QM2 Cruiser

HAL used the “N word” in multiple health statements during our Rotterdam cruise a few weeks ago. Why would you expect it not to be there? They try to interrupt cases of illness as soon as possible, and proper communication about the most likely pathogen causing the illness is key to their success. The Rotterdam is cruising in Europe, so the CDC will have no record of this outbreak. And lastly, having a perfect VSP score means that the kitchen is squeaky clean and that the crew are washing their hands. It has no bearing on passengers boarding the ship with a potentially contagious illness. In any case, hopefully the Rotterdam is problem-free now, as it’s been several weeks since the initial outbreak. 🤞 Document_2023-06-07_143713.pdf

Escaped with just a head cold! Fortunately we have evaded the Noro!

There’s no need to pack extra liquid hand soap. The Rotterdam has liquid hand soap dispensers in the cabins now. However, they no longer provide bar soap for the shower. I asked my cabin attendant for a bar of soap, and they discontinued it. You might want to bring bar soap if you like it for showering. I hope you have a good cruise!

I'm currently on the Rotterdam; my last 4 cruises prior to this one have been on the Celebrity Edge and Apex. Prior to the pandemic, I found HAL to be very attractive due to the longer, more exotic itineraries. Celebrity has shorter itineraries in Europe/Asia/Australia that don't stop at as many places as HAL. That being said, I think the biggest difference you'll see is the entertainment. The Music Walk is the entertainment area of the ship, which is comprised of four venues: Main Stage (the main theatre), BB Kings (blues band), Rolling Stones Rock Room (rock band), and Billboard Onboard (dueling piano players). BB Kings and Rolling Stones offer very loud, concert band style entertainment. To me, these are very frustrating venues because the music is so loud that it's difficult to hold conversations with anyone while the bands are playing. On Celebrity, I love sitting at the Martini Bar or in Eden, having drinks and being able to talk to my family or friends while listening to a softer vocalist. On HAL, the venues are just so loud. Ironically, though, by 11:45PM or 12:00AM, all entertainment will close and there will be nothing left to do onboard except go back to your room. The ship becomes deserted, and nothing is open after midnight except the casino. You'll also notice that HAL no longer offers full production shows with a full cast and live band. HAL offers mostly guest entertainers. However, I was surprised and delighted to see three shows on this current Rotterdam cruise by the Step One Dance Company. It's still not a full production show, as they use recorded music instead of singers and a band, but at least they have 5 dancers. The dancers are wonderful, but it's not the same caliber as Celebrity entertainment. The other notable difference, in my personal experience, is the Lido Restaurant (buffet). HAL puts tons more effort into offering a full dinner service in the Lido Buffet. Celebrity has recently cutback on dinner in their buffet. However, on Celebrity, there's always something to grab in the buffet during the day, even if it's just the small snack selection that's available from 3:00PM-5:00PM. On HAL, breakfast in the buffet is from 6:00AM-10:00AM, lunch is from 11:30AM-2:00PM, and dinner is from 5:30PM-8:30PM. Inevitably, I always find myself walking into the buffer at 11:00AM or 4:30PM looking for cheese and crackers, ice cream, or cookies... but the buffet is closed. Yes, I could go order a burger or go to the Dutch Café, but I usually want something quicker and simpler. Celebrity's buffet is open longer hours, but with a reduced dinner service. Lastly, the design and layout of a HAL ship is not nearly as open and modern as a newer Celebrity ship. The Rotterdam feels small and crowded at times, and I don't notice this on the Edge. HAL has a more nautical and traditional design, whereas Celebrity is modern, bright, and trendy. If you cruise in a suite, you'll get the best HAL has to offer. HAL is certainly worth a try, as their itineraries are fantastic! The two brands, though, definitely have their differences, and I'm already looking forward to my next Celebrity cruise. Best of luck trying HAL!

On a positive note, yesterday in Germany a pharmacist recommended a local brand of hand sanitizer that is labeled to be effective against Norovirus. The pharmacist translated the label for us, and indicated that a liberal quantity must be used so that hands remain wet for a minimum of 30 seconds to have any effect. I’ve never seen a hand sanitizer brand in the U.S. that kills Norovirus, so this is a first. The pharmacist said that it’s only available in Germany and Switzerland. We will be adding this to our hand washing routine and other precautionary measures.

