Jump to content

Rotterdam.....a mistake?


RMS Olympic
 Share

Recommended Posts

i booked the Rotterdam for many reasons since I am more of a ship lover than a modern cruiser. Old ships are just fine with me, and a January cruise seemed long enough post dry dock to correct last minute adjustments. I also expected issues post dry dock because the ship like me is getting old.

But the ship was truly rushed out of the yard , unfinished and not ready to sail based on reviews/ complaints.

Now into mid December I have not read anything indicating all the problems especially plumbing have been fixed.

I can weather problems, but I have three people joining me on the cruise that have never sailed on Holland America. Will this ship kill HAL for them?

Can anyone provide any updates on the ship.....is it fully operational or will our cruise be a mess, people continually complaining and officers and staff stressed out and avoiding confrontation. This isn't my first time on an old ship...but a broken one....

I hope HAL has addressed the problems.

Thanks for any updates.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've heard complaints on Royal Caribbean when the Empress of the Seas came out of a Super Major Refit. They cancelled a bunch of sailings, then cancelled a bunch more. Once it sailed, a lot of areas were still closed. Empress was brought in from another line, and I guess they nearly had to gut it and rebuild. There was also something dealing w/ the food prep areas.

 

I think they also had issues with deploying one of the new Quantum class.

 

That's when we heard the rule, about not sailing w/in six months of a new ship deployment. And 2-4 weeks for a dry dock.

 

This may not happen though. Before learning this rule, we once sailed w/in 2 weeks of a dry dock on Navigator of the Seas, and other than some sloppy service in one of the Specialty restaurants, nothing too bad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I sailed on the Rotterdam with my Mom on the Nov 26 sailing from Tampa and had a wonderful time. We were in an inside cabin 1874 on Dolphin Deck and it was very spacious. We had no issues at all...we had hot water and air conditioning so we were happy. The cabin steward, dining room staff and waiters were excellent. So friendly. I haven’t sailed with Holland America for 20 years and I must admit I was a bit worried after reading some of the reviews before I left but overall we had a great time. I did notice some fans in the hallways a couple of days and was told by one of the guests that a water main broke in their cabin and they were moved. Not sure of any other issues on that sailing. I’ve been sailing on Celebrity for the past 8 years so it was good to compare. Hope this helps....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We just returned from 14 days on the Rotterdam and it WAS a mistake. Our inside cabin temperature for the first 2 days was a frigid 62 degrees. The A/C system was not balanced. Some venues were very hot and others very cold. Fortunately, the hot water in our cabin was abundant. I did notice several urinals and commodes in public restrooms were "out of service". One of the ice machines in the Lido was also out of service for the 2nd week of our cruise. Very Little to do onboard during the day unless you want to attend seminars shilling the spa or engage in "unhosted" games. Movies, for the most part, were garbage and not suitable for the mostly senior clientele. The one salvation was the America's Test Kitchen presentations which were excellent.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm on the Jan. 7th sailing and I'm going with a very open mind. This will be my 39 cruise and first on HAL. I have always wanted to try them, but was discouraged, over the years by all the comments made that HAL is for older people including my Travel Agent. I "ain't" no Spring Chicken anymore and can't wait to get on board!!!!:D As long as the ship is clean, the food hot and bathroom works, I'll be more than happy. Not to mention the drinks strong!

 

PFV

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We were on the Rotterdam for Voyage of the Vikings 2016, and in Greenland, it was 37 degrees F outside, and something like 64 degrees F in our stateroom. We were cold the night before and got under the covers, and colder when we woke up. We happened to have a clock/that also read the temperature in either Fahrenheit or Centigrade.

 

DH told them to take their time. I thought that mean, take your time that day, but it was the evening of the second day before it got fixed. Took several different crew members to study it. Judging from the repair staff, we had a few things we needed fixing. They try the simple stuff first, then move up to the more complicated time consuming parts. If finally got fixed when they opened the ceiling and started what looked like some sort of build.

 

Television also broke. They tried things like plugs, two of three things, then finally hauled the television away and brought another.

 

I think everything that broke down got over our 35-day cruise eventually got fixed.

