Rotterdam Spring Break Cruise 4/1-4/8 Western Caribbean Review

Back in the saddle after our cruise and wanted to get a start on this review. Spoiler Alert - We Loved It. If that is what you were looking for then you don't have to read any further. For the rest of you, grab some snacks are follow along.

Us:

We are a family of three from Atlanta that enjoy cruising. We take 1 or 2 cruises a year during regularly scheduled school breaks. We are laid back and take life as it is thrown at us. Nothing really gets us down or bothers us too much. We like to cruise for the sake of cruising. Big Boat, Small Boat, Party Boat, Laid Back Boat, it does not really matter. Our 3 essentials are kids club, swimming pool, and Jacuzzi. Other than that everything else is a bonus. I knew going in we did not really fit the "Holland" demographic if that really is such a thing; however, the itinerary matched our cruise schedule so off we went. This cruise was a bit out of the norm for Holland. About 20% of the passengers onboard were kids, so there were many other people in our same shoes. I must say that we enjoyed the experience and did not feel out of place. Everyone we interacted with were "Easy Like Sunday Morning". We had some great laughs. Being that the boat was small we encountered people many times over on the trip.

Headed Down:

I must say that after reading some of the reviews before the cruise, I had my doubts about what we were in for. The cruise left on a Sunday so we headed down to Tampa Saturday late morning. Being that most of GA was on spring break I anticipated the traffic problems I would run into. We hit traffic in south Atlanta, Gainesville, FL and Ocala FL just as expected. Other than those areas, traffic was light.

We hit the greater Tampa area around 8 pm and checked into our Hotel for the evening. We stayed at the Crown Plaza. It was nice but not nice enough to pay the regularly advertised price. I got a good deal online that I could not pass up.

Embarkation Day:

We checked out of the Hotel at 11 and headed to the port. I opted to do offsite parking. We used Parkway Parking. Their check in location was directly across the street from the terminal and they have an accessory lot 2 blocks away. Overall, it was a decent experience. I will say this. Their lots are not paved so checking in/out on a rainy day could get messy. Also, request that they not leave your car under the trees.

Once we arrived at the port, we were checked in and on the boat in about 30 mins give or take. The rooms were open for business soon as you got onboard. This was the first ship I have been on where you just embarked into a hallway on one of the cabin decks. I am use to entering the boat at the atrium level. Once onboard we dropped off our bags and headed to the Lido. After our meal we walked around admiring the artwork then rested until the Muster Drill.

After watching sail away on top deck, we proceeded to get ready for dinner. Side note - Our luggage arrived to the room shorty after we were onboard. By far the fastest we have ever received our bags.

Dinner was quiet. No fanfare or extras. Just a quiet meal in the dining room. The food was on par with other lines we have traveled on. I definitely notices the staff to guest ratio during dinner. Each set only had like 4 tables to tend to. We were in and out in just over an hour. This was exception compared to the usual 2 hours we experienced in the past on other lines.

After dinner we went to the theater and watched the evening movie. After that we turned in to get ready for Key West.

Cabin:

We had an interior cabin on deck 1 midship. This cabin was roomy and laid out well. There was no frig in the room but we were able to rent one for 2 buck a day. This was a no brainer for us. The AC worked exceptionally well. I am cold natured and a couple times I had to turn the thing up cause the room felt like a meat locker. The water pressure and temp in the bathroom were exceptional as well. We had to keep the temp dial turned almost all the way down to keep from melting our skin off. We had no complaints with the room at all.

Sounds like you had a great cruise.!

We were on the same cruise and have to add my comments.

Yes there were alot more children than we are used to on HAL cruises, but really it was not a big deal IMO. We just stayed away from the Lido pool area on the sea days and all was fine!

The ship was in great condition and the crew was fantastic! Everything an smoothly, except fro missing one port due to heavy seas.

This was our first cruise sailing out of Tampa and we really enjoyed it. Nice terminal and easy getting into and out of the pier area, plus the airport was not overrun with cruisers like Fort Lauderdale often is.

I would recommend both the Rotterdam and sailing out of Tampa.

We were on the fourteen day cruise just before yours.

For the first time ever on HAL, we found ourselves on a stereotype HAL cruise. The passengers were OLD (we are plus or minus two years of 70 and were on the young side) and many were extremely frail.

We actually thought that one gentleman had died while waiting for the show. Help was called for and the staff managed to rouse him.

The front of the MDR looked like a used shop of medical equipment with scooters, wheelchairs and walkers lining the wall.

We have been on a 14 day cruise in January 2017 on the Rotterdam and the age spread ranged from families with children to able bodied retirees.

