Celebrity/Princess fans sail HAL - Westerdam review 3/28-4/4 - very long!

[Infi]

Here’s my take of our first HAL cruise on the Westerdam two weeks ago. I realize this review’s awfully late and probably won’t be of much help to anyone now that the ship is halfway to the Mediterranean, but I love writing reviews and couldn’t help myself. It helps me relive the cruise now that I’m back in the real world. Warning: this review will be long, more of a trip journal than report card style. If any of you have seen my reviews from the Celebrity and Princess boards, I think you know what I mean. So if you like reading about lots of cruise details, you’ll probably enjoy this review. If not, no hard feelings! I’ll try to post it in parts as quickly as I can, but forgive me if I’m a bit of a slow writer!

 

Ship: Westerdam, 3/28/10-4/4/10

Itinerary: Half Moon Cay, Aruba, Curacao

Part 1

 

I took this cruise with my daughter, my 52nd and her 23rd. We are elite on Celebrity and platinum on Princess, and enjoy those lines very much, with Celebrity as our favorite. We chose this cruise for its unique itinerary – it’s not every day you see a cruise to the southern Caribbean that’s only seven days – and because we love Aruba and Curacao. After reading comparisons between Celebrity/Princess/HAL, we thought HAL would be a good fit, and the spring break cruise would draw a slightly younger crowd. However, as the cruise approached, we both began to get more apprehensive from hearing feedback from friends (“you’re too young for HAL”), seeing negative reviews on CC, and reading that the ship had been in code red the previous week. Nevertheless, we researched HAL as much as we could and went in with a hopeful attitude.

 

Because we live in Ft. Lauderdale, our journey always begins with a car service to the port. We like to board early, so we arrived around 10am at the pier. There were many passengers still offloading from the previous cruise in both HAL transfers and private cars, so it was a task to even get close to the drop off area. We managed to find a spare bench to set up camp with our bags, as there wasn’t a porter to be found. Most of HAL staff were busy with the disembarking passengers, and were very brief with us and told us to “come back later”. The only help they offered was luggage tags, which we took and placed on our bags because I didn’t trust the strength of our printer arts-n-crafts project ones. We asked when boarding would begin, and the staff would only say “not for awhile”. To be honest, they were pretty unhelpful and not a good introduction. Finally DD managed to wrangle a porter to take our bags, so at least that part of the boarding process was complete. We felt a bit dumb sitting outside on the benches, as we have at least been allowed inside the terminal to wait on all of our other cruises. Then we got our first piece of information - an employee placed a sign outside the building that the terminal door would open at 11:05am. This was going to be a long wait.

We were both surprised when one of the employees we had spoken with earlier actually returned to where we were sitting and told us we could go inside the building. We passed through the main entrance doors and walked outside to where the back entrance was. This entrance seemed awfully nondescript and small and I couldn’t help wondering if all of the passengers would enter this way. We easily passed through security and entered a small room with three check-in desks, all of which were labeled “Suites”. Now the roundabout entrance made sense - the staff was directing the early arrivals to the smaller suite check-in area. I have to admit, I got a creepy vibe here, with the dark colors and the oversized flower arrangements on the desks – reminded me of a funeral parlor! The staff directed each of the waiting passengers to a check-in desk whenever one opened, and the process was painless. Interestingly, our boarding photo was taken here with a small webcam, rather than at the gangway. A smart idea, considering the backlog that process usually creates at the gangway. We received our copy of the daily program, seapasses, and boarding number #1. My seapass was marked with a one star Mariner icon, despite the fact this was my first HAL cruise. I didn’t receive any perks from this (nor did I expect to), but it was a nice gesture of recognition for sailing other Carnival brands. After about ten minutes, the staff announced that the B2B cruisers could now re-board, and a large contingent left the room. A concierge arrived to escort some suite passengers upstairs, and the rest of us remained. We patiently waited for our turn, but other passengers pushed by and went upstairs without any permission at all. I don’t know what made them so privileged, but the HAL staff barely seemed to notice this. In fact, they were almost incredulous that there were still people waiting downstairs. (“You know, you can go upstairs now. Didn’t you see those other people go?” “Yes, those were the suites.” “No, they just went on their own. Go ahead.”) It was a very strange beginning to what would later prove to be a strange afternoon.

