The ship was great, just underwent a refit this past spring. Elevators are extremely fast, service was excellent, easy to get around the ship, food was really good (way better than most lines) and the small details really made a difference. The Casino and bars were great as well! Grandmother, Mother and Father, and 2 teens traveled in 2 Veranda rooms - very comfortable. We dined mainly in the ...
No kids visiting us in Florida for Christmas so we treated ourselves to a Christmas cruise. We have over 200 days on HAL and have definitely seen a decline in service,especially in the MDR,in the last few years.
To negate this decline somewhat we chose a Neptune Suite and found the service to be excellent. Embarkation and disembarkation were a breeze, especially with a Global Entry Traveller ...
My sweetheart enjoys the low key atmosphere of HAL, as well as the food and service. The service was good but not what I have experienced in the past.
The food is excellent, we ate in the main dining room for dinner, did not partake in the specialty restaurants this time.
The room was spacious and clean, plenty of storage.
My one beef is with the entertainment, it is nice but very low ...
In the interest of full disclosure the only reason I booked this cruise was because it dove tailed with a cruise I was taking prior, and I wanted to be away over Christmas.
I was fully prepared to be met with a sea of blue hair and was pleasantly surprised that there were more children on this sailing (over Christmas week) than I’ve seen on Carnival. This gave a youthful feel to the cruise, ...
This is my 5th cruise (2nd with Holland America), and I have to say that I was underwhelmed by this cruise. It is evident that Holland America is cutting down on food costs. It seemed like there were less high-end food items to choose from and portions were smaller than usual. There were a few times that we were hungry but the lido buffet was closed. On past cruises, there has been food available ...
Just got home from a seven-day cruise on the Westerdam. All in all, we had no major complaints. The week rate a solid B-. There were just a few things that could have made the experience just a bit smoother. Getting hot coffee was something they never quite managed to do. Twice in the main dining room, and twice in the Lido buffet, the coffee was barely hotter than room temperature. I can't figure ...
My wife and I and another couple decided at the last minute to take this ship as it was reasonable in price and we just wanted to get away. We were assigned what were possibly the last two available inside cabins that were available, which was our choice. The temperature was not really warm enough for a balcony type cabin.
Check in was OK. We waited in the terminal for awhile, but once we were ...
Embarkation and disembarkation not a problem. It was well organised using a number system to filter people on and off. Would work better if everyone could count!
Luggage was quickly transferred to cabin. Cabin was showing it's age in some areas but was clean and tidy. Throughout the voyage cabin steward was excellent.
The buffet food was of better standard than some other cruise lines, usually ...
DW and I are both retired, S.Fl. residents. This cruise on Holland America's Westerdam was our third "Smooth Jazz" themed cruise.
We partnered with another couple to get to the ship, dropping off our vehicle at an area parking facility which has a shuttle to the Ft.Lauderdale port departure point.
We arrived at 12:15PM and were aboard within 45 minutes, good timing considering the fact that it ...
This Dec 2 -- Dec 9, 2012 review of the ms Westerdam 7-Day Western Caribbean is written as my impressions which may or may not conflict with the impressions of others.
Pre-Cruise Hotel: We did not have a pre-cruise hotel but came from the Nieuw Amsterdam (NA), Pier 26.
Luggage: Our luggage was transported by a porter as we made the short walk across the street from Pier 26. With a new ...