3rd Time HAL Cruisers
Westerdam Cruise Review to Panama Canal, Central America
19 Night Panama Canal Eastbound (San Diego To Ft. Lauderdale)
Sail date: March 11, 2017
Ship: Westerdam
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 7 years ago
Review summary
The Westerdam was showing its age. However, the onboard personnel were excellent. They always greeted you with a smile and made you feel like family. The Pinnacle Grill was awesome. Both the food and service were exceptional. The other early dining option was very good with very friendly servers. The Lido dining was always very crowded and hard to find a place to sit. Food, except for breakfast was just OK. Breakfast, other than the masses of passengers, was very good.
The room stewards were always on hand and made us feel welcome. When we noticed the sinks and the shower drains were running very slow, we called and that day a plumber showed up to clean the yucky old hair out of the drains.
One of our sink faucets had a slow leak and the steward noted that was already documented and was geared to be fixed during the upcoming dry-dock in April. The air conditioning unit was not operating for at least 15 cabins on our deck. It took them a better part of a week to put in a temporary fix. . . They apologized and gave us a complimentary diner at the Pinnacle Grill.
The Crows Nest was always very crowded and hard to find a seat for four.
When our laundry was returned, they miscounted a pajama top for a tee shirt and thus we missed an item of clothing from our inventory. The best they could to accommodate the missing item was to provide us with a claim form. Still waiting for the results of that visit.
HAL still is a for-profit organization. Everything you want to do, they "nickel and dime" you to pieces. Be prepared for that. For example, you have to pay for Wi-Fi usage where other cruise providers complimentary Wi-Fi is included. Every turn, there is a 15% gratuity above their pricy drinks and services.
Tours were just that, tours. Don't expect a lot and that's what you'll get. Don't expect too much.
Noting all of the defects of this trip, the pluses outweighed the negatives and yes, we will most likely take another HAL cruise someday.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Children's Programs
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
Don't expect too much from the shore excursions. Pricy, and basically you get what you pay for.
Ports of call
Exit Panama Canal At Cristobal
Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida