JaniceW
August 1st, 2009, 04:08 PM
My husband and I returned last week from a six day cruise aboard the Rotterdam visiting the ports of Helsingborg, Sweden, Copenhagen and Oslo. We are experienced cruisers and this was my 16th or 17th cruise having previously sailed on RCCL, Celebrity, NCL, & Carnival.
We sailed from Amsterdam and arrived two days early. Having gotten a good price on Hotwire, we stayed at the Amsterdam Hilton. It was a bit outside the city center but near good transportation that got us to the heart of Amsterdam in about 15 minutes.
The day of our cruise we took a train to Rotterdam leaving from Centraal station. From Rotterdam it was either a quick train ride or taxi cab ride to the pier.
EMBARKATION
We arrived at the pier and first we had to check our luggage. This process was fairly quickly although there were no organized lines and no way to stop people from stepping in front of you, to the side of you, etc. and getting ahead of you. At this time our room # was changed and so we had an idea that we had been upgraded. Turns out that we were upgraded to a balcony room. A large upgrade indeed. Made us very happy to say the least.
We then walked into the cruise terminal where we had to wait until our group # was called (we were given a ticket outside) and were processed and allowed on the boat.
I need to say that we are just south of 50 and at least 2/3 of the passengers on board were 10 years older. If you are looking for a party atmosphere, pool games, scavenger hunts, etc., forget it. Holland America seems to be all about a gracious, dignified cruise experience. Don't think that I am being snobby. I am the former winner of 'How much fruit can you stuff in your bathing suit?'(NCL), 'The Not so Newlywed Game'(Celebrity), 'Survivor'(Carnival), and was a judge for 'The Hairiest Chest' contest (Carnival).
Prior to embarkation we had learned that there were only 66 North Americans on board and the rest of the passengers were European, mostly Dutch. Truthfully, we could not have cared less but were a bit surprised. Most of the Dutch passengers had some knowlege of English and were very gracious about making it a point to greet us in English (I don't know how they knew what language I speak but I guess I don't look remotely Dutch and most non-Dutch speakers were English speaking)
THE SHIP
Very clean and well kept. Reminded me a bit of Celebrity ships I have been on. No glitz, fine furnishings and an upscale feel. Very easy to quickly learn your way around the ship.
There were two pools - one for adults only. There was a retractable glass enclosure above the main pool. A few more deck chairs would have been nice. There was a very nice library/internet area and many lounges and clubs. A string trio (or was it a quartet?) played in one of the lounges and an excellent pianist played popular tunes at another lounge. There was a lounge on the top floor as well with its own band but I never made it up to that particular lounge.
ROOMS
My room was a nice size by ship standards and very clean. Linens were of a high quality and bathrobes were provided as well as very nice toiletries. All rooms had a tub and the only sign of age I saw was the grouting by the tub. We did have some plumbing problems at some points during the cruise when our toilet as well as other toilets on our line would not flush.
CREW
Indonesian and Filipino crew, mostly Indonesian. I was a bit surprised at first by the lack of diversity of the crew. I am used to an international crew. Also, there were almost no women servers or room stewards. I most commend these gentlemen. They were the hardest working group of men I have ever seen. Not only did they work so hard but they were very pleasant as well. I have been on cruises where it was obvious that some staff members were not happy with their jobs and no matter how the men on this cruise truly felt, they made sure that the passengers received excellent service and a friendly demeanor. I do think Holland America tried in some small measure to expose the passengers to some Indonesian culture and I am certain the crew appreciates that effort. There was an Indonesian lunch (very good), Indonesian tea, and an Indonesian staff show that I missed but heard was excellent.
FOOD
We ate breakfast at the buffet most days. Freshly prepared eggs, meats, cheeses, rolls, breads, jams, pancakes, fruits, smoked salmon, bacon, ham, eggs benedict, etc. We ate all of lunches at the buffet as well. My only complaint was the limited salad bar. You could have freshly made sandwiches, hot dishes, veggies, soup, fruit, rolls, carvings, pasta, desserts, etc. There was also a choice of ice cream and sorbet. By the pool were hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, tacos, guacamole, chips, etc. We had open seating and you can make reservations up to 48 hrs in advance. If you are willing to eat early or late there was no problem but if you want to eat between the hours of 6PM and 8PM then it is difficult to get a reservation although you can just show up at the dining room between those hours and if you have to wait you are given a beeper. We were willing to eat early. Food and service was good. Yes, sometimes the soup was a tad bit cood or my meat was fatty but it amazes me that the kitchen can push out so many meals for so many people. I wasn’t expecting 5 star food and I was more than satisfied with what I received. We ate at the specialty restaurant one night and my filet mignon was delicious. Top notch. $20 pp extra.
Afternoon tea was served most days. Tea with little sandwiches and desserts were offered.
ENTERTAINMENT
Four show – two nights we were entertained by the Rotterdam Singers and Dancers and the other two nights by a pianist and a singer. Short shows – 45 minutes. Typical cruise fare but entertaining.
