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The Westerdam is Holland
America’s third Vista Class ship, accommodating 1848 guests,
based on double occupancy. The ship is an impressive sight
with the signature blue hull, abundant verandah staterooms and
the two mid-ship glass elevators on the exterior. The ship’s
interior is equally striking. The ship is decorated in soft
tones, woods, and brass. There is a definite upscale feel to
this ship.
STATEROOMS
The Westerdam’s staterooms are larger than most
and feature the upgraded bedding that Holland America is
instituting in their recent “signature of excellence” program
fleet wide. I know this seems like a small thing to point
out, but these are actually comfortable, pillow-top mattresses
– much better than the standard on most ships. The cabins are
well appointed and all feature minibars, safes, hair dryers,
remote control television, and ship to shore phones. Fresh
flowers and fruit baskets replenished daily are also Holland
America signatures in each stateroom.
The bathroom is adequate
and had a bathtub and shower. All
staterooms above inside categories have tubs with showers. At
the suite levels the tubs are whirlpools, and an extra shower
stall is added, along with dual sinks.
One nice amenity for suite
passengers is the Neptune Lounge, a private room with
concierge, which serves various snacks (from light breakfast
fare in the mornings to hors d'oeuvres at cocktail hour). The
concierge can book dinner reservations and shore tours, as
well.
DINING
The Westerdam has three main dining areas as
well as 24-hour room service and the Grill. The Vista Dining
room is the ship’s main dining room for breakfast, lunch and
dinner. The Lido Restaurant is the ship’s casual dining
option, featuring eight food stations. The Pinnacle Grill is
the ship’s alternative restaurant and carries a $20 per person
surcharge. Reservations are required for the Pinnacle Grill
restaurant.
The two Vista Dining room
have a very elegant feel. The balcony area features many
ocean view tables as well as quite a few tables for two. The
main level has many of the larger 8 and 10 tops. There is a
small stage and piano in between levels on the staircase
column. Service here was very good. We had an assigned
waiter and busboy that were very good. Our area’s maitre’d
was quite attentive and stopped by often to ensure that we
were satisfied. The wine steward was adequate but seemed
quite busy with many tables. While on that note, the wine
list was OK with several choices. Holland America also
offered a wine package, where you could select 6 bottles from
their “package” list of wines for $144.00. After examining
the “package” list versus the full list, this is advantageous
only if you like one or two of the wines on the package list
for multiple bottles. If not, the Vista Dining Room’s wine
list features several good wines just around $24 - $30 a
bottle. The menu in the Vista feature 3-4 appetizer choices
along with 2-3 soups/salads and 5 main course choices daily.
The food quality, presentation, and taste are very good.
The Lido Restaurant is one
the best features on the Vista Class ships. There are 8
specialty food stations that are slightly different for each
meal. For example, there are omelet stations for breakfast
buffets, deli stations for lunch, and carving stations for
both lunch and dinner. Specifically, there is a Pan Asian
Station featuring sushi and sate, an Italian station with
pastas and pizzas, 2 desert stations, 2 main dining buffet
lines, the deli/omelet station and the salad station. The
food in the lido is very good. For lunch, you can choose from
a pastrami on rye, fettuccini alfredo, sushi, or a the full
lunch buffet featuring hot carving stations with roast beef,
turkey, or pork. The Lido is open during specific hours
throughout the day with the Italian station open later for
pizzas and pastas.
The Pinnacle Grill is the
Westerdam’s alternative dining option. They are very proud of
this restaurant and for good reason. Aged beef, lamb, and
seafood are all available here served a la carte with several
side items. Put together with excellent appetizers and soups
(crab cakes and the chicken Thai soup are my personal
recommendations) and you have a meal that is well worth the
$20 surcharge. Be prepared to make this a dining experience,
however, as meals in the Pinnacle are a 2 hour event. There
is a notable difference in the wine list available here also,
with several additional choices not on the Vista Dining Room’s
list.
I did have breakfast most
days from room service, which is very nice. Also, you can
order from the Vista Dining Room menu through room service
during scheduled Vista dinner hours. There is a 24 hour menu
also, which features club sandwiches, Caesar salads, burgers
and a few desert items. Room service was generally fast,
arriving within 15 minutes.
