Some good, some bad

Westerdam Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage

murielowen

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 46

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Alaskan Explorer With Glacier Bay (Seattle Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 17, 2014

Ship: Westerdam

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 1059

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 10 years ago

Review summary

The ship and the ports nice, but we had some negative experiences also. On Thursday night, after leaving Ketchican for the open seas en route to Victoria, B.C., a severe storm came up. The Captain announced something over the P.A and put out a note saying sea sickness pills were available, but did not say that they needed to taken before the storm started to be effective. Our adult son, who accompanied us did not know this, and became very ill with repeated vomiting and a severe headache. He took the pills, but too late. I called the front desk and they sent a nurse who gave him a shot, which didn't help much, and Gatorade powder, which was unuable, since we had no way to reconstitute it, and a bottle of hand sanitizer which was billed for $97.50. I believe that they should have covered this cost, since our son did not know that he needed to get the pills before the storm came up. It lasted 12 hours, which he described as "the worst night of his life".

The shore excursions were overpriced and the girl representing the shops at the ports was very aggressive and really pushed the shops, making it sound like a great bargain. I felt we were being manipulated to buy the merchandise which Holland-American would get the profits. Also, the evening entertainment was very disappointing. In the past, there have been different acts which were very entertaining. This was a dance group with a hard rock sound and nothing else. We tried it twice, and found them the same and of no interest to seniors.

also

At this time, the next time we cruise (and we have taken many cruises on different lines), we plan to take another company.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

The wait time in the main dining room was terrible. Some times it took almost 2 hours for a meal. The upper level buffet was crowded, tables were hard to find and the food was often cold.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Nt as many fun things as some other ships.

Entertainment

1 out of 5

We don't like just rock music with dancing.

Children's Programs

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Most of the staff were fine.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Nicely decorated.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Small. We had two windows, but not much room to get around.

Ship tip

The policy on using your laptop was terrible. The service was slow and VERY EXPENSIVE. Avoid it if possible. They seemed out to overcharge for everything.

Thumbs up