Westerdam Review
A disappointing cruise completely ruined by a trash beverage manager
Rating by category
Additional details
As a former Hal loyalist, I was excited to cruise again after a short 2-3 years break. I grabbed my son to go with me as my hubby didn’t want to visit Alaska for the Nth time.
The first indication that things weren't as rosy as I’d remembered was our embarkation lunch at the Lido. We selected a variety of items from the Asian section (Thai) and the meat was dry, tough and too salty. We thought, "Ok, maybe this is because it's embarkation day so quality control isn't as thorough..." How naive we were.
Over the next couple of days, we realized that the Lido had severe issues. The Asian station's meat was consistently too dry, tough and salty. The pasta tasted like pure salt and no other flavours. Desserts usually had raw tasting dough. The waffle cones tasted stale. The printed menu on display was frequently wrong (as in the wrong menu was put up altogether or ingredients were missing compared to the printed version). And the plates are often too hot to hold. The only consistently decent hot food was from the Homestead station!
Cabin Review
Large Outside Stateroom (fully obstructed views)
The cabin was spacious enough for our needs and the TV was a good size. Floor to wall windows (despite being fully obstructed by the lifeboat) made for decent lighting during the day.
Sadly, we noticed that this class of ships' ocean-view statements apparently has the air con right over the beds with no way of turning it off. Having wind blowing into our face while sleeping isn't the best experience.
Tub had a faulty faucet which was quickly fixed by the plumber crew member.
Port Reviews
Juneau
Free 1hr wifi at the public library and unlimited free wifi outside at the marine park.
Ketchikan
Free wifi at Salmons' landing.
Glacier Bay
Great weather, information/interesting rangers.
Haines
Beautiful library.