Westerdam Review
4.5 / 5.0
wbwright79
6-10 Cruises • Age 50s
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Sail Date: Feb 2023
Cabin: Deluxe Ocean-View Verandah Stateroom
We have only cruised 3 times with HAL, however each was 14+ days. We were on the last Asia cruise before Covid, and the 1st one since Covid (ports in Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan). Both on Westerdam. However HAL is down trending for us.
Preface: Let me just say that running a cruise is a very difficult thing. Nearly every guest on board has a unique need or request. Staffing turn over has to be challenging. Obtaining permits for entry in to countries, and making sure everyone makes it back to the ship, has to be hard. Fixing broken things and overcoming unfortunate events (such as cancelled shore tours) has to be done. Hiring talent to conduct shore adventures in all lands is probably hard. Refunds, complaints, changes and the like all have to be handled. Dealing with sick people, or those with medical conditions is a real thing. They really want the voyage to be a memorable one. But some times sacrifices have to be made. Some times cuts have to be made in order to make it financially feasible.
Note: Each time we have stayed in a "VA" Verandah (deck 6) cabin, which is only 1 upgrade below "Verandah Suite" level, which actually costs more than many suites. Dead in the middle of the ship (fore/aft, top/bottom), this greatly effects the ride quality in rough seas (and there are many).
Cabin Review
Deluxe Ocean-View Verandah Stateroom
The Cabins are a solid point. There is plenty of room in the VA cabin which we booked. And the Verandah is a bit extra large too, which makes sitting out or spending time on the balcony a private and pleasurable one. The Cabin stewards (we were assigned 2 of them), work tirelessly. They seem to be up until 9:30p or so, and then they get up around 4:00a to start things off. It is a difficult job and they do a great job with the rooms. Everything is functional in the cabin. The Refer works and has some room for even some drinks or things you might purchase along the way. The room had good outlets, and USB (new feature) at sides of the beds. More lighting options than in the past. The bed was good, and my back never went out during this stay, as it will in a hotel with a bad bed. Bed covers were great, as were the pillows. There is a couch to sit on, which is so functional that you can sleep on it if you wanted to. The desk is nice to work at, and has plenty of room for 1 laptop workstation. We alternated 2 laptops during out stays, as both my wife and I work our jobs through the laptops. Critique of the back window however. It had not been cleaned in 3 years, and so I washed it and cleaned it myself so that we could actually see properly outside when sitting in our cabin. But they clean the rooms well each day. There is always information left for you regarding the days activities, or events, or any types of happenings onboard.
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