Westerdam 2023 Asian Cruises

[basma]

I see that the 2023 Westerdam Asian sailings from Feb 3 to March 13 are all sold out. The earliest available sailing is March 27. I know things are still wacky during Covid recovery but this large block of sold outs so early seems spooky. Does anyone know if they are indeed sold out or they are actually being pulled?

[leck57]

We are on Westerdam from 3 Feb and only booked about 2 weeks ago. Before we booked the cruise was showing as sold out then it had a few cabins. I've checked a few times since and half the time it is sold out , next day heaps of cabins available. 

I doubt it is sold out so I'd keep checking.

[basma]

Also, no sailings are listed after Jan 19, not even sold out ones, until Feb 3. That usually means dry dock. But didn't she go dry dock June 2022? Timing just seems odd. leck57 I do hope your cruise is on track. I guess we've got to have extra faith these days when planning travel.

[REOVA]

I'm sure the system is having kinks, but many cruisers are waiting for Asian cruises to come back (i.e. Grand Pacific, Grand Asia, etc) but there is still uncertainty of the ports and Covid so I am sure there will be cabins available even as we get closer to cruise dates. Low deposits bring bookings but afterwards people may not be ready and cancel. 

[cruisemom42]

I'm on BTBs starting March 27, so also keeping an eye on this. An online seller has the earlier cuises listed, some are sold out and some are not but with limited capacity.

 

Also, I thought I've read before that chartered cruises out of Singapore are not too unusual; could be that this is what the Westerdam is up to for those missing two weeks....?

[iceman93]

4 hours ago, basma said:

Also, no sailings are listed after Jan 19, not even sold out ones, until Feb 3. That usually means dry dock. But didn't she go dry dock June 2022? Timing just seems odd.

I'm on the Westerdam 3-19 Jan, and from everything I could tell she's going into dry dock after my sailing.  I'm a little nervous, as I've never been on one of those before, and have heard horror stories about maintenance on such voyages.

 

That being said, I agree with you that the timing is odd because my research also showed the same as you regarding a dry dock just a few months ago.  Also, for whatever it's worth, my voyage has shown as sold out for several months and I'm very curious to find out if the ship will be sailing at full capacity or if they've limited what "sold out" means...

[TotallyCruzin]

We were on the Westerdam to Alaska this past August.  Some of the workers said that they were indeed going into drydock I believe in Singapore and the crew was staying on the ship during this time.  The first cruise after drydock will be the February 3rd cruise.  I hope they can complete the tasks by that date.

[sfaaa]

Does anyone know what kind of upgrade will be done to the ship during dry dock? This may be a blessing in disguise.

[basma]

The availability had on occasions opened up briefly in the past month. I guess these sailings are indeed very fully booked.

[minnie57]

On 12/8/2022 at 11:20 AM, basma said:

Also, no sailings are listed after Jan 19, not even sold out ones, until Feb 3. That usually means dry dock. But didn't she go dry dock June 2022? Timing just seems odd. leck57 I do hope your cruise is on track. I guess we've got to have extra faith these days when planning travel.

 

[minnie57]

There is a dry dock scheduled for 2 weeks end of January 

[minnie57]

On 12/8/2022 at 12:53 PM, cruisemom42 said:

I'm on BTBs starting March 27, so also keeping an eye on this. An online seller has the earlier cuises listed, some are sold out and some are not but with limited capacity.

 

Also, I thought I've read before that chartered cruises out of Singapore are not too unusual; could be that this is what the Westerdam is up to for those missing two weeks....?

We are on same btb see you onboard 

[Sambucus]

Any idea what Westerdam will have done in dry dock? 2 weeks doesn’t seem long for anything major…

3 hours ago, minnie57 said:

There is a dry dock scheduled for 2 weeks end of January 

 

[Hlitner]

On 12/7/2022 at 12:51 PM, basma said:

I see that the 2023 Westerdam Asian sailings from Feb 3 to March 13 are all sold out. The earliest available sailing is March 27. I know things are still wacky during Covid recovery but this large block of sold outs so early seems spooky. Does anyone know if they are indeed sold out or they are actually being pulled?

We would not be surprised if they are sold out of close to full.  Many of us have booked HAL, Asian cruises for the past 4 years only to have them cancelled (year after year).  When HAL cancelled our 2020 Asian cruise (I think it was the Noordam) we rolled over our reservation to a similar 2021 cruise.  When the 2021 cruise was cancelled we rolled it to the 2022 cruise and when that was also cancelled, we rolled it to the upcoming 2023 Westy cruise.  There are many, just like us, who simply moved their bookings forward to the following year.  HAL encouraged this behavior with some price guarantees and enhancements.  I would think that with the large number of us rolling over our bookings and others who simply want to get to Asia that these cruises are in great demand.

