Live Aboard the Westerdam

[KennySoCal]

It is Sunday, June 17, 2012, about 1:41 PM. Stephen is feeling the effects of the rolling waves (as are many on the cruise), but I am enjoying myself!

I had a great time at the Meet & Greet in the Crow’s Nest at 10 AM. Met some nice folks and thank you to Deb who put it together for us. We met the hotel manager, beverage manager, and cruise director. It is our cruise director’s first Alaska cruise, and he seems to be doing a great job, so far!

 

 

Embarkation yesterday was an absolute breeze! We were onboard by noon, and enjoyed a nice light lunch in the Lido. The afternoon, we spent getting acclimated to the ship. Then we did the muster drill, which seemed to go fine, except for some folks seeming unsure of where to report. It didn’t take them too long to get it worked out and we were on the Lido for the sailaway. They had a very nice sailaway BBQ, with ribs, chicken, fish, and some delightful salads.

 

 

The evening meal was also delightful. We shared a table for eight with three others (three ate elsewhere). I had a delicious tartare of salmon and tuna, followed by excellent French onion soup, a veal dish with mushrooms and delicious polenta wedges, and ended with the baked Alaska. Service was a little slow, so we missed the single show last night, so ended up in the piano bar with one of our tablemates. The entertainer there was amusing and kept the small crowd involved!

 

 

So far, lots of compliments for the delightful staff and no complaints! Ordered room service for DP (green apples and crackers), and waiting on that. Tonight is formal night one! BTW, three days out, we got an email offering an upsell from VB to SZ-GUAR. Took it, and we’re in an SS on the Navigation Deck. I tried to sleep on the single-sleeper sofa last night…just too skinny a bed for a big, tall guy, so had them split our beds into the two twins for tonight. DP won’t get to loll on a king-sized bed, but I’ll get better sleep!

[chipq]

Great start...can't wait for more. Thanks for sharing.

 

http://luv2cruise.blogspot.com

[NoobCruise]

Yea!!! A live from the Westerdam :))) Waiting with bated breath! We'll be on her for the 1st time in September! Thanks for posting!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for checking in -- glad your cruise is going well so far.

[Typhoon1]

Looking forward to future updates.

[PathfinderEss]

A live report from the Westerdam, awesome, thanks for taking us along with you.

[PeaceLoveCruise]

Love it!! Thank you so much for reporting in! I can't wait for more "live" from the Westerdam!!

[PetNanny]

Thanks for posting. Looking forward to updates.

[kazu]

Looking forward to your posts:D Were there lots of horns when you left:D

[innlady1]

Thanks for taking us along...I'm curious about the horns, too. The Westerdam being known for that.

Enjoy your cruise!

[KennySoCal]

There were a few horns when we left Seattle. It is a fabulous sounding ship's horn!

 

One minor snafu yesterday, but totally understanding due to the number of folks who didn't quite have the sea legs to deal with the rolls. Ordered room service green apples and crackers...was told 45 to 50 minutes. It arrived 3+ hours later. I'd called at 2 hours to cancel, as the dramamine had taken effect for Stephen. Still, they were diligent and did deliver.

 

Skipped the formalwear last night and ate in the Lido. The food there was every bit as good, I'd bet! Had quail (delicious), Beef Wellington (also great), and a wonderful crabcake, with some tasty asparagus! Did not need dessert!! (Haven't seen the famous bread pudding yet...will be on the lookout!) Enjoyed an in-room DVD last night, "Brideshead Revisited," based on Evelyn Waugh's (I believe) novel of the same name...wonderful period piece.

 

We're now in calm waters, sailing towards Juneau. Funny thing to report. Was in Crow's Nest enjoying my Cafe Americano and a gratis cinnamon roll (delicious). Spotted a whale tale...and pointed it out quickly. Others saw it and asked what it was. I stated, "it was a fluke." Several people uttered a disappointed "oh" and sat back down. I then said "a fluke: a humpback's tail." Then we got back up and saw it or its swimming partner surface again a couple of times. Others have seen humpbacks even earlier in the day!

 

Loving this so far! HAL vastly exceeds experiences on NCL or Carnival, thus far!!

[Seago2]

Yay! I love "live froms". Thank you for taking the time and expense to bring us along!

[jaguarstyper]

Thanks for the report. I'll be on Westerdam in December and again in May and I'm always on the lookout for ship reports. Its been a long time since I was on her. The last time was when she was only about a month old and she was magnificent. Hopefully, she still is.

