Just off the Westerdam to Alaska...Review with pics!

Earlier this week we returned from a 7-nights sailing on m/s Westerdam and I wanted to share my thoughts and a few pics. I hope you find this helpful.

This trip departed from Seattle, Washington [where we spent 1 night pre-cruise and 1 night post-cruise] on 10 Sept. 2016 and called at the following ports:

Juneau, Alaska

Glacier Bay [scenic cruising]

Sitka, Alaska

Ketchikan, Alaska

Victoria, British Columbia

On this trip were my DH [48] and I [33] for our first voyage to Alaska. I have been on one other HAL ship [Veendam] and this was DH's first experience with HAL although he's been on all the other lines that appear in my signature so not a cruise novice.

The lovely Moriah was also on board but unfortunately our paths did not cross. She is welcome to add any observations that I may have missed, though. :D

I usually take a trip diary with me and record my thoughts each day so will post in that format [day by day commentary including the days in Seattle for those of you who may wish to spend time there as well before or after an Alaska cruise]. If anyone has any questions, please ask and I will do my best to help. I will post the corresponding pictures after each section since I prefer to type on my laptop but uploading pics on CC is MUCH easier on the iphone! Here goes...

3.15pm EST

On board AA flight #1787 from BOS to CLT. Enjoying my gin & tonic with warmed nuts as we wait for a light lunch to be served. This A321 appears to be one of the old US Airways planes with the large blue leather seats in first class. The steward is an older southern man with a somewhat snarky demeanor although he has been quite pleasant to us.

6.17pm PST

Now on board AA flight #609 from CLT to SEA. Still an old US Airways A321 with no TVs even in first class on a 5.5 hour flight! At least the service is excellent [our stewardess is so warm and friendly] and the seats are comfortable. Dinner was herb chicken breast [so-so] with wild mushroom risotto [delish!] and hericots vert...and we got the delicious pretzel roll too! Dessert was made-to-order hot fugde [or butterscotch] sundae.

My plane face haha

Light lunch on shorter first flight.

Chicken and risotto on second flight.

ICE CREAM!!

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11.10pm PST

We started the day with a visit to Pike's Place Market. We stayed at the Hilton Homewood Suites on Pike Street which was only about 6 blocks up the road so made for an easy and pleasant walk. Our suite was quite large with a nice balcony. What a cool place Pike's Place Market is! So many stalls selling fresh flowers at such reasonable prices. $10 for a large bouquet of dahlias and chrysanthemums. Then we visited the original Starbucks location. It was much smaller than I thought it would be and we had to wait in line for about 30 minutes for our coffees [the line got MUCH longer later in the morning!]. They sold some limited edition mugs but not much else specific to that location. We went back to the hotel for about an hour to relax before taking a taxi to the port.

Boarding took about 30 min from arrival to being in our stateroom [interior #6154]. This was MUCH more organized than some other ports we've sailed from. We explored the ship a bit after lunch in the lido buffet. The Westerdam is a lovely ship; a bit dark in decor but still elegant. We ate dinner in the Pinnacle Grill tonight and it was fabulous! I had the crab cakes followed by the osetra caviar and then the 10oz filet. Li had shrimp cocktail, lobster bisque [which he raved about] and the 12oz NY strip. We both had the baked Alaska for dessert [it was okay but not as delicious as it was beautifully presented]. We didn't go to any shows tonight as we were tired and called it a night early. I did win $40 in the casino though! Tomorrow is a sea day.

Stateroom 6154

Scallop amuse bouche.

Crab cakes

Osetra caviar

10oz filet with sauce bearnaise.

Baked Alaska

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10.07pm PST

Today was a typical day at sea. Royal Dutch Tea was a special treat since I missed it last time on the Veendam. Other than that we lounged around the ship and watched some DVDs in the stateroom. Having DVD players is such a nice feature on HAL and it's a pity they will remove them during the next remodel. Li wanted to watch Red River with John Wayne and it turned out to be quite boring! Then we watched Last Holiday with Queen Latifah. That's such a happy, uplifting movie. We ate dinner in the MDR tonight and we open seating we in and out in about an hour. There was no wait at 6pm for a table for two.

