Fabulous vacation
Westerdam Cruise Review to Alaska - Gulf of Alaska
7 Night Glacier Discovery Northbound (Vancouver To Seward)
Sail date: May 13, 2018
Ship: Westerdam
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 4021
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review summary
We really enjoyed our time on the Westerdam. The staff was friendly and courteous. Our cabin was much more spacious than we anticipated. As long as you don't go crazy with packing stuff there was plenty of storage. There are USB outlets (3) so we didn't need to extra plug adapter that we brought. The stage shows were nothing to write home about but the other entertainment was excellent. We really loved the Billboard on Board piano bar and were there just about every night. Food was great most of the time but be ok with waiting for the food in the dining room and the Pinnacle grill. The only real complaint was that they needed more wine stewards. I don't mind waiting for food if I have a glass of wine but waiting a long time for that can ruin the mood. The ship was in good shape and clean. Some of the decorations were not my taste but that is not the ships fault. One of the things I really liked was that even though the ship was full it rarely felt that way. The inside Lido buffet area would be crowded at meal time but just go outside by the pool (either with the roof in the middle of the ship or without in the back) and there were usually plenty of tables and chairs. That is where we ate most of the time. Lots of food options, as is expected, and it was always good. We had the Signature drink package included in our trip which was nice but I don't think I was have paid for it as I just don't think we could drink enough. (though we gave it the ol' college try). We had a balcony cabin but it was often too chilly to sit out there. Later in the summer I am sure it would be fine. Even so I would still opt for that. It is definitely an older crowd but that was fine with us. Ketchican and Skagway were great. Totem Blight Park was really nice and we just enjoyed walking around the town. We took the city bus to the park which only cost a few dollars and not much time. The city park next door (the name eludes me) was even nicer and it was free (there was a small fee for Totem Blight). The White Pass train in Skagway was fantastic. Took a helicopter to a glacier in Juneau which I would highly recommend. We used Coastal Helicopters which we booked separately. We had time for a second excursion in Juneau and I wish we had done a whale watching trip as everyone who did was raving about them. Glacier Bay was beautiful and Seward was nice as well. Definitely go to the Alaska Sea Life Center - amazing! All in all a great trip!Embarkation
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
If sailing out of Canada Place in Vancouver going to the port around 1:30 will get you through much quicker. If you are ok with waiting for your food the dining room has a great breakfast.
Ports of call
Vancouver (Canada Place), British Columbia