Is Rotterdam being refurbished in November?

[mmtwrite]

We are thinking of going on a Rotterdam cruise in December. The deck plans on the Holland America site include an announcement that the plans are effective until November 18.

Does that mean that the size and locations of the staterooms may change?

Thanks for any advice on this!

[IRL_Joanie]

We are thinking of going on a Rotterdam cruise in December. The deck plans on the Holland America site include an announcement that the plans are effective until November 18.

Does that mean that the size and locations of the staterooms may change?

Thanks for any advice on this!

Hi mmtwrite!!

I googled your question and came up with the following (I've enlarged and bolded the font for the ms Rotterdam): http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS196625+01-Jun-2009+PRN20090601
Holland America Line Announces More Details on Its Latest Signature of Excellence...

Mon Jun 1, 2009 4:00pm EDT
Holland America Line Announces More Details on Its Latest Signature of
Excellence Enhancements

Veendam First Ship to Sail with New Look

SEATTLE, June 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Holland America Line has announced further
details on the current Signature of Excellence enhancement program, including
project specifics, timing and the addition of the popular casual Canaletto
Restaurant on all five ships scheduled for upgrades. The premium line also
released that new enhancements will now be completed in two phases during
future drydocks, except on the first two ships in the schedule. This includes
ms Veendam that is currently sailing in Alaska after a 34-day drydock
makeover.

"Veendam looks spectacular," said Richard D. Meadows, CTC, executive vice
president, marketing, sales and guest programs. "The enhancements are going
to impress our guests and engage them in exciting, new ways. This continued
investment reaffirms our commitment to our fleet of mid-sized ships and our
ongoing leadership in the premium category by continually raising the bar in
terms of products and services."

Other ships receiving enhancements include ms Rotterdam, ms Maasdam, ms Ryndam
and ms Statendam.

Latest Signature of Excellence Enhancements to Arrive on Five Ships
Signature of Excellence upgrades begin with new fixtures and soft goods in
staterooms and bathrooms. A new category of stateroom, the Lanai stateroom,
will be added along with several new staterooms on the aft portion of each
ship. Highlights are the resort pool feature called The Retreat, the Showroom
at Sea and the new Mix, three specialty lounges midship. Completing projects
will be the addition of Canaletto, Holland America Line's popular and
complimentary casual Italian restaurant, introduced with ms Eurodam in summer
2008.

Public Spaces Pulse with Latest Innovations
The most visible and engaging alteration will be to the aft portion of the
ships, allowing for a new resort-style pool area on the Lido deck called The
Retreat. With a shallow area where guests may lounge in chairs and dip their
fingers and toes in the water, the new resort-style pool invites guests to
relax while cruising and enjoy a new pool bar, upscale pizzeria called Slice,
and a giant LED screen for evening movies. A new canopy and wind screens will
provide additional covered seating for the Lido Restaurant, too. In the Lido
restaurant, Canaletto comes to life for dinner when a section is transformed
each evening into the specialty restaurant with glass partitions and an
Italian ambiance. Dishes range from putanesca to penne alla vodka. Although
reservations will be encouraged for this casual, complimentary dining venue,
walk-ups will be accepted. Canaletto will be open for dinner from 5:30 p.m.
to 9:30 p.m.

The latest Signature of Excellence plans involve enhancements to several other
public areas. Notably, the Casino and Piano bars will be reconfigured into a
multi-themed area called Mix with three separate bars -- Martinis, Champagne
and Spirits & Ales, serving their namesakes. Next door, the high-energy
casino will be redesigned highlighting the always trendy table and slot games.
The main show lounge will be transformed into the Showroom at Sea with the
ambiance of a glamorous nightclub and a new slate of shows. The ever-popular
Ocean Bar will be refurbished and carpets will be replaced in most public
areas. A Merabella luxury jewelry shop will be added midship.

To complement the new entertainment venues, entertainment and enrichment
programming embraces a new, contemporary look across the fleet. A new
Explorations Team employs cruise staff, each specializing in a particular
area, to educate and entertain guests with an expanded menu of activities
including flower arranging, hands-on cooking, dancing, and working with
digital photos, blogs and movies. Each team consists of a party planner, a
travel guide, dance directors and a "techspert." On longer cruises, a book
club leader joins the team to lead lively group discussions.

Staterooms Receive New Look and New Lanai Category
All staterooms will receive new decor, carpeting and soft goods and bathrooms
will see an "extreme" makeover with new vanities and cabinetry. Plans are for
each ship to have an additional 44 to 46 staterooms, 32 with verandahs and the
remaining will be inside staterooms.

On Statendam-class ships, twelve staterooms near the spa (on Deck 9) also will
have verandahs added, and along with three inside staterooms, become 'spa
staterooms' featuring a variety of enhanced spa amenities. On the Rotterdam,
23 staterooms on Verandah deck will become spa staterooms. New lanai
staterooms will be created by replacing existing stateroom windows (on Lower
Promenade Deck 6) with lanai doors that open directly onto the walk-around
promenade, and adding a few additional staterooms. There will be 38 lanai
staterooms on Veendam and 39 on Rotterdam. Ryndam, Maasdam and Statendam will
receive 38 lanai staterooms during their second phase of drydocks.

Completion in Two Phases
Except for Veendam, completed at end of April 2009, and Rotterdam, to be
completed in December 2009, enhancements will be completed in two phases.
First, in a series of drydocks in 2010 and 2011, Maasdam, Statendam and Ryndam
will receive stateroom upgrades, the addition of Mix, Showroom at Sea,
Canaletto and other public area enhancements. The second series of drydocks
in 2012 and 2013 will add The Retreat and new staterooms on the aft portion of
the ships, as well as forward verandah and spa staterooms.

