Westerdam Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Seeing and visiting all of the ports. Everyone was delightful and our guides were super nice and helpful. Can't say enough about them! I am glad that I chose city tours for all three places because each one was a really good overview of sites, commercial, historical, and social. People were warm and friendly,  not pushy or  rude. Visiting these places was a marvelous experience for me and I definitely recommend this cruise to others and already have!

Overall the experience was very good. The service was great, the dining room food was very good but at times the buffet food was old and cold. 

In Mazatlan the bus trip cost $54 per person and wasn't worth it. We felt ripped off when we went to the Mexican traditional dance show. The man singing was lip-syncing the songs. The dancers mostly twirled around holding their skirts every dance and the music was extremely loud. But we absolutely loved the cathedral! Beautiful!

 Departing the boat was a disaster. Non US guests were not told beforehand that they needed to go to deck one for customs. Guests were lining up at 7:30 to disembark and were not allowed off until 8:45 because customs was still on deck one. More than 10 people had a 10 am flight!  Very poorly handled...

The main entertainment on each night of the cruise was outstanding. If you were bored that's on them.  Lots to do every day.

The cruise was very Relaxing. We enjoyed the spa. There were quite a few employees who didnt understand english. They also lost our tequila on board so we had no gifts to bring home. Very disappointing. I would not recommend Holland America. 

The Holland American cruise to the Mexican Riviera was wonderful, from the genuinely helpful crew to the delicious food and wonderful ambiance.  The addition of the B.B.King Jazz group always gave us great entertainment in the evenings.  The other entertainment was spotty.  Took 4 excursions.  The two from the cruise line were excellent.  The two from Jet Blue Cruises were bad, one being extremely stressful.  The Exclusive Puerto Vallarta City Tour, in itself was good.  However the tour director got us back to the ship 15 minutes before it set sail.  This was after numerous requests by the passengers to get us back sooner.  From the beginning, I asked him if we could cover all the events and get back to the ship by 4:30.  He said no problem, it was only a 4 hour trip.  Two other times during the excursion, I asked him about timing and he said we could make it.  I was extremely stressed by the time we reached port.  I know these tours are guaranteed, but the next port was 3 days away and it was the port where we disembarked.  All of our clothes, credit cards, passports were all in our cabins.  In addition, I was having trouble using my i-phone in Mexico, a problem I have never encountered in any other country.  By the time we reached the ship, one of the boarding ramps had already been removed and by 4:45, the ship was already untied from the dock.  There were plenty of ways, the tour could have been shortened by 30 minutes, but the tour director refused to do them, stressing out the Holland America passengers.  The Mazatian City Tour introduced me some of the most aggressive vendors, I have ever met in my travels.  In one of the markets the guide took us (6 long lanes of merchandise and food), 4 to 5 women, walked down the aisle and confronted me.  After I said "no thanks", 2 continued to follow me for at least 6-8 feet as I walked down the aisle.  At the site of the cliff divers, we were bombarded with vendors wanting to sell various goods. It was frustrating and tiring saying "no thanks" and then having to do it all over again with the next vendor.  I would book a cruise again through Jet Blue Cruises, but never an excursion.

If you did not arrive at least 45 minutes BEFORE a performance, it was impossible to find a seat.  The same was true on the Lido deck....The ship needs more chairs. Even a lunch counter style would be a big help.

All of the crew,  housekeeping,  dinning staff, guest services, etc. were very very hospitable and accommodating.   The ship's rooms, dinning area, etc. were all very clean; as they were constantly cleaning.  The laundry staff and services were so efficient and professional.  The cuisine in the dinning room,  hot dog/hamburger/ taco diner were all very tasty.  The food in the buffet dinning room was horrible on the fist day.  It was better the next day....however, the "hot" menu lacked verity i.e. basically the same every single day through out the trip.  

Those are all the pros. ...now for the cons.

 This ship should never have been rated four stars!!!  The ship is extremely dated.  The sounds that were iminating from our

room (especially at night when the seas were rough) would make you think that the ship was being torn apart.  The water coming from the bathroom sink and shower would change temperatures at random.  The sofa and mat for the bath tub are old and creepy.

