Rotterdam Transatlantic Review

[u4ea]

Hello all, I recently had a fantastic transatlantic cruise on the Rotterdam Nov 3-19. Since it was the typical HAL cruise (of the over two week variety) that so many of you are familiar with, I though I would share some of what I thought were interesting observations and occurrences that I recall.

Me: 41, single, traveling solo, and slightly demented. ;)

Embarkation in Lisbon: Was quick and easy, arrived at 11:30 am, less than 30 minutes and I was boarding.

Cabin: Inside, first cabin in the bow on main deck. Quiet location, except for bow thrusters. Clean and comfortable, steward was great as usual. Some mildew in the caulk and grout in the bathroom, didn’t bother me, it might bother others. Love the bedding.

Weather: Excellent, generally highs in the mid 70s. Crossing was generally smooth, stabilizers not used as the Rotterdam has a gentile roll (mentioned by the Captain in the Q&A session). One night a little bumpy.

Ports: Loved Funchal, Madeira and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. All another subject.

Ok, now to some of the interesting observations and occurrences:
The night before we called at Aricefe, Lanzorete there was a “bright star” page to a cabin down the hall from me. The male passenger died of a heart attack, his wife disembarked the next day. Sad, but not a bad way to go, while on a cruise.
There were vandal(s) aboard, someone was damaging the elevator panels, the brass panels where the buttons are inside the elevators. Something sharp was used to scratch “X” and “Z” into the brass. Every elevator had been hit by the end of the cruise. It was mentioned by the Captain in one of the daily announcements, but no one was caught. (where’s a copper when you need one?) Seems everyone was talking about it. Speculation included kids, or disgruntled crew.
Well, that’s the main gossip stuff. I don’t participate in many activities. We had a great CC meet and greet, and dinner with 8 of us the first night. It was great. There was a second M+G, but I slept through it. :o
Something new happened too, it seems HAL is stepping up it’s PR. I casually meet the Hotel Manager’s wife, later, she invited me for a drink. She called my room and left messages, I went to the Crow’s nest, she was hosting a small party, and HAL was buying. That was new to me. HAL also bought wine for our table one night, and one night the future cruise consultant joined us, and bought the wine (HAL). Pretty cool. :cool:

Dinning: I was bumped to AYWD, first day I went to the DR manager and asked if there was a spot for me in 8pm fixed. Wound up at a table with 4. A very nice Dutch couple, and a fellow solo cruiser. Food and service were excellent. I just wish I could have been at a bigger table. Beggars can’t be choosers, and that’s a real drag. I wrote on my comment card how getting the dinning type that I like is now gone since AYWD. Oh well, everything was still great. Did the Lido for breakfast and lunch. It was excellent. Juice was NOT available after breakfast in the Lido like on the Vista ships (from the ice cream man). Also, they still need a better system for getting your toast at breakfast.

Niggly Little Annoyances: There where lots of them, but I don’t let it bother me. Some others were bothered. IMO, they should go on the luxury cruise lines.

Ship: In excellent shape. Beautiful artwork. There where plumbing problems. Noticed leaks and work being done on decks 7 and 8. There was lots of talk about the refit next year. I was told the guest compliment was about 950. A lot of Europeans and Canadians, hardly any children. There were empty cabins, and some switching. A group of reps from Seattle joined the transatlantic portion (refit prep). But the ship was VERY un-crowded, and that was great.

Entertainment: Didn’t go to much, but what I saw was enjoyable.

Disembarking: Very depressing. Took the HAL bus to FLL airport for $14.

Captain: Rik Krombeen
Hotel Manager: Bert van Macelenbergh
Cruise Director: Susan Wood

It was a great cruise, and I’m planning a similar one next year. Not much post cruise depression, maybe because I’m thinking of doing a short, last minute, Caribbean one this winter. Ah, “be careful what you set your heart upon, for it will surely be yours”.;)
I’ll try to answer any questions, and I hope you liked my review.:)
Mark…

[johnlcruise]

Nice review. thanks for taking the time to post.
One of these days I hope to do a Transatlantic cruise.

