westerdam vs mariner

[zoe girl]

thinking about sailing on the westerdam in october. i've never cruised with hal before. just wanted to get peoples thoughts-opinions. i'm considering rccl mariner or hal westerdam.

[FlorenceItaly]

I've sailed on the Mariner, and also the Zuiderdam and Oosterdam(sister ships to Westerdam). If you can tell me a little about yourself and those you would be traveling with, and what other cruiselines you've been on, maybe I can help.

 

 

 

Marie

[O2B@C]

I agree, it depends a lot on your personal preferences and priorities. Try reading some of the member reviews of both ships, and searching for posts about them on the boards. Read these materials with an eye to comparing what seems to matter to the reviewer, versus what matters to you.

 

Also, your question is really too vague and general to elicit helpful answers. If you could narrow it down a bit - e.g., which has better food, or bigger cabins, or more sports facilities - that might help people give you the information you are looking for.

[Charliesmom]

I've been on the Westerdam, but not the Mariner. I'll give you MY take.

 

First, I think that, in general, the Royal Caribbean experience is livelier than the Holland America experience. If you have children or like a lot of hoopla - go with Royal Caribbean.

 

If you like sophistication, good food, live music and fewer children on board, go with HAL.

 

Other things to consider: Mariner is an older ship. Westerdam is just a few years old. In general, HAL ships have larger cabins than other lines.

 

HAL is a classier experience. However, I think it would be a terrible experience for teen-agers. RCCL does a good job with kids and teenagers. I think I would go on the Voyager class, though. Those ships are bigger and have many more kinds of entertainment. The new Freedom of the Seas, I hear, is a great experience if you have kids. For me, it would not be a pleasant experience. I like a quieter life.

 

My kids and grandchildren love RCCL - they have skating rinks and rock climbing walls and parades down the middle of the ship.

 

My two cents - Roberta