Rotterdam - Hide and Go Seek

[81Zoomie]

Currently on board the Rotterdam (7/1-15) and would like to share some hints for things that took awhile to figure out.  This is not and all inclusive list, but hopefully these will save you some time and help you make informed decisions.

 

1.  Butter in the Lido.  Apparently this is a ‘rationed’ commodity, 🤣. I searched every station at breakfast and lunch for a bowl with pats of butter.  There is no butter on display. One morning I asked, and the server reached down in a cabinet and pulled out a square dish with 2 pats of butter.  Then at lunch I asked and another server looked underneath and shrugged her shoulders.  On a second try yet another server reached an entire arms length into a cabinet to find some.  You have to ask for butter in the Lido.

2. Anything other than “milk” or “half and half” for coffee or tea in the Lido. The large urns of both are available at every coffee station.  However, low-fat, buttermilk, rice milk, soy milk, almond milk, and chocolate milk are also available in the morning.  Low-fat and chocolate milk are available in silver urns at one of the middle inward facing stations.  Boxes of the other milks are available at another station.  It’s a bit of a treasure hunt finding them since they are not collocated with the coffee. I have not seen any of the variety available at other times of the day.

 

3. Night light in a non suite bathroom.  There isn’t one.  I asked about this prior to our cruise and came prepared with a small knob type 110 prong and 220 prong night lights.  Strike 1, I left the 220 plugged in at our hotel.  Strike 2, my tiny 110 plug does not fit a 220 adapter or the outlet in the bathroom. By luck, I have a small flashlight in my bag with a red lens for the night.  Made that work.  Strike 3…. Imagine this scenario… The rooms have the pesky card slot for power.  We left generic cards in, but the cabin attendants take them.  So, if you are in the shower, and your cabin mate decides to take their key card out of the slot to grab a drink, all cabin lights will unexpectedly go out in approximately 1-2 minutes. You cannot reach the bathroom door to crack it because of the direction the shower door opens.  So, even in the Land of the Midnight Sun, you will be showering in total darkness.  I highly recommend you sort out the key card/bathroom light logistics prior to leaving your loved one in the dark 😉.  And, as someone kindly suggested, bring a battery operated tea light for use in the bathroom as a night light.

 

4. Maine Lobster Tails - Regardless of what the online or printed menus say, there are no Maine lobster tails on board including in Rudi’s and the Pinnacle.  They only have Caribbean lobster tails.  This was also the case on our Nieuw Amsterdam cruise in March.  Surprisingly, we were told they only stock Maine lobster tails when sailing in New England, Greenland, and Iceland.

 

5. Ice Cream Flavor of the Day - The complimentary ice cream choices in the Lido are vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate.  The sign above the station also lists “flavor of the day.”  However, in order to find out what the special flavor is you have to ask the server.  It was rum raisin the day I got ice cream.  Today the line was over 10 people long and simply not worth the wait.  There is a for fee gelato station on deck 10 that rarely has a line and provides a nice selection clearly marked.

 

6.  Found - The water sold/included with HIA is in small cartons with a screw top.  They are much more portable and convenient than the aluminum pop top cans that were stocked in the Caribbean in the spring.  We brought our own refillable (multiple use, not single use plastic) larger bottles for excursions.  We had them empty on initial boarding and after excursions to avoid any issues.

 

7.  Found - Best dessert in a dining venue… Almost Baked Alaska in the Pinnacle. Just my opinion, but the only dessert on board that has not succumb to the incredible shrink ray 👏

 

8.  Found - For those of you who have been following the other cruise line forums about food cut backs, we have happy to report HAL served

prime rib in the main dining room.  It was not a designated gala/dressy night and there was no up charge.  They also offered halibut and salmon.  I do not recall seeing tilapia or cheeseburgers on the dinner menu thus far.  And, for those of us who have suffered from wine and bourbon shortages on other cruise lines and ships, there is plenty of Decoy Cabernet and Woodford Reserve on board. Additionally, there is usually a daily variety of chocolate cake, cheese cake, and othr yummy options available at several venues around the ship.  And, Room Service is free!

 

9.  Found - A smokey casino. A factual report, not intended for commentary.

 

10.  Found - Amazingly beautiful scenery all along the Norwegian coast and fjords; majestic mountains, stunning vistas, picturesque farms and villages.  There is a stylish blend of old and new architecture, marvelously engineered tunnels, and stunning waterfalls.  Norway is beautiful!

