I traveled with my extended family on the Westerdam Christmas Cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. Our group consisted of 9 adults and 3 grandchildren - many of whom had cruised many times before. This was my first cruise so I don't have anything to compare it to but I was somewhat disappointed with the quality of the experience.

The Westerdam public areas seemed very dated in decor - I felt like I as in a second rate Vegas casino at times, bad carpet, decor, etc. The state rooms themselves were small but well appointed much more so than the public areas. The boat seemed to rock a lot - I was told before hand that you don't even feel the boat moving - the first two days of our trip we were rocking and rolling. The seas did not seem that rough. Made me wonder if there was a problem with the stabilization system of the boat. I overheard many other passengers complaining that they were sea sick due to the movement. Luckily I had brought motion sickness patches with my from my doctor, just in case.

The food quality was sub-par and barely acceptable. Dinner in the dining room was the best meal of the day, although, I would have liked to have had lobster as an option more than one night on the entire cruise. The lido restaurant was horrid - what a cattle call - I tried to find breakfasts and lunches to eat but the food was very unappealing, it looked like some hospital or high school commissary. I resigned myself to having tea with an apple strudel pastry every morning for breakfast and then usually I would not eat again until dinner. If I did get hungry mid day, I would opt for a slice of veggie pizza (as long as it was fresh and hot). Read more