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State of the Rotterdam


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DH and I are booked on the Rotterdam in a year for the Boston to Montreal cruise. We've been reading poor reviews about her. Is she really in poor shape? Does she a dry-dock scheduled soon?

 

Thank you,

 

DH and I spent 42 days on her last Oct. - Nov 2016 and she is in great shape. We had a Lanai cabin (loved, loved it - better than the last time when we had a balcony) the food and service was top notch. She was clean and well taken care of (of course we didn't go over her with a fine tooth comb), but we didn't see anything. We are considering her again. I hope you have a wonderful cruise on her!

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We sailed on her this spring and I did do a live thread at the time. She was fine for us. In fact, it was one of the better cruises I have been on. The crew were fabulous.

 

Hitner (Hank) reported issues on the Voyage of the Vikings. There is thread here (Maintenance issues) which is not hard to find and others on that cruise also posted their observations.

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I started another thread about HAL Maintenance...which was primarily based on our recent 38 days on the Rotterdam (and issues we have encountered on a few other HAL cruises/vessels). The Rotterdam is/was in need of lots of maintenance on things that are apparent to many passengers (we have no clue as to the situation under the passenger decks). The good news is that the Rotterdam is going into drydock (not sure if this just happened or if its at the end of this month). Whether the drydock will result in repairs to issues such as leaks in the Lido (we are talking many buckets needed to capture the water during rain storms), water bubbling up under the aft deck (Starboard side) near the bird bath (previously a pool), replacing worn water stained carpet (some of which reeked of mildew/mold, many leaking windows in the Crow's Nest (HAL's current solution is to array large blue towels at the base of many of these windows) plus other issues that were expressed by other passengers (primarily with the plumbing in their cabins) which we did not see with our own eyes.

 

If HAL gets their act together, the Rotterdam could quickly be back in the condition that many of us expect of any HAL vessel. As a long time HAL cruiser (we are 5 Star Mariners) I am hopeful that what has happened is just a temporary situation and will be quickly rectified. We still have enough faith in HAL...that we have booked a long future cruise on the Maasdam...which is another older ship that has had some issues. On the other hand, we have severely reduced our future HAL bookings (that Maasdam cruise is not until 2019) because of what we experienced on the Rotterdam. Let nobody mistake the intent of my comments. We still remain hopeful for HAL's future, but our patience is wearing thin (like some of the Rotterdam's carpets).

 

Hank

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  • 3 months later...

We are 5 star Mariners who were on the same Rotterdam 38 day cruise. Things were fine. What issues were presented are those that can be expected on any large ship of this age with multiple moving parts. If this is unacceptable, now you know up front so pick something else.

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We are 5 star Mariners who were on the same Rotterdam 38 day cruise. Things were fine. What issues were presented are those that can be expected on any large ship of this age with multiple moving parts. If this is unacceptable, now you know up front so pick something else.

 

This does NOT answer my question. I may not be a 5 star Mariner, but have sailed over 15 cruises. I understand wear and tear on an ocean going vessel. BTW, not that it matters, we are not picking "something else". :rolleyes:

 

My question, did the dry dock improve any of the perceived problems? "The Rotterdam is/was in need of lots of maintenance on things that are apparent to many passengers (we have no clue as to the situation under the passenger decks). The good news is that the Rotterdam is going into drydock (not sure if this just happened or if its at the end of this month). Whether the drydock will result in repairs to issues such as leaks in the Lido (we are talking many buckets needed to capture the water during rain storms), water bubbling up under the aft deck (Starboard side) near the bird bath (previously a pool), replacing worn water stained carpet (some of which reeked of mildew/mold, many leaking windows in the Crow's Nest (HAL's current solution is to array large blue towels at the base of many of these windows) plus other issues that were expressed by other passengers (primarily with the plumbing in their cabins) which we did not see with our own eyes."-Hlinter

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We are 5 star Mariners who were on the same Rotterdam 38 day cruise. Things were fine. What issues were presented are those that can be expected on any large ship of this age with multiple moving parts. If this is unacceptable, now you know up front so pick something else.

