Beautiful Cruise, Clean Ship
Westerdam Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage
7 Night Alaskan Explorer With Glacier Bay (Seattle Roundtrip)
Sail date: June 08, 2013
Ship: Westerdam
Cabin type: Balcony
Traveled as: Family (young children)
Reviewed: 11 years ago
Review summary
Overall, the cruise was beautiful! We had sunny weather most days, even in Glacier Bay. The first full day of cruising was at sea, and it was really rough. If you get motion-sick, prepare yourself with Bonine, get up early and get out of your room and get to the Lido deck for some light food. Other than that first day, the waters were pretty smooth sailing. If you are a gluten free passenger, they do have gluten free food, but each area handles it different, and it can be a pain. The best thing to do is go to each dining are you will be participating in and talk to someone in charge. In the Lido, look for the chefs with the tall hats. If you do this early on, it will save you a lot of time, and you will get to enjoy more foods. In Juneau, we really enjoyed the $8 roundtrip bus ride to Mendenhall Glacier. Great way to spend the afternoon. In Sitka, we walked the city street and looked in the shops. In Ketchikan, we shopped. Tongass Tradiing is worth saving your buying dollars for. Up the road from the ships is the Salmon Market - we got a great deal on salmon. A must stop. Further up that road you can go to the bridge that runs over a river thru town. Very picturesque. It almost always rains in Ketchikan. Our favorite tho, was Glacier Bay. Get up early and eat and go up top. Dress in layers and be ready for all weather. Take your camera. The port side of the ship was best viewing. The glaciers are spectacular and not to be missed. It ends by 1:30, and then it is a leisurely cruise out of the bay. As for excursions - Don't buy a whale watching excursion. You will not see more than you will from the ship, and you will see whales from the ship. Pull up a chair by the window on the Lido Deck, or the Crows Nest, or just hang out at the rail on deck. Watch for the "blow" of spray, and then they will surface. Rarely do they fully breach, but you will see tales and backs and once in a while... one does come up higher. And those porposes give you a great show too. If you are going to go to Alaska, Holland America is a clean ship, with a really caring crew. I would go again tomorrow if I could. Enjoy !Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Children's Programs
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
Lido had the best dining.