Westerdam Review

Great time on the Westerdam

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Westerdam
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geoherb
10+ Cruises • Age 20s

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Sail Date: Dec 2012
Cabin: Deluxe Ocean-View Verandah Stateroom

We had a great time on HAL's Westerdam the week before Christmas. Our seven-night cruise took us to the western Caribbean: Grand Cayman and Cozumel plus Key West and Half Moon Cay.

Precruise: We flew to Fort Lauderdale the night before our cruise began. I booked us a room at the Hyatt Place, 17th Street and Convention Center. I was happy to get that hotel at a good price--around half the price through Priceline than I had seen on the Hyatt website. The hotel offers free shuttle service from the airport and free breakfast. It charges $7 per person for the shuttle to the port. We took a taxi instead, which worked out to be about the same price and a lot quicker because we did not have to stop at all the other ships first. The Westerdam was docked at one of the piers farthest away. The other ships in port included the Ruby Princess, Allure of the Seas, Silhouette, Nieuw Amsterdam, and a Carnival ship whose name I don't remember.

The second great thing about the Hyatt Place is its convenient location to shopping to stock up on essentials before the cruise. We arrived after 9 on a Saturday night, which was after Total Wine's closing time. We purchased wine for our cruise at the Publix grocery store. The stores in Fort Lauderdale are not allowed to sell alcohol before noon on Sundays.

Cabin Review

Deluxe Ocean-View Verandah Stateroom

Cabin VA
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