Holland America Alaska Cruise on Westerdam

Review of the Holland America ms Westerdam to Alaska in May 2014

Holly's Rating 3 out of 5

This trip it was for my husband and I to celebrate our twelve year anniversary we decided on Alaska because it leaves from our home port in Seattle so no flying score!! We were in a Verandah signature suite #8083 we both had the unlimited drink package and one dinner in their specialty restaurant the Pinnacle Grill from our TA.

Ship Port 4 out of 5- The new Seattle port is nice but if you are from out of town there is nothing near it no real shopping or food in close walking distance . Getting to port was a snap we pay for parking in Seattle already so we just parked for the seven days we were gone in our secure parking garage from here we simply ordered an Uber to transport us to the port. We were able to be dropped right outside the port and get right into the security line there were a lot of people so this line was pretty long it took maybe twenty minutes to get through security and checked in at the desk. We were able to walk right on the ship after taking our boarding photo.

Stateroom 5 out of 5- Our room was ready as soon as we got on this was a nice thing about the cruise line and our room was nice it was large and had a nice bathtub with jets and more than enough room for the both of us my husband would be spending a lot of time in it. There were the basic TV channels mostly focused on the Alaska team gold panning shows and deadliest cache along with the shopping and movie channels. You were able to get DVDs from a menu in room. If we would have brought our children this room would have felt cramped but still have the room to function with all four of us. The best thing was the veranda this is a Alaska cruise so that was so important to us I enjoyed sitting outside with a blanket and hot coffee and looking at the ocean my husband would spend most of the trip sick so this was a blessing to keep him from going stir crazy. If you can do it get a veranda it is worth the price to see the Alaska land float by.

Food I am going to just breaking dining into where we ate I would Give the food a 3 out of 5 due to a few special dishes we enjoyed.I found the food to be lacking from what I was hoping for they really need more fresh seafood choices for this itinerary.

Room Service -We also ordered room service nearly every morning and some lunch and snack items our service was good and the food was as good as room service food is. I enjoyed their club sandwich a lot and this is a good option for people just relaxing in their verandas for the day or those who are less happy with the dining options. One of the evening formal night we were able to order the same dinner from the main dining to our room instead of doing formal night we got the lobster and beef options and they were OK. You can order the MDR menu to your room each night if you choose this was a nice option on Holland. 

Main Dining Room- we ate here twice for dinner I ate lunch here a few time though the week lunches were fine nothing too over the top I usually had salads and soups. We were not impressed  with the food in the main dining room it took too long from when ordered to the time it was delivered I  understand that there are so many people all wanting to eat at the same time however our food was never totally right it would be cooked wrong or cold when we finally received it. On one dinner it took almost three hours for the two of us we did the latest dinning time. 

 We also thought that the menu choices were lacking for a cruise to Alaska we expected more options to follow that itinerary then they offered. There were few desserts that sounded appealing and I love desert .My go to dessert will always be crème brulee when I am unable to find something to interest me and I usually only eat the top. This trip on two nights I ordered this outside the specialty restaurant  on the first night there was just cream no sugary burnt top that I love, the second was so thick that it stuck to my teeth it was so chewy this was a big disappointment and a painful one as it pulled on a crown I have. On the one formal night I attended they had crab that was surprisingly good that they pre-crack this was a nice way to eat without the mess I love crab so this was the kind of menu I was expecting on an Alaska and Seattle cruise we are known in the north for our seafood.

Pinnacle Grill- was amazing we had appetizers of Lobster Bisque and Dungeness Crab Cakes both were delicious for our main course  my husband had the Cedar Planked Halibut with Shrimp Scampi and asparagus for the both of us along with mushrooms I had the West Coast-Style Seafood Cioppino it was also delicious. The staff was quick and checked in on us often but not so much that we felt rushed. For dessert I had the crème brulee as did my husband it was very good and I wish we would have chosen to eat here the rest of the trip.