[KU1and2]

14 minutes ago, 81Zoomie said:

Currently on board the Rotterdam (7/1-15) and would like to share some hints for things that took awhile to figure out.  This is not and all inclusive list, but hopefully these will save you some time and help you make informed decisions.

 

1.  Butter in the Lido.  Apparently this is a ‘rationed’ commodity, 🤣. I searched every station at breakfast and lunch for a bowl with pats of butter.  There is no butter on display. One morning I asked, and the server reached down in a cabinet and pulled out a square dish with 2 pats of butter.  Then at lunch I asked and another server looked underneath and shrugged her shoulders.  On a second try yet another server reached an entire arms length into a cabinet to find some.  You have to ask for butter in the Lido.

2. Anything other than “milk” or “half and half” for coffee or tea in the Lido. The large urns of both are available at every coffee station.  However, low-fat, buttermilk, rice milk, soy milk, almond milk, and chocolate milk are also available in the morning.  Low-fat and chocolate milk are available in silver urns at one of the middle inward facing stations.  Boxes of the other milks are available at another station.  It’s a bit of a treasure hunt finding them since they are not collocated with the coffee. I have not seen any of the variety available at other times of the day.

 

3. Night light in a non suite bathroom.  There isn’t one.  I asked about this prior to our cruise and came prepared with a small knob type 110 prong and 220 prong night lights.  Strike 1, I left the 220 plugged in at our hotel.  Strike 2, my tiny 110 plug does not fit a 220 adapter or the outlet in the bathroom. By luck, I have a small flashlight in my bag with a red lens for the night.  Made that work.  Strike 3…. Imagine this scenario… The rooms have the pesky card slot for power.  We left generic cards in, but the cabin attendants take them.  So, if you are in the shower, and your cabin mate decides to take their key card out of the slot to grab a drink, all cabin lights will unexpectedly go out in approximately 1-2 minutes. You cannot reach the bathroom door to crack it because of the direction the shower door opens.  So, even in the Land of the Midnight Sun, you will be showering in total darkness.  I highly recommend you sort out the key card/bathroom light logistics prior to leaving your loved one in the dark 😉.  And, as someone kindly suggested, bring a battery operated tea light for use in the bathroom as a night light.

 

4. Maine Lobster Tails - Regardless of what the online or printed menus say, there are no Maine lobster tails on board including in Rudi’s and the Pinnacle.  They only have Caribbean lobster tails.  This was also the case on our Nieuw Amsterdam cruise in March.  Surprisingly, we were told they only stock Maine lobster tails when sailing in New England, Greenland, and Iceland.

 

5. Ice Cream Flavor of the Day - The complimentary ice cream choices in the Lido are vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate.  The sign above the station also lists “flavor of the day.”  However, in order to find out what the special flavor is you have to ask the server.  It was rum raisin the day I got ice cream.  Today the line was over 10 people long and simply not worth the wait.  There is a for fee gelato station on deck 10 that rarely has a line and provides a nice selection clearly marked.

 

6.  Found - The water sold/included with HIA is in small cartons with a screw top.  They are much more portable and convenient than the aluminum pop top cans that were stocked in the Caribbean in the spring.  We brought our own refillable (multiple use, not single use plastic) larger bottles for excursions.  We had them empty on initial boarding and after excursions to avoid any issues.

 

7.  Found - Best dessert in a dining venue… Almost Baked Alaska in the Pinnacle. Just my opinion, but the only dessert on board that has not succumb to the incredible shrink ray 👏

 

8.  Found - For those of you who have been following the other cruise line forums about food cut backs, we have happy to report HAL served

prime rib in the main dining room.  It was not a designated gala/dressy night and there was no up charge.  They also offered halibut and salmon.  I do not recall seeing tilapia or cheeseburgers on the dinner menu thus far.  And, for those of us who have suffered from wine and bourbon shortages on other cruise lines and ships, there is plenty of Decoy Cabernet and Woodford Reserve on board. Additionally, there is usually a daily variety of chocolate cake, cheese cake, and othr yummy options available at several venues around the ship.  And, Room Service is free!