The bed mattresses were horrible on for your back.  And there should be NO SMOKING

in the Casino.....smokers should go outside in a designated area for that.  I also notice children in the Queens Lounge while the band was playing and drinks were being severed.  That is a lounge, technically a bar.....NO PLACE FOR CHILDREN.

The movies and channels on the tv were very limited.   There should have been several stations with different type shows and/or series runing on them 24/7....not just FOX and MSNBC.

We loved our cruise.  It was my first and I had always wanted to visit Alaska, so it was a win-win.  I chose Holland America because it was a smaller vessel which meant a smaller crowd.  The process of getting on board and disembarking during the cruise and at the end was smooth as silk.  I wish the airlines would take note!  The crew and staff could not have been nicer, more friendly, or eager to help.  There was not a moment we didn't feel well taken care of.  There was so much to do and yet my husband and I were perfectly satisfied to sit up on the Observation Deck, watch the Alaskan countryside go by, enjoy chatting with new friends and having a cocktail.  The food was excellent, we loved our dinner companions, and the portion sizes were perfect. We didn't feel as though we were gaining the weight you hear about gaining on a cruise, except for the wonderful cocktails available, and we plan on doing this cruise again one day.  It was glorious and we were made to feel glorious every minute of every day.  The shore excursions were perfect and the ship was the icing on the cake.  Holland America, I don't believe you could have done anything any better.  You have this down to a science!  Thank you.  

The cruise director was fantastic, very engaging and entertaining. We had a large group of 11 family members and they did their best to accommodate us for dinner however when making a reservation, the only times available were 5 pm (too early) or 8 pm (too late). I was bummed when I found out we were not going to Scagway and feel like it would have been a better stop than Sitka as there is not much to do there that interested us. We were worried about being the last Alaskan cruise of the year fearing that it would be cold and stormy (the week before, no ships were able to stop in Sitka due to Gail force winds) but it was beautiful on all our stops. We found much better excursion prices booking our own and had amazing customer service in all the ports. I missed not having a comedian show more than one night as our last cruise was Carnival and we went to one nightly in the comedy club. Definitely caters to an older clientele as I felt very young being in my 30s (im guessing 30% using walkers/wheelchairs/scooters). When we first went to our room upon arrival, our largest suitcase had a huge chunk broken off as well as the wheel. It was a brand new hard case expensive suitcase purchased 2 weeks before the cruise. We were offered $100 from the front desk but we would have had to leave the suitcase with them. We were not able to do that as we needed it to get our stuff home so that was a disappointment. Our stateroom attendant Joe was amazing and could not have been better. The food was amazing with lots of fresh seafood. Overall a great cruise and we would consider HAL again. 

The cruise was great, service exceptional, food excellent. I do not have one complaint ;)  We plan to go back to Alaska it was fun and beautiful scenery.

The only thing I would change is to have a longer stay in Ketchikan.

 The best part of this cruise was the ports and they were amazing we saw so much wildlife everything we expected and more from Alaska.. as far as Holland America we stay in suites and they do not meet my expectations the ship is very old and I know in April it goes into drydock I think it should of went a little sooner,  The service on Norwegian Cruise line in the havens is unbelievable I just expected too much I guess from Holland America I paid about the same price for a Neptune suite and I would never do it again but I will never cruise this cruise line again either.  This was my 19 cruise and I have been on NCL, carnival, Royal Caribbean, dolphin, princess  and now Holland America, I would return to all other cruise lines except Holland American. I have never had a problem on any other cruise line so I'm not one of those complainers. Some of the things that need  improvement is ship is way outdated  and our Neptune suite the couch was the most uncomfortable bed where my brother had to sleep on the floor, in my opinion the entertainment does not meet our expectations and there was 12 of us in five cabins. Service from the cabin Stewart's was mediocre, dishes left all over the balcony for three days before asking them to remove them dry cleaning not being delivered back to the room or even picked up. Our concierge's were amazing Sandy and Kim, in the dining room we had the best waiters we've ever had and bar attendant was amazing in the dining room. When eating breakfast in the dining room and you don't have your normal waiter had problems a couple days, I don't know if it's because this was the last cruise of the season to Alaska that they were already checked out but not up to par, and this was from several people on the ship saying the same thing. It really seemed like there was not a whole lot to do on the ship compared to others, again I am not a complainer I had a great trip while in ports and the service was OK, the food was amazing. I just wanted to give honest feedback again this was my first and last cruise with Holland America, my sister has a European cruise on the same  ship scheduled for August next year which she is canceling and choosing a different cruise line. I gave a three-star because it was a great trip, Holland America needs to make some improvements and update ships a little sooner so when Paying $6,500.00 for a Suite 3 people can sleep in it comfortably  and get what is advertised in their brochures for staying in it, supposed to get fresh fruit daily, and fresh flowers daily never happened. Some crew members that did an amazing job were the two guys in the photo staff, our amazing waiters at dinner, our amazing bar guy  at dinner, Sandy and Kim in the concierge lounge  and bar staff and the buffet crew around the ship..