[DFD1]

Yes. I liked your review mucho! Nice writing style. Sounds like a pretty ideal cruise. Thanks for sharing it.

[CJcruzer]

Hi Mark! Glad to hear you enjoyed the cruise - John & I really enjoyed it, the Rotterdam is a beautiful ship ---- nice to have met you and the others on the CC board - Nancy did a fabulous job organizing us.

[mountainmare]

Thank you for your review.
We are on the March TA on the Oosterdam. Could you answer some questions for me?
What type of activities were available? For example on a Panama canal cruise we had the Oosterdam Olympics--a cruise long competition. was there anything like that?
I know the spa areas on the Vista ships are different from the Rotterdam (my very best favorite ship) but was there a cruise-long hydro pool package, if so about how much was it?
Could you tell me a little about what you did in Funchal?
Did you stay pre-cruise in Lisbon? If so what did you do?
This will be our first transatlantic--thank you again for your review.

[CJcruzer]

I'll answer the spa pkg. question since I did buy one...for the 15 days it was $150 per person for the thermal suite, $250 per couple....The thermal suite and hydropool is all in one room - there were 5 tile loungers (one was out of service) and a small hyrdrotherapy jacuzzi (mineral salts rather than bromine or chlorine)...the view was fabulous from the front of the ship - also saunas, steam rooms, showers with aromatherapy mists, and there were 3 or 3 wickers chairs facing front. The area was not much utlilized on our itinerary - most of the time I was the only one there when I went...a few times there were 1 or 2 women that I befriended.

Funchal is a beautiful place - I would love to go back to Madeira....as we were there on a Sunday, the market and the majority of stores downtown were not open - I wish we could have spent more time in the downtown area - the Christmas decorations were phenomenal (they were up, and waiting to be lit beginning December....The West coastline and inner Nun's Valley are also quite beautiful, so I've been told...you really can't go wrong with any decision of what to see in Madeira.

We walked to the cable car, went up the mountain and toured the tropical gardens, then did the basket sleigh ride down and walked from there to the ship -- HOWEVER, I would advise to grab a taxi back to the ship or downtown area and it is about a 15 degree incline, and although the distance doesn't seem far (we could see our ship in the distance) - the walk levels, then dips, then levels, and so on - so it is quite a steep and long walk.....I believe it was 25 Euros per cab, so if 2 couples split the ride it really is not that expensive. You can ask to be let off in the downtown area if you do not want to go back to the ship.

I will post about our 3 day Lisbon cruise separately. Also I will post a pic of downtown Funchal with the X-mas decorations.

[CJcruzer]

We stayed 3 nights pre-cruise in Lisbon - we were booked at the Hotel Mundial (same place as Mark- u4ea stayed) - however when we arrived to check in, they did not have availability for the first night and were going to put us up at a comparable hotel for one night only, then transfer us back to the Mundial for the next 2 nights --- I asked if we could just have the whole reservation (which had been pre-booked and pre-paid) transferred to the "other" hotel, since we were going on an early moning all-day tour to Sintra the next day - and the logistics of packing/unpacking overnight things along with early morning start did not pay - so we stayed at the Lisboa Plaza for the whole 3 nights. BTW - this hotel is mentioned in Rick Steve's book and if you show the book at the bar, you get a free glass of port wine (also there was a complimentary glass of port wine voucher for each of us upon check-in)... The hotel was well situated, a bit older, but the service and cordiality was wonderful... I was concerned since our pick-up for our pre-booked tour was to be at the Hotel Mundial, and the people at the Plaza kept calling on Saturday night to change and re-confirm pickup at their hotel - 3 different people called or came to tell me or my husband that all was in order for the morning pick-up. They also booked a Fado dinner and show for us and another couple we met staying at the same hotel.

