Rotterdam

Southern Caribbean Cruise on Rotterdam is the Best

Excellent choice for adult age group. Very few children on board. Clean modern ship. Dining quality was excellent. Lots of activities everyday. Veranda cabin on 8th fl. was typical cruise room but bathroom shower was larger than most. Service excellent . Casino was smoky. Entertainment was 5 out of 10. Nothing exciting..Lacks production. Jeff Niece comedian and Island Magic Pan musicians were excellent though. The Bb king blues club lounge entertainment was very good. Billboard Onboard Dueling pianos bar was very nice. Complimentary 24-hour room service Was very good. TV with On Demand movies Included. Itinerary for our sailing was the best I’ve sailed. Bonaire, 2 days in Aruba! And Half Moon Cay which is the most stunning private beach island stop with BBQ included. Must see powder fine white sand beach..swim and snorkel in crystal clear water. Had facial in Spa..was good. *Beware of atypical fee for bringing on wine. $20 per bottle they call it a corkage fee. NOT NICE! Also no plastic water bottles or soda can be brought on board.

Love The Rotterdam and Club Orange

We last cruised Holland 13 years ago and "promised "ourselves never again.So much for that promise.This cruise was wonderful.our cabin was a veranda and really nice.We splurged and bought Club Orange and were we happy with that decision.The only negative,170 people got norovirus.We thank God did not.The ship was so clean and every day ,all day it was cleaned.The staff in Club Orange especially Made,Monica,Yudi and Buda were wonderful.Remembered our names and our dietary likes and dislikes.The entertainment was different for us but we enjoyed.There were no big production numbers but several goof comedy acts and lounges with excellent music .Also movies with popcorn.We saw Conclave which is up for rewards this year.Getting on and off ship was easy with Club Orange help.It was expensive but so worth the cost.The specialty restaurants were good but so was the Lido and Dinning room which were included.No children on this cruise ,well one infant.

Rotterdam excellent ship, staff, food and music.

Excellent Cruise. We had mid ship balcony cabin on deck 5. Our cabin attendant was a 30 year employee of HAL, and everything was absolutely perfect. We did the optional Club Orange package and loved the extra attention, and the service and food in the Club Orange Restaurant. Edgar (maitre d Club Orange, all around easy going always a smile, professional) made sure we were pampered in Club Orange, and practically everywhere on the ship. Can't say enough about the ship, staff, food and music entertainment. Loved BB King Blues club and were there every night. Awesome band in BB King, especially Dante with the red sax, lead singers, drums, bass, horn, keyboards, lead guitar, they all had it together. Keep the BB King Club on the HAL ships. Sorry to see the association with Lincoln Center has diminished. Would love to see Lincoln Center productions more prominently scheduled on future cruises.

A solo take on the Rotterdam of HAL

The Rotterdam is the flagship of the Holland America Line and it lives up to its promise. It is a smaller ship by current standards with about 2600 guest capacity. Full disclosure , I am over 60 and I almost always sail Solo. I do not enjoy party ships or huge mega ships. I enjoy the relaxation and freedom to make new acquaintances (or not) on a ship that I can easily find my way around. HAL has always felt safe and relaxed for my “solo getaway.” I have sailed HAL many times and enjoy the experience of being in the company of a mix of interesting clientele. Frankly HAL caters to people over 55. It has a club access for youth but it has a definite sedate vibe, and a nod to old world refinement and optional tradition without feeling stuffy. For dressy days you can wear sequins or dress down for the Lido buffet. I chose fixed seating for late dinner and never regretted the choice. Meals were well presented, and well prepared, well seasoned and served warm. For a special dinner event I would recommend the Tamarind Asia restaurant (up charge well worth it) and Nami Sushi if you like Japanese. The sushi chef, PeeJay, will make hand rolls to order for you and was fun to chat with. The Pinnacle Grill is the steak and lobster place, but has expanded its menu to other fish and upscale continental dishes. My stateroom: I had an interior room which was adequate for me. I recommend it if you’re a solo, and then reserve (if available) a cabana in the retreat for the entire cruise. It’s far more comfortable (to me) and more cost effective than a verandah for a solo, and you get the added benefit of a quiet retreat without hassling over a lounge at the Lido pool. The shows were fair to very good. I enjoyed BB King the most. The piano bar was quite good with a penchant for playing old 50s- 80’s standards. The Rolling Stone Room was classic rock with very good guitar, though the singing was a little bit tonal. I studied music and play so admit I might be a little biased. Both sides of the Lido buffet serve identical stations of food so don’t worry about missing something. During one evening in the Lido a seafood boil is served by reservation only (up charge). The pot of shellfish and mussels and fish served to you is huge! Beware! This was a nine day cruise. The ports of call were as expected and the excursion I took to a smaller island beach getaway was as expected and relaxing. I also spent time in the SPA and had acupuncture for a bad aching knee. I am still amazed at the immediate benefit from the professional procedure. Scheduling was much easier if arranged prior to sailing. Overall, I will say this was amongst the best cruising experiences on HAL. The Hotel Manager, Errol Nelson, also went out of his way to make sure the small 1 hour Cruise Critic Mingle I hosted came off without a hitch. Prost!!! Thank you, Errol! MS Rotterdam is lovely and well managed. It is down to earth luxury for those who enjoy a more sedate journey. I would be delighted to take another cruise upon it without any reservations.