captain segment.

 

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico: We took a ship's excursion here - A Dolphin Encounter. This was kind of a mixed result. I thought when i booked it that it would be something that my mom would be able to do without too much effort. Unfortunately when we got to the location it became clear she wouldn't be able to participate. You were required to use a ladder to enter/exit the pool so that was a no go for her. She was a good sport about it and the staff did take good care of her, making sure she had shade and a wet towel for her feet as the cement was really hot. It was a great experience and i really enjoyed it. You can not bring your own camera but they have photographers there and you have the option to buy the photos and/or video. I bought the photo/video package and thought they turned out really well. The excursion included lunch at the location which was a decent buffet. if you were lucky you might have been joined by an iguana. I would also like to say that I had issues getting out of the pool and ended up needing help. i scraped my shin as i got out. The staff provided an antiseptic spray and made sure i was okay. They reported it to the EXC staff who in turn reported it to the hotel staff on board. I ended up with a very nice note and a plate of chocolates in the room that night.

 

Huatulco, Mexico: We did not do an excursion here. There was a small village at the end of the pier with quite a few shops and several restaurants/cafes. We walked the length of the shopping and after making a few purchases returned to the ship. it was hot and humid. I currently live in Ireland where these terms are not well known and it took some getting used to:D

 

Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala: Once again we did not do an excursion. They have a large shaded area at the end of the dock with many vendors. They also put on several cultural demonstrations during the day. Once again hot and humid but the trees helped and there was a nice breeze. I will say we made most of our purchases here as they had lovely textiles everywhere.

 

Corinto, Nicaragua: We had booked the excursion to the equestrian center. My mother had been involved with horses for most of her life starting when she was a teenager. These horses were wonderful. It was obvious they were very well taken care of and very well trained. The exhibition was exciting to watch and the horses were quite close. Our guide was great and took care of my mother very well. He made arrangements for her to be transported to the different areas by a car as the vehicles they were using were to high for her to step into. The horse center has built a clinic on their property for horse therapy for physically and mentally challenged children of the local community. Lunch and a folkloric show was also included. you could purchase beer and sodas for an additional couple of dollars. We both enjoyed this excursion very much.

 

Puntarenas, Costa Rica: We did another horse center excursion here. This was a much smaller facility but the horses were no less impressive. You could also walk among the stalls to get to/from the arena and the bus. We also enjoyed this excursion very much. Doing two horse related excursions in a row might be too much for some people but if you are a horse lover you would enjoy both of these.

 

Panama Canal: Really amazing. it seemed like quite a few people were not prepared for the heat and humidity during the transit. We had at least four Bright Star calls during the day. I hope they are all okay. It was difficult to get a decent location to see everything. Mom was not able to get over the threshold on Deck 4. it was too high for her to manuever so she went up to the Crow's nest where apparently people got up at 5:30 to reserve their seats. We didn't even approach the Bridge of the Americas until after 8:00!

 

Cartagena, Columbia: I had booked a private tour with Dora Explorer tours. I wanted to see the city and knew we would not be happy on a big bus tour. We enjoyed the tour very much with a great driver, Gustovo, and a wonderful guide, Mercedes. The only con for this tour was the walk from the ship to the port terminal. It is very long in the heat and humidity. We had been told not to take the shuttle as we would miss them. So mom was trudging along for quite a distance. Even once you got to the terminal area you had to walk through the cafe, shops, and bird/animal enclosure. We stopped several times and once we got to the bird enclosure, mom sat down and the tour rep bought her a bottle of water. Once we got in the van everything was good and we certainly enjoyed this tour. We were able to drive down many of the streets in the old city where the tour buses could not go. I would definitely recommend this tour company as an alternative to the ship's excursions. i would like to come back and explore Cartagena in more depth.

 

Half Moon Cay: We did not get off the ship as we are not beach people. We enjoyed relaxing up in the lido with very few people around.

 

