Westerdam Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Lovely cruise if your expectations include 'average', 'inferior', and 'it's OK'.

Food was average, service, average, wine list was inferior, ports were OK, cabin was clean, entertainment was inferior, demonstrations and 'classes' were superb.

The three of us were placed in a nice sized interior room. At 10:30 at night as we're getting ready for bed the music from upstairs started. It was so loud that the walls in the room were vibrating. We were told that it would be every night unti 11:30. We should have never been placed in this room!  My son and family were next door and experienced the same thing. After complaining several times and my husband insistence that they wake up the manager and have him try to sleep in the room; they moved us to very small rooms. Imagine my embarrassment as we had told my son how great HAL was.  The next morning after more complaining they found one large room. We offered it to our son as there were 4 of them. They declined and we moved again. We had eleven in our party as we were celebrating our 50th Anniversary. Needless to say we were very disappointed!

Our cruise during this holiday season was everything we had hoped it would be and that is mainly relaxing.  Having to get all the holiday gifts and cards and well wishes in early, it was time to just chill or in this case wallow in the warmth of the Caribbean sun.  Of course, it helped that the weather was absolutely perfect and the seas absolutely calm.

One of the most enjoyable and relaxing crusies! Staff is 5 star in customer service.  Embark and disembark process were extremely effieicent. Although the ship itself is older than some, it is kept extremely clean and the entire staff focuses on health safety and effieciency of every passenger. Ports were beautiful, only wish more time in Turks and St. Maarten!

We had a enjoyable cruise but were disappointed with a few things.  First of all, I don't feel the ship is handicap friendly.  I was not allowed to leave my motorized scooter in the hallway by my room.  I was told that it had to be taken to and stored in the area where the cabin boys work and I could get it whenever I needed it by calling the operator and making arrangements. If I wanted to keep it in my room, it had to be taken apart and taken in by sections...also a bad idea.  We have been on 14 other cruises on different lines and this was never a problem.  Also, when they gave the safety drill at the beginning, other cruise lines pull out the handicap in wheelchairs and scooters before everyone else so they can get on the elevators and get back to their rooms.  On your ship, there were four of us in our group and we waited 12 minutes to get an elevator....it was crowded.  The food on the boat was adequate but noy as good as we had expected.  The men working in the hamburger grill were not friendly and it seemed as though they were  not happy about doing their job.  We found human hairs on the dinner tablecloth on two occasions and had to have the tablecloths changed.  Not a good sign.  But all in all, it was a cruise and we had a good time.

I just went on this cruise and I dont recommend this cruise line to anyone.  I have cruised approximately 10 times and this was the worst one that I have ever been on.  The food and entertainment was poor quality.  Especially the food on their private island in Bahamas was awful.  It is a cruise for older people and boring.  The pool closes at 7pm, which I never even thought that was possible.  The seminars that I would sign up to learn about how to be healthier (detox and foot problems)  was just a way to get you in there to sell you stuff.  The only thing that I can say that was good was the room was clean and kept very clean by the housekeeper and the ports that we stopped at were great.  The teen room " the loft" didnt even have one teen for my teenager to meet the entire 7 day cruise.  And for my smaller child room " Club Hal" maybe had 5 kids max in the room one time the entire 7 day cruise. The population on this cruise is for more senior people and I wish they would have mentioned that when I was booking this cruise.

we maybe expected to much and we have gone on 8 cruises with royal and norwegian there was always a lot of energy

i think their cruise directors were very good but i think the one thing that was not good was the food. not to be totally negative we had a great cleaning staff and our room was upgraded but still i think this is the last time on this line

We had a very good time - staff was great - food great - entertainment great!!!

The ship was very clean. Shore excursions very good. I eould use this line again.

This was a great experience.  The service was excellent and the ports were great and a little different than the normal touristy ones.  About the ship..this ship is looking old and in need of repair.  It's looking a bit shabby - upholstery worn, things worn out, etc. The food was excellent in the Pinnacle Grill and ranged from fair to good elsewhere.  We had about 10 employees on the ship that really made the trip fantastic.  The Captain was really interesting and very available to passengers.  One thing to note and note well - if you are travelling with a disabled person the ship and ports are NO WHERE near as accessible as they would lead you to believe.  Most ports and shore excursions do not offer accessible transportation.  Further, getting on and off the ship is a challenge with a scooter or power chair.  The same issue with any exits that have a metal lip including those on the Promenade deck, the stateroom veranda and the top decks of the ship.  Having said that, the staff built us a plywood ramp to our veranda so my husband could enjoy it.  He was not, however, able to go anywhere or do anything in Caldera or Cartagena.  We would definitely take another Holland cruise but would select a newer ship.

For the cost, you're better off spending a little more and experiencing a full cruise (especially since they are so inexpensive now days).  I thought it would be fun for my kids and grandkids. The grandkids loved swimming in the pool and the food.  I wasn't overly impressed with the ship - I prefer Royal Carribbean.

