Semi-Live on the Westerdam to Alaska - July 3rd to July 10th

[SLOTheta]

Hello! It’s our first cruise since our Mexico adventure right before Covid in 2020. We are super excited! We have a great group of 20 who have cruised together previously. It’s a multi-generational group this time  - parents, grandparents and 20-something kids. We are in our early 40s and 50s. It’s my first time traveling with my Mom, sisters and husband. I support my Mom and she lives with us…We are both Leo’s…wish us luck! 
 

We are are celebrating my Mom’s 75th, our friend’s 5 year anniversary from when they were married on an HAL Mediterranean cruise and my husband’s birthday. Lots to celebrate! 
 

We arrived on Saturday night and stayed at the Spring Hill Suites in downtown.  I was shocked at the hotel pricing ($300/night). I wanted to stay close to the port, and this was 11 minutes away. 
 

We took and Uber XL to the port and the security and driver said they had to drop off in a specific area. But, I saw a bunch of cars and taxis drive directly to the terminal. Wouldn’t be an issue typically. But, it was raining and my mom was in a walker. We trekked out to the terminal for our 12pm check in. It was super busy and a bit chaotic. You MUST do VeriFLY and ArriveCAN if you want to avoid the long line. The line was was a fast track lane that was MUCH shorter and organized than the labyrinth that was the regular line. My Mom’s Covid test was rejected for some unexplained reason in VeriFLY. But, since we were all approved, they let her check in with us.

The line to get in the ship was about 15 mins long. Be prepared to wait.

 

We met our room stewards almost immediately after getting to our room. They were quick to offer assistance and help us get settled. We had a bank of 4 rooms and they unlocked all our balconies so we could have one long balcony.

 

Our muster was super easy, check in anytime between 1-2:30 and watch a video on TV. We headed to the Ocean Bar to get our first drink. The Bees Knees and Brooklyn were delicious! 
 

It was freezing and raining, but we bundled up and explored the outside of the ship. Hubby and friends shot some hoops in the rain and hung outside in the Aft Bar for the sail away. They had moved the sail away festivities inside to the Lido,  we still wanted to brave the rain, wind and cold to see Seattle on our way out. 
 

I will report more on my next break! 

[oakridger]

This should be a fun read!!  I'll be checking back to see how the whole group is doing!!

 

Thanks,

~Nancy

[Euby]

Looking forward to more!

 

[Mtn2Sea]

Hope you have a great cruise!  Looking forward to reading all about it.

[SLOTheta]

We had our first meal after we were situated at the Dive In. The chicken sandwiches and cheese fries were yummy! We sat outside on the sunny deck at the Lido pool. 

This is the first time getting wi-fi and the drink package. What a difference it makes! we will never sail again without the Have it All package! No more worrying about running to happy hour, paying corkage or roaming charges. 
 

We were determined to try a drink at all the bars for our first day - we made it to almost all of them - Ocean, Aft Bar, Gallery and Crows Nest. Almost all the drinks we wanted were $11 or less, I did upgrade to a Miraval rose for an extra charge of a couple of dollars. At all the bars, there’s a Have it all and More sign where you can pay the difference and get an upgraded drink. The bars were short staffed, with only 1 bar tender working. All wonderful, but they we’re working really hard. The best drinks were served at the Crows Nest. We had yummy espresso martinis to start our evening. 
 

Before dinner, we bundled up and walked on the Deck 3 promenade. Chilly, but nice to get some air. We saw a few dog relief stations set up with the pups names. Cute!

 

We had dinner at 8pm at the MDR. We had 4 tables next to the window. It was wonderful yo look out while we were eating.  The salmon was decent. Nothing extraordinary, but good. The service was very good, as as always. 
 

Our friends were celebrating their anniversary on this cruise and we’re given a nice treat after dinner 

We ended our first night in the casino. I like how they have a $5 craps table $5 3 card table. I was in Vegas last month and 3 card was $20 min for each spot. I didn’t win anything, but a member of our cruise group won two back to bank $1300 hand pays at one of the machines. 

 

[DeeniEncinitas]

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

Have a wonderful cruise!!

Your mother is precious!

Enjoy your time and celebrations!

I remember your first blog going to The Mediterranean. I remember you sitting in first class on United with champagne! We did the same cruise the following month and we’re in first on United. 
Whst a great time you are having! ENJOY!

Mahalo

❤️Denise🙂

[SLOTheta]

6 hours ago, DeeniEncinitas said:

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

Have a wonderful cruise!!

Your mother is precious!

Enjoy your time and celebrations!

I remember your first blog going to The Mediterranean. I remember you sitting in first class on United with champagne! We did the same cruise the following month and we’re in first on United. 
Whst a great time you are having! ENJOY!

Mahalo

❤️Denise🙂

Awe, thank you for remembering! I’ve really appreciated all the tips and information this board has provided.
 

I’ve had to push my Mom out of her comfort zone. But, she’s been a trooper. It’s also nice that my sisters have stepped up to help.

 

I can’t believe it’s been 5 years since the Mediterranean cruise. We are celebrating the couple who we went on the first cruise with and now on their anniversary cruise. They were the ones who lured us into the wonderful world of cruising. 
 

We flew Southwest to Seattle this time, no first class for us. But, we did take my mom to the Centurion Lounge, her first airport lounge experience (pic below). 😀  

[TotallyCruzin]

What an Awesome daughter... taking good care of Mom and enjoying family and friends on Holland America what a great time.   Many kudos to you!

[SLOTheta]

Our 2nd day was a sea day and it was 4th of July. The staff started off the festive day with a towel animal zoo on the Lido deck. So imaginative and fun to walk through the “zoo” Tai Chi is every morning on the lido, my mom went each day. We tried the 9am pickle ball drop in, but it was rainy and super windy. Our group had booked the family cabana on the 11th (haven). It was so windy and cold, we didn’t get to enjoy it. I would not recommend getting a cabana on an Alaskan cruise. We’ve booked one for our Mexico and European tours, they were great. Alaska is too variable. 

 

We had a nice lunch in the MDR. The calamari was tasty, along with my salmon. There’s salmon on every menu, every day. It’s good I like salmon! During our lunch, the staff 4th it July parade came through the MDR. Very festive 

 

We caught a showing of a narrated movie on the Iditarod on the Main Stage. Learned quite a bit about the race.

 

We played Trivia in the Crows Nest. It’s been nice to have a trivia option each day. We also had to partake in another set of espresso martinis from the wonderful bartenders in the Crows Nest

 

With our GAP group rewards, our group organizer opted for an evening reception in the Crows Nest. They closed off the large library area and served us appetizers and drinks. We had an opportunity to meet everyone in our 24 person group. 
 

I wish I could say the food was extraordinary in the MDR. It was good, not great. I had fish again. The eagle mold chocolate mousse was quite nice. 
 

I hit a very nice 4 of kind at the end of the evening and came back to a lovely elephant towel animal. 

[CRu1853!!]

Thanks for the great posts. Enjoyed reading them and seeing great pictures.

from a FL Theta.

[Euby]

I love reading these posts.  I hope you are enjoying it.  I'll be on the Westerdam in September doing the same cruise.

 

[Beejay4016]

Thanks so much for taking the time to post. It's exciting to follow you on your lovely cruise. Great stuff.

[Florida_gal_50]

A cabana is a waste of money to me in Alaska.  Salmon is one of the always available items so you will see it daily.  Thanks for the update.

[latterdayesther]

Thank-you for posting! I have already learned quite a bit from your live blog. We will be on the Celebrity Solstice in a few weeks. Did you tour Butchart Gardens at night on your cruise?