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The only
thing that the new Westerdam has in common with the old Westerdam
is the name and the number of Firsts for Holland America when both
where introduced.
The new
Westerdam is the First Holland America ship to include all of the
new features of the 200+ million Signature of Excellence
initiative. In my opinion the Westerdam, the third Vista Class
ship, is truly Holland America's best. Her sister ships,
Zuiderdam and Oosterdam, are great ships as well but the
Westerdam's interior decor is one of the most pleasant and
contemporary on any Holland America. The colors are fresh and
flow together very well. Boomers are going to love this ship.
Westerdam has
a total of 924 cabins and suites and is 85,000 tons. This compares
to similar ships by Costa and Carnival that have over 1,100 cabins
and 90,000 ton RCCL ships at 1,250 cabins.
 It
should be pretty obvious passengers enjoy a lot more public space
on these Vista Class ships than their competitors. Soaring
Atriums are great but what can you do with a big hole in your ship
other than look it. The Westerdams entrance Atrium is only 3 deck
levels capped off by a very impressive Waterford piece of original
art. It has the WOW factor we all looking for.
Westerdam has
a total of 623 balcony cabins and suites and 165 standard outside
cabins. Some information on the three categories of cabins you
should really focus on; there are 60 Deluxe Veranda Suites that
have a total of 510 sq ft. These cabins come with private butler,
access to the Neptune Lounge which has f&b service and concierge
service for these suite holders only, afternoon tea served in your
suite, nightly canapés during cocktail hour served in your suite,
free laundry, cleaning, dry cleaning, flowers on formal nights for
the ladies and gentlemen and a full sized floral arrangement.
 There
are 100 Superior Veranda suites that are 398 sq ft. These suites
come with all of the amenities above except butler service and
access to the Neptune Lounge. If you have the group size that fits
either one of these two categories its a way travel and also to
your people that they are special. These suites are great! For top
executive there are also two penthouse suites which are very much
top-of-the-line.
The standard
Deluxe Veranda cabins are certainly nothing to sneeze at as well,
as they are very generously sized at 254 sq ft. All cabins and
suite and have bath robes, fresh flowers, stocked mini bars, REAL
hair dryers, lighted make-up mirrors, bath and shower with message
shower head (just like home),
 GREAT
pillow top mattress, Egyptian cotton liens, duvets, oversized
extra fluffy towels, stainless steel ice buckets and fruit baskets
which are refilled daily and complimentary shoe shines, (ALL
Holland America ships are being retro-fitted with these items as
well). The beds and bedding are really good.
As with the
total decor of the Westerdam, cabin colors are lighter and
brighter, the bed spreads and drapery are a pleasant departure
from past Holland America decor. The bathroom amenities are now
nice size practical bottles versus the small fiddly ones found on
many other ships. The art in all the cabins is contemporary and
pleasing. All in all these are some of the best and largest cabins
found on ships of this size and class and are sure to please your
clients.
If you have
cruised on Holland America before you'll find the Westerdam is no
different in having the popular Ocean Bar located
 mid
ship and is one of the most popular watering holes. In difference
to some of the other Holland America ships however, this lounge
wraps around the entire deck level at the top of Atrium. Another
familiar name is the Queens Lounge which seats 170 but can hold
far more reception style. This is a great private room for
meetings, presentation and receptions with full a/v capabilities.
The Crows
Nest located forward on the upper most deck of the ship is another
great room for private functions (it seats 270 and much more
 again
reception style). During the evening you'll find live dance
music, but during the day its a nice quite room just to read, day
dream or watch the world go by. The Northern Lights Disco is the
late night spot on the ship, this room actually has two sections,
the main dance floor area with ample seating, as well a separate
bar and seating area where you can actually talk over the music.
The disco has all the latest bell and whistles and rocks to the
wee hours of the morning.
The other
public rooms include the Piano Bar, which can be used as private
room for 70,
 a
Sports Bar, Crows Nets bar and lounge, 3 dedicated Meeting Rooms
that can hold up to 90 people class room style, Internet Cafe with
18 stations, Golf Simulator room, Explorer Lounge (with its
adjacent Smoking Room), Casino and the main Show Lounge which
seats 867 with ALL the toys. When you put all of these rooms, as
well as with dining option restaurants together over a total of 6
decks for public space ONLY, you get an idea of how much space
there really is for passengers to enjoy.