Once upstairs, things felt more welcoming. The HAL shore staff was friendly and courteous, directing people to their seats and to the available refreshments. The ship offered lemonade and water, along with cookies – much like Celebrity, and a very nice touch. However, there was also a bar server hawking wine tastings right in the terminal – a very tacky touch IMHO. The upstairs waiting area filled quickly, and it was soon standing room only. Even though it was only 11:30am, people were pretty antsy to board, crowding the entrance. The staff called for number #1 and a huge group practically ran for the entrance. One man sprinted ahead with his suitcase as though it was a huge race. I then saw the man’s college age daughter actually trip an older man with her suitcase so she could reach the boarding area before him. When he cried out, she gave him a dirty look and brushed right by. This was just the second sign of rudeness we would encounter on embarkation day, but definitely one of the most disgusting.

Embarkation: Points deducted from HAL for the confusion outside the terminal, but points added for their smooth management inside. Rough tie for HAL/Princess/Celebrity.

 

A crew member hand-sanitized us before we even stepped aboard, confirming our suspicions of Norovirus the prior week. Once aboard, the crew gruffly blocked us from going anywhere but the midship elevators, saying “Lido only! No cabins!” Well, hello to you, too. A crew member was also stationed in each elevator, presumably to prevent people from going to their staterooms. I know one of the perks of HAL is being allowed to stay in your cabin until disembarkation, but I’d rather vacate the cabin earlier than have to endlessly wait for it to be cleaned on embarkation day. I found the Lido got clogged with passengers quickly, and tables were hard to find as people essentially camped out with their carry-ons. We even watched passengers remove others’ carry-ons so they could steal their table – I could hardly believe it.

As is our usual custom, I claimed a table while DD investigated the buffet. This was unnecessary, as tables were plentiful this early. The Lido is much more spacious and well-laid out than the Horizon Court on Princess, but a notch below the buffet stations on Celebrity’s S-class. People would skip the line occasionally at some of the stations, but that’s an inherent problem with the cafeteria line setup. We are not buffet fans in the slightest, and the only time we eat there is embarkation day. The food was decent for buffet food. The made-to-order sandwich station is particularly nice, with three different offerings each day. I also appreciated the wide selection of juices (fruit punch, grape juice, lemonade, passionfruit juice) available, after sailing Princess which is very stingy with their complimentary lemonade.

Our first trip to the Lido was our chance to see firsthand some of the most commonly discussed topics on the boards. We found no issues with the lack of trays: the large plates given were more than sufficient for a normal meal. DD had a Thai chicken wrap and chips, while I had roast beef and potatoes. For dessert, DD was excited to try the revered bread pudding, but it was a big disappointment. The consistency was like a bad soufflé and the dessert was flavorless. We were pleasantly surprised by the other desserts, including a berry cobbler which was fantastic. After reading the complaints on the boards, I was convinced the desserts would be awful, but they were easily some of the best I have tried. Because of the Noro precautions, we were hand sanitized upon entrance to the buffet, and everything was served to us. The next day, all of the Lido stations were plastic-wrapped – it was a bizarre look, but I guess it helps with germ control. The entertainers stood at each station, handing out utensils (another thing I’ve never seen before – I’m sure they’re thrilled with that extra assignment!), and the Lido stewards served everything from the drink station. From this Lido visit alone, it was obvious HAL takes their Noro precautions very seriously. We remained in this precautionary mode for the first three days of the voyage, after which we were allowed to serve ourselves from the buffet and drink stations. I hope I’m not alone in this, but I almost prefer the precautions. When the staff serves from the stations, it’s so much more efficient and sanitary.

Buffet: Tie, HAL and Celebrity. It puts Princess’ Horizon Court trough to shame.

 

After an announcement from CD Matt Allen reminding us the cabins would be ready at 1:30pm (read: don’t even think of going down to your room yet), we went downstairs to kill time and double check our dining room reservations in the Explorers lounge. What a pleasure this was! There were two waiters with laptops, one for As You Wish dining and one for traditional. We received our request for a large table in traditional, and didn’t have to even wait in a line to find that out. Since our last cruise involved an hour long struggle to find out our table size, this was quite easy and painless. One of the waiters happily showed DD our table location in the MDR, where they were also serving lunch. I’m not sure if it was the official Mariner’s lunch or not, but it was the Indonesian lunch.

