Our cruise began August 30, 2009. Since my sister lives near Seattle, we didn't use a hotel or shuttle service to get to pier 91 for embarkation.

EMBARKATION: We arrived around 11:30 am to pier 91. There were 2 ships boarding at the same time from pier 91. The westerdam and the Star Princess. We had heard horror stories about this process being a true nightmare. I found it to be completely easy and well organized. With the exception of the porter situation. The porters are assigned only one ship, so even though there were a lot of them, they seemed to be working mostly for princess. So we dragged our luggage about half way to the terminal, and then found a holland porter. After that, it was smooth sailing. We were onboard quickly and easily.

THE SHIP: After embarking, we found one of the nicest perks on Holland. A check point for all your carry on!! On the Lido deck they have a station to check your carry on luggage so you don't have to drag it around until your room is ready around 1 oclock! NICE! We began our cruise with lunch on the Lido. It was the average welcome aboard fare. Nothing to complain about or write home about. After lunch we explored the ship. We were disappointed in the actual state of the ship. It is 5 years old and in need of a through cleaning and repairs. Dirty/worn carpets in several places. Towels soaking up water and "wet floor" cones were on the floor continuously throughout the cruise by the lido buffet line. I must have tripped over those towels at least 3 times! Deck three is a teak deck with teak deck chairs. Those chairs are so nice! Be sure to sit and enjoy the view from them at least once during your cruise! This ship gives a couple different feelings. Sometimes I felt that I was on a modern ship, and other times I felt like I was on a ship from the titanic era. Very old school. Read more