Westerdam Review
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BACKGROUND INFO: Overall, our experience was a REALLY positive one! We are first time cruisers so the fear of the unknown was a really big factor!! I booked from Holland directly- i had a cruise consultant(Jason) who I believe could have been more helpful than what he was. He was very vague at answering my questions and when I spoke to someone else- he got "upset"- stating that HE was MY cruise consultant and that he had ALOT of EXPERIENCE doing this- so if I wanted to make changes or ask questions, I had to go through HIM! Next time, I think Ill book from another source. We ended up staying in a Deluxe Verandah Suite. However- we started with an interior stateroom and kinda of worked my way up- which could have been avoided if I had more experience and if Jason would have been more helpful. Booking one and than trying to change to another room was a BIG challenge!! I booked early thinking I would get the best prices- little did I know that the best prices are posted closer to the cruise date! however, its a gamble because the rm you want may already be taken. We also learned alot from speaking to other guest while on the cruise. we met a couple that this was their 25th cruise! they payed something like $400 p/p for a rm with view. They shared info that we will certainly use in our next cruise.
I have to say that we were not disappointed though!! the ship is beautiful and very clean. the food was very good and diverse. the ladies at the Neptune Lounge were so nice and always willing to assist. The Wine Cellar Master was really friendly and helpful when it came to any "wine issues". Our stewards were excellent as well. Room service is not very good- but we were hungry at 3:00 am so, it was alright. the wine packages are extremely over priced!! there is not a bottle in navigator's nor in the Admiral's that is regularly more than $15. we ended paying up appx. 3x as much per bottle!! but we had no choice and we were having a good time so, we bought in!! They do allow you to take in your own bottle which I STRONGLY recommend, however- unfortunately we did not have the opportunity to do so prior to boarding. Our room was really nice- with the exception of carpet stains! we had plenty of room and storage. Its true-the overall crowd in the ship is "older" however, people tend to stay with age groups at times. We did not really feel out of place! If you are looking for a party ship though- this IS NOT IT!! we did dance practically everyday at the Norther Lights- the DJ there pretty much plays genre of music that he sees the crowd is enjoying. Not alot of people went there so it never felt crowded.
ENTERTAINMENT/ACTIVITIES/DINNING:as far as entertainment on board is concerned- they had some comedy shows- they were ok. some of the dancing shows we found boring. Jenny and the Hal Cats were a pretty good band. they also played at the queens lounge- that was fun and like I mentioned before, the Norther lights for us was nice because we did dancing which we normally dont do but really enjoy.
Cabin Review
Neptune Deluxe Verandah Suite
SHIP INFO/CABIN/SERVICE:Our cabin was a Deluxe Verandah Suite #8147 located in the 8th floor the Navigation deck. Over all it was a GREAT cabin. It was very spacious. It had plenty of storage. it has a king size bed which was important to us! I like to sleep in comfort!! pillows and sheets were clean and comfy. there is a couch and two chairs as well as a center table and i think there is two ottomans as well. The couch is not comfortable but we really didn't use it that much. we ate there late at night and I sat there to look at the explorer to plan our day. Outside the balcony is huge! its a wrap around balcony that fits a round table 4 chairs an 2 lounge chairs. we used the table and chairs several times. we never used the lunge chairs. most of the time we would just stand on the balcony and admire the GORGEOUS view. downfall is that the room is right below the lido deck so it can get kinda noisy. and sometimes people from the top can see down into your balcony. But I guess it is the same for all!! Really not a problem for us. It is Alaska and it rains alot and its cold-so we did not spend TOO much time out there as I would have preferred. then again, we are from Texas and had left 110F that Friday- and our winters are in the 40/50s so that was cold for us!!
it was really nice to have a space to get ready- the mirrors were excellent for me to use while doing my hair and make up, getting ready for bed, etc. there is closet space in that same area as well so that was pretty much my area to get ready for whatever we were going to do. I really liked that. we really didn't watch much TV. to me, TV was small and outdated- but I really didn't care much. this room is at on end of the ship so- you WILL walk! I underestimated that when I wore my heels! there is an elevator close by though but most of the time we opted for the stairs. I would probably not make the expense for such a big balcony for ALASKA however, the amenities of getting a Deluxe Verandah Suite were nice! We had access to the Neptune Lunge which is located on the Deck 7. We went there everyday for cafe lattes and "snacks". the amenity i think i liked the most was- free laundry and dry clean. so we did not being any dirty clothes back home for once!! they did loose one of my blouse- however, they did reimburse me for it. It was settled at the end with our bill. they were so apologetic and nice about the whole thing that i was OK with the resolution. The concierge took care of everything- i just presented verbally the description of the blouse and the brand. I also had a picture with it- she asked me how much i payed for it and that's what they reimbursed me- no questions asked!! although i do believe she must have researched it up on line or something because she did ask if it was last years or this years purchase- i presume to browse through the designers collection- any way, it was no big deal.
the internet- i did not use!! we were determined not to work at all during our time off!! we used our own cel phones when we got to the ports (we have nation wide coverage for minutes and internet) to touch base with our families but that was about it. they do have internet access at a price though.
SUMMARY: Awesome time! No regrets, and were doing it again for sure!!
hope my review help you out some- just remember to have a great time!!
Oh- almost forgot, i did put of the wrist bands, took the motion sickness pills (Dramamine and bonine) as well as take ginger supplements and i used the patch!!!! i took it all- i did not want to be sick- and i wasn't!!! except for one morning that mostly everybody felt it. i felt a little queezy but it didn't stop me from anything. I recommend that you take it all and then decide what to use- whatever is best for you. I used the patch and the pills as well. they said that keeping hydrated and green apples also help- so I did that as well. My husband took nothing and he was fine the whole time.
good luck:-)