Westerdam Cruise Reviews - Reviews

The 2 night cruise was definitely fun for a women's trip but that's about it. There was not much to do at all on ship. And went to the spa and got double charged and customer service was very hard to work with...

The cruise director and show hosts, Mario and Jorge, were great. They made silly events and games entertaining, albeit cheesy. The food was very mediocre, even in the dining room. Our favorite meal ending up being the turkey club from room service. For an all-you-can-eat service we were not expecting exceptional quality, but still found it to be a bit below par.

Getting on board was a VERY BAD experience. About 500 people in line waiting to check in (most over 65 years of age) which took me THREE hours standing and waiting. There were plenty of seats available, and no one involved in the check in procedure was smart enough to pass out group numbers so people could sit and relax while those ahead could check in...

Once on board the crew and staff on the ship were very nice.

The ship itself needed to be fixed up, thread bare carpet on stairs, upholstery needed repair in crows nest, and a apparent window leak in the crows nest due to rain which made the crew put blowers on the carpet to dry it out 2 or 3 days.

Also, the air conditioning made several areas of the ship to cold for comfort.

The Panama Canal was something everyone should see.  GREAT!  Secpnd trip on Westerdam  A god ship, a GREAT crew.  Enjoyed the 21 days getting away from everyday life.  Cherly at Cruise Only was GREAT too.

Great cruise.  21 days from Florida to San Diego allows the ability to stop at a greater number of ports, and each was small and interesting with access to great history, culture, and wildlife.  The ship had all the amenities one needs and the staff was fantastic, meeting our every expectation.

We wanted to cruise through the Panama Canal and see some ports that we had not been to.

The cruise did that but the time at many of the ports was so short (3.5 hours in Columbia) that there was no time  to really visit the location, especially if you did one of the shore excursions.

This cruise of 1,800 persons turned out to be much older.  There were no children or teenagers aboard.  The only night life was the piano bar.  Only a couple of people stopping by the lounges.  After the 10 PM show, the casino was empty as were most of the lounges.

Just No excitement on this cruise.  Mario, the cruise director, did have a few entertaining 45 minute fun events.

Everything is based on a 45 minute length.  Even when they had some country line dancing (2 times) and the turnout was very large, they stopped at 45 minutes and everyone moved on and the excitement went to zero.

This cruise line seems to nickle and dollar you to death.  Everything has a cost.  You had to pay $12.50 to learn how to make a martini, etc.

We know all about the gratuity add on so why not just put it onto the initial cost of the trip.

Crew and service were outstanding - 5 star.  Food was good but not exceptional; like we have had on previous smaller ship cruises.

They need to remove the bath tubs so they can put in a decent size shower.

The Panama Canal crossing was good - 11 hour day.  Very similar to the locks when you do a river cruise in Europe.

The Windows Workshops were excellent.

The overall cruise was good...entertainment excellent especially the BB King Queen's Lounge Band and the Vista Lounge performance plus the Vista Comedian...superb!

Lido Buffet did not seem as good as on the Oosterdam.

The wheelchair assist at St. Thomas VI was quite upsetting as HAL did not follow thru on pickup  after an off-shore excursion booked thru HAL and almost missed getting back on board the ship.  Fortunately, we found a VI transport who was so very kind to drive us directly to the gangway and we were the last 2 to board!

Then, the last evening, after Ms. Martino and I had been packing so luggage could be ready before midnight, she accidentally left an envelope of money sitting on the bed next to clothing and the open packed luggage and the envelope was missing upon our return to the stateroom.   She had appointments at the photography studio as they could not locate some photos which had been taken and we had to go there two times that evening, had dinner reservations at the Pinnacle Grill and then the BB King Show at the Vista Lounge and returned to the stateroom about 11:15 p.m.  We had security in our stateroom until about 1:15 a.m. trying to find the envelope and money to no avail.   In our hearts both of us do not feel our Stateroom Porter, Sonny, DID NOT take the money.   She filled out all reports and also followed up by contacting HAL Seattle office upon her return to home on Monday.  HAL wanted her to re-fill out a report.   At this point I do not know what is happening.  Then we had an issue after disembarking at the port to return via HAL transportation.  Porter for our luggage insisted we wait at the specific spot he took us...well it turned out to be the wrong area after about an hour waiting and talking to several helpers...I even called the Westin and spoke with a HAL rep who knew we were to return to the Hotel.   We did eventually get 2 women helpers who knew exactly where we needed to be, got on the bus (only two passengers) and to the  hotel.    This is the very first time I have had any type of issue with HAL and it was upsetting and disappointing especially when you have a handicapped individual traveling with you and trying to care for this person in every way possible.

