Live(ish) from Westerdam Xmas/NY cruise from Auckland 20Dec22

[OzKiwiJJ]

Verdict - Pool Areas

 

I've heard many people say HAL is a cruise line full of senior cruisers. I guess most of those don't swim in the pools, or if they do they are very fit and agile people with no joint issues! Both swimming pools only had ladder access which I find difficult especially when getting out of the pool - wet hands and slippery steel rails aren't a good combination. I was very surprised that neither pool had easy access steps. 

 

We only tried the Lido Pool which had a moveable roof over it. The pool was heated to a perfect temperature, warm enough to stay in for as long as you liked but cool enough to feel refreshing on a hot day when you got in. 

 

The Lido Pool steps were at either side with a curved dolphin statue area between them. There wasn't that much space between the ladder and the tiled edge of the statue area so if someone had slipped off the ladder backwards there would be a risk of them hitting their head on the tiled edge. It seemed quite dangerous to me.

 

The other problem is that there didn't seem to be a pool for small children. The shallow end of the Lido Pool, where the ladders were, was about 1.3 metres, too deep for little kids so they would hang off or sit on the ladders.

 

Both pool areas only had sun loungers in full sun positions - one row down each side of the Lido Pool, and a couple of rows in the middle behind the Wake View Pool. The shaded areas were taken up by tables and chairs.

 

Both pool areas had bars and access to the Buffet. However there wasn't much on offer in the buffet for a mid-afternoon snack other than ice cream and cookies. The Lido Pool also had the burger bar and a taco buffet but I'm not sure what time they shut down. 

Edited January 7, 2023 by OzKiwiJJ

[OzKiwiJJ]

Verdict - Port Stops and Excursions

 

We primarily cruise NZ to visit family and friends and have been to all of the ports several times. The one port I really wanted to go to on the original itinerary, Kaikoura, was cancelled just a few weeks before departure and substituted with Picton. 

 

We had no tender ports but did have some wharves that required using shuttles to get off them and a shuttle ticket system was used for a couple of those. That didn't impact us as we either were going off the ship later, after the rush was over and tickets were no longer required, or we were on an excursion. We didn't get off at all in Napier as we arrived late, 11:30am, and it was rainy. We have been to Napier a few times so would have only gone off for lunch ashore but by the time the rush had died down it was 1:30pm so not worth it.

 

At some of the ports we either visited people or just wandered around by ourselves.

 

We had an excursion credit so initially booked a whale watching excursion in Kaikoura. After the change to Picton we changed to a Marlborough wine tasting excursion at the same price. We'd already used the rest of our excursion credit to book a Bruny Island excursion from Hobart and paid the extra.

 

The Wines of Marlborough excursion was excellent. We had a very informative driver and enjoyed the three wineries we visited. It was good value for money. The only downside was that it was mid-morning to mid-afternoon with no meal included. 

 

The Bruny Island excursion was also excellent and even better value for money. It included a delicious fish and chip lunch, with an extra bonus of some fresh oysters to start with. 

 

I posted detailed descriptions of both excursions earlier so won't go into further detail here. They were well organised. The tour tickets were in the Navigator app / webpage so easy to access.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Verdict - Miscellaneous

 

Laundry

Westerdam doesn't have guest laundries but the laundry service was excellent. We took the option of buying an unlimited laundry package at US $99 for the 14 night cruise. It was good value for money. 

 

We'd spent a few days in Auckland before the cruise so had laundry to put in on the first night. It arrived back in our cabin by 10am the next morning. That has to be an all-time record. The rest of the time it arrived back next evening.

 

On the first formal night Rolf realised his dress shirt needed ironing late in the afternoon. Oops! After a quick call to Guest Services it was collected and delivered back nicely pressed about an hour later.

 

Guest Services.

They set up the Navigator webpage link on our phones for us. For some reason that I can't recall I had some problem trying to set it up myself. 

 

They were always very helpful when we phoned them about something.

 

Disembarkation

We loved the way we could go down to Guest Services and choose our disembarkation group luggage tags instead of being assigned them. Disembarkation was very smooth and they actually called our group half an hour before scheduled. Tough, I'm finishing my breakfast first! 

 

The Glass Lifts

Unlike other ships we've been on the glass lifts are on the outside of the ship - two on each side. They were great with lovely views over the ocean or the the ports we were visiting. One of the lifts on our side of the ship, the port side, was our of action the whole cruise so most people used the middle lifts or the starboard side glass lifts. So it felt like we had an almost private lift - we rarely had to wait for it to arrive.

