Westerdam March 2, 2008

[lgarner]

Let me start by saying that HAL has been our favorite cruise line for years. This is going to sound like I'm a big complainer but really - I'm not! This cruise left a bad taste in my mouth because this was the worst service we have recieved in over 15 years of cruising.

 

The ship is very nice, cabin (verandah) was lovely, cabin steward was very good - maybe not great but close. The problem was the dining room service and a few other weird things....

 

We always make an attempt to meet our steward on the first day and also enjoy getting to know our wait staff. We feel that the different personalities make cruising fun. On the first night aboard, after meeting our waiter and assistant waiter (who we rarely saw after that) I ordered the sirloin steak from the alternate menu - the waiter said "no, you don't want that ... it's not good tonight, its tough. It will be better tomorrow." This puzzled me because we were at sea and they couldn't run to the grocery store. He must have noticed the puzzled look because he said it was frozen and they had cooked it too quickly and everyone on the early seating complained. Ok, so I ordered something else and it was ok - nothing spectacular. The crab legs are now served in fish broth - in years past they have been sliced and on a plate, with lots of refills. This year I got one bowl of sliced crab legs swimming in fish juice with slivered carrots and celery on top. The juice ruined the taste of the legs, ususally I like them in salty water but not once they are sliced open. No seconds were offered but that was fine - I didn't want more of the same. The lobster tails were tiny and tough with no seconds offered although I did see seconds at other tables. Food was served cold (not mine but one of the other guests) and this was reported to the staff. Coffee had to be asked for every night and usually came after dessert even though we asked for it during dinner. On the night that we had filet mignon, I asked for mine medium well - I was told that I could have well or medium rare - nothing in between. So I got well. I was thinking, wow this must be a really thick filet - wrong, it was thin and didn't look like any filet (not just mine but the others at the table) it looked a lot like the sirloin. One night I ordered a steak and asked for medium, he made note of this and then I asked for the redskin potatoes and he said how do you want that cooked? I asked, "the potatoes?" and he snapped "no the steak." I must admit I was a little snappish in my reply and said I already told you I want that medium. So, that is how dinner went. Not always bad but not good either. As DH says, "nothing to write home about."

 

The first day on board we asked the cabin steward if we could have the mini bar emptied out so we could use the fridge. He said he would have to get someone from the bar staff which was fine. I moved the stuff out on the counter and the next day it was gone - later, I found it in the storage space inside the little stool at the desk. This was fine but on the day before we returned, (we were supposed to be at Half Moon Cay but the sea was a little choppy - another disappointment but nothing that HAL could do except maybe build a dock at HMC) someone from the bar staff showed up while we were napping to check the mini bar for billing purposes. I was not dressed so we told him that he would have to wait until we disembarked. I'm not sure what good it would do to check the day before we disembark since theoretically we could have consumed it all that night - I'm sure they have to do another check after disembarkation so why bother us? Anyway, since we were staying in Ft. Lauderdale after the cruise, we had late disemarkation at 10:30 a.m. So we decided to order room service for breakfast and eat on our deck one last time. I got up at 8, stood in the room dressing with the curtains open and no sooner than I got dressed a HAL employee appears on the verandah - he had opened the doors from the adjoining cabins and was moving furniture around and then went to the next balcony. I went out to sit while breakfast was delivered and the employee came back through - he told me I would have to move because he was going to wash the balcony. I told him that I was having breakfast there and would be disembarking soon but until then I planned to enjoy the last minutes. He was not happy but said ok. We ate a quick breakfast and before we finished he started spraying the other balconies and of course the water was blowing over into our space.

During this time the bar staff member returned twice - each time being told that we were not finished in the cabin and he would have to return after we disemarked. We reminded him that we had asked for the alcohol to be removed on sailing day. I couldn't believe how difficult it was to enjoy the last morning on board. I know it used to be that you were made to vacate the cabins at 8 or 8:30 but since they changed the rules and really don't want us sitting in the open areas, I wish they would leave me alone in my cabin.

 

Room service was quick but one evening I ordered a plate of cheese and crackers and got cheese and pretzels. We asked for crackers in the Lido and were told they were out but they would get some - again, we were at sea and none ever arrived. Another time I was told that they were out of crackers but they had graham crackers for my cheese - no thanks!

 

We had shrimp cocktail in the room - little tiny baby shrimp but at the dinner table it was not available - we were told that we could have it the next night. The next night came and we were served very nice large shrimp cocktail. The table mates began to make jokes about Publix having a grocery store at sea because things appeared as if they had gone shopping but the crackers never did make it back from the store.

