Westerdam Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Cruising on the Holland America Westerdam was very very easy. There are lots of activities all day, incl. history lectures about the ports of call, a spa, song-and-dance shows, a fantastic piano bar, and lots of other entertainment. The eating areas can get quite crowded during peak times, and the areas around the pools can get noisy (esp. the indoor pool). However, those inconveniences can be avoided if you figure out the right time (for you) to eat.

Decided to take this cruise at last minute and opted for an inside cabin - wanted it dark at night and intended to spend most of time away from cabin.

Pleased at size of cabin. Bed comfortable, showers hot.

We managed a good combination of privacy, conversation, activities and exercise.

Evening entertainment was fun and there was always plenty to do.

Boat did not seem crowded. Short lines at times at buffet, but not if postponed meal times by 30 minutes. Waiter service in dining rooms was prompt and courteous.

All staff professional, helpful.

The best cruise to take and the best cruise line to take is HAL.  The food the entertainments the staff all excellent.  We had a balcony room and if you are taking this cruise to Alaska definitely look into the balcony room. There is nothing like sitting on your balcony sipping coffee and looking at a glacier in your bathrobe.

A cruise on one of Holland America's Ships is always Excellent. I rate them excellent because they are always "trying" to do the best. Kind, friendly, hard working people trying to make our cruise enjoyable.

Cabins very small.  Will look more carefully at Cabin size in future.  Captains announcements difficult to understand, may be accent or speed of taking. Easy to hear tour director.  No speaker in room. 

     Departure times shortened in each port.  Either give me the actual hours in printed materials or acknowledge that boarding is thru that time not 45 minutes before.

   On board staff very good workers, always indicating desire to make you happy.

Overall a very pleasant cruise. The only negative is not enough time off the ship. We always seemed rushed in port. Also, it would be nice to know about best walking routes at each port.

I have been to several cruises before, but this ranks at the bottom of all The only satisfactory thing is food.Service was not great.I will think twice before I advise anybody.

A wonderful expierence of a place I have read about for many years. Whales, eagles, otters, mountains, totem poles and green forests. It was a unique cruise to a hidden gem in America. We loved it and hope to return to Alaska in the future.

We enjoyed the Westerdam and found our stateroom very comfortable and our two attendants named Wulan and Kamal were the best we ever had in our seven cruises that we have taken. We enjoyed the food and entertainment and the shipboard personnel.

I wish that more time was alocated to time in the ports of Ketchikan and Victoria because if you took an excursion there was not enough time to see the port city.

I was very happy with cruising on the Westerdam and with the excursions that I took.  The irritations came from when it was like pulling teeth to get my bonus cashback for using my credit card.  I finally got it, but should not have had to fight for it.

My favorite part of the cruise was the entertainment and activities offered. The Westerdam dancers were extremely talented and very entertaining! The piano bar performer, Anna, was also extremely talented and enjoyable to listen to. The BB King band and singers were great with music to dance to. The pianist and violinist were enjoyable to listen to. The Greenhouse Spa was relaxing with massages for my husband and myself. The staff was so friendly and accommodating. I would recommend this cruise to others. 

our stateroom and attendant were excellent, food was good, staff was friendly and helpful, lots of good activities, only slight downside was finding place to sit for eating

The crew was wonderful and spoiled us at every turn. The food was good and dining in the dining room was elegant. Loved the gala nights with everyone dressed up. The ship is just beautiful. Gorgeous art work everywhere. Brass and beautiful wood. Elegance of the old days. Had fun in B.B. King's Blues Bar; we danced the nights away. Be cautious, the mixed drinks aboard are sneaky powerful. This is not the high energy whirlwind you may expect on the mega ships but it was just what I dreamed a cruise would be.

You can't blame the cruise line for the weather, but it rained everyday and was cold, that was the worst part.

Getting on the ship quick and easy no long lines like other cruise lines we've been on.

The good, the balcony rooms were spacious, and kept up very well. The room Steward attentive and friendly. Overall the ship was in good shape for it's age.

The mediocre, the food with the exception of breakfast was okay. The buffet  need a better selection mainly for lunch. How much pasta and asian food can you eat in one week. Spice it up a little, try some Italian, or Polish, or German type foods. There is more to Italian than pasta. The dining room in the evening was good a couple of nights, great a couple of nights, and down right bad a couple of nights. The staff was friendly and helpful in the dining room so it helped the evening.

The bad, no interaction from the cruise staff. Normally the cruise director staff try's to get the guest involved in activities, not on Holland, 2 activities, one ping pong, and the other a chipping contest. Very little trivia, no bingo (come on bingo is a main stay of cruising), no contest to try and get people excited about being on a cruise.

The entertainment was okay nothing to write home about. The casino was what you'd expect on a cruise. 