Finally, at 1:30pm on the dot, we were allowed to go to the cabins. At this point, we were really grateful, as we felt like hobos, shuffling from lounge to lounge with carry-ons in tow. It was difficult to get an aft elevator, as they were using all four of them for loading the luggage. This continued through the early evening.

 

Our cabin, 1116 was a Cat K on Main deck. This was our first inside in many cruises, so I was prepared to for a let down from outsides and balconies. I’m pleased to report that I was wrong. The cabin was very spacious, complete with a large sofa and table. The bathroom had ample storage and was decently sized, although the shower was a bit dark. The Elemis toiletries provided were excellent. The room’s DVD player is a lovely touch, as is the movie rental service aboard. Initially we thought there was too little storage space, but we soon discovered the hidden storage in the footstool and drawers under each bed. It would be nice if there were some additional drawers in the vanity, though – the “hidden” storage can be inconvenient to reach. Speaking of the beds, the Mariner dream beds are to die for! I’ve never had such a nice, plush mattress on a ship. They put the hard boards that Princess calls mattresses to shame. The lined bathrobes provided in the cabin were equally plush and luxurious. Our one complaint about the room was that it could have used some better lighting, particularly over the closet area. The lighting was ample by the beds and desk, but very dark by the closets. Every day we would remark about where we would place new lighting in the room if we could – a bit of interior designer dying to get out of us, I guess. Our room steward, Islah, appeared and introduced himself and asked for each of our names. He remembered both of them without fail for the rest of the week, which was impressive. This was our first encounter with the personalized HAL service, and as the week progressed we would learn how little details like names are so important to the crew. We loved our cabin location, with hardly any neighbors and easy access to the gangway deck and elevators. I would book the same room without hesitation again.

Cabin: It’s hard to assign a winner here, no one has a clear advantage. We loved the spacious layout and furnishings in the HAL cabins, but find Princess cabins to have more storage space. Celebrity cabins have great layouts and furniture too, but poor storage. Three way tie?

 

Muster drill was held at 4pm, and we were not required to bring our lifejackets. Our steward Islah told us this was pretty new and some weeks had still required the jackets. Our muster station was outside on the port side of the promenade deck, which required a trip through the dining room galley (!) to reach. Now, I’ve been on a lot of cruises, and I remember the days when muster drill always involved a trip outside to stand on deck by the lifeboats. It was always hot, cramped, and uncomfortable, and I’ve seen quite a few people faint during those drills. I haven’t done this in over ten years, and I was thankful those days appeared to be over. I didn’t like it then, and I don’t like it now. So, I was really shocked that HAL still does their drills this way, especially when the majority of their clientele is older folks. It can’t be comfortable or easy for seniors to stand for such long periods in close quarters. I myself have knee problems, and had to ask to sit down during the middle of the drill. The crew was very accommodating, but still. I know I wasn’t the only one. The crew also tried to organize people by putting the tallest in the back and shortest and youngest in the front, but that doesn’t help much. My DD stood in the front of the group and agreed that it was unpleasant, no matter where you were. We stood out on the promenade deck for about thirty minutes, listening to instructions from Captain Peter Harris and watching the crew demonstrate how to put on the lifejackets. One amusing moment came at the beginning of the drill, when Captain Harris first came on the PA and flatly shouted “I demand quiet – if you talk, this drill will take even longer!” He sounded like a grumpy schoolteacher admonishing rowdy kids, and it became the running joke of the cruise for us and others.

Muster drill: Princess, followed by Celebrity, both of which allow you to sit in the comfort of a lounge. HAL’s was awful. If we’re not even bringing lifejackets any longer, why do we still have to stand on deck and stare at the lifeboats? Other lines don’t think it’s necessary for an effective drill anymore, so why does HAL?

 

After muster drill, we headed upstairs for the sailaway party. It was a gray and windy day, not the most ideal weather for a sailaway. The crew was busy setting up a huge BBQ buffet around the Lido pool and an officer opened up the magrodome to the overcast skies above. If you’ve never heard one of these things work, you’re in for a laugh – it sounds like a muted police siren every time it opens. I’m innocent, officer! The magrodome is nice, as it allows the pool to have some versatility. But, it’s inconvenient in that it allows for only one terribly steep spiral staircase to leads to the upper pool deck. Inconvenience aside, the Lido pool area is definitely one of the prettiest I have seen on a ship. It felt more like a backyard oasis than your typical crowded pool deck replete with sun worshippers on sticky plastic chairs. The rattan chairs and padded loungers are really comfortable, and there were plenty of tables by the pool. The pool itself is large, with a cute dolphin statue at one end. There are four small Jacuzzis and a small bandstand flanking the pool area. Additionally, there are three ping pong tables and large outdoor chess set by the pool, all of which were well-utilized by the younger set on our cruise.

