Live from the Westerdam 4/13/08

[Zeta3]

Westerdam 4/13

 

Embarkation was a breeze as usual. We arrived around 11:45 and were on board by noon. We explored a little bit then grabbed some lunch in the lido. It was unusually difficult to get service from a bar water on the lido. Answers to questions people usually ask... Yes the Pools were open and according to the daily. Yes the dining room was open for lunch from noon-1pm. No we found no leftover beverage cards in our bible.

 

Our cabin is great and our steward is friendly and super efficient. Everything is clean, the bed is very comfy as always. I really like the flat panel TVs. Apparently there are lots of good connectors on it (I am not at all versed on A/V connections but my husband thinks folks will be interested) I will post a pic later for those of you who may be interested.

 

Went to the Club HAL Open House and registered our 5 yr old. There was a VERY new staff person running the Open House which was a little scary. She had no idea what the activities were for the evening (she also was pronouncing the names of all the other ships incorrectly) but she seemed very nice. There seem to be a lot of new staff on this sailing.

 

We met up with our fantastic Roll Call group in the Crow's Nest after the Muster Drill. I think nearly everybody showed up to say hello. We have been having a great time getting to know each other over the past several months. We have an Official HAL Meet & Greet on Wednesday so I will report on that later in the week.

 

Dinner was great, we ate in the Lido and really good prime rib. The tomato soup was delicious as well. We have AYW but it had been a long day and none of us felt like a longer dining room experience. I am sure we will eventually make it to the dining room.

 

We headed to the pool for a swim around 7. It was nice to enjoy the nearly empty pool area in the evening. They had the roof closed so it was a little steamy.

 

I journeyed to the casino around 8 and found it to be moderately full. I promptly lost some cash at the roulette table and headed over to play some slots. There was plenty of casino staff on hand to explain the new system where you can cash in/out with your room key and punch your card and give you a gambler’s bungie. The cashless system was quite convenient. This was another area where the lack of bar waiters was unusually evident.

 

I decided to make it an early night as tomorrow we land in Half Moon Cay. I want to be well rested to maximize my relaxation. :D

 

More later. If you have any questions, fire away and I will do my best.

[RosieRoo]

Thanks for posting your experiences. I do have a question that I have asked on other threads but have not gotten an answer to. We are booked in an aft Cat VA on deck 7 for our upcoming Westerdam cruise. There has been a lot of talk about the changes to the aft since the retrofit. If you could sneak a peek over the rail, I would be interested as to if these balconies are still larger than those on the sides of the ship and if they are open or covered. Thanks so much!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Who is the captain?

 

Who is the hotel manager?

 

Who is the cruise director?

[GmaPajama]

Thanks so much for posting Live, Julie. I just love reading these threads. Westerdam was our first HAL experience, and our one "perfect" cruise. Have a ball there!

[redroses27]

thank you also for posting we will be sailing on the westerdam 5-18, so totally different itinerary, but still always like to learn different peoples outloooks on the ship, have a great vacation

[Zesty Italian]

Thanks for offering to answer questions! I am particularly interested in your child's CLUB HAL experience. We are new to HAL and our 10 and 12 year olds will be in the program in Oct.. I would like to know what activities are available and if the kids are enjoying it. Are there many kids onboard? Are you doing a Western Car.? Have a great time!!

[mp006]

Do you know if the Flat Panel LCD televisions are in every stateroom?

[jerseygirl3]

I didn't get a peak at the aft verandah cabins, but all the cabins in the back of the ship looked larger, so I would think the V-category cabin balconies would also be larger (we were onboard Westerdam last week).

 

My niece and nephew (7 years old) went a couple of times to Club Hal. They seemed to enjoy it, but they weren't up there all that often. The activities seemed pretty much as they are on other ships (coloring, games, scavenger hunt, pirate games, pajama party, etc.).

 

The flat panel TV's are in all the staterooms. We also had a DVD player in our cabin (Cat. VD) as did my sister, in Cat. SA.

