Westerdam Dec. 16-23 Review with Photos and Bonus Air Travel Tale

[purplenorway]

Fighting to Get to Ft. Lauderdale

 

It all started the day before the cruise. We arrived at the airport around 6 am, but our Midwest Airlines flight was cancelled due to a mechanical problem. We waited around until we took off on a flight after 3 pm. After about 15 minutes, we turned around because the Milwaukee airport closed down due to weather. The gate agent said he could get us out the next day after 3:00. Uh, that’s not going to work. Luckily, about six others needed to catch cruises. There is strength in numbers. We knew if we did not get out of Michigan, we would be stuck after the snowstorm came through.

 

We re-boarded and flew out after 6 pm. In Milwaukee, we hurried down to the Ft. Lauderdale gate, they opened it up for us and we sat on the plane for half an hour before all outbound flights were cancelled. We got a room at the Best Western for a distressed passenger rate. The next morning, we waited on the plane 45 minutes while they fixed another mechanical problem. We thought we were doomed to miss the ship.

 

Embarkation

 

Finally making it to Ft. Lauderdale, we took a taxi and arrived at the pier after 1:00. A HAL agent gave me a clip-on tag with an ‘S’ for suite to wear. This allowed agents to direct us to the suite check in. The process was very quick, but my ship card would not work. We waited while they printed another and the agent told me to exchange it in the Neptune lounge (the thing he did not tell me was that I would not be able to open the door myself because the card was blue and not golden). If it were not a sure way to be labeled the crazy person of the cruise, I could have kissed the ship’s teak deck when we crossed the gangway.

 

The Suite Life

 

We had deluxe verandah suite 6177 on the aft starboard corner of the ship. The cabin has a different arrangement in the entrance than other deluxe suites. The area between the bed and sofa was also more cramped. The sofa bed was only a twin; other suites’ sofa beds can fit two people. There were fewer shelves and drawers as well. The awesome verandah made up for these differences!

 

The verandah was huge! It even had a hatch that contained some sort of electrical stuff and painting supplies (maybe they should lock that thing). There were two lounge chairs, two chairs with footstools, and a table with four chairs. I so enjoyed this verandah! We had views from the side of the ship and the ship’s wake. The wake side was partially covered and the starboard side was completely covered. If it was too noisy, sunny, or windy on one side, all you had to do was turn the corner to get a whole different environment. We caught some nice sunsets and at night, we could stargaze from the lounge chairs. The only bad thing was that water kept appearing on the verandah. Seems that it eventually appeared several hours after whenever it rained. Not sure where it came from or why it was delayed so long after rain. One night, there was about a half inch of water over the entire verandah!

 

Our fantastic cabin steward was GaGah. He always seemed cheerful and promptly took care of any requests we had. We asked him for some more hangers and he brought them about 30 seconds later.

 

Complementary laundry service was great!

 

The Neptune Lounge ladies were wonderful. So sweet and friendly! You can ask them anything.

 

We went to the suite welcome reception in the Neptune lounge and met Captain Peter Harris and Hotel Manager Ron Bontenbal. We also saw some familiar faces: Dining Room Manager Henricus Harimurti, Beverage Manager Hans Becker, and Cruise Director Shane Einspahr.

 

The Ship

 

The Westerdam was in dry dock not too long ago. Some things are different from when we were on the ship last year. More shops were added and the Explorations Café was moved to the Crow’s Nest.

 

The ship was decorated nicely. Garland was in the atrium and dining room. Christmas trees were scattered here and there. Outside the ship, on the top decks, you could see lighted decorations. The last night we were onboard, they broke out even more decorations inside.

 

Dining

 

We requested a waiter, Firmandes, but HAL did not relay this request to the Westerdam. So instead, we asked to sit at his table whenever we ate breakfast or lunch in the dining room. For dinner, we had 8:00 seating at table 50. Our awesome dining stewards were Ari and Budi. We ate with a native Russian couple, a solo traveler, and a couple from New Hampshire.

 

The menus were delivered to our cabin daily. I enjoyed picking out what I wanted ahead of time. A couple of instances at dinner, when I was ordering, I would forget what it was I wanted, but Ari would say it! I don’t know if he learned my tastes over the week or he read my mind!

 

Some of my favorite menu items were the beef wellington (so tender), parmesan crusted chicken, and the turkey. I don’t usually care for fish, but decided to try the glazed salmon. It was so good! The flavors were amazing, not fishy tasting at all.

