Review of Westerdam to Alaska Aug 20-27th RT Seattle

[scooter6139]

Here is a review of our Westerdam Alaska cruise from August 20^th – 27^th, 2023 round trip from Seattle WA.  This was our 2^nd HAL cruise, but it had been a super long time since the previous one, so it was like a new experience for us.

Embarkation:  We live in the area, so we arrived an hour before our set 12PM check in time, but since we were in a Neptune Suite, I knew we had anytime priority access.    Access to pier 91/92 was easy, not much traffic considering both Westerdam and the Discovery Princess were disembarking/embarking at the same time.  Short line to drop off luggage, then made our way through security (remove my belt?  Really?) and then a super short face recognition check-in and straight onto the ship.  Super easy compared to some other embarkations we’ve done (looking at you NCL!)

Cabin: Neptune Suite 7068.  Rotterdam deck, next to the glass elevators.  Originally thought this might be an issue with noise of traffic and the elevators, but once passed the cabin door we couldn’t hear anything.  The cabin was super big and easy to maneuver around in, especially at night for the bathroom visits.  Lots of storage, as I assume this is for longer cruise itineraries.  King sized bed seems larger than our Cali King at home.  The couch was a bit firm, as were the chairs, but comfy enough for a reading spot.  TV was bigger than I was expecting, however there were several times the TV channels would not come in.  Slightly annoying when catching up on the news.  Left the dressing area for wife, which she loved and now wants on all our cruises.  The bathroom was spacious if a bit dated even after the refurb a few years ago.  I barely fit in the shower (6’2”, 300 lbs.) so I opted for the shower/tub.  Worked well enough, but wish the shower and tub had glass rather than a curtain.  The balcony was very large, and we enjoyed sitting out on it, especially in port or the Hubbard Glacier.

Internet:  Spotty but worked well enough.  Upgraded to the Streaming version to unlock some more accessibility.  Sometimes it came super-fast for a ship (30 down and 3 up), other times barely working.  Most likely a location issue globally.   They’ve done a good job of putting in a lot of wireless boosters/nodes throughout the ship, easily identified by the ceiling mounts.

Neptune Lounge:  Loved it.  Found lots of snacks here and my wife and I would read for hours here.  This one was redone in January of 2023, so has a totally different look.  Loved their coffee machines.  They rotated on the same schedule every day, and wife was super excited that they had Swiss Style Muesli available during breakfast hours.  The Honor bar was great and easy, just fill out form (PS – A great cabin fridge stocking cheat is to check out what you want here!)  Sheila and Gabriel were super helpful and always checking on everyone.  They were some of the busiest concierges I’ve ever seen on a cruise ship.

Food-MDR:  Easily the BEST food I’ve had in any MDR.  Far surpasses that of NCL and even Princess.  Was so good we ate there almost every night.  Had late dinner at 7:30pm, so we had the awesome team of Francis and Alex every night.  I’m a picky diabetic eater, so they were very creative in helping me out. 

Food-Buffet:  Tried it 3 times, once was successful.  Do not go when it is busy.  That is a nightmare.  We were all stuffed in the buffet on embarkation, so it was hot, no tables and long lines.  I hated it.  Next time we tried breakfast but came during a busy time.  My scrambled eggs were underdone, but the bacon and sausage were very good.  Unimpressed still.  Last we tried dinner when the menu in the MDR was sup-par for me.  This one worked out well, as it was mostly empty!  Loved everything I tried (Steak, Cashew Chicken, Burger, Cod, Cobb salad).

Food-Pinnacle Grill:  We ate breakfast here most mornings, as it was included with our Suite.  No complaints here.  One of the places we could get free machine coffee.  We also used our HIA dinner here.  Shared candied bacon, quite good.  The Wedge salad was a nice sized portion and very tasty.  However, my first bite of my Halibut had 4 bones in it (I choked on a bone once so I can’t stand bones in fish).  The staff was appalled and quickly asked if I wanted something else, which I did and got the Filet Mignon instead.  Honestly, probably one of the best ones I’ve ever had.  Easily better than NCL’s Cagney’s. 

Food-Dive-In:  I think these were some of the best burgers we’ve had on a ship.  The fries were good too, especially with the Dive-In Sauce.  And a taco bar?  Yes, please.

Entertainment: Don’t really know.  Never went.  There were a few shows we wanted to try, but we felt old and slow after dinner, so we usually just went to bed and read for a while.  Since Lincoln Center was discontinued, there wasn’t much we really wanted to see or hear.