 Lido Buffet- After boarding we decided to check out the Lido buffet. In short it was busy and since we are not allowed to serve ourselves until two days into the trip just getting water took an exorbitantly long time. As far as buffets go this one was less than impressive for its choices I understand this cruise is set for an older crowd but the flavor was missing from most dishes like they picked to not use salt and other spices in the food. This was basic food that you expect from a buffet it was not the worst ever but I have seen better on cruise ships. We would go here late at night for a snack to tide us over as we usually do on trips and the late night offerings were so limited that we usually just got pastries or some kind of pasta. We also believe this is where my husband’s food poisoning came from unfortunately.

Canaletto- was a nice little restaurant that they portion off some of lido for we enjoyed our food we had the sausage penne and the clams. I thought the clams were amazing and I was so sad not eat them one more time before we left they were out of this world and would be the only thing to get me back on this ship. This Restaurant is a share plate so we got large portions of what was ordered outside the appetizer to share with each other family style. We ordered a few extra things to try but the pasta and the clams did it for us. This was another place I wish we would have gone to more than once.

Pool Side Dinning -We also ate burgers by the pool they were good but so busy that you had to wait up to 30 min to order then wait for the food to be made we only ate once. The pizza was pretty standard to all ships not to bad really. We also hit the cafe many times for coffee and pastries they also were in line with what we normally would get on other cruise ships. Outside of the specialty eating there was nothing that impressed us food wise and this was upsetting since we like to try all the options. If we decided to do this trip on this ship again we would book specialty throughout the trip and skip the other options. On the day we toured Glacier Park they serve split pea soup my husband said it was good I do not like split pea so I did not partake but it is one of his favorite soups.

Service 3 out of 5- I am mixed about the service it was not bad in general our steward was alight he cleaned our room and did what they are supposed to do he was not too friendly a theme I found though the ship. Coming off a Disney Cruise a few months before this one this service was a surprise and I understand that they are not the same but there was really no personal interaction with our steward or other ship crew.

Our dining staff was hit and miss also the order time took so long and they never checked in during our meal perhaps because of the drink package there was no check in to see if we wanted another drink or how our meal was.We saw them for our order and then when the food was brought again no personal interaction or warmth. We only did the dining room twice for dinner so perhaps the service would have improved.

 The staff though the ship was not bad not good much like the steward and waitstaff. There was one waiter I saw and he was amazing he always asked if I needed more drinks and was just in generally happy and helpful. I would see this man all over the ship and he was always nice and smiling to the passengers and asking how the trip was I gave him an huge additional tip at the end of the cruise because he was so nice not just to me but to all the people I saw him interact with I wish the rest of the staff was more like him. There just was not the friendliness I was hoping for it was not bad service it just was not great service.

Entertainment 3 out of 5 - The entertainment was lacking on this ship perhaps because it was supposed to be relaxing but still there was not much going on after 9pm. The show Recycled Percussion was amazing and I enjoyed the shows so much I looked into going to their show in Las Vegas this show was fun, loud, and entertaining if it is on your ship you will not want to miss it. I wish the rest of the entertainment keep up with this show it was the only reason I gave a 3 if they did not have the show it would have been a 2. I also saw the magic/comedy show in the theater it was good there were some funny part this was something that kids could go to and you would feel fine about what they would hear. The production show about the fairy tales was interesting however I found my mind wondering though it that they really need to add more spice to the show it was pretty boring but cute in some ways.

Bingo was good it and not just because I won but they tried to keep the crowd entertained and there were a lot of people so that was good. Bingo is no fun when there are ten people you miss the energy of lots of people. Bingo is Bingo it was pricey like all ships but if like me you enjoy a game when you cruise this ship did it well.

Ports 4 out of five - The ports were fun we did not do ship excursions instead we got off and explored on our own looking at the shops and getting lunches. We liked the ports we went early June so the weather was hit and miss one port we got off simply to see my step sister and nephew in Sitka the town was quaint and cute and the sun was shining. In Juneau it poured cats and dogs but we still got off to see the shops and look around there were lots of shops within walking of the ship this was true in all the ports. Ketchikan was a blast mostly due to where we ate we had the best crab and clam strips ever and we cannot wait to back there again it was the Crab Cracker seafood bar. Victoria we got in late 6 pm not really anything open so we walked to the marina area then had dinner at a restaurant next to the ship.