As far as Lisbon, it's a wonderful laid-back European city - do not miss going out to Belem on the electric tram (15E I think) - 3 world Unesco sites are there : Monument to the Discoveries, Belem Tower and Jeronimo's Monastery (Vasco de Gama's tomb is there).. also do not miss the famous Belem pastry shop (blue awnings). We also went to the Coach Museum which is about 1 block down from the pastry shop - FABULOUS!

Second day in Lisbon we took the all day tour to Sintra, Estoril and Caicais (lunch included - WONDERFUL 3 course meal with a wonderful view of Sintra and Pena Palace) - make sure to go to see Pena Palace - some tours go the the National Palace, or to Quelez Palace - but Pena is magical! Pena Palace is closed Mondays and they substitute one of the others - the national park is just beautiful..

Monday we walked Lisbon - St. George's castle, Alfama district, Barrio Alto, and down the pedestrian shopping way. Museums are closed on Monday in Lisbon, but we had already gone to see the sites in Belem on Saturday, arrival day, for that very reason.. We finished off the evening with a Fado dinner and show.

Hope this helps. also attaching a thumbnail pic of Funchal downtown with x-mas decorations.

[longtimecruiser]

Thanks for the nice review. The Rotterdam is my favorite Hal ship and Susan Wood is my favorite CD.

[u4ea]

Thanks Carol, great additional info too.;)
To the activities question, there were lots, especially on sea days. There were sport activities, including men’s and women’s pentathlon (all cruise-long events), golf putting, shuffleboard etc. Lectures, including excellent personal development lectures all cruise.
I stayed one night in Lisbon, had a great time. Cjcruzer’s port descriptions are excellent.
Mark….

[rochelle_s]

Mark,

Thank you for taking the time to write a review. Nice to read you enjoyed your cruise so much and did not let the 'niggly little annoyances' interfere with your enjoyment.

Rochelle

[Chelly]

Wonderful review!! Were there many solo cruisers? I'm planning my first solo transatlantic on next October's Oosterdam TA.

[CJcruzer]

there were a lot of solo cruisers - I think longer cruises and TA's lend themselves well to solo cruising.

[COLLEYBERRY]

Thankyou for taking the time to post .I enjoyed your review very much.
Great attitude,it's no wonder you had a fine time.:) Happy Sailings for your next cruise.
We are taking our first transatlantic Sept, 09, so read your review with great interest . Thanks again.

[Taxguy77]

Carol - No wonder Jim wanted to read, you wore him out in Lisbon.
Mark - Juice was available until the filled glasses ran out on one side or the other of the Lido. Sometimes it was at the end of breakfast, but a couple of times I had juice late in the afternoon. We didn't feel any bumps further back on the same deck (darn it, almost too smooth).
Ship and trip were great.
Roger

[bobpatj]

I wish we were still onboard! It's cold and snowing in Cleveland. :(

[CJcruzer]

Pat - we flew Ft. Lauderdale to Cleveland, and then onto Buffalo - was surprised to see snowin Ohio so soon!! Our drive from Buffalo across the border to Canada had some flurries, but then once home, it snowed the whole night long! Fortunately today was rain so it all washed away...

Roger, hope you had a good trip home - say hi to Chuza! We enjoyed meeting you both - after all that walking in Lisbon, I just had to spend all that time in the thermal suite soothing my aching muscles!! ;)

Now if only someone would bring me bread pudding, oh and don't forget the homemade waffles with fresh berry topping and fresh squeezed OJ and.... darn, will just have to book another HAL cruise.:D

[nancruising]

Carol,

I have the HAL recipe for bread pudding. Maybe you could convince John to make it for you? I will post it if you are interested. It could tide you over until the next cruise.

Nancy

[CJcruzer]

Thanks Nancy = but I have the recipe from HAL years ago, and then I took another recipe this trip - just to be on the safe side!!! Also have HAL's Parmesan crusted Chicken - which we do cook - not always with the dijon topping - but it's still good!!

So what's the next cruise? I'm open for ideas!

