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My Holland America Westerdam Review: The Good, The Bad, and What Surprised Me

ByErin Burke Published on
The Holland America Westerdam cruise ship docked at a port under a cloudy sky. The large ship features a dark blue hull and multiple decks of balcony cabins with orange lifeboats along the side.

Wondering what it’s like to sail on the Holland America Westerdam? Here’s my full Westerdam review, including the things I loved and the things I was disappointed with.

We sailed on the Westerdam for an Alaska Cruise in 2026, and while I loved the service, the entertainment, and the amenities, I was slightly disappointed with some of the food and with some aspects of our stateroom.

Overall, we had a great sailing and I would be willing to sail the Westerdam again if the price and itinerary were right. But given the choice, I would probably choose a different ship next time, partly because of the age of this ship and partly because I would just want to experience something different.

So here’s a full breakdown of our experience on the Westerdam!

About the Holland America Westerdam

The Holland America Westerdam is one of Holland America’s Vista class ships. It holds about 1,900 passengers, has just short of 1,000 staterooms, and 11 decks.

It first set sail in 2004, and it is one of those ships where you can definitely tell its age. Some areas of the ships (especially, to me, the stateroom bathrooms) feel dated despite the fact that it just had a drydock refurb in January 2026.

But overall, I liked the size of this ship and despite it being an older ship it felt clean and well-maintained for the most part.

Want to watch my review in video form? Watch below!

Westerdam Staterooms

Let’s jump into staterooms first, since I know that’s such a big question people have when they are booking their cruises.

We were in room 6026, a verandah stateroom that could sleep up to 3 people.

The main bed is two twins that you can have either separate or pushed together as a king, so I definitely did appreciate having a larger bed on this cruise than we typical have on Disney Cruises. Our booking confirmation said it was a Queen, but it was definitely larger than that!

Balcony stateroom aboard the Holland America Westerdam cruise ship featuring a large bed with white linens and beige pillows. A small sofa with striped cushions sits beside a round table with a reflective top and sliding glass doors leading to a private balcony.
I did very much appreciate the luggage barriers they put out on our embarkation day!
Another view of the Holland America Westerdam balcony stateroom showing a large bed with white linens and patterned pillows beside a beige sofa with striped cushions. Mirrored walls make the cabin feel more spacious while floral artwork and light wood furniture complete the room.
A wide-angle look at the room standing at the verandah door.

The third bed pulls out from the couch, and this was one of my biggest complaints about the room. When our daughter’s couch-bed was pulled out it was extremely hard for us to get outside on the verandah. We had to squeeze and awkwardly bend out legs between the end of the bed and the desk. Or honestly, sometimes I just climbed over her bed.

Some rooms sleep a fourth person, that bed pulls down from the ceiling OVER the king bed. I really can’t imagine living this way, so honestly I think that the cabin configuration is a bit of a weakness on Holland’s part.

I much prefer the layout of Disney Cruise ships where the couch just folds over into a bed with the exact same footprint and the bunk comes down over the couch.

Besides the layout of the room though, I generally liked our stateroom. We had good storage in the closet and the desk, as well as in the cabinets over the couch.

My one storage complaint was the drawers under the bed. Mostly because it was really annoying to deal with opening and closing the drawers with the bedding and bed skirt. I ended up just tucking the bed skirt up under the bed so it would stop getting in my way.

The bathroom in our room was fine. It had a bit of a smell to it, and our stateroom attendant did his best to pour some bleach down the floor drain to get rid of it, but I think that was just our bad luck. My parents were next door and they had absolutely no smell.

The layout of the bathroom was good, with some counterspace, a cabinet, and under the sink storage. Unfortunately the tub did have a shower curtain (as opposed to a door) and the finishes in the bathroom, a drab taupe color, felt dated. But overall the bathroom was fine.

Honestly, I guess I thought I liked our stateroom more than I did. But writing this review, I’m realizing that I did have quite a few annoyances about the room. My complaints weren’t big enough to really impact our cruise experience, but overall the stateroom was just mediocre.

Dining on the Westerdam

Dining on the Westerdam was really a mixed bag. So let’s get into it!

