Trip Report - Rotterdam 11/24 - 12/3 Caribbean (not short)

[FlyingCruiser2]

Let's start with we are non-typical cruisers.  We cruise less often than we could - as we work hard to save up to make each trip very special - hence our staying in the Pinnacle Suite. We are very down to earth and non-pretentious (i.e. we avoid socializing in the Neptune Lounge's "mine's bigger than yours" vibe). When choosing a cruise, our priorities are 1) Ship Size - no "Monstrosity of the Seas" type ships, 2) Cabin, 3) Itinerary, 4) Cruise Line.  We love days at sea, and prefer trips that start and end with at least 1. We would label ourselves "foodies without the attitude".  Right now our favorite lines are Holland and Celebrity. On Celebrity we will only go on their older smallest ships (Summit, Constellation, etc), not any of the new ones. For this cruise we were even concerned about Rotterdam's larger capacity, but it really did not seem more crowded than our previous Oosterdam or Eurodam trips.

 

I started cruising as a kid in the 60's and 70's because my parents owned a Travel Agency. One thing that always stuck with me was a sign in my Dad's agency that said "If you can afford to go First Class and don't, your heirs will - Make your trip Special".  My DW started cruising after we got together around 2000.  

 

On to the review........

We live an hour or so from Port Everglades. Since it was the height of the season, I was concerned about parking at the Port, and decided to park at a hotel that had a parking package a few miles away and Uber/Taxi to and from the port to there. Turns out that was a lucky decision as the day we returned there were 5 ships at Port Everglades and it looked like getting out of the lots was a zoo.  

 

We like to maximize our time onboard so we arrived around 10:30am. When the first greeter saw our boarding pass, the spoiling began.  We were taken to a separate security checkpoint, then escorted up the "magic escalator" to the upstairs waiting area. Shortly after that, they started boarding and we were met by one of the Concierges and taken up a separate gangway and directly to our room. Totally unnecessary, but cool nonetheless. Our room was ready when we arrived, and we met our stewards and the other Concierge. Luggage arrived by 1:30p.

 

The room was over-the-top nice, as expected. One thing that was new to us was the ability to plug your own device into the sound system, which had speakers throughout the cabin and on the balcony.  We took a small Bluetooth receiver that we were able to connect up to the system so we could easily pair with my or DW's devices. 

 

First stop was our traditional "Dive In" embarkation lunch and cocktail. It was as good as always, and not yet very crowded at 12p. 

 

First night's dinner was at Rudi's. Great meal and our waiter was hysterical and very entertaining.  We had only eaten at Rudi pop-ups on other ships, so the full-time one was nice. Never saw it very full during the trip though.

 

The next two days were at sea. We pretty much spent the time during the day on the balcony with a few trips to the smoking area (for DW). I have to say that the smoking area is a very entertaining microcosm of the ship. Many many characters.  We did end up meeting a couple there that we really connected with and enjoyed lots of laughter and conversation with them.

 

Instead of outlining each day, I'll just talk about different aspects of the ship and our experiences...

 

Pinnacle Grill: We ate there one night. Food was wonderful and service was great. Our waiter had recognized us from 18 months earlier on the Eurodam, and even remembered a conversation when I told him that DW's Creme Brulee is as good or better than theirs. This always amazes me as I usually can't remember someone's name 10 minutes after I meet them.

 

Canaletto: Normally Canaletto is our least favorite of the Specialty Dining venues.  However, this trip it ended up being our hands-down favorite by a large margin. The fresh pasta made a huge difference, and we enjoyed the new menu. The chef came out and introduced himself to all the tables. Turns out he had started as a dishwasher on HAL, befriended chefs who taught him some skills, then eventually got promoted to head chef for this venue - cool story.

 

Tamarind: Usually Tamarind has been our favorite, but we were disappointed this time. Our first night there, service was great, but the food was not as good as our previous experiences. The second time we were there the service was way below par. We were at our table for 25 minutes before anyone came to greet or take order. The assistant waiter was busting her butt making up for the main waiter, but couldn't keep up with the number of tables.

 

Nami Sushi: We had the same waitress that we had in Tamarind on our first night there - so service was wonderful. We sat at the Sushi bar and got to talk a bit with the Sushi Chef and his assistant.  I was really surprised at the freshness of the sushi considering they stock up once for the trip.

 

Club Orange: We went mostly for breakfast, but also went 2 nights for dinner. One evening I tried one of the Morimoto extra-add-on dishes (Halibut XO) and wasn't really impressed as it was overcooked. It wasn't bad enough for me to send back, which I've only done maybe twice in my life, but I think many people would have.  Everything else there was spot-on and the service was great.

 

Dining Room: Ate there for lunch twice and were pleasantly surprised.  The only complaints we had heard around the ship were about the Dining Room, and we never had any issues like we heard about. Do miss the cold soups though.

 

Ocean View Cafe: Let's just say "not impressed". Food seemed like leftovers and many times we had to get our own drinks as there were never enough servers around doing that and clearing tables. There was only one time we had trouble finding a table though.

