Westerdam, 3/26-4/2/06, Caribbean, R/T Ft. Lauderdale

[kletskop]

Thank you for the nice review. We will be sailing ***** May 7th on the Westerdam. Just out of curiousty and since I am from Holland do they still have Dutch Night? Also I love, like lot of Dutch folks Indonesian, food i.e. Nasi Goreng, Bami, Sate, etc I have read some where that they serve Indonesion food on all HAL ships. Do they still? I hope so!

 

Regards.

[oystergrower]

We were also on this cruise and heard that the cost of the speed boat was somewhere in the vicinity of $250. Maybe they forgot to change the time on their watches. We were also on the Eastern Caribbean the week before and had a veranda, didn't get much use as other nearby cabins had smokers. DH and I took advantage of the offer to stay onboard for a greatly reduced amount - although we did have to move to a different cabin. It was a outside and even though there was a lifeboat outside the window the cabin was fine. The cabin stewards were quite helpful with the move - they brought a cart (like at a hotel) put all the clothing on hangers on the rod, put our suitcases on the cart and rolled it down the hall. All we had to do was put our things in the suitcase and then back on the shelves. We also took advantage of the $12 fill a bag laundry. Shirts came back on hangers and everything else was neatly folded.

We enjoyed both trips but found that there just isn't much to do during the day. DH and I also don't go ashore at every port - agree fully with you about Jamica. Decided that it's time to take all our "cruise logs" and make a list of places we've been and whether it's worth getting off the ship there. Some are definitely worth repeat visits while others fit the "been there - seen it" category.

[twoatsea]

lindleyjulie, see how small a world it is - you were just 2 doors down! What a good idea for your DH to get your ice cream pic. Now.....you need to make copies of a picture with the ship & your ice cream shot & put them on your Christmas cards!! Also, frame one & hang it on your wall. Will give you lots of great memories for years to come. :) Re: the dining room menu, we made a trip to the menu sitting outside the dining room with pen & paper in hand! - too many senior moments to trust our memory :o That's funny about your hot chocolate dash - I can just picture that - like 2 little kids sneaking into the cookie jar.....& with mud all over you!!!:p I think it is perfectly fine for folks to wear their robes at the pool - makes sense to me! But I know some on this board think it is in very poor taste - so that is why I included it in my review (or book?). Didn't know about the Costa Maya folks. That would be so awful to stand on shore & see your ship sail away......and with all of your belongings!!:eek:

 

Kletskop - 5/7 on the W - you must be excited - enjoy. Others on this board have said that Dutch nite has been discontinued. We did not see it listed & I did not notice if any of the same food was served. Some on this board have said nasi goreng is still served; don't know about the other Dutch food. If you are like us, you'll still eat at lot!! You should have fun meeting the Dutch crew & speaking "their language"! I have an idea----make an offer to HAL. You will entertain the passengers with a presentation of the Dutch language, just some travelers' phrases, things they can say to the staff, in place of a free cruise in a Deluxe Suite!:D I bet it would be a hit with the passengers. In fact, you could do that on several cruises a year & we will all be jealous!!

 

oystergrower - OMg - I would be distraught if I paid the big bucks for a balcony & then couldn't use it - how awful. We usually book an outside room; rarely a balcony. And there's nothing that could be done to stop the smokers, since they paid for their balcony & there is not any rule against it. Come to thing of it, I bet a lot of smokers book balconies just for that reason. But then again, there was the Princess fire! Wonder if things will change? Even if there is a rule against it, I don't see how ship staff could monitor it. And you were on a back to back - never done that, but would love to do so - especially with a bargain! We love bargains! That's why we had a balcony & why we are taking another cruise so soon. Anyway, we find that too many Caribbean cruises bore us. I hate to say that; it sounds like a spoiled rich kid, which I am not. But just puddering around a ship for 14 days would get to us. Now this one we are taking on Friday, is 15 days, but we are excited about the ports (Ft. Lauderdale to Montreal). Even though we have been to most of the cities, we like them & want some more time there.

 

Well everyone. I'm sure this post will be buried by the time we return. I doubt I will have time to check back any more - need to finish some loose ends this afternoon & to bed early tonite for our early wakeup call! We are leaving tomorrow morn for a 1 nite stay precruise. Will return on 5/13 p.m. - unless we can get bumped from our plane & get free air tickets - we always volunteer when a plane is full - we love "free" too!

 

So thanks for your interest in my saga. I'm sure we will join each other's posts again on this board & maybe even on a ship's roll call. That would be fun! Take care & enjoy your cruises.

[debjo]

For twoatsea...

I hope you and your DH have a marvelous cruise to Montreal. We've never done a one-way voyage...have thought about it many times, but the one way airfare to the Embarkation Port and then one way airfare from the Debarkation Port back home always seems a bit cost prohibitive. Oh how I wished we lived close enough to one port so that we could drive there!

 

I'm a bit envious of you having two cruises so close together...did you actually unpack all of your stuff and then have to repack it again between your trips...or did you just leave it all packed from your last cruise...can you tell I hate packing!

 

Debjo

[5 in OK]

Yes! Thank you! Thank you! I enjoyed reading every bit of it. Can't wait - we sail on her in just a few more days!!

 

And, it was wonderfully long which is such a great remedy for the countdown!

 

Janet