 

The entertainment that we saw was good - especially the gentleman who did the Elton John cover - wow he was great!! Of course the older people we talked to did not approve because that was not "their kind of music" but I think there was plenty of other music aboard.

 

The coffee bar was great - lovely mochas.

 

Oh, one last complaint about the wait staff. On about the 4th night, we sat down to find evaluation cards at each plate - we all tucked them away for the last night but the waiter came back and told us three times that we needed to fill them out and give them to him. We all were uncomfortable about this - if we said anything bad about him he certainly would read it and be upset with us for the remainder of the cruise. I refused to give my card and later complained at the pursers desk - I was told that I should mark it on my main evaluation form that would be in the cabin. Which I did.

 

The islands were great and the overall cruise was good - but HAL has always been great in the past. We have sailed many times with Celebrity and also Princess and right now, those two are looking better.

 

I think that part of the problem was that now that the tips are taking automatically, there is no incentive. Its a shame because we always liked to tip extra if we felt that service was especially good. Now that there is a pool of money, I wonder if it is divided evenly or if the upper management take the largest portion - the other employees with no incentive.

 

We had late seating with assigned seating because we wanted to get to know our servers - but they are certainly over worked - which I am sure had something to do with the service and attitude.

 

So, I know that I have been complaining here but that's the way we feel. Will it keep me from HAL? I don't know, but it makes their competition look better.

I think that if we go with HAL again it will be a smaller ship - maybe the service will be more up to standards.

[ekerr19]

We were on the Westerdam in December and had some similar problems - I was surprised when the server said "that is not good tonight" on several occasions - I wonder if they weren't trying to control the portions so they didn't run out... that was my impression.

 

The Westerdam was our least favorite HAL cruise in recent years. Just an overall lack of service seemed present. I didn't want to write down the nature of my problem on the concierge's "sign in" sheet while she was out for half the day - just little things like that.

 

Most likely, we won't likely be back on that ship for awhile. :(

[hammybee]

I am sorry that your dining experience was not better.

 

As it relates to checking the mini bar the night before and getting the

" bums rush" in the AM, my sense is that it's all about turnaround time.

 

It was not that long ago that passengers had to vacate cabins early and have breakfast in the LIDO. Now passengers may order Room Service and wait in their cabins, occasionally as late as 10:30. The next sail's passengers are boarding within an hour and they are all chomping at the bit to get into their cabins. At somepoint, something is going to give as this is probably not sustainable in the long run.

 

Some of the higher end cruise lines charge as much as $125 p/p to board before 3:00 P.M. including lunch, a privilege enjoyed by those sailing mass market, at no additional cost.

[betonic]

I was on the same cruise as you had a totally different experience in the dining room. I should start by saying that I had requested the same waiter that we had on the Westerdam in the Med so I was sure we would have someone I liked. I sat with a great couple that I met on my roll call and we were seated with a British couple and another retired couple from Florida. The first night the British man called the waiter over and told him that he wanted all of his food served very hot and after that all of our food was piping hot. The last couple of cruises I have been on the crab legs were served in the fish broth and I don't care for it so I just don't order them anymore. I didn't order the lobster this cruise but the man sitting next to me got two tails and was offered more. Of course there were some things that I didn't like and just didn't eat but overall I thought that the dining was fine. Our waiter was making tricks and magic everynight with us and I think he was doing is best for all everyone to be happy and have fun.

 

We also got the comment cards on the table in the middle of the cruise. I thought it was strange but I guess it's a way for HAL to see what's going wrong and fix it before the end of the cruise. I understand that these comment cards are very important for the crew and that management takes complaints seriously. I had no problem filling mine out mid cruise but I also had only compliments for our waiter.

 

My cabin steward was exceptional and I can't think of a thing to complain about with him.

 

I never used room service so I can't comment about that.

 

For me, the last morning on the ship is a huge waste of time. I had planned to get a quick breakfast in the Lido and then come back to my cabin and lay down until my color was called. By the time I got back to my cabin my bed had already been changed and made up for the next passengers. I understand that these things need to be done in order to let the new guests start their cruise earlier. I prefer to be one of the first ones of the ship because there is really nothing left for me to enjoy on the last morning. I can certainly understand why you were bothered by your last days experience.

