Luxury Cruise Holidays | Caribbean Sea Cruises | Holland America Line

Ship Reviews

We boarded the ship in Seattle to take the trans pacific cruise to Japan and then did a circumnavigation of Japan We stayed in a regular balcony room and was able to purchase Club orange (this saved us about $2000 by booking a much lower class V room and upgrading to a VB via orange- in addition we appreciate the extra benefits provided as we are not four or five star Mariners, but Club Orange got us priority embarkation, priority seating at meals in the MDR as well as free, shuttle buses into town, fresh squeezed orange juice when we wanted it as well as mimosas. We were also able to disembark with before and five star Mariners at our leisure. There was also one special CO menu item in the MDR at dinner each evening, and we took advantage of this quite often. As to our room, she is an older ship and she is getting quite dated, but it was very comfortable. The water pressure was great, the toiletries provided where Elemis and I was very happy with those. We had plenty of storage room, including two big drawers under our bed and yet we still had room for all of our suitcases underneath. I know she is going in for a dry dock in January so hopefully they will update the decor and some of the mirrors. Our room store Robby and his helper Holis took great care of us and always had a kind word or a smile when we saw them every day The entertainment was outstanding. We are a huge fan of music, walk and love Rolling Stone rock room. The talent they provided was absolutely amazing! This is one of our favorite spots on the ship. They do have two pianos, but they only have one piano player so I am hopeful at some point they’ll bring back dueling pianos but the singer they have was talented. On the crossing, we mainly had individual performers, singers, musicians, comedians that type of thing, but once we got to Japan, they on boarded a phenomenal world stage performance group, and we had several production performances that were some of the best we’ve seen at sea. The cruise director, TJ and his assistant director Declan and Team do such an amazing job. We actually had so much to do on the crossing. We couldn’t figure out how to get to all of it! There was enough for every different type of interest, anything from sports to game shows to trivia, lectures from port specialist Ian, cooking demonstrations from the head, chef, honestly I’m not sure what else we could’ve packed into that agenda. We loved the Lido Fair and night under the stars too. Orange Party was world class as well!!! We enjoyed the fitness center, almost daily and during the crossing I absolutely loved going to the Pilates and yoga classes, and also the abs classes. Thebang and Solomon are very good fitness center managers and do a great job running the classes. I would have loved to have continued classes once we got to Japan, but the times didn’t adjust for our port of call so it was just about impossible to make them so perhaps my only suggestion is to adjust the schedule when you’re in Port, so these guys can actually teach a class with people on the ship? Otherwise, the treadmills, elliptical and other weight machines were in working order and we had no issues. Bartenders and restaurant staff were all phenomenal and eager to please. Fauzi and Andhika took great care of us at dinner and Rochelle at the front check-in Desk has one of the toughest jobs on the ship. She did an amazing job balancing getting us set to a particular area each night so we can enjoy the same staff. We did witness her regularly having to deal with people with incredible demands with grace and patience. Rolando was a favorite bartender at Pinnacle too. Honestly, there would be too many to list, but the bar and restaurant staff work incredibly hard. Our food and dining experience was pretty good, we prefer the main dining room over Lido. During the sailing, there was very rarely any place to sit inside the Lido, although we could normally find something out by the pool. During the crossing, it was too cold and windy to be able to leverage the space out behind Lido so that probably had something to do with it. MDR service was surprisingly prompt and we were very happy about that. Most meals were pretty good. I will say that I stopped ordering salmon because I kept finding bones in it, but I did let the waiter know. If we had a complaint, they were quick to try to rectify. I found the menu quite rice heavy and would like to see some variety in what protein is served with versus so much rice. I learned to order extra sauce on the side as many meals were served with a splash of sauce, and the staff was quick to bring more. I appreciated the fact that we could send messages to the app to customer service, not only to acknowledge a staff member who was making our trip wonderful but also to either ask a question or ask for assistance. They were super quick to respond and we really appreciated that! This is a super convenient way to get help versus going and standing in line Also, it was nice to be able to pre-order from the dive bar, but I was disappointed that we could not order room service through the app during our entire trip. Not sure why, we can always pick up the phone, but sometimes it’s easier to use the app to make sure everything is correct. The Internet worked fairly well and we thought the speeds were good, but I will say it was inconsistent. We would regularly be dropped and we also had issues with sometimes a VPN would