Westerdam

28-Day Far East discovery & China Explorer Collector

January

Pros: Excellent food elections-loved the sushi and sashimi; enjoyed variety of tropical fruits, all crews are fantastic, very accommodating, helpful and charming.tic

Cons: Not much intertainment, Shows are very limited.

Recommended: Yes

I'm very happy the excursions I have selected. I wish the departure time in Osaka is later at night so we have a chance to go shopping after our excurrsions.

Hong Kong Cruise

January

Pros: Well maintained and crewed ship

Cons: Too many days at sea

Recommended: No

The Westerdam is a fine ship well-maintained and Nicely kept. Its crew is friendly, happy and capable. We were made to feel very welcome. However, details for shore Excursions were quite lacking and sometimes in accurate. They are also quite expensive and local guides were unwilling or unable to explain, or narrate the local Surroundings. Holland America Needs to create a higher level of expectations from the local guides. Holland America needs to invest in Vox boxes so that guides can better communicate with passengers. In addition, the itinerary Did not describe the actual number of days at sea. The distance covered between Hong Kong, and Singapore requires more days at sea than we realized.

Roswitha kager

April

Pros: Friendly & helpful staff

Cons: Wearing mask,

Recommended: Yes

Wish they had more excursions. Japanese government requested wearing mask . Staff where friendly and very helpful.

Roswitha kager

April

Pros: Friendly & helpful staff

Cons: Wearing mask,

Recommended: Yes

Wish they had more excursions. Japanese government requested wearing mask . Staff where friendly and very helpful.

A Drop in Standards

March

Pros: service crews were great as ever

Cons: Food quality was not good, smaller portions, less variety, same price for wine but only 3 oz pours

Recommended: No

We were very disappointed with our first voyage since the pandemic on Holland America. Evident cost cutting on food, wine, cancellation of the classical music venue Lincoln Centre, extra charges in the Pinnacle dining room that is already extra money. Insufficient excursions offered in many ports, charging for shuttles , even when the port offered them for free.

Ship

September

Pros: People went above and beyond to help ,very clean

Cons: None

Recommended: Yes

This was our first trip on this boat.!It was very clean! Food was fantastic and everyone treated us well !

Alaska/Denali

September

Pros:

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

Alaska cruise and land Starting Aug 11. 2019 D9C cruise.

August

Pros: The Lincoln Center stage programs were exceptional

Cons: Too much advertising for Cruise Jewelry stores, and not enough for Local Alaska stores and items.

Recommended: Yes

We had one day At McKinley and one day at Princess Wilderness. It would have been better to have 2 days at McKinley. The travel schedule for arrivals and departures on one day does not allow enough time for excursions into the Park. Staff did a wonderful job adjusting schedules to accomodate the impact of fire and rock slides.

Great Trip

August

Pros: Beauty of Alaska, Nice Ship, Entertainment, Educational programs

Cons: Crowds in the buffet

Recommended: Yes

It was a great trip. The ship was very well maintained and the staff friendly. We did encounter a few staff members that weren't but they were few and far between. Maybe they were just having a bad day LOL. The food was much better than anyone in our group expected as was the talent of the evening entertainment. All in all it was a wonderful experience filled with lots to do and see.

Wonderful

July

Pros: Beautiful landscape and ocean views with a variety of animals noted, including humpback whales, Orcas, seals, otters, and many birds. All the staff were very friendly and very helpful. The room was comfortable and the safe in the room was reassuring. There was a large variety of food that was yummy.

Cons: The trip went too fast.

Recommended: Yes

We are already starting to plan our next trip, our third trip, on the Westerdam.

Service with Smiles

July

Pros: All the crew was amazing in their service, their bright smiles, greetings, sense of humor.

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

We enjoyed the quiet relaxed atmosphere of the ship, the entertainment and programming options.

Touring the Alaska Inside Passage

July

Pros: Very clean, comfortable and beautiful ship, staterooms, restaurants and showrooms.

Cons: Signage or directional arrows to indicate location of staterooms might be helpful.

Recommended: Yes

For a first time cruise traveler, I was impressed with how efficiently the ship and the daily activities and excellent service at the restaurants operated. Also, the very personable, helpful and caring crew members was exceptional.

Cruise to Alaska

June

Pros: It was all good and well planned.

Cons: It might have been easier to fly direct from Vancouver to Sacramento rather than a stop in SF.

Recommended: Yes

See above.

Westerdam Asia 17Mar19

March

Pros: Excellent theater musicals, excellent food selections, clean cabins and professional staff. The tours were excellent.

Cons: Should have more group activities, photo shop could have better backdrops and better photo packages; the promenade was bare.