 

HMC: We splurged on a Villa and Butler. We were the only ones who reserved a Villa (out of 5), and only 3 of the Cabanas were occupied. My guess this is because of the steep increase of price of these - we would not have done it if we didn't have a bunch of OBC to go through. If we hadn't had the credit to burn, there's no way we would have done it at current prices.  That being said, it was AWESOME. The butler met us at our room in the morning, took us a back way to get on the tender skipping the line that started two decks above. Food is provided by Pinnacle for lunch - but way too much for the two of us to eat. It was a pretty day, not too too hot. Spent an hour sailing on a Hobie Cat which was a blast - Hobies are one of our "happy places".

 

Aruba: Originally this cruise was to stop at Bonaire. That port was cancelled several month's out, and we did an overnight in Aruba. We did a private 2 hour sunset cruise with an outfit called Strea Charters. It's about a 5 minute cab ride from the port at Aruba Beach. Also there was a restaurant called "Pinchos" that is out at the end of a dock on the water. We tried to get a reservation there post-sail, but could not.  When we walked by the food looked fabulous - we will try to get there next time in Aruba.

 

Curacao: In Curacao we arranged a 3 hour walking food tour through Viator. I don't remember the name of the company that did the tour, but it's the only food tour listed on Expedia/Viator.  Along with lots of education about the culture and history, we ate at 4 different locations - the first of which was one of the best meals we've ever had.  Lots of local seafood and veggies inventively prepared.  The only downside of our time in Curacao was the heat - felt like the sun was only 10 feet over our heads.

 

Rotterdam Pub Crawl: Funnest night we had. When we first showed up at Explorations, I was hesistant as there were like 60 people signed up.  Our last ones we've done on Oosterdam and Eurodam were much smaller groups. However, I was totally wrong. The bartenders who hosted were lively and made the evening very fun. It's about 2 hours, starting in Explorations, then going to Lido Bar, Rock and Roll room, and ending in BB Kings.

 

Debarkation: So simple. We waited until 9am, so probably most had left already. At customs, the line appeared long, but moved so fast that it wasn't a problem. They use facial recognition so it's smile..beep..you're out of there.  There were a couple of CBP agents who were checking people out visually but we only saw them pull one couple aside.

 

That's pretty much it.  Great trip!!  It was actually so good we cancelled an Oceana cruise we had booked for November 2024, and booked a trip on Eurodam instead while onboard.

 

Happy to answer any questions.

Larry

 

[Moriah]

Thanks for your report - I love reading this kind of trip report.  And.. I was on the same ship - at the other end of the spectrum, in an inside cabin on Deck 7... I have a question. What are you referring to as "Ocean View Cafe"?  Do you mean the Lido buffet?

Edited December 5, 2023 by Moriah

[albingirl]

Really nice review, thanks.  We, too, have enjoyed Canaletto and have been surprised at how much we liked it.  Might have something to do with the excellent service.  Glad you had a great time.

[Mary229]

Enjoyed your upbeat review. Looks like you had a great time.  
 

DH smokes and I bear with the smoking section because that is where the conversations really take place.  We often have dinners together with DH’s smoking buddies 

[southseaers]

Larry.

Can you please tell me what hotel you parked your car at.

We enjoyed you review.

 

Southseaers

[seacruise9]

Hi,

 

Thanks for posting your review. I was on the same cruise and greatly enjoyed the ship. The Rotterdam has very attractive public areas (especially the main Dining Room) and is extremely well maintained. Overall, I was very pleased with the food and service.  

 

I was in a Vista Suite midships on Deck 6 (this is a nice balcony stateroom but not really a suite). I tried three of the specialty restaurants for dinner (Pinnacle Grill, Tamarind, and Canaletto) and enjoyed all of them. I also was pleased with the main Dining Room. The food in the Lido Market was okay, but this area usually was very crowded. As an alternative, I liked breakfast (the bagel breakfast sandwich) and lunch (the delicious pizza) at NY Pizza and Deli. I also enjoyed some light meals at the Grand Dutch Cafe.

 

The only disappointment was the entertainment in the World Stage (main theater) each evening. The shows were very modest and there was not a live band to support the dancers or guest singer. The main entertainment on the Celebrity Beyond (I cruised on this ship in February) was much better. However, I enjoyed the live entertainment in B.B. King's, Billboard Onboard, and the Rolling Stone Rock Room. This alternative entertainment helped make up for the modest shows in the World Stage. I enjoyed the Origin Story (a review of Holland America's 150 years) and the City on the Sea (a look behind the scenes) in the World Stage.

 

This was a great cruise and I definitely recommend the Rotterdam.

 

Chuck

 

[FlyingCruiser2]

4 hours ago, Moriah said:

Thanks for your report - I love reading this kind of trip report.  And.. I was on the same ship - at the other end of the spectrum, in an inside cabin on Deck 7... I have a question. What are you referring to as "Ocean View Cafe"?  Do you mean the Lido buffet?

