HAL Westerdam Cruise to Northern Europe 6/30/05- 7/10/05 With Baltic Port Comments

[whenzuc]

Holland America Westerdam Cruise to Northern Europe 6/30/05- 7/10/05

Part 1- Westerdam review

 

Following is a summary of our cruise taken last week on the Holland America Westerdam. Overall, we were extremely pleased with this ship and the service by the entire crew. We never felt people around, there was always a place to sit, and the ship was immaculate. The waters were calm, and we never felt like we were moving. What a way to cruise.

 

As a means of comparison, we had been on the Sun Princess last year to Alaska, and also on the Celebrity Zenith to Bermuda. We were 2 couples traveling leaving from NY flying to Copenhagen via Amsterdam on KLM.

 

We spent the first night at the Sofitel Copenhagen Plaza which was across the street from Tivoli Gardens. We arrived at 3:00, and boarded the ship the following day about 3:00.

 

We were extremely pleased with the Westerdam. From arrival through departure, it was a class act. Everyone on staff had a great attitude. We had veranda room 6051- on the upper Veranda Deck- it was well organized, and had plenty of storage for both of us. I did bring along an extension cord which made it easy to dry my hair while relaxing on the couch. The beds and linens were really great. The bathroom also had a lot of storage space, and the bath/shower was roomy. The balcony was comfortable, and was a treat to sit out to see the sun setting at 2am on a couple of picture perfect nights. We had amazing wesather for the entire trip- 10 out of 11 days were high 70’s stong sun, not one cloud in the blue sky. One day was cloudy, with a light shower for about ½ hour.

 

The public spaces are lovely and plentiful- there is much public space to find personal space for quiet conversations. The internet café was really nice- at least 20- 25 computers- all fairly private the way the setup was organized. The systems were down a few hours twice during the week, but overall the response time was excellent. Watch your room paperwork for internet specials where they give you 20 and 5 minute credits for asking!

The main pool area was also spacious, relaxing, and comfortable. Although many people were out after a day of touring, there was never problem getting lounge chairs. We spent much time there as we got back from each city usually in the 3 -4:00 range and had time to relax in the hot, strong sun. The best buy on the ship is the Lancaster Suntan lotion that they sell in the ship’s store. What a bargain! The library was inviting- newspapers, books, puzzles and magazines. But if you wanted to take out a book, you needed to get it 9 -5- not real convenient if you are touring each day.

 

The gym was impressive- great equipment and a lot of it. It was never really that busy either.

 

The food for breakfast and dinner were fine. We never had trouble getting a table in the morning even when it was prime touring time. Lunches were not as exciting- although we only had a few lunches on board.

 

As for dinners, we had a quiet table for four. The smaller tables are around the center of the dining room which overlooked the dining room below and makes for a quiet dinner. All larger tables were at the windows- however, we didn’t miss anything by not being situated at the windows, because it was always too sunny out, and due to the glare, the curtains were drawn. There was also nothing to see, as we were always out to sea with no views other than water. The waiters were excellent, and always had our soft drinks at the table waiting for us after the first day. Food was well presented, and varied sufficiently for the entire cruise. If the men wee still hungry after a small portion, they ordered another one with no problem and no wait. Cappuccino at dinner was quite good.

 

We ate twice at the Pinnacle restaurant and we had made those reservations before we had left home. The dinners were excellent, and the experience was a treat.

 

We only took tenders once, and the crew was well organized and the queue moved fast.

 

The evening entertainment was okay- nothing amazing. There were movies every night in the theaters there. Timing wasn’t always great, but you could always see the same movie from your room. Casino was not huge but more than sufficient for the crowd.

 

I will follow up with a summary of the ports that we went to. Hope this was helpful.

Thank you all for your comments and helping me over the past few months.

Questions, whenzuc@aol.com

[tclowe]

Thank you for coming back to report. Looking forward to your report on the ports of call. One question, How did you like your hotel (was it spacious and did you get a double bed or two queen or a king?)

[Baltic05]

Thanks for a great review.

I need info on the Gala at Yusupov Theater. Did you take it? If so, do you recomend it? Are there elevators in order to avoid the 70 steps stairs? At what time do you leave for this activity?