[caribbean girl]

Have fun on Westerdam!:) Nice ship, great crew... What stops will you be making? I hope you enjoy each one. Tell us what your favorites are. We really enjoyed Cozumel and Grand Cayman!:D

[Crusing Bob]

We are on the Westerdam in October and I understand they have raised the rates in the Spa. When you have time, would you mind letting me know what the charge is for the 50 minute Swedish massage.

Thanks,

Bob

[mickey52]

Thanks for posting live from the Westerdam, Julie. We had a wonderful time this past October when we sailed on her. Right now, my 83 year old mom (Louise) and a friend are in 7092 on the Rotterdam deck. Yesterday, she was pretty tired after a long flight and the check in process. If anyone sees her, tell her hi for me and let me know she has recovered from yesterday. I am sure she is having fun. This is a whole new experience for her.

Enjoy your cruise and the warm weather!

Cathy

[Zeta3]

Half Moon Cay 4/14

 

Got back from HMC and realized that my hard drive died on my laptop so now I am playing catch up.

 

HMC was gorgeous as ever, we had the Turquoise Cabana and were very glad that we did as there was fairly heavy rain during the latter half of the morning. The sun came out around 11:30 and the rest of the day was fantastic. We had the purple and peach cabanas in December on the Zuiderdam so we knew what to expect, or so we thought... (I tend to make comparisons between my two HAL cruises, please don't think of any of these as complains, just differences. Most of which are pretty amusing.) So we get to our cabana at 9:15, it was supposed to be ready at 9 but they were still delivering he snacks. No problem. So the snacks arrive and we were excited o be receiving our chips and salsa, guacamole and sour cream along with our sliced fruit and crudite platers. Well the chip basket was tiny and filled with crumbs, no crudite and we carefully lifted the cover off of our "Sliced fruit platter" and revealed... the cutest little fruit design you ever did see. Clearly not enough for 3 people but artfully spread across the dinner plate it arrived on. We also did not receive any snorkling gear. We really didn't care about the missing/small items but I mention them because others who are expecting the full deal may have been quite disappointed.

 

Tonight was formal night #1 we dined in the Lido in what we have now termed "Formal Light" wear. Definitely presentable enough and in accordance with the dress code for public areas but still comfortable and not lavish. We saw people in everything from Tuxedos to shorts and t-shirts. About the usual mix of attire.

 

Casino tonight was again fairly dull and still lacking in bar service. It has become a running joke amongst some of the regular casino goers, we started taking turns getting each other drink from the sports bar while the rest guarded our spots. Hey at least people are making friends right? Some people seem very opposed to the new cashless slot system and are being quite rude to the casino staff who for the most part are taking it in stride. I have heard lots of conspiracy theories regarding the new system. Perhaps I shall bring my tin foil helmet to pass around to those who are so highly concerned about "The MAN."

[Zeta3]

Grand Turk today was great. Just for kicks we rented one of the poolside cabanas and we ended up quite happy that we did. With just the Westerdam in port there was plenty of room around the pool but it was darn hot and the ability to rest and dine under the fan inside the cabana or in the shade of the breezy porch was quite nice. The bar and food service was excellent and the quality as good as can be expected from Margaritaville. We have plans to eat in the dining room this evening so I will post more later.

 

Q & A

 

Who is the Captain? Captain Henk Keijer

 

Who is the Hotel Manager? I need to figure this one out and report back.

 

Who is the Cruise Director? Jason Venner

 

How is Club HAL? I have been really disappointed with Club HAL. I am not sure if it new staff or what but it has been very disorganized. Whenever I have been in the room the staff seems either very confused or very overwhelmed and there haven't been more than 8 kids when I have been inside. For example, tonight they are scheduled to take the kids to the illusionist show in the Vista Lounge, everybody else in the Vista Lounge will be watching Joel Mason so I'm not really sure how that is supposed to work out.

 

I think the question about the aft balconies and flat panel TVs were already answered.

[frodo63]

Hotel manager is Ronald Bontenbal

[Crusing Bob]

Grand Turk today was great. Just for kicks we rented one of the poolside cabanas and we ended up quite happy that we did. With just the Westerdam in port there was plenty of room around the pool but it was darn hot and the ability to rest and dine under the fan inside the cabana or in the shade of the breezy porch was quite nice. The bar and food service was excellent and the quality as good as can be expected from Margaritaville. We have plans to eat in the dining room this evening so I will post more later.