My bad. I did mean Lido.   OVC is the Lido equivalent on another line.  

[FlyingCruiser2]

59 minutes ago, southseaers said:

Larry.

Can you please tell me what hotel you parked your car at.

We enjoyed you review.

 

Southseaers

Even though we’re only 1.5 hours away, we stayed at Residence Inn Ft. Lauderdale Intracoastal.  You’ll want to call about parking, it’s not an advertised thing.  I called after we made our hotel reservation, and asked if they had something like that.  They called back later and gave me a rate that was about the same as port parking.

Edited December 5, 2023 by FlyingCruiser2
Apparently I can’t spell simple words…

[southseaers]

Thanks for the info.

We live 4 hr away and will stay at 4 points Sheraton. We do plan to park at the large garage across from pier 26. Thank you again for the review. Happy Holidays

[Catlover54]

Thank you for your detailed review.

 

1.  Did you use the whirlpool tub on the balcony?

 If so, were you able to get and keep it hot enough to sit in for more than a few minutes?   We were in that suite earlier this year and even though outdoor weather was warm, we had trouble getting faucet water hot enough to keep the tub water hot (there was no separate heater, i.e., I understand it is not a real hot tub, but I wondered if the hot water flow itself was defective and perhaps meanwhile they fixed it to make it have a hotter option, especially since it takes a long time to fill the tub).

 

2.  Could you, or perhaps even people in the regular Neptune suites, order food off menus for service in your suite (with or without an extra charge)?

If yes, was it only for food from the MDR, or could you also order from other venues?

 And what kind of notice did you have to give?

 

3. Did you try and have guests visit you in your suite?

If so, were you able to plan in advance (perhaps for extra cost?) to have canapes and drinks available to treat them?

 

4.  How did the espresso machine work?  I had a few headaches with it last year, though staff tried to be responsive.

 

5.  When you ate in the MDR, did you just randomly appear, or had you been able to select a table of your choice in advance?

 

6.  If you could have changed or improved one aspect of the ship and suite experience you had, what would it have been? 

 

If anyone else has answers to these questions about the Pinnacle Suite experience on Rotterdam, please advise!

Thank you and any others for your time and help. 

 

[FlyingCruiser2]

12 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

Thank you for your detailed review.

 

1.  Did you use the whirlpool tub on the balcony?

 If so, were you able to get and keep it hot enough to sit in for more than a few minutes?   We were in that suite earlier this year and even though outdoor weather was warm, we had trouble getting faucet water hot enough to keep the tub water hot (there was no separate heater, i.e., I understand it is not a real hot tub, but I wondered if the hot water flow itself was defective and perhaps meanwhile they fixed it to make it have a hotter option, especially since it takes a long time to fill the tub).

 

2.  Could you, or perhaps even people in the regular Neptune suites, order food off menus for service in your suite (with or without an extra charge)?

If yes, was it only for food from the MDR, or could you also order from other venues?

 And what kind of notice did you have to give?

 

3. Did you try and have guests visit you in your suite?

If so, were you able to plan in advance (perhaps for extra cost?) to have canapes and drinks available to treat them?

 

4.  How did the espresso machine work?  I had a few headaches with it last year, though staff tried to be responsive.

 

5.  When you ate in the MDR, did you just randomly appear, or had you been able to select a table of your choice in advance?

 

6.  If you could have changed or improved one aspect of the ship and suite experience you had, what would it have been? 

 

If anyone else has answers to these questions about the Pinnacle Suite experience on Rotterdam, please advise!

Thank you and any others for your time and help. 

 

 

1.  We did use the balcony hot tub.  There are 2 controls - one turns water on/off and directs it to either the spigot or the hand-wand.  The other is for temperature.  We found that the temperature control has a detent.  It has a button on the knob to push to go past the detent and get hotter water - similar to the inside bathroom shower.  The button was a bit corroded, so I had to push real hard.  Once we figured that out, we were good.  We also used it in Curacao, but filled it with cold water.

 

2. We had the normal room service menu, except the breakfast one had some additional items.  On that menu were limited items from Pinnacle, Tamarind, and Dive In - all at an upcharge.  Didn't ask about DR item room delivery.

 

3.  We did not have any guests - we are pretty low-key.  My understanding is that all you asked can be arranged.  Likely the food is complimentary, but would have to pay for alcohol etc.

 

4.  Had no problem with the machine - but used the one in the Neptune Lounge mostly.

 

5. We just showed up in the DR for the two times we did lunch there.  

 

6.  I do like the layout of the Pinnacle Suite on Eurodam and Oosterdam better - wider balcony that can fit lounger chairs.  Very minor issue and not a game changer at all.  Everything else was great.

 

[oakridger]

13 hours ago, FlyingCruiser2 said:

Didn't ask about DR item room delivery.

 

Every class of cabin on the ship can get room service from the MDR during their regular opening hours.  They instructed to call in the first hour of opening to place your order if I remember correctly.

 

~Nancy