 

You just made my point (from another post) that there are HAL fans who will excuse anything. We have cruised on about 70 different ships (of 14 cruise lines) over forty years....and the Rotterdam is the first time we saw buckets used as the solution to multiple leaks. Perhaps you are "fine" with leaks, mold, stinky mildew, towels stuffed under windows (Crows Nest) to capture all the leaks, etc. But for me this is not the norm for cruise ships....except perhaps on HAL.

 

Will we keep choosing HAL? Yes, because we still like the line and love the itineraries. But we have certainly limited our future HAL cruise bookings in favor of lines that know how to maintain their vessels.

 

Hank

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This does NOT answer my question. I may not be a 5 star Mariner, but have sailed over 15 cruises. I understand wear and tear on an ocean going vessel. BTW, not that it matters, we are not picking "something else". :rolleyes:

 

My question, did the dry dock improve any of the perceived problems? "The Rotterdam is/was in need of lots of maintenance on things that are apparent to many passengers (we have no clue as to the situation under the passenger decks). The good news is that the Rotterdam is going into drydock (not sure if this just happened or if its at the end of this month). Whether the drydock will result in repairs to issues such as leaks in the Lido (we are talking many buckets needed to capture the water during rain storms), water bubbling up under the aft deck (Starboard side) near the bird bath (previously a pool), replacing worn water stained carpet (some of which reeked of mildew/mold, many leaking windows in the Crow's Nest (HAL's current solution is to array large blue towels at the base of many of these windows) plus other issues that were expressed by other passengers (primarily with the plumbing in their cabins) which we did not see with our own eyes."-Hlinter

 

Pretty amazing people can pay good money and go on a 30+ day cruise and tolerate conditions that Hank has described and say things were fine and you got to expect these types of inconveniences because of the ships age. Some of HALs older ships need more maintenance. I for one will not go back on one where I've had a problem nor go one one that has a lot of reported serious issues. There are just too many other options available.

 

Dan

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Pretty amazing people can pay good money and go on a 30+ day cruise and tolerate conditions that Hank has described and say things were fine and you got to expect these types of inconveniences because of the ships age. Some of HALs older ships need more maintenance. I for one will not go back on one where I've had a problem nor go one one that has a lot of reported serious issues. There are just too many other options available.

 

Dan

 

Ok, call me sensitive, but I already posted earlier. We were on from March - May, 2017 on this ship and saw no buckets, no issues except maybe one fan (and I haven't been on a ship yet without a fan - HAL or not)

 

Our cruise was just fine. The only issue I had was temperature in my cabin which was fixed in 10 minutes (and I reported on my live thread accordingly).

 

The issues seem to have happened AFTER dry dock.

 

We saw none of the issues that Hank (Hitner) posted and since I posted pics on my live thread, I think my statements can be substantiated.

 

There seem to have been a lot of issues that developed quickly, but don't disparage those of us that report honestly.

 

sorry for the vent, but those of us that report are not blind. I try to be honest and objective.

 

I won't tell someone to go on a ship if we have issues

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Ok, call me sensitive, but I already posted earlier. We were on from March - May, 2017 on this ship and saw no buckets, no issues except maybe one fan (and I haven't been on a ship yet without a fan - HAL or not)

 

Our cruise was just fine. The only issue I had was temperature in my cabin which was fixed in 10 minutes (and I reported on my live thread accordingly).

 

The issues seem to have happened AFTER dry dock.

 

We saw none of the issues that Hank (Hitner) posted and since I posted pics on my live thread, I think my statements can be substantiated.

 

There seem to have been a lot of issues that developed quickly, but don't disparage those of us that report honestly.

 

sorry for the vent, but those of us that report are not blind. I try to be honest and objective.

