As part of my Master Cruise Counsellor
certification requirements, I needed to complete three ship inspections. I had already done one actual ship inspection
back in April, but based on the time and money I spent on it, I decided to do two short cruises for the remainder; any length cruise counts as an inspection as long as I hadn't previously sailed it for prior certifications. I chose the 1-night sailing on Holland America's
Westerdam from Seattle to Vancouver, followed by an overnight in Vancouver, then ending with a 3-night cruise on
Norwegian Pearl from Vancouver to San Francisco.
Originally, I had planned to go solo since it was difficult to find a travel companion that could take almost a week off away from their family, but fortunately my friend Lynda (owner/instructor at
Energetic Care Wellness) recently became an empty nester and was able to arrange her work schedule so we could have some girl time together! It would be Lynda's first time on a large passenger ship so I was looking forward to introducing her to the world of cruising.
For this 5-night trip, I decided to try out my new
Tom Bihn Tri-Star bag that can be worn as a backpack. Utilizing
eBags packing cubes, I was able to pack the following:
- 3 casual elegant dresses
- 4 tops
- 1 pullover hoodie
- 1 pair of black leggings
- 1 pair of capri sweatpants
- 1 pair of denim tights
- 1 bikini
- 1 nightgown
- 1 waterproof jacket
- 1 infinity scarf
- 1 pashmina
- 1 Coach wristlet
- 1 lightweight backpack
- undergarments for the duration of the trip
- 1 pair of obsidian black patent Tieks
- 1 pair of flip flops
- cosmetics and toiletries
- water bottle
- Kindle reader
- umbrella
- phone charger and multiple outlet extension
I wore a grey hoodie, t-shirt, jeans and trail-runners on the day of travel.
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| all this... |
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| ...combined into this... |
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| backpack feature |
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Since we were heading to Seattle but returning to San Francisco at the end of the trip, I rented a car locally in town Friday afternoon and reserved a rental car in San Francisco for pick-up the following Thursday morning to go home.
Early Saturday morning, I picked up Lynda, drove to the airport, returned the rental car and took a shuttle to the terminal. I was happy to find dedicated water dispensers for bottles so I wouldn't have to awkwardly tilt the opening into a curved stream of water (sometimes of varying height when toilets are flushing at the nearby restroom :\). Our Southwest Airlines flight left on time, heading nonstop to Seattle.
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| hooray for water bottle fillers! |
In the air, we got a glimpse of our plane's shadow encircled by a rainbow, called a "
glory".
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| how glorious! |
After we got off the plane, we were walking down the concourse towards the terminal exit when Lynda noticed the
American Express Centurion Studio lounge. I completely forgot that it had opened about three months ago. Even if I had remembered, I may not have planned a visit, especially if our gate was not in the same terminal as the lounge, but since we conveniently bumped into it and had some extra time to spare, we went inside. The
AMEX Platinum Card offers complimentary admission for the cardholder and one guest. The Studio was smaller than the Centurion Lounge that Kaleb and I visited in
Las Vegas. It offered a limited selection of snacks with scant seating; I'm sure this place gets crowded often. Perhaps that is why the Studio is only for AMEX Platinum and Centurion Card holders as other AMEX cardholders are able to purchase a day pass for $50 at the regular Centurion lounges.
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| what's this? |
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| few breakfast selections |
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| Jones soda bottles available |
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| L'Occitane toiletries |
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After our little break, we took the
light rail (same line I rode
last May) to downtown Seattle and walked around
Pike Place Market for a bit before hailing a car on the
Uber app to get to Pier 91. Standing on a street corner awaiting our vehicle, we observed other Uber drivers driving around looking for their customers. I saw a similarly colored Prius drive by; he looked at us but his license plate didn't match so we didn't approach. I recently read that Uber in Seattle is testing out SPOT, a
multi-colored light bar mounted on windshields so customers can look for a car with their selected color...that would definitely help distinguish the correct vehicle.
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| signs to the light rail |
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| purchasing tickets at the kiosk |
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| heading to Pike Place Market |
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| homemade soda with exotic flavors |
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| always long lines at the original Starbucks |
To my surprise, there was hardly any line at the pier, so we were able to get on board quickly. It probably helped that we arrived before noon. We had an inside cabin, big enough for the two of us. If we had four people, it'd be too crowded.
