Wonderful trip

Westerdam Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 102

Overall rating:

5 out of 5
Verified Review
Westerdam

7 Night Alaskan Explorer With Glacier Bay (Seattle Roundtrip)

Sail date: July 23, 2016

Ship: Westerdam

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 7007

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

This was a wonderful trip for us.  We not only saw Seattle for the first time, (two days early), but the cruise provided a chance to see parts of the country we've never seen before.  The ship was good, not gigantic, and managed well.  It was clean and well kept, though a little tired looking.  Everyone was very friendly.  The balcony cabin was fine.  It did seem a bit small compared to ones we've been in on other cruise lines.  There was no bathroom exhaust fan, or one that didn't work.  There was a two-way lighted make-up mirror (with a switch) attached to the desk/ console that didn't work.  Storage was good.  Our cabin steward was wonderful.  The entertainment onboard was great.  We took two dance classes, and won at trivia many times receiving a pin for each win.  We were very impressed with the library (like a mini Barnes and Noble), as well as the librarian.  The cruise director, Sarah, was exceptional and all the staff were personable and engaging.  We didn't use the specialty restaurants, just the buffet and regular dining room.  Both were great.  The fitness room was well equipped but there should be more stationary bikes with backs.  The ship's layout was good.  It was easy to get around but we should have a small, handheld diagram of the ship instead of running over to the large diagram at the elevators every time we wanted to know where we were and how to get somewhere else. The signage for disembarking at a port could be improved.  Though announcements are made, they should be repeated, and more signs should tell us where the gangway is set up.  If the rugs in the elevators are changed daily (for the days of the week), then exiting signs should be more visible.  The disembarking schedule at the end of the cruise was superbly handled.  This is the first time ever that we have exited on time, and so smoothly, compared to the two other cruise lines we've been on.  Excellent!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Children's Programs

does not apply

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
On the smaller side, with no bathroom exhaust fan. Desk make-up mirror's switch did not turn on light.

Ship tip

Take a look around, explore, and get to know the ship.

Ports of call

Seattle, Washington

5 out of 5

Juneau, Alaska

5 out of 5

Cruise Glacier Bay

5 out of 5

Sitka, Alaska

5 out of 5

Ketchikan, Alaska

5 out of 5

Victoria, British Columbia

5 out of 5
More time is needed in port. With an excursion, there was little time to look around.
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11 Comments

Gwbigdog    2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

GerryBCruisin    2 years ago

Thanks for taking the time to share your detailed review of the Westerdam.

WeCruiseToo    8 years ago

Thanks for the review!

giltbm    8 years ago

Which nights were the formal nights? We'll be in the ship next weekend. Thanks!

obrownski    8 years ago

We will be on her in 6 weeks Glad to see the good reviews!

eddiemac1    8 years ago

I had a blast on that dam ship!

poc    8 years ago

I'll be on the Westerdam in November. Thanks for the great review. I'm getting even more excited!

eddiemac1    8 years ago

It wasn't actually on the card, it was folded up in the holder they give you at check-in with your key cards

pnutshouse    8 years ago

We would have LOVED a map of the ship on our key card.  What a great idea.  Believe it or not, we needed a duplicate card key when one of our two stopped working!  Easy to fix, though.

eddiemac1    8 years ago

I was on westerdam in December and with my room key was a map of the ship

Joey483    8 years ago

Looks like you had a great time! Can't wait to go on her once again in a week and a half. Hope you had a great time!