We were on the fourteen day cruise just before yours.

 

For the first time ever on HAL, we found ourselves on a stereotype HAL cruise. The passengers were OLD (we are plus or minus two years of 70 and were on the young side) and many were extremely frail.

 

We actually thought that one gentleman had died while waiting for the show. Help was called for and the staff managed to rouse him.

 

The front of the MDR looked like a used shop of medical equipment with scooters, wheelchairs and walkers lining the wall.

 

We have been on a 14 day cruise in January 2017 on the Rotterdam and the age spread ranged from families with children to able bodied retirees.

It is great people with mobility issues can still find an enjoyable way to travel and celebrate life. You know what they say about everyone's favorite wish if they knew they only had 6 months to live - travel around the world. Maybe that gentleman was having his dream come true. Be happy for him.

OP

Enjoying your review.

Looking forward to the rest.

OP

Glad you had an enjoyable cruise.

Looking forward to reading more.

Key West:

Our port time for Key West was 11-5. I am not sure why we had to arrive so late give the distance from Tampa, but those decisions are above my pay grade. Since we had a late departure, the little one and I went to bfast in the MDR and discussed the scheduled events for the day. She had std eggs benedict and I had the crab eggs benedict. I must say the crab put a nice twist on the dish. After our meal we wondered around then went to the room to get ready for port. Originally, I could have sworn that we were docking at Mallory Square; however, we ended up at the Mole (surely I misread this somewhere). I don't like this spot because it is always a cluster trying to get off the ship due to the security issues being an active Navy establishment. We left our room about 30 minutes after they started letting folks off, but this was still not enough time. We ran into a line of guest just down the hall from our room.

We finally got to the square around 12:15. I had booked a golf cart rental so we hurried over to JV rentals for our pick up. They cart was clean and in good condition. Their prices were in line with other rentals in the area also. After picking up the cart we had a quick snack at one of the local spots then started our adventures. We eventually landed at the Fort/Beach just outside of the Navy yard. The beach was a beach in the since that the water met the land; however, this place should be called rock city. There was a small band of sand at the water's edge and that was it. You have to traverse a strip of rock to get to the water and once in the entire bottom is nothing but rocks. The rocks are weathered so there were no sharp edges to cut yourself on, but the experience was not that enjoyable for me. The little one on the other hand could care less and played to her heart's content. Mama sat in the shade and enjoyed her book. Due to the extra time needed to get off the ship we did not get to explore the fort.

After the beach we hopped in the cart and drove around exploring more of the island. We did not make it over to the eastern portion of the island, but the areas we did see did not show any signs of hurricane damage from last season. We dropped off the cart around 4:15 then headed over to get some Key Lime Pie. Of course you can't visit Key West and not get a slice or two. We then hopped one of the last shuttles over to the pier.

Once onboard we watched sail away and then got ready for dinner. Tonight mama and I were headed to Canaletto's. The little one fell asleep from all of her beach bumming and would not rise until the next morning. Mama had the sea bass and I had the short rib dish. Both were equally exceptional. It was a good finish to our day.

Our last stop at Key West got rained out. This time everything went well and we had a good day on the island. Next time we port there we will probably stick around the square and take in the scene down there.

Thanks to all who are following along with me.

Seaday 1:

Today the little one and I started the day off by jumping up to catch the sunrise up on deck 9. This is another favorite thing I like to do on a cruise. The actual happenings go so quick that if you blink too long you can miss it. After enjoying the moment we headed down to the Lidl for bfast. We enjoyed our meal and then began to plan out our day. The little one had already logged onto the ship wifi and loaded our calendar with all the events she wanted to do for the day. We then walked around the ship admiring the different pieces of art that are spread all over the boat. Once we were done we met up with Mama in the room to get ready for Americas Test Kitchen.

We arrived to ATK around 15 minutes before the show and it was getting pretty close to capacity. By the time it started the place was standing room only. I didn't know much about this show going in so I did not know what to expect. Overall I found it a little underwhelming. I am not classically trained by any stretch of the imagination, but I grew up in the kitchen and know my way around very well. Being on a cruise ship I was hoping this demonstration would be more advanced. I could see where it would be helpful for people who are looking to learn tips and tricks about the basics.

After ATK the little one and I went to Pinnacle for lunch. She had the salmon and I had the cioppino. Both were good but the cipooino was hands and above better. I have a friend the visits Cali a couple times a year and he always raves about the ciopinno. For this reason I tried my hand at preparing it at home a time or two. We thought it was good but never had anything to compare it to. After this trip I can now say I hit the nail on the head. Mama went off on her own to explore a little as she had just finished up room service before ATK.

