ozarkseyeguy

Sorry to hear of your less than enjoyable experience on the Westerdam. It is so disappointing to put much planning and much money into a trip and not have it live up to expectations. I've been there more that I wish. But having just gotten off that ship 52 hours ago, some sort of transformation must have taken place in the ship between mid-October and early November.

We could not have enjoyed our cruise on her more. There were 4 of us, myself, my wife, my 15 y/o ds and 11 y/o dd.

I happened to enjoy the understated elegance of the ship and its size. I knew I was on a ship.

The ship was spotless everywhere we looked, cleaning was constantly going on. Our room stewards were wonderful, they kept our room perfect. I spoke to them probably 3-4 times a day. Any time we met we were asked to please let them know if we needed anything or if there were any issues. They kept our room perfect. We were in one of the large interior staterooms (1054). Ample space for the four of us for the amount of time we spent in the room.

The rest of the ship was spotless as well. The crew was constantly cleaning, everywhere. We saw painting going on the entire cruise to the outside of the ship. Late one night I couldn't sleep and went up to the atrium on deck 3 to read about midnight. I parked myself in a comfortable chair, and watched a young man wipe down every table and chair that he could with cleaner and disinfectant. I heard someone (some sort of head waiter) politely but sternly chastise a steward working in the Lido buffet for not discarding something (not sure what, I couldn't hear whole conversation, sorry I was eavesdropping) that had hit the floor that he was cleaning with. The head waiter had watched him do it. They did tolerate unsanitary practices. The effort I saw in the crew and the pride they took in their work was impressive. I realize it is indeed possible to have a bad apple in every basket, but I can't help but believe from what I saw on the Westerdam, that if your issues with your room cleanliness would have been taken up with the hotel management, it would have been resolved.

Don't get me wrong. The Westerdam was not perfect. The ship has rust, worn areas, etc. exterior-wise, but what 10 year old ship in the ocean does not? If cruise lines constantly repaired and replaced everything that got a bit worn, cruises would cost twice as much. These issues did nothing to detract from the enjoyment of the cruise.

It was indeed a more "mature" crowd than the RCI and Carnival cruises we have been on. I knew that when I booked the cruise, it was not hard to find the demographics of the passengers via the internet. My kids were two of the only 26 that were on board. But they had a great time doing absolutely nothing!!

Yes we saw more wheelchairs and walkers and scooters than we have on other cruises. But I think one lady in a wheelchair caused to take about one minute longer to get back on the ship at Grand Turk. Other than that they were of no consequence. I admired the spirit of the some of the much older crowd that were doing their best to travel and stay active as long as they could. The two rude folks that stood out on the ship were a "gentleman" in his early fifties that jumped all over a steward up by the Lido Pool that picked up his towel that had his shirt wrapped in it (the steward had no way of knowing that), and a twenty-something "lady" that griped out the server at

the Lido buffet sandwich station because the rye bread was dry. Jerks come in all shapes, sizes, income levels, and ages.

Our cruise this past week (our first HAL) made us truly appreciate the quieter, slightly more refined, cruise experience. Our conversation on the way home was one of planning the next relaxation vacation, possibly on even a smaller ship with a longer itinerary. We loved our cruise on the Westerdam. She is one Jekyll and Hyde ship.

Sorry to hear of your less than enjoyable experience on the Westerdam. But having just gotten off that ship 52 hours ago, some sort of transformation must have taken place in the ship between mid-October and early November

We could not have enjoyed our cruise on her more. There were 4 of us, my wife, my 15 y/o ds and 11 y/o dd. The ship was spotless everywhere we looked, cleaning was constantly going on. Our room stewards were wonderful, they kept our room perfect.