Westerdam Cruise Reviews - Reviews

We loved the destinations and the relaxing atmosphere.  The crew was exceptionally nice and helpful.  There wasn't much to do on the ship and the crowd was older.  If you want a laid back cruise with not many kids aboard this is the cruise for you!

Hard getting aboard and dining reservations impossible...long lines, cold food!

Dining improved, food still lukewarm, crew so kind.

Not having reserved seating meant waiting for a "buzzer!"  Then we had to go back and wait in line for the buzzer.  When we were called to go in to dinner, the table the staff took us to was already full.  Back to waiting in line AGAIN!

Barely had time to eat lunch the first day...no silver on table, asked three waiters before we finally received utensils.  Then before we were finished, muster call!  Muster call disorganized.  Captain yelled "Silence, NOW!"  Pretty scary for a beginning.

Had several nice cocktail parties from Club 21.  Staff in casino was really nice.  Great waitress, Hannah, who always appeared when we wanted her.

Room steward very efficient, room service exceptional.

The staff on the Westerdam was by far the nicest and most helpful people I have had the pleasure of cruising with. My wife and I have been on 5 different cruise lines and the people of the Westerdam were the best!!!! From Airie the gentleman who took care of our stateroom to Hannah who worked on the Lido deck bringing us our drinks!! Ship was top notch, the only downside to us was food was OK but not great. And I think that is more of my taste verses the Ships food BUT the people who served it were excellent!!

Check out the Crows Nest for happy hour, they have a 180 degree view, FABULOUS!!

It was on Holland America line. Can't say there was anything less than five star to report.

Food beats all other lines we have sailed on.

Holland America Line is just class/

A wk on the Westerdam is very relaxing. Time to yourself or join in the many offered activities.  Spend time in the Spa and enjoy the Thermal Pool.  Dine on fine meals and be entertained by fine acts.  Be waited on at your every turn.  Then relax for a good sleep.

Had a great time, staff & service, as always, were great. We will definitely be traveling Holland America again. My only complaint was that the a/c in our cabin was insufficient during the day time hours, sun was shining in our cabin all day & we really could not use the balcony or even take a break in our room.

This cruise was a disaster from the time we boarded to the time we dis-embarked.  It seems to me that Holland is having Upper  Management problems in every area.  From dinning to entertainment.....things were pretty upsetting.  I usually board a ship and never see the front desk other than to walk by, however this cruise was spendt at the front desk each and every day with a major problem.  Personally, I will not use Holland again and I am a Mariner.....So sorry to say Good-By to Holland, however, when I cruise I want to de-stress, not come home more stressed than when I left.......Hopefully this will help you make the right choice for your next cruise.....

The ship was old and looked it.  Dark walls, carpets and general mood.  Food was okay but lacked presentation.  Being a diabetic, there was little on the menu to eat even though the Head Waiter was informed of such.  Waiter seemed not to care one way or the other.  However, cabin stewards went out of their way to make our quarters homey.  Compared to Princess, this cruise was not worth the money.

If not for the location of the stateroom and the lack of responsiveness of the maintenence staff, i would have had a great time.  we had an interior large stateroom by design.  we wanted a quiet room that minimized sea motions.  the room we had 1031 had something above us that went on until 2 am.  being a light sleeper, i didn't get a good night's sleep from day 2 on.  Someone next door blew a cuircit and we lost our TV and plugs.  I called two times starting at 8 am then at 1 pm asked for the captain.  That call finally got a response.  But i couldn't get ready for 5 hours.  The trip was not exactly what I envisioned as a relaxing  end to a hard summer of working.  So word of advise--check that nothing is over your stateroom and ask for the captain if maintenance doesn't respond within the hour of you use this ship. 

We enjoyed our cruise and were able to relax and see the scenery. We like nature and also cooler weather so this was perfect. Our food was fine and we enjoyed the movies on board and desserts too.

This is my 3rd to glacier bay.  This time w/husband and college graduate son in RM 8050.

Excellent food!!!  Excellent room valet, and hair stylist from Sri Lanka.  Loved the Ukrainian violinist and pianist every night...quite a crowd there every night.

Also enjoyed mass w/the padre and a wonderful group of worshippers, but they kept moving us and changing schedule times making it confusing.

The hi light was the weather at the glaciers!!!  The mountains mirrored in the water!!!  Blue unusual skies!!! Saw more this year because there was a hurricane last year on the Oosterdam and no refunds, no drinks or champagne...nothing.  

So many lovely people but my son wished there was a gathering time for his age group and not just tots.  Had a better time at the casino...much better system than the last time to be able to see what or the sum played.  The other time the machine charged me, but gave no credit to the machine being played.  Much easier

Like having hand soap everywhere and not having to touch bath doors.  Could have used a few more flowers in our room. I love flowers!!!

Excellent/excellent....

Loved the lobster, last night duck,  the creme brulee, coconut ice cream, beef wellington,  but wanted leg of lamb or rack of lamb...not on menu.  The escargot was excellent, the best in a long time

Wish the sofa bed were a bit lower and wider.  Even tho my son is young it would fit a youngster better. But the valet cleaned well every day!