[kakalina]

Thanks so much for posting a live from thread. We will be on the Westerdam for 30 days in October and I am interested in anything you care to share with us.

[erewhon]

Thank you for your "live from" reports.

 

You will find the bread pudding at lunchtime in the Dessert Section of the Lido Buffet.

[MilliesMom]

Enjoying your review. How wonderful to see the whales too. On our last Alaska cruise I saw a whale's tail come up out of the water just as I was stepping out on the Promenade deck. What a thrilling experience as it was so close to the ship. It was a Sep cruise. We are booked for May 2013 on the Westerdam and definitely hoping to see more whales.

 

Thank you for posting. Looking forward to your updates.

[vivavegas]

Loving your review! Looking forward to reading more!:)

[bigtony777]

Can you please confirm the late dining time?

 

Thank you

[KennySoCal]

They were updating the shipboard Internet in some ports and we were busy the past few days, between Juneau, Glacier Bay, and Sitka!! There is not too much more to report about the ship, besides good stuff. I will say that service in the dining room is a bit awkward, but besides that, is exceptional. I think they have too few service staff for too many tables in the main dining room. We have had to rush to make the 10 PM show, with 7:45 PM main dining (which started late last night and had a lot of older people, who shouldn't be standing for so long, left standing in the corridors waiting).

 

Now, to the good. The Pinnacle is excellent! We love to dine at nice restaurants in Los Angeles and when we travel, and the service certainly lived up to our expectations. Everything was tasty and it was a huge meal before it was all done.

 

We have enjoyed several trivia games, actually winning the health and fitness trivia (something we should not be winning)! Last night's magician and dog show were fabulous! Indy is an adorable doggie!!

 

We love HAL so much, we booked a 7-day Eastern Caribbean for December 16, and we're taking my sister along. We went ahead and confirmed a SA for this cruise, so the three of us will be comfortable and a little pampered, maybe! For the two of us, our SS cabin has been perfect!

 

Things I've noticed different from the first two cruises (NCL, and Carnival) include, a much higher quality of food in the buffet. By the way, the full-service buffet did not seem to slow things down considerably the first two days. For us, it was actually a touch of refinement, and enjoyable. Second, the quality of the dining room meals. The lobster tails last night at the second formal night were not petite, like we've had on all other cruise lines, but large, nice North Atlantic lobster tails! (I'm a foodie, so forgive me if I make this too food-centric!) A second difference is that this cruise is not hawking extras to the point of obnoxiousness. A cocktail waiter will come by and offer something from the bar while in the Crow's Nest, but will not push. There are not dozens of daily announcements about Bingo or art auctions...they are mentioned once and then everyone can choose her/his own activity. Finally, the shows seem to be more refined and better developed.

 

I may not check in again from the ship, but will write a full review on CC and post a link when we return! I appreciate all the comments!

[PeaceLoveCruise]

Than you so much for checking in!! I'm so glad you're loving your cruise. If you have a chance, I'd love to see a pinnacle grill menu! Thanks in advance for that! Enjoy!!!

[Typhoon1]

The PG is as fine as any land based fine dining venue.

 

Looking forward to your full review upon your return.

[bigtony777]

We are boarding the Westerdam in 9 days. Can you please share what nights were the formal nights.

[KennySoCal]

FYI, formal nights were night 2 (Day at Sea) and night 5 (Sitka).

 

Last night (night 6, Ketchikan) was the international dinner. The dinner service, at least at our table, took a sharp nosedive. I don't feel it necessary to go into details and it won't turn me off from HAL; however, our lead waiter and his backup both erred to the point of what I would consider very inconsiderate service to our table.

 

The show last night was entertaining! They did a montage of stage and screen music, and the lead singers and dancers were really, really good! It is amazing that such a performance can be attained on a ship!

 

Trivia has been a fun diversion on this cruise, also. We also enjoyed the presentation by the Future Cruise Consultant...makes us dream of retirement when we may be able to take longer than 7-day cruises at a time! Finally, I had my casino time yesterday. Lost $100 on roulette, but then went for broke and won it all back on "red."

 

This has been our most wonderful cruise so far. Those of you who are coming on the Westerdam are in for a treat.

 

I don't know if I mentioned Glacier Bay, but we were right near the face of Margerie Glacier for a long period and there was much calving! It was absolutely amazing!! Also, in Sitka, we did the sea otter and wildlife tour, and saw multiple humpback whales, lots of otters, harbor seals, sea lions, eagles, and the most beautiful sea stars. They said our success at viewing was above and beyond the norm, but the tour was so well done!