 

The Swiss-style muesli, however, did not seem sweet enough to me. Also, many nights, the vegetables with entrees would be the same pile of carrots, turnips, cauliflower, etc. I would rather have one vegetable on my plate at a time instead of the same mixture so many nights.

 

Our head waiter was Ede. He was friendly, so I asked him about my favorite dessert, the warm chocolate truffle. He said it wasn’t on the menu, but he had some connections in the kitchen and we had it for dessert the next night! We felt special. On the last night of the cruise, the warm chocolate pudding is on the menu. It actually tastes like the warm chocolate truffle, just more liquid! Order one for me!

 

My mom does not especially care for baked Alaska, so Ede brought leftover chocolate avalanche cake for her and an extra for me because he knew I am chocolate obsessed.

 

I never went through the main line in the Lido, just the other stations. The stir-fry was good and hot. Pasta was also good. Ask the ice cream man for bread pudding. I liked the waffle station at breakfast. They have a nice mixed berry topping. If you wanted the strawberry topping, the chef gave you about 3 strawberries. You could even get warm chocolate sauce on your waffle.

 

There were some yummy desserts at tea time! I enjoyed the Dutch high tea. Indonesian tea time was very busy. I think they were overwhelmed and therefore service was not the greatest.

 

The dessert extravaganza was okay. We went after the late show, so much of the selections were picked over. Nothing was left to dip in the chocolate fountain. There were many chocolate cakes, so I asked a chef which one was the best, and the slice he gave me was very good. Then he recommended some cheesecake and that was also good.

 

Entertainment and Activities

 

Team trivia with the Cruise Director was great fun and very popular (go early to get a seat). Our appropriate team name was “Marooned in Milwaukee”. Everyone got a “dam dollar” just for coming and there were prizes for each day’s winner as well a progressive competition of scores. Overall, we placed second.

 

We went to some of the sports activities and collected “dam dollars” there as well. We redeemed them for beach towels.

 

The first production show, “Grand Tour” was good. The illusionist Leo Ward was funny and had some great illusions that got people talking about them for days. I never thought I would see a motorcycle go thorough the show lounge! At the farewell variety show, Leo Ward was back along with pianist Howard Hill (I found him to be cheesy, especially when he called out to Barbara Streisand). Other shows we did not go to were the comedian Philadelphia, pianist Howard Hill’s first show, and the production show “Stage and Screen”.

 

Cruise Critic Events

 

I arranged a Cruise Critic Meet and Greet prior to the cruise through a HAL event coordinator. It was held the second day of the cruise (a sea day) at 11:00. They reserved a section of the Crow’s Nest for us and set up coffee, tea, water, cookies, desserts, and other drinks. The Beverage Manager, Cruise Director, and Hotel Manager joined us. We had a good turnout of about 40 people. It was a fun way to meet so many of the people we talked with on the roll call board!

 

Hans Becker “twisted some arms” and organized a private galley tour for CC members. We met in the Pinnacle Bar and Executive Chef Andreas Noemayr led us around both levels of the main galley. It was nice to get an in-depth tour from the chef himself!

 

I was interested in hosting a party for CC members on our verandah, since it was so big. The Beverage Manger made it seem like anything could be done, so we discussed a chocolate theme and even a chocolate fountain. The first formal night, the ship’s party planner Joy sat at our table for dinner. What a coincidence. She helped us plan a time and date for the party, otherwise, all we saw were dollar signs. I wanted to do it for free. I told this to the Neptune Lounge concierge and she took care of everything, even printed an invitation for me to see. She was wonderful! We chose 5:00-6:00 on the sailaway from St. Thomas. We found out this was the same night as the dessert extravaganza, so the chocolate theme was scratched.

 

On the day of the party, an army of six workers brought tables, tablecloths, and way more folding chairs than we needed. When we asked for folding chairs, we expected maybe five, but they brought about 20. Our verandah was full of the mysterious water again (it rained that morning), so they brought a giant vacuum and said “We will suck it dry!”

 

We had hot and cold appetizers, cookies, and leftover desserts from the Neptune Lounge. They also brought iced tea and different kinds of juice. We only paid for champagne and soda. I was so impressed with what they gave us! It was awesome. About 30 people showed up. Any more people stuffed onto that verandah and it may have been the end of the “aft lift”. The only bad thing was that the mysterious water reappeared towards the end of the party. Staff came about an hour later and quickly cleaned up the verandah.