I met a delightful older lady named Irene from Adelaide out on the smoking deck today. She is a widow and her kids didn't want to come so she is traveling alone. Such a friendly lady and quite chit-chatty. We went to the 8pm show tonight and it was decent. The dancers were wonderful but the singers were pretty average. Hey, at least they are making a living doing what they love. Most of us can envy that! They sang a bunch of songs that had been featured in movies. We ended up going back to the stateroom pretty early. I read a bit of "Dead Wake" by Erik Larson about the last crossing of the Lusitania [i know, a bit ironic on an ocean voyage!]. Tomorrow we call at Juneau and have a pretty full day.

Treats from Royal Dutch Tea (including the delish sausage roll!)

Vista dining room.

Royal Dutch Tea decorations.

Atrium

Lobby.

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At Pike's Place.

(I forgot to add these above under Seattle so forgive the change in sequence.)

Flowers for sale

So many crabs!

Flying fish stall

Sail away from Seattle.

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Thanks for the review and pics. I am enjoying it.

How was the scallop amuse bouche at the PG? It looked rather pale to me. I would have expected a nice caramelized crust.

Thanks especially for the food shots - so much easier than trying to describe things like the Royal Dutch Tea. Glad you liked those sausage rolls - they almost can be dinner, if you go back for seconds. I see why the Westerdam is known as the lovely Vista sister.

Thanks for the review and pics. I am enjoying it.

 

How was the scallop amuse bouche at the PG? It looked rather pale to me. I would have expected a nice caramelized crust.

Thanks for reading!! The scallop was actually quite nice. I believe it was on a pumpkin puree.

Thanks especially for the food shots - so much easier than trying to describe things like the Royal Dutch Tea. Glad you liked those sausage rolls - they almost can be dinner, if you go back for seconds. I see why the Westerdam is known as the lovely Vista sister.

Yes, Westerdam is a lovely lady indeed. Thanks for reading.

It is getting late here so I will continue tomorrow! :D

Nice photos. I like the crabs!

Great start fo a review. Following.

Thanks for the review. We did the same cruise earlier in the summer and had a great experience. Can't wait to read about yours.

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Outstanding!

Very enjoyable commentary and super photos.

I have quite a few questions, I just have to get them organized. Then, watch out!

I am happy you had a great cruise!

Enjoying your review and photos. I'll be checking back for more!

Thanks especially for the food shots - so much easier than trying to describe things like the Royal Dutch Tea. Glad you liked those sausage rolls - they almost can be dinner, if you go back for seconds. I see why the Westerdam is known as the lovely Vista sister.

That appellation must explain my addiction to cruising, as Westerdam was my first ship. Thanks, OP, for bringing us along for the journey.

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Enjoying your review, thanks for sharing your photos.

Thank you for the review and outstanding photos. We enjoyed this cruise in July. Was there a Mariner Embarkation Luncheon?

Loving your trip review - we sail the same itinerary the same time next year on the Eurodam so we now have something to get an idea what to expect!

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I'm enjoying your comments and pictures.

Thanks for posting.

Looking forward to more!

I am enjoying your review.

You are lucky on your AA flights. We had a long flight from Phoenix to Pittsburgh. Only a tiny breakfast, no movies, no hot nuts -- basically nothing but tiny seats, barely padded in first class -- it was an old 319 plane.

Great review and wonderful photos...really want to do Alaska next year...

BTW...I was flying into Boston to visit family as you were leaving:D

I'm enjoying your review, comments and seeing your photos. Can hardly wait to hear how you enjoy the Alaska ports and your photos. We've never been on the Westerdam (but will be on her Oct 18 to Mexico).

I'm enjoying your narrative, and very much enjoying your pictures. (I love that the pics are sized so they don't make the screen too wide when I read with images turned on.) I can't wait for the Alaska pics, and maybe some of the interior of the ship? I understand it's totally redecorated since I was on her, and I would love to see what she looks like now.

Thanks for your report on this cruise. Are you planning to go back to Alaska at all???

Great pics; nice and succinct diary entries... love the format! Only thing better would have been to be there too.

Waiting for more...... :D