work and then the next few days it would not so it feels like there’s consistently changing parameters, which is a little frustrating when you’ve paid so much for Internet access. There were also many times where the network was completely saturated - world stage when there was a show happening as an example- It was very difficult to get connectivity. It would be nice to have water filling stations, even if people bring their own water bottles since you dissuade anyone from filling them at the Lido and there’s only a water fountain in the gym. It is very tough for some to be purchasing cans of water and this is really something the rest of the cruise lines are doing now so it would be good for you to follow suit versus forcing people to purchase cans. Less waste for you as well. I did hear a rationale that it would impact staff tips, but that is a very odd reason to not have water readily available. I can imagine the nuisance of recycling. All these cans would be a cost benefit to you. I would like to call out the seating in the crows nest is a little strange and that you have all of these seats in one row facing the outside and there are really no drink tables there so people end up putting their drinks on the floor and their feet up on the windowsill and they park there all day. We actually saw people sleeping there most of the time. When you do the dry dock, perhaps you can re-organize this a bit that would discourage Four and five hour squatters up here so everyone could enjoy the area a little bit more? The port stops were perfect for us, we loved the towns that were chosen. We absolutely loved how welcome the Japanese residence made us feel and in many cases, we had welcome bands as well as departure bands, and that is something we just haven’t experienced much of so we absolutely love this! We did do a few excursions and I know Japan is a little different than how you do them elsewhere in the world, but if there’s any way to adjust, how many buses go to one location at one time that would make for a much more enjoyable experience. We did quite a few ports on our own and we appreciate the fact that if a port or Holland provided a shuttle into town, we really could see the town on our own or with a private guide. Ian also did a great job explaining what to expect in each port so we didn’t have a ton of surprises. The coffee crew at the crows nest were absolutely phenomenal as well. They work at the speed of light and we found it was so much better to come up here to get our specialty coffee versus the Lido bar as they would get completely overwhelmed from orders from the buffet. The staff up here absolutely deserves a tip of the hat. You really should coin the phrase ‘ best laundry at sea’ - I know many complain that you do not have self service laundry and as long as the prices don’t get too exorbitant, you’ve got a solution, which is the all you can use wash fold press which we enjoyed immensely. The crew did a fantastic job and I did send in acknowledgments throughout the cruise through the chat app so they could be recognized but this is a stand out group. Please keep the pricing reasonable is my huge ask here. as to room I will do a separate review for this under room so you can look at the specifics I appreciate cruise critic allowing me to do a live feed on this one if you want to see our day-to-day happenings on this particular cruise please check out the post starting September 28 that I posted a couple days before we boarded in the Holland America cruise critic feed

I did the transpacific 14 day cruise and really had a great time. I was solo and thought I would be alone a lot, but thanks to some wonderful people, I really enjoyed it. The Cruise Critic guy was excellent in organizing everything beforehand and on board. As a solo, I met many others to hang out with. HAL was not helpful except for an initial meeting. We organized ourselves for lunch and dinner , trivia, etc. we each had traveled a lot and had a lot to learn from each other and enjoyed each others experiences. The Westerdam is a beautiful ship, getting a little old, but great crew, great food, good facilities. The crew was efficient. As an older ship, some of the rooms had problems— tv, hot water, but they fixed it up quickly. I was pleased with lectures. Entertainment suited to older guests, presented early. Most guests 50-90.

While many of the passengers were sailing a 28 day journey to Alaska and Hawaii, 180 of us were sailing just for the night, to be replaced by passengers in Vancouver who would continue for the remaining 27 nights. This was my first HAL sailing but my 15th overall. I’ve sailed on Disney, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Carnival, MSC, Celebrity, and Princess. Boarding: While official arrival times per the app were 12-3:30, my flight arrived into Seattle at 9:02am and I took public transportation to reach the terminal to kill some time and save money. I don’t recommend this if you’re bringing more than an overnight bag, or if you have mobility difficulties. I arrived at the terminal at 10:45am and was far from the first one there. The check in was very easy except for the confusion around filling out and then turning in the Canadian customs declaration form in order to get a boarding group card. I was assigned Group 8 once I figured out what to do, and was boarding at 11:21am. Muster drill was odd. All of the instructions in the app and over the PA at the terminal instructed you to “visit muster station” and “watch safety