 

9.  Found - A smokey casino. A factual report, not intended for commentary.

 

10.  Found - Amazingly beautiful scenery all along the Norwegian coast and fjords; majestic mountains, stunning vistas, picturesque farms and villages.  There is a stylish blend of old and new architecture, marvelously engineered tunnels, and stunning waterfalls.  Norway is beautiful!

For #3 we found these lights at Amazon -- work really well -- stick on wall and they are motion sensors.    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PB9Z1ZZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[3rdGenCunarder]

Thank you! 

 

1. On Eurodam this winter, butter was served at breakfast at the toast station. Generosity varied.

3. Tea light is a great idea. I have a battery operated motion-activated night light for the room, so it's dark in the room unless I get out of bed. It takes a little experimenting to find the right spot for it. I loved the floor-level motion-activated night light in the K'dam Neptune suites. I thought they were putting those in all rooms on the new ships.

4. I'm sorry you didn't get Maine lobster, but I hope they're still stocking "the real thing" for my Iceland/Greenland cruise next year!

6. I've seen the water cartons elsewhere. MUCH better than the poptops, which can't be closed. 

10, Yes, Norway is beautiful!!! Best scenery I've seen, even beating out Yosemite and Alaska.

[3rdGenCunarder]

3 minutes ago, KU1and2 said:

For #3 we found these lights at Amazon -- work really well -- stick on wall and they are motion sensors.    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PB9Z1ZZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

They look smaller than mine, which is nice. How do they stick on a wall?

[seaoma]

3. When had a similar situation to you back in 1999 at the Sails in the Desert at the Ayers Rock Resort in Australia. We had arrived after dark with our children. I entered the bathroom and my husband ran out to pick up some food for us. He took the key and immediately plunged us into darkness. We couldn't run after him or find the spare key because we'd only been in the room for a minute and couldn't be sure what was in our way. We, of course, lost our A/C in a stuffy room. The three of us just stayed where we were until he returned. Last time that happened.

 

My solution was to take an old card and glue a magnet to the back of it. Use this while you are in the room. When you leave, remove the card and stick it to the wall just above the card slot reader. The steward will not remove this card and it's easily accessible when you are either entering or exiting the room.  Because there is a slight delay when exiting the room, you have time to complete the maneuver before the lights go out.

 

[KU1and2]

3 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

They look smaller than mine, which is nice. How do they stick on a wall?

 

They have adhesive strips included -- but we found command strips or tacky putty work to hold them in place longer.   https://www.amazon.com/Plasti-Tak-Original-Re-usable-Adhesive-Putty/dp/B075KQ9KYV/ref=sr_1_63?crid=ZFYMVN0OLFE6&keywords=tacky+putty&qid=1688740479&sprefix=tacky%2Caps%2C129&sr=8-63

[Skicruiser55]

Thanks for the great information.  I am boarding Jul 15 and can’t wait!!  Enjoy your cruise.  How many ounces are in the water cartons?  

I am a Caribbean lobster lover so this makes me happy!! 

Edited July 7, 2023 by Skicruiser55

[*Miss G*]

I bought this light-sensor night light at the dollar store a number of years ago and it has worked in every shaving outlet on every ship I have been on.  Best investment ever!

 

[YourWorldWithBill]

2 hours ago, 81Zoomie said:

9.  Found - A smokey casino. A factual report, not intended for commentary.

 

10.  Found - Amazingly beautiful scenery all along the Norwegian coast and fjords; majestic mountains, stunning vistas, picturesque farms and villages. Norway is beautiful!

9. We were on the Rotterdam in May, the 7 Day Norse Legends. I was in the casino every night, and no one was smoking! If I had just been that lucky at the tables.

10. Agree: Norway is beautiful! We loved the cruise.

[SilvertoGold]

Very good info.  I really dislike having to stand in line merely to find out the "flavor of the day" ice cream.   I asked the Lido Manager and the next day it was listed, for a couple of days then, back to "normal".  And this Manager is a really good one!

[horseymike]

Thanks for the pointers.

Happy Cruising 🚢

[NCTribeFan]

I'm a hot tea drinker and found it was much easier to walk to one of the "side" drink stations (toward the stern) than fight the mobs at the first station that's just inside the Lido and situated between the port and starboard sides.