Thanks

[Willsot]

Thanks for the review. It was especially timely for us because we leave Sunday for Copenhagen and will be on the July 20-30 cruise. Do you happen to recall which nights were the formal nights (I understand there will be 3)?

[whenzuc]

Holland America Westerdam Cruise to Northern Europe 6/30/05- 7/10/05

Part 2- Port Comments

 

Hope this information is helpful to all. We did not take any excursions from the ship, as we planned everything from this website and from Rick Steve’s Book.

 

This is important enough to mention first. The airport in Copenhagen is extremely hot. We fly on KLM Business Class- there was only one line for all to check in until about 2 hours before flight. Then there were only two lines. Very crowded and hot everywhere. If you are changing planes in Amsterdam be aware that it is extremely crowded, and that it takes about 15 – 20 minutes at a fast pace to get from one gate across the entire airport to the next gate.

 

Copenhagen- We got to Copenhagen the night before and stayed at the Sofitel Copenhagen Plaza across from Tivoli Gardens. Room was fine for one night- breakfast was included, and location was excellent- we walked everywhere from this location. We shopped a lot, went to the palaces, and took the boat ride- all on our own. We ate dinner in Tivoli Gardens- make reservations when you start walking around there- it got very crowded as the early evening progressed, and waits became long. We also spent the last day in Copenhagen after we got off of the ship. The hotel let us store our luggage there for the day while we walked around again. That day was a long day, as most stores are closed on Sundays, and the English tours do not start until later in the afternoon. We tried to be the last to disembark, and we were off the ship by 9am. Our flight home was at 5:15. Save the boat ride for the last day- it certainly breaks up the day, and gives you a place to relax and not walk. In all, Copenhagen was an expensive town- nothing to buy- and cokes were between $5 and $7 for lunch in a café. You definitely need to get local currency there- as we couldn’t even buy a soft drink, but remember, you will be able to use the money up in Arhus again.

 

Tallinn was a great town. We took the bus transportation from the ship to the center of town; we were 4 people- going back it was cheaper to take a cab and not look for the buses at the meeting spot. We walked around and followed Rick Steve’s walking tour. We ate lunch in the main square. The shopping bargain there was linens- if you are in need of table linens, make sure you bring your measurement. The quality was amazing and the prices were great. I’m sorry that I didn’t have all measurements with me. We got back to the ship around 3 that day.

 

St. Petersburg was special. We used Red October and had no regrets. Elena our tour guide was wonderful. Her English was perfect and her language was expressive. We made sandwiches the night before from the Lido Café, as were going on a boat ride over lunch. After all of the preparation the guys decided that they would rather have Mc Donald’s, and the guide stopped for us to get our lunch there. We saw some of the box lunches that other Red October clients had ordered for the boar ride, and we ar4 glad that we did not order them. We toured the usual sights and also took a ride on the subway, and had lunch a family’s apartment. Lunch was surprising good, as we had requested chicken, and the conversation was enlightening. We did bring gifts for the family. Both were good ads to our agenda. We were concerned about not going to the Grand Palace at Peterhof, and had discussed this with Red October before. They were willing to make the change for us, but we decided to go with their recommendation of Monsiplar (spelling?) Palace. It was a great choice and we are glad that we listened to them. We really enjoyed that little palace the most. We did stop at the Red October store and another store expressly for souvenirs. Prices were fine- the flea market might have been a touch cheaper, but nothing was overly expensive for what we had seen on the street. We especially enjoyed the grounds of Peterhof and we did that at a leisurely pace as we arrived early. The walk in the Hermitage was a bit challenging with the crowds, but Elena was able to get us to the key pieces of artwork with little down time. The bathrooms there and in Catherine’s Palace were among the worst that we experienced the entire trip. We had planned on the first evening out with Red October, and decided to extend the first afternoon a bit to go back to the ship, as we were really tired. We walked along Nevsky Prospect the 2nd day- which we also added- nothing to buy in the department stores there at all. We most enjoyed getting views on the pre-post Soviet era from the guide and from the family that we had lunch at. If anyone wants our itinerary, I am happy to email it to you. Just email to me and ask!

