Nice cruise overall

Item: Westerdam
Rating: 3
Author: Kakalina

Westerdam Cruise Review to U.S. - Pacific, Northwest

Kakalina

Contributor Level: Second Mate

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 3

Helpful Votes: 128

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

Verified Review

1 Night Pacific Northwest (Seattle To Vancouver)

Sail date: September 26, 2015

Ship: Westerdam

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 4008

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 9 years ago

Review summary

This "repositioning" cruise was recommended by a friend, so we made this our first cruise on Holland America. The entertainment was outstanding--some of the best we have experienced on ANY line. And the staff was very friendly, helpful and efficient. The ship was clean, but is showing its age, and is in some need of repair and refurbishing. The veranda rooms are adequate, but they seem smaller than most on other lines. The food seemed pretty mundane. Beef dishes were very good, but other choices were pretty unimaginative. The layout for the Lido buffet was awkward, and downright risky when faced with numbers of people in walkers, scooters and wheelchairs--not laid out well. Even the recorded voice in the elevators sounded bored. (No kidding!) The cruise stops were interesting overall, but the quality of the shore excursions seemed to vary widely (WE lucked out, though). Overall, it was a pleasant cruise, with unbelievably smooth seas and good service. We did notice that "hand cleaning" was not emphasized (or supported very well) at all, which may have led to a HUGE number of people getting sick on the long trip.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

It was nice to have a "Stitchers and Knitters" group every sea day and Afternoon Teas.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Outstanding!

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

There was a total of five children on board.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Outstanding! Friendly and helpful. Dwi and Anto--our room stewards--were great. Our dining room waiter Rudi was terrific.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

clean, but could use some work

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

The stateroom was pleasant enough, but a little squeezed in width. There was a hole in the veranda floor (outside of the door) where rust had eaten a hole, and the water drainage was poor. The panels between the verandas rattled loudly if there was much wind at all. It was an adequate cabin, but seems in need of refurbishing.

Ports of call

Seattle, Washington

5 out of 5

Vancouver (Canada Place), British Columbia

5 out of 5

2 Comments

Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

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Deejay43 9 years ago

Cleanliness-so many people just don't get it! There used to be a policy aboard HAL ships that restricted self-service in the Lido buffet for the first 48 hours to reduce the possibility of spreading illnesses. That was a good idea but it was not enforced on our last cruises aboard the Maasdam. I have seen men use a washroom, then leave

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