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| hello Westerdam! |
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| our inside cabin |
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| decent sized bathroom |
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| Elemis bulk toiletries in the shower |
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| not often you see a shower cap offered |
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| a piece of soap |
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| flat screen TV with DVD player |
Since we only had one night, I had to maximize the food experience by trying out the main dining room for lunch and a specialty restaurant for dinner. I had read on
Cruise Critic that guests with
Mariner Society status (Holland America's loyalty program) could attend a "Welcome Back Embarkation Luncheon" in the main dining room, but when we got there, there wasn't one; maybe they stopped doing it as I no longer see it as a benefit on their website. Technically you get Mariner Society status only after you've sailed with Holland America the first time, but because I had sailed Princess (sister cruise line), I was automatically given 1-star status and could attend Mariner Society events.
Lunch was kind of blah. I forgot to take a picture of my appetizer, the calamari fritti. It was a few tiny pieces of breaded calamari inside a small edible basket.
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| MDR lunch menu |
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| stale bread with sad pieces of butter |
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| quinoa and sweet potato cakes, not bad |
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| peanut butter pie, not bad but super sweet |
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After lunch, we explored the ship.
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| public restrooms offered hand towels |
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| game room |
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| library and internet cafe |
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| puzzle table |
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| small theater |
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| hydrotherapy pool (extra charge, not free with treatments) |
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| workout room |
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| salon |
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| loading supplies for the cruise |
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We visited the buffet and got second lunch.
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| fried chicken and green beans |
When we got back to the room, our room steward left some disembarkation information and a reminder for our specialty dinner tonight, but we never got the day's program, called "On Location".
We headed to the deck for sail-away, then enjoyed some music and watched some guests dance a rumba in one of the lounges before getting ready for dinner.
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| goodbye Seattle! |
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| live band in the lounge |
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The Westerdam offered two specialty restaurants - the upscale
Pinnacle Grill ($29 per person charge) and the more casual
Canaletto ($10 per person charge). I chose Canaletto as it offered a "sharing menu" and both Lynda and I enjoy eating a little bit of this and that. The restaurant was located in a cordoned off section of the buffet seating area. We were the first people to arrive and were seated at a two-top next to the window. The servers were attentive. We ended up ordering almost all of the small plates on the menu and two desserts.
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| sharing menu |
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| dessert menu |
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| gorgeous view out the window |
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| gorgeous view inside too! |
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| bread was good |
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| pate was meh |
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| salumi was okay |
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| our favorite - eggplant caponata |
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| carpaccio and salad weren't great |
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| zuppa - not bad |
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| the torta was mostly walnuts - not cakey |
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| limoncello creme was good |
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Overall, the food was okay. I would try the Pinnacle Grill next time I sail Holland America. We stopped by the buffet for some tea and a light snack, then listened to a piano and violin duo in one of the lounges. We also visited Guest Services to pick up today's On Location program.
Returning to the room, we found the next day's On Location as well as some parting gifts.
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| tote bag and Purell |
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| chocolates |
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| today's On Location |
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| back side |
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| tomorrow's On Location |
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| back side |
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We were tired from having to wake up so early that day so didn't stay up to sample the nighttime activities.
Sunday morning, Westerdam docked at Canada Place in Vancouver, B.C. Seattle is only 150 miles away from Vancouver, so the ship probably sailed out into international waters and moved very slowly throughout the night.
Breakfast at the buffet was quite nice. Made-to-order omelettes and eggs benedict were among the offerings. A variety of juices were pre-poured into glasses for the taking. This was the first time I had seen prune juice offered prominently. Considering the average age of the guests on board, it made sense.
Disembarkation was easy; in fact, the customs forms we received in our room the night before had our name, address, and vessel information pre-printed...we just had to write down any purchases made, sign and date it.
One night cruises are way too short, but good enough for a ship inspection. Overall, I found Holland America to be geared towards older guests, as I saw more folks in wheelchairs and walkers than on other cruises like Princess or Celebrity. The food was okay; if I had extra nights on board, I may have found more favorites. The entertainment was refined, especially with a violin/piano duo on board. For the right price, a Holland America cruise can be a good choice.
Next, we spend a day and night in Vancouver, B.C....stay tuned!
***
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