Holland America Westerdam

Review of Holland America Westerdam
April '08 by Mari
PRP Travel, Inc.
Escape to Paradise For Less
http://prptravel.com/
mari@prptravel.com

I went on this ship for a quick 4 night Bahamas trip. The ship is nice. It has tons of balcony rooms which if put side by side to a Royal Caribbean, Westerdam stomps the competition. I made use of the spa area (steam room, heat loungers, spa pool, etc) and it was okay. At times, the steam rooms were cool, the water in the spa pool was a bit on the chilly side. Another downside is that there aren't enough heated loungers. People were lining up and standing behind me talking and waiting for anyone of us to get up out of the loungers. It's really hard to relax in that situation. The spa area is just generally small and crowded.

Our room was the best part of the ship. We opted for the biggest suite there is - SA; second only to the 2 presidential suites. The room was magnificant, big, spacious, nicely decorated. It came with a small shower as well as a small jacuzzi tub. The balcony was also very big. With these deluxe suites came access to Neptune Lounge which had extra privileges like a personal concierge, dvd rentals, snacks, books, free dry-cleaning, breakfast at the Pinnacle Grill, etc. The service for the room was great.

We opted for the normal fixed-time, sit-down dining option. I thought the meals were very creative and delicious. It was well proportioned so that you can eat every course. That said- I know a lot of people who could not find that filling. No worries- just order more. It's included! The service there was great.

Now, for the bad-
At Half Moon Cay, we choose one of their private cabanas, paid $249 for them, but did not get the butler service. I was told that it wasn't a problem; people would still come around, just not one dedicated to me. That was an utter lie. There was NO ONE who walked by and asked if i needed anything, not even drinks. Instead, most of the service people stood around our cabana and lay down in the hammocks. When other paying cruisers walked by and asked if those hammocks were reserved for cabana renters only, the service person replied with, "No, just reserved for me"... and it was not said jokingly or intended to be a jist. I was extremely agitated at the service on the island.

We opted for the transfer to/from the airport and pier. Don't do this at Fort Lauderdale... it's a waste of time and money. The port is less than 10 minutes away... and the transfer service only comes at certain times. More than likely, you're sitting around for many hours at this small airport. Taxicab is cheaper.

The entertainment was a bit odd to me. There was a band there singing and I thought it was karaoke night. It was pretty bad. The piano guy was good, the nightclub is small, the casino smokey, but overall, because it was a shorter trip, I don't think I got a good feel for their best. Also- this isn't a spring-break crowd... but of a mature adult who let's loose every once in awhile crowd.

Any questions, feel free to contact me.
~Mari~

mari@holidaymuse.com
Holiday Muse
Escape to Paradise For Less
http://holidaymuse.com/