The main
dining room on the Westerdam, as is the case with most of the
public rooms, is surrounded by glass looking out to sea. In the
case of this 1045 seat dining room, this means two deck levels of
floor to ceiling glass on three sides. Holland America has gone
to a policy of 4 different seating for dinner.
 This
might not sound like a big deal but it really is from two stand
points. First it means better service and better food as the
kitchen and staff are only serving and preparing food for half the
number of guests at any one given time. For us in the corporate
business this gives you 4 different opportunities to take over
either the upper (about 400 seats) or the lower (about 600 seats)
dining areas for private dining.
The Pinnacle
Grill alternative restaurant seats 130 by reservation only and
comes with a surcharge, but well worth it. Cuisine style is
basically a chop house with a Pacific Northwest flair and is
EXCELLENT. Included in the total number of suites is a small
private annex for around 18 that would be great for the top VIPS.
Pinnacle Grills are being added to all Holland America ships as
part of the Signature of Excellence program.
The Lido
Restaurant is buffet style for breakfast, lunch and casual
dinners. This room features a deli stations, pasta and pizza
stations, as well as bistro stations with carvery, wok stations,
salad bars, dessert stations, ice cream parlor and beverage
stations. Lots of choices and very rarely any lines, and again
plenty of floor to ceiling glass. Adjoining the Lido is the
Terrace Grill located by the pool for grilled items and other
goodies that allow you to stay in your swim wear.
The Windstar
Cafe is open 18 hours a day and serves coffees, pastries, cookies
and other light snack food. Most items carry an additional
charge.
 This
room is a very popular gathering spot. Should you have forgotten
to bring your favorite novel along, the Erasmus Library is both
well stocked and a pleasant place to relax with your book.
I have been
on most Holland America inaugurals over the past 13 years and
numerous normal "DAM" cruises as well and I must admit that this
was undoubtedly the best food I've seen Holland America produce
and the best trained and attentive crew I have ever seen on an
inaugural.
The dinner
menus, have a selection of 7 entrees nightly, where more creative
and diverse in selection. The tastes where as advertised, the
presentation straight from a brochure and there never was a case
of only having one thing on the menu that looked remotely
interesting. The food was excellent and raises the bar in the
Premium Class cruise market.
Just as one
small example that most of use can relate to when we are in a
hurry at breakfast are the good ole steam table soupy scrambled
eggs. Not so on the Westerdam! Scrambled eggs as well as fried
eggs are being produce on the serving line FRESH. The list of
small details like this goes on and on.
Bar service
on the Westerdam has not been over looked as well. The Holland
America staff has a well deserved reputation of being friend and
attentive particularly behind the bars. Trying to further improve
their product Holland America has hired a bar consultant to bring
an extra spark to their bartenders as well as to train them in
making all of the latest hip drinks. Think of a Tom Cruise who
really knows how to make a drink, puts on a show and can train
people.
The
Greenhouse Spa and Saloon is an exclusive to Holland America and
offers
 a
wide selection of spa and facial treatments also includes a
couples only room. The Thermal Suite over looks the Lido Pool and
is very relaxing but carries a daily surcharge. There is also a
well equipped gymnasium to work off those extra calories. As with
other Holland America ships the Lido Pool and Lido Bar, which can
be covered in bad weather, is the active pool area and the Aft
Pool and Bar is a quite totally open pool area.
Holland
America premiered two new shows on this cruise, both of which had
more energy than some past shows I've seen. The staging and
production sets where more elaborate than some past shows I've
seen. As usual the Bob Mackie customs are the best.
Finally, in
case all this wonderful eating and partying overcomes you, the
Westerdam has a well equipped infirmary that also includes a
Dialysis room.
All in all
this was a great experience particularly considering it involved
flying from Florida to Venice for just a 3 night cruise. The
nicest surprise for me was being able to visit Dubrovnik which is
a great, clean little city, this is a great port of call. The
whole Dalmatian coastline is just beautiful and should get more
serious attention from corporate buyers.
As I
mentioned earlier I really think this ship is going to be a hit
with the Boomers, your corporate clients and incentive
participants. The ship has the WOW factor for an experienced
traveler, flows well, has numerous options for private functions
and private dining. The Westerdam will be doing 7 night Caribbean
cruises this winter and 7 night Alaska cruises in the summer. Call
us for more information. |