Recommended: Yes

I would recommend this ship to travelers who prefers to participate less in ship’s activities and just simply relax and enjoy the tours.

fun and relaxing

January

Pros: un-pack once

Cons: needed to get another suit case

Recommended: Yes

Room 1105 was perfect. Elevator right a round the corner. Dinning room was an easy walk up. (floor 2-3) Guest services down the hall way. shopping ... *** I chose not to attend the activities or entertainment (1 bingo only)

Westerdam review November 2018

November

Pros: New Entertainment system

Cons: No more daily Martini sampling at 6pm

Recommended: Yes

Like its sister ships (Oosterdam, Zuiderdam, Noordam) the Westerdam got refurbished and has a new entertainment system (similar to Hotel Pay-TV systems except you don't have to pay extra). The downside is that the staterooms no longer have DVD players and the central movie server has less different movies than there were different DVDs with the old systems. For WIFI three different per day options are available instead of the old per minute choices. Unfortunately, the WIFI doesn't seem any faster than before even with the highest performance (and most expensive) option which is advertised to support VIDEO streaming (don't believe it). The common areas also got refurbished (and look nice) but some location choices don't make sense like moving the Excursion desk to the premium real estate in the crows nest (deck 10) instead of deep in the bowels of the ship where they belong. The shops area on deck 3 also got expanded which not everybody will see as an improvement.

Our Alaskan Cruise - First Time Cruisers

September

Pros: Staff, food, cabins, itinerary, excursions, everything was good!

Cons: None

Recommended: Yes

This was our first cruise. What a great experience for first timers. Not disappointed at all. Will be a couple of years before we go again. But will definitely go again!

Alaska

September

Pros: The ship was managed with superior skill and caring by the staff members. The efforts to prevent spread of germs was excellent, even for germaphobes. Choice of foods, dining situations, and variety was excellent. The choices of onshore excursions was excellent.

Cons: We were unaware that the salmon season was over and had a disappointing salmon fishing experience.

Recommended: Yes

This was a vastly different touring experience as we have done all of our previous traveling by car or motorcycle with camp trailer. During our tours, we saw the entirety of Denali on three consecutive days!! We saw moose, bear, caribou, Dahl sheep, eagles, and other smaller wildlife while on land. The tour of Glacier Bay was terrific. The calving of glaciers was quite a sound. On sea we observed whales, sea lions, eagles, cormorants, and jellyfish.

alaska 2018

September

Pros: best possible experience

Cons: too short

Recommended: Yes

a vacation to remember

Alaskan Cruise + Land Journey

August

Pros: So many exciting things to see and experience

Cons: Deciding not to go to Vancouver, BC the day before embarking

Recommended: Yes

The next time I will do the land journey first and then the cruise for a more relaxing time.

ALASKA

August

Pros: Great and friendly staff; fun activities; great entertainment; great food

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

Great cruise to Alaska. Felt at home. Staff was friendly and eager to help with anything needed.

Alaska from Seward to Vancouver

July

Pros: Clean, good service, good food, great piano bar

Cons: Tired of BB King on HAL- Entertainment too loud in Mainstage

Recommended: Yes

We had great weather and calm seas.

Alaska Cruise

June

Pros: Beautiful Ship, Excellent Crew, Activities, everything perfectly on time

Cons: Meals in Lido and Dive In not up to par, Speakers in room not working

Recommended: Yes

Overall a wonderful vacation

Alaska trip

June

Pros: Service

Cons: None

Recommended: Yes

Loved piano entertainment.

Ladies Alaskan Adventure

June

Pros: entertainment, cleanliness, staff

Cons: too many jewelry fliers, pushy spa staff

Recommended: Yes

Alaska trip

May

Pros: Too many to list!

Cons: Would have liked for Internet to be gratis. Coffee was a little too strong.

Recommended: Yes

One of the best trips I have been on in a long time! I loved the laid back atmosphere and how the itinerary catered to adults!

Alaska

June

Pros: Excellent service, comfortable rooms, great entertainment

Cons: Inconsistent quality of the food

Recommended: Yes

Alaska is breathtaking and the combination of the cruise and the 3 day Denali tour was a great way to see the beauty of the land.and sea.

First Time Cruiser - Loved It!

May

Pros: Quiet, classy ship, gorgeous room, friendly crew and service!

Cons: Morning coffee delivered to room was on strong side and a bit bitter, but the service was great.