 

Hank

[REOVA]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

We would not be surprised if they are sold out of close to full.  Many of us have booked HAL, Asian cruises for the past 4 years only to have them cancelled (year after year).  When HAL cancelled our 2020 Asian cruise (I think it was the Noordam) we rolled over our reservation to a similar 2021 cruise.  When the 2021 cruise was cancelled we rolled it to the 2022 cruise and when that was also cancelled, we rolled it to the upcoming 2023 Westy cruise.  There are many, just like us, who simply moved their bookings forward to the following year.  HAL encouraged this behavior with some price guarantees and enhancements.  I would think that with the large number of us rolling over our bookings and others who simply want to get to Asia that these cruises are in great demand.

 

Hank

Yes. There is great demand for this sector to get back to sailing again.

 

We are waiting patiently for a Grand Asia/Pacific cruise to come back but also tempered by the rise infections over there and port uncertainty yet. 

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, REOVA said:

Yes. There is great demand for this sector to get back to sailing again.

 

We are waiting patiently for a Grand Asia/Pacific cruise to come back but also tempered by the rise infections over there and port uncertainty yet. 

We sure hear you and have some concerns on our upcoming 8 weeks in Asia.  That being said, what makes you think it will be any different in 2, 5 or even 10 years?  And as aging seniors we do not have unlimited time to wait around hoping things improve.  There are always risks that impact travel including these darn viruses, wars, unfriendly governments, political unrest, etc.  As lifelong adventurous world travelers we have had to accept these factors as part of travel.  To be honest, I am more concerned about all the reported cut-backs on HAL than the other problems.

 

Hank

[REOVA]

1 minute ago, Hlitner said:

We sure hear you and have some concerns on our upcoming 8 weeks in Asia.  That being said, what makes you think it will be any different in 2, 5 or even 10 years?  And as aging seniors we do not have unlimited time to wait around hoping things improve.  There are always risks that impact travel including these darn viruses, wars, unfriendly governments, political unrest, etc.  As lifelong adventurous world travelers we have had to accept these factors as part of travel.  To be honest, I am more concerned about all the reported cut-backs on HAL than the other problems.

 

Hank

 Agree, besides the cutbacks (which continue and is pushing our 5*  status excuse down further on the reason to stay list), we are watching specific ports we want to see and waiting for better handling within them. Not concerned about traveling or getting COVID or flu on longer cruise (been there done that). We are just sitting out on GWC, Africa or others for 1 or 2 years while things flow better (tours, staffing, protocol, etc). You'll be fine on the 8 weeks (and we are jealous) as you are aware of the current situations and experienced enough to roll with anything. 

[USN59-79]

We are on her for 6 weeks starting 27 March and my feelings exactly align with Hank's.  We started on the Westerdam in 2020 for a 6 week cruise, got put off in Cambodia, then booked the Noordam, got transferred to the Westerdam, etc.  I have heard very good reviews of the recent experiences on the Westerdam.  However, my DD and DSIL just got off the Nieuw Statendam today after a B2B and she described a very lousy cruise, mostly caused by lazy, inattentive crew.  Little to no entertainment, dirty tables in the Lido where she had to ask a crew member for a cloth to clean a table before she could sit there, almost no crew wearing masks, and so on.  The got the non-alcoholic beverage package and after waiting 20 minutes for a beverage the waiter would stand there with a receipt to sign expecting you to add a tip.  When my DSIL ordered a non alcoholic beer he was told they were out, but he could go down another deck and get one there.  I just hope that attitude doesn't migrate to any other HAL ships.

Ray

[basma]

At least for Japan, catching covid on land should be minimal concern. I was in Japan for 3 weeks last Nov/Dec. I felt rather safe. Masks were required indoors and on public transport. You would stick out if you don't wear a mask even outdoors. When you approached the buffet food station, mask was required and often gloves (great idea) as well. Hand sanitizer everywhere and temperature checker commonplace. High touch areas were routinely disinfected. I reckoned the Uber ride home from airport probably exposed me to much higher risk.

 

A downside is that wearing a mask all day long can be very comfortable, especially so when it is hot. Don't underestimate that if you already have some respiratory issue to begin with.

 

My bigger concern is the cruise experience. Even before covid, the effects of cost cutting were obvious. I am taking this next cruise with low expectation, and I won't be surprised if I don't want to do another one again. It simply is not as fun as it used to be. HAL cruises used to be great value for money. That is also coming into question. Still, I'd rather they raise price than lowering quality. Just too depressing to see each cruise worse than the one before.

[hbsurfcitycruiser]

This week I spoke with HAL ship inventory and my personal cruise consultant and she is indeed sold out. We are sailing her Feb 27th, 14 day. 

[Dutchman48]

On 12/7/2022 at 4:20 PM, basma said:

Also, no sailings are listed after Jan 19, not even sold out ones, until Feb 3. That usually means dry dock. But didn't she go dry dock June 2022? Timing just seems odd. leck57 I do hope your cruise is on track. I guess we've got to have extra faith these days when planning travel.

Correct,

Showed up in today's drydock listings on CIN web site. Not sure what is being done?

Westerdam
Cruise Line: Holland America Line
Capacity: 1,900
Tonnage: 82,348
Year built: 2004
Drydock Duration: January 19 to February 3
Shipyard Location: Asia

[Kathybv]

Does anyone have information on the 28 day around Japan cruise leaving March 27 2023.  There are no shore excursions listed for the first two weeks.