 

I do have to say that I enjoyed the overall cruise experience more in the Med than I did in the Caribean and they were both on the Westerdam. I also have the Westerdam booked in May to Alaska so soon I will be able to compare 3 completely different routes. One other thing is that this cruise was one of my favorites because of the wonderful people I met on our roll call. I think that apart from the ports and the ship what makes a cruise are the people.

 

Hopefully others will come and post their experiences also.

[CruiserBruce]

I might be able to explain the "steak is not good tonight" comment. The ships are on a 3 day defrost cycle for their foods- at least the ones that are commonly frozen. Thus the steak you could have eaten on day one or two has actually been on the ship at least 8 or 9 days.

 

I know many of us freeze steaks for longer than that, but that may be an explanation.

 

To further explain that concept, it is hard to imagine the food that is ready for you in the Lido for that first noon meal when you arrive on the ship that first day, was loaded, prepped and served within a few minutes, as the ship loads food all day while in it's home port.

 

Sorry the rest of your trip didn't meet your expectations.

[takemewithyou]

Sorry to hear your cruise wasn't up to your standards because I sail on the Westerdam im May and it is our first Vista Class ship so I hope that your experience will not be the same as ours!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for your honest review.

 

We got those evaluation cards in the dining room in the middle of a cruise a couple of years ago -- we were not on a Vista class ship.

[Desdemona01]

I'm truly sorry that the cruise didn't meet your expectations. We were on the 2/24-3/2 Westerdam cruise and our experiences were 180 degrees from yours. In fact, our friends and we agree that of all of our HAL cruises, this one was the absolute best and all future cruises will have a high bar to cross in order to top it. Best food, best service, best entertainment (Joel Mason and Julie Barr on the main stage and Jimmy Maddox in the Piano bar--wonderful!).

 

Hope your future cruises are happier experiences.

Des

[dlbaqua]

I don't understand the part about being offered seconds, I was under the impression you could ask for more of anything that was served, I've even done it a time or two. In fact, if I know I want two lobster tails, I will order two from the start. I've never been "offered" seconds of anything, though.

[dlbaqua]

sorry for the double post

[Sailorgirlseattle]

I was on the sailing just after yours, and while we certainly enjoyed our dining experience, we noticed a few minor glitches also .. nothing like what you're noting. Our assistant waiter was really great, always around and making little napkin origami and whatnot ... but we didn't see the waiter so much. Not a problem, really. The time between courses seemed a little long though. It didn't bother me so much, but did some of my table mates. The thing I LOVED was that on the first night I asked for some crudites for the table, along with the bread basket (tip from the Lose Before You Cruise boards here), and while I couldn't have that the first night, it was on the table every night thereafter. Oh, and they brought coffee unasked every evening too.

 

Not sure what to tell you on the morning of disembark. Frankly, I expect them to be trying to clean up on that day ... figure that while I'm allowed to hang out in my cabin, there WILL be commotion around me. Not really ever meant to be a relaxing part of the vacation.

[Fruitcake]

Our February cruise on the Westerdam was the best we've ever taken on HAL.

Everything and everyone was exceptional, from our cabin steward to our servers in the dining room to the entertainment in the Vista Lounge and the Piano Bar.

Our food was wonderful.

If we wanted to try a second entree, we ordered it at the beginning and it was brought out with our main entree.

Our headwaiter, Gus, stopped by every night to greet us by name. He helped the two servers quite a bit. I've never seen a headwaiter work so hard.

When we had the chocolate cappucino bombe for dessert and raved about it, he agreed he would "find" us additional servings for another evening -- and he did! :D

The only negative of the whole trip was an assistant CD named Matt who was a surly, negative person. His attitude was so demeaning, one could almost see contempt on his face for the pax. :eek:

Not your typical HAL crew member.

[Sandy Sails]

Hi Fruitcake. I'd read several comments about Matt, the Assistant Cruise Director, so when I was on the Westerdam the weeks of March 16 and March 23, I paid close attention to him. I saw a huge improvement in his attitude - he was always smiling and always helping out DJ Dan. Good news, eh?

 

As far as the dining experience with Open Seating, it was fine because we figured out the trick to it - getting there before 6 p.m.. The service was sometimes slow, especially on the last night, but we didn't let it bother us. The food was fine. I don't usually expect it to be great. They did hand us evaluation cards on the formal nights, which we did think was strange.

 

The entertainment (not the ship's singers and dancers) was the best I've ever seen, from Joel Mason to Julie Barr and especially Cruise Director Jason Venner. DJ Dan was also great but said he was leaving the ship the next week for his break and then hoping to get a CD job on another ship after that.

