Westerdam Review
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We had only taken a 6 day cruise to the Bahamas previously, so felt we were really stepping out to do an 18 day cruise. First of all, we could not praise our room steward, Aziz, and his partner Dan enough. They were friendly, competent, & personable. Our verandah suite was comfy with even more storage than we needed.
It seemed we were always eating! While some of the lunches & dinners in Lido were "so-so" (and I'd agree that the fish was overcooked on several occasions), the breakfasts and desserts were top-notch! We also enjoyed the Dive-In and the taco bar. We ate at Pinnacle Grill for lunch which was good but, again, the dessert was the star of the show. We found the dining room to be too formal for our more casual selves at dinner but had good breakfasts there on several occasions. It was a treat to order room-service coffee every morning which arrived minutes after the order was placed. The room-service lunches were also excellent. We're now missing soft-serve ice cream and our nightly cookie snack!
Since we had relatives to tour us around Oahu for two days (Punchbowl, USS Arizona, Buddhist temple, blowholes and more, plus a wonderful time at the Polynesian Cultural Center including a luau and the evening show), we skipped a shore excursion in Kauai, preferring to shop & lay on the beach. Our whale watch in Lahaina was fun. We could not get as close to the whales as we do on whale watches in Boston, but the flip side is that we saw so many...and some only 200 feet or so from our balcony on the ship! We did the submarine dive in Kona (fun!) and had a wonderful naturalist, Kent, for a tour of waterfalls, a lava tube cave & black sand beach on Hilo. That excursion was enhanced by Kent's sharing his exceptional knowledge about Hawaiian shrubs, trees, flowers, and animals. And I enjoyed seeing my first mongoose in the wild!
Cabin Review
Deluxe Ocean-View Verandah Stateroom
Bed was very comfortable. Loveseat could have been a bit more plush/comfortable. More storage than we needed. Perfect location in the ship, close to elevators but never a crowded elevator lobby. Loved our balcony! Room stewards Aziz and Dan kept the room very clean & were available to answer any questions whenever we needed.
Port Reviews
San Diego
We stayed at the Sheraton Marina. Room was fine. Excellent sandwiches at the hotel the night before we cruised, as well as a good breakfast in their dining room the next morning.
Honolulu
Relatives who live on Oahu toured us. We went to Punchbowl, the USS Arizona, a Buddhist temple, and spent a lot of time at the Polynesian Cultural Center (a must! They have shows in each of the small villages, a luau, and a fantastic after-dinner show.) They also took us for breakfast in Chinatown, and to see various points of interest on both the leeward and windward sides of the island.
Kauai
Beautiful gardens at the Marriott hotel and a secluded beach. It was lovely to bake in the sun. We would definitely return here!