 

I won't tell someone to go on a ship if we have issues

 

Thank you! I hear that Rotterdam is a grand ship. I missed the nuances of your post and did not doubt your veracity. I appreciate you answering my question before I asked it. Wish I had read it more closely! :o Looking forward to getting back to a dam ship!

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Thank you! I hear that Rotterdam is a grand ship. I missed the nuances of your post and did not doubt your veracity. I appreciate you answering my question before I asked it. Wish I had read it more closely! :o Looking forward to getting back to a dam ship!

 

 

thank you.

 

The art on this ship is truly lovely. And the crew when we were on were phenomenal.

 

If it is of interest, here is the link to my Live thread at the time https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2474965

 

I know there were issues on the Voyages of the Viking cruise and it saddens me but we seriously had none that they faced. Hopefully all is well now.

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Pretty amazing people can pay good money and go on a 30+ day cruise and tolerate conditions that Hank has described and say things were fine and you got to expect these types of inconveniences because of the ships age. Some of HALs older ships need more maintenance. I for one will not go back on one where I've had a problem nor go one one that has a lot of reported serious issues. There are just too many other options available.

 

Dan

 

Yup, that is exactly what we did. We paid our money and stepped around the occasional drips. And putting towels to catch any situational condensation in the Crow's Nest is a perfectly pragmatic response. Good for HAL I say. This is maintenance to me; not lack of maintenance.

 

The Voyage of the Vikings had no issues that came to our attention. Not sure what some people mean by "needs more maintenance". Maybe they can offer more precision and detail, as well as expertise credentials? Why would HAL run their ships into the ground with intentional neglect.

 

You are all on notice - you will run into things on any ship. Other posters have been specific about possible issues. Be prepared to deal with it, or stay home. Simple as that. Ships need a lot of on-going maintenance all the time, and when a crew can be resourceful and responsive to the immediate needs that can arise from time to time, I applaud them.

 

And always be on guard that other passengers can and will put things down the commode that do not belong, or leave their balcony doors open, which does ruin things for other passengers who share their same systems. This is not lack of maintenance; this is lack of fellow passenger courtesies. The notices are up and beyond that all HAL can do is respond when called to the misuse problems they create. That too is a warning up front - some HAL ship passenger do not pay attention and on occasion will create problems for their fellow passengers.

 

The "bird bath" on the aft of the Rotterdam has now been there for years - this is hardly a shocking unknown. On our VOV it had been greatly improved and well used by passengers far more than when it was first installed with only those red/orange ceramic tile loungers.

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My question, did the dry dock improve any of the perceived problems?

 

 

We were in the Rotterdam 2 weeks ago. We did not see any major flaws or any buckets in the floor. The decor seemed fine to me.

 

There were a few issues, but nothing major.

 

--It was too warm for us in many of the public rooms, including the dining room, Lido and theater.

 

--Our room temperature would vary from too warm to too cold without touching the thermostat.

 

--We had low water pressure one day in our room..

 

--At least one stall or urinal was out of service in most public restrooms.

 

Our disappointment was not in the condition of the ship, but in the quality and variety of food, entertainment and service. None were up to the standards we experienced on other mainstream cruise lines (Royal Caribbean, Norwegian or Carnival). I had always heard HAL was a step above the other lines on most of these items, but that was not the case. I am not sure if this was unique to the Rotterdam or is the norm for HAL.

 

 

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We were in the Rotterdam 2 weeks ago. We did not see any major flaws or any buckets in the floor. The decor seemed fine to me.

 

There were a few issues, but nothing major.

 

--It was too warm for us in many of the public rooms, including the dining room, Lido and theater.

 

--Our room temperature would vary from too warm to too cold without touching the thermostat.

 

--We had low water pressure one day in our room..

 

--At least one stall or urinal was out of service in most public restrooms.

 

Our disappointment was not in the condition of the ship, but in the quality and variety of food, entertainment and service. None were up to the standards we experienced on other mainstream cruise lines (Royal Caribbean, Norwegian or Carnival). I had always heard HAL was a step above the other lines on most of these items, but that was not the case. I am not sure if this was unique to the Rotterdam or is the norm for HAL.