The ports were okay but with the exception of Juneau, not much time in any of them. But the ports were typical, jewelry stores, T shirt stores, and local merchandise. The tours were expensive, but we did do the whale watching and glacier tour, well worth that money.

Getting off at the end of the cruise was a breeze no issues what so ever.

To sum it up, it was very relaxing. Holland try's but they need to start doing some up dates. Overall 3 stars!

We loved our Alaska cruise on the Westerdam! The boat is pretty standard for Holland America, so you'll be able to learn it quickly. We had a nice balcony cabin, which was particularly great for Glacier Bay and when we were coming in to Victoria. Many of the other days were overcast and breezy, so less fun to be on the balcony, but there were lots of other great places on the boat where you could enjoy the view from inside - highly recommend Explorations at Crows Nest for great coffee and views, and the Pinnacle Bar is a great place to read and have a view during the day. We LOVED the Taku Mountain Glacier Float Plan Excursion in Juneau. The flight over the glaciers gives incredible perspective, the salmon is amazing and you'll likely see a bear when you're there! We also really enjoyed the Wilderness Exploration and Crab Feast at George Inlet Lodge in Ketchikan. We saw eagles, beautiful scenery and pulled up a crab pot, then the fun begins at the crab feast. You'll be able to get full on amazing Dungeness crab! So delicious and it just keeps coming! We arrived almost 3 hours late in Victoria (this is not uncommon), so we had time to see Parliament and go to the Empress Hotel. We stopped in at the Empress Bar and had a great view of the harbor with our cocktails and charcuterie.

If you're looking for an on-board splurge, definitely try to make a reservation for Cirque night at Pinnacle and a regular night at Pinnacle. The food is much better than the Main Dining Room, the service is delightful and it's a much more nicely paced, relaxing, romantic meal. 

Enjoy the pea soup on deck in Glacier Bay. It's a fun Holland tradition! And make sure to enjoy afternoon tea in the dining room. It's such a civilized experience.

If you are looking for a cruise to relax and unwind this cruise is for you. The accommodations, food and service was excellent. The sights of Alaska are breathtaking. I highly recommend going. 

Our favorite part are the visiting several cities in AK & also Victoria (excursions).

The least favorite is the food/food service. Food wasn't warm enough to our expectations. Lots of passengers got sick maybe because of contamination, not sure. Otherwise, all's well.

beautiful sceanery, good food and service. Would and have recommended the cruise to everyone. This has to be the best cruise destination we have ever taken

The size of the ship.  The staff was outstanding.  Wish the food places or at least some would stay open longer.  The ports of call and Glacier Bay were outstanding.

We booked for the Neptune suite for our family of four. Generally speaking the stateroom is good except in two areas:

1. The sofa bed is in terrible condition. It sagged in badly causing back pain.

2. The separate shower stall is small and the water does not drain off quickly. We had to use the shower head in the bath tub.

Our service onboard went through the Neptune Lounge. The concierges there were great. The food on Holland America is not as good as our previous two cruises with Norwegian. The buffet restaurant, Lido, is not 100% self-service as a buffet restaurant should. People waited in line for the server to serve you. There are not many specialty restaurants and the only good one, Pinnacle Grill, charged $29 per person, which is not a "VALUE FOR MONEY".

We were supposed to get "Priority checkin" at the Seattle port. Neither the person processed our paper work at the checkin counter nor the person at the gate knew anything about it. We were give a group H card and grouped together with other non-suite guests.

We bought the following shore excursions all through Holland America.

1. Mendenhall Glacier and Tram at Juneau ($64.95) - The glacier was too far away to get a good look. You are going to see three groups of glaciers at the Glacier Bay National Park the next day. If you want to take the tram, you can buy a ticket for $25. I would rate this excursion as "NOT VALUE FOR MONEY".

2. Historic Sitka at Sitka ($50.95) - There is really not much to see at Sitka. No wonder a lot of cruise ships stopped coming here.

3. City Highlights, Totem.... ($29.95) - This is the most over-charged excursion. All it did was you get on a trolley and it takes you to see some totem poles.

I am very disappointed with the shore excursions we had. The activities did not fit the descriptions in the brochure. 

The check-in process should have been a clue as to the expected services from Holland Cruise Lines. I waited in a long line to get to another long line to board the ship. While in line, I listened to several passengers’ conversations about what they were going to eat after boarding the ship; I thought the food was going to be excellent. After starving through all the long lines, I found my traveling companion. We went to our cabin, called the front desk with concerns and went to the Lido Restaurant. We were happy to learn that roast beef was being served. After waiting in another long line we were told we had to wait for more roast beef. After waiting 15 minutes, another passenger asked a cook how much longer we had to wait for the roast beef. He was told, “they ran out of roast beef.”  We decided to try the Italian Restaurant until we were informed that they “ran out of pasta.”

