Review Westerdam 12/09/2007

[alonzo14]

First of all I have cruised eight times NCL, RCCL and Celebrity. This was my first hal cruise. I want to hit some true or false comments aout this cruise from other overall passenger comments.

 

 

Precruise: Stayed at the Renaissaunce on 17th st. This is an excellent location for everything. We ate across the street at Bravo. It is true that this is a great restaurant. We got a corner king room. It looked to be in excellent condition. The staff was very friendly and helpful. I would recommend this hotel to others. They have a trolley that runs across from the hotel that goes to the Harbour Shops and beaches. You can also walk to the Harbour Shops from the hotel.

 

 

Embarkation: Got there at 10:45a.m. We were in a Deluxe Verandah suite and were led around the building to the suite check-in. It was confusing how many lines there were for check-in. The lady next to us kept telling us she was in a Deluxe Verandah too and she was next!!! Well she ended up getting out before us anyway as our cards got mixed up and they had to make new ones. Other than this glitch everything went smoothly and we were on the ship by 11:15am. It was also confusing as to where we were being directed. Some were being directed to the Lido, but others to the Neptune Lounge.

 

Arrival: We went to the Neptune Lounge and introduced ourselves to the conceirge. I must say it it true about the conceirges. They are terrific!!! They did several things for us druing the week And everything was handled promptly. If you are considering a suite this is the reason for it!!!!! We then went to the Lido for our first lunch. The Lido layout was a little confusing for the first 2 or 3 days, but we got the hang of it. It is true that the Lido staff are all very helpful. The sandwiches are great!!!!

 

We were in 5191. It was adequate size for two people and then some. We really enjoyed the private dressing area. I brought my own hair dryer and plugged it in and it worked fine. The lighted round make-up mirror was good to have. We had his and her sinks and medicine cabinets. We had more than enough closet space. I had my own in the dressing area and he had his in the room by the bed. We had a nice floral arrangement by the couch and another one on the coffe table for our renewal of vows package. Our stateroom steward Oman was terrific all week and we tipped him a bit extra for his great service. And oh that balcony!!!!!!!! It it true it is covered but considering the weather it was the best one to have. It is totally private. We had high winds and sea spray from Tropical storm Olga and we could still sit just outside the door. We did not use the side balcony as much because it was usually windy. We told our cabin steward that we were having guest over for tea one afternoon and he went out and rearranaged and straightned our balcony for us!!!!! He made towel animals on all but the first and last nights.

 

 

Dining: We used Room Serivce several times and I must say it was the best of any cruisline we have sailed. So it is true HAL has great Room Service. They don't call beforehand but they tell you about how long it will be although it ususally arrived sooner. They use hot plates under the food to keep it hot. The quality was very good. You can have breakfast in your room on the last day which no other cruieline does.

 

We were changed to a table for 8 to dine with friends and this was done promptly. From what I gather by some comments made in reviews and on the ship it is true that dining service is inconsistent on this ship. We had the worst dining service at our table than we have had on any ship we have sailed on. Dinners lay undelivered. Service could be slow at times. Preferences were not remembered until the last night of course. Someone at our table requested drawn butter poured over his lobster and was told it already had butter on it. Napkins were not always placed in laps. Some dishes were forgotten. There was no real camradere between us and the waiter. We had to ask sometimes for more water. You get the picture.

 

We had dinner once in the Pinnacle. The service was great! The food was a cut above the dining room. The food in the dining room was good but not excellent. However it was on par with most lines. We had one suite luncheon. It was in the Pinnacle and it was excellent!!!! We also had caviar. It was a buffet setup.

 

Entertainment: I was not able to attend some of the shows. The production shows were very good actually. Leo Ward was a good comedian but did little illusion on his last show. Philadelphia had some funny moments but most of his comedy was at the expense of others. We did get to the last farewell show to hear the concert pianist who was good but didn't get to hear him enough to judge how good. They rotated the show for early and late seating. Some nights the show for early was at 10:30 and for main 7:00. There was one deck buffet party. It was good. I didn't get to hear the HAL cats or much of the steel drum band. I did not see the crew show either.