 

 

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HAL is a solidly mainline cruise line. Not sure where you got the impression it is "a step above". We continue to find it is good value for the money. YMMV obviously. Personally what you listed as issues are all well within our own range of "normal" ship operations. Just goes to show how different perceptions and expectations can be when it comes to cruise line selections.

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HAL is a solidly mainline cruise line. Not sure where you got the impression it is "a step above". We continue to find it is good value for the money. YMMV obviously. Personally what you listed as issues are all well within our own range of "normal" ship operations. Just goes to show how different perceptions and expectations can be when it comes to cruise line selections.

 

 

 

I had the impression that they were a "step above" based on friends who will only sail HAL and laugh when we sail on other lines, people who rave on these boards about the food and service and HAL's own website that says, in part, "our classic style, gracious service, impeccable cuisine, onboard entertainment and enrichment programs."

 

I guess it is like the movie everyone says you must see - it never lives up to your expectations. Nothing was horrible (except the pizza at New York pizza), but we realize it is not the line for us.

 

 

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Kazu, We know you are a regular HAL customer and a decent poster so you deserve some explanation. Our issues (with leaks, mold, mildew, etc) in August may not have existed in March...and we would have no clue. But they sure existed in August. When we returned from that cruise (which was a wonderful journey) we posted some very detailed information (such as the major leak on the Port Side forward of the Lido that took 8 buckets to capture. The reason we were so detailed (and could have posted photos) was because we were certain that some others would say "we never saw that." We know our Captain saw "that" because DW actually watched him step around the buckets when he was getting his own lunch! We thought that Lido leak (which only happened in rain) was outrageous since it was in a food area. But that was only a small part of the leak story.. Our cruise was from the beginning of August (2017) until early September. The ship went into drydock in late October (well after our cruise) and we have no first-hand knowledge if any or all of the issues we observed were repaired. There have been mixed reports (here on CC) since the drydock.

 

Another issue (in August) was interesting. There were also a number of cracked windows (and these are very large windows) in the MDR. The worst was a window on the Starboard side not far from the Starboard entrance. We have seen cracked windows on a few ships, but some of the cracks in the MDR windows were quite severe! To HAL's credit, they did replace the worst of the cracked windows when we stopped in Rotterdam (we actually saw the contractors leaving the ship with their tools and caulk guns). A few of us wondered how long these cracks had existed. There were a few other large windows with cracks...but they were not as severe (and were not replaced during our cruise).

 

The issue with towels at the base of many of the Crow''s Nest windows is nothing new. We had previously been on the Rotterdam several years earlier and they had towels on some of those windows at that time. Years later, the crew was still using towels (taken from the pool area) to keep the water flowing from the window base onto the carpet. On our same Aug-Sept cruise there was another issue with water bubbling up from under the wood decking on the aft deck (Starboard side) near the aft "bird bath" This was apparently due to a serious problem (under the decking) and we assume it was addressed during the Oct dry dock. For what its worth, I am only posting a small sampling of issues we saw on that VOV cruise. This is one of HAL's most expensive cruises (on a cost per passenger day) and one would expect that they would assign a ship in good shape to a cruise with so many 3-5 Star Cruisers.

 

On that same cruise our cabin was in pretty decent shape. But not so for several of our drinking mates. One couple had a strange issue where they could not get any cold water (never heard of this before). While it sounds funny, it meant they could not use their cabin shower/tub for several days. These folks were in an expensive cabin...but it still took 3 days for them to get a partial repair. Another of our drinking companions complained that their cabin was always hot (and we were cruising in cold parts of the world). Not sure if this was ever fixed. I could go on and on about other issues (with specific details) but there no reason. The bottom line was that the ship's condiition was not good and this should not happen on any HAL ship! I should mention that our drinking mates were all 4-5 Star Mariners and HAL fans. Go figure,

 

We still like HAL (have said this before) but do think they have some major management issues when it comes to budgeting for routine maintenance. Deferring maintenance until drydock (which only happen about once every 2 years) might be cost effective....but it sucks! I do not know if the problem is that HAL is simply using ships that are too old to properly maintain....or if HAL simply does not give a damn, But either way this is not a good thing.