Following the meal I dropped the little one off at kids club and then met up with Mama in the library. We hung out there until it was time to pick up the little one. After that we went back to the cabin to get ready for Formal Night.

Originally we had chosen early dining but once onboard we switched over to late seating. We like early but 5:30 was just a tad too early for my taste. We requested the change as soon as we embarked in case someone was looking to move up our slot would not be occupied. We did not have any trouble switching our time at all. Overall it seemed like neither of the fixed time dining slots were at capacity. We left the room around 7 so we could walk around and take pictures. After pictures we went out on deck 3 to watch the sunset. We then hung out in the library until our dinner time.

At dinner I had the tenderloin, Mama had the pasta dish, and the little one had the roasted duck breast. No complaints were to be had from the meal. They also had escargot on the menu. I ordered a double helping of this one. That is one of my (and the little one's) most sought after dishes while at sea. After dinner we made our way back out to deck 3 and walked around admiring the nothingness that was all around us. After that we turned in because we had an 8:30 excursion the next day.

Side Note - This was our first cruse where the captain set the clocks back to match the local time for the ports. This threw my internal clock all out of sorts. By the time we hit Guatemala, I was getting up at 4 AM and walking around top deck waiting for the ship to wake up. Good news was that I was not the only one. There was always a handful of people up with me every morning. The other problem I had with the time was that the time on the TV and the digital displays would not update at the same time as the ship clocks. At one point the room phone had one time, the TV had another time, and my cell phone had yet another time. When in doubt use the clock on the ship phone. It was always correct.

Here is the first part of my vlog for this trip for those interested.

Glad to find your review!

I agree with you about the ship's time changing so frequently - it was so confusing and we felt quite off! During our day in Roatan I couldn't believe it was only 3pm...I was already hungry for dinner!

Loved the vlog. My 2-year old was dancing to the music while we watched it!

What a fun review, thanks. Maybe Luvtwotrvl or Trvlcrazy will chime in, they were on this cruise also.

Enjoying your review, thank you.

Part 2 of the VLOG is up for viewing. My hope is to get caught up with the VLOG this weekend so that the videos are viewable at the end of each day's review.

https://youtu.be/f8yBDSmGcxs

Enjoying your review and vlogs

Part 2 of the VLOG is up for viewing. My hope is to get caught up with the VLOG this weekend so that the videos are viewable at the end of each day's review.

 

https://youtu.be/f8yBDSmGcxs

On youtube it says video removed by user:(

Glad to find your review!

 

I agree with you about the ship's time changing so frequently - it was so confusing and we felt quite off! During our day in Roatan I couldn't believe it was only 3pm...I was already hungry for dinner!

 

Loved the vlog. My 2-year old was dancing to the music while we watched it!

Agree! it seemed like every night we were changing times. Confusing for this old man.

Let's try this again. Here is Part 2 of the VLOG. I had to redo it due to exporting issues. I wish my experience with phones this last week was as good as my cruise. I am on phone number 3 over the last 7 days.

Part 2 redo can be viewed below.

Thanks for following.

On youtube it says video removed by user:(

I got it all fixed up now. Please try the link in the part 2 redo post above.

Thank you for your review. I've never sailed from Tampa before, OR on a smaller ship like the Rotterdam, and I find your description fairly intriguing! Looking forward to reading more.

I don't know your "little one's" age, but her eating choices seem pretty darned adventurous for a child, so maybe she's in her early teens? Still, lots of choices I wouldn't expect a young person to make (salmon, duck, escargot). Good on her, and good on you and 'Mama' for raising her with more adventurous tastes. Seems like the younger people of my acquaintance (and sadly, some older!) are all about hamburgers, French fries and pizza..........and many of them rarely venture outside of that comfort zone.

Best wishes!

Loving your review!

Thank you for your review. I've never sailed from Tampa before, OR on a smaller ship like the Rotterdam, and I find your description fairly intriguing! Looking forward to reading more.

 

I don't know your "little one's" age, but her eating choices seem pretty darned adventurous for a child, so maybe she's in her early teens? Still, lots of choices I wouldn't expect a young person to make (salmon, duck, escargot). Good on her, and good on you and 'Mama' for raising her with more adventurous tastes. Seems like the younger people of my acquaintance (and sadly, some older!) are all about hamburgers, French fries and pizza..........and many of them rarely venture outside of that comfort zone.

 

Best wishes!

Thanks for following along. My little one is 11. I started exposing her to a wide verity of foods since I can remember. When she was a little