Experience on the ms Westerdam

My experiences on the ms Westerdam

Getting to Ft. Lauderdale

I flew out of the Salt Lake City International Airport on Southwest Airlines. The flight was comfortable however with Southwest most schedules make a few stops along the way. I wouldn’t have minded this so much until I realized that my luggage did not arrive when I did. Luckily I had purchased Travel Guard Insurance which turned out to be very helpful in trying to track down my luggage. Luckily it arrived a few hours prior to boarding the ship. WHEW!!!

Because you are traveling from the West Coast to the East Coast you are forced to arrive a day earlier to allow enough time to board the ship. This trip I stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott Airport and Cruise Port. I was very pleased with the cleanliness of the hotel and my room. The staff was very accommodating if you needed anything. The hotel offers complimentary airport shuttle and also complimentary shuttle to the Port Everglades Cruise Pier. Breakfast is not included at this hotel however they do have a breakfast buffet every morning for around $10.00 per person.

I have stayed in Ft. Lauderdale several times. In addition to the Courtyard by Marriott I can also highly recommend the Springhill Suites by Marriott and the Hilton Garden Suites. Both properties are only a few minutes from the airport and the Port Everglades Cruise Port. Both offer complimentary shuttles and breakfast. The Springhill Suites is by far the best for a family. The rooms offer a king bed or 2 double beds plus a sofa sleeper.

Boarding at the Port Everglades Pier

In my option, Port Everglades Pier is one of the easiest piers to depart from. The pier is so close to the airport and the neighboring hotels. The porters who take your bags as you arrive to the pier are paid “salary” which means they do not expect a tip. Your bags are quickly taken to a holding area where they will be boarded and delivered to your stateroom later that day. Embarking was very quick and organized. I was on the ship within 15 minutes of arriving to the pier.

ms WESTERDAM

Upon entering the ms Westerdam I realized that I have not been on a ship of this size for over 15 years. This ship is one of Holland America’s Vista-class ships, which are one of the largest in the Holland American fleet with a gross tonnage of 82,500 grt. She holds 1,916 passengers and 800 crew members. My more recent cruising experience has been on ships that are almost twice the size of the ms Westerdam. I noticed very quickly some of the differences.
I entered the ship in the Atrium which wasn’t gigantic like some of the other ships I have been on but it was very beautiful with a sculpture in the center. Holland America is known for their wonderful collection of art work and signature sculptures by Sedona artist Susanna Holt. The ship’s art collection is Dutch heritage in the New World. Art ranges from painting of historic Dutch ships, such as Henry Hudson’s Half Moon, to a huge Indian silver-overlaid wood palace doorway, a bone tobacco pipe carved in the shape of a woman’s head to a collection of 5,000-year old pre-Columbian carved limestone figures for Ecuador and contemporary pieces include an original Any Warhol portrait.

Atrium

MY STATEROOM

My stateroom was a large interior cabin which was very roomy. The cabin had 3 big closets, make up vanity with more storage, mini-refrigerator, hairdryer, small couch a table and chairs. The colors were nice and modern. The beds and the linens were up very nice. The 3rd and 4th beds were the in desperate need of new mattresses. The bathroom was the same size as the other cabins that I have stayed in.


DINING

The VISTA DINING ROOM features impeccable service and five-course menus include continental cuisine, vegetarian and low-carb options. The meals were fantastic. I felt like this cruise had the best dinner menus than my other cruise experiences. All of my meals in the dining room were fantastic! The presentation was incredible and the flavor and temperature was perfect. The service was also top notch. I was amazed at the beautiful attention that was given to all the food; it looked like a masterpiece from the salad and soups to the outstanding desserts.
The ship offers early dining, late dining and as you wish dining, all offer the same menu and excellent service.

Vista Dining Room

For a more relaxed meal experience the LIDO RESTAURANT serves Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner buffet style. I ate breakfast every morning in the Lido restaurant and some lunches. The food was really good. The Lido offers ice-cream and cookies until about 10pm. After 10pm the fresh pasta and pizza grill stays open until about midnight. The pasta and pizza grill was fantastic. Fresh made pizzas, sauces, pasta and breadsticks. If you wanted to mingle with the entertainment staff, dancers and performers you could always catch them after the shows at the grill.

