Westerdam Review

4.5 / 5.0
1,112 reviews

Westerdam Transatlantic -- the good and not so good

Review for Transatlantic Cruise on Westerdam
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BudinFla
10+ Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Oct 2010
Cabin: Large Outside Stateroom (fully obstructed views)

Our party consisted of two couples who had not sailed on Holland America in 20 years. When we saw the itinerary and price of this cruise we decided it was time to see how Holland America had changed. It has changed and not all for the better. Holland America bills itself as an upscale line and it certainly used to be one of the more upscale lines, but it is now just a middle of pack cruise line that no should be regarded as high end. I will not review the ports of call in this review, but have posted recommendations under specific ports. This review will concentrate on the cruise itself and is pretty long.

Embarkation

We sailed from Rome and had airfare and transfers provided by HA. Usually, I book my own air, but the deal HA was offering was too good to pass up. Surprisingly the air schedule was very nice. FLL to ATL-- a two hour lay over and then nonstop to Rome on Delta. The flight was very nice. We arrived in Rome at 7 AM. After getting our bags we began looking for the HA rep. Finally found her, but Princess had people all over the place. The HA rep said to get our bags and meet her under the clock. We did and were then informed that we had to lug our bags out to a waiting truck in the rain. Princess was collecting all the bags inside and taking them to the truck for the passengers--much nicer. We then had to hike back inside and find out that the bus would leave in 45 minutes. Not too bad we had a cup of coffee and a light breakfast. The bus ride to the port was fine--about and hour and 20 minutes. When we got to the port we were told to go wait inside. Inside was a warehouse type building and we were told that boarding would begin at 11:30am. I understand why, but they could have provided coffee and snacks or at least have heat since they knew a ton of people would be getting there around 9 am. Once boarding began, it was quick and easy. On boarding the ship, the first thing we all noticed was that the old HA met you with a white gloved guide to your room. Not any more. There wasn't even someone to greet you or direct you to your room. We did find our room and headed off for lunch. The advertised dining room lunch for Mariner members did not exist so you had to go to the Lido for a buffet lunch. Not a problem, but it was the first of many broken promises.

Cabin Review

Large Outside Stateroom (fully obstructed views)

Cabin H
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