We had a wonderful Alaskan experience on the Westerdam. I was concerned about the weather the first full week in September, but the weather was near perfect. Seattle, Victoria, Juneau, Glacier Bay, and even Sitka were sunny days. Ketchikan was cloudy, but no rain. The mountain reflections in Glacier Bay were near perfect.
I was concerned about the food and dining. The menus were a little ...
Our first time to Alaska, second cruise with Holland America's Westerdam. This remains a quality cruise line, and we have enjoyed it both times. On this trip we found the entertainment in the showroom to be "OK" but lacking in variety, although technically extraordinary - LED video screens create fabulous sets. The food was plentiful and good, but we felt they were trying too hard to be "elegant" ...
Right up front - the best part of this cruise was the crew members we met. Each was pleasant, accommodating and prepared to find a way to say yes. Several greeted us by name. One in particular, a young woman from whom I got coffee each morning, delighted in guessing what I would order each day. The standard answer to our "How are you" seemed to be "Excellent," which may or may not have been true. ...
Wonderful re-positioning cruise from Vancouver to San Diego, stopping at San Fran and Catalina Island. First cruise for me, although my traveling companion had made several cruises on HAL with her late mother.
Best thing overall was that we were extremely lucky with the weather. Sail out day from Vancouver was glorious, had a bit of rain overnight but the rest of the trip was incredible. Thanks ...
Enjoyed the upper veranda cabin, although quite narrow. I fell over the step to the balcony when I first arrived, so be careful and look down. The beds are smaller than twin size, so not comfortable for tall or larger people. The staff on the ship was excellent. Always a Hello, and have a good day! Certainly, as good, if not better than other cruise lines..
A veranda cabin is necessary on this ...
We cruised on the Westerdam in late August to Alaska – our 17th cruise overall, 5th on Holland America. It was a good cruise – ship was fine but the weather was cloudy and rainy with fog in many areas. This was our 3rd Alaska cruise – the other two were in June and weather was much better. Here are some details from our trip:
EMBARK: We stayed in Seattle 2 days before the cruise to sightsee - it ...
This was the 4th time we sailed with Holland America we have sailed on the amsterdam. the osterdam and
the westerdam twice.
The quality of ship and services have slowly become worse each time.
Poor quality and choices of food except the formal dinners.
Room service was terrible. Orders wrong most of the time, and when it did arrive it was barely warm.
One handicap toilet near the show room ...
This is my 3 rd sailing to Alaska but first time with HAL on this route. Having done several other cruises also to Europe with HAL and other lines I find myself comparing. My husband and I felt that the overall experience was pleasant. The crew were always smiling and obliging, even when dealing with some demanding passengers!
This was our first time visiting Sitka and we felt it was the ...
We decided to return to Holland America after an absence of a few years. We booked early and got a good deal on an outside cabin, and then got it upgraded to a Veranda by special invitation. We flew Jet Blue out of Long Beach, arriving at 1pm and were on the boat by a little after 2pm. Embarkation was a breeze.
The ship and this design is one of my favorites. It is aesthetically pleasing, has a ...
Some thing that was very nice was to have classes in Windows 8.1, but was not so nice was the computer room being located in the shopping area and the shopping announcer continually shouting into his microphone through out the lessons. Someone needs to teach some common courtesy on that ship. Not sure they are smart enough to pay that much attention to detail on that ship.
The second engine ...