Westerdam Review
Nice enough cruise, but the towns, the scenery, and the people were the best!
Rating by category
Additional details
We wanted a low-key, mid-sized cruise experience. Overall, it was very relaxing, and the mostly Indonesian crew made it a very pleasant experience. The Lido Market casual dining food was sometimes subpar, the entertainment choices we liked were usually very late in the evening for us, and the menu in the Pinnacle Grill was just okay. Reservation confirmation was spotty: we were advised that we'd receive a confirmation card on the morning of our dinner reservation, and got a card for the first dinner but not the second later in the cruise. The Pinnacle Grill was not very full on either night. The Vista Grill seemed to be very busy, and the food was just as good, if not better, so the upcharge for the Pinnacle Grill was really for the atmosphere.
We chose a Seattle round-trip for this cruise, and booked a balcony stateroom in the front of the ship on the starboard side, which gave us a great view heading north and also for most of the return journey. We drove up from the South Sound area and arrived shortly after lunch time, although we could have arrived earlier and started eating! Embarkation was smooth and quick, with just an enhanced Washington State driver's license needed, not a passport.
We got a free add-on Pinnacle Grill dinner for two via Costco Travel, and added another dinner beforehand. In-room bar and alcohol prices seemed reasonable for a cruise, and as we are not heavy drinkers, we actually had trouble using up all of our Costco Travel shipboard credits ($100 per person plus $235 for the room, total $435). We spent the extras on souvenirs and still ended up with a credit, which I'm trying to add to our room stewards' tips. Water in a 1.5 liter bottle was $3.95 in-room or $3.25 for 1 liter from the Vista Grill. Sodas were $1.75 a glass or $2.25/can in-room. We brought LifeStraw bottles but ended up buying bottled water as the ship's bathroom water tasted terrible even with the LifeStraw.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Ocean-View Verandah Stateroom
We chose a Seattle round-trip for this cruise, and booked a balcony stateroom in the front of the ship on the starboard side, which gave us a great view heading north and also for most of the return journey. We sat on our balcony and saw whales, orca, dolphin, seals, otters, eagles, bear, mountain goats, glaciers, and gorgeous sunrises and sunsets. The room was compact but well-laid out. The two single beds were made up into a queen bed, and was suuuuper comfortable even for me and my bad back. The little couch could be made up into a generous single bed for a third traveler, but it would have been cramped for storage and walking space for that. The balcony was roomy for two, with two chairs and an ottoman/stool and a small table for your champagne glass. The bathroom had a tub-shower combo, and the tub was tiny, just big enough for a sit-down soak, if you're short. The grab bars are slippery, so good luck getting out without calling for reinforcements.
Port Reviews
Seattle
Entry is confusing via GPS so allow more time to backtrack and get to the port. Drop off is super easy and fast as there are just a few ships at a time and hours to check in. Exiting the port is confusing, with many people missing the obscure exit signs and making U-Turns.
Glacier Bay
Our ship spent the day in Glacier Bay. We picked up some of the forest rangers who accompanied us and narrated some of the trip. Their audio was broadcast on the ship's CCTV so we could hear them from the comfort of our balcony stateroom. We had binoculars to see the mountain goats lounging on the steep cliffs, and saw some otter, eagles, seals, and a bear. We spent a lot of time at the Margerie Glacier, and the ship was turned so each side of the ship got a good view and could hear the gunshot-like cracking of the ice, and see a tiny bit of calving. It was a very relaxing way to spend the day!
Victoria
What sucks about cruises is that the international port of call is often just pro forma. Due to some screwup around a group of passengers on a ship-booked Ketchikan excursion, we were forced to delay departure and wait for them. So our Victoria arrival was late, after dark, and all shore excursions were cancelled. Our 6 hours in Victoria was cut to about 4 hours, so we didn't bother to go ashore. We've visited Victoria before and it is a beautiful city by day, but late at night, there isn't much to see or do for us. We had a lovely view of the bigger Crown Princess docked next to us.