Big Al's Westerdam quick peak review 11/20:A mixed bag

[sweetcat]

We took the 11/27 Westerdam(HAL) and the 12/4 Millenium(Celebrity).

 

Depending on the purpose of the cruise I would take either one again.

 

Westerdam had the best beds and bed linens. I did not want to get out of bed. Wonderful closet space and bathtub. Bigger balcony (first one I ever had, come to think of it first window we have ever had). Great promenade deck and deck chairs. Great retractable roof (perfect for Alaskan cruises). They also tell you when movies and tv shows come on so you can watch them from the beginning. Their coffee bar is very inexpensive and delicious. Not much in the pastry department here though. We would buy our large coffee and play dominoes.

 

Entertainment was spotty. Singers limited.

 

Crew was friendly and Asian. Loved the Lido and all the different food. Ate in the dining room once due to getting late seating. Not a problem to find great food elsewhere.

 

I would suggest this to families with kids, grandparents with kids, people who dont enjoy late night revelries. A cruise with a lot of day activities where you might be too tired to do much else.

 

The Celebrity had all the "atmosphere". I called it the NY Supper Club cruise shiip. Beautiful from top to bottom. Great lighting, windows, art, soft fabrics, comfortable chairs. Never ever felt crowded. Lots of little locations to read or play card games. The salt water bubbling hot tub was fantastic. Again the upper buffet was full of great food. They have the best hamburgers around. There was always a short line in front of the hamburger grill. Fun sushi and lovely teas. the coffee bar was more expensive than HAL but the coffee came in lovely china, had a chocolate and they had a full pastry bar in the morning with freshly backed croissants and muffins. (I need to stop this review before I go and book another cruise.) Fantastic cruise director, Simon. He spent a lot of time with the Cruisecritic group.

 

The cabin attendant and waiter were more "polished" and yet still friendly. More accessible. They hire a lot of great looking men. I really appreciated how the attendant carefully explained how to reach him on the phone and showed us his pager. He was concerned when I was sick and everything was promptly addressed.

 

More depth to the entertainment both in the theater and in the lounges. Better singers.

 

I would suggest this cruise to someone who likes to dress up, be with a group who enjoys a great cocktail, dancing, sunning, etc.

[ekerr19]

LOL. Our table all ordered Peach Melba for dessert. Not one of them had any rasberry sauce.

 

This reminds me of the "Beefsteak" tomato salad... I have yet to come across anything remotely close to the description, lol!!!

 

Now I know better than to order anything with tomatoes in it and expect them to be fresh on a cruise ship.

[ekerr19]

Oops, the post doubled up on me!

[big al]

Beau-Another person who saw Michelle as I did..unexciting,boring,certainly NOT entertaining......at first,I was chastised for even saying ANYTHING negative about Michelle,or the cruise in general....then slowly,people started to post more & more negative reviews about her...same as the food..sure,it's all subjective,but my goodness,my wife & I are so easy to please with food....on 12 cruises we've been on (that's about 80-85 dinners),we've only sent back entrees TWICE for being too rare....as I mentioned in my review,45 minutes for our salad in the Pinnicle????That's good service?On Princess,when I told them this was our first Princess cruise and our anniversary,we got upgraded from a standard balcony to a mini-suite w/butler,2 champagnes,2 bottles of wine,shrimp appetizers,AND 2 beach tote bags....on HAL,we got switched from our 5:45 dinner seating(which we were confirmed on) to 8 PM,which ruined our evening plans,and told "sorry".That's it.Which cruise do you think we liked better? Just booked the NCL Jewel next Thanksgiving.Rave reviews.10 restaurants.Phenomenal entertainment.Best food we ever ate at sea on the NCL Sun in '01.Fool me once,shame on you,fool me twice.......

 

Big Al

[rubrrick]

Beau-Another person who saw Michelle as I did..unexciting,boring,certainly NOT entertaining......

 

On Princess,when I told them this was our first Princess cruise and our anniversary,we got upgraded from a standard balcony to a mini-suite w/butler,2 champagnes,2 bottles of wine,shrimp appetizers,AND 2 beach tote bags....on HAL,we got switched from our 5:45 dinner seating(which we were confirmed on) to 8 PM,which ruined our evening plans,and told "sorry".That's it.Which cruise do you think we liked better? Just booked the NCL Jewel next Thanksgiving.Rave reviews.10 restaurants.Phenomenal entertainment.Best food we ever ate at sea on the NCL Sun in '01.Fool me once,shame on you,fool me twice.......

 

Big Al

 

Tell me which Princess ship you sailed? We have been on Princess 3 times, the last two in full suites, but NO BUTLER!

 

My DW and I just returned from the 12/4 Westerdam cruise, and can't talk highly enough about the ship, service, food etc. However on the same cruise, we met a couple that wound up with different seating times than requested, and the following morning at the main dining room, she finally received her breakfast 45 minutes after ordering and he never received his breakfast!! So, there is the human element in any cruise.

 

I hope you enjoy the NCL Jewel.

[RevNeal]

I think we've gotten the picture. You had a crappy start to your cruise, and everything that happened following that crappy start was colored by it -- from the food portion size to the quality of the CD. Some have agreed with your experiences and opinions, and have shared their own. Others have not agreed, and have shared their experiences and opinions. Just because we don't share your experience or opinion doesn't mean that we're "chastising" you. If you want to see "chastisement," here's a hint: that's what I'm doing NOW. For someone who has no trouble dishing out critical observations, you seem to have a problem when others differ with your criticisms. Our experiences are as valid for us as yours are for you. These boards are about sharing our experiences and opinions; sometimes, when we share, people disagree. It happens to me frequently. When it does, I don't think it's because I'm being "chastised" or "dissed" or some such. I consider it a GOOD thing that we don't all have the same kinds of experiences. The world would be CREEPY if everyone were the same. For the record, I happen to AGREE with some of your criticisms, even if I don't share the attitude with which you have harped on them.

 

Now, to borrow your own terminology, if you don't want to be "fooled twice" ... by all means DON'T sail HAL again. I wouldn't want you to be shamed for being "fooled" again.

[nevis92]

Big Al,

 

In several of your postings, you keep mentioning how easy you and your wife are to please..............are you sure about that? With all due respect, I'd beg to differ.

[rubrrick]

Big Al,

 

In several of your postings, you keep mentioning how easy you and your wife are to please..............are you sure about that? With all due respect, I'd beg to differ.

 

nevis92...............Be kind to Big Al.......we're not here to flame anyone, just let our viewpoints on the ships be known. I think Greg (revneal) said it best a couple of posts ago. I recently witnessed a lady on the RCCL threads continue to berate the company until no one was willing to answer her, and she finally quit.

 

What I don't understand, is that Big Al claims to be a travel agent. I don't know any agent worth his salt that would out and out give the kind of comments that he has, and keep his credentials. I believe that he has a fiduciary responsibility, but not being in the business, I might be wrong. Someone here can correct me...

 

Rick

[ROZO'SBEAU]

I support BIG Al....at least his right to express his opinions. I know I would have handled my difficulties with dinner seatings, perceived bad service, etc, differently.

Whenever I have a "problem", I make arrangements to see the guest services person ASAP. I have never been disappointed with their responses or corrective actions (if warranted) that they have facilitated. I even go to see them when I have something good to say or for compliments I want recorded, even before the final evaluation is submitted.

I did not have the food problems in the dining room that Al had ("it's all a matter of taste", said the lady as she kissed the cow). In fact I thought the presentation and taste had shown an uptick in quality from earlier cruises.

BUT, Big Al (and others on here) are right on when it comes to the cruise director....and as I said earlier, others on the ship said the same thing and I know they are not CC members.

Positive comment....if it wasn't for SACD Shannon and ACD Que (now on another ship) the activities and games would not have been successful at all. They carried the trip!

Regarding the Pinnacle....I have always written up my concerns about the service (or ambience) in there on every cruise I've been on. We think the issue may be that the Pinnacle Chef (Kim, in this case) is disconnected from the front of the house (the room Maitre 'd)....unlike in a shoreside restaurant where the chef may be an owner or part owner and they work as a team. It's like the food (the main reason to have a restaurant in the first place) is separated from the business end of the enterprise. The chef prepares a spectacular meal (and the food is really great in there...don't get me wrong) and the wait staff hasn't a clue when they present it. Comments?

Beau