 

 

 

 

Helsinki was our least favorite town. We took the transportation from the ship to the center of town. We walked around the open market- it was crafts, jewelry and fruits and vegetables. It was small, but the only crafts market that we found the entire trip. We did buy some things there. The cherries and peas in the pod were amazing- we snacked on the fresh fruits as did others- there was even running water to wash the food before eating. There were no buys in Helsinki – the only bargain there was Longchamp handbags- I would say 1/3 to ½ cheaper than back in the states. Even as New Yorkers- it was just a big town to us- We got back to the ship early that day. We didn’t do much in the way of sightseeing- again just followed the Rick Steve’s book for the city. We took a cab back to the ship.

 

Stockholm was great- beautiful views form the ship. We started our day at the Vasa, and then took a cab to the old town. We saw the changing of the guards, toured the Royal apts, went to the Ice Gallery, and shopped again. We ate lunch right near the Palace. There were nice art galleries, but again we bought nothing- I went back to a gallery to buy something at the end of the day, but they were closed for 3 hours, and the timing was tight. So if you see something- buy it. You can walk back to the ship from here if you like.

 

Visby was a great little town. We had reservations to rent bicycles on our own for $10 each, but we ended up walking instead. The bike place is right near the pier, but I can give you the email address if you are interested. We had to take tenders to the dock on this day. The only crowds were when we got to the dock the same time that all of the cruise tours were ending. So we had to wait about 20 minutes. Tenders were smooth- just hot inside. We all bought sneakers and shoes in this town. There was a great store that was inexpensive and had shoes from Germany. We again followed Rick Steve’s book. The main shopping and city was all the way up from where we docked. You needed to keep walking up to the walled in city.

 

Germany- We decided to go to Berlin for the day and took a private tour. The driver met us by the ship and the ride by car was almost 2 hours to Berlin. My husband was sick and he ended up walking around the town by the ship and said it was quaint. We added a long stop at the Concentration camp, which was probably a mistake. It took too much out of our day in Berlin, and was not anywhere as good a site as the camp near Munich at Dachau. For those of you that had the opportunity to go to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC- don’t think twice about this stop. We saw the main sites, but were not overly impressed with the city. The guide did find us a nice area in which to do some antique shopping, which I did enjoy. It was a long expensive day. The history however, was interesting and seeing the wall remnants was special. We did drive past Checkpoint Charlie but we went to a place to see the actual wall- which was not commercial at all. We also went to the Jewish Museum and to the Holocaust Memorial. We left at 7:30 am and returned at 7pm. Any questions on this- email.

 

Arhus was a pleasant add to the itinerary. We walked around the town- it was much larger than we anticipated and spent about 5 hours in the town. We also bought shoes there. It is also an older town. We got back to the ship around 2 that day.

 

Last few things to mention- the entire trip was filled with amazing weather. So, we did go back to the pool each day to relax before dinner.

 

I hope you find this helpful. Any questions please email me at whenzuc@aol.com. Thank to all of you who helped me.

[Hawaiian Eye]

whenzuc, Thanks for the wonderful commentary on your trip. We leave on the Westerdam at the end of August. I hope we have the same weather.

 

Did you shop for Amber? If so, where?

 

Were the waters calm?

 

:cool:

[whenzuc]

i believe formal nights were night 2, visby and stockholm. more men wore suits than tuxes. ladies were dressed all ways- very formal to pant suits

 

The hotel room size in copenhagen was fine- we had a king sized bed. by u.s . standards the room size was ample- by european standards it was large.

 

We didn't go to any evening activities. We were tired from the long day- and we just extended our first day to include the relaxing evening that we planned on having in st petersburg. there were a lot of steps throughout the palaces.

[whenzuc]

i believe formal nights were night 2, visby and stockholm. more men wore suits than tuxes. ladies were dressed all ways- very formal to pant suits

 

The hotel room size in copenhagen was fine- we had a king sized bed. by u.s . standards the room size was ample- by european standards it was large.