On previous cruises, I have noticed spraying too, performed by a dedicated cleaning team or crew member. However, this experience is different. In the public areas, they are disinfecting with rags and buckets of a foamy disinfectant. They have been wiping the foam onto all hard surfaces, and letting the foam air dry. In the bars and lounges, it's the same waitstaff who serve drinks that have been doing the cleaning. Last night in BB Kings, the last music set ended 11:45PM. The waitress asked us if we wanted to order anything else before they close the bar. We declined, but sat there finishing our drinks. Moments later the waitress reappeared with plastic gloves on, a bucket, and a rag, and started to clean the tabletops around us. We left so that she could clean our table.

The ship-wide disinfection took place today. Each department was in charge of their specific area, and the ship’s services were limited during the cleaning. We removed all personal items from the cabin countertops, shelves, and bathroom as instructed, and left the ship before 9:30AM. However, I have my doubts if anything was actually disinfected in my cabin. The same coffee ring on the desk that I noticed this morning was still there when I got back to the ship after the cleaning. To me, that means the countertop wasn’t even wiped off. My cabin attendant hasn’t been very attentive this cruise, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t do the more thorough cleaning. It took a decent amount of time to pack up all of our things around the cabin last night for the disinfection, and then replace them again this afternoon, so I wasn’t too happy to see the coffee stain still on the desk. With all the measures they are taking around the ship, I’m surprised that they still held the Chocolate Surprise, and went around handing out finger foods to people in the Music Walk. Waiters in the dining room now just pass the sugar jars and the salt and pepper shakers directly from table to table, which totally defeats the purpose of removing them from the tables. We are being as careful as possible, and hoping to stay healthy.

Good evening from the Rotterdam. The ship is currently experiencing an outbreak of Norovirus during the current 14-night sailing to Northern Europe. I’ve been on many HAL cruises, including some with “code red” measures put in place. However, this is the first time I will experience a mid-voyage disinfection of all staterooms. We have been asked to vacate our staterooms tomorrow by 9:30AM, and either go ashore, or wait in designated waiting areas on the Lido Deck until the staterooms re-open at 1:30PM. Has anyone else ever experienced a mid-cruise disinfection? I’m very glad that they are taking these sanitation measures, but I’m quite concerned that the outbreak is far more significant than they are telling us. At this point, I just want the cruise to end, and hopefully escape in a healthy state. Four more days until disembarkation. Fingers are crossed.

The $7 salad situation is the reason I didn't make reservations at the Pinnacle for my upcoming Rotterdam cruise. I've been eating both soup and salad there for years, and out of principle I would rather forego the experience altogether going forward. I absolutely agree to charging extra for multiple main courses; I thought that was the case to begin with. But to charge me $7 for some lettuce after my appetizer, forget it. I'll eat in Rudi's and Tamarind where I don't feel punished for paying to dine in a specialty restaurant. They need to move to a la carte pricing for me to return; then I will gladly pay for every course I order.

This thread is so disappointing. I've been cruising on other cruises lines since the Covid "re-opening", and I haven't been paying much attention to HAL until now. I have an upcoming 14-night cruise on the Rotterdam. I always order an appetizer, then the lobster bisque, a main, and dessert in the Pinnacle. I don't mind a higher price for the cover, but having to pay an extra $7 to have soup after my appetizer is enough to make me stick to other dining options. That's a major turn off to me. I have been ordering an appetizer and then soup for more than 20 years, and I'm not going to stop now. I have reserved Rudi's once, and now will be doing Tamarind twice. Does anyone know if these other venues are going to charge $7 if I want an app & soup, or soup & salad, etc? I know that that $7 is paltry, but any extra fee for a bowl of soup or some lettuce is going to keep me in the main dining room on my own principle.

DESSERTS White Chocolate Macadamia Cake, Praline, Pistachio Gelato Chocolate Palet, Fleur de Sel, Carmel Gelato Chocolate Caramel Custard, Pretzel Gelato Daniel Boulud Signature Raspberry Pistachio Vacherin, Vanilla Ice Cream Creamy Pineapple Custard, Coconut Sorbet, Orange Tuile Lemon Chiboust, Citrus Cookie, Honeycomb Chocolate Sphere, Milk Chocolate Mouse, Dulce de Leche Gelato, Spiced Mango “Luminae” Baked Alaska, Italian Meringue, Neapolitan Ice Cream Chocolate Bar, Caramelized Banana, Sesame Nougatine, Peanut Gelato

