I love Hal. My husband & I are going to Alaska in Sept. looking forward to it. We like smaller ships without a ton of kids so it’s perfect for us. Thanks for your review.
We were on this sailing too, plus the 14 day transpacific/Alaska sailing immediately following. We had the same cabin category you did, except starboard side. We totally agree with almost every rating you gave the 14 days you sailed. Like you, we were delighted by the casual dining choices and service. We’ve taken many cruises on Holland America Line, as well as other cruise lines, but Westerdam’s was the best for Lido buffet choices. We especially enjoyed the Asian options and the days when the noodle bar was the pool deck cuisine. As you said, the staff was very pleasant and efficient. We felt this cordial atmosphere all the way from the captain, through the cruise director to every contact we had with service personnel. You noted difficulty with your stateroom temperature. We (and other staterooms on our section of our deck) had a problem with water temperature. Once we notified Guest Services, a plumbing engineer was dispatched and our hot water was working fine. A big plus on Holland America is the quality of shipboard lectures about the history and culture of nations visited. This cruise’s lectures were similarly excellent-clear, entertaining and highly informative. We’re in total agreement that the a live band would have given a more vibrant feel to the otherwise fine dancing and singing groups on the Main Stage. Yes, the Billboard pianists seemed to have a very restricted playlist. One of our post-cruise jokes was that we’d never heard so many renditions of Dion’s (very) oldie, “Runaround Sue.” The entertainment repetition was doubled on the transpacific cruise, as some shows and other presentations were repeated. One quibble we had with Holland America was that our 28 day trip was marketed and sold to us as one cruise where you could select all 28 days or either 14 day segment. We had had the same marketing experience on the HAL “Voyage of the Vikings,” where passengers could book the entire Boston to Boston cruise or one segment ending or beginning in Dover, UK. On the the Japan cruise, however, it was made very clear that each segment was a totally different cruise, thus the entertainment repetitions. Overall, however the Westerdam cruise with its Japan ports, plus the South Korea stop was excellent. We’ve already booked another HAL cruise.
Hello , we're contemplating our first HAL cruise (28 night Asia) but are concerned about the lack of good entertainment and perhaps the lack of sparkle around the ship. Am I worried about nothing? I'm generally a Celebrity Cruises fan . Is the jump too wide? Cheers Steve
Hi Steve - This is exactly the type of pros/cons analysis I provide for my travel agency clients. If you live in the USA and would like to book your cruise with Trips with Angie, please email Angie@tripswithangie.com
@@stevenhowe-bull9123 If your favorite ships are the Edge class, then the smaller Holland America ships won't have as many options for entertainment. Our Asia trip was so busy in port that we didn't need a lot of nighttime entertainment.
Double occupancy means two people. If you book a cabin for one person, you are paying for one person. It's like a hotel room is $100. If one person is in it, it's $100 per person. If two people share it, it's $50 per person.
I love Hal. My husband & I are going to Alaska in Sept. looking forward to it. We like smaller ships without a ton of kids so it’s perfect for us. Thanks for your review.
We really enjoyed the smaller ship.
We were on this sailing too, plus the 14 day transpacific/Alaska sailing immediately following. We had the same cabin category you did, except starboard side. We totally agree with almost every rating you gave the 14 days you sailed.
Like you, we were delighted by the casual dining choices and service. We’ve taken many cruises on Holland America Line, as well as other cruise lines, but Westerdam’s was the best for Lido buffet choices. We especially enjoyed the Asian options and the days when the noodle bar was the pool deck cuisine.
As you said, the staff was very pleasant and efficient. We felt this cordial atmosphere all the way from the captain, through the cruise director to every contact we had with service personnel. You noted difficulty with your stateroom temperature. We (and other staterooms on our section of our deck) had a problem with water temperature. Once we notified Guest Services, a plumbing engineer was dispatched and our hot water was working fine.
A big plus on Holland America is the quality of shipboard lectures about the history and culture of nations visited. This cruise’s lectures were similarly excellent-clear, entertaining and highly informative. We’re in total agreement that the a live band would have given a more vibrant feel to the otherwise fine dancing and singing groups on the Main Stage.
Yes, the Billboard pianists seemed to have a very restricted playlist. One of our post-cruise jokes was that we’d never heard so many renditions of Dion’s (very) oldie, “Runaround Sue.” The entertainment repetition was doubled on the transpacific cruise, as some shows and other presentations were repeated. One quibble we had with Holland America was that our 28 day trip was marketed and sold to us as one cruise where you could select all 28 days or either 14 day segment. We had had the same marketing experience on the HAL “Voyage of the Vikings,” where passengers could book the entire Boston to Boston cruise or one segment ending or beginning in Dover, UK. On the the Japan cruise, however, it was made very clear that each segment was a totally different cruise, thus the entertainment repetitions. Overall, however the Westerdam cruise with its Japan ports, plus the South Korea stop was excellent. We’ve already booked another HAL cruise.
Where are you headed next?
Ms. Rotterdam 14 day British Isles, Rotterdam to Rotterdam. May 2024
@@user-pw1um1ld2c How exciting!
Hello , we're contemplating our first HAL cruise (28 night Asia) but are concerned about the lack of good entertainment and perhaps the lack of sparkle around the ship. Am I worried about nothing? I'm generally a Celebrity Cruises fan . Is the jump too wide? Cheers Steve
Hi Steve - This is exactly the type of pros/cons analysis I provide for my travel agency clients. If you live in the USA and would like to book your cruise with Trips with Angie, please email Angie@tripswithangie.com
thanks we're UK based but I'll keep researching @TripswithAngie
@@stevenhowe-bull9123 If your favorite ships are the Edge class, then the smaller Holland America ships won't have as many options for entertainment. Our Asia trip was so busy in port that we didn't need a lot of nighttime entertainment.
When you click on 1 for number of travelers am I still paying for double occupancy? Or is there a choice for a solo room for solo travelers ?
Double occupancy means two people. If you book a cabin for one person, you are paying for one person. It's like a hotel room is $100. If one person is in it, it's $100 per person. If two people share it, it's $50 per person.
@@TripswithAngie do you know of a reliable Holland Travel agent I could use please to help with cruise and flight and hotel logistics? Thank you.
@@kurthooley2887 Me: angie@tripswithangie.com if you have a US passport and live in the US.