We sailed on 8/20 for Alaska, out of Seattle. Spent 3 nites there, precruise, and enjoyed the city. Everything was very well organized for cruisers-easy transfers, quick check-in, friendly folks.
We were well pleased with the Westerdam experience. We had sailed this ship in 06, prior to refurbishment,and could note many of the changes. We had also sailed HAL in the past, to Alaska. We also paid probably less than half of what we had for our other experiences, so it was not realistic to expect the same level of service, but we enjoyed it immensely. We found the food to be uniformly very, very good and still artfully presented. We had a less than stellar experience last year on the Summit, so it was easiest to compare to this, and the service was far better. Staff in the Lido were engaged, and smilingly tending to service. They were quick to offer beverages, assistance, and could identify if clients were temporarily searching for other buffet items and tables were not in need of busing. The entertainment offered more options and was of higher quality. I tried some of the complimentary offerings-the photo editing classes, tai chi, and cooking classes and enjoyed all but the cooking.
Refinements in tour disembarkation, space usage on the ship, laundry pricing packages, and flexibility in choosing times for dinner were all improvements that were noted and offered a better experience. The weather did not cooperate this trip, but it's a good excuse to try again!