HAL, Westerdam A/C problem?

[BobofArizona]

I've been so discouraged to read of the A/C problems on the Volendam, Maasdam, Veendam that we have changed our minds about taking a January cruise on one of these ships. That leaves the Westerdam in the Caribbean as an option. There are some good reports from this ship, but does anyone know if there are A/C problems on this ship as well? We love HAL but unfortunately, poor performing A/C will be a deal breaker for us.

 

I sure hope HAL figures out some way to solve these systemic problems soon.

[hammybee]

Bob,

 

It's my belief that there is at least one cabin on every ship, every cruise line, every day, that experiences an AC or plumbing problem. I believe this is true regardless if the ship is brand new or 40 years old. It's the nature of the sailing beast.

 

The important thing to note is that not every cabin is impacted. And we all hope it's not going to be our cabin.

 

Having said this, it sure does seem as though the non- Vista class ships have had more than their fair share of issues, lately.

 

I do not recall reading any similar reports about the Westerdam.

[Priscilla Cat]

My husband and I were on the Westerdam in February to the Southern Caribbean. We had no problem with the air conditioning at all in any of the areas of the ship. My husband likes his air conditioning cold and he was satisfied. I would sail on the Westerdam again in a heartbeat.

[Solo Cruiser]

There was a lady in the elevator one evening complaining that her cabin AC did not work and that nobody did anything about it. Ok, hotel rooms, offices, homes all experience difficulties with heating and cooling now and again but I can't believe that she reported it and nobody came to fix it. She also said that she didn't have a thermostat in her room so I didn't give much weight to her complaints. ALL the cabins have thermostats and mine kept my cabin pretty chilly (which I like). The same lady complained that there wasn't enough food in a serving and when I suggested she asked for another serving she turned on me and said, "what do you think I want to look like a pig?" I bit my lip but the retort was there "why not you sound like one already." Discretion it seems is the better part of travel as well as valor. :D

[hammybee]

There was a lady in the elevator one evening complaining that her cabin AC did not work and that nobody did anything about it. Ok, hotel rooms, offices, homes all experience difficulties with heating and cooling now and again but I can't believe that she reported it and nobody came to fix it. She also said that she didn't have a thermostat in her room so I didn't give much weight to her complaints. ALL the cabins have thermostats and mine kept my cabin pretty chilly (which I like). The same lady complained that there wasn't enough food in a serving and when I suggested she asked for another serving she turned on me and said, "what do you think I want to look like a pig?" I bit my lip but the retort was there "why not you sound like one already." Discretion it seems is the better part of travel as well as valor. :D

 

This lady, her sister and brother are on every cruise.:D

[MHS4]

Apparently there were some AC problems, but none that affected me or that I noticed in either the public rooms or my stateroom. I heard someone mention that 1 of the 4 AC master units was having a problem, but thought nothing of it, not noticing any extreme stuffy-hot or frigid air inside.

 

But then one afternoon a 2-man crew knocked on my door & asked to come in to check the AC. They took readings in a number of locations about the cabin & asked me if I was having a problem since I had requested an extra blanket. Explained to them that I like to take an afternoon nap (which they were delaying, but I wasn't rude -- didn't mention that to them) with a blanket tossed over me rather than disturb the made-up bed. They decided everything was fine & left.

 

From this I presume that (a) there were problems someone reported & (b) they were checking AC performance & © would at least attempt to correct any discovered problems.

 

Personally, I would go & not be concerned.

[molly361]

This lady, her sister and brother are on every cruise.:D

 

And I think that I have met them on every cruise I have been on:p !!!

[betonic]

We were on the Westerdam last month and had no problem with the AC.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We were on the Maasdam in Feb/Mar and again in August - no plumbing problems - no air conditioning problems.

[Desdemona01]

people need to remember, also, that when someone ties their verandah door open to get fresh air, they are adversely affecting the A/C for many people in the area of their cabin. Sometimes it's not the fault of the A/C system at all.

[Brown Eyed Gurl]

This is what we've found, if you have a window or verandah, your room will be much warmer than an inside room.