video on room TV”. In my other 12 cruises post-COVID, I have been able to head to the muster station immediately after boarding, and in fact there were signs around the ship as well saying “visit muster”. However, there was no one outside, or inside for that matter, to scan the cards. It was only in the printed daily planner that muster check in is from 2:30-4:30pm, which I found strange. Stateroom: I booked the cheapest Guaranteed Interior option; since it was just for one night, they could have put me in a broom closet and I would have been fine. My room didn’t get assigned until about 72 hours prior to sailing, and I was given a complimentary upgrade to an Oceanview on Deck 1 Forward. This room was RIGHT off the elevator lobby and next to the entrance to the World Theater. There was a bit of hallway noise but not much, and no theater noise once in the room. The room did have a strong floral/chemical smell. My room steward had not placed any bath towels/hand towels/washcloths in the room prior to my arrival but this was quickly remedied when I flagged him down in the hall. I really liked how much Holland includes at no extra charge: liquid hand soap, lotion, separate containers of shampoo, body wash, and conditioner; two beach towels for shore excursions, two very comfortable (and large!) bath robes, two blankets for lounging on deck, and a big umbrella. There was some ship noise when departing Seattle and arriving in Vancouver, but less than I’ve experienced on other ships in similar room locations. This room did officially sleep 4 people but I think it would be very cramped with that many, particularly for 28 nights. I appreciated that the room has been retrofitted to include a USB-A port next to one side of the bed as well as two of these at the desk. The bed was comfortable enough. I liked the various sizes and firmness of the pillows. Included Dining Choices: I ate lunch and dinner at Lido Market, and found it to be very good and completely adequate for my needs. It’s not a very large buffet but there were plenty of choices. I disliked that there were no handwashing stations but appreciated that for the most part, the crew is serving up the items. Lido was crowded even by boarding group 8 (they called A-E, then 2, 4, 6, 8). There aren’t very many two person tables, so as a solo I had some difficulty finding a place to sit. I didn’t have any issues at dinner. For breakfast on debarkation morning I went to the MDR and was seated right away at 7:50am. I was impressed by the number of options on the menu. I had the Vegetable Frittata but I absolutely should have asked them to hold the chili flakes because it was incredibly spicy, which I have a poor tolerance for. Other than that, my coffee, cereal, bacon, and sausage were good. Activities/Entertainment: The first night of a cruise isn’t the best to judge activities as a whole. I attended the comedian’s show at 7:30pm and found him mostly enjoyable. I caught a bit of the “The Hot 100” dueling pianos in Billboard Onboard after the comedian, and then went to Rolling Stone Lounge to see some of the “Tripod Game Show”, which didn’t have many participants. The library is fabulous, 10/10 rating from me. I did bring my Kindle along for the night and spent some time reading up in the Crow’s Nest lounge (which was absolutely freezing, just an FYI…I should have brought that blanket from my room!). I love that they have puzzles and board games available up there, too. I did spend a short time in one of the Lido Pool hot tubs, which was more warm than hot, but still warmer than the pool. They did have the glass roof cover on during this sailing, which was appreciated. And no chair hogs to be found here on boarding day! Disembarkation: This was very clear and easy. I received a letter in my stateroom stating that debarkation would be between 7:45-8:45 after the ship was cleared by customs. They also made an announcement around 7:30am that everything was set to go and we could debark at that time. There was essentially no line to leave after breakfast, around 8:30am, and I was quickly on my way. The customs forms filled out in the terminal before boarding were delivered back to our room that same night and we handed them to officers on the way out. App: The app is okay. Not the best and not the worst. It left out the crucial information about the muster times, but I really liked that it had the menus *and hours* for all the dining venues, unlike some other lines. It also notifies you 15 minutes before an activity starts if you’ve added it to your itinerary. General Ship Thoughts: This is obviously an older, smaller ship but it seemed in very good condition overall. I think I would be a bit bored on this ship for a long itinerary, particularly one with as many sea days as the 28 night sailing has. The library would keep me somewhat occupied though! At 34, I was easily one of the 10 youngest passengers onboard. The kids club wasn’t even open for an open house on day 1. I think this would be a great ship for a 7 night Alaska sailing, especially if you have an Interior room. The Crows Nest is an option that many other lines, particularly on newer ships, are lacking. And a ton of the bars and lounge spaces face outwards as well; the covered pool is also a huge bonus. The lack of dining options would be a potential drawback. I am doing the same one night itinerary on Eurodam in early October and then will probably table HAL for a while as I’m just not really in their target demographic at this stage of my life.