 

I was disappointed that there was no raw sugar available, though.  Only place I saw it was down at the Dutch Cafe (coffee bar).  I didn't look in the Crows Nest.  This was for the 26 nights beginning with the April 3rd TA and 10 nights following.  I won't be back on her until Oct 2024.  I'll ask before I sail if they have raw sugar in the buffet.  If not, I may bring my own packets or "borrow" a dispenser from the Dutch Cafe 😉

 

Water was available in the 12 oz pop-top cans (included in the drink package).  Was thinking the boxes of water would be much more easily transported.  I would pour the canned water into my own bottle to carry around the ship and to take ashore.

[Riversedge]

10 hours ago, KU1and2 said:

For #3 we found these lights at Amazon -- work really well -- stick on wall and they are motion sensors.    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PB9Z1ZZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thank you!  I ordered some. Sounds perfect.

[SuzWillCruise]

6 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

 

 

I was disappointed that there was no raw sugar available, though.  Only place I saw it was down at the Dutch Cafe (coffee bar).  I didn't look in the Crows Nest.  This was for the 26 nights beginning with the April 3rd TA and 10 nights following.  I won't be back on her until Oct 2024.  I'll ask before I sail if they have raw sugar in the buffet.  If not, I may bring my own packets or "borrow" a dispenser from the Dutch Cafe 😉

On our recent Eurodam cruise they had raw sugar at the explorer’s cafe on deck 11. For a moment I thought they also had it on the lido, but when I looked closer it appeared to be brown sugar! I used regular granulated sugar while on the lido and it was fine. At home I drink my coffee black, but cruise ship coffee needs some doctoring to be palatable. (And calories don’t count on vacation.)

[81Zoomie]

23 hours ago, Skicruiser55 said:

Thanks for the great information.  I am boarding Jul 15 and can’t wait!!  Enjoy your cruise.  How many ounces are in the water cartons?  

I am a Caribbean lobster lover so this makes me happy!! 

@Skicruiser55, the water is in 333ml (11.26oz) containers.  We have been able to collect 2 at a time.

[81Zoomie]

12 hours ago, SuzWillCruise said:

On our recent Eurodam cruise they had raw sugar at the explorer’s cafe on deck 11. For a moment I thought they also had it on the lido, but when I looked closer it appeared to be brown sugar! I used regular granulated sugar while on the lido and it was fine. At home I drink my coffee black, but cruise ship coffee needs some doctoring to be palatable. (And calories don’t count on vacation.)

All regular granulated sugar is in tip and pour glass bottles.  I have seen white and brown in both the explorers lounge and the Lido.  Sugar substitutes are in packages. 
 

I agree that the standard urn coffee in the Lido needs a little help to be palatable!

[81Zoomie]

Found - Best meal so far… filet mignon in the main dining room off the regular menu.  Done perfectly, moist, and full of flavor.  Not quite as big, but better than the one I had in the Pinnacle Grill.

 

Found - Picture perfect clear blue sky at the North Cape 😎

 

Found - Great independent tours by locals. We learned so much with these friendly and informative folks. Trondheim with Wanda and the North Cape with Blue Puffin.

 

We have been told the Captain plans to spin a 360 when we pass the North Cape this evening and begin our journey back south.  That should be fun!

[Skicruiser55]

What night was the filet mignon in the dining room?  

[81Zoomie]

33 minutes ago, Skicruiser55 said:

What night was the filet mignon in the dining room?  

It’s was night 7, Friday, the second “gala/dressy” night.  Most people are in casual attire which accommodates the climate and the excursion tempo.  Very few suits , tuxes, glitter.

Edited July 8, 2023 by 81Zoomie

[dobiemom]

Night Light: Rechargeable, Magnetic, Motion Sensor

[81Zoomie]

Night 7, Gala Menu

 

Edited July 8, 2023 by 81Zoomie

[Skicruiser55]

Thanks for posting.  Question - if we are on board for a 14 night cruise (sold as 14 nights) that was also sold as 2 7 nights will the menu be the same both weeks?

[RuthC]

7 hours ago, Skicruiser55 said:

Question - if we are on board for a 14 night cruise (sold as 14 nights) that was also sold as 2 7 nights will the menu be the same both weeks?

Yes. 

[Skicruiser55]

Disappointing - 

[YourWorldWithBill]

1 hour ago, Skicruiser55 said:

Disappointing - 

 Such is life.....