Renowned for service levels provided by its award-winning staff, the program
will also include significant crew area enhancements including a new fitness
facility, internet centers, staterooms and recreational areas.

Signature of Excellence tops $525 Million
The industry-leading Signature of Excellence initiative announced nearly five
years ago in November 2003 has evolved into an ongoing and comprehensive
review of every aspect of the Holland America Line experience and exceeds a
price tag of $525 million. Signature of Excellence features and amenities are
evident in every aspect of the Holland America Line cruise experience,
offering guests more luxurious accommodations, more enticing destinations,
enhanced dining experiences, more creative activities and even higher levels
of service.

For a cruise brochure or for more information, consult a professional travel
agent, call 1-877-SAIL-HAL (877-724-5425) or visit www.hollandamerica.com.

Find Holland America Line on Twitter, Facebook and the Holland America Blog.
Access all social media outlets via the Online Communities quick link on the
home page at www.hollandamerica.com.

About Holland America Line [a division of Carnival Corporation and plc (NYSE:
CCL and CUK)]
Holland America Line's fleet of 14 ships offers nearly 500 cruises to 320
ports in more than 100 countries, territories or dependencies. Two- to
108-day itineraries visit all seven continents, and highlights include
Antarctica, South America, Australia/New Zealand and Asia voyages; a Grand
World Voyage; and popular sailings to ports in the Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico,
Canada/New England, Europe and Panama Canal. A 15th ship is scheduled to join
the fleet in July 2010.

Fleetwide, the company features Signature of Excellence enhancements, a
commitment totaling more than $525 million, that showcase the Culinary Arts
Center presented by Food & Wine magazine -- a state-of-the-art onboard show
kitchen where more than 60 celebrated guest chefs and culinary experts provide
cooking demonstrations and classes -- Explorations Cafe powered by The New
York Times, teens-only activity areas and all new stateroom amenities
highlighted by flat-panel TVs and plush Euro-top Mariner's Dream Beds.

World's Leading Cruise Lines
The highest-rated premium cruise line in the world, Holland America Line is a
member of the exclusive World's Leading Cruise Lines alliance, which also
includes Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Cunard Line, Seabourn Cruise
Line and Costa Cruises. Sharing a passion to please each guest and a
commitment to quality and value, these lines appeal to a wide range of
lifestyles and budgets. The World's Leading Cruise Lines offer exciting and
enriching cruise vacations to the world's most desirable destinations.

As I found out for someone yestredy who'd had a cabin # change on his ship, which goes into dry dock 4-13 January 2010, YES, the cabin numbers may change BUT not the location of the cabin that you ask for or book, UNLESS you specified you are willing to take an upgrade or accept an upsell.

Hope this helps??

[RuthC]

In a word, yes, the Rotterdam is going in for major reconstruction.
Unless HAL has a major change of heart, there's lots of changes being made to the line's flagship.

She's the only R-class ship with the aft pool on Navigation Deck. That deck will be filled in with cabins, the pool will be removed. The new extended Lido Deck will not have sufficient depth for a pool, so the new "poolette" concept will be installed instead. There will also be a full bar, Slice pizza counter, a movie screen, and a bandstand installed.
On the inside of the ship, the Piano Lounge and Casino Bar areas will be combined in the new Mix lounge area. The Lower Promenade will have the lanai cabins installed.

[Krazy Kruizers]

DO NOT GO BY what is said about the Veendam as she is not in the same class of ship as the Rotterdam.

Thus her cabin numbers and new "poolette" will not be as the Veendam..

Yes there will be cabin number changes.

The Rotteram is a larger ship than the Veendam.

The contracts have been signed -- if HAL backs out now -- BIG penalities!!

So it looks as though it will be a done deal.

[mmtwrite]

Thank you for all your info! Looks as if the R will be better than ever.

[RuthC]

DO NOT GO BY what is said about the Veendam as she is not in the same class of ship as the Rotterdam.

Thus her cabin numbers and new "poolette" will not be as the Veendam..
Why do you think this? The current aft of the Rotterdam is exactly like the Veendam formerly was, and how the other S-class ships are.
If the Rotterdam has the inside cabins installed on Navigation Deck, as the plans call for, there won't be room for a pool on the extended Lido Deck. It's the same reason why the Veendam couldn't have a pool when inside cabins were installed.

How do you think the pool will be, and on what basis do you think this?

[bepsf]

DO NOT GO BY what is said about the Veendam as she is not in the same class of ship as the Rotterdam.

Thus her...
...new "poolette" will not be as the Veendam..

Um - Care to reconsider that statement?
http://book.hollandamerica.com/images/fleet/rt/img_n_deck_09.gifhttp://book.hollandamerica.com/images/fleet/rt/img_l_deck_09.gif
(Rotterdam Revised Deckplans Effective after Dec 16, 2009)

[Himself]

The other three "R" Class ships have normal Aft pools and they are up on the Navigation deck. So why do they have to put a "poolette" on the Rotterdam?

[bepsf]

The other three "R" Class ships have normal Aft pools and they are up on the Navigation deck. So why do they have to put a "poolette" on the Rotterdam?

Don't you know?

The 3 inside cabins that would be lost if they installed a pool tank are gonna be major revenue generating machines!
:rolleyes:

[YXU AC*SE]

To the OP: whether or not you have an opinion about the changes being made to the Rotterdam (as it seems to have attracted the rather vigorous disapproval of the apologia), I would consider in your vacation purchase decision if you will be put off by the potential for ongoing construction work at sea after the drydock is scheduled to be completed. That was an issue for the Veendam when she had a similar refit done earlier this year. Of course the past isn't necessarily the best predictor of the future, but that risk exists.

Scott.