 

I don't remember how many things they needed fixing, maybe three.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We just returned from 14 days on the Rotterdam and it WAS a mistake. Our inside cabin temperature for the first 2 days was a frigid 62 degrees. The A/C system was not balanced. Some venues were very hot and others very cold. Fortunately, the hot water in our cabin was abundant. I did notice several urinals and commodes in public restrooms were "out of service". One of the ice machines in the Lido was also out of service for the 2nd week of our cruise. Very Little to do onboard during the day unless you want to attend seminars shilling the spa or engage in "unhosted" games. Movies, for the most part, were garbage and not suitable for the mostly senior clientele. The one salvation was the America's Test Kitchen presentations which were excellent.

 

 

We had a movie with Bruce Willis and it should have had an “X” rating. It was pure filth, no exaggeration. I don’t know what they were thinking! I cant’t imagine showing this movie on a cruise ship it had the title “Once Upon a Time in Venice” so I thought it would be about the city in Italy but no, they were talking about California and the entire movie was in the gutter, I kid you not!!!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We had a movie with Bruce Willis and it should have had an “X” rating. It was pure filth, no exaggeration. I don’t know what they were thinking! I cant’t imagine showing this movie on a cruise ship it had the title “Once Upon a Time in Venice” so I thought it would be about the city in Italy but no, they were talking about California and the entire movie was in the gutter, I kid you not!!!!!

 

Not good! Bruce Willis's Die Hard does have some pretty foul language. And very violent too.

 

 

 

We rented our movies, so we could pick them. As I get older, I'm liking the older movies and TV shows from the 60s. Back then they had a lot of restrictions about what they allowed on network TV. When one needs to avoid profanity, it makes for much more creative dialog.

Edited by knittinggirl
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey PFV, spring chicken........., you are almost up there with me....a buzzard. But in your case a Florida turkey buzzard

I think we will all have a great time...because we want to have a great time. A little bit of rum, a little bit of vodka and a whole bunch of vino

Oh, did I mention bacon!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just returned from the 14 day sailing. We could not get the room temp under 74, so we had to purchase fans in Puerto Rico.(stateroom 1856). Water in the shower would start almost scalding then down to col, then back gain. No constant temps. Guest services were no help Staff was excellent.

 

Very boring cruise. Only time we ever saw CD/Asst CD was during trivia, and to announce shows. Not very interactive with guests. No sail way parties, no real music. Everything piped in. The casino had church music one evening.

 

No more Rottedam for me. Sorry.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't forget Seven & Seven's.... My cruise drink.

 

Oh, by the way, I checked with HAL and 2/3rd's of the ship is reserved by a group called Bacon Haters Of America, so Bacon is off the buffets and cheeseburgers! You better fill up before getting on the ship! :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We just returned from a 7 day cruise on Rotterdam. Not impressed with the friendliness of the staff or the service.

 

Our room had been redecorated (6226w/ balcony) and was quite acceptable. Some rust on balcony. Wonderful storage. No plumbing or water problems. Cabin was a little warm at night and you couldn't adjust the temperature. TV remote was broken and took five or six calls to get a new one. There is only one usable outlet in the cabin.

 

Restaurants look nice but the menu selection, food quality and service was lacking. Entertainment was poor or non-existent. Soot and residue from the smoke stacks on the rear deck stained our clothes. They offered to clean them for us but it didn't remove all the oily stain.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We had a movie with Bruce Willis and it should have had an “X” rating. It was pure filth, no exaggeration. I don’t know what they were thinking! I cant’t imagine showing this movie on a cruise ship it had the title “Once Upon a Time in Venice” so I thought it would be about the city in Italy but no, they were talking about California and the entire movie was in the gutter, I kid you not!!!!!

 

You mean to tell me you did not get excited watching Bruce skateboard in downtown LA in the nude :eek:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm on the Jan. 7th sailing and I'm going with a very open mind. This will be my 39 cruise and first on HAL. I have always wanted to try them, but was discouraged, over the years by all the comments made that HAL is for older people including my Travel Agent. I "ain't" no Spring Chicken anymore and can't wait to get on board!!!!:D As long as the ship is clean, the food hot and bathroom works, I'll be more than happy. Not to mention the drinks strong!