Good to feel appreciated at the Capts lunch w/champagne but the waiters seemed unwilling to refill any glasses.  Some times service at dining was top notch, and other times very slow to even get a refill of water/bread/have plates cleared.  Can really see who the old timers are being cheerful and quick.your mail is very slow

French toast like mom used to make/good eggs Benedict..

Going next time w/my twin sister but hope to see northern lights!!!  Will try to book later in sept

All of the service people were kind and very professional.  They always were happy and seemed to be happy to be with us.  They did a first-class job of taking care of us and the entire ship.  The place was always clean and sparkling.  This was my first cruise , but you have won me as a lifetime customer.

-dave gray-

13 - 20 September 2014

We enjoyed everything about our recent Alaskan cruise aboard the Westerdam.  The crew were

great--all that we had contact with.  We especially enjoyed the Ocean Bar and the hospitality of

Ding, Jose, Ray, Hannah, Leslie & Bernie. So much fun at the Ocean Bar.  The food on board

is beyond delicious.  The people who took care of our room did an exceptional job, room 5136.

I have nothing but praise for the Westerdam.  It was wonderful!

Took similar cruise on Ryndam over 10 years ago.  Current experience was significantly less quality in all aspects.  

Especially disappointed in ships technology. $200 for slow internet over 7 days of limited use!

If you forgot to logout you just burned through your subscription.  Automatic logout due to non-use is an industry standard for over 25 years!

microsoft training with no recognition of Apple technology is another example of how outdated HAL has become.

Upgraded dining was fine until we had to upgrade the upgrade to add crab ($20 per person)

As a suite cruiser, I was overwhelmed with the ala carte charges for even smallest items --

like bottled water in the suite

will definitely look into an all inclusive for our next cruise experience.....

This was our first cruise and it was more than we expected. All the staff were really nice and friendly.  The entertainment group was great. The food was outstanding and well prepared. We had a cabin with a balcony and it was very comfortable and cleaned daily.  The cities that we visited were all beautiful and had plenty of things to see. All of the excursions were well worth the price. We went salmon fishing at Ketchikan on my birthday. We caught about 50 lbs. of fish and had it processed and shipped home. Great experience.

The cruise was very nice, every one was so friendly. But I did think the sales of the jewelry was a bet much. I did not like having to pay for water and soda. It seemed as though some of the food was not so fresh, Bread way to hard. 

I sailed on the same ship four years ago around the Black Sea and found the ship to have aged considerably since that time. Our balcony room was smaller that the photo appeared and the sofa-bed way past its prime, in need of replacement. The plastic on the balcony furniture was unraveling. I paid a considerable amount extra for that room and was disappointed at how cramped it was and how shabby the furniture appeared. The room stewards were excellent.

The food was good, although some appetizers were miniscule. The service was not professional. The dining staff on this curse seemed overwhelmed and service was slow; very slow. When we sat with others at a table, there were complaints about the service. Also disappointed that Men were allowed into dining room in short sleeve sport shirts. I spoke to Maître D about this and he seemed unfazed.

I also did not like the atmosphere of the "fire sale" atmosphere of items being sold on deck while at sea; very tacky.

Shows and dinner times did not coincide well.

The spa was my saving grace; Loved Loved it. Very relaxing

I would not travel on Holland America again

Loved the staff....everyone was so friendly and helpful! From our waiters and wine servers at dinner to our cabin stewards and Front Desk staff, it was clear that they all went out of there way to be helpful and this produced multiple smiles from us every day. We always looked forward to seeing them.

I think more information on sea sickness would have been helpful to be more prepared. I ended up eating breakfast at the same table with one of the singers/performers (Jonathan) and he gave me some great tips about sea sickness and how to deal with it. It would have been great to get that information on the front end and be more prepared because our entire party dealt with that for the first 2-3 days.

One of our rooms had 3 people in it, yet we were charged the same amount per person and the 3rd bed was extremely uncomfortable. Having a discount for the 3rd person (who was my 88 year old mom and INSISTED on taking that extra bed) would have softened that blow a bit.

Finally, having both some healthier options for food/nutrition (juice bar?) and food with a cover, each of us got "stomach sick" (to put it softly) for at least a day on the cruise due to some sort of bacteria (that's my belief anyway and I washed my hands consistently and work at a hospital) would have been better. I guess large plastic covers so that the guests can still see the food, but it can be more protected from people sneezing or coughing on it would be great.

Otherwise, great ship, great sights, great experience.

Thanks for asking!!

All around this was an excellent trip. From the terminal staff in Seattle for Holland America to deportation from the ship it went very smoothly and quick. I think the food and staff were the best of any cruise I have taken. I have taken many cruises in U.S. and abroad.  My grandson, 15, really enjoyed hanging out with the 13-17 yr old group. I would encourage any young people that age to join the group which the Westerdam organized.

Good stateroom, good scenery, good food and good service

 enjoyed all the stops except for the last, Victoria. Have been there many times before so stayed aboard ship. That was OK