We liked the Alaska water views and the cute shops we purchased some birch syrups and candies and I suggest picking these up in Alaska I Had never heard of it until then and the candy birch Carmel where chocolate covered caramel they had a slight root beer taste that was not bad at all the syrups were also a nice alternative to maple. You will be able to find the items all around the ports I always try to get one new thing when I go places that I just do not have at home and the candy was a hit with my kids also.

While we liked Glacier Bay that was a part of the cruise I was not too happy about simply that there really was not much information about activities. There one guide doing talks but he was saying the  the same things we heard him say over and over again on the TV.  I did not see any real interesting workshops or classes about the area most of it was about the sale on cheap cruise items. There was a presentation about people native to Alaska and their culture that was really good, but this was not widely showcased and I only found out about it because it was before bingo so I only heard the last part of it and there really were not many people I think due to there being no real advertisement they really need to add more to this day at the glacier park or at least let people know in a better way what is offered.

Drink package 3 out of five -  We got this as part of our cruise I was really the only one to try and take advantage of this due to my husband not feeling well I tried to order a variety of options to see what I liked and all of them were pretty good I liked mixed drinks and those are hard to mess up. There seemed to be an ample amount of liquor to the mixers this made good drinks.

 An issue however was that it took a long time to get that drink or to reorder I would hate to think that this was due to the package compared to buying per drink but it really felt like it was. I would stand at a bar and have two or more people served before I was when I was there first this was upsetting and only started after the first day or two when they knew who I was and the package I had. I loved not having to worry about the cost at the end of the trip. I think that if my husband had been feeling better I would have gotten more use from it. It covered everything I asked for and as long as you are not looking at twenty dollar drinks you should be covered in what you like to drink. We enjoyed the bar that overlooks the water we would go sit there on port days and enjoy a nice drink and they always had good drinks.

Shopping 2 out of 5- I like to look at the shopping on cruise ships and I like to buy but this ship was lacking a lot they did have the blowout sales were the cheap stuff is even cheaper however there was really nothing to inspire me to shop. The jewelry was lacking they should have focused more on Alaska items instead of the same jewelry you see every cruise. There was not a lot of draw you in items that make you want to shop. We bought some alcohol and a watch since I misplaced mine and I like my watch but usually I can find a few things to bring back but all my shopping was in port since there so few things outside unimpressive t-shirts and Holland Alaska items . I would like to see a little more customization on the shops a lot of ships now are get cute boutiques and that is something that would really help this ships shopping. They were constantly announcing the sales instead of the things to do around the ship this was annoying. We all know that there are sales but being reminded every twenty minutes was a bit much instead they should focus on promoting the shows and classes instead of the cheap Alaska T-shirts.

Kids Clubs- We did not bring our kids on this trip but I can say I would not bring my kids on this ship. I looked around and there was almost zero things in the cruise planner or around the ship to keep them from going crazy in fact I do not think I saw any kids at all. I do not know how the clubs for children where but I Would guess like the rest of the ship they would be lacking.

All in all it was nice to see Alaska’s and we plan on seeing Alaska again next summer but we will not be doing it on Holland America again. The age of the people was mid 50’s and up and that was kind of what we were looking for a nice laid back cruise to relax without our children, however even the older people were saying there seemed to be nothing to do. There were just too many negatives for me to spend the money to go again perhaps if it was an amazing deal but even then I would not guarantee it. We are not really party all night people but If you are under mid 50’s run to another line would be my advice in fact 50’s and up should run also this ship was just too quiet we wanted relaxing not drop dead boring. The service the food and the all around lack of entertainment is what brought me to a 2 out of five while they did thing ok I was expecting more I think Holland really needs to revamp some of their offerings for this itinerary to suite the more active people that are now coming to their ships.