 

One irony (we have posted this before) is that a year earlier we were on a Zuiderdam cruise when we started getting very strong oil-based paint fumes in our cabin..being pumped in through the A/C vent. It was a problem in our section of the ship and even in the corridor (making one of our stewards ill). When we complained we were told that they were painting near the air intake and would stop. But it did not stop so we finally made a decison to leave the ship (we were doing back to back) at the end of the first cruise. It was only when we made it clear we were leaving the ship early and expected a full refund for the 2nd cruise plus our extra air fare to return home...that the onboard staff reacted and stopped the painting! But the irony was that HAL was truly trying to do some maintenance :).

 

Hank

P.S. DW reminded me of the other ship where we saw cracked windows and it was the Prinsendam. On that ship they had actually replaced a Crows Nest window with plywood. This is the only time, in over forty years of cruising, that we saw a boarded-up window on a ship. This window was replaced after our cruise because when we again cruised the Prinsendam the window was fine.

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Kazu, We know you are a regular HAL customer and a decent poster so you deserve some explanation. Our issues (with leaks, mold, mildew, etc) in August may not have existed in March...and we would have no clue. But they sure existed in August. When we returned from that cruise (which was a wonderful journey) we posted some very detailed information (such as the major leak on the Port Side forward of the Lido that took 8 buckets to capture. The reason we were so detailed (and could have posted photos) was because we were certain that some others would say "we never saw that." We know our Captain saw "that" because DW actually watched him step around the buckets when he was getting his own lunch! We thought that Lido leak (which only happened in rain) was outrageous since it was in a food area. But that was only a small part of the leak story.. Our cruise was from the beginning of August (2017) until early September. The ship went into drydock in late October (well after our cruise) and we have no first-hand knowledge if any or all of the issues we observed were repaired. There have been mixed reports (here on CC) since the drydock.

 

Another issue (in August) was interesting. There were also a number of cracked windows (and these are very large windows) in the MDR. The worst was a window on the Starboard side not far from the Starboard entrance. We have seen cracked windows on a few ships, but some of the cracks in the MDR windows were quite severe! To HAL's credit, they did replace the worst of the cracked windows when we stopped in Rotterdam (we actually saw the contractors leaving the ship with their tools and caulk guns). A few of us wondered how long these cracks had existed. There were a few other large windows with cracks...but they were not as severe (and were not replaced during our cruise).

 

The issue with towels at the base of many of the Crow''s Nest windows is nothing new. We had previously been on the Rotterdam several years earlier and they had towels on some of those windows at that time. Years later, the crew was still using towels (taken from the pool area) to keep the water flowing from the window base onto the carpet. On our same Aug-Sept cruise there was another issue with water bubbling up from under the wood decking on the aft deck (Starboard side) near the aft "bird bath" This was apparently due to a serious problem (under the decking) and we assume it was addressed during the Oct dry dock. For what its worth, I am only posting a small sampling of issues we saw on that VOV cruise. This is one of HAL's most expensive cruises (on a cost per passenger day) and one would expect that they would assign a ship in good shape to a cruise with so many 3-5 Star Cruisers.

