Tracy IsemingerA few weeks back, I was invited to board the Westerdam Cruise Ship for the kickoff celebration of the Alaska cruising season from Seattle with Holland America. I had never been on a cruise ship before so I was super excited to get on and take a tour and find out more about what makes Holland America so special.
We made it through the check in and security and were led to check out the B.B. King Blues Club to start the day sampling signature cocktails, meats and cheeses while listening to the band play. They had me hooked, the band was amazing!
Next we set off to tour the enormous vessel, checking out a few of the rooms, spa, lounges, casino, pool and more. I’d have to say my very favorite spot was the library filled with books and computers (of course I need my technology even if I’m on a cruise ship!) It was so quite with large windows that surely would offer amazing views.
Now for the food. Wow… the FOOD! The buffet area had just about everything you could ever want and it all looked and smelled wonderful. For an extra special touch, I loved the carved watermelons!
While enjoying our sit down lunch at one of the formal dining areas (reservations are recommended for sit down dinners), my pal and I had the pleasure of sitting with the guy who is “in the know” about the behind the scenes at Holland America and learned SO much I never even thought about when it comes to cruising. I wish I remembered his name, but seriously, part of his job is cruising and evaluating it from both the perspective of back stage details to the customer experience. (btw Holland America… I want his job when he retires!)
He shared with us that the food is not the same on each cruise. The chefs will actually go out at ports and inspect the food and create special menus based on fresh local ingredients that reflect the area you are in. My guess is if you head up to Alaska, you are in for some crazy good seafood treats!
He interviews employees and passengers to get feedback to improve future cruises. I really appreciated the chance to sit down and chat and find out that all those little details really do matter and all are taken into consideration in order to make your trip extraordinary.
I’d have to say, after our tour, I’m definitely ready to head out cruising and Alaska is certainly on the agenda. I MUST get the FULL experience now!
Check out all our pic from Social Media Day using the #HALaboard