 

The next morning, a Cruise Critic member told me he and some others did not receive their party invitations until that morning. Uh oh. A woman from the front office called me about the late invitations. I’m not sure how she knew. She said the Cruise Critic people who organized the party delivered the invitations. I told her that I organized the party and did not deliver the invitations. She said she would call me back. A man called me later to ask more questions (I don’t even know who he was). No one else called after that. The investigation must be continuing. Most likely, a few cabins stewards didn’t put invitations in boxes in time.

 

CC members were also invited to a VIP reception in the Crow’s Nest after our sailaway party. I don’t know how so many people knew about our party. Everyone from the Executive Chef to the Cruise Director was joking around that they had not been invited. The Captain especially seemed to enjoy rubbing it in that the Cruise Director was not invited.

 

Ports

 

In Grand Turk, we walked off the ship and walked along the right side of the beach instead of the left where all the people are. There were conch shells everywhere! The sand was grainy in some spots, but soft and squishy in others. I cut through some shrubs and my sandals were full of burs. The area was really pretty and the water was so clear.

 

In Tortola, we arrived late because we had to wait for another ship to leave. We took the Virgin Gorda and the Baths excursion. Busses took us to a ferry and then safari busses brought us to the Baths. There is a long trail down to the beach. You must step on all kinds of rocks on the way down and the sand made them slippery. It wasn’t an easy trail. Once we made it down, I thought this spot was beautiful! Giant boulders are everywhere! There is also a cave with a narrow opening to go through. Inside, there is water and that spot I always see in HAL brochures! Since it was so late in the day, I got some interesting lighting for photos (see them at http://picasaweb.google.com/purplenorway). We wanted to watch the sunset, but thought it was more important to climb back up to the top while it was still light out. Climbing the trail back up seemed easier than coming down. I would like to go back to the Baths when I had more time and daylight, then I could do some more exploring.

 

In St. Thomas, we docked at Crown Bay and took a safari bus into town to shop ($4 per person). Crown Bay had some tame iguanas on the rocks by the ship.

 

In Half Moon Cay, the Amsterdam was with us. The farther down the beach you walked, the less people. That island is beautiful. We rented the purple cabana. We had chips and dip and fruit. They also stocked the fridge with soda and bottled water we requested. The cabana had an air conditioner and two fans. We didn’t need them. The wind was strong and the water was cold, so we didn’t swim for very long. There was also a shower and a mister. Float mats and snorkel equipment were included with the cabana. We lost each other at the Barbeque. All those pavilions look the same. They should put numbers on each side instead of just one and paint the roofs different colors.

 

Disembarkation

 

They asked us to wait before entering the gangway because a large group from Turkey was backing up the customs process. We were off after 9:00. Once in the terminal, we were allowed to go immediately to an agent in the U.S. citizens’ line. The HAL workers in the terminal seemed so pleasant. Many wished us Happy Holidays. For some reason, I was in a very good mood. Usually, I am practically crying when I leave a ship.

 

Some More Random Memories

 

The last night was the roughest. I wondered if I would roll out of my sofa bed.

 

When I got off in Grand Turk and they scanned my ships card, little photos of me appeared all across the screen, as if I had gone on, off, on, off… who knows how many times. This was probably because my card didn’t work during embarkation and I had a new one. It was kind of funny.

 

The couple from New Hampshire who joined our table the last few nights actually missed the ship in Ft. Lauderdale. They boarded in Grand Turk. That easily could have been us.

 

The dining room just got some new steak knives in. Those things look vicious. Sit next to a tablemate you trust.

 

We went to the Mariner’s Reception in the Vista Lounge and then to the Suite Lunch in the Pinnacle Grill. There was a buffet with a long line, so we waited at a table. Captain Peter Harris came to talk with us and we invited him to join us, but he said he needed to make his 1:00 announcement from the bridge. By the time we got our food, he was back and asked if we still had an extra seat. Finally, finally, I can say I ate with the captain! We asked him some of our burning questions and I asked about the mystery of why one deck is not lined up after the “aft lift” the Westerdam had in dry dock. He said it could not structurally support the weight of the blocks of new cabins if it was extended and it would have taken more time and money and cancelled cruises to line it up.

 

I had some trouble with the elevator. I think it was the same one in the forward section each time. I pressed the floor I wanted, it picked up someone on the way, dropped them off, canceled my floor, went back to where I started, picked up someone else, skipped my floor, etc. Watch to make sure the button of the deck you want stays on or you will be riding for awhile.