 

We didn't go to any evening activities. We were tired from the long day- and we just extended our first day to include the relaxing evening that we planned on having in st petersburg. there were a lot of steps throughout the palaces.

[SaylorGirl]

Whenzuc, it sounds like you had a wonderful time, thanks for your report. You said you were walking around the grounds of Peterhof early in the day, were the fountains on? I thought I had read that they didn't come on until 11:00. I do hope the great weather holds out.

[whenzuc]

fountains go on at 11- but we toured before and walked the lower grounds near the water front- once the fountains went on- we walked around those areas- left just as the crowds were beginning to fill the grounds.

[soraya]

Hi, Welcome Back. Sounds like you had a great time.

 

Can I just ask what HAL were like about getting off the ship - were they OK or did they insist you waited until after their excursions had left? I take it they didn't refuse to let you off or anything?

 

Thanks for your help, Soraya

[whenzuc]

HAL never stopped us from getting off of the ship. The ship's tours actually left so early, that we were able to get off in St Petersburg exactly when we wanted to. They never separated ship's tours vs private tours- only when we needed to go on a tender from Visby- they got tickets off first. However, I am sure that if we had a reservation in Visby that they would have accomodated us also.

[karenam]

We will be on the Westerdam in September. Do they still have the $12 laundry bag? Also, at what time were you able to get off of the ship at the end of the cruise.

 

Only 9 more weeks. Thanks Karen

[whenzuc]

The $12 bag of luandry is no $15. We used the service- it was good, and there was a lot of space in the bag.

As for getting off of the ship- people starting leaving about 7am- we requested getting off of the ship last- at 10 am- as we had a late flight, and we were going into Copenhagen for the day. The asssigned us a 9:20 departure time, and we were called about 8;30- we ended up getting off at 8:45- The line at that time for taxis was really growing- however it moved fast. Then men got the luggage, and we waited in line which certainly saved a few minutes too.

[soraya]

Hi, Thanks so much for your review and all the responses you've done. It's given me a really good feel for what to expect and it sounds wonderful. We splashed out and got an SS cabin as it's my DH's 40 birthday, he's always wanted to go to St P, so we've organised DenRus to take us round.

 

I especially enjoyed your positives and negatives response on the HAL board, which was honest, balanced and kept stuff in perspective - just the sort of thing I needed to help with the planning.

 

Thanks Soraya

[whenzuc]

feel free to email any specific questions that you may have. glad i was able to help.

[whenzuc]

We were all so impressed with the Westerdam that we just booked the Noordam for Greece- round trip from Rome for July, 2006.

[ny jetsetter]

Thanks for the great review. Your comments are intelligent and thoughtful.

[whenzuc]

for those of you that have been emailing me, I will be posting pictures over the next few days.

[ny jetsetter]

You don't comment much on your Berlin Tour Guide. Would you use the same company again? What on your itinerary would you have changed?

[whenzuc]

We used a private guide in Berlin. I suggested to the guide that we go to the concentration camp near Berlin. We did indeed go, but that truly took away from the time that we had in Berlin. We didn't get out of the car much except for 1 or 2 stops. We did however, go to view the remants of the Berlin Wall at a place that was not commercial at all- aside from the viewing area that was built for this purpose. It was much better than Checkpoint Charlie which seemed totally commercial to me.

[ljwm67]

We used Berlin-Starting Point and our guide was Kristophe. The driver picked us up at the ship and we met Kristophe at the train station in Berlin. On the way back to the ship our driver took us on a tour of Rostock.

 

Kristophe was born in Berlin in a shelter during and air raid. He is a retired social studies teacher.

 

We got out of the car and walked a lot all over the city.

 

We really enjoyed this tour

[Baltic05]

We took a tour offer by Holland (Westerdam), it was excellent!! Well worth the money as they took os on a private train, right across from the pier, gave us healthy, nice, large snacks, on both ways. We got off on one side of this very large city, and they picked us up on the norhten side of it. They took us to a very traditional restaurant on the heart of the shopping district for lunch. We had over two hours to eat and to do some shopping, which we really enjoy since we were able to buy presents for our kids!!. I feel we went evewhere our bookguide said we had to go. It was a long day but very much worth it.