Westerdam Review

I can't imagine the poor reviews were the same ship.

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Westerdam
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Debbie-in-florida
10+ Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Nov 2014
Cabin: Large Ocean-View Stateroom

This was our 3rd cruise on the Westerdam. Yes, she is not as new as our first but I think they have maintained her beautifully. The service was beyond wonderful. The things that keep us coming back to HAL ( two cruises on the Zuiderdam and one on the Eurodam) are the level of service, we love the promenade deck with the most comfortable lounge chairs out there, we love room service and they have the best menu for in-room dining, and I love a hot soak in the bath and we are not limited to those tiny showers. Has the economy hit them?, yes, it shows in some ways. The cuts of red meat are not what they were. Beef and lamb were not the excellent quality they once were. However, the fish and chicken dishes were wonderful. All food was well prepared and beautifully presented. I recommend trying some different dishes. I LOVED the breadfruit soup, my husband's jerk chicken was fork tender. The lobster was still wonderful and they are just as willing as always to give you another. The portions are smaller and I commend them for that. In fact, all 14 people in our travel group commented favorably on this, we all hated to see the waste of the past. Portions were perfect for most of us, but our big eaters were happily given seconds. As I said, we love room service. Breakfast was on- the -dot on time each morning and then I received a call asking if it was on time and what we thought of our meal. The waiters were friendly, immaculate, and nothing was too much trouble. We always travel with a little cooler and they were always happy to fill it with ice. Must mention two young men that made our cruise perfect: our cabin steward was Gede. He is rather quiet, not the chatty sort. Day one he learned our habits and we did not have to ask him for anything again. I am so sorry I don't know the name of the handsome young man who assists him. They were perfect. Absolutely perfect for our needs. The other young man is named Tizar. When we booked, the late dinner seating we prefer was filled so we requested open seating. To our dismay, we were assigned an early dinner seating. Day two, we went in search of the Maitre D'. to change it. We ran into a long line waiting for the kitchen tour, went up and down stairs to no avail. Then we met Tizar, at the desk, deck 2 in the Vista Dining Room. He told my husband, "Sir, just come here and see me, there will be no problem." And there wasn't. We never officially changed our seating but never had to wait, were seated and served promptly. Tizar took the only major aggravation on this cruise and made it vanish. Many thanks to this charming young man. We would love to repeat the Westerdam, or any HAL cruise. I can't imagine how service could be better.

Cabin Review

Large Ocean-View Stateroom

Cabin F

Excellent, comfortable room. Bed to die for.

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