So fun and relaxing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our first cruise was a great experience and we are glad we went with Holland America.  The ship was a little smaller which we liked, but there was plenty to do, or not to do.  I could do without the constant sales pitch of the jewelry and constant picture taking, but if you avoid that you will have a great time.  We loved our experience and will pick HAL for our next cruise.

this is the first cruise I ever had been on. My spouse had been on many and on different lines but never Holland America. She loved it more than the others. the staff was great. the food (though not a buffet in the typical terms) was awesome. you think of a buffet as cattle call and people grabbing tongs and pilfering through the mounds of food. they had staff that would fix whatever salads you wished and pastas cooked and flipped right there for you. great.

The Boat was gorgeous. though dwarfed by Oasis of the Sea(we were docked next to) it was much nicer in that it was overwhelming in size I don't think id have ever found the stateroom on the bigger ships nor felt like I saw the whole thing. the state room with balcony is the way to go. romantic and a great place to have coffee in the morning while at sea, in port or anchor. if you don't drink a lot then your in the clear. big drinker? plan ahead for a bar bill. you cant bring much with you so just figure on spending it aboard.

Not a lot of shops on board, which was nice. GREAT shows and the Northern lights dance lounge with Andy was the best. great BB king music in the other lounge, awesome.

ports: Grand turk.... well the water was great and just for lounging on the beach is nice. san Juan will take all day to walk the forts but worth seeing or go out on a sightseeing excursion. St Thomas what fun and beautiful. we walked from one harbor to another and to paradise point. what a view. you can grab a fast water taxi cheap and be in tortolla for the day with dolphins or st johns or whatever. haft moon cay(Holland Americas island) is beautiful water. clear like a pool. we just kayaked and sat on one of the many lounge chairs on the water. I recommend the captain morgans shipwreck bar. the Hawaiian sounding drink and the bushwhacker are excellent. the sail home was depressing as we were in port by 7am the next day.

What fun and the people we had dinner with in the open seating NICE restaurant were great and from all over the world. many were cruise pros. and all had nothing but nice things to say about Holland Americas Westerdam compared to their other cruises. I was told I "set the bar high for my first cruise" . but did a very good. it out ranked Princess buy all that had been on both. and Im not big on a bunch of kids so Carnival wasn't my first choice and I was assured it was a good thought. Im 51 not 20. nor a grandfather so I don't get into the kids splashing around in the pool and taking up the hot tubs while im trying to relax and there were very few kids onboard.

OVER ALL LOVED IT 

Our first cruise with Holland America.

The ship catered to the 800 group of guests and forgot about the rest of the passangers. We had issues with our inability to eat dinner in the main dining room after 6:30 pm with our anytime dining plan. WHAT?? No "before sailing" help from Holland America. We had to deal with it when on the ship. The ship allowed the 800 guests to reserve the dining room for 800 at 8:00 pm in the main dining room, every night. Not a good business model to forget the other 1,000 guests' needs/enjoyment. Many had to alter their plans because of this. There were no lectures or shows from the theater during the day as this 800 group used the theater every day. No Zumba classes offered! No information sessions about the island we were to visit next. Few lectures offered. No ability to make a small salad at the Lido. Ship needs to be updated and refurbished.

Positive: Rooms were kept clean and great service from our steward.

Food was mostly quite good. Deck was great for walking. The "Holland America 5K for Cancer" was awesome plan. We joined that. Weather treated us well!

Sailed as planned, on time arrivals, etc...