The ships also offers a at the Terrace Grill located next to the Lido Pool featuring hamburgers, hot dogs and polish dogs along with all the fixings. The lunch grill would always have nachos, Chinese or Mexican food as an additional option.

For the intimate dining experience the PINNACLE GRILL is fantastic. This restaurant is open for lunch and dinner. The Pinnacle Grill offers a level of elegant sophistication, beautifully appointed with Bvlgari® china, Riedel® stemware and Frette® linens, the intimate, reservations-only Pinnacle Grill is ideal for a romantic dinner for two or a special group celebration. Creative and innovative menus, drawing from regional ingredients, hand selected aged Sterling Silver Beef, fresh seafood and an extensive, world-class wine list. For this exquisite 5-star dining experience, guests pay a modest surcharge. Adults dine for $20.00 per person or lunch for $10.00. Children under 12 dine free of charge. A rate of 50% applies for children between 13 years and under 18 years of age. The Pinnacle Grill is available by reservation only for both lunch and dinner. I recommend making your reservations as soon as possible after booking or immediately upon embarking the ship.

Pinnacle Grill

The pool on this ship is great because it has a clear dome above which can be open for good weather and closed for bad. The dome is ideal for pool lovers even in a colder destination.

Lido Pool

VISTA LOUNGE

The Vista Lounge offered several different variety shows, comedians, and Broadway style shows. I wasn’t too impressed with the quality of the shows and entertainment. If you are an avid cruiser you may feel a bit let down by the quality as compared to some of the cruise lines competition.

GREENHOUSE SPA & SALON

The Greenhouse Spa & Salon was fantastic! It features facials, hot stone massage, beauty and wellness rituals, teeth whitening and acupuncture. The best part pf the Greenhouse Spa was the Thermal Suite and Hydro-therapy pool. I decided to splurge and purchase Thermal Suite and Hydro-therapy pool pass (about $125.00) which allowed unlimited access to the steam and sauna rooms, the therapy shower, the hydro-therapy pool and my favorite the thermal suite. The thermal suite was incredible…talk about relax. The thermal room contains 6 mosaic tiled lounge beds which are heated. Aromatherapy scents and tranquil music fill the room. When laying on the beds you can gaze out of the floor to ceiling windows and watch the ocean go by. What a fantastic way to relax and rejuvenate. The pass was cheaper than the basic massage and could be used unlimited throughout the entire sailing. The pass is a must for anyone who wants to relax and enjoy an unbelievable spa experience.

There are several more public areas including the Piano bar, Sports bar, Ocean bar, Northern Lights Nightclub, Explorer Lounge, Ersus Library, Fitness Center and Casino.

You can also enjoy….

The Digital Workshop powered by Microsoft Windows: Guests will be able to show and tell" their vacation memories, learning how to share all their digital memories through email, blogging and social networking - so friends and family can see where they've been cruising even before they return home. Free workshops taught by Microsoft-trained "techsperts" make it easy and fun, even for novices

The Culinary Arts Center, presented by Food & Wine Magazine: A state-of-the-art demonstration kitchen offering interactive gourmet cooking lessons taught by a Master Chef or culinary guests

Explorations Café, powered by The New York Times: a comfortable, coffee house environment where you can browse through an extensive library, surf the Internet and acts
Crow's Nest: offers sweeping 270° views during the day, and a hip, fashionable nightclub each evening

Club HAL®: dedicated youth facilities and activities for kids ages 3 - 12; activities are supervised and age appropriate

The Loft: designed exclusively for teens (13 - 17) to have fun, socialize and hang out with people their own age

** Even though this ship offers youth and teen facilities I didn’t see very many children on board.

EASTERN CARIBBEAN ITINERARY

Day Port Arrive Depart
0 Ft. Lauderdale 5:00pm
1 At Sea
2 Grand Turk 8:00am 2:00pm
3 Road Town Tortola Noon 9:00pm
4 Philipsburg, St. Maarten 8:00am 5:00pm

5 At Sea
6 Half Moon Cay, Bahamas 8:00am 4:00pm

7 Ft. Lauderdale 7:00am

GRAND TURK, TURKS & CAICOS

Named for the fez-like scarlet blossoms of the cactus that grows here, Grand Turk is a pristine place of simple pleasures. Float dreamily over vibrant coral reefs, dine on conch fritters, and set your watch to "island time." The island is very small and can be explored on your own by scooter or golf carts. Rentals are available at the pier. We rented a golf cart and explored on our own. The island was very friendly and very safe. Be careful….you drive on the left hand side of the road!

