A Great Time on the Westerdam: Dec 17-24

[purplenorway]

Embarkation Day

 

We arrived at the cruise terminal around 11:30 and waited in the check in line about ten minutes, where the agent told us a different cabin number from what we had booked. Having chosen a certain SS cabin for its location, we were upset that it would change without notification. Then the agent showed us the new cabin on the ships map: it was a deluxe suite! We were UPGRADED! We later purchased our embarkation photo, because we had a free coupon from our travel agency and, we still had our “upgrade faces” on.:D

 

The Neptune Lounge (perk for suite guests, also good chocolate truffles there) stored our carryon bags; we took a peek into our cabin, and then went up to the Lido for lunch. The Italian station and the Wok were really good! It took some time to find an available table. Staterooms were ready around 1:00 and our luggage was delivered after 2:00.

 

We had a Cruise Critic get-together at 3:00 in the Crow’s Nest, but the room was not ready due to a wedding. I think we went in a half hour later than expected. They had cookies, tea, and coffee and it was fun to meet some fellow CC’s.

 

That night, there was a tree lighting ceremony in the atrium. Stewards passed out hot chocolate and cookies. After the tree was lit, staff dumped shredded paper from the top level of the atrium. Basically it was a blizzard of snow that landed on everyone below. I’m sure they had fun vacuuming it all up later.

 

The Ship/Suite

 

Christmas trees and poinsettias were everywhere! The fresh flowers were arranged with sparkly pieces and railings were draped with garland. Lighted Christmas décor was even outside the ship and “Happy Holidays” was painted on the side.

 

Our room and verandah were kept very clean. They had some good/new movies on the TV, but the sound would sometimes fluctuate between loud and soft. Towels and sheets were very soft. There was a ton of closet space and hangers, but not very many drawers. There was also a lot of shelving and cabinets in the bathroom. One of the best things about the suite life was the free laundry service! The stuff we sent out came back the next day, folded tighter than you could ever imagine.

 

I downloaded the Westerdam art tour off of HAL’s website to my iPod; you can also check one out from the library. It really takes you around the ship, pause it often while you get to the next location. Some of the pieces are extremely old and valuable. Their collection is impressive and varied.

 

The only times I felt crowded were in the bottleneck areas of the ship after events let out and the formal nights when everyone wanted their photos taken.

 

Try stargazing at the observation deck, front of the ship.

 

Half Moon Cay

 

New boats take you to the island instead of the ship’s lifeboats as in the past. These hold many people, but take a long time to load and unload. On the island, we were dropped of at our pink cabana. The cabana gives nice shade and comes with an air conditioner, shower, fridge, floating mats, and snorkel equipment (ours was not there right away; we had to ask for it). We picked out what kinds of soda/water we wanted the day before. Chips, dip, and a fruit plate were provided. A steward offered to bring food from the BBQ to our cabana, but we decided we would rather get it ourselves. HAL has put in some nice new pathways around the island. The beach is wonderful! What gorgeous colored water!

 

Grand Turk

 

Like a casino in Las Vegas, so you must pass through a shop in Grand Turk to get anywhere else. Not much is developed here yet. We took the Guana hop-on-hop-off tour and it started pouring rain. Of course we did not feel much like hopping off the bus in that weather, but we got off at the lighthouse and took shelter in a shop for about 15 minutes. Then the rain stopped and the sun came out. There was even a rainbow! We hiked along the edge near the lighthouse where you can see cacti and the Caribbean Sea meeting the Atlantic Ocean. It was really beautiful. Then we took one of the Guana buses (no leg room at all, if you go, you will know what I mean, so get a side-facing seat) back to the port, we saw a wild horse along the way, and it started to pour again. Just when you thought it couldn’t possibly rain any harder, it did. The shopping plaza was flooded and you had to cross rivers as water gushed out the rain gutters. That afternoon, when the rain cleared off, we went back on shore and walked along the beach. It didn’t seem so nice for swimming because of all the floating seaweed; it is good for collecting shells and rocks though. There was a gorgeous sunset and some great lightning at night!

 

Grand Cayman

 

There were six ships offshore. It was very crowded. We took the Atlantis semi-submarine and it was wonderful; I recommend it! We saw fish, turtles, stingray, barracuda, coral, and shipwrecks. The water was so clear.

 

Costa Maya

 

Vendors are aggressive here. We shopped around. Look for the artists who paint tiles with only their fingers. There is also a nice pool.

