The service and food on the Westerdam was exceptional. Definitely a 5 star cruise. We had 4 people to a dinner table. Each table had 2 servers and a wine steward. You couldn't hardly put your empty drink down before it was whisked away and filled.
John we were with the Westerdam in all but one port. We met a couple that was on it when we were on the whale watching cruise and ended up on the same excursion in Ketchican and sat with them again
Yes they have to stay a certain distance away but I an not sure how far it was. They company we went with for the tour has a naturalist on board the boat. He was very knowledgable and he could even point out different whales by their unique markings and tell you a little about their history. Of course he could have been feeding us a line of BS tooDid they have to stay a certain distance away from the whales?