 

On that same cruise our cabin was in pretty decent shape. But not so for several of our drinking mates. One couple had a strange issue where they could not get any cold water (never heard of this before). While it sounds funny, it meant they could not use their cabin shower/tub for several days. These folks were in an expensive cabin...but it still took 3 days for them to get a partial repair. Another of our drinking companions complained that their cabin was always hot (and we were cruising in cold parts of the world). Not sure if this was ever fixed. I could go on and on about other issues (with specific details) but there no reason. The bottom line was that the ship's condiition was not good and this should not happen on any HAL ship! I should mention that our drinking mates were all 4-5 Star Mariners and HAL fans. Go figure,

 

We still like HAL (have said this before) but do think they have some major management issues when it comes to budgeting for routine maintenance. Deferring maintenance until drydock (which only happen about once every 2 years) might be cost effective....but it sucks! I do not know if the problem is that HAL is simply using ships that are too old to properly maintain....or if HAL simply does not give a damn, But either way this is not a good thing.

 

One irony (we have posted this before) is that a year earlier we were on a Zuiderdam cruise when we started getting very strong oil-based paint fumes in our cabin..being pumped in through the A/C vent. It was a problem in our section of the ship and even in the corridor (making one of our stewards ill). When we complained we were told that they were painting near the air intake and would stop. But it did not stop so we finally made a decison to leave the ship (we were doing back to back) at the end of the first cruise. It was only when we made it clear we were leaving the ship early and expected a full refund for the 2nd cruise plus our extra air fare to return home...that the onboard staff reacted and stopped the painting! But the irony was that HAL was truly trying to do some maintenance :).

 

Hank

P.S. DW reminded me of the other ship where we saw cracked windows and it was the Prinsendam. On that ship they had actually replaced a Crows Nest window with plywood. This is the only time, in over forty years of cruising, that we saw a boarded-up window on a ship. This window was replaced after our cruise because when we again cruised the Prinsendam the window was fine.

 

Thank you Hank.

 

I do recall your reports and sorry to hear that you did not have an enjoyable cruise. I was surprised about the change in such a short period of time.

 

I can enlighten about the window on the Prinsendam. The window was damaged in a storm and for safety, the staff boarded it up. The Captain told us that the window had to be specially made (like several things on the P'dam) which takes longer than a standard window on many cruise ships. It could only be installed by a limited number of people too. (I asked as I had read one of your reports.)

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Thank you Hank.

 

I do recall your reports and sorry to hear that you did not have an enjoyable cruise. I was surprised about the change in such a short period of time.

 

I can enlighten about the window on the Prinsendam. The window was damaged in a storm and for safety, the staff boarded it up. The Captain told us that the window had to be specially made (like several things on the P'dam) which takes longer than a standard window on many cruise ships. It could only be installed by a limited number of people too. (I asked as I had read one of your reports.)

 

Ahhh, the old Prinsendam window...,or we could call it the tale of the missing window :). We did know about the storm issue and actually had a discussion with Captain Gundersen (a friend who has sadly (for us) retired)). Apparently, many months (which was the issue) prior to our cruise the Prinsendam got hit (hard) by a rogue wave off the coast of Scotland. The impact was so violent that it caused the vessel to torsion resulting in multiple cracked windows in various places of the ship. They were able to quickly repair all the damaged windows except that one in the Starboard corner of the Crow's Nest. Eventually they had to totally remove the window and replace it with plywood. When we were next on the vessel (about a year later) that window had been repaired :). But other things had gone wrong. Those that knew the ship would remember they used to have a nice awning over the area directly behind the Lido (this was a great spot to enjoy breakfast or lunch on a nice day). On that next cruise the awning was so badly damaged that the crew had been forced to tie down the large structure by using large adjustable straps (the kind that truckers use to hold down their loads). We cruised for 2 months and sat under that awning praying that the straps would hold (they did). The day before we arrived back at Port Everglades, the engineering staff spent a few hours removing all the straps. The reason? The vessel was to undergo a US Coast Guard Inspection (the following day) and those straps might have caused some questions, A few months later they finally tore down that entire awning structure and replaced it with a nice windowed section now used as part of the Lido and for the evening Italian restaurant. :). We are among the HAL fans that keeps begging the company not to get rid of that ole ship.....but the word is that its days are numbered.