Overall an intesting experience. We went in late fall a weather gamble we mostly lost with lots of rain and fog but weather is out hands of the crew, they skipped a port and change course 2nd day out to avoid rough seas. That was wise. We did get a beautiful day in Glacier bay, a very wet one in Ketchican, and a cold and cloudy one in Juneau. Bring your poncho and umbrella . Food on board was fine and staff was friendly. Not too many excursion for active people if you go to Juneau use the local bus and spend all the time at Mendenhall glacier the trails to Nugget Falls, the visitor center and other trails, Skip the cruise sponsored excursion to here which has a unneeded add or to a commercial place called Glacier Gardens, (its boring) . Use all your time for the nature hikes and bus back to the city. We found out too late that its cheap and easy to do though luckily we got in the hike to Nugget Falls since we new in advance our time at the glacier was a brief one hour. You can do most ports on your own, Ketchican is easy as is Victoria. in Ketchican walk past the people hawking the excursion till o get to the actual visitor center for tips and maps . We had been to Victoria before its easy to walk in so this time we booked our own trip to Burchart Gardens an amazing place and 30 minutes out of town. I liked the décor on the ship, the pool is too small and even though they close the roof for bad weather its still too cool to enjoy that area but we know we didn't go on this cruise for the swimming. We liked sitting on deck 10 at the explorers café a good place to be mellow on bad weather days. We really liked a jazz pianist and violin player duro, they we true artists, show were the usual but I still like the Broadway night with all the costumes. This is a smaller ship then some but that has its advantages. We got to the ship on our own with our hotel shutter and Seattles great communter trains but took the ship shuttle back to airport at the end which was a good idea and not too badly priced and saved stress too. We got to Seattle a day early and enjoyed the great Chilluley glass art next to the Space Needle. A wow museum if you like vivid color, shape and art that doesn't require thinking and its open from 10 till 8 most days. One of best parts of a cruise is meeting nice people and a few boring ones but mostly people are in a good mood and open to chatting if you want it. Bring you seasick pills just in case you hit bad weather seas like we did. The week before on Sept 17 they hit winds of 70 mph so you know those folks turned green. My sister and Mom took a similar cruise in July , that is the best time to go though you will pay the higher price.

The staff was excellent, however, every meal in the dining room ee felt very rushed. Breakfast was especially uncomfortable. It got so bad that I refused the dining room and opted for the Lido deck buffet. The captain is very conservative and I appreciate that. For the first 48 hours no one serves themselves in order to minimize the chance of spreading illness onboard. He does not hesitate to alter course if weather calls for it. Staff and cleanliness are amazing. Food is mediocre and portions are wuite small. My two sons always walked away hungry. This was my second time aboard the Westerdam and I would sail with her again.

I don't recall EVER having a better all-round experience on a vacation.  We had excellent service, a huge variety of activities, spectacular sights, as much information available in intertaining ways about what we were seeing and oh, that food!  It was hard saying goodbye to the staff whom we felt were our friends and to the service --- everything.  You can be assured we'll be back for another ideal vacation with this line.

This was my fourth cruise. My friend & I agreed that Holland America does a far superior job--in all aspects-- to any other cruise lines we have used. Specifically: 1. Our stateroom and the whole ship were MORE luxurious. I especially enjoyed "exploring on the ship" with great ease...thanks to signs at each elevator. 2. The daily itinerary provided more than adequate opportunities to enjoy EVERY DAY. Variety & quality were especially notable. Example: We especially enjoyed having a daily opportunity for entertainment based on a variety of interests. 3. The quality of entertainment by staff was quite professional. 4. Dancing with the Stars was a special treat. 5. Daily seminars by the Acupuncturist and complimentary consultations was a valuable educatioal experience. 6. Free computer classes and individual help was valuable. 7. Every employee on the ship was quick to be helpful. 8. Last but not least was the fabulous food!!! 9. Open seating combined with the option for reservations in the main dining room was especially enjoyable. We enjoyed meeting and visiting other travelers at the evening meal. 10. We enjoyed the ease with which we could go ashore and explore on our own.

The voyage and crew aboard the Westerdam were amazing. They always had a smile for you! They were ready and willing to lend a helping hand, if you looked confused, they offered help. The memories aboard the ship and the great memories of the shore excursions will be fond ones.

I'm a first time cruise, this is a wonderful trip I never been because the cruise's crew team had affective hard work and great service, great dinning and nice national glacier park. If possible I will take this cruise company again every year.

We had a great time in the various ports we stopped in. Our day in Glacier Bay was especially memorable. The food was very generic and mediocre. It was definitely worth the extra money to upgrade to a room with a balcony given the amount of time at sea and the trip through Glacier Bay National Park.

This is a great cruise for the older person who wants to see beautiful vistas with a laid back atmosphere. Good food, good service, and fun activities. Holland was one of the better cruise lines.

This was my 3rd cruise with Holland America. I took it, obviously based on my prior positive experiences with the company.This time I noted a sharp decline in their overall services & standards.The brighter points were the Kid's club,which seemed to be an improvement compared with my prior 2 experiences.The employees at the signature shops & the photo studio were awesome & went out of their ways to help customers.The Front Desk employees were friendly as usual.However the entertainment segments on the ship in the Vista lounge were slashed down in terms of time,with the magic show lasting for about 45 minutes only.The port excursions staff experience was unacceptable as they were not available to talk in person or over the phone at decent desired times.The GYM had 4 machines not working from the beginning of the cruise itself.They could have been replaced or fixed at the port of embarkation which was Seattle,a big city in itself.Other passengers seemd to use the GYM equipments more than 30 minutes of requested time & there was no GYM personnel to help waiting members like me to get to use the exercise equipments.Overall I felt that Holland America has decided to slash down on overall services,compared to their own previous standards.Based on my current cruising experience with them,I'll never cruise with Holland America again.There are other cruiselines available with much better reviews by fellow travellers.

Another very enjoyable cruise on Holland America. Service was excellent and shore excursions were spectacular. Lots of whales and bald eagles. Enjoyed the spa experience with the thermal room and hydro pool.