Rotterdam 8/23/09 sailing-The Good/Bad

[MikeJennings]

This is basically a Cliff Notes summary of our recent Vikings & Czars cruise on the Rotterdam. I will try to be brief and to the point so as to not put you to sleep. Everything (for the most part) is subjective. By way of introduction, I am 55 years old, and this was the fourth cruise (first on Holland) for my wife and myself.
EMBARKATION:
The good: Holland representatives seemed to genuinely care, and went out of their way to be helpful with big smiles. Very smooth. Also, the group of older Dutch men singing ship-faring songs on the dock as we sailed away was a great touch!
The bad: Lifeboat drill seemed a bit more disorganized than what we had experienced in the past. But, still OK.
THE SHIP:
The good: We had been used to 3,000+, so the smaller ship took a little getting used to. But after a while, it grew on us and was quite comfortable. Public areas appeared very clean, and in good condition. Very little motion for the most part.
The bad: Certain elevators tended to shake and rattle; we were briefly stuck in one once. Overall, the ship was very nice.
The very bad: The computers are S-L-O-W. But the timers are running fast. Holland America knows and understands quite well our online fix, and profits tremendously from it. Plus, should the computer suddenly and involuntarily shut down on you, (do not be surprised) good luck in trying to convince the little guy in charge that you should be credited all those minutes that their own equipment was malfunctioning!!
THE STAFF AND ENTERTAINMENT:
The good: Overall, the servers and housing staff (primarily Indonesian) appeared to be very friendly, courteous, and efficient. We did not see our cabin steward as much as we had on past cruises, but he seemed to always get the job done. The servers at the Lido buffet (particularly the waffle guy and the ice cream scooper) remembered my preferences after about two days, which was sort of cool. All servers and housing staff get an A from me. Also, I observed that those employees assigned to the Front Desk were very attentive and patient with the passengers.
The bad: For starters, the cruise director was...well, nothing special. Very low key personality to what we had been used to. Maybe by design for the predominant age group. This had no affect on our enjoyment, but it's just something I noticed. Secondly, the host in the piano bar was aptly named Stryker...he would certainly strike or bang on the piano keys just about every song. He did not sing very much (which was a blessing)...now, let me qualify by saying that a lot of folks seemed to enjoy sitting around listening. Yet I noticed that he had a tendency to drift more to the dramatic than to the accurate succession of notes. He said he couldn't read music, and I certainly had no problem believing it. As a result his repertoire appeared somewhat limited. Thirdly, the comedian, Marty Brill...well, he tried hard. Fourthly, see my last comment about the little computer guy.
THE FOOD:
The good: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everything in between. The critics on these boards who complain...what do they not like?? The selection (yes, even on the breakfast buffet) was quite varied. The taste (both dining room and buffet) was very good. Was it the same quality as you'd find in Paris? No, and it was nowhere near the price, either. Do food snobs truly expect that?? Folks, I have eaten in five star restuarants in New York, and a pig roast in Shop Springs, Tennessee, as well as everything in between. I'm telling you, the food on the Rotterdam was very tasty and attractively presented. If anyone on our ship was unhappy, it was not apparent from all the overflowing plates we saw.
The bad: Okay, maybe the vanilla ice cream was a little on the icy side. But that didn't stop me...nor any of those folks in the line behind me.
THE VIBE:
The good: Among the Rotterdam passengers, I felt young again!! Was that a problem?? No. They were there to have a good time, just like me. They were active, friendly and respectful of each other. And very interesting to talk to. And there were no loud kids dominating the scene. Thank you!!!
The bad: Every now and then, a senior passenger meandering in front of you would just, without warning, come to a complete stop. But, hey, that's me in a few years. The Rotterdam passengers, all 1,400, were, by and large, great to travel with.
THE PORTS:
Oslo: Very clean. Vigeland sculptures a must see. Fresh. Brisk. Confident people. Great tram system. Credit cards not as widely accepted as in the other cities.
Arhus: Expected little, but enjoyed much. Bakeries. Narrow streets. Pretty girls.
Warnemunde: Friends of Dave tour was top-notch. Saw beautiful castle in Schwerin. Cool train system. Warm trains (no a/c). Interesting history. Good food. Good wine.
Tallin: Medieval. Old. Friendly. Picturesque. Scary looking food. Easy walk from ship.
St. Petersburg: The climatic stop for most. Rained first day. Step off the boat and the first officials you encounter just glare at you. People that I saw appeared oppressed. Suspicious. Unfriendly. Even our local tourguide (I recommend Anastasia tours) admitted the Russian people, particulary the older ones, tended to be unhappy. Priceless works of art. Huge palaces and cathedrals...over-the-top, gaudy and nonfunctional in a Las Vegas sort of way. Do Not Drink The Water. Am I glad I went? Yes. Do I need to go back? No. If you know much about history, it would be hard to not lay the continuiing problems of the Russian people directly at the feet of Lenin and Stalin. Most people seemed to enjoy themselves at this stop. I found myself more fascinated by the people, than the monuments.
Helsinki: Back to friendly people. Gray skies and cool. Modern. Sibelius. Expensive. Water. Rock church.
Stockhom: Tall men. Tall women. Handsome men. Beautiful women. Thin. Friendly, helpful, smiling. Gamla Stan shops. Could have stayed there a week. Fascinating Vasa exhibit. Archipelago for miles and miles leaving Stockholm.
Copenhagen: Bicycles, bicycles, bicycles. Cafes. Square...then another square. More beautiful people. Tivoli at night. Beautiful 19th century storybook architecture. Hop on/hop off bus is sufficient. Expensive place to live, but most all the locals appeared content.
DISEMBARKATION:
The good: No complaints at all.
The bad: Traffic jam of taxis leaving the dock.