Also of note is the
Windstar Café on deck 3. This coffee shop features many
popular coffee drinks and pastries daily. Coffees and teas
are at a nominal charge ($1.00 - $3.00). Guests make this a
busy spot most mornings.
PUBLIC ROOMS
There are several public areas on the Westerdam
conducive for group use. The Crows Nest is one of the best
rooms on the ship with panoramic windows for ocean views off
the bow of the ship. Comfortable seating, a small stage for
live music, large dance floor, and full bar are available
here. You could easily do a social function for 100+ in the
Crows Nest. Just outside the Crows Nest is the Oak Room which
is a cigar room. The Oak Room is small and is better suited
for parties of 10-20 guests. Just outside the Oak Room and
the Crows Nest is beautiful deck area on both port and
starboard sides. These decks are covered with white canvas
“roofing” and have comfortable wooden deck chairs and tables.
This is a great outdoor area for a small VIP reception. We
had an opportunity to share cocktails and hors d’oeuvres with
the ship’s Food and Beverage Manager at sunset while sailing
here – a definite WOW factor. I would say you could do 30+ in
this area.
For meetings, the
Westerdam has 3 meeting rooms on deck 3 that can be combined
to 2 larger rooms or 1 very large room. Each meeting room is
equipped with a projector and screen – simply bring your
laptop and plug in to the control panels. These areas are
ideal for both general sessions and/or breakouts. The
internet café is located just outside the meeting rooms as is
the library.
Just forward of the
meeting rooms and spanning 3 decks is the Vista Lounge. This
is the ship’s main show lounge and would be used only by very
large groups. The Vista Lounge is equipped with the latest in
audio/visual and sound equipment.
The Queen’s Lounge located on deck 2 is a
secondary live entertainment venue, and also the site for
gatherings such as bingo, tea, art auctions and feature film
showings. The Queen’s Lounge can comfortably accommodate
larger groups that do not require the Vista Lounge.
The Ocean Bar and
Explorers Lounge are comfortable rooms on deck 3 and 2
respectively but would only be used for social events as they
are not totally private being along the walking path of
guests.
SPA
Holland America’s Greenhouse Spa and Salon
offer the latest in treatments. The Hydro Pool is an 11 x
22-foot hydrotherapy pool with heated seawater and high
powered jets for soothing tired muscles. The thermal suite
includes heated tile chairs, steam rooms, dry saunas and
aromatherapy showers with citrus and spice-laden mists raining
down. The Hydro Pool/Thermal Suite day pass was quite popular
on my cruise at $29/day. Weekly and couples packages are also
available.
Other standard spa options
include massage, facials, hair and nail treatments and more.
The ship’s large fitness center is open to all passengers,
with aerobic machines and free-weights as well as classes like
Pilates, yoga, stretching and aerobics. Some carry a nominal
charge. The ship also has a basketball court, volleyball court
and jogging track.
ENTERTAINMENT
The Vista Lounge is home to main production
shows. Our cruise featured “Paparazzi”, an excellent Las
Vegas-style show as well another review for the week. There
are also comedians, illusionists, etc. throughout the week.
The ship’s band is put to use often; entertaining with light
jazz music in the Ocean Bar most nights before doubling as the
show band in the Vista. There are also musicians in the
Crow’s Nest nightly.
There’s more attention
placed on the Westerdam’s casino than on most other
Holland America ships. Not only is it bigger but it’s flanked
by no less than three lounges – the Sports Bar and Piano Bar,
and the Northern Lights night club, a perfect place to enjoy a
cocktail and nightly entertainment.
ITINERARIES
The Westerdam sails to the Caribbean on 7-night
itineraries from Fort Lauderdale from January through April
2006, then again from November through the end of the year.
From April through November 2006, the Westerdam sails on
7-night Alaska itineraries from Seattle.
My Itinerary: Fort
Lauderdale – Half Moon Cay – At Sea – Ocho Rios, Jamaica –
Grand Cayman – Cozumel – At Sea – Fort Lauderdale
IN CONCLUSION
The Westerdam is another winner from Holland
America Line - Excellent hardware combined with the service
and product delivery you expect from HAL. This ship is
equally attractive to seasoned cruisers and first-timers. The
passenger mix is an
upscale, well-traveled lot with the spectrum still tipped
toward the more mature. Holland America’s ship staff
understand the incentive business and will make the job
onboard simple.
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