Some information to those new on the Rotterdam and HAL in general. Cigar smoking is only allowed on deck nine by the sea view pool on the starboard side. No cigar or pipe smoking is allowed anywhere inside the ship.
The difference between Holland America, and celebrity cruises is that the clientele is a bit older, and therefore the offering of activities and entertainment are geared to an older set. The first thing to realize is, there are no production shows. They have a very good dance troop, and they have other entertainment like comedians and magicians on board. They also have guest speakers and lecturers covering different topics and depending on the location, they will also have cultural ambassadors to talk about the various locations that you will be visiting. For instance, if you take an Alaskan cruise with Holland America, you will get a naturalist on board to help you with wildlife that you will be experiencing.
The other thing you will notice is that things start a bit earlier in the morning, than on other cruise lines, and by about midnight, most things are quiet and over.
I have been on all three pinnacle class, Holland America, cruise ships, including the Rotterdam just a few weeks ago. In my opinion the food on this cruise line is much better than you will experience on celebrity, royal Caribbean or other lines. I would recommend, however, getting the club orange upgrade as there is a specific separate more intimate dining room for club orange guests In my opinion it’s well worth the extra cost of $25 per day per person. They only sell access to club orange for a limited number of people so if you want to do it, you had better book it as soon as you can. After they have sold out or after you have boarded, they will not let you book club orange. The other advantage to club orange is that if you buy a restricted balcony, you will be automatically upgraded to the highest balcony available in that class. The other thing is at customer service. There is a specific line for club orange inquiries, this avoids the long lines if you have a question also, be aware that club orange gets your priority to board and to disembark.
If you’d like to shop on board ship, Holland America has a much smaller offering than the other lines, but it is upgraded and they sell mostly only quality items.
One last tip for new Holland America pinnacle class cruisers is don’t forget to make use of the grand Dutch Café. It is a gem not found on other lines best of luck, and I look forward to seeing you on deck.
The other plus for Club Orange is you can make requests for special additions and deletions on dishes and they will be able to do it with delay or issue and the food comes hot.