I opted to stay downstairs at one of the tables by the pool, while DD trekked upstairs for some photo ops. The pool band, Charlie and the HALCats entertained with some nice live music. I personally enjoyed the music style, but I can see how it catered to an older crowd more than your usual “Hot Hot Hot”. DD returned from upstairs thrilled with her bounty of sailaway ship photos. We got the chance to see Carnival Freedom, Solstice, Emerald Princess, and Independence of the seas all depart before we sailed through the inlet. You always have to love that moment – when you see the last of land (for awhile anyway) and know you’re finally on vacation.

 

Now, I have to include this part here, as it was a significant and disconcerting part of our day. We love cruising, both for the places it allows us to visit and the people we meet onboard. We think we’re pretty friendly, and we enjoy chatting with other cruisers at meals, at activities, or on deck. Well, on embarkation day, we must have been wearing a sign that said “do not talk to these people” because not a soul (other than the crew) spoke to us, or even politely responded to questions. DD asked a man if he would mind taking a photo of her on deck – the man (who clearly spoke English, and had taken a photo of his wife prior to this) ignored her and walked away. At sailaway, I was sitting at a table for four, which I would have happily shared. A couple came and plunked down at the table without even asking if the seats were free or acknowledging my presence and talked loudly and ignored me while they inhaled their burgers. It's common decency, folks. In the terminal, a group of older people picked up my daughter’s bag while she was sitting next to it and dropped it on the floor without even asking so they could have the seat. Add to that people sprinting to the gangway and tripping others in the process, and you don’t have a very positive opinion of your fellow passengers. I know this might ruffle a few feathers, but I also caught fellow cruisers giving my daughter dirty looks as we walked around the ship. For what reason, I don’t know, but I’m guessing it’s because of her age. I’ve been cruising with DD since she was 18mos old, and she knows more than enough how to act on cruises – she’s been on almost two dozen of them. I know HAL’s clientele is mainly retirees, but what do you expect on a cruise during Spring break week? Staff told us there were 350 kids aboard, and honestly, these were some of the best behaved kids I have seen out of any school break that I’ve sailed. So, if these quiet, well-behaved kids are enough to warrant a dirty look, then I hope they never run across a really disruptive child.

Before this cruise, I had read a lot on the HAL board about how friendly and courteous HAL cruisers were, and I was looking forward to that. Judging from this first day, that was definitely not the case and it left a bad taste in our mouths. Was the whole cruise going to be like this? we wondered. Thankfully, it wasn’t, but it was not a good introduction.

 

After sailaway, we ran downstairs to make our early seating dinner time of 5:45pm. Throughout the week, both of us wished early seating was later, around 6 or 6:15pm. At least that way it would allow for more time to get ready post afternoon activities, or a more leisurely evening of dinner and entertainment. But to us, traditional time is always better than anytime, so we’ll take it.

We were assigned a table for eight on the second floor of the Vista dining room. The setup for the larger tables on the second floor is really odd, with long rectangular tables placed perpendicular to the windows. It can feel pretty cramped at times. The setup on the first floor, which is more round tables, is far superior for both space and conversation, but reserved for As You Wish dining. The dining room is a mishmash of styles, from the multi-patterned high-backed chairs (those things have to weigh at least 20lbs each, they’re impossible to move!) to the more refined navy blues and fresh flowers in the entryway. It’s easy to forget the dining room is two stories high: the floors are connected by a large center staircase, but it’s impossible to see above or below unless you’re actually on the stairs. If you don’t look up, you’ll miss the stunning glass flowers adorning the ceiling above the staircase. Beautiful!

Our waitstaff, Ashari and Wahyu, were pleasant and efficient. They introduced themselves before taking our orders and politely asked “what may I call you?” and dutifully remembered our names for the rest of the trip. Both of them were really great, it was lovely to chat with them each night and around the ship.