 

PFV

I would not call their drinks strong. Suggest you order a double.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just got off the boat yesterday. We are in our 40s and had never sailed HAL. Will try to leave a review soon. Had a marvelous time!!!!! We are well seasoned travelers, but this was only our 3rd cruise.

 

Hello, we are very interested in your review. You represent an excellent opportunity for our readers to see what new potential HAL customers feel about its ships. You are in an important age demographic and this is significant to the future direction of HAL marketing.

 

Forget about the Bruce Willis movie, and his buns skating naked around California streets, that is not a fair representation about the line in general.

 

Let us know especially about how you felt about the MDR (Main Dining Room) and its trend toward allowing jeans during dining. This is a hot topic here and you will get a lot of feedback. Also tell us if you like the music and why or why not.

 

Thanks in advance for your input!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just came off a week long cruise on Christmas Eve. Ship looked ok in general, our cabin, well.... We were in a Neptune Suite (7024). Turned out that one of the big glass panels next to the door to the balcony was cracked bottom to top. Not sure how it could've been damaged so badly so quickly after a yard visit. There was also a crack in the mirror over the bed. And worst of all, the granite floor tiles in the entry foyer all cracked. Middle of the night on a night when we were sailing at high speed and rocking a lot and sounded like popcorn was popping in the room. Tiles were grinding against each other. We ended up with huge cracked pieces, holes in the granite. We were told by the concierge that the floors were just replaced so whoever did the work in this suite sucked. They were in our room taking photos and measurements a good half dozen times. Gave us a $300 account credit but overall sort of a disappointment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dave and Ann. You need to share this experience with GMA and ask Hoda for a guest fee. I mean, this is horrible but incredible at the same time. It must have felt like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom trash compacting.

 

I am trying to make light of this, but at the same time, I think you are entitled to a larger reimbursement. There is clearly some structural issues in that the walls were literally closing in on you and crushing your cabin.

 

I admire your courage for sticking it out, but make a big deal about this and scream bloody you know what. Nobody should be subject to that for their stay, especially in a Neptune Suite.

 

Keep us posted and ask for a full refund.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just returned from the 14 day sailing. We could not get the room temp under 74, so we had to purchase fans in Puerto Rico.(stateroom 1856). Water in the shower would start almost scalding then down to col, then back gain. No constant temps. Guest services were no help Staff was excellent.

 

Very boring cruise. Only time we ever saw CD/Asst CD was during trivia, and to announce shows. Not very interactive with guests. No sail way parties, no real music. Everything piped in. The casino had church music one evening.

 

No more Rottedam for me. Sorry.

 

Is this a sideways to the hall inside? What's the layout like, please?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello, we are very interested in your review. You represent an excellent opportunity for our readers to see what new potential HAL customers feel about its ships. You are in an important age demographic and this is significant to the future direction of HAL marketing.

 

Forget about the Bruce Willis movie, and his buns skating naked around California streets, that is not a fair representation about the line in general.

 

Let us know especially about how you felt about the MDR (Main Dining Room) and its trend toward allowing jeans during dining. This is a hot topic here and you will get a lot of feedback. Also tell us if you like the music and why or why not.

 

Thanks in advance for your input!

 

I did leave a review for anyone who wants to read it and hasn't seen it yet. Side note... we did talk to people who got turned away from dining wearing shorts. Not sure about jeans. I don't recall seeing anyone in them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was on the same cruise. I saw flip flops in the MDR. I saw jeans in the MDR. I saw t-shirts in the MDR. All of these sightings were made on the second gala night and all of these people were seated for dinner.

 

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5010 using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was on the same cruise. I saw flip flops in the MDR. I saw jeans in the MDR. I saw t-shirts in the MDR. All of these sightings were made on the second gala night and all of these people were seated for dinner.

 

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5010 using Tapatalk

 

Also on this sailing. To be fair, there was a late return to ship after the substituted port of Grand Cayman.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...