 

View from "our" glass lift.

 

 

Lift Signs and Lift Foyer Exit Signs

 

All the lifts had a mat with the day of the week printed on it.

 

The forward and aft lift foyer exits each had a piece of carpet with which side of the ship it was and pointing which was was forward.

 

 

Cruise Cards

After experiencing the Princess Medallion on five cruises it was strange to go back to cruise cards. The door didn't unlock as you approached it! Shock! Horror!

 

However the worst part was the cumbersome system of ordering drinks in the MDR, bars and cafe. It just seemed so slow and sometimes our cards weren't returned to us immediately. And we had to sign for drinks every time, even a cup of coffee. How quickly we forget these things!

[OzKiwiJJ]

Verdict - Summary

 

We loved the cabin. We loved Canaletto. We loved the Ocean Bar despite no live music.

 

It was nice to have heated swimming pools (Princess, are you reading this?)

 

But the rest of the ship was mediocre. 

 

Would we cruise HAL again? Perhaps if there was a particularly interesting itinerary (preferably from Sydney) that no other cruise lines matched but otherwise it would be unlikely.

 

Princess beats HAL hands down (apart from the notorious Princess bathrooms).

[Blackduck59]

Thanks again for your observations Julie, always fair and balanced. We will have our first HAL experience in August, we'll see how that goes. A New England/East coast Canada itinerary means we will be having Lobster ashore and sampling the chowders on offer as well. Who needs lobster night on the ship, we're going to Halifax 😁. Lucky for me that coffee isn't my thing as it seams to be a common complaint on most cruise lines. Lynn does enjoy a Latte but she would never be able to handle espresso.

 

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, Blackduck59 said:

Thanks again for your observations Julie, always fair and balanced. We will have our first HAL experience in August, we'll see how that goes. A New England/East coast Canada itinerary means we will be having Lobster ashore and sampling the chowders on offer as well. Who needs lobster night on the ship, we're going to Halifax 😁. Lucky for me that coffee isn't my thing as it seams to be a common complaint on most cruise lines. Lynn does enjoy a Latte but she would never be able to handle espresso.

 

I'll look forward to seeing your comments about HAL. 

 

I never drink latte onboard ships as they use long life milk which tastes nasty to me when heated. There is the same amount of espresso in a latte as in a short black, the only difference is the milk takes the edge off and adds more volume so you get the caffeine hit slower. I happily drink both. 😊

[lyndarra]

I'm on Westerdam but I don't have the wifi package. It has taken me until now to sort out my phone as a wifi hot spot.

From time to time I will ad some info on this thread as I am not proficient enough to do a real time review.

So, from memory.

Ship is very similar to Noordam. I miss the crows nest set up. Crows Nest was a very popular gathering spot on Noordam and Maadam where we would do Trivia play cards (500) and partake of happy hour which usually preceded our latish dinner time. On Westerdam the Crows Nest seems very neglected. Trivia is held in Billboard lounge(?) which is always overcrowded with people pinching seats from the casino. I entered a general knowledge  trivia solo and scored equal tops core of 14/15 (brag brag).  If I had known the writer of first English dictionary I would have made a perfect score. Seems very few people know what a Flemish Giant is but somehow I dragged the answer out of my grey matter recesses.

Next point. There is obvious cost cutting. Most noticeably no resident "orchestra" for main stage shows however the entertainment has been excellent. There was a fantastic light and dance show from One Step dancers - I think it was called Humanity. Excellent singer from Perth, Karen Beckett who will be presenting Shades of Streisand tonight. A very entertaining Irish(?) magician.

I decided to take a couple of bottles of my favourite Piggs Peak wine, prepared to pay the corkage, which was done when boarding, however I wasn't prepared for the 18% service charge that added to the service. Will be seeing Customer Service about that.

On cost cutting. With a full ship there seems to be a lack of wait staff in MDR as not all tables are being filled (we are on My Time) which means queueing and waiting for shared tables using beepers but the wait is not long and you are served a complimentary glass of bubbly while waiting.

Day before yesterday everyone had to do a RAT which added 16 cases to 15 already in isolation . Most are wearing masks as advised by HAL. Ironically there seemed to be more mask wearing after the test than before.