Sadly, most of our tablemates were not as pleasant as the waitstaff. Four of our tablemates were traveling together, which was good, because otherwise I’m not sure who could tolerate traveling with them. To call them one of those “horror story” tablemates would be an understatement. One of the men insisted on extolling the virtues of hunting and a lifelong diet of venison at every single meal. I kid you not, every night the man managed to work the conversation back to deer meat and the fascinating process of cleaning and storing it. One of the other women made subtle jabs at my daughter’s age and evening outfits throughout the cruise. Very mature. Thankfully, our remaining two tablemates were much more normal and sociable, and we enjoyed talking with them at dinner each night. At least it was a table for eight! We reasoned the table assignment gods were punishing us because we had such wonderful tablemates last cruise – you can’t hit the lottery every time you play, after all.

Dinner was good. I tend not to expect much out of dinner on embarkation day, as the staff is harried and the food is often rushed. DD and I both had prime rib, which was nicely tender. I tried the chocolate crème brulee for dessert, which was so-so, but DD enjoyed her pear in phyllo.

 

To cap off the night, we attended the show in the Vista lounge. It was the standard welcome aboard type show, with a short performance by the singers and dancers, along with introductions. The CD Matt Allen then emceed gameshows like “stack that plate from the buffet…oh yeah, just stack the plate while it’s on top of your head” and “hit that ball into the audience…while using this huge inflatable club”. Silly and awfully cheesy, but good for a dumb laugh after a long day.

We returned to our cabin to find chocolates on our pillow, along with two HAL totebags. I’m beginning to sound like a broken record here, but it was a very nice touch. It was time to retire before our day in Half Moon Cay.

 

To be continued shortly! If you have any questions, please feel free - I'll try and answer them as best as I can.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Intersting so far.

 

I noticed that you mentioned that you had read the HAL boards before you took this cruise.

 

If you had done your homework -- you would have known not to get to the pier before 11 AM as HAL does not open the doors to the cruise terminal until that time.

[SwissMyst]

Found out that 7 day cruises are real crowd scenes. Too short for anything to really connect. They are just people moving affairs and are fine for what they are but they don't compare to the longer ones. Were your other Princess and Celebrity trips also 7 day trips?

 

Yes, the early arrival was an odd choice. Moving approx 2000 people on and 2000 people off in the space of a few hours and cleaning up the ship at the same time is a daunting task. Trying to get the free lunch on board that day is not worth it, even when it is the Mariner's special departure lunch. Later embarkations have worked best for us too.

[macmarsue]

Wonderful report. I am looking forward to reading the rest of your review. I also love the details.

[European_CruiseGirl]

Hi Infi, I found the first part of your review very interesting and nice to read. Thank you for writing it. Waiting for the other parts! :)

[travelmatron]

What an interesting and enjoyable report. I agree with you about first impressions. You have done a great job of staying balanced in spite of some initial rudeness.

[schoolinmy3]

I enjoyed reading your review. Our first HAL cruise (and first cruise ever) was on the Westerdam as well. This was in 2008 to Alaska. We enjoyed our cruise and noticed the nice touches you mentioned as well, especially the fact that our room steward as well as one of the stewards in the Lido remembered our names for the entire week. We are going on our second cruise next month to the Mediterranean. Since we are in our 40's and are taking our children we also have been on the receiving end of the "you're too young for HAL" comments. It doesn't bother us. :) I can't wait to read the rest of your review:D. Thank you for taking the time to write in such detail.:)

diane

[hockey grannys go 4]

Good review I have found that you can run into some of the (as i call them the un washed) on all cruise lines but majority of the cruisers are fine beings and i injoy meeting them the dw and i have been on Celebrity Carnival, Ncl,Hal, Star clippers star clippers was the only line were i did not meet or see ny of the unwashed. hope to read the rest of your review.

[Himself]

I want to hear the rest of the review. I am glad you like the mattesses on HAL.

[jmps]

Infi,

 

Thanks for posting the review so far. I like the cruise line comparison thoughts. It adds a lot to the review.

 

We were in the MDR for lunch that you saw on embarkation day. It was a Mariner lunch and our first time to try it. Since you had one star status you could have gone there. I, too, really dislike the crowds and having to deal with carry-ons in the cafeteria for embarkation. This was a very nice Indonesian lunch and it was SO relaxing. It was a very very nice way to start the cruise.

 

I am looking forward to your continued review.