This was my first cruise with Holland America Cruise Line. Let's start with the cabin. I had a ocean view cabin and while the cabin was about the size I was expecting, but the tv was tiny. I would guess it was a 20 inch screen. You had to see very close to even watch anything. The beds were actually comfortable. Kinda right in the middle of firm and plush. My friend just sailed on Norwegian and said the beds were so hard him and his wife had to put 14 pillows down on the mattress and put a top sheet on in order to sleep at night. Now the bathroom. It has a small tub which is fine especially if you have children with you but I really didn't like the shower curtain due to the fact that the tub is narrow so I was constantly pushing the curtain out with my arm. The toilet is in totally the wrong place. It's angled towards the bathtub so if you are tall or large (or both), your knees hit the tub! Now for some good news, The crew were all very friendly. The best stand out as far as crew is Andy Knox who is the ship's Show Host. He is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet anywhere. He's always on top of things and has an awesome speaking voice while conducting the entertainment events. He deserves a raise for all the hard work he does. He handles several events per day but is never late and is always looking nice and is prepared.  I'm bad with names but the casino workers especially were very friendly. The dealers were all very cool and experienced. The waitstaff was quite attentive. Now the food. The food was a little below par with Royal Caribbean save for the Vista Dining Room. That experience was on par with most cruise lines. But the Vista Buffet was no where near as tasty as the choices I've had on other cruise ships. They say the average guest gains 10 lbs on a week long cruise? I gained 0 pounds. Also, the 24 hour room service choices need to be upgraded. The choices are ok but not that great. Lastly I'll talk about the entertainment. The shows were good and not too long. The standout of all the shows is a pair of identical twin brothers called Synergy Violins. Jeff and Steve Neil are expert electric violinists who perform a fusion of classical, rock, and pop music with as much energy as a nuclear reactor. They were top-notch Vegas level talent. Holland America had just hired them and boy did they make the right decision. I strongly suggest you go to their website (google the name of the group) and check them out. They really love what they do and it's not just a job for them. They happily meet all the guests and are true professionals and good guys. Well, I hope this review helps you make your vacation a good one! 

food on the ship was only adequate,  often only warm, milk was only slightly cool, eggs were always under done.  pasta sauces were always the same, not really a tomatoe sauce.  some meat had a lot of fat some very under done and overall not a very good selection of different options for meat and potatoes.  hamburg  and hot dog and taco bar were very good.

Overall a good cruise.  The biggest downsides was the rough seas causing the ship to knock and bang making it hard to get a good night's rest; and the food.

The food while plentiful, was mediocre at best and downright tasteless at the worst. The lobster was questionable and we believe it caused my husband to become sick - not positive it was the lobster, but it didn't taste very good. The food lines were very slow - due to each person having to be served individually instead of self serve.  Lack of variety of food was a disappointment.  Our stateroom, while small, was adequate and made bearable by the lavish attention of the two attendants.  They anticipated all our needs and far exceed our expectations!   Can't recommend Holland American as this was our 2nd cruise with them with similar results.

The ports of call were very interesting and the shore excursion guides were easy to find.

The entertainment was good although the music was way to loud for the opening night of the musical group, you couldn't hear the vocals.

The food was good but not outstanding.  The best meal was the last formal night with the lobster and steak. The breakfast and lunch choices was good.

Our trip went as one would hope a trip would go.  The check in was easy.  The room was ready, the luggage arrived in a timely manner.  The people on the ship more than helpful. The people sailing with us were friendly.  The activities were fun.  The Super Bowl Party great.  The food was good.  Getting around the ship was easy. The shows were very entertaining.  The BB King shows were great.  Getting off the ship was fast and easy.  We had a very good time.

Wonderful cruise. Elegant, old world feeling.  Great staff, food and entertainment.  Couldn't ask for a more enjoyable cruise experience.  We got to know the Cruise Director and the Lead Sineger, who were so friendly and warm.  This has never happened on any other Cruise that we have been on.

We had an excellent time. Good entertainment. Good food. The staff was great. We enjoyed meeting new people. We enjoyed the ice sculpture. The ports of call were great.

staff on board extremely courteous and efficient, dining menu could be better as not many choices presented to dining room and quality of meals could be improved, major complaint was debarkation was a nightmare!!! started at 7:30am did not clear customs till 12:30pm!!! suggest (if you can) take your luggage off yourself as early as possible!!!! Otherwise very enjoyable cruise. Could not go to Half Moon Cay as high winds prevented use of Tenders but that is something out of the cruise lines control.

Even though I have been on the Westerdam before the cruise exceeded my expectations. The ship glistened, the staff was always smiling and that made you glad you were there. The entertainment was very good, The food was delightful. Even the passengers were relaxed and friendly. 

There were many little things that I saw which made the atmosphere very classy. Even when departing the cruise director and several other department managers were at the gangway wishing you a safe trip home . This was a final nice touch,. 

I have sailed on several cruise lines and on many different ships and  I would highly recommend Holland America and the Westerdam