Grand Turk really doesn’t have a bunch of activities. Most of the ship spent the day at the beach which was right at the pier. The beach and water was wonderful and an excellent place to collect a conch shell. Another big attraction was Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville which offered a large meandering pool, bar and entertainment during the day.


Sample shore excursions: 4-wheel-drive Safari; Horseback Beach Ride & Swim; Dune Buggy Safari, Hop-on Hop-off Island Tour.



ROADTOWN, TORTOLA & VIRGIN GORDA

An enticing mix of pink and blue buildings, yachts, rum cocktails and pirate lore. Play on a soft-sand beach or sail away to islands of buccaneer legend.

I took the Virgin Gorda & the Bath’s shore excursion which was awesome!

An excursion launch picks up shipside for a 40-minute cruise along the Sir Francis Drake Channel to Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda. There I boarded an open safari bus for a short drive to the Baths for swimming and snorkeling. The unique atmosphere at the bath’s were mammoth boulders, palms, sand and sea caves. To get to the beach you roam through the intricate network of trails and boulders. You can get really daring and crawl through the hidden caves and sea pools to another side of the beach.





Sample shore excursions: The North Shore & Pusser s Landing; Wreck of the Rhone Two-tank Certified Dive; Virgin Gorda & The Baths; Swim with the Dolphins.

PHILLIPSBURG, ST MAARTEN

An island under two flags. On the Dutch side: chocolates, cheeses and casinos. On the French side: bistros, boulangeries and boutiques. Because I hadn’t had much time to souvenir shop I decided to shop. The pier in St. Maarten was the biggest therefore the busiest. The ms Westerdam shared the pier with the Carnival Valor, Carnival Miracle and the gigantic Liberty of the Seas. There were literally thousands of tourists shopping however with the ships rotated schedule it didn’t feel too congested. When you get off the ship in St. Maarten there are several shops right at the pier. I took the water taxi (about $3.00 per person for the entire day) to the heart of Phillipsburg. The shopping in St. Maarten is fantastic if you are interested in purchasing any jewelry. Like St. Thomas, St. Maarten is filled with diamond shops, tanzanite, watch, gold and electronic shops. You can easily barter the price even in a nice shop. St Maarten also has a small straw market just off the beach. It is really easy to spend the day at the beach. After getting off the water taxi you are literally on a fantastic beach.

Sample shore excursions: Golden Eagle Catamaran Sail to Tintamar Island; Hidden Forest Adventure Hike & French Marigot; America s Cup Regatta; Around the Island Art Tour; Harley in Paradise.

HALF MOON CAY

Holland America Line's pristine private island offers everything you need for a day of play in paradise: a two-mile crescent of perfect beach; an interior lagoon; private beachside cabanas with butler service, showers and misters; and all manner of water sports and activities, including a children's aqua park and a buoyed personal watercraft course.



Sample shore excursions: Horseback Riding by Land and Sea; Deep-sea or Flats Fishing; Stingray Adventure; AquaTrax Watercraft Adventure.

SUMMARY

I would recommend this cruise for the travelers looking for a ship with understated elegance, excellent food, incredible service (except for room service, it was the worst I’ve experienced), no additional charges for extras like ice-cream, very upscale and unique spa experiences, relaxing atmosphere and art lovers. Because the passenger to crew ratio is very 2 passengers to 1 crew member the staff was extremely helpful. I noticed many crew members would help passengers with their plates, drinks and escort them to an open table. Ideally the age group would be the “more mature”. However I did notice quite a bit of motion on the ship. I didn’t see anyone sick but this could cause a problem for motion sensitive passengers.

I had a fantastic cruise!

Report written by: Carrie Booth