Recommended: Yes

I could not have been happier with my first time cruise. There were maybe three children onboard, a plus for me! I loved the adult, classy atmosphere on the ship. The size of the ship and the ease of getting around. I never felt crowded or disappointed in anything we decided to do. We loved the observation deck and our morning café treats! The information and programs provided onboard were great. The ease of boarding and leaving the ship, the open dining, the classical music programs, everything was fabulous. I was so impressed with the ship, crew and itinerary that I plan to go again in the future with my husband and expect to enjoy the same level of service, and my experience on this ship has spoiled me, making me loyal to HA line!

Our Alaskan Journey

May

Pros: Itinerary very good, Food excellent, crew very friendly and responsive to our needs.

Cons: long wait at Pinnacle for dinner

Recommended: Yes

This was our first cruise with HAL. We had twice previously cruised on RCL. Our next cruise will be on HAL.

Panama Canal cruise

April

Pros: entertainment in BB King Blues Club, food in general, Signature Suite cabin, dining room and suite attendants

Cons: production cast dancers, Canaletto specialty restaurant

Recommended: Yes

We were surprised by the quality of the food in the dining room. While still on the bland side it was well prepared and there was a good selection. Dinners in Pinnacle and Rudi's Sel de Mer were excellent. Band and singers in BB King Allstar Blues Band were all excellent. Very average food in Canaletto. Definitely not worth paying anything extra for this. Poor location being part of Lido. Quality of dancing and choreography of production cast dancers was poor. Singing was good.

We are sailing, forever sailing.....

April

Pros: Great Cabin, Lido and Dining Room Stewards

Cons: Gym trainer derogatory towards passengers who didn't purchase what he was selling.

Recommended: Yes

Overall the cruise was fine, a bit long in the tooth with all the sea days, but we knew going in that there would be a lot of at-sea-days. The ship looked like it had been refurbished in the last year or so, which made it look fresh. This was the first Holland America Cruise where we found that the crew spoke English (second language), but had difficulty processing what was being said, a bit of difficulty with language nuances. For instance, when asked about a certain fish on the menu that I was unfamiliar with, the response was that it was seafood. Because of the sea days, it was disappointing to see that the library had been dismantled, and for those who wanted to dance (yes! Old people do like to dance), the crow's nest has been turned into a coffee hang out, with the ability to order a drink in a very low-key atmosphere. We did enjoy the cruise, the food was fine, and cabin cleaned thoroughly every day.

Panama Canal Cruise

February

Pros: Service (outstanding), food, entertainment, friendly helpful staff

Cons: Added charges

Recommended: Yes

HAL charges extra for items that I think should be included. To charge for bottled water when going ashore to a port where they recommend you do not drink the local water smacks of opportunism. Basic Wi-Fi should be included.

Great New Year's Experience

January

Pros: Holidays and Birthdays during trip

Cons: Open Seating not great- slow refills at taco bar by pool

Recommended: Yes

This was such a fun way to ring in the New Year!

Wonderful Mid-Size Ship

November

Pros: Food, Ship's Decor, Crew, Majority of Entertainment, Activity Selection

Cons: Verandah Stateroom a bit small

Recommended: Yes

All in all, a wonderful cruise! Food was excellent in dining room, Canaletto's, Pinnacle Grill, and the Dive-In. Every member of the crew we encountered was very friendly, courteous, and accommodating. Good variety of entertainment and most was good (except the magician). Especially enjoyed Danny O'Brien on piano at Billboard Onboard. B.B. King's Blues Lounge was good. Selection of daily activities was fine--varied enough for most everyone. We had a cabin on the Verandah deck (balcony) and it was nicely appointed, though a bit small. Bed and other furniture was very comfortable. Really appreciated the traditional décor, statuary pieces, and art in the public areas. Would book this ship/cruise again.

Exceeded Expectations

November

Pros: Cleanliness, service, food, entertainment, refurbished

Cons: Cabins a little small & a little dark

Recommended: Yes

Loved this ship!!! We have been on a lot of cruises on different lines. This is a midsize ship. Quick embark & debark, great service on entire ship. Good food in main dining room & room service. Loved Caneletto’s and Pinacle Grill Steak was very good. We LOVED Billboard with the dueling pianos. B B King was good. Lincoln Center with classical music was interesting. Always a show in main stage room. Shrimp Feast in Mazatlan was great. Beautiful grounds, pool, live music, food & margaritas!!! Leaves out of San Diego so no flight. We will take this cruise again!!

WESTERDAM

November

Pros: Service was excellent

Cons: Theatre entertainment was poor

Recommended: Yes

The overall cruise was very nice. We liked the ports of call. Our balcony cabin was very comfortable. The food was very good, but I would not rate it as excellent. The entertainment in the main theatre was poor to say the least. There was not a show which was memorable.

