Japan - Fantastic Country to Visit

Westerdam Cruise Review to Other (Asia/Africa/Middle East)

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 20

Overall rating:

4 out of 5
Verified Review
Westerdam

28 Night Japan Explorer & Discovery Collector (Yokohama Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 30, 2024

Ship: Westerdam

Cabin number: 6033

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 6 months ago

Review summary

We had a fantastic time visiting Japan. It was an unforgettable experience visiting the country. The cruise itself was alright but not the best we have experienced in the past with Holland America.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Very easy to go through their process to board the ship.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
It took almost 2 hours to get through a meal at the main dining room! The Pinnacle Grill was good but they now charge $19 for the lobster which they did not do last year. The Lido Market had more varieties of food to choose from so we ate there more that the main dining room. We had the drink package which covers up to $11 a drink. The Pina Colada drink cost is $11.50 so it cost $.59 (18% service charge) each time it was ordered. Did not have that problem last year's cruise. We were charged an additional $10 each for every bus tour taken in Japan through the cruise line because which is another example of Holland America nickel and diming the passengers!

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
Used the gym and happy with the equipment.

Entertainment

3 out of 5
The entertainment was not the best we have seen on Holland America or other cruise lines. The dancers and singers were good but the guest comedians and magicians were bad!

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
The ship's personnel was excellent! The waiters, bartenders, and room stewards were the best - friendly, polite, remembered guest names, etc.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5
The Westerdam is hopefully scheduled for dry dock this year. The ship is beautiful but the cabins need new carpets, updated bathrooms, etc.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5
The balcony door needed fixed which was reported on our first day by our room steward. It did not get fixed until 2 days before the cruise was over! The heating/air conditioning system never did get fixed. The bath sink was old looking and needs to be replaced. The size of the room is fine and the bed was comfortable. There is plenty of storage in the cabinets and closets.

Ports of call

Yokohama (Tokyo), Japan

5 out of 5

Kobe (Kyoto), Japan

5 out of 5

Kochi, Japan

5 out of 5

Hiroshima, Japan

5 out of 5

CRUISE KANMON STRAITS, JAPAN

3 out of 5

Busan (Pusan), South Korea

4 out of 5

Sakaiminato, Japan

2 out of 5

Toyama, Japan

5 out of 5

SAKATA, JAPAN

5 out of 5

Otaru (Sapporo), Japan

5 out of 5

Hakodate, Japan

5 out of 5

OMAEZAKI, JAPAN

5 out of 5

Fukuoka, Japan

5 out of 5

SOKCHO, SOUTH KOREA

3 out of 5

Kanazawa, Japan

5 out of 5

Aomori, Japan

5 out of 5

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
No problems once we finally found our luggage in the terminal.
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5 Comments

Sogmoore     3 months ago

Thanks for sharing

Gwbigdog     6 months ago

Thanks for sharing

javawoody     6 months ago

Appreciate the feedback

cruising2004     6 months ago

Wonderful itinerary! Thank you for your review.

HeavySeas     6 months ago

Thanks for sharing and glad you enjoyed your cruise