Westerdam or Eurodam?

[DeRon]

I've never been on a HAL cruise, but we are thinking about giving them a try on an Eastern Caribbean route. Which ship would you recommend a couple of newbies go on (between the Westerdam and the Eurodam)?

 

I know Eurodam is newer, but is it the nicest?

[sail7seas]

We sailed Westerdam in November, 2009 and Eurodam, February 2010 and hardily recommend both. We had wonderful time on both. They are gorgeous ships, great crews, and we enjoyed each.

 

I would suggest you choose the ship with the itinerary that suits you best or has the most favorable price for your cabin category.

 

The 'edge' that Eurodam has over Westerdam is Silk Den, Tamarind and there being an actual bar in Explorers Lounge...... only the Signature Class ships have those features.

 

You won't go wrong booking either IMO

[RuthC]

They are very much alike. They have essentially the same deck plan. They do have the same service, food, and style of decor.

The E-dam has the Tamarind Restaurant, which is a plus; the Westerdam does not have this restaurant. The E-dam also has The Retreat cabanas, if you want to pay for a lovely, private relaxation area; again, the Westerdam does not have this feature.

On the other hand, the E-dam has Lido cabanas, which detract from that area; the Westerdam has a much nicer area at the Lido pool.

You can't go wrong with either ship. If I were going to sail, I would choose the longer itinerary, or the itinerary I liked better.

[djhsolara]

It would be a judgment call on your part. Having sailed on both (and both were Eastern Caribbean), my advice would be to do your research on both and choose the one that best accommodates your tastes. Both ships are lovely, but for us we're very much excited by the newness of ships...so we would be drawn to Eurodam again. I believe Westerdam has a Canalleto now (as does Eurodam), but Eurodam has the Silk Den and Tamarind (and Westerdam does not). Eurodam has a few new and different stateroom categories and also has the Retreat and cabanas in the Lido.

 

If the route is exactly the same, choose accordingly knowing that a trip on either ship will be a great choice.

[stever]

We had the same dilemma as you. We decided on Westerdam. We like St Martin over St Thomas, only difference in itinerary. 3700 in port or 10300 in port. At the same time the Eurodam had Grand Turk and HMC to itself(Westerdam is by itself on Grand Turk but with Nordam on HMC). Plus Tamarind looks nice. We got lucky and picked up cabin VD4166 for a great price and OBC. We are looking at a great beach vacation. I don't think you can go wrong with either.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have also sailed on both ships -- and if I had my choice -- I would chose the Westerdam over the Eurodam. I don't like the cabanas on the Lido deck -- makes it hard to get past them.

 

Also -- St Maarten is so much better than St Thomas.

[Crusing Bob]

We have sailed the Westerdam 3 times and none on the Eurodam and no plans to with the way they changed cabin categories and crowded Lido Pool. The other few differences don't mean that much to us. We enjoy the officers and crew on the Westerdam and it is home to us. We will go on it again next year so we like it.

[Jacqueline]

They are similar enough that I would go with our favorite itinerary and best price.

Given that you are on a warm water cruise, give some thought as to how you feel about the cabana situation...Could be a plus or minus..

[enyliram]

have sailed them both. westerdam gets my vote.

[DeRon]

Thanks for all the great answers.

 

So...

 

If Eurodam has the Silk Den and the Westerdam doesn't...what's at that location on the Westerdam that overlooks the pool?

 

And does the Westerdam have any Specialty Restaurants? Also, do they have that non-paying Italian food place?

 

Does Eurodam seem "classier"?

 

Thanks!

[djhsolara]

Thanks for all the great answers.

 

So...

 

If Eurodam has the Silk Den and the Westerdam doesn't...what's at that location on the Westerdam that overlooks the pool?

 

Westerdam does not have this deck that Eurodam does for the Tamarind and Silk Den. Take a look at the deck plans and you'll see this.

 

And does the Westerdam have any Specialty Restaurants? Also, do they have that non-paying Italian food place?

 

Both ships have Pinnacle Grill (specialty) and Canaletto (the non-paying Italian).

 

Does Eurodam seem "classier"?

 

It all depends on what you define as classier. Both ships are very "classy" and actually there were some things on Eurodam that made us say "Really?"...like furniture in the elevator lobbies that looked like patio furniture. They both have their high points.

 

Thanks!

 

If you are interested in any photos of certain things, please let me know and I will try to get them here for you if you are interested.

[RuthC]

Does Eurodam seem "classier"?

Not to me. I thought the Westerdam was a lot nicer.

I especially didn't like the Lido cabanas on the E-dam. Not only do they block the view, they make a congested area going to/from the forward elevators. Then put the shop sales tables on the other side, and it looked like a flea market there.

[djhsolara]

Not to me. I thought the Westerdam was a lot nicer.

I especially didn't like the Lido cabanas on the E-dam. Not only do they block the view, they make a congested area going to/from the forward elevators. Then put the shop sales tables on the other side, and it looked like a flea market there.

 

I do have to agree that I didn't particularly care for the Lido cabanas. They did take up too much space and did make it hard to navigate around the Lido pool.

[DeRon]

Yall are so helpful! Okay, I could ask this on a diff post, but the Neui Amsterdam...is is a newer version of the Westerdam and Eurodam...or totally different? Is it the nicest ship HAL has?

 

Thanks!

[kjw869]

I also have to say the Westerdam. We sailed on the Westerdam twice in 2009 and the Eurodam earlier this year. My wife feels the Westerdam has a "warmth" to her, and the crew has been the best on all of the ships we've sailed with HAL.

 

The Eurodam was also vice nice, especially the Tamarind.

[RuthC]

Okay, I could ask this on a diff post, but the Neui Amsterdam...is is a newer version of the Westerdam and Eurodam...or totally different?

The Nieuw Amsterdam is a sister ship to the E-dam; both are Signature Class ships. The Westerdam is a Vista Class ship.

Both classes are very, very similar. Think of Signature Class as Vista 2.0.

[DeRon]

So it's supposed to be nicer? Larger?

[RuthC]

So it's supposed to be nicer? Larger?

"Nicer" is subjective; "larger" is quantitative. The Signature Class ships are "larger" in that they have an extra deck, where the Tamarind Restaurant is. Based on my cruise on the E-dam, compared to the Noordam and Westerdam, I would not say that the Signature Class ships are "nicer". I much prefer the two Vista Class ships I've sailed; others may feel differently.

[igraf]

Mostly just newer. What nobody else has mentioned yet is that the Signature class ships have an additional load of about 188 passengers and are a bit more top heavy. I prefer the Vista class ships myself.

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

So it's supposed to be nicer? Larger?