Staff have been excellent. Customer Service staff have been great, so far. They fixed a glitch in  my app which wasn't showing OBC - all good now. Happy to use 'old fashion' door keys. No Medallions here.

IIRC there used to be a drinks list on tables in Lido but none now.

We have night light in bathroom, doesn't bother us nor does the auto floor light.

Enough for now. Will add more later if Julie doesn't mind.

 

 

 

[OzKiwiJJ]

Other opinions are always welcome.

 

I was surprised about your comment that the Crows Nest was neglected. It is the area where the Explorations Cafe is, the big windows over the bow, games tables and everything else? Or was there a secret Crows Nest that we didn't discover? Anyway if it's the place I'm thinking of then overused would more accurate than neglected, at least during the day. Too much going on in too small a space. Not a place to sit over a coffee and a good book. Too noisy!

[lyndarra]

12 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Other opinions are always welcome.

 

I was surprised about your comment that the Crows Nest was neglected. It is the area where the Explorations Cafe is, the big windows over the bow, games tables and everything else? Or was there a secret Crows Nest that we didn't discover? Anyway if it's the place I'm thinking of then overused would more accurate than neglected, at least during the day. Too much going on in too small a space. Not a place to sit over a coffee and a good book. Too noisy!

Yes, perhaps "overused" (oops) is a better word. When we first walked in we thought renovations were afoot. Did not have the ambience of previous HAL ships we have been on. I may have to go back up there for another look.

 

Edited January 8, 2023 by lyndarra
Missquoted

[lyndarra]

We are in 1104 on main deck aft. It's close to stern and we get some engine noise but it is not disturbing at all. Cabin is roomy with a good size sofa and a small coffee(?) table. Plenty of desk space and USB be charging points and more near bed heads.

Room is handy to lift to reach Lido. Miss not having an atrium as on RCI, Celebrity and others.

No smoking in casino means no smell when passing through. Can't be many smokers on board as I haven't noticed tobacco smell at all so far.

[paulvdb1]

On 1/7/2023 at 3:39 PM, OzKiwiJJ said:

Verdict - Pool Areas

 

I've heard many people say HAL is a cruise line full of senior cruisers. I guess most of those don't swim in the pools, or if they do they are very fit and agile people with no joint issues! Both swimming pools only had ladder access which I find difficult especially when getting out of the pool - wet hands and slippery steel rails aren't a good combination. I was very surprised that neither pool had easy access steps. 

 

We only tried the Lido Pool which had a moveable roof over it. The pool was heated to a perfect temperature, warm enough to stay in for as long as you liked but cool enough to feel refreshing on a hot day when you got in. 

 

On Noordam we had the unusual issue of the rear pool being bath temperature, so great for short visit but not so great for cooling off. The Lido pool was cooler and busier. The rear pool does have a chair lift device for the less able but yes otherwise just the ladder. I was impressed at the pool depth of over 2m in the rear pool - I haven't seen that in other brands. 

[paulvdb1]

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Other opinions are always welcome.

 

I was surprised about your comment that the Crows Nest was neglected. It is the area where the Explorations Cafe is, the big windows over the bow, games tables and everything else? Or was there a secret Crows Nest that we didn't discover? Anyway if it's the place I'm thinking of then overused would more accurate than neglected, at least during the day. Too much going on in too small a space. Not a place to sit over a coffee and a good book. Too noisy!

hmm that's weird. On Noordam the Trivia was in Billboard and all the issues re too few seats for too many people - would have been better in a bigger location. Crows Nest on level 10 was never busy but had it's own pace of people playing games or sitting at the bar. The exploration lounge was wasted space and the exploration cafe seemed to only work for 10-20 people at a time, it should have been much better set up. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, paulvdb1 said:

On Noordam we had the unusual issue of the rear pool being bath temperature, so great for short visit but not so great for cooling off. The Lido pool was cooler and busier. The rear pool does have a chair lift device for the less able but yes otherwise just the ladder. I was impressed at the pool depth of over 2m in the rear pool - I haven't seen that in other brands. 

That's surprisingly deep for a cruise ship pool. The depth never bothers me as I float quite happily vertically. 

 

I'm not sure whether Westerdam had a chair lift at the aft pool but, seriously, those of us who are a bit creaky, but not disabled, much prefer to be able to walk down steps into a pool. I don't want to have to wait for someone to come and operate a chair lift when I want to get in and out of the pool.