Main Dining Room

The Holland America Westerdam main dining room features a colorful ceiling installation of red, orange, yellow and purple glass flowers. Large floral arrangements decorate the elegant dining area with white tablecloths, gold railings and passengers seated at tables.
Despite the Main Dining Room looking a little…gaudy in the pictures, I actually thought it was really pretty in real life!

The Main Dining Room is where most people eat most of their dinners. And you can also have breakfast here.

Our experiences in the Main Dining Room were really hit or miss. Some of the dishes we had for dinner were really really good. Some things I thought were really really bad (like the mushroom soup I got one night). And overall the desserts were made were pretty clear shortcuts.

A plate of creamy linguine pasta topped with pieces of seafood, grated cheese and fresh herbs served aboard the Holland America Westerdam cruise ship. A slice of toasted garlic bread rests alongside the pasta on a large white plate in the dining room.
This salmon pasta was one of the better dishes I had in the Main Dining Room, and it still wasn’t that impressive.
A chocolate tart served aboard the Holland America Westerdam cruise ship featuring a dark chocolate crust filled with creamy chocolate and topped with toasted meringue, chopped nuts and small red garnishes. The dessert is presented on a large white plate with a dusting of cocoa powder.
This chocolate tart in the MDR was fine, but it really just felt like chocolate pudding put into a store-bought chocolate shell.

I did have a fresh omelet with some really delicious potatoes for breakfast one morning. But my dad also ordered a “fresh” waffle for breakfast one morning and it came out still half frozen.

So to be honest, I was not especially impressed with the Main Dining Room on the Westerdam.

Lido Market Buffet

Breakfast buffet aboard the Holland America Westerdam cruise ship featuring trays of golden croissants, assorted pastries, muffins, bread rolls and sliced sweet breads. The baked goods are arranged on tiered displays with serving tongs and stacks of white plates on either side.
I’ll always gravitate towards the pastries on a cruise. The ones here were just okay.

Likewise, the Lido Market Buffet wasn’t anything to write home about. But write about it I must.

I have heard so many people rave about the sticky buns for breakfast here, but every time I got one it was dry or stale. I did enjoy the omelets and potatoes for breakfast, as well as some of their other pastries.

The same could be said for lunch: honestly, there were no dishes that really stood out to me.

My favorite thing about the Lido Market? They had hard-scooped ice cream and cookies offered for most of the day! I really loved this, especially being able to go in and just get some ice cream and bring it out by the pool! And I’m so glad it was hard-scoop as opposed to soft-serve!

Dive-In Burgers

Here’s where the tides start to turn for Holland America food. Dive-In is the restaurant on the Lido Pool Deck and I LOVED it.

They serve burgers and hot dogs and French fries, the quality here is fantastic!

The burgers are fresh and tasty and the fries here are SO good! Honestly, if I didn’t feel like I needed more variety in my diet, I would have chosen to eat here over the buffet every time.

Everything we tried here was outstanding.

Specialty Restaurants

Another great thing about the Westerdam: the specialty dining restaurants! These are an extra cost, but I think it’s really pretty reasonable for what you get!

I ate at both Caneletto and Pinnacle Grill, and both were absolutely fantastic

Caneletto is an Italian restaurant located just in one section of the Lido Market Buffet, and it’s the least expensive of the specialty restaurants.

A breaded chicken entree topped with melted cheese, tomato sauce and fresh herbs served aboard the Holland America Westerdam cruise ship. The dish is presented on a rectangular white plate with green beans and two golden breaded side dishes topped with grated cheese.
This is the INCREDIBLE chicken I had at Caneletto!

I had the Herb & Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breast, which I did not expect was going to have tomato on it. I am not a fan of tomato. But I ate it anyway and it was SO good. The chicken was crispy but juicy and just perfect.

And then dessert? Oh my goodness. The Chocolate Hazelnut Tart I had here was probably my favorite dessert of the week.

We also had dinner at Pinnacle Grill, which is a steakhouse on board.

Take my advice here: pay the extra for a Waygu steak. I didn’t, but Gerrit did. And even though my steak was really good, I was really jealous of Gerrit’s steak.

