Cruise Ship: Westerdam
Cruise Destination: Eastern Caribbean
Cruise Date: March 2007
Guest Contributor: Barbara Crews, the About Guide to Collectibles
Holland America Westerdam, March 2007 - Bottom Line
We've gone on six previous cruises, three Princess, one each on Carnival, Norwegian, and Diamond Radisson. But after our experience on the Westerdam, Holland America will definitely be our first
choice when cruising again. I couldn't come up with a complaint if I tried, which is definitely a first for me.
Once we boarded the flight to Ft. Lauderdale, the entire trip was effortless on our part. Holland America took care of all the little details and made for a very enjoyable experience.
Time for a Break
January and February were crazy months, so we decided to take a little break -- a cruise in March! Because our plans conflicted with spring break vacations, many cruises were booked up and choices were slim. We decided to go with Holland America because they are known for attracting the older crowd and, although it's hard to admit, that's our age group! And we were hoped that it wouldn't be a noisy group on board.
Eastern Caribbean on the Holland America Westerdam
This vacation was all about relaxing on a cruise not the destinations, although we did enjoy most of the stops, we only booked one shore excursion.
Holland America Westerdam Itinerary
Sunday: Depart Ft. Lauderdale on the Westerdam
Because of our last minute booking during spring break times, Holland America airfares were better deals than booking ourselves. Unfortunately we didn't have any input on when on the schedule, so we left at 6 am, arriving in Ft. Lauderdale shortly before noon. We were met at the airport by a representative from the line and had no problems picking up our luggage and boarding the bus to the ship. Bus was about half-full and the whole process was much more relaxed than previous cruises (with the exception of the Radisson Diamond cruise).
We were allowed to get on the ship before 1pm, but were confined to the common areas on the Lido deck, by the pools and in the restaurant. Cabins were available shortly after 2pm.
Monday: Half Moon Cay
Half Moon Cay is a small private island leased to Holland America with gorgeous beaches with amazingly crystal clear green water. If an artist accurately painted a picture, most would consider the color unrealistic, it was that vivid.
A tender took passengers ashore where lunchtime cruisers could enjoy an outdoor barbecue and shoppers had a chance to spend a little money at the Holland America gift shop. All items were also available on the ship.
Shore excursions were all water related, except for a bicycle tour. Table mates did the Stingray Adventure and thought it was wonderful.
Tuesday: At sea on the Westerdam
Although I kept busy taking a series of Photoshop Elements classes, there appeared to be fewer online activities scheduled than other cruises we took. It didn't bother us, but it might bother others. Of course there was always the obligatory bingo game, numerous quizzes and games, the casino was open and a Culinary Arts Demonstration was held.
Wednesday: St. Thomas
We've been to St. Thomas before and I am sure if we get away from the hubbub of the docking area we would enjoy it more. But it's too crowded, too many ships, too many people trying to pull you into their shops. Next time we will either take an excursion away from the shopping area or, more likely, just stay on the ship.
Thursday: Puerto Rico
We've also been to San Juan before and have enjoyed it each time. As mentioned above, the main purpose of this vacation was the cruise, not the destinations, so we planned to just get off the ship and walk around a bit, not booking an excursion. Well, this quickly changed when we started walking around. We were bombarded with tour operators offering to give us a tour of San Juan in their travel vans. We kept saying no, until one operator was so persistent in a nice way, that we finally gave in. The price was $20. each, the van comfortably held about 25 people and it was more than worth the price.
The tour operator, Walter, was delightful, very knowledgeable and kept up a constant line of entertaining patter. The tour lasted about 90 minutes and dropped passengers back off at the ship or the shopping area. I enjoyed this shopping area the best of all the stops, there were stores featuring "native" crafts and souvenirs, as well as stores where the residents were also shopping. I didn't feel like I was being fleeced in the stores. Yes, there were a few tourist junk shops, but also numerous other choices as well.
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