[AerynSun_JohnCrighton]

We leave in a few days,

 

I will take note of those things and report back.

[betonic]

I agree that Gus is a great head waiter. We had him in our section in the Med and he was awsome. By the time I went back on the Westerdam in March he had gone home.

[Desdemona01]

I agree that Gus is a great head waiter. We had him in our section in the Med and he was awsome. By the time I went back on the Westerdam in March he had gone home.

 

yes, Gus was leaving the ship on 3/2 to go home and spend time with his family. He told us that his next assignment will be on the Eurodam this summer--the Eurodam pax who are in his section are in for a treat. He's truly the nicest, most helpful HAL employee we've ever met.

[O2B@C]

... As it relates to checking the mini bar the night before and getting the " bums rush" in the AM, my sense is that it's all about turnaround time. It was not that long ago that passengers had to vacate cabins early and have breakfast in the LIDO. Now passengers may order Room Service and wait in their cabins, occasionally as late as 10:30. The next sail's passengers are boarding within an hour and they are all chomping at the bit to get into their cabins. At somepoint, something is going to give as this is probably not sustainable in the long run.....

 

I agree. The interruptions by the minibar restockers and cleaning people are a very small price to pay for the luxury of breakfasting and waiting for disembarkation in the privacy of one's own cabin. If one doesn't want to tolerate the interruptions, there is always the choice of going to the Lido for breakfast and then waiting in a public space to disembark. But there is no way HAL could manage the turnaround in the time available if they didn't start on the tasks involved while disembarkation is still in process.

 

Hammy, I hope you're wrong that HAL's current system is not sustainable. It's a small thing, but I really do like it - it's one of the things that sets HAL apart from (for example) Celebrity.

[lgarner]

Glad to hear that most of the cruises on Westerdam were better - I truly hoped that this was not what the future held on HAL. You have all made me feel much better.

 

I think some of you missed the point about the day we left the ship - I was thankful that we didn't have to sit in a public area what shocked me was someone on my balcony minutes after I was dressing - with no warning that anyone was coming. If the timing was off by a minute I would have been embarassed to say the least. I'm sure I wasn't the only person suprised by this man, he probably got quite an eye full on the various balconies. The other concern was that we had asked for the minibar to be removed - on other cruises this happens immediately and then no one comes to inventory the bar. Showing up before we got up and dressed in the morning did not help to make us happy nor did returning in a half hour even though we said we would not be gone until 10 or 10:30. Again, these were small things but things that in years past would never have occured on HAL.

 

Let's hope that it was a once in a life thing - as I have said all of our other cruises have been great and a few small oddities on this cruise did not ruin the vacation.

[TnMomaw]

I was very disappointed in this cruise also, along with our cruising buddies that we cruise with every spring. This was by far our least enjoyable cruise (other than a Carnival Cruise that we took back in 1991 - before we knew better). We rarely saw our cabin attendant and our rooms were never made up before mid to late afternoon. This was a C category cabin on Main deck, so there was no excuse. One day, the room was so late in getting cleaned, it was just turned down for the night. We went all day with a messy room and no fresh towels/washcloths. This was a port day at a port that we had been to many times so we had decided to remain onboard for the day. We were back and forth to the room several times during the day and it never got cleaned until very late in the day. We decided our cabin attendant must have taken the day off and spent it in town! We had an unsettling experience up at the ice cream/cookie bar also. After several trips over a couple hours to the cookie bar and still finding the cookie trays empty, our traveling companions asked the man behind the counter when the trays would be replenished. He replied that they were "out of cookies" but we could go to our room and order them from room service if we wanted some. He was asked if room service got their cookies from a different source and he said no, they all came from the same kitchen. That was really his answer, so we went to the Lido manager on duty and told him what had just transpired. He was upset and we had cookies at our table in a matter of minutes. The man behind the ice cream counter just didn't want to have to go down to the kitchen and get the cookies. We had several other experiences of like nature on this cruise that left us with a bad taste for HAL. The crew seemed to be overworked in some situations and in other situations, they seemed to just not care. We will be returning to Celebrity. We have never had a bad experience on that line. By the way, we cruised on HAL 3 years ago on the Oosterdam and the experience was wonderful. We have cruised HAL - 2, Celebrity - 5, RCI - 1, Carnival - 2, so we do have some experiences with which to compare this cruise.