Getting it over. This was not what I was told by AMERICAN AIRLINES that I would be getting. NEVER again will I book using American Airlines. When I book through AA I was told and requested what I wanted. I DID NOT GET IT.

When everyone in the cruise ship is nice and eager to please you; you feel like a million bucks.Everything was wonderful that I'm already planning another cruise.

The who cruise was perfect for us especially with so many in our age group.  Service was much better than expected and a delight to encounter so frequently.

Staff was super friendly and helpful.  Lots of activities, trivia, mixology classes, and nature talks. But also lots of places to sit and watch the world go by.  Glacier Bay was spectacular. So peaceful and amazing.

We enjoyed the relaxing cruise and the entire staff  were professional and very caring. They were very polite and always willing to assist you to make your experience better.There were wide choices of food and they all tasted great. They charged for soft drinks which should have been free or at most cost 50 cents. The internet should also have been free. The entertainment was good and had a wide variety of shows. The ship was very clean at all times and room service was free. There were some leaks from the glass ceiling on the lido deck which made walking dangerous when it was raining. The cruise was very nice and good for all age groups.

Our favorite part of the cruise was the food and all the staff on the ship. Everybody was smiling and going out of their way to help. The only mishap was weather related which put us in our last stop a few hours late. 

Ketchikan was our favorite stop.  We loved the lumberjack show!  and the Totem poles.  in Juneau you can walk up to the waterfall at Mendenhall Glacier, but you have to walk fast in order to get back on time! The salmon bake was good there. I wish I had gone on a whale watching tour though.  In Sitka we did our own walking tour and saved the price of an excursion. The staff on board the ship were extremely helpful and friendly. The food on ship is fantastic! 

     The outfitting of the ship was very comfortable, with a crew that saw to your every need.  The food on this cruise was wonderful, from the buffet to the Vista Dining Room to the Pinnacle Grill.  Although there is an additional charge for the Pinnacle Grill, it is worth every penny!  The food and service were impeccable. 

     There was plenty to do on the ship, from cards, internet, library, and trivia.  I have sailed 2 other lines, but I will attempt to book any future cruises on Holland America.

     Although the weather did not cooperate with us at all, cold, rainy, and cloudy, the cruise itself went smoothly most of the time.  Unfortunately when you have from 47 to 57 knot winds hitting you it was a little rocky.  This too passed and a good time was had by all.

Cruised to Alask on Holland America and booked thru (1-800-cruises)  Andrea at was extremely helpful and patient with our booking and did all she could to keep our party together (which she did manage with our staterooms).  The Holland America Westerdam was terrific and the crew couldn't be any nicer (wish people on land were this nice).  The overall experience was  unforgettable and priceless.

I booked this cruise on Westerdam because of size of ship, less passengers than larger ships, and destination. It was wonderful. Minimum 300 characters? Thats ridiculous.

I booked this cruise on Westerdam because of size of ship, less passengers than larger ships, and destination. It was wonderful. Minimum 300 characters? Thats ridiculous.

I booked this cruise on Westerdam because of size of ship, less passengers than larger ships, and destination. It was wonderful. Minimum 300 characters? Thats ridiculous.

I booked this cruise on Westerdam because of size of ship, less passengers than larger ships, and destination. It was wonderful. Minimum 300 characters? Thats ridiculous.

I booked this cruise on Westerdam because of size of ship, less passengers than larger ships, and destination. It was wonderful. Minimum 300 characters? Thats ridiculous.