 

Our feeling was that the condition of the Rotterdam, in August, was far worse then anything we had seen on the Prinsendam. Our next HAL cruise will be on the Maasdam....and we are again praying to King Neptune that the ship is in good shape when we board.

 

Hank

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Anyone who demands ships be the equivalent of a brand new, pristine land based hotel located next to a HomeDepot supply center should visit the San Diego port and visit the large air-craft carrier Midway right next door. https://www.smartdestinations.com/san-diego-attractions-and-tours/uss-midway-museum/_ptattr_Sdo_Att_USS_Midway_Museum.html?clickid=wr2V6VVZ8RRxWFN0m2Tj6V5MUkmXfU01UQTCQY0&irid=297855&utm_campaign=297855&utm_content=SDO%20Bizx%20Midway%20Museum&utm_source=IR&utm_medium=aff&irgwc=1

 

Unlike sanitized cruise ship decor, one can see all the complex and exposed wiring and connections that make up any large floating vessel that is also asked to respond to twists and turns, under highly variable weather conditions and relentless corrosive salt spray. This is not an excuse for what one can run into from time to time on ships that have seasoned over time, but it is a good reality check to see what ships are required to do, in a closed system setting.

 

(HAL offers choices from older to brand new ships - make your own choices with this in mind according to your own level of cruising tolerances.)

 

BTW: we experienced heavy vibrations for 18 days on a recent Maasdam cruise through the Panama Canal - you are on notice. Plan and research accordingly. Praying may or may not change anything. There is even an online passenger video from this cruise showing the degree of vibrations. Did this get fixed, was it weather dependent, was it speed dependent ...I don't know. But you have your homework assignment cut out for you. Most passengers took this in stride on that cruise and the topic did not even come up during the Q&A with the captain. These were fair and foul weather HAL cruisers apparently.

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OK, here's what I think some people are asking for. They seem to expect a cruise line to immediately cancel cruises, and pull a ship into a drydock at the first sign of any problem. Cracked windows, some leaky deck areas, some leaky windows, quick, cancel thousands of people's vacations, force them into alternate ships or itineraries. Can you imagine the screams and howls that we would see on CC if that was the policy of cruise lines ? Ships have maintenance crews onboard for this reason. They do their absolute best to address the problems that crop up. And yes, the captain is not going to have a hissy fit when he sees some buckets in the Lido. He is totally aware of any problems. Would you rather him order the Lido closed ? Issues that can be addressed with onboard staff and available hardware are done quickly. Items that require replacement parts, some that may need custom fabrication will take longer. Maybe not until the next drydock. Older ships will have problems, and some brand new ships have disastrous problems. But everyone should be aware of the age of a particular ship they are booking. If you can "go with the flow", then you should be OK. If you demand only the best, and no compromises, then you should make your ship selections more carefully.

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Every time I read this thread I think of the current Direct TV commercials. The commercials are aimed at dissatisfied cable customers and depict cable customers getting excited when bad things happen. Scenes include a woman gleeful after sitting in gum, a man gives two thumbs up after running into a glass wall, another man rejoices after a previously shaken soda can explodes in his face, etc.

Maybe Direct could film on the Rotterdam- a joyful captain sidestepping eight buckets in the Lido or happy passengers showering in the spa because of cabin issues.

 

Most of us want accommodations as nice or nicer than we have at home. Just saying , of course.

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Every time I read this thread I think of the current Direct TV commercials. The commercials are aimed at dissatisfied cable customers and depict cable customers getting excited when bad things happen. Scenes include a woman gleeful after sitting in gum, a man gives two thumbs up after running into a glass wall, another man rejoices after a previously shaken soda can explodes in his face, etc.

Maybe Direct could film on the Rotterdam- a joyful captain sidestepping eight buckets in the Lido or happy passengers showering in the spa because of cabin issues.

 

Most of us want accommodations as nice or nicer than we have at home. Just saying , of course.

 

All true, but Sammiedawg, sometimes ship happens. You got to pay your money and accept what happens.

 

Or, not. ;)

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