Adriatic Dream

October

Pros: Ports, Captain and crew

Cons: Wish we could have been on the cruise longer!

Recommended: Yes

This ship was recently refurbished and is beautiful and inviting. Elegant but comfortable. Out Captain was the best putting our safety first each time even when he knew a later departure or arrival would be unpopular. The crew was as advertised in their literature and ads and genuinely enjoy the service they so skillfully provide with such personalized care. Dining with HAL provides the right options and the meals in the dining room are really part of the experience and adventure. The new EXC lounge in Crow's Nest was a great place to learn and relax. There is music for every task or mood of the day. This was a spectacular cruise and we have already booked our next with HAL.

Westerdam Mexico

November

Pros: BB King good Blues Club and Stryker in piano bar

Cons: small hot tubs and sauna

Recommended: No

There was not a good variety of food.

Enjoyable Week on Holland America's Westerdam

October

Pros: Outstanding entertainment, gourmet food, friendly staff

Cons: A larger facility for playing bridge would have been welcomed.

Recommended: Yes

We had an easy transfer from our flight to the ship with assistance from the staff at the airport. Our stateroom was well located near the aft elevator, which made for easy access to the dining areas. We enjoyed our open seating dining, as well as our dinner meal in the Canaletto Restaurant. We did not sign up for any excursions, since we had visited all three ports before.

Review title

October

Pros: Excellent cabin,very good food,friendly and competent crew.

Cons: Food quality of meat dishes a bit off for a Holland A. Ship

Recommended: Yes

Have sailed on this ship in Mediterranean several years ago.Also an excellent experience.

Alaska on the Westerdam round trip Seattle

August

Pros: smaller size, good food, i n and out of Seattle , Glacier Bay with Park Rangers aboard

Cons: Victoria late in the day means limited daylight time at Buchart gardens.

Recommended: No

Distinct pluses: including Sitka, Victoria BC and the ease of sailing in and out of Seattle. The cruisers packed the BB King Blues club every night. Good food and HAL's gracious service are always a treat.

I had an amazing time!

August

Pros: Everything - really!

Cons: Chocolate milkshakes were terrible...

Recommended: Yes

I had an amazing time! Such a great cruise :-) Jorge, Sarah (the cruise director) Wilson (on of the beverage attendants) Lyndsay and Donny in the northern lights and Benn in the Casino ensured myself and my gf had an amazing time!!

Alaksa

May

Pros: all good

Cons: none

Recommended: Yes

Great trip

Hawaii Tahiti April 2016

April

Pros: As always, the food was great., the personnel were great. Room service was always good. We did appreciate the Pinnacle dinners, the highlight of the eating experience. Hawaii was terrific, as always. We look forward to visiting there in the future.

Cons: I noticed that there were fewer hand sanitizers around the ship compared to the other dam ships. Some of the bathroom fixtures look like they should be replaced. The tour people were under pressure, lots of excursions were cancelled because of bad weather.

Recommended: Yes

The weather was out of their control, and basically it rained all the time in the South Pacific. Our first stop there, Fanning Island, was a zero visibility situation so we sailed on to the Rarotonga where the sea was too rough for the anchor to hold the ship. The only reason we stopped was to offload a medical emergency. So off we sailed to the next wet island. Raiatea was a pleasant stop for my daughter as she was able to converse in French and they had a great bookstore. Bora Bora was too rainy to take a chance and by that time, I had a bad cold (as did quite a few passengers, lots of coughing). We got off in Papeete as they docked. We enjoyed a really great ice cream sundae in a sidewalk cafe but we knew it was expensive ($17 each -- location, location, location). It was hot and muggy but we got back to the ship before it rained. The last stop, Nuku Hiva, was again, a disappointment. We question whether that stop should have been scheduled. Only one tender could land, and the commercial dock was off limits. We got our tender tickets at around 10:30am, waiting time almost 2-1/2 hours to go ashore. By noon It was in the 90's with no shade on the dock to shield us from the one day of blazing sun, so we passed on going ashore as did many of the other passengers. But we really enjoyed our days at sea and spent a lot of time by the pool.

Donald - Woody Mull's review

November

Pros: Beautiful ship, spotless, great service

Cons: Dining room food less tasty than buffet. Ship board temp much too cold for old people.

Recommended: Yes

See above

Eastern Caribbean Cruise

October

Pros: Great Food, Ships Crew very polite and attentive to the passengers, Ship very clean and organized. Very nice pool facilities.

Cons: Casino slightly smaller than most ships. State room slightly smaller than we wanted to will get larger one next time.