We had an inside room on the Westerdam earlier this year and it was incredibly cold, and I have a tendency to get hot very easily! We turned off our air many times.

[RuthC]

This is what we've found, if you have a window or verandah, your room will be much warmer than an inside room.

Yikes! :eek: Well that certainly scares the bejeebers out of me. My last two cabins---both insides---were unbearably hot.

The Noordam cabin was finally fixed sufficiently that I could stand it (getting a fever that caused chills also helped). The Prinsendam cabin never was fixed. I gave up the fight on that one and just used the top sheet with no blanket.

Wonder how the E-dam will be? :confused:

[Cruising Illini]

We have been paying LARGE amounts for our suites and certainly expect to have a comfortable temperature in our room. The Veendam on Oct. 13 from Canada was a disaster both with the Heat (at first) and then Air when more southerly. Have not had similar problems on the Amsterdam or Rotterdam.

[Spoely]

people need to remember, also, that when someone ties their verandah door open to get fresh air, they are adversely affecting the A/C for many people in the area of their cabin. Sometimes it's not the fault of the A/C system at all.

 

Amen, Desdemona, Amen!! If you need fresh air, either go sit on your verandah or go to a public, open area. But please, oh please, don't tie your verandah door open. Doing that disrupts the a/c for who knows how many cabins! :rolleyes:

 

Cheers,

Karen

[paradisegal]

We were on Westerdam last week............our cabin was FREEZING thanks to dh except for the last night, it did get warmer for some reason but it wasnt hot and was still comfortable.

[superdee]

I met the lady that complained about the air and the food last year on the Veendam. My wife is the fussiest dam eater in the whole world and as luck would have it one of our table mates was the same way. Instead of complaing they just asked for chicken or steak a plain salad and they bent over backwards for them. I mean literally stood on their heads. Their service was exceptional. Our air-conditioning was really cold at the start (perfect for the spouse) and I got her talked into adjusting it a touch warmer so we could have a happy medium. If I would have tied the balcony door open she would have slapped me silly because she doesn't like the house or her room hot. Nobody complained about the food or the AC exept this one lady and what a pain in the arse she was. It seemed like everytime I went to get a coffee or a water she stalked me. The other half thought I was making it up until she got cornered by her 2 or 3 times. Is it against cruising etiquitte to request to the Captain to through another passenger overboard. Maybe they could through in the lounge legend as well. What an ignorant sob and I would have told him so. Let the games begin!!! We're going on the Westy in December and there is no way people like this will ruin my trip.

[kanigeta]

I was on the Westerdam last month, when we did a TA crossing at the end of a 16-day Western Med cruise. What I can say is that in my cabin, the thermostat seemed to work fine but the ventilation system was too noisy for my liking. It took a few nights to get used to the fact that it never turned off - ever. Front desk told me that's just how their system works. In the public rooms I was fine but I tend to be warm when others are cold. I heard lots of complaints about how cold the dining rooms were, especially those were relayed to crew members during our CC meet & mingle, and everyone else at my dining room table was always cold, but learned to dress for it after a couple nights.

[Jade13]

The air con worked so well on the Westerdam, that I had to wear a sweater in all public areas of the ship. We live in an old home with no central air and I like it that way. DH and I purchased HAL sweatshirts since he did not bring any sweatshirt or sweater on the ship. Another couple, two guys from NY, walked around complaining all week with at least 3 sweaters layered on their shoulders and said they were feezing and had complained every day and were so cold they wanted to go home. Hope this helps!

[hammybee]

The air con worked so well on the Westerdam, that I had to wear a sweater in all public areas of the ship. We live in an old home with no central air and I like it that way. DH and I purchased HAL sweatshirts since he did not bring any sweatshirt or sweater on the ship. Another couple, two guys from NY, walked around complaining all week with at least 3 sweaters layered on their shoulders and said they were feezing and had complained every day and were so cold they wanted to go home. Hope this helps!

 

This sounds like office life. :) There is no way to please everyone, so half the people are almost always uncomfortable. I know of no way to solve this.