 

Hope everyone is having a great Friday!

[iriemon]

They were updating the shipboard Internet in some ports and we were busy the past few days, between Juneau, Glacier Bay, and Sitka!! There is not too much more to report about the ship, besides good stuff. I will say that service in the dining room is a bit awkward, but besides that, is exceptional. I think they have too few service staff for too many tables in the main dining room. We have had to rush to make the 10 PM show, with 7:45 PM main dining (which started late last night and had a lot of older people, who shouldn't be standing for so long, left standing in the corridors waiting).

 

Now, to the good. The Pinnacle is excellent! We love to dine at nice restaurants in Los Angeles and when we travel, and the service certainly lived up to our expectations. Everything was tasty and it was a huge meal before it was all done.

 

We have enjoyed several trivia games, actually winning the health and fitness trivia (something we should not be winning)! Last night's magician and dog show were fabulous! Indy is an adorable doggie!!

 

We love HAL so much, we booked a 7-day Eastern Caribbean for December 16, and we're taking my sister along. We went ahead and confirmed a SA for this cruise, so the three of us will be comfortable and a little pampered, maybe! For the two of us, our SS cabin has been perfect!

 

Things I've noticed different from the first two cruises (NCL, and Carnival) include, a much higher quality of food in the buffet. By the way, the full-service buffet did not seem to slow things down considerably the first two days. For us, it was actually a touch of refinement, and enjoyable. Second, the quality of the dining room meals. The lobster tails last night at the second formal night were not petite, like we've had on all other cruise lines, but large, nice North Atlantic lobster tails! (I'm a foodie, so forgive me if I make this too food-centric!) A second difference is that this cruise is not hawking extras to the point of obnoxiousness. A cocktail waiter will come by and offer something from the bar while in the Crow's Nest, but will not push. There are not dozens of daily announcements about Bingo or art auctions...they are mentioned once and then everyone can choose her/his own activity. Finally, the shows seem to be more refined and better developed.

 

I may not check in again from the ship, but will write a full review on CC and post a link when we return! I appreciate all the comments!

 

If Mike is still the bartender in the Crows nest tell him Iriemon says hello :) He makes great cosmos - best I've had on any ship or bar.

[tomculb]

We're on the same cruise, tied up in Seattle now waiting to disembark. Here are some thoughts from our perspective . . . .

 

Executive summary: a wonderful cruise and sad to have it come to an end.

 

We rarely ate anywhere other than the MDR, and we were fortunate -- none of the service problems mentioned above. Now I have a better idea what the Culinary Council is all about -- each night a couple of dishes from the celebrity chef of the night are featured. Tried several and they were excellent. We also ate one night in the Pinnacle and it was exceptional. We made reservations twice in the Canneleto and cancelled the second night; the night we ate there the food was very good, but we were told that the menu doesn't change, and we didn't see anything else that excited us (purely a matter of personal choice).

 

Juneau was a bit of a disappointment. The museum there was a gem, and we enjoyed walking through the state capital, but after that everything seemed to be closed (other than the junk at the pier). We walked all over town, and it generally seemed kind of run down. Walked through the upper residential areas, and it seemed that all views are dominated by the uninspiring state office building. We walked up to the Mt. Robertson trailhead and thought of doing the hike, but it was getting late (we had a dinner reservation to get back to), mosquitoes were beginning to appear, and we headed back instead. $30 a head seemed a bit steep for the tram ride. Apparently if you hike up and ride down it's only $10, and if you buy $10 worth of food and drink at the top, it's free.

 

Glacier Bay was spectacular. We've seen many glaciers, in Mt Ranier and Glacier National Parks, but we've never seen anything like Marjory Glacier. The bow was open all day, and we were out there most of the day. On the way into the bay it was cold, and I probably wore every layer I brought! We spent some time talking to a grad student from Oregon State whose summer research is to ride cruise ships the length of Glacier Bay looking for a specific species of bird. He was set up at the front of the bow (not really a redundancy) with tripod mounted binoculars and warm waterproof clothes. On the way back down the bay, we saw a few humpbacks, my wife spotted an orca, and we saw many sea lions and otters. Marjory and Grand Pacific Glaciers are way at the north end of the bay, about 60 miles from the entrance, so going up there and back gave us a real sense of the grandeur of the whole bay. We were also supposed to see Johns Hopkins Glacier, but its inlet was too full of ice for us to go in. All in all, a day we'll never forget.

 

Time to do more packing . . . . more soon.