 

Food/Service

 

We had an oval table for nine at the 8:00 seating. This time worked really nicely because we had more time to get ready, spend on shore, and snack during the afternoon. The dining room is loud, so it was difficult to hear each other talking. The Beef Wellington was so tender; I could actually cut it with my fork! I also loved the Parmesan Crusted Chicken and Chocolate Avalanche Cake. The soups were always tasty and interesting while served at the perfect temperature. No sign of the Warm Chocolate Truffle here. Hopefully it will be back someday.

 

There was a Dutch Night, complete with hats. I ordered the turkey, but was reprimanded by the head waiter, since I spoke some Indonesian phrases but did not order Nasi Goreng. So, I ended up with some excellent turkey and Nasi Goreng. The Chocolate Mousse in a Basket is now a sugar basket instead of a chocolate basket, not nearly as good.

 

I have all of the dinner and dessert menus, so if you are curious about a certain item, let me know.

 

The staff was always smiling. They were more than happy to help and meet special requests. Our dining room waiters Bambang and Gede were friendly and did a great job!

 

The Dessert Extravaganza was a disappointment. It should be called The Cake Extravaganza. It was mainly cakes that were all the same. I passed them by and suddenly reached the end of the line with my plate still empty; so I quickly asked for a piece of, you guessed it, cake. There was nothing there to satisfy this chocoholic, not even a chocolate cake! As if I needed anymore food anyway. There were four lines out by the Lido Pool, perhaps I chose the wrong line or there was a chocolate shortage. Plus, the chocolate fountain was either malfunctioning, or they ran out of things to dip in it. The ice sculptures were nice, though.

 

Tea in the Explorer’s Lounge was complete with a string trio who played Christmas carols. When you go to tea, try that marble pound cake! High tea was buffet style.

 

Suite guests can eat breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill. The menu is the same as the dining room. I witnessed a couple service no-no’s, such as when a server dropped a croissant on a chair, picked it up, and placed it back on the pastry pile. Service was fast, though. My parents used their free vouchers from our travel agency one night at the Pinnacle Grill and reported great food and service.

 

Entertainment/Onboard Life

 

The welcome aboard show featured the Westerdam cast and a comedian. Olympic gymnast Lance Ringald’s show was amazing; he even juggled, sang, and played the piano! Bring your camera along, since he welcomes photos during his performance. The magician stunk. Even the way he walked around the stage was tacky; and half the show was him trying to get a date. We didn’t understand some of his tricks and there was this part where a story that was made up by audience members was supposed to appear on a chalkboard, but you could see his dancing assistants writing on it, center stage! The Westerdam cast performed “Grand Tour” and “Stage and Screen” very well. We didn’t see Alfreda Gerald’s first show, but saw her in the farewell show along with Lance Ringald. She has a powerful voice and did a duet with a member of the cast which received a standing ovation and made some people sniffle.

 

We were usually the last people to leave the dining room at late seating, our waiters didn’t seem to mind, but still, we were able to get good seats at the shows every night. Something different from other cruises: hardly anyone ever sat in the top “shelf” since there was always room on the bottom level (probably because it was late seating).

 

They had an interesting backstage tour. You can ask questions and look at the costumes up close; I even got to try on a crazy headdress. The amount of lighting and equipment backstage is something else.

 

Being the holiday season, the age group was really mixed. There were a lot of families.

 

There were two formal nights (Half Moon Cay and Costa Maya) and the rest were casual, no informal at all even though the documents said there was one.

 

If you go to sports activities, you will get a certain amount of dam dollars. They can be exchanged for prizes at the end of your cruise. We got a sweatshirt and a cap.

 

The cruise director, Billy Rogers, was very involved. He even tried the silks with Lance Ringwald at the farewell show. Henk Keijer, the youngest captain in the HAL fleet, was present at many social events, except, ironically, his own welcome aboard cocktail reception when he felt under the weather. His announcements from the bridge were interesting and included more than just where we were headed. One day, at the Lido, the CO2 alarm went off and he appeared, red in the face; I would guess that he ran all the way from the bridge. Obviously he is concerned with his, as he often said, “stunning ship”.

 

Overall

It was a fantastic cruise! If you can look over the minor disappointments and set off to have a good time, you will! Happy cruising!

 

(See photos at the link below)

[ekerr19]

Thanks for posting your review!!! Glad to hear you had a great time on the Westerdam. :)

 

We're keeping our fingers crossed that the Oosterdam is not going to disappoint either... thanks again!!!

[purplenorway]

I'm glad you enjoyed the review! Really looking forward to the Oosterdam! See you there.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for posting your review.