 

Trying to Come Back Home

 

In Ft. Lauderdale, a ticket counter agent realized she somehow had one leftover bag tag for our checked luggage. She ran down the conveyer belt to find the bags, but all had tags on them. So we thought she just printed an extra. While waiting for our first delayed flight, we discovered a bag claim check listed another passenger’s name. We remembered who checked in ahead of us and asked her name. It matched and luckily, she lived in Milwaukee and not some other far off place. The gate agents said they would try to catch the bag in Milwaukee.

 

After taking off, the pilot announced that our landing gear had a problem and we would notice him testing it to see if it worked. It did. And what exactly would we have done if it didn’t work?

 

The little girl behind me seemed so innocent when she said things like, “What cloud is Jesus on?” and “Where is Santa’s sleigh?” but she kicked my seat through much of the flight. We finally got to taste the fresh chocolate chip cookies. Then, we had to circle while the runways were cleared of snow. It was a very windy and kind of scary landing. The little girl said, “Don’t try this at home.”

 

When we made it to Milwaukee, our next flight was too heavy. They desperately asked for volunteers to be bumped. We figured the flight would not take off anyway due to weather, so we volunteered. We got free tickets to use later and a low rate at a hotel. When we claimed our bags, we found that two of our bags were tagged with the other passenger’s information, but Dad’s bag was missing. The passengers on the flight we were supposed to be on waited on the plane about two hours while we were settled in our hotel.

 

The airport was a zoo the next morning and the flight didn’t leave on time. When we made it home, our airport’s power was out and passengers were huddled under blankets for warmth. The Red Cross was handing out hot chocolate and snacks. Dad’s bag was nowhere to be found. He got it back a few days later.

 

Conclusion

 

It was a good cruise! We had an awesome cabin and the staff was great! They took excellent care of Cruise Critics and I had a lot of fun at our events. The cruise was unfortunately overshadowed by air travel circumstances. We will wait to fly Midwest again until the summer and have no desire to return to the forsaken land of frozen tundra called Milwaukee for some time.

[hammybee]

I enjoyed the double bubble bonus flight story. Nothing like flying in the Winter, eh?

 

Thank you for sharing your story.

[Jen&Joe]

Sounds like you had a fabulous time. We also had an aft cabin on the Westerdam (8137) and had the same issues with water. But all the other attributes of the verandah more than make up for it!

[pipedreams62]

I was just wondering why do I ask the ice cream guy for bread pudding? isn't it available for everyone and part of the desserts.

 

I'm starting to get stressed out :D

[purplenorway]

Hammybee, Glad you liked the flight story! Yup, that is why we fly down the day before. Almost wasn't enough this time.

 

Jen&Joe, Interesting that you had the same problem with water on the verandah. It was still great though!

 

pipedreams62, They just keep the bread pudding behind the ice cream man's counter for some reason. It's not on the menu, only in the Lido. I thought of it too late, but I should have asked him to top it with chocolate!

 

Also, if anyone knows the names of the two dining room managers in the middle of one of my photos http://picasaweb.google.com/purplenorway/Westerdam07/photo#5147649317099901698 let me know. I would like to identify them.

[thomasale]

I am so glad to see your review and surprise we had Table 50 at the 5:45 seating. We did not have the same experience with wait staff but it was not for Ari's trying as much as the load he had to carry. We still gave a hefty additional tip as we enjoyed the dinners as well as our table mates!

 

I must comment on your hospitality in opening your suite to Cruise Critic members. I enjoyed the party and although I had to leave early due to our 5:45 dinner time still enjoyed meeting you, your family and several other Cyber acquaintances. I will second your feelings on the hor's doerves as they were outstanding! The view of St. Thomas as we were leaving from your veranda was memorable.

 

Thank you again for the posting and the hospitality!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for your review.

 

Aren't those new steack knives something? I talked about them in my "Live" report.

 

Were there so few Mariners that they were able to have the Buffet in the Pinnacle?

[molly361]

Becky

 

Great review and once again thanks for everything and especially your "veranda" party!!!! Ellen;)

[purplenorway]

thomasale and molly361, Thanks so much for coming to the party! I'm glad you enjoyed it and it was nice meeting you!

 

KK, I think the buffet lunch in the Pinnacle may have just been for those in suites. I'm not sure if they had a lunch for mariners. Maybe someone else can confirm that.

[Suitegurl]

Great review Becky. I am so sorry we weren't along to enoy it all!!!!

