When I cruise Holland America, I look forward to some of the special touches like the beautiful artwork, fresh flowers, and freshly squeezed orange juice in the Lido buffet. The Westerdam had all these but I was pleased to find great entertainment as well. The singers and dancers were the best we've ever seen on a cruise ship. The comedian was the funniest we've heard on a ship. We also enjoyed the Culinary Center and the great cooking demonstrations as well as the wine tasting, trivia, and happy hours.

The itinerary was a new one for us. We enjoyed snuba on Grand Turk and the America's Cup Regatta on St. Maarten. Both of these were ship's excursions and the latter was fantastic. In San Juan we explored Old Town on our own using the complimentary shuttle. On Half Moon Cay we had a good beach day, bringing our own snorkeling gear and swimming with the fishes, literally.

It's difficult to come up with anything negative about this cruise. We experienced no problems on our cruise, unlike some others we've been on where management clearly needed improvement. The ship is not a new one, but one had to look hard to find small signs of wear. The crew was hardworking and efficient and the activities were great. The passenger group was a cordial one with a mix of older, middle aged, and more younger families and couples than I've seen before on a HAL cruise. We cruise for price and itinerary and the Westerdam was a good choice for us.