Holland American - Westerdam

Hello Everyone!

I just came back from a marvelous adventure to Alaska aboard the ms Westerdam – the same ship that Hallelujah Acres Cruise will be on in January 2010! I wanted to see for myself if what Holland America was saying about their cruise line was really that spectacular. I am happy to say, it was! The Westerdam was absolutely elegant and I know you will have the time of your life if you are able to make this cruise a reality for yourselves.

The Westerdam is a mid-size ship that holds around 1,900 passengers and when I say that it seems like a huge number, but when you see “our” ship docked next to a larger ship you will see that there definitely is a difference in size in ours and the larger vessels. The Holland America Lines brag that there are 2 crew members for ever passenger to assure excellent service for everyone. They say that the ship isn’t crowded and that guests don’t get that crowded feeling. Based on my experience, I definitely have to agree! I didn’t have to wait to do anything – whether it was to get on an elevator, to find a seat to relax and enjoy the scenery, or to be seated for dinner. I’m sure part of it is because the crew is so organized that when it comes to meals, getting on and off the ship at ports, and serving you, they are top-notch at what they do. They usher you in the dining room and are seated at your table before you know it. You are in and out of the electronic surveillance area when you leave and board the ship in a heartbeat. I have never met such friendly people and you can tell they enjoy what they are doing. Among the crew, the ship is known as the “Besterdam” because the crew enjoys it so much that no one wants to leave it and once people are there, they tend to stay don’t transfer to other vessels.

You will be eating in the Vista Dining Room in the Upper Level which is truly elegant. On one of the first few days you will be able to take a tour of the kitchen or “empire” as the chef calls it. They also have an informal buffet on the 9th Deck – Lido Deck – where you can get salads and fruits and many other items.

There are elevators at many locations on the ship and some even go on the outside so you can get a great view of the ocean as you are sailing along. Talk about moving fast – these elevators zip up and down like mad! No problem if you’ve forgotten something and have to go back to your room. You’ll be back down in a jiffy!

Be prepared to smile pretty too! Every time I turned around someone was taking my picture and I was glad. After all, at my age, I’m the one taking all the pictures! It was nice to end my cruise with a picture of me on my dream come true cruise to Alaska. (Geology teachers are kind of goofy about rocks & glaciers, you know!) So – go with the flow and smile! You and your family will be glad you did.

Do you like music? If so, you will have your choice of every kind in the world. How about ending the day listening to a singer playing the guitar as you sit and mellow out in the highest deck called the “Crow’s Nest” where you can look out at about 210 degrees and try to find whales and dolphins. Or perhaps you might want to read a book there, do a jig saw puzzle, work on the computer, do a board game, or a crossword puzzle. Sometimes a naturalist might be giving a talk on the sights to see as we come into a port and the “Crow’s Nest” is an excellent place to do that from.

Would you like to listen to a quartet of violins among the collection of art? Or how about do some ballroom dancing to a small band, or listen to a lady singing the blues at the piano, or dance to the beat of some disco music? You might want to swing a bit to Jenny and the Hal-Cats Band as they change their music from western to pop rock or to one of your favorites. Basically, there is a little of everything when it comes to music.

There are people to teach you about the various cultures we will encounter, how to shop, naturalists to teach us about the environment, you will be able to tour the ship, meet the Captain, go swimming, get in hot tubs, enjoy the luxury of the spa, see movies, and enjoy nightly entertainment along with a talent search contest.

There are shops on the ship where you will find duty free items – a variety of jewelry, perfume, and items you might have forgotten to bring. They have quite a variety of souvenirs and I must say that at the end of the cruise some things like the “Westerdam” items will go on sale – so you might want to wait for those things until the end. They have raffles each day and sales which draw people to the shops for their good deals.

One thing I noticed was that there was not a clock in the cabin I was in. A traveling alarm clock might be good. Some rooms might have a small refrigerator in them – be careful – if you drink water or a soda from them, it will cost you. Some of the talks that are presented by the speakers are recorded and are replayed over the TV systems. That is excellent, because you probably won’t be able to go to all of the presentations that you want to attend. I didn’t because there are so many good things to do all at the same time. This way you can listen to the presentations in your room at your convenience.

When you are planning your arrival into Ft. Lauderdale, I would suggest that you plan on getting there plenty early. You will be able to board the ship way before 5 pm! My ship left at 4 pm and I boarded the ship around 11am. We were able to tour around the ship, go to the Lido Deck for lunch, walk around the ship and investigate, and around 1:00 pm they opened up the cabins for everyone to go to.

As far as disembarking from the ship – I know it says that we will be back at 7am on Sunday, January 10, 2010. But as I said before, Holland America does everything in an organized manner. They will assign you times to leave the ship in 15 minute intervals. For example, I wasn’t allowed to leave until between 9:45 – 10:00 am. This way there were no humungous traffic jams, commotion, lines of people waiting for buses to go back to the airport, etc. The ship was at the dock at 7am – and the luggage was getting off then, but not necessarily the people started getting off then. We did it in shifts. So you might want to plan your plane reservations back home for a later time. I think there were 2 groups after me. By 10:30 am it was all over.

Hopefully this might answer some questions and perhaps sparked some others. I did pick out my excursions on-line ahead of time and my tickets for the excursion I chose were waiting for me on the bed in my cabin. You do not have to do that though. They have a Shore Excursion Desk on the Main Deck to help you decide on the excursions if you want to wait. I just didn’t want to chance not getting to walk on my glacier so I got mine in advance. Needless to say, there will be no “glacier walking” where we will be going in January! ?
You can go to Shore Excursions on-line and look at what is offered at each port if you want to.

As you can see, I loved my cruise on the Westerdam and I know you will love yours too!!!

See you cruising!!

Cindy Drew
GoAwayTravel.com