Again, everything here was stellar. Zero complaints. Completely amazed with the food quality.

A chocolate souffle dusted with powdered sugar served in a white ramekin aboard the Holland America Westerdam cruise ship. The dessert is accompanied by a small bowl of creamy sauce, whipped cream, fresh berries and two pink macarons on a raised silver stand in the background.
Apparently I was too excited about my steak at Pinnacle Grill to take any pictures, but this chocolate souffle dessert was excellent!

Gerrit and my dad also ate at the Morimoto Pop-Up, which takes place just one night, and they could not stop talking about how good it was.

There is also an Alaskan Seafood Boil that takes over the buffet one night. We didn’t go to this, but I know it’s really popular!

So, when it comes to dining on the the Westerdam, I definitely recommend booking the specialty dining restaurants. They were SO much better than the Main Dining Room!

On-Board Activities

Pools and Outdoor Spaces

The indoor Lido pool area aboard the Holland America Westerdam cruise ship features a large swimming pool with a dolphin sculpture fountain beneath a retractable glass roof. Striped chairs and round dining tables surround the pool with lounge chairs and hot tubs nearby.
The Lido Deck Pool that can be indoors or outdoors with the retractable roof!

One thing I loved about the Westerdam was the pool deck! There are two pools: the Lido Deck Pool and the Aft Deck Pool (aka the Sea View Pool).

The Lido Deck pool is covered with a retractable roof, which was amazing since we were sailing in Alaska. It was so great to still be able to swim (especially when you’re traveling with kids) even when the weather is cold.

But we also enjoyed the Aft Deck Pool! It was heated, and some days it was warm enough that you could swim in it. It was the perfect spot to hang out and watch the glaciers on sunny days!

The outdoor swimming pool aboard the Holland America Westerdam cruise ship with bright blue water and an orange deck surrounded by railings. A dramatic snow capped mountain covered in evergreen trees rises behind the ship as it cruises through Alaska.
Aft Deck Sea View Pool. I mean, can you imagine swimming with these views?!

Both pool decks also have hot tubs next to the pools. And the hot tubs are open later than the pools, so I enjoyed a couple late night soaks before bed which I really loved.

Activities

There were also a lot of activities going on during our cruise! I was a little worried traveling with our tween daughter if there would be enough activities for her since she wasn’t really interested in going to the kids club.

But there were several activities she loved, including the watercolor classes and karaoke.

Pro tip: Get to the watercolor classes at least 30 minutes early! They fill up FAST!

There were also lots of other activities going on during the cruise too like trivia, games, and dance classes. And on our Glacier Bay Day they had a “Polar Plunge” in the Aft Deck Pool.

And all that’s just the organized activities. They also have games you can play in the Crow’s Nest (a huge and beautiful observation area at the top of the ship). And there is also a casino and lots of music venues!

Spa and Fitness Center

There is a spa and a fitness center on board the Westerdam too. While I didn’t use the spa, it did look really lovely. And sometimes you can see into the Hydropool room, which is part of the thermal suite, (there is a window from the Lido Deck but sometimes it’s blocked off) and I definitely thought about buying a pass to it.

I did use the gym though! And I thought it was great! They have treadmills and other machines looking out over the water, plenty of weights and machines, and a space for yoga and stretching. The gym was pretty busy, especially on our sea days, but I still felt like I had plenty of space to do what I wanted to.

Other On-Board Amenities

The library aboard the Holland America Westerdam cruise ship features illuminated bookshelves filled with fiction and nonfiction titles including Agatha Christie mysteries. Light wood paneling and patterned carpeting create a cozy reading space with large windows overlooking the water.
I loved that there was a library on board!

There are also other on-board amenities if you’re looking for them:

  • Library (no surprise, this was one of my favorite spots on the ship!)
  • Spots Deck
  • Kid’s Club (only open limited hours in the morning and evening)
  • On-Board Laundry Service
  • Room Service

Entertainment and Nightlife on the Westerdam

The Rolling Stone Lounge aboard the Holland America Westerdam cruise ship features a stage with bright red curtains and rows of cushioned seating arranged around a wooden dance floor. Curved black ceilings with recessed lighting and large Rolling Stone lettering on the wall create a stylish live music venue.
Rolling Stone Lounge is one of the popular places for music on board. We also did karaoke here!

