Holland America Line Rotterdam Cruise Reviews 2023 UPDATED: Ratings of Holland America Line Cruises from Rotterdam
Table Of Content
Or you can plonk yourself down on wooden bar stools in the breezy Lobster Shack to chow down on fresh grilled lobster (extra charge). As for the Rotterdam and Nieuw Statendam, after summering in Europe, the ships return to their Fort Lauderdale home port in November for a winter season of Caribbean cruises. Positioned at the front of the ship, it’s surrounded by forward-view windows, meaning you have ocean views while burning calories on the elliptical or treadmill.
Sports deck
Personalize your cruise experience once you’re on the ship with our free mobile-friendly tool. Plan your daily activities, browse and purchase shore excursions, view restaurant menus, make dining reservations, check your account balance and more. While you have to pay a surcharge to eat at these, you only have to check out reviews of Holland America Rotterdam dining to see it’s worth forking out extra for the specialty dining experiences. Our Rotterdam traveling companions (who’ve cruised on NCL, Princess, Celebrity and other lines) also remarked many times how really good the food was – especially in the ship’s specialty restaurants.
Southern Caribbean
You can get everything from made-to-order eggs for breakfast to sandwiches, salads, Indian curries and warm bread pudding with vanilla sauce (a crowd favorite) for lunch. Our first couple of nights, we cooled our heels for 30 minutes each time. It’s an elegant space to dine in – think white table cloths and blue-and-white Delft china.
Search underway for missing crew overboard from Holland America's cruise ship MS Rotterdam
Forty cabins across several categories, including suites, are tailored for accessibility. Of those 40, 13 are ambulatory accessible for passengers who use canes or walkers. The rest are fully accessible for cruisers with wheelchairs or scooters; they are equipped with roll-in showers and other accommodations. Most evenings, “smart casual” wear is expected—shorts, pool wear, distressed jeans and tank tops are not allowed at night. Typically, two Gala Nights are designated for every seven days at sea, and cruisers are encouraged to dress to impress. Jacket and tie are not required for men (some tradition bound guests will be wearing them), but otherwise, collared shirts and slacks for gents, and elegant dresses, skirts or slacks for women are fine.
Gershwin Deck
For those who like even more space there are also Signature and Neptune Suites. I especially liked the Neptune Suite which had an enormous balcony, complete with outdoor dining furniture and sun loungers. The public areas on Rotterdam are chic, yet subtly evoke the Dutch heritage of the cruise line. As you’ll see in this Rotterdam review, there is also bold design and eye-catching artwork at every turn. The ship’s public areas are infused with abundant light through full length windows and boast quality furnishings and fittings that are inviting, practical and comfortable, without being overtly edgy or pretentious. Fresh flowers and a $4.1 million art collection that is a festive and eclectic combination of musical, natural and architectural elements add warmth and color to the ship’s soothing, mid-toned backdrops.
Join a pickleball tournament at sea and put your dink shot to the test. Learn the basics at complimentary beginner’s lessons, starting in spring 2023. Commemorative starter kits will soon be available in our retail shops — purchase as gifts for avid players or as souvenirs, so that you can always look back on your pickleball cruise memories. Cruise entertainment is usually scattered about in different bars and music venues (and on different decks) on most cruise ships. A relaxing sea day en-route to Half Moon Cay (more on that in another dispatch) provided ample time to use the ship's Thermal Suite in the Greenhouse Spa on Deck 9 forward. For $129 for a single pass for the five-day voyage, passengers are entitled to use the large hydrotherapy pool, expanded thermal suite with heated loungers, steam and sauna rooms, aromatic showers, and relaxation room.
Each session includes a sampling of 5 red wines (single-vineyard) later combined with different vintages into a personal blend. After the event, you can bottle and take your newly created wine and consume it at the ship’s restaurants or in the stateroom. At the BLEND room all guests are allowed to see the wines offered in the Pinnacle Grill and Sel de Mer, and also to choose their vintage from the impressive selection of premium wines. Four distinct color schemes identify the spa, suite, verandah, oceanview and inside categories.
Find Holland America Rotterdam Cruises to the Caribbean (with Prices) - Cruise Critic
Find Holland America Rotterdam Cruises to the Caribbean (with Prices).
Posted: Thu, 26 Oct 2023 09:40:49 GMT [source]
cruise ships to visit Port Dover (England UK) for the first time in 2023
Conclude your dinner with a classic dessert and fine French cheeses. The ultimate steakhouse at sea, with an exceptional menu of Prime steaks, seafood and wine. From rock and pop to country and beyond, we provide the perfect playlist live, each and every cruise. Sing along, test your music trivia skills or just sit back and enjoy as the hits fill the room each night. Sing along, test your music trivia knowledge, or sit back and enjoy as chart-topping hits fill the room each night.
Hour Room Service
We noticed several people on our Rotterdam cruise taking photos of the art pieces on their phones; one woman told us she was “in love with” the art. There’s also an eye-catching work of art titled “Billie Holiday,” created from three miles of thread. The music theme is continued in the Rotterdam’s contemporary art collection. A live band here kicks out smash hits that get everyone rockin’ and rollin’ like it was the 70s again. Most are from the United States, but some are from Hong Kong, Europe and other places around the world, with varying musical backgrounds, including Masters of Music degrees. HAL has partnered with NYC’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts to feature music virtuosos perform in a series of concerts.
My haunt, the Explorations Cafe, is the ship's second specialty coffee bar, with panoramic views from the top of the ship in lieu of herring. Many of the crew members have been with Holland America for decades. The ship's diverse musical offerings are part of what Holland America calls its "Music Walk" and indeed, these spaces -- all of which occupy most of Deck 2 forward -- draw the biggest crowds in the post-dinner hours. Taking the place of the Microsoft Studio found aboard sister-ships Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam, a handful of seating areas offer passenger the ability to read within the Library itself. Books have four or five copies apiece; bestsellers are well-represented, but the Library also offers destination-specific tiles, poetry, non-fiction, and even Young Adult titles.
Cruisers on Rotterdam are predominantly adult—mostly aged 50 or up, but children are found on some itineraries, especially around school holidays and often as part of multi-generational family groups. Areas set aside for kids, Club HAL for children ages three to 12 and The Loft for teens, and age-specific activities might include painting, story-time, Xbox tournaments, relay races, mocktail parties, and karaoke contests. The staff for these facilities is adjusted based on the number of kids booked on each itinerary, but families with young children may want to pack plenty of entertainment options. The seductive Greenhouse Spa is located on Deck 9 forward and a wide variety of treatments are available, at prices comparable to most quality resorts. Treatments are often discounted on port days, and other specials become available as the cruise goes on, particularly for those booking multiple appointments.
The Dining Room is the multi-level main restaurant serving tempting dishes like Tangerine Glazed Duck Breast. Indeed the menu is enticing, but I have to say that on my voyage the food wasn’t always as good as it might have been. Although the ship accommodates all ages, Rotterdam’s guests largely tend to be of the Baby Boomer and early Generation X age groups, averaging between 55 and 65 years.
Comments
Post a Comment