I expected HA to be a bit stodgy but I my cruise experience was terrific. We would definitely sail on HA again.
We sailed from Amsterdam and arrived two days early. Having gotten a good price on Hotwire, we stayed at the Amsterdam Hilton. It was a bit outside the city center but near good transportation that got us to the heart of Amsterdam in about 15 minutes.
The day of our cruise we took a train to Rotterdam leaving from Centraal station. From Rotterdam it was either a quick train ride or taxi cab ride to the pier.
EMBARKATION
We arrived at the pier and first we had to check our luggage. This process was fairly quickly although there were no organized lines and no way to stop people from stepping in front of you, to the side of you, etc. and getting ahead of you. At this time our room # was changed and so we had an idea that we had been upgraded. Turns out that we were upgraded to a balcony room. A large upgrade indeed. Made us very happy to say the least.
We then walked into the cruise terminal where we had to wait until our group # was called (we were given a ticket outside) and were processed and allowed on the boat.
I need to say that we are just south of 50 and at least 2/3 of the passengers on board were 10 years older. If you are looking for a party atmosphere, pool games, scavenger hunts, etc., forget it. Holland America seems to be all about a gracious, dignified cruise experience. Don't think that I am being snobby. I am the former winner of 'How much fruit can you stuff in your bathing suit?'(NCL), 'The Not so Newlywed Game'(Celebrity), 'Survivor'(Carnival), and was a judge for 'The Hairiest Chest' contest (Carnival).
Prior to embarkation we had learned that there were only 66 North Americans on board and the rest of the passengers were European, mostly Dutch. Truthfully, we could not have cared less but were a bit surprised. Most of the Dutch passengers had some knowlege of English and were very gracious about making it a point to greet us in English (I don't know how they knew what language I speak but I guess I don't look remotely Dutch and most non-Dutch speakers were English speaking)
THE SHIP
Very clean and well kept. Reminded me a bit of Celebrity ships I have been on. No glitz, fine furnishings and an upscale feel. Very easy to quickly learn your way around the ship.
There were two pools - one for adults only. There was a retractable glass enclosure above the main pool. A few more deck chairs would have been nice. There was a very nice library/internet area and many lounges and clubs. A string trio (or was it a quartet?) played in one of the lounges and an excellent pianist played popular tunes at another lounge. There was a lounge on the top floor as well with its own band but I never made it up to that particular lounge.
ROOMS
My room was a nice size by ship standards and very clean. Linens were of a high quality and bathrobes were provided as well as very nice toiletries. All rooms had a tub and the only sign of age I saw was the grouting by the tub. We did have some plumbing problems at some points during the cruise when our toilet as well as other toilets on our line would not flush.
CREW
Indonesian and Filipino crew, mostly Indonesian. I was a bit surprised at first by the lack of diversity of the crew. I am used to an international crew. Also, there were almost no women servers or room stewards. I most commend these gentlemen. They were the hardest working group of men I have ever seen. Not only did they work so hard but they were very pleasant as well. I have been on cruises where it was obvious that some staff members were not happy with their jobs and no matter how the men on this cruise truly felt, they made sure that the passengers received excellent service and a friendly demeanor. I do think Holland America tried in some small measure to expose the passengers to some Indonesian culture and I am certain the crew appreciates that effort. There was an Indonesian lunch (very good), Indonesian tea, and an Indonesian staff show that I missed but heard was excellent.
FOOD
We ate breakfast at the buffet most days. Freshly prepared eggs, meats, cheeses, rolls, breads, jams, pancakes, fruits, smoked salmon, bacon, ham, eggs benedict, etc. We ate all of lunches at the buffet as well. My only complaint was the limited salad bar. You could have freshly made sandwiches, hot dishes, veggies, soup, fruit, rolls, carvings, pasta, desserts, etc. There was also a choice of ice cream and sorbet. By the pool were hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, tacos, guacamole, chips, etc. We had open seating and you can make reservations up to 48 hrs in advance. If you are willing to eat early or late there was no problem but if you want to eat between the hours of 6PM and 8PM then it is difficult to get a reservation although you can just show up at the dining room between those hours and if you have to wait you are given a beeper. We were willing to eat early. Food and service was good. Yes, sometimes the soup was a tad bit cood or my meat was fatty but it amazes me that the kitchen can push out so many meals for so many people. I wasn’t expecting 5 star food and I was more than satisfied with what I received. We ate at the specialty restaurant one night and my filet mignon was delicious. Top notch. $20 pp extra.
Afternoon tea was served most days. Tea with little sandwiches and desserts were offered.
ENTERTAINMENT
Four show – two nights we were entertained by the Rotterdam Singers and Dancers and the other two nights by a pianist and a singer. Short shows – 45 minutes. Typical cruise fare but entertaining.
I expected HA to be a bit stodgy but I my cruise experience was terrific. We would definitely sail on HA again.