ENTREÉS Cod Basquaise, Potatoes, Clams, Piperade Alaskan Halibut, Baby Bok Choy, Sesame Sticky Rice, Ginger Broth Grilled Cape Hake, Artichoke Purée, Leeks, Fava Bean Pesto Roasted Lamb Loin, Merguez Sausage, Marinated Cucumber Herb Yogurt Grilled Pork Chop, Potato Confit, Turnips, Riesling Sauce Sea Scallops, Pea Mint Purée, Pickled Shallots Wild Mushroom & Cabbage Ravioli, Bouillon, Tomato & Ricotta Pesto, Asparagus Pappardelle, Braised Lamb, English Peas, Ricotta, Mint Roast Pork Tenderloin, Sweet Potato Purée, Savoy Cabbage, Grain Mustard Sauce Butter Poached Lobster, Squash, Savoy Cabbage, Champagne Sauce Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb, Oil Oil Purée, Sunchokes, Salsa Verde Aleppo-Honey Glazed Salmon, Mirin Turnips, Spicy Sesame Kale, Edamame, Simeji Mushrooms, Dashi Broth Daniel Boulud Signature Moroccan Chicken Tagine, Safron Cous Cous, Turnip, Cauliflower, Preserved Lemon, Olives

APPETIZERS Braised Short Ribs, Parsnip Variations, Pomegranate Chilled Lobster Salad, Hearts of Palm, Pineapple, Vanilla Dressing Fennel Soup, Lobster, Pomegranate, Citrus Ginger Crab Cake, Charred Kabocha Squash, Spicy Peanut Soy Sauce Roasted Apple & Hearty Green Salad, Hazelnuts, Scallions, Brown Butter Dressing Roasted Squab, Pearly Barley Risotto, Truffle, Port Wine Pan Sauce Roasted Carrot Salad, Peanut Sesame Mole, Pumpkin Seeds, Crispy Cumin Rice Duck Consumé, Duo of Duck Breast, Shaved Carrots, Pickled Mushrooms, Scallions Butternut Squash Ravioli, Brown Butter, Sage, Amaretto Crumble Pear & Radicchio Salad, Pancetta, Kale, Hazelnuts, Fig Pork Medallions, Confit Potatoes, Broccolini, Walnut Couscous Pilaf, Whisky Marmalade Baby Spinach Salad, Blue Cheese, Candied Pecans, White Balsamic Vinaigrette

THE AMUSE-BOUCHE Beet “Tartare” with Lime Segment Tomato, Basil & Tapioca Cod Croquette with Squid Ink Seared Tuna with Lavosh Cracker Grilled Shrimp with Lavosh Cracker Crab & Pea Gazpacho Balsamic Watermelon & Mozzarella Raspberry Macaron

Hi Celebrity Forum! Prior to my first experience in The Retreat, I had a hard time researching the food on offer in Luminae. As others have mentioned, some of the menu descriptions aren’t terribly indicative of what is actually served. I thought I’d put together a compilation of Luminae food photos, organized by course. Hopefully it’ll help anyone else who’s trying to decide if Luminae would add significant value to their cruise. Overall, I enjoyed Luminae very much. Using the Celebrity App, I strategically planned specialty dining to avoid the Luminae menus that least appealed to me, i.e. nights that offered multiple smoked or raw appetizers, venison, sweetbreads, etc. In addition to the rotating Luminae menu, the “classic/always available” items from the main dining room could also be ordered without advanced notice. These items were the same quality and portion as served in the main dining room, just plated on Luminae crockery. On my cruise, an “everyday” fillet mignon was not available in Luminae, which I was expecting after reading other reviews. On my cruise, only the classic NY Sirloin could be ordered as an “everyday” steak option. For me, the desserts were the true highlight of Luminae, especially the Daniel Boulud Raspberry Pistachio Vacherin. The only true disappointment was the bread service, which only consisted of lavosh crackers, a soft dinner bun reminiscent of a frozen “BrownN’ Serve” roll, and a stale sliced whole grain baguette. I really missed having sourdough rolls and crostini, so after a few days I put in a special request for a main dining room bread basket, but they only remembered it on two occasions. All things considered, I'm definitely looking forward to returning to Luminae and The Retreat on future cruises. 12 nights of Luminae food photos to follow!

Thanks! Third test worked like a charm!

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I had no idea that travel steamers were prohibited. I've always known that clothing irons were prohibited, which is why I purchased a travel steamer years ago. I have taken it with me on 35+ cruises across many cruise lines, and it has never been confiscated. I've even left it out on the desk in the cabin for days, in full view to the stateroom attendant, and have never been told to the contrary. I had no idea that it wasn't allowed. 😳 I guess now that I know, I'll have to make some adjustments on my future cruises.