Help! Considering a Baltic Explorer on Rotterdam 09/19

Tale of woe. Our dear friends and we shared a dream of sailing on an itinerary that includes St. Petersburg (Russia, not Florida). Because of scheduling problems our dream got deferred to September 2019. It would have been our first cruise on the Prinsendam, and I got over the sticker shock when valiant CCers explained the economics of having a smaller base on which to spread the high non-variable fixed costs.

Well, now I learn that as of September 2019 the Prinsendam will have been retired from the HAL fleet, and that the cruise we had had our eye on is now scheduled, with a modified itinerary, for the Rotterdam.

Concerns:

1. The cruise fares are still eye-poppingly high. This can't be on account of the fixed-cost analysis that obtained for Pdam, so is this just a question of supply & demand? Should we roll the dice by waiting six months (or so) to see if the prices come down to a more attractive level?

2. This board is full of lamentations about Rotterdam. In the last drydock refurbishment, it is said, the Rotterdam got mutilated, particularly in her aft end. One critic even referred to her as the "Rottendam"! Having never experienced her in her prior, pristine incarnation, how seriously should I take the criticisms? I've also seen references to Rotterdam as (together with Amsterdam) "the co-flagship of the fleet," which makes me think it can't be too shabby!

3. The HAL website does not show any verandah categories of cabin. Instead, we are offered either a "lanai" stateroom or a vista suite. The vista suite offers a verandah (plus, as a suite, double Mariners points!) but the price is beyond our budget (see point #1 above). The lanai stateroom has no verandah but instead opens out onto the Promenade deck. As the philosopher said: huh? Are there no verandah cabins on Rotterdam? or have they all been sold out?

I will welcome your thoughts and advice. Should we look elsewhere?

Bob, I can't help you on why the price is high. I book all of our cruises pretty late in the game, and have always found good deals. That does not mean for this kind of itin that you will have the same luck. So, I hope some other people will chime in here and help you out.

So, we were on the Rotterdam right out of retrofit and I can tell you it was a disaster. Workers were on the sailing with us and had to finish the retro while we were sailing. But, as we got to the end of the sailing, we commented that the next group of passengers would probably not even know there were problems. We were compensated by HAL and we are actually on the same ship and the same itinerary this December. We don't mind sailing this again because after the hurricane in the Caribbean, we will be going back to what was the original ports. So, we will be experiencing some new things.

In terms of the Lanai cabins on Rotterdam, you need to be careful on which Lanai cabin you choose. Some of those staterooms are right below the kitchen and prep areas, and some people have commented about noise. Talk to some people here and on the Trip Advisor cruise forum about a stateroom before you book. Here is that link to Trip Advisor. Fannish is extremely knowledgable about the HAL staterooms and can give you good advice. https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g1-i10703-k8527137-o300-HAL_Amsterdam_Rotterdam_Volendam_Zaandam_cabin_choices-Cruises.html#94671539

One of the reasons the price is so high is because the Explore 4 promotion is ongoing. You can have them fare it without the Explore 4, which tends to not be such a great promotion unless you drink a lot.

I recently spent two weeks on the Rotterdam and it certainly was not the Rottendam. There was a leak when raining at the bottom of one staircase forward, but I don't recall the deck - perhaps deck 3. I can say they were constantly working on the ship while we were on it and it appeared in great shape. The crew was fantastic.

Thank you, AKJonesy and Debbie (dfish)! I appreciate your replies.

Does anyone out there know whether Rotterdam has verandah staterooms? I'm wondering if all the verandahs have been booked for this cruise or if the so-called lanai cabins (giving onto the Promenade deck) are supposed to be the functional alternative.

Thank you, AKJonesy and Debbie (dfish)! I appreciate your replies.

Does anyone out there know whether Rotterdam has verandah staterooms? I'm wondering if all the verandahs have been booked for this cruise or if the so-called lanai cabins (giving onto the Promenade deck) are supposed to be the functional alternative.

Bob, go over to that link on TripAdvisor. Fannish will help you. I don't know how he acquired so much knowledge about the Holland America line staterooms. But he seems to know everything and he helps everyone. I asked him about aft noise on my stateroom and he gave me good advice for my upcoming trip.

Thank you, AKJonesy and Debbie (dfish)! I appreciate your replies.

Does anyone out there know whether Rotterdam has verandah staterooms? I'm wondering if all the verandahs have been booked for this cruise or if the so-called lanai cabins (giving onto the Promenade deck) are supposed to be the functional alternative.

The Rotterdam does have verandahs but they are called Vista Suites. that's the case with the smaller ships. there is no "verandah" category, but rather it's the "Vista" category.

In essence, the Vista Suites are the verandah category on this ship.

Lanai's are the 1/2 way point between an outside and a verandah. Some people love them and some don't care for them. The ones I have seen on that ship seemed to be smaller than the regular ocean view rooms, but that could be me or the layout?

We loved the Rotterdam when we sailed her before her drydock. Staff were great and service very good.

The aft retreat section (with the birdbath instead of a pool) was there when we sailed on her.

The Rotterdam does have verandahs but they are called Vista Suites. that's the case with the smaller ships. there is no "verandah" category, but rather it's the "Vista" category.

 

In essence, the Vista Suites are the verandah category on this ship.

Thank you for the information. I have recently booked a Vista suite for the Southern Caribbean this coming winter, so I'm familiar with the Vista category. If Vista is equivalent to the verandah category on other ships, the price disparity is all the more glaring.

On the cruise we've booked for next February, we're getting double points toward our Mariners status because Vista Suites are counted as suites. Is that also the case on Rotterdam?

Thank you for the information. I have recently booked a Vista suite for the Southern Caribbean this coming winter, so I'm familiar with the Vista category. If Vista is equivalent to the verandah category on other ships, the price disparity is all the more glaring.

 

On the cruise we've booked for next February, we're getting double points toward our Mariners status because Vista Suites are counted as suites. Is that also the case on Rotterdam?

Bob,

You need to keep in mind that verandahs are not as frequent on the smaller (older) ships as on the Vista, Signature & Pinnacle class.

I do find the verandah / Vista rooms on the smaller ships to be larger than the regular verandahs on the bigger ships.

The verandahs are definitely deeper, too IME.

Keep in mind that Explore4 is on, so there could be a big difference in price when it comes off or you can ask for pricing without it.