[Odd Ball]

That was some adventure with the airlines. This is one cruise you will never forget. :)

[alonzo14]

purplenorway: Enjoyed your review. We had the aft suite right below you on the 12/09 sailing!! We did have some water also but our balcony was the deepest of the aft suites so was not completely covered with water. Don't you love those balconies? Your accessment of the entertainment was the same as ours. We did see the second production show which was good but not as good as the first one. Yes those steak knives our menacing!!!

[purplenorway]

suitegurl, Sorry you couldn't have joined us. I remember thinking of you when I was on the elevator one day. Probably one of those times when I was stuck riding for awhile. Maybe we will meet on another cruise!

 

Odd Ball, Yup, I won't forget this trip! :D

 

alonzo14, This water problem must be on the whole "aft lift". Still, yes, I loved the huge balcony! We might have to get a corner aft again sometime, mysterious water or not.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Becky, as always I really enjoyed your review and especially your fabulous photos. I am so looking forward to returning to the Eastern Carib on the Eurodam in October. Becky I also hope you gave Hans several Hugs and then we can tell him one was from me;) I love Hans he is just a wonderful Beverage Manager, I personally hope to see him as a HotMan one of these days, but then he already is a Hot Man:D

I am curious about the water thing on the verandah aft, wonder if this is a new problem since the aft lift:confused:

Thanks again for you great review and pictures:)

[purplenorway]

Thank you Lisa! Yes, Hans is great! So personable. We will say a hug was from you. ;) When we saw him the last night, I told him we would maybe see him as Hotel Manager someday. I think he would be wonderful as one! Let's nominate him!

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Thank you Lisa! Yes, Hans is great! So personable. We will say a hug was from you. ;) When we saw him the last night, I told him we would maybe see him as Hotel Manager someday. I think he would be wonderful as one! Let's nominate him!

 

Becky, I have already been talking him up that he should be the next Hotel Manager. I sincerely hope that a promotion for him is in the near horizon with HAL:)

[shipcafe]

Becky,

 

I just had to pipe in and say how incredible all of your photos are. Thank you! They all made me feel as if I were there, which is the magical point of a photograph.

 

Below is my favorite one. It truly creates the feeling of what it's like at the end of a port day when the ships make their way apart. You can even see in this picture where Amsterdam is having her port side anchor rinsed off through the hawse.

 

Thank You!

 

 

[purplenorway]

Thank you so much shipcafe! I really admire your work on your site! You've got some awesome photos! I went back to my photos from the day at Half Moon Cay to look through the ones I had of the Amsterdam. I took about 30 of her because the ship was so beautiful. Sure enough, many of them have the water coming out from the anchor. I had no idea they even rinsed it off! Thanks for that info.

[midgecruiser]

Becky,

Thanks for the great review. I will be on the Westerdam on January 6th and appreciate the preview. Enjoyed the pictures as well. Thanks for sharing....I can't wait to board:p .

Wendy

[tsd1]

purplenorway: Enjoyed your review. We had the aft suite right below you on the 12/09 sailing!! We did have some water also but our balcony was the deepest of the aft suites so was not completely covered with water. Don't you love those balconies? Your accessment of the entertainment was the same as ours. We did see the second production show which was good but not as good as the first one. Yes those steak knives our menacing!!!

 

 

Nedra,

We are in 5191 on the Westerdam on Jan. 13. It has been stated that the verandah is completely covered. Did that bother you? Also, I have been told the cabin itself is larger than the other aft corner cabins.

[shipcafe]

Thank you so much shipcafe! I really admire your work on your site! You've got some awesome photos! I went back to my photos from the day at Half Moon Cay to look through the ones I had of the Amsterdam. I took about 30 of her because the ship was so beautiful. Sure enough, many of them have the water coming out from the anchor. I had no idea they even rinsed it off! Thanks for that info.

 

Generally if you watch a ship that is at anchor being prepared to sail, you will see water coming from the hawse hole (anchor well). This is to rinse the chain and anchor of the salt water. Otherwise the salt water eats away at the paint, etc. It is always interesting to watch as the anchor is raised.

[purplenorway]

I think you will really enjoy the Westerdam, Wendy! Have a great time!

 

Thanks for the anchor description, shipcafe!

[shipcafe]

I think you will really enjoy the Westerdam, Wendy! Have a great time!

 

Thanks for the anchor description, shipcafe!

 

I'd love to see your other photos of the Amsterdam at HMC!

[purplenorway]

Here's an album of some Amsterdam photos: http://www.photoworks.com/members/purplenorway

[shipcafe]

Here's an album of some Amsterdam photos: http://www.photoworks.com/members/purplenorway

 

 

Those are wonderful . . . thank you for sharing!