Overall, the cruise was a fabulous experience. I would definitely choose Holland again. If anyone has any questions, I will be happy to assist in any way that I can.

[Southbound]

Thanks for taking the time to post a review of your trip. Informative and nicely organized. Have to agree with you about the food; we have our 17th HAL cruise coming up in December and have never had a complaint about the quality or variety served on board any of our sailings. Glad to hear you enjoyed your first HAL experience.

[Copper10-8]

Originally Posted by MikeJennings

......................... Also, the group of older Dutch men singing ship-faring songs on the dock as we sailed away was a great touch!
................................

Thanks for taking the time and effort to write a review! Those guys are great aren't they? They're called "Albatross", a shanty choir and they apparently perform regularly from the balcony of the cruise terminal. We had them last year when leaving Rotterdam on Eurodam's inaugural. They sang stuff like "What will we do with the drunken sailor"/

[MightyQuinn]

Originally Posted by MikeJennings

This is basically a Cliff Notes summary of our recent Vikings & Czars cruise on the Rotterdam. I will try to be brief and to the point so as to not put you to sleep.

No falling asleep over this superb review! Love your to-the-point staccato style of assessing the ship & ports. Makes me want to hop back on-board the Rotterdam or visit the Baltics again. Well done.

[ger_77]

Thanks for the brief review - I always enjoy reading the good and the bad, rather than just one sided. Do you recall the name of the cruise director? We've been on the Rotterdam twice before, and are about to board her again in 3 weeks, so I'm wondering if there will be a change in cruise directors since you sailed in August. We saw Marty Brill the last time we were in the Mediterranean and quite honestly, he's getting a little old (or his jokes are).

Smooth Sailing!

[Route6A]

Love your review style.....To the point. I agree with your observations on St. Petersburg.

[IRL_Joanie]

Great review. Now I want to do this cruise!!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome home.

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

Thank you for taking the time to write your report.

[baggal]

Thanks for your review. It very nearly echos my impressions of HAL on the Eurodam and the Gems of the Baltic cruise we took in June - even including your assessment of the ports. Not much to complain about but much to rave about!

My question: what is "Friends of Dave?"

P.S. - After reading several reviews about Talinn prior to our cruise, we made a point to get up early, do a walking tour of Talinn (and even wandered into the "new" city in search of a camera store) and then came back to the ship for lunch.

[Soundsgreat6]

mmmmmm i'm wondering if it's the opposite of "Friends of Bill" If so bet they are a happy bunch of wobbler's.

Loved Bill Cosby's routine on Gin Drinkers lol

[Sir PMP]

I had Stryker once, he played up in the crow's nest, and nobody went up to the crow's nest....

[ldog]

thanks for the review. We will be aboard the Rotterdam on Oct 17. It will be the third cruise for us on this ship.

[cruzisme]

Mike, you have summed up many of my thoughts about the cruise and the ship in a nutshell; kudos for summing up the good and the bad in a very honest way. I totally agree with what you have written about the various ports (we had the Red Hat ladies and the same Dutch group serenade us as we sailed out)

For St. Petersburg there are many excellent tour companies and we dealt with SPB with doing the Active tour over 2 days. Looking at the various companies the itineraries and the prices seem very close to each other.

Again, an excellent summation (and yes, we agree about Stryker's piano playing)

Bruce I believe was the name of the low-keyed CD but in our opinion, he did his job, only it wasn't hyperkinetic like some other CD's who we have encountered.

[MikeJennings]

John,
Thanks for the picture of the Albatross chorus. It brought back great memories. They were very talented and quite robust in their performance. As we were leaving port they were waving at us while singing "Anchors Aweigh" followed by "Good Night Ladies".
The thing that really amazed me was how they talked Hulk Hogan into playing that large drum on the far right.

[Willsot]

I guess different folks have different tastes. DW and I really enjoyed Stryker on the Eurodam in July.

[RuthC]

Originally Posted by cruzisme

Bruce I believe was the name of the low-keyed CD

Was it Bruce Allan Scudder? If so, do you know how long he'll be staying aboard?
(A girl can hope it was, and that he'll still be aboard when she sails.)

[ger_77]

Originally Posted by RuthC

Was it Bruce Allan Scudder? If so, do you know how long he'll be staying aboard?
(A girl can hope it was, and that he'll still be aboard when she sails.)

Bruuuuuuuuuuuucccce! I hope he's there when we board in a couple of weeks, we"ve enjoyed his professional style twice before.

Smooth Sailing!

[Copper10-8]

Bruce Allan Scudder left Rotterdam about a week ago. The current CD is Patricia Honacki

[ger_77]

Originally Posted by Copper10-8

Bruce Allan Scudder left Rotterdam about a week ago. The current CD is Patricia Honacki

Rats! Ruth, I'll share my chocolate bar with you to take the edge off, okay? I wonder what the new CD is like? Thanks for the info John!

Smooth Sailing!

[RuthC]

Originally Posted by ger_77

Rats! Ruth, I'll share my chocolate bar with you to take the edge off, okay? I wonder what the new CD is like?

K. Me, too. I know Bruce is good. Plus! He knows what good music sounds like, and keeps the volume somewhere south of deafening.

Bruce sure didn't stay long this trip, did he. I don't know when he arrived, but Susan Wood was on the Rotterdam not all that long ago. She moved to the Maasdam 7/25 (yes, I know she's gone now ). I don't remember if she had a break after leaving Rotterdam, but if she did, it wasn't long.