 

The Sanctuary pool on Coral Pribcess had a good system. It was like an old fashioned stile - three wide steps up and three down but not ladder-type steps. It didn't take up much space but was easy to use.

 

The two corners of the Lido pool on Westerdam could be easily converted into steps. Easy for older folks to get in and more space for little kids to hang out. 

[Aussieflyer]

2 hours ago, paulvdb1 said:

On Noordam we had the unusual issue of the rear pool being bath temperature, so great for short visit but not so great for cooling off. The Lido pool was cooler and busier. The rear pool does have a chair lift device for the less able but yes otherwise just the ladder. I was impressed at the pool depth of over 2m in the rear pool - I haven't seen that in other brands. 

Interesting how people differ - a pool of over 2m is too deep for me (even though I can swim I like to be able to touch the bottom).

 

[OzKiwiJJ]

22 minutes ago, Aussieflyer said:

Interesting how people differ - a pool of over 2m is too deep for me (even though I can swim I like to be able to touch the bottom).

 

Rolf's like that. He can swim but doesn't float well so he prefers to be able to touch the bottom. Even when I can touch the bottom I usually curl my legs up a bit so I'm floating. I find it relaxing.

[Pushka]

The infinity pools on Viking are 2 meters and most can't touch the bottom. As it's a very small pool with a fab view over the stern I suspect it's to make sure no one hogs the space. 

[lyndarra]

Have checked out the Crows Nest again and found things had changed. All nice and tidy.

Captain has mentioned ongoing updating of areas. BB King will become Rolling Stone Rock & Roll.

Edited January 12, 2023 by lyndarra

[NSWP]

1 hour ago, lyndarra said:

Have checked out the Crows Nest again and found things had changed. All nice and tidy.

Captain has mentioned ongoing updating of areas. BB King will become Rolling Stone Rock & Roll.

Great idea, I never liked the BB King shows on Noordam in 2019. Being a Stones fan from way back. 🎸

[SilvertoGold]

7 hours ago, lyndarra said:

Have checked out the Crows Nest again and found things had changed. All nice and tidy.

Captain has mentioned ongoing updating of areas. BB King will become Rolling Stone Rock & Roll.

On other HAL ships the Rolling Stone venue is combining its regular offerings with much of what the BBKings were offering.   A two for one, in fact, with a lot of the previous BBKing's vocalists and musicians.

[lyndarra]

Final sea day before reaching Singapore tomorrow.

Covid cases have increased to 40 pax and 16 crew.

Most people seem to be adhering to mask wearing recommendations. My guess is about 90%

When I arrive home I'll try and put together a review - of sorts. Highly dependent on my aging memory cells.

[Blackduck59]

@lyndarra Hey Lyndon, that's why I keep a journal on our long trips. It was just something to do, every once in a while it's interesting to read back and not just rely on the photos.

[Yolande]

We will be on the Westerdam 6 weeks from March 27 to May 7 (Japan to Seattle via Alaska) I wonder how many storage we will get on the Westerdam. 

Last summer we had 4 wardrobe on the Zandam.

Our stateroom on the Westerdam 5043.  

[lyndarra]

On 1/18/2023 at 5:59 PM, Blackduck59 said:

@lyndarra Hey Lyndon, that's why I keep a journal on our long trips. It was just something to do, every once in a while it's interesting to read back and not just rely on the photos.

You're right. Sadly I don't have the discipline required. On my MSC Divina Genoa/Miami cruise in 2019 I made notes each day and a few weeks ago I found them when clearing out old papers. It refreshed a few memories. I did do a CC review.

 

[SilvertoGold]

21 hours ago, Yolande said:

We will be on the Westerdam 6 weeks from March 27 to May 7 (Japan to Seattle via Alaska) I wonder how many storage we will get on the Westerdam. 

Last summer we had 4 wardrobe on the Zandam.

Our stateroom on the Westerdam 5043.  

Westerdam balcony cabins are smaller than those of the Zaandam.   Look up HALFacts website, Vista Class # 5162 and 6044 and you can see good photos of the wardrobes and the rest of the cabin.  Have a wonderful North Pacific cruise.  Absolutely love that one!

[Yolande]

1 hour ago, SilvertoGold said:

Westerdam balcony cabins are smaller than those of the Zaandam.   Look up HALFacts website, Vista Class # 5162 and 6044 and you can see good photos of the wardrobes and the rest of the cabin.  Have a wonderful North Pacific cruise.  Absolutely love that one!

Thanks for the infos