Westerdam Review
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Additional details
This cruise represented a couple of firsts for us; it was the first time we had booked air and transfers with the cruise line, and the first time we had a verandah stateroom, both of those proved to be nice additions to the cruise experience. As this cruise started out of San Diego we took a risk and booked our flight for the departure day as it is only a two hour flight from home and there are a multitude of flights everyday. We had the quickest check-in experience we have ever had, perhaps because we were later in the day. It was a little odd that some of the online check-in information such as credit card info and the request for twin beds had not come through, but those things were taken care of quickly.
Our stateroom was a good size for two with enough room to unpack our things, though slightly more counter space might have been nice. The verandah was more enjoyable and useful than we had anticipated. We used it as a quiet place to read and for bird watching during the day, and for stargazing at night. We were at the stern and just one deck above the Promenade. The stern of the Promenade is closed to passengers during the canal transit so it was a great advantage to have this verandah as it provided an up close rear view going through the locks.
The ship has beautiful and interesting artworks throughout, I particularly loved the floor mosaic which was slightly damaged but still very beautiful, although I cannot now recall whether it was on the Promenade or Lower Promenade deck. Some new touches since the last time we sailed with Holland America that we enjoyed were: Lincoln Center Stage where there were 45 minute classical music concerts by a piano quintet five nights a week at 7:00 and 9:00 (and sometimes in the afternoon); EXC Guides, whose job is to tell you how to enjoy the port on your own, not the shopping stops or a big upsell for the shore-excursions, but facts about the country and area you are visiting and practical tips for how to get around and sights you might like to visit (some of the presentations were more helpful and informative than others); America’s Test Kitchen presentations which are a lot like watching a semi-live episodes of the show. We did not attend many of the evening shows, just the Planet Earth II in concert which was marvelous, and an Argentine group which was quite good.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Ocean-View Verandah Stateroom
Our stateroom was a good size for two with enough room to unpack our things, though slightly more counter space might have been nice. The verandah was more enjoyable and useful than we had anticipated. We used it as a quiet place to read and for bird watching during the day, and for stargazing at night. We were at the stern and just one deck above the Promenade. The stern of the Promenade is closed to passengers during the canal transit so it was a great advantage to have this verandah as it provided an up close rear view going through the locks.
Port Reviews
Huatulco
Took “Bird watching Eco adventure” This trip should be taken by those who love to bird watch and are prepared with binoculars and/or camera with telephoto lens, and perhaps some previous birding experience. After leaving the ship we were split into groups of 15-17. Each group had a guide and driver. Some of the guides had spotting scopes, but our guide did not. We were taken to two bird spotting areas the first was at a higher elevation and was very quiet the day we were there so we did not linger long before returning to a lower elevation area nearer the coast. We walked slowly down the entrance road to a local beach park that cut through woods and brush. We saw around 25 birds most of them new to us, however those who did not have binoculars were not able to see as much and often looked a little bored. The guide really knew his birds and was able to identify birds for us from just our description of what we had seen without even seeing the bird himself. I think the guide was disappointed that we did not see more birds that day as he said usually they see between 30 and 40 birds on the trip. For us it was a lot of fun!
After the bird tour we had time to explore the little town area around the pier. We were looking for a local restaurant which had mole, a Oaxaca specialty, we found a restaurant where the waiter/tout said they had molé even though it was not on the menu so we ordered it and it was delicious.
Puerto Quetzal (Antigua)
Took the “Antigua on your own” excursion. This excursion sold out quickly so we felt lucky to get a spot just a week before the ship sailed after putting ourselves on the waiting list a couple months earlier. This consisted of a guided bus ride to Antigua, about three and a half hours to explore as we wished, and a guided bus ride back to the ship. Leaving the ship we were on a standard size bus then just outside Antigua near a beautiful ruined church we switched to small vans or mini buses to be driven into the city center where we began with a short orientation at the Jade museum. There were private guides available, which the tour operator highly recommended, but we opted to just walk around on our own. We took in the famous convent arch. Then made our way to the market, first we found the local produce market where we took lots of photos then the tourist souvenir market for some shopping. We stopped at the Pollo Campero, a local fast food place, for lunch and also sampled fresh mango from a street cart. We made time to tour the cathedral ruins before heading back to the meet-up point.
Corinto
Took the “Colonial Leon and Chorotega Museum” excursion. Our guide on this tour was marvelous, funny and insightful he really knew his business and was passionate and optimistic about his country. We started with the museum, which was housed in the school which is more fully visited on other tours. It was a smaller museum than I had anticipated but still had some very nice artifacts. We then continued to Leon where we had a brief tour of the city with some historical highlights and a more extensive tour of the Cathedral, or rather Basilica as this is a place the pope has visited. The views from the top were magnificent and we were lucky to be there on a holiday so we did not have to remove our shoes as is usually required. We then had an adequate amount of time to get a little something to eat and do a little souvenir shopping in the square.