Fort Lauderdale, FL: I had purchased the Land and Sea excursion with airport transfer as neither one of our flights was until early evening. Disembarkation was okay. A lot of waiting for our color/number to be called. i had requested wheelchair transfers for my mom because she just cannot do any kind of distance walking. I had several issues with this excursion. They had advertised a wheelchair accessible option for this tour. The description of the tour let me to believe that they would provide a separate accessible vehicle for those participants who had purchased the excursion and their companion. Not so. After we made our way through the zoo that was Immigration we were herded to one of three large buses. I tried to ask several people where was the accessible vehicle. Not a single person from the tour company knew what I was talking about. Not happy. My mom has issues with stairs especially on buses where there are no/few convenient hand holds. This is why I booked her on the accessible tour, or thought I had. The tour it self was okay. Could have done without the drive through the various neighborhoods. Then we got to the airport and they dropped us at Terminal 1 past the sky caps and the luggage carts. they thought i would leave my mom there with her luggage, carry on, and walker and continue on to my terminal. I apologize to those who had to wait while the driver got my suitcase off the bus but really? Anyway I had my mom wait for me and then i went and got a luggage cart and loaded everything up. She was flying Southwest so we went to check her in. The agent started the process and then realized she couldn't check her in until 3:30 pm (her flight was at 7:20). Now I'm sure most of you have been to FLL and realize there is almost no where to sit on the departure level. We were able to get her a wheelchair and trying to figure out what we were going to do when one of the guys working the skycap desk outside came in and asked if he could help. They were able to check her in at the sky cap desk and send her luggage off. The wheelchair assistant was going to take her through security from there. We said our farewells (my flight was leaving from Terminal 4 at 6:30) and off she went. Next time we will not book an excursion and I will book mom on a much earlier flight. lesson learned.

 

All things considered it was a great cruise. We really enjoyed being on the Westerdam. I am always impressed with the staff and crew on board HAL ships. For those who want to know - we did receive a Voyage Log on the last night; there were three gala nights; we met with the cruise consultants and I booked a future cruise with my mom (Iceland 2019) and a future cruise with my sister (Anartica 2020). i received my copper medallion on this cruise (Yea me!) and will hopefully get my 4 star on our Prinsendam cruise in October. we are very happy with HAL. They meet our expectations and go out of their way to take care of us.

 

I just realized this wasn't very short :)

[SilvertoGold]

Thanks for this great, concise review. Makes very good reading!

 

1. Congratulations on your Copper Medallion! Was the ceremony in the Show Lounge or elsewhere?

2. Could you expand on the Pinnacle: food, service, better than average from your experience?

3. Any thoughts on the Gallery Bar (new) and the Crows Nest redo?

[FinnishFun]

Thanks for this great, concise review. Makes very good reading!

 

1. Congratulations on your Copper Medallion! Was the ceremony in the Show Lounge or elsewhere?

2. Could you expand on the Pinnacle: food, service, better than average from your experience?

3. Any thoughts on the Gallery Bar (new) and the Crows Nest redo?

 

1. Thanks, the ceremony was in the BB Kings lounge. Quite nice actually with champagne and lots of nibbles.

2. The Pinnacle Grill is a different ambiance. I think the food is a step up from the MDR. Mom loved her filet.Service was attentive but unobstrusive.

3. I thought the Gallery Bar was very nice. Cosy and interesting. Not sure about the Crows Nest redo. Nice that the cruise consultants have their own office but some of the seating is just so low and I really did not like the two screens showing the ship information in the prime viewing location.The area looks nice and some of the chairs are quite comfortable but have to stake out the reclining chairs early. I ordered smoothies at the Explorations Cafe/Bar twice and enjoyed the macaroons with them :)

[kazu]

Great review.

 

thank you. Very in depth and a good read.

 

Congrats on your copper medallion and welcom home :)

[SilvertoGold]

Thanks.

 

The Queens Lounge is a great place for the Medallion ceremony: much cosier that the Show Lounge.

 

The Gallery Bar seems a great addition, but no windows? Is that right?

 

Crows Nest is controversial. Good smoothies: good to know. I was wondering with the bar and Explorations Cafe "crammed" into one area, there would be an abbreviated menu for drinks.

 

From your description, the Westerdam sounds like a happy ship. From the top down usually: any comments on the Captain, HD and CD? Visible, good with the pax?

 

Sounds as if thre were no problems with A/C, heat, water leaks, etc. A smooth cruise!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

I always arrange with the airlines for wheelchair assistance from the plane, to the baggage area and then to the taxis. And from check-in, to the gate, etc.

We have done several repositioning cruises on the Westerdam via the Panama Canal. The last time we were in Cartagena, we were far from the main area because two other ships had the other docks. As a result, the shuttle bus would not allow anyone with a walker or Rollator (which I use) to use the bus. Thankfully we have been there so many times that we just got back on the ship.

[ski ww]

Enjoyed reading your great review.

Allan

[portofrome]

Thank you for the review!

[0bnxshs]

Soon to be on Westie for Hawaii, so your thorough review is timely and appreciated. Thanks!

[AlaskaNewbie68]

Thank you. We will be on for Alaska in June (first time cruisers!). Glad you enjoyed it!

Michele

[Sea girl 23]

Was on this cruise as well and had an amazing time!