[babykins]

Thank you for the info on the Rotterdam. It was very informative.
Carol and Nancy...I would love the recipe for the bread pudding and the crusted chicken. Please post it.
Thank you,
babykins

[babykins]

I forgot to ask about HAL's current soft drink policy. Do they sell a container with coke/diet coke written on it, or do they just put a sticker on your room card?

Thanx for info

[RuthC]

I forgot to ask about HAL's current soft drink policy. Do they sell a container with coke/diet coke written on it, or do they just put a sticker on your room card?
If you purchase a soda card, that's exactly what you get---a separate card, about the size of your cabin card. It has 20 punch out marks---one for each soda purchased with the card.

There was a time a sticker was placed on your cabin card, but that was in the days of unlimited sodas. Those are long gone. :(

[Copper10-8]

...................There were vandal(s) aboard, someone was damaging the elevator panels, the brass panels where the buttons are inside the elevators. Something sharp was used to scratch “X” and “Z” into the brass. Every elevator had been hit by the end of the cruise. It was mentioned by the Captain in one of the daily announcements, but no one was caught. (where’s a copper when you need one?) ................…

I was here; next time, let me know and I'll get on the case!;) (should have put your eye in that elevator!)

Thanks for the time and effort review! Rotterdam is our favorite ship, Susan Wood, one of the best CD's on the seas (heard she's now semi-retired), Madeira is a great island to visit!

[u4ea]

Glad you picked up my “jab” at you. ;)

Speaking of Maderia, I can relate a little story of our sail away. I was on the outside little forward deck on deck 6, (BTW, my favorite spot for sail away, I hope they don’t take that away for more cabins:mad:.) and there were tons of Sunday sailors ahead of us as we left the berth toward open sea. As we proceeded slowly, with the Rotterdam blowing it’s whistle, they all cleared away except one windsurfer. He decided he was going to do a daredevil stunt, and cross our bow at very close range.:eek: The horn continued to be blown, but he paid no mind. So, he wiped out (or likely lost his wind) just after crossing in front of us. From my vantage point, I saw him go in front, but not come out. The Rotterdam missed him by just a few meters. I bet the bridge crew were grinding their teeth.:eek:
Mark….:)

[CJcruzer]

Mark I saw that also!! In fact I saw you with a few people out on deck watching....two of us were in the thermal suite in the hydropool and were watching as this lime green windsurfer kept coming closer, and closer....and we popped out of the pool to sit on the wicker chairs to get a better view, and we were shaking our heads saying, he's gotta see us, he's just gotta see us....and then poof! no lime green windsurfer!!! Much later on, we saw him way back past the wake, he really must have had a close call......I thought for sure he was a goner!

How can you not see a big DAM ship!!! :eek:

[May4]

Yes, yes, I saw that guy. My Sis and I were watching from a verandah, starboard side. We couldn't believe it when the windsurfer decided to go right ahead!

I lost count how many times the captain blew the horn.

[Taxguy77]

Over half the time it was blown during the 15 days!!
Some people are incurably stupid.

[CJcruzer]

I think we all either miss HAL or each other!!! Maybe we need to book another group cruise!! :p

[CJcruzer]

here's the parmesan crusted chicken recipe:

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breast

YIELD: 12 SERVINGS

12 - 6 oz chicken breasts
½ quart Dijon marinade - see recipe below
1 pound Parmesan breading - see recipe below
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper as needed.
2. Dip chicken in Dijon marinade, covering all surfaces, and dredge in Parmesan breading.
3. Place chicken on a baking sheet and bake in a 325°F oven for 30-40 minutes.

DIJON MARINADE

YIELD: 1 QUART

2 cups butter, melted
¼ cup garlic, minced
2 teaspoons thyme, chopped
1 cup Dijon mustard

1. Melt butter over low heat; add garlic and thyme, and simmer for 1 minute.
2. Let cool.
3. Slowly whisk in the mustard until smooth and creamy.

