If you haven’t sailed HAL before, the Westerdam, like most other HAL ships, is smaller and more Mariner traditional than other cruise lines mainly focused on the Caribbean style cruising. The ship passenger capacity is roughly 1900 people and our sailing was near capacity. We never waited in line for open seating style dinners. There were some lines during the first two days at the buffets due to a policy where only the HAL staff can serve the food. A great idea in order to minimize the passenger sanitary and Norovirus risk. There were two main restaurants, two specialty restaurants and one large buffet. The bars never seemed crowded, so finding a seat was not an issue. The pool deck had a retractable roof, which is perfect for the Alaskan cruises. Never an issue finding a lounge chair around the pool. We had a balcony cabin at the rear of the ship. It was really nice and perfect for an Alaskan cruise. If you are going to splurge for a balcony cabin, an Alaskan cruise is the perfect time to do so. The scenery and wildlife is constant during the whole cruise. We saw whales, sea otters, eagles, mountain goats, lot of different birds including puffins and Stellar sea lions from our balcony. I mean like 50 whales! The cabin and bedding were nice and our cabin had a tub in the bathroom. The rear cabin allows you to see scenery on both sides of the ship, which is great for viewing wildlife. It also has the smoothest ride. One negative, we noticed some black particulates on the balcony. I think it comes from the ships exhaust stack. We didn’t smell the exhaust but noticed the black dust.

The food was cruise ship OK. The dining room food was better than the buffet. Some of the highlights were King crab legs, lobster, Filets, duck, Halibut and lots of wild salmon. There was an Italian and a Grilled specialty restaurant. One night HAL did a special “Le Cirque” dinner based on the fancy New York restaurant. Although I enjoyed the meal, I’m not sure it was worth the extra fee of $49. The entertainment was good, especially a Vegas music act show. HAL also had wine, beer, whisky, martini tasting along with the standard game shows. No theme parties or deck blow-out parties. The passengers were mainly older than 60, but there were families and younger couples.

Shore excursion recommendations. You will have limited time in most ports, except Juneau. So, a shore excursion will optimize your time, especially if you want to do something specific. All the port towns are small and there is not much to do except shop, eat and drink. The most interesting things to see and do are around the port towns. Unfortunately most excursions are pricy as compared to the Caribbean. If on a budget, there are tour operates waiting in all ports when you get off the ship. Keep in mind, they aren’t always cheaper. If scenery and wildlife are your primary objective like mine is, I have the following recommendations. Read more