 

Q & A

 

Who is the Captain? Captain Henk Keijer

 

Who is the Hotel Manager? I need to figure this one out and report back.

 

Who is the Cruise Director? Jason Venner

 

How is Club HAL? I have been really disappointed with Club HAL. I am not sure if it new staff or what but it has been very disorganized. Whenever I have been in the room the staff seems either very confused or very overwhelmed and there haven't been more than 8 kids when I have been inside. For example, tonight they are scheduled to take the kids to the illusionist show in the Vista Lounge, everybody else in the Vista Lounge will be watching Joel Mason so I'm not really sure how that is supposed to work out.

 

I think the question about the aft balconies and flat panel TVs were already answered.

 

 

Julie-did you happen to check the 50 minute massage pricing?

Thanks,

Bob

[Zeta3]

AYW dinner in the dining room was nice. We went around 6:30 and had no wait for a table for 3. Dinner service was excellent, prompt but not rushed. I have heard that later dining times and tables for 2 have been a problem. Apparently the late sittings both AYW and traditional have been 2+ hour dining affairs. The food has been really good this cruise. Chef Rudi is on board so that may have something to do with it but everything has been outstanding.

 

Our 1st Day at Sea was nice and relaxing. I attended mixology which is always fun although the party planner was kind of goofy and she took a lot of heckling. This was the 2nd formal night and we dined in the Lido again.

 

We had our Cruise Critic get together in the Crows Nest and most of us showed. The Captain and Hotel Manager, Ronald Botenbal, joined us for about 30 minutes and very graciously answered questions and entertained photos.

 

Grand Cayman was pretty crowded. We decided do the HAL sponsored Island heritage Tour which was actually very nice. We toured Pedro St James and the Botanical Gardens. We got to see a big Blue Iguana up close which was pretty neat.

 

Today is our las day at sea. I didn't do much but relax by the pool and ate way too much. Soon we will finish packing and get ready for the journey home.

 

We did an open booking since I think I need to do more cruising to get beter at this Live business. ;-)

 

The 50 minute Swedish Massage is $119

[Zeta3]

Cathy,

 

Your Mom says that everything is fine and she will be glad to get home. Its been hard for old people. They keep getting lost. They got to breakfast too late and it was all closed up. Read, read, read.

 

Love, Mom

[alonzo14]

RosieRoo: To further answer your question concening the aft VA balconies. Yes they are still bigger than the ones on the side of the ship. The ones on deck 7 are completely uncovered. Have a great trip!!!

[Crusing Bob]

Thanks for letting me know the Spa charge. It used to be a $20 savings as a pre-ordered gift but now it's the same as onboard.

Thanks again,

Bob

[mickey52]

Thanks so much for checking on my mom. I understand now that she was fine but her friend was a bit confused. I told her if she had taken me I would have taken care of her!!:) I am sure she will be glad to be home.

Thanks again, Julie.

Cathy

[Zeta3]

Along with our regular guest comment card we also received a smoking survey. The survey basically asked if we were smokers, would we still sail HAL if there was no smoking in cabins, on balconies, in public places or anyplace on the ship.

 

Has anybody else seen that survey? We did not get this one in December.

[NHCruisr]

We received a smoking survery on our April 6-13 Westerdam cruise. I'm pleased that HAL is thinking about this issue!

[wdw1972]

I also received it on my April 6-13 Veendam cruise. I filled it out, ensuring them that I'd love to see the ships banning smoking indoors and most of outdoors.

 

Sue/WDW1972

Westerdam 1/11/09

[Zesty Italian]

Julie, sorry I didn't see your answer about club HAL. Thank you. I am sorry you weren't having a good experience in that regard. Did it get better?

[Zeta3]

Club HAL stayed pretty bad at least for the youngest ones. The staff didn't really seem to even like kids. Not a huge deal for us because our daughter likes to spend time with us and there were plenty of things for us to do together but it would have been nice to have a couple adult evenings.