 

Activities: It is true there are not as many activities but we were there to rest so it was usually plenty for us. There was the usual seminars, trivia etc. There was a craft fair in the atrium on day demonstating the talents of the crew such as towel folding, cooking demos, napkin folding etc., bingo was also offered. There was a good sized casino that offered some non smoking nights. There was a kitchen and backstage tour. There was karoke and a game show. There was the Marriage show. Twice a day they showed movies in the Queens Lounge. On an uexpected day at sea there were several shown in there. Didn't see popcorn but may only be in the evening.

 

The staff: Shane the Cruise Director was good. He organized activites after we had to skip Grand Turk. He was present everywhere. It is true that hAL has helpful smiling crew! They are very sweet. I was impressed with Captain Keijer. He kept us informed about the storm and the route he would go because of it. He was very busy getting us through it. However he still conducted the Vow Rewneal that evening. We had force 11 hurricane winds and 12 to 18 ft seas. It was a bit rough for the first two days!!! His last address to us he said he was leaving when we debarked for vacation. He also addressed the crew and let them know he was leaving and would be joining them again which impressed me. He was out and about the ship sometimes too. He told us during a noon address that he prefers to bring us in or out of a port if he can instead of using a pilot. He said he is hesitant to trust a 460 million dollar toy to someone who knows nothing about the ship. He told us that a small dot had been spotted earlier which turned out to a be a jet skier. They were in a small boat and had been at sea for two days.

 

 

Debarkation: Very smooth. We signed up for the Signature Luggage program and the last day was told we had been accepted. We placed tags on our bags and got our boarding passes for our 12:15p.m. flight. We put our luggage out and within 10 minutes it was gone!!!!! We stayed in our room until our color was called. The bar man came in once to check and restock the mini bar. There was plenty of ground crew to direct us where to go.

 

Impressions: I would sail HAL again with a good itinerary. The ship was clean and elegant. I did not notice major wear and tear. There were some problems with the photographers. They were new and pics were not that good overall. They only took one pic of us at the vow renewal. Also the shop had an advertisement one day. It was a sale on watch sets and it said it was to start at 9:00am and to come early to avoid dissappointment. My husband needed a watch so at 9:00a.m he goes down to the giftshop. He is told they are not open yet and they are getting ready for the sale. As it turns out they did not have it until 11:00a.m. Also our butler for the butler package on Half Moon was supposed to meet us at 8:30a.m. in our cabin. He did not show up until 9:00a.m. However he was a good butler and did a very adequate job the rest of the day. It is true that Half Moon Cay is a paradise. It is in a word AWESOME!! We did have a cabana and butler package and I think it was well worth it. The meal was great. We were comfortable. The floats provided were fantastic and the island just gorgeous. We left rested and satisfied. The water and sand is just like I had heard.

 

I loved the pastires on this ship!!!! They have a wonderful pastry chef!!!!!

 

Well thanks for reading this LONG review. if you have any questions I would be happy to answer them.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

[gizmo]

Thanks for the review. I enjoyed reading it. :)

[hammybee]

Thanks for sharing your perception with us. I am sorry that your traditional dining experience fell short of expectations. I am wondering if anyone at your table mentioned this to the Dining Room Manager. Just curious.

[darienill]

How much was the signature express and where di d you get the request form??

tHX

[alonzo14]

The Signature Luggage is 15.00pp. You get a form to fill out in your stateroom asking you which mode of transportation you want going home on debarkation day. You can check ship transfers, no ship transfers, taxi or other mode and signature lugguge. You check which one you want and you have to fill out an application at the front desk or conceirge if in a suite. They just take your flight info. If you are accepted then the very last day you get luggage tags and boarding passes for your airline. Only certain airlines participate. American was ours. You must claim your bags in the cruise terminal after going through customs. There is a Bags Inc. truck just outside and to the left of the terminal. Just give them to the man and your all set. Hope this has answered your question.

 

Oh and by the way, you are allowed one piece of checked luggage per person at this price.

[alonzo14]

hammybee: I don't know about the others, but I was only at dinner 3 or 4 of the seven nights due to being under the weather. I had heard grumblings from other passengers about their service as well. I don't know if they were breaking in new people but they have too many tables to wait which I feel affects service and I said so on the comment card.

 

This was the only other weakness on this cruise. The rest was great except for the photo people and the wrong shop advertisement.

 

I would defineltly sail HAL again. I consider it the biggest value right now.

 

Those who need more activities would be happier elsewhere.