Anyone sailed on the new Westerdam

[jlparke5]

I am considering sailing on the new Westerdam. Has anyone sailed her yet? I sailed her about 4 years ago and she was great. Are there any big differences? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

[Esme]

BIG difference - brand new ship, wheras the old one had been bought by HAL from the Home Lines (Homeric) and a year after buying her, they "stretched" her and added a section, which included the Lido up by the covered pool. We used to like eating there.

 

I happened to be at our TA's to-day and one of the TAs in the office just came back from the Westeram. He said it was gorgeous. We are going at Christmas and are looking forward to seeing this lovely new ship. We had said we would never sail on a VISTA ship, but that was the only one that worked for us as to date of embarkation.

[Jacqueline]

There arent a whole lot of reviews yet. We are sailing July 30 for almost 2 weeks. I'll get back to you.

Like the third in any series, hopefully some of the flaws of the original are ironed out. The decorating scheme appears less controversial even though it is vibrant.

[lipoppop]

The veranda cabins are smaller by 30 square feet than the similar cabins on the S class or flagship class vessels. There is a lack of drawer and counter space. The other cabins are the same size.

 

We found it made a big difference as compared to our veranda cabins on the Amsterdam, Volendam, Zaandam.

 

There was no vcr in the cabin; tubs did not have jets; no privacy curtain between the bed and TV area; hair drier is by the TV with a very short cord instead of being in the bathroom. Lots of small inconveniences.

 

Since we were on her in June there were bugs still to be worked out and HAL will do that.

 

As for the decor - each to his/her own taste.

 

The mid-ship outside elevators are very nice. The extra set makes the longer vessel easy to navigate. Didn't feel crowded even with 500 more passengers.

 

If you like the casino it is huge! If you like to shop the area is about the same as on the other vessels. Large spa/fitness area. Large pool for spa guests for a fee- only saw it in use once and we passed it several times a day.

 

Except for one deck all cabins are veranda and suites except of course for the inside cabins tucked here and there.

 

Shore excursions and front desk are on the lowest deck so there is less traffic on the prominade decks for the shops, lounges etc.- good move.

 

Do miss the free java bar- replacement is a pay-for-coffee bar away from the main traffic.

[Krazy Kruizers]

:) Westerdam

We were on the Oosterdam this past Feb/Mar in a suite.

We have never had a curtain separating the the bedroom from the seating area on any HAL ship.

On the Oosterdam, the hair dryer was in the top drawer in the dressing room for the suites.

We had jets in the bathtub.

Are there that many differences between the suites on the Oosterdam and the Westerdam?

We will be on her in Januray.

 

:)

[lknick]

The Westerdam is the same ship, except for decor, as the Zuiderdam and Oosterdam.

 

You either like the larger Vista class ships or hate them. There seems to be no mid-ground on this.

 

If you want negatives, read reviews of Zuiderdam. If you want more realistic comments, read those on Oosterdam.

 

Been on both.

[jdrblue]

We were on the Westerdam's third cruise. They were making some changes in the carpet in the stairways due to complaints about the color. I think people were having a hard time seeing the first step so contrasting colors were being installed. I thought this was being pretty responsive.

 

We had a verandah cabin. I believe there was a curtain that could be drawn to seperate the closet/bathroom area from the bedroom/sitting area. We liked the new touches with the linens and flowers. Overall we really liked the ship.

 

The comments about limited counter space and the location of the hairdryer are on target. When we had breakfast in the room there simply wasn't room for everything. On the plus side, room service was very fast.

 

I would recommend the ship without hesitation.

[Krazy Kruizers]

:) jdrblue

Where you in the Delux Verandah Suite (S)?

:)

[ASM]

The Zuid SS verandah cabins have a curtain that can be pulled between the hallway to closets/ door/ bath and sitting/ bedroom area. We never used it but the steward pulled it once.

[jdrblue]

:) jdrblue

Where you in the Delux Verandah Suite (S)?

:)

We were in 5044 Delux Verandah Outside. We liked the location. It was close to the elevator but not noisy.