PARMESAN BREADING

2 cups panko breadcrumbs
2 cups Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/6 cup parsley, chopped

1. Combine all ingredients.

DIJON MUSTARD SAUCE

YIELD: 1 QUART

3 cups mayonnaise
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons honey
½ cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Reduce red wine vinegar to 1/5 until almost evaporated.
2. Set aside to cool.
3. Mix remaining ingredients together.
4. Mix in the cooled vinegar.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

NOTE
Japanese bread crumbs, called panko, are coarse in texture and often used for frying because they create a deliciously crunchy crust. Panko is sold in Asian markets and often in the seafood section of large supermarkets. If panko is unavailable, plain dry breadcrumbs may be substituted.
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[CJcruzer]

HAL bread pudding with vanilla sauce

HAL'S BREAD PUDDING

1 qt. milk
10 whole eggs
8 oz. sugar
1 oz. vanilla
4 oz. butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 oz. raisins
White loaf bread

Trim crust from bread, cut into squares.
Mix sugar and eggs
Add the milk, vanilla, and cinnamon
Put the bread into a baking dish, sprinkle w/ raisins
Pour the milk mixture over the bread
Soak for a few minutes
Add some butter pieces
Cover w/ aluminum foil
Bake in a warm water bath for about 30 minutes
Uncover and bake until pudding is 180 degrees and top
is golden brown
Once baked, sprinkle w/ some sugar and cinnamon mixture
Serve warm with hot vanilla sauce

VANILLA SAUCE

1 pint milk
1 pint heavy cream
1 Vanilla bean
4 oz. sugar
9 oz. of egg yolks
4 oz. sugar

Heat milk, heavy cream, vanilla bean, and half the sugar
until it boils
Remove the vanilla bean
Combine egg yolks and the rest of the sugar, temper w/
part of the boiling milk while stirring constantly, then
pour this into the remaining milk and return to heat
Stirring constantly, heat slowly till thick (180 degrees)
Remove from stove and strain

Yield: 3 pints

[nancruising]

I think we all either miss HAL or each other!!! Maybe we need to book another group cruise!! :p


Both I think. Count me in ... where are we going?

[brucory]

here's the parmesan crusted chicken recipe:

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breast

http://www.experience-hollandamerica.com/dining/assets/taste_xml/14.jpg
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Thankyou so much for posting this recipe. This is one of our favourite HAL dishes. Talk about delicious...

:D:D:D

[ninkb]

Count us in on the fun of a reunion cruise. But someone with deep pockets will have to help with the bill . . .

Life at home continues to be busy as we prepare for Christmas, and just try to keep up with activities.

Hello to all of you who ate too much, drank just "a little", and made great friends on this cruise. Hope to see you soon.

:):):) ninkb

[CJcruzer]

Well, while all of you have been busy baking bread pudding and parmesan crusted chicken - I have been busy booking cruises! :D

[ninkb]

. . . if you're paying, that is! We're taking it easy for now. Just made the final payment on our March trip to Israel and still don't know what we're going to do about the Nov. 09 cruise. But we don't want to return to the working world (even if anyone would have us!) so we're trying to remain judicious in spending our cash.

Glad you're able to work out such exciting cruises, Carol!

:):):) ninkb

[hammybee]

There were vandal(s) aboard, someone was damaging the elevator panels, the brass panels where the buttons are inside the elevators. Something sharp was used to scratch “X” and “Z” into the brass. Every elevator had been hit by the end of the cruise. It was mentioned by the Captain in one of the daily announcements, but no one was caught. (where’s a copper when you need one?) Seems everyone was talking about it. Speculation included kids, or disgruntled crew.
Mark…

OMG, Mark, now there are gangs on HAL, marking their territory? ;)

Seriously, thanks for sharing and I am glad you had yourself another good cruise.

[u4ea]

OMG, Mark, now there are gangs on HAL, marking their territory? ;)

Seriously, thanks for sharing and I am glad you had yourself another good cruise.

Thanks hammy, I always enjoy your posts.;)

I think we can finance a reunion cruise by panhandling. :eek:
Can ya help a brother out?

Mark…