Rotterdam.....a mistake?

Well I just got off the Rotterdam on Sunday. I went expecting the worst, but did not find it. This was cruise number 84, so I have developed my own opinions over the years.

Observations are as follows:

Ship looked great, furniture either new or reupholstered. The entire ship was clean clean clean.

I did not see any leaking water nor buckets.

Everything in the cabin was worked no, including air conditioning and hot water for showers. On my deck 3, there were two air blowers in the corridor drying out carpet that had to be cleaned due to a passenger mess.

Crew could not have been better... all smiles and really seemed happy with their work, with the exception of one bartender by the pool bar midship.

Diningroom waiter superb.i appreciated that he asked everyone at our table their first names....he addressed us by name from that point on.

Food....lower standard than what I have experienced on previous HAL cruises, but this is no different from other lines.

Buffet....food ok, selection was limited.....but quick service with a smile. The salad maker.....did a nice job and was very popular.

Gym, was nice, all equipment was working. For an older crowd, the gym was heavily used....

Number activities....very few.

Entertainment weak, the Ocean bar quartet excellent.

Drinks were great.

Pizza seemed to be popular although I did not have any.

Overall the experience was ok, what I would label as a standard mass market cruise. It was not premium as HAL labels themselves.

The ship, especially up therein age was just fine. Would I sail her again....yes.

What stumped me was the passengermix.....it lived up to the reputation HAL has ....for old folks. Up side, no scooters, and only maybe 3children.

PerhapsTampa gets all the Florida west coast retirees.

It was a quiet cruise and I was pleased for what I paid.

One last note.."Pinnacle was very nice food wise but service was a bit weak.

Oh, and the cocktail snacks

provided out on deck during sail away and each evening in the ocean bar were a nice touch .

Sail the old gal on another itinerary...yes.

Thanks for your review. Sounds much better than I was thinking the ship would be.

Do you know if the Lincoln Center had musicians playing classical music in the evening?

Igar39,

Yes, there was classical music each evening...I passed by each evening heading to the upper level of the diningroom.

At least one string instrument and a piano. Although not a big fan of classical,it sounded great and there was always a large turnout to listen.

I was on the same sailing as RMS Olympic and agree completely. I'm 58 and noticed that the majority of passengers were older. The ship is in great shape. Never saw any buckets anywhere. We did have a plumbing problem in our cabin. I called Guest Services and a man came within 10 minutes and the issue was resolved. The next day I received a printed card in my cabin stating that they have been trying to contact me to see how my problem was handled. I had not been in my cabin very much and thought the follow up was a sign of great customer service. I went to the Guest Services desk and told them I was satisfied. Service was excellent and always with a smile, except for that pool bar bartender. Ocean Bar staff were fantastic! Yes, entertainment was lacking, but I always make my own good time. Don't order the French Onion Soup. Its disgusting! Talk about salty..... Other than that, the food was very good for the most part. No screaming kids and vulgar drunk people made for a nice atmosphere. This was our first HAL cruise and all in all it was a much different cruise experience, and I would book another. I would like to try a larger ship and have an eye on a Panama Canal cruise this fall on HAL.

RMS Olympic and PFV,

I enjoyed reading about your experiences on this cruise! Thanks for sharing!

That is very encouraging! Despite the problems we had on our cruise, it was still an amazing bargain. Also, getting in and our of Tampa is a breeze and the itinerary was top notch.