Recommended: Yes

My wife and I really enjoyed the ship. Our cruise agent really helped us prepare for a great trip. Thanks Peggy.

wonderful

July

Pros: everything

Cons: none

Recommended: No

Alaska Cruise 2015

June

Pros: Suite, staff, food

Cons: Not enough time in ports

Recommended: Yes

We had 26 in our group and all of us had a fabulous time! We were supposed to go to Victoria, but because of a tragic accident on one of the excursions, that stop was cancelled.

panama canal reposition

April

Pros: Catholic priest on board

Cons: lack of good activities, need more lectures

Recommended: Yes

overall good experience

Holland America

January

Pros: Everything was excellent, especially the staff and food.

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

We really like sailing with Holland America. It is a high class experience.

Escape from Winter

January

Pros: Great Food, Relaxing, Attentive and Friendly Staff.

Cons: Entertainment was inconsistent; varied from mediocre to very good.

Recommended: Yes

Holland America provides a traditional and polished cruise experience.

New review

December

Pros: Excellent if not better, super!!!!,

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

The best cruise I have ever taken, crew members were wonderful

Our opinion of the cruise.

October

Pros: Enjoyed the ship very much.

Cons: Weren't impressed with island excursions but it was because we were not into the types of activities they offered and we have traveled so much that the scenery was not that imperssive to us.

Recommended: Yes

We enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere of the cruise and all the things they have to offer. The entertainment was very good and selection of food was good. Enjoyed the night we celebrated our 50th anniversary in the dining room.

Good Ship

October

Pros: Service

Cons: Veranda deck mid ship

Recommended: Yes

Downward Views from the Veranda Deck mid ship are restricted because of placement of lifeboats. The rates charged were the most expensive veranda staterooms making you think you have the perfect stateroom. So disappointing!

Alaska for the first time

September

Pros: The Ship, Staff, Food and Staterooms met and exceeded our expectations.

Cons:

Recommended: No

Alaska-Holland America-2014

August

Pros: Great Service! Clean and neat rooms service. Great diversity of good food. Good communications with on-shore excursions. Great Salmon Bake!

Cons: Table service at casual dining room could improve. The aggressive alternative life style of the comedian celebrity was too much.

Recommended: No

A very pleasant and relaxing trip with professional, courteous service, and lots of good dinning and drink. The Signature Travel Network guest were very pleased with the extra special pampering on a hosted cruise.

Anniversary Cruise

July

Pros: Stateroom was great. Room stewards were great. Food was good.

Cons: At dinner, waiters taking too much time to take drink cards , slows down the food ordering, and having things start too soon after your dinner time, we were never done! 7 at our table, but as I said, the drink cards slowed them down.

Recommended: Yes

We had 23 people in our group, family and friends, and everyone had a wonderful time.

Alaska cruise - Westerdam, HAL

June

Pros: Smaller ship; excellent service; great itinerary; easy departure from ship at ports.

Cons: Entertainment/shows not as good compared to other ships. On the evening stop at Victoria, we found most shops closed at 4pm and the ship arrived at 6:30, which was a disappointment.

Recommended: No

Alaska cruise

June

Pros: Service, smiles, attitude of employees, on time boarding and disembarking, luggage handling with airline

Cons: Prices

Recommended: Yes

Food, room and some entertainment are all that's covered in the initial price. Everything else is not and they are not cheap. But, the service and attitude are excellent.

North to Alaska

May

Pros:

Cons:

Recommended: Yes

Overall Holland America offered a quality cruise. As a retired food service equipment sales professional with over 43 years experience my opinion is as follows. Overall food quality - exceptional. Some minor negatives - coffee needs an upgrade - too weak. Some meat items need improvement. (steaks - bland/unseasoned - my family owned a steak restaurant) Sometimes bacon not completely cooked - should be cooked crisp. Service staff attentive - captain friendly and personable - cruise director Michael and his assistant Linda did an excellent job! Dining room staff did an excellent job especially Harry our waiter. New program for expediting luggage to final destination is a keeper. Improvement on document logistics is needed to insure all forms are in order - my wife and I did not receive info letter and custom form in the paperwork package sent to our cabin. Had we not seen another package belonging to traveling companions we would have been delayed at disembarking. One of our group of six couples never received the luggage expediting forms package.

The Canal

April

Pros: Location, location, location

Cons: No self-service laundry facilities

Recommended: Yes

Great trip

April

Pros: new interior

Cons: smoking in the casino except for 1 day/week

Recommended: No

7-Day Alaska Round Trip Seattle Cruise

July

Pros: Overall one of the top cruises in this market.and category. Disembarkation was very smooth.

Cons: Mediocre coffee and slow WiFi

Recommended: No