Amazing Alaska Land/Sea Adventue!
Westerdam Cruise Review to Alaska - Gulf of Alaska
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 1 cruise (first)
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 45
7 Night Glacier Discovery Northbound (Vancouver To Seward)
Sail date: September 02, 2018
Ship: Westerdam
Cabin type: Balcony
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 6 years ago
Review summary
This was our first cruise and it was amazing! The Westerdam was perfect for us...relaxed, comfy, classy, good food and fun. The weather was great in the 60s and 70s (except Glacier Bay day and morning/evening at Denali, it is Alaska😉 ), clear, and no rain. We saw an unbelievable amount and variety of wildlife from the ship and in Denali (whales, orcas, Dolphins, more whales, bears moose, wolves, caribou, whales, sea otters, seals, dal sheep, seabirds, puffins, swans, did I mention whales☺️), ! We even saw 3 wolves right in front of our bus! Also unusual were beluga whales and puffins. We saw A huge calving of a glacier, road 2 trains, saw all of Mt. Denali from Anchorage all the way up to Denali, in the park all day, and all the way from Denali back to Anchorage the next day from the train, plus we saw the northern lights! We were pampered from beginning to end. Loved the Westerdam, loved cruising, loved Alaska! I think our McKinley Explorer guide with 10 years experience said it best when he said that the beautiful day on the train that we were experiencing was a picture postcard day, but for the first time in 10 years, he would describe our land/sea adventure as not just a postcard but an entire perfect picture brochure vacation😄 And it was😍Embarkation
For our first cruise ever, staying right on Canada Place at The Pan Pacific was a great choice. It is not only beautiful but our package included a yummy breakfast and they picked up our luggage and took it to the ship and that was a breeze. Best of all the views of the ships allowed us to watch the Nieuw Amsterdam sal way and we also got to see the Westerdam sail in. So exciting! We just had to go downstairs to check in and it was fast and easy. By 11:30 we were onboard and enjoying lunch. The first day lunch at the lido was very good, especially the desserts😊 They announced that rooms were ready during lunch so we went to check them out. We got on so early that we had time to explore the ship, make dinner reservations, take a spa tour, and unpack before muster drill. We had a perfect view for sail away from our balcony.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
The buffet and main dining room were excellent on the first day. I enjoyed the appetizers and desserts on the other days but the entrees were just ok. I was excited about the lobster night but it really wasn't good🙁 My husband liked the steak that night but not on other nights. The night when they highlighted all the chefs was the worst.
The dining experience was excellent! I really enjoyed being pampered and trying new things...especially ordering multiple desserts🤗 We had anytime dining and that worked well for us. We made reservations most nights but didn't wait at all when we didn't. We were a table of 4 and whenever we asked they gave us a table with a water view. It was a beautiful setting. Especially enjoyed seeing whales while dining 🤗
We went to breakfast in the dining room once but preferred the buffet. We mostly did the buffet for lunch too but also tried the taco bar and the dive in burgers, hotdogs , and fries which are excellent (but long wait for burgers). Enjoyed wine at dinner, but not being big drinkers it was nice to buy a bottle that they save for you to drink later. We got a sail away drink, it was ok. They gallery bar had a good selection of bourbons for my husband and he got to try a new one which he loved.
Onboard Activities
Good variety and enough to keep us busy. Loved all the naturalist talks! Ryan was enthusiastic and I learned a lot....we saw so much wildlife!! We saw whales daily and often multiple times. We saw humpbacks, orcas, Dolphins, seals, the cutest sea otters , bears, sheep, puffins, and other sea birds!
I really enjoyed the art tour. Would have liked to get to more art activities.
We got the thermal spa pass and enjoyed the heated loungers with great views(saw whales from there too several times!), the steam rooms, and the hydro pool.
Entertainment
The stage shows were fun and cast of young performers enthusiastic. Enjoyed the comedian and magician too. My favorite was the BB King lounge. We also liked the Lincoln Center performance. We watched some of the billboard piano singers, my friend lived them.
Service and Staff
We were pampered and we loved it!!
Ship Quality
Loved the look and feel of ship. Comfortable, classy , and clean! Liked the size too.
Cabin / Stateroom
Perfect. Our steward, Sabawa , took really good care of us❤️ The balcony was a special treat. Enjoyed mornings , evenings, and sailing in/out of ports.
Ship tip
Enjoy the crows nest, relax on comfy chairs and watch for whales....and go wherever the naturalist is speaking ( usually outside on deck 10)!
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
Vancouver (Canada Place), British Columbia
A lovely port, only wish we would have come earlier, needs 2 days earlier or more. Canada Place is great to watch ship sail in and out. Pan Pacific Hotel is convenient and beautiful stay (expensive but we felt worth it). Mass at Holy Rosary Cathedral was walking distance for us. Dinner at Steam Works had a nice view, good food, and was close by for us.
Nice port...wish we had more time here to explore more. Did HAL tour of town and Totem Bight. Walked up Creek Street to the salmon ladder. Did some shopping.
Rented a car. Went to Mendenhal Glacier in the morning and hiked to Nugget Falls and went to visitors center. Heard from other travelers that they saw the momma bear and two cubs down the trail to salmon run by the parking lot.
We enjoyed the entertainment and lunch at The Red Dog Saloon.
Drove out to St. Therese Shrine, pretty views, and saw an eagle in the trees. Then walked around and shopped.
We loved the luxery car on White Pass Train! Well worth extra money! Only 14 passenger (vs 50), really comfy seats, personal guide, great food and drinks, a large uncrowded platform, plus you are first car up and last car back for extra special views.
Went into town to the visitors center, had a flight of beer at the new brewery , shopped, got some good pictures , and met Tlingit from Juneau carving soapstone and spoke with him about his art and purchased a seal from him.
Ship arrived in Seward and we got on a coach for Denali. We spent last evening and next day in Anchorage. We stayed at the Westmark which was OK, it did have a harbor view and was convenient to walking around town. We had a good dinner at The 49th State Brewery. The next morning we slept in and packed. We had a really good breakfast at Snow City Cafe. We walked to a small park. Then we did some shopping , stopped at visitors center, and spent the rest of the afternoon in the Federal Building watching films on Alaska ( nature, wildlife,volcano, earthquake) and listened to a park ranger talk. We walked back to our hotel, got on our transfer bus to the airport and a short ride later we were at the airport, then on our way home.
Great views flying out of Anchorage, even saw northern lights on flight home!
Disembarkation
Traveler Photos