Entertainment and Nightlife on the Westerdam is a bigger deal than I thought it would be, especially considering that we were on an Alaskan Cruise is a largely older clientele.

Most nights had a stage show at World Stage (the main theater), and they were excellent! The singers and dancers on board were incredibly talented.

And while a few of the shows were definitely geared toward the older audience of the ship, there were shows even my tween daughter loved like the Broadway Hits Show.

The other big thing on Holland America is the Orange Party. This takes place on every Holland America Ship (since orange is the color of The Netherlands) and people GET INTO IT.

There is music and dancing and people dress up. Considering that I think the average age of our cruise might about been somewhere in the mid-70s, I was impressed with how energetic the dance floor was!

There are also lots of other bars and music venues on the ship, like Rolling Stone Lounge, the Piano Bar, and Explorer’s Lounge. So you can always find music and drinks to enjoy at night!

Service & Crew on the Westerdam

One thing I have zero complaints about when it comes to the Westerdam is the service. Every crew member we encountered was so friendly and so helpful!

Our stateroom attendant was one of the best stateroom hosts we’ve ever had on any cruise we’ve been on. He was always so friendly, cleaned our room so nicely, and answered all our questions and met any requests we had (nothing big, but things like extra laundry bags showed up quickly).

In the Main Dining Room, our serving staff was the same each night and they were fantastic as well.

In generally every single person we met on the cruise made us feel so at home. And considering they greet a new group of people week after week, it’s an impressive accomplishment.

So all gold stars for the Westerdam and their level of service!

What I Loved About the Holland America Westerdam

So let’s talk about the good and bad of the Westerdam!

There were definitely some things I loved. Here were my favorite things:

  • The Lido Pool Deck and the fact that a retractable roof meant that we could swim in Alaska.
  • The super friendly crew on the ship!
  • Dive-In Burger Bar and the specialty restaurants.
  • Hard-scoop ice cream in the buffet!
  • The super talented singers and performers in the World Stage shows.

What Could Be Better on the Westerdam

There were definitely some things that I thought could be better on the Westerdam though:

  • The Main Dining Room. It just needs some improvement with some of the dishes.
  • The Lido Deck Buffet. Everything I had here was just average.
  • The dated rooms could use a bit of a refresh.
The outdoor deck aboard the Holland America Westerdam cruise ship features a swimming pool, lounge seating and passengers enjoying views of snow capped mountains in Alaska. The ship rises above the deck with its large blue funnel and sports court netting visible against a clear blue sky.
Standing on the Aft Deck you can see the sports deck up above.

Is the Holland America Westerdam Worth It?

So, is it worth it to sail on the Holland America Westerdam? Honestly, I think it probably is! Booking this ship was cheaper than some of the other options since it is older, and I still thought the ship was great despite it’s age.

We particularly chose this ship because we wanted the Alaska itinerary they were sailing (which included Glacier Bay National Park) and the price felt more reasonable for us compared to some of the other options.

And I would honestly choose this same ship and trip if I was making this decision over again! While everything wasn’t perfect, we had a great time on this ship and thought the trip was well worth it!

However, if I was booking a NEW trip, I would probably choose a different ship, because next time I would want a different experience.

I still loved our time on the Westerdam though, especially because we were in incredible Alaska!

What’s Next?

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A Holland America Westerdam review graphic featuring the large cruise ship docked at port above a photo of its indoor pool area with a dolphin sculpture, lounge chairs, and dining tables. Text reads "Holland America Westerdam Review" and "FlyingOffTheBookshelf.com".

Erin Burke is a travel writer and the founder of Flying Off the Bookshelf. She has been blogging for over 14 years, has visited countries and cities all over the world, and loves to share detailed-itineraries and travel tips to help readers have the best travel experiences possible. She lives in Huntsville, Alabama, is a Visit North Alabama Ambassador, and her features include NPR, MSN, Modern Mrs. Darcy, and more.