Ports:  We really enjoyed the BBB excursion in Sitka (Birds, Bears and Barnacles).  Was scheduled to take the tram in Juneau but I chickened out.(I hate heights).  Didn't get off in either Ketchikan (Spa appt) nor Victoria (8-11:30pm?  Really?)

Shopping: Very impressed.  Some of the better shops I’ve seen on ships, and well stocked.  My onboard account took some serious hits this cruise. 

Library:  All cruise ships need to follow this model.  Lots of choices.  My wife went through 3 or 4 books.

SPA:  Loved it all.  Got a couple of things done here, loved it all.  Even though the same company does the spas on all mainstream lines (HAL, Princess, NCL, Royal, Celebrity, Carnival etc.), prices here were less than what we paid on NCL and even Princess, which I found odd but appreciated.

Disembarkation:  Saddest day of the cruise.  As independent and suite passengers, we could stay until 9:15 but only did so until 9:00.  Straight down from deck 7 to 2, scanned card, walked off ship into building, found luggage and quick scan at Customs and we were out.  Less than 15 minutes.  Much better that others (looking at your hour long lines again NCL!)

 

We really enjoyed this cruise and will easily cruise with HAL again.  We’ve already booked another for next year on the Koningsdam to try when one of their “large” Pinnacle ships.  We loved this small Vista class ship, but I do wish we had more food options that can only come with a larger ship.  The crowd was mostly older than us (mid 50s) with a few families and grandparents with grandchildren.  This suited us just fine after an oversold NCL Bliss in late June with 4800 guests.  

[RD64]

The Dive-In-Sauce!!!!! Who knew?? I kept ordering them “Naked”, then one day….it was a complete game changer.

[MrBill923]

Thanks for your review. It would be easier to read if you re-post with bigger font and different font.

Thanks.

[Haljo1935]

Hey @scooter6139 glad you enjoyed your cruise and will be back for another!

Next time, since you'll be on the K'dam try Grand Dutch Cafe on deck 3. There are some delightful (code for yummy) food options: the ham & cheese panini-type sandwich (not actually called a panini), Dutch pea soup, creme filled chocolate covered flaky pastry ball Bossche Bol), tall thick sliced apple 🥧.  All really good and make a great lunch or snack option.

Also, since you like the Dive In burger, I recommend you try the burger at lunch in Pinnacle Grill.

Yay for happy cruisers!!

Rotterdam_Grand_Dutch_Cafe-Menu (3) (1).pdf

Edited August 29, 2023 by Haljo1935
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[LAFFNVEGAS]

@scooter6139 Thanks so much fo your review. We will be boarding the Westerdam next Sunday and very much looking forward to it. Our last several Alaska cruises were not on the Vista Class so we are looking forward to returning. I have actually always loved the Vista Class.

[TheMichael]

Thanks for the review - we'll be on the Westerdam in a few weeks. 

 

Since I'm a huge coffee drinker, I was hoping you'd made it to the Crow's Nest/Explorations as well, but it is kind of out of the way, and Neptune Lounge probably served much of the same purpose for you.

Edited August 29, 2023 by TheMichael

[scooter6139]

39 minutes ago, TheMichael said:

Thanks for the review - we'll be on the Westerdam in a few weeks. 

 

Since I'm a huge coffee drinker, I was hoping you'd made it to the Crow's Nest/Explorations as well, but it is kind of out of the way, and Neptune Lounge probably served much of the same purpose for you.

We did go there twice!  Wife ordered an Americano, said it was decent but she liked the machine coffee better.

[TheMichael]

47 minutes ago, scooter6139 said:

We did go there twice!  Wife ordered an Americano, said it was decent but she liked the machine coffee better.

 

Was it very busy? My first goal on a ship is to find the easiest path to espresso.

[scooter6139]

8 hours ago, TheMichael said:

 

Was it very busy? My first goal on a ship is to find the easiest path to espresso.

Yes.  She just waited for a break in the crowd/line then went and got her coffee order in.  

 

When we went up there on embarkation day there was quite a long line.

[TheMichael]

15 hours ago, scooter6139 said:

Yes.  She just waited for a break in the crowd/line then went and got her coffee order in.  

 

When we went up there on embarkation day there was quite a long line.

 

That's too bad. I'll probably have to plan on getting up extra early. (I don't know if it's possible to avoid long lines anywhere on embarkation day.)