Here is my review for Holland Americas Westerdam Alaskan Cruise 9/24/2025 to 9/31/2025. First off, we came in on Friday, to leave us with a little time to explore Seattle for a full day on Saturday. I was pleased with this decision as we otherwise would have felt a little rushed and possibly missed our cruise sailing. The Holiday inn Tukwila was a nice hotel with breakfast and free transports to and from the airport and the L train. They also took us to Dollar Tree for a few items. Downtown Seattle was kind of gross. We walked about 3 blocks from the L train to Pikes Place Market. During our walk we witnessed people selling and doing drugs. It was kind of shocking to see people smoking crack right out in the open. I never felt threatened. Pikes place market is worth visiting. We saw them throwing fish and there was a lot of different shops and vendors. We visited the Museum of Pop Culture and the Space needle as well. Both were great, except we didn’t go up the space needle because it was pricey and I am afraid of heights. Apparently, the elevators are made of glass. On Sunday we took Seattle Express from Holiday Inn to Pier 91. The bus driver made it a tour pointing out different things during our 20-minute ride. He loaded and unloaded our suitcases. We scooted a short way with our suitcases, thru customs and on to the ship. There was a Princess cruise line ship next too us and was twice the size. I felt some relief as the Westerdam was smaller with no water slides or Go Kart tracks. I love kids but I don’t think we saw more than a dozen during the whole trip. Once aboard, it was a crazy time, as everyone was boarding and the elevators were overrun. Upon finding our room, I was pleased, as it was larger than what I had anticipated. Everything was clean and looked nice. My first impression of the Westerdam was that it reminded me of the movie Titanic. The decor was strikingly similar. Expanding on the room, the water pressure was awesome and we never ran short of hot water during our long showers! It was very evident the water was softened and kept our skin from drying out. We had packed 2 portable humidifiers but never used them. You wont need those on the Westerdam. I do recommend buying luggage tags and lanyards from Amazon in advance. We also purchased suitcase covers and were the envy of many as our luggage stood out and was easy to identify at the airports. Please know, I once ended up at home with a suitcase that was identical to mine but full of women’s clothing. The bathroom had a built-in medicine cabinet which is different from any hotel I have stayed at. The air and heat were perfect! One of my favorite purchases was the unlimited laundry package. We ended up booking this late and cost $75 for the whole trip total for both of us. It was initially offered at $50. This allowed me to stuff a bag, the size of a pillow case, each day. Each morning, I would fill out the sheet and leave it on our bed. We usually got it back that evening. My wife Poo Pooed it at first but was a fan by the 2nd day. Items came back wrapped in tissue or on hangers. We arrived home with very little laundry and could have packed a lot less. The Have it all was also a must! I like my drinks and don’t like surprises! It gives you internet and 15 drinks per day but both parties must opt in for it. It also gives some excursion credit, and one specialty dining night. The Mini bar is not included. The mini bar had water, canned coke, canned beer, canned mixed drinks and more. We used the mini bar, but at the end of the day, we would replenish it by getting go drinks from the bars, using up our unused Have it all 15 drinks per person minimum. The internet included in the package was fine for checking email an Facebook. Oder your coffee the night before and they will bring it in a carafe the next morning at your desired time. I drink espresso so we used Starbucks instant coffee to make it bolder. I pre ordered distilled water from my CPAP. There wasn’t a plugin on my side of the bed but room service brought an extension cord and set me up. Room service. I can’t say no! Around the clock, food is available at no extra charge! There are some options that are premium and cost extra. IE: Filet Mignon & lobster for $18 delivered. You’ll never get that from door dash for that price! Please note that drinks ordered to the room are also not included in the have it all plan. They will deliver about anything but be specific. IE: if you request white toast 1, you will get one piece of white toast. If you are wanting two, you need to specify. After the first day, I ordered ice to the room. After that, every time we came back to the room there was fresh ice! That is amazing! Know the boat. I recommend the first thing to do is explore every level of the ship. There are 10 floors but not every elevator goes all the way to the top. Find the crow’s nest this is a great place to view the outside behind windows. There are games and other activities there. When viewing the glacier, it was hard to see because of so many people on the bow. My wife figured out that not many people realized the outside promenade deck was wide open when the ship was sideways. We got great views from there! Smoking is on the 7th floor and in one location. Ther were 2 pools and a hot tub which got limited use. I never saw more than 4 people in the hot tub. Pool wasn’t busy either. The world stage had different events. The informational ones were good. Also we enjoyed trivia most every day. Some of the events on the schedule didn’t turn out like we thought. I would avoid any of the events centered on shopping. It’s almost like a time share presentation but about jewelry. The Orange party was a letdown. I didn’t see any complimentary drinks or food. The entertainment was less than expected. We did get a good picture in our orange attire! The Alaskan brunch only happens one time so don’t miss out! It was one of the best meals ever. We scheduled one tour which was the Mendenhall Glacier photo safari. We weren’t on the water as long as I would have expected and there was quite a bit of walking. The pro’s were we saw a bunch of Orca Whales and the guide help us set up our android phone cameras for the best pictures. We didn’t see any humpback whales on the tour but spotted many from the ship each day. Be on your veranda and watch! Morning and late evening are the best times. Overall, the trip exceeded my expectations! Ketchikan, Juneau, and Sitka we amazing towns! The staff and accommodations were great. We booked our trip thru Costco travel and received some extra discounts and perks. Also, flew Southwest Airlines! My favorite! I have flown many times with Southwest over the past 3 years and have had no complaints! We have done over 20+ land based all-inclusive vacations and this was our first cruise! We were not disappointed!