For breakfast I decided to have an omelet and asked for shelled eggs. Several cooks told us that they did not have shelled eggs, only powdered eggs. I found it hard to believe that a cruise ship did not provide shelled eggs for its passengers and thought the problem was that of a language barrier. I went to customer service, asked to speak to the director of the ship and was told a manager was available. After insisting to speak to the ship director, John, the culinary director introduced himself. I asked him about my concerns with the Lido Restaurant “running” out of roast beef, the specialty Iranian Restaurant “running” out of pasta on day one, and asked why the ship did not provide shelled eggs for its passengers. I was flabbergasted when he stated, “We didn’t expect so many people to eat as soon as they boarded. We have a lot of first-time cruisers.” He went on to say that the ship had shelled eggs and he would speak to the cooks.

The next morning, I asked for an omelet and was told that the ship did not have shelled eggs. I spoke to the manager who also informed me that they did not have shelled eggs. I asked if I could purchase eggs at the next port, bring them onto the ship and to have the cook prepare them. I was informed that I could not bring eggs onto the ship. While walking back to the table, John approached me and asked if I was able to get the shelled eggs. I explained to him what happened, we walked back to the same manager, and, to my surprise, he brought out shelled eggs. Later in the week, one of the workers told me that it cost too much to make eggs “from chickens,” and they were told not to put them where the “passengers could see them because they would want them instead of the powdered eggs.”

Later in the week the Lido Restaurant severed lamb, which was either raw or overcooked. The lamb was so tough it was difficult to cut and impossible to swallow . . . another main meal salad.  We ate in the Vista Restaurant a couple of nights, which was better than the Lido Restaurant, but not by much, my travel companion had roast beef and vomited several times later in the evening. The food was not impressive, especially not as advertised. I wish someone would teach Holland Cruise Lines the meaning of taking a vacation and having a stress-free meal. While dining in the Lido Restaurant restaurant, several cruise line workers were walking the aisle chanting “bloody Mary, wine, drinks.” I was appalled when the waiter in the Vista Restaurant told use that if we wanted filtered sparkling water we had to pay extra—I guess the water in the pitcher was toilet water. Unfortunately, I, and several other passenger s, found that the best food on the ship was at the, one-day, Alaska bake and the Asian section (steamed vegetables, noodles and chicken).  Holland advertised that we were to have fruit in our cabin. The steward asked us to fill out a form checking which fruit we wanted. I checked a green and red apple and two oranges. The steward left a note stating that they had the two apples, but only had one orange.  The food was definitely not the only problem.

We arrived to our first port Juneau, Alaska three hours late. There was little to no direction as to where to disembark, most disembarking information was from word of mouth. Because my traveling companion had to take medication at a certain time, we were unable to go on our planned excursion. After waiting hours to disembark, just as we were all lined up to disembark; the cruise director announced that we were not allowed to leave the ship with water or fruits. Many passengers purchased water on the ship to take with them. They had to get out of line and go back to their cabins. It is noteworthy that Holland Cruise Line set up a booth with water for purchase right before our cards were scanned to leave the ship. We were scheduled to arrive in Victoria, British Columbia from 6:00 p.m. – 11:15p.m. We were cleared to disembark at 7:25 p.m.

Upper management was nowhere to be found until several complaints were made about the long lines and slow service. It appeared that most of the crewmembers were in training, as most were clueless and spoke little English. Holland advertised a passenger ratio of 2 to1, but I’m sure there were not talking about the Holland ms Westerdam for our cruise. In the dining areas, we were told not to help ourselves to water or juice as the attendants would serve us, but several passengers literally had to stand up and wave their hands in order to get their attention. The Lido Restaurant cooking area was small, dirty and workers had to turn sideways to pass each other. In order to contact ones cabin Stewart, we had to call the front office and they relayed the information to the Stewarts, often with incorrect information. The bathroom sinks and the bathroom shower drains drained slowly, allowing water to back up. The shower had mold in it. On day four, we noticed that the A/C in the cabin was sporadic, and during some hours off. The view from the balcony cabin was viewed through a small window and a glass door—blocking most of the view was a wall with shelves that held wine glasses. Most mid-ship balcony cabins have sliding glass door, which provides a better view of the ocean, not the room. Nearly all cruise lines state important announcement in the cabins, not Holland. We had to open our door every time we heard loud voices. Sometimes we opened it when we heard several passengers talking in the hallway, as we didn’t know if the voices were from an announcement.

Worst of all, the cabin hallways reeked with a fecal odor. While at sea, the captain announced that there was a fire in a cabin. It would have been less stressful for Holland’s passengers if he had stated that it was a training drill. Such drills are normally completed while the paying passengers are at port—not during the time we pay to relax.

We took this cruise attempting to decide if Holland would be suitable for our world cruise. The entire cruise, accommodations and services were awful. My traveling companion became ill after eating the roast beef in the Vista Restaurant. The time off work and the price we paid for the "cruise" was not at all worth it.