Westerdam or Royal Princess for 2024 Transpacific?

[flyboy3]

Westerdam has a covered pool. During the transpacific weather will be cool. Will the covered pool be warm enough to enjoy? Royal Princess does not have a covered pool.

[CruiserBruce]

Yes, the pool will be heated.

[CNSJ]

Are you sailing Eastbound or Westbound in 2024? 

 

As a note:  We sailed Westerdam transpac (westbound)  in Oct/Nov 2022 and had a great trip.  If you sail westbound, a port side cabin will get you more balcony sun for first part of voyage.  BTW it was a great cruise.

 

[flyboy3]

Eastbound 

[Cruise Junky]

Do you mean 2025?   They’re completely different itineraries eastbound in 2024

[bennybear]

We’ve been on both ships.   A few things to consider depending on what matters to you:  The Westerdam has a complete promenade. On the Royal it not possible to walk all the way around due to the design.   The Royal is much taller so don’t know how that will affect a crossing.  Westie has bathtubs and love seats.  The international cafe on the Royal is a plus,  on Westie we loved Canaletto. 

Other considerations would be to compare itinerary and price. 
 

Edited May 15, 2023 by bennybear

[cruisemom42]

5 hours ago, flyboy3 said:

Westerdam has a covered pool. During the transpacific weather will be cool. Will the covered pool be warm enough to enjoy? Royal Princess does not have a covered pool.

 

Keep in mind on the recently completed 2023 transpacific on Westerdam, the weather was rough and the pool was drained for a significant chunk of the cruise. 

[Mickb]

Suggest you read the thread entitled as below. Not sure I would book Westerdam.

 

[OlsSalt]

54 minutes ago, Mickb said:

Suggest you read the thread entitled as below. Not sure I would book Westerdam.

 

 

Good to also research the history of this particular report author, in order to get a feel for his point of view about HAL overall  in the first place - helps to balance his comments. 

[bennybear]

My photo in the above picture, we thoroughly enjoyed our Westerdam cruise precovid.   These were the first cruises in Japan since the shutdown,  so I’m sure there was some impact as well. 

Edited May 16, 2023 by bennybear

[rj59]

I'd go with Westerdam, because of the covered pool, but more importantly, because of the outdoor promenade, which will help keep you sane when you haven't seen land for many days. One possible advantage of Royal might be fewer passengers--I was on a Majestic Pacific Coastal after an Australia-LA passage, and they said they only had 1000 or so passengers on board, so around 30%, but it's still really unpleasant not to have a covered pool area, particularly if you want to eat or watch a movie outside. 

[sunviking90]

The itineraries are quite different, so not really comparing apples to apples.

We are booked on the Royal a princess because we preferred the itinerary with more stops in Northern Japan and are arriving a week early to tour southern Japan on our own.

I would much prefer a ship like the Westerdam with a nice promenade for a voyage with so many sea days, but other considerations won out. 
We are not pool people, but I am pretty sure the Royal Princess has the Retreat Pool which is indoors.

 

[mcrcruiser]

imo I would go with the Royal Princess for entertainment  &  the food . Just smaller   balconies 

[avalon1025]

Having sailed the last transpacific on the Westerdam and the prior month the Discovery Princess,  I’d still choose Westerdam.  Westerdam didn’t feel as crowded and felt like a ship vs a mall.  Covered pool area and forward facing crows nest are great on the Westerdam 

[Mary229]

This weekend I was sorely tempted to trade out my late 2024 HAL transatlantic with the Princess versions which takes me directly from Europe to Texas.  I just couldn’t get past the substantial differences in the size of the ship.  Otherwise I would have sailed Princess .

 

Since I haven’t booked either yet I am hoping to be convinced .