We sailed on the Westerdam last year and previously on its siser ship, the Oosterdam, and love the size and amenities they offer. We find them very easy for us to navigate. We'll be sailing on the Westerdam this coming August. This cruise celebrated our 15th anniversary so we upgraded our usual verandah cabin.

The Panama Canal passage was very interesting. We watched it from several different locations and levels, front to back, Promenade Deck to Crow's Nest. We passed the Veendam going westbound so there was a lot of shouting, heering and whistle blowing going on. We booked 3 tours and completed 2 of them. Very worthwhile, even if it was quite warm (which is why we didn't do #3 in Cartagena).

Our cabin stewards were amazing. Asked and remembered our names from the first day. We had ther card and were able to return the courtesy. Dining room, Pinnacle Grill and buffet service was quite good. However there appeared to be a reduction in staff for the dining room because those there seemed to be extremely rushed. However, service to the table was not. We had open seating but found a dinng steward we enjoyed so sat in his area most of the time. The one food disappointment was the Caneleto Restaurant. We ate there the first time last year and thought it was pretty nice. This time it was $10 extra and the food wasn't as tasty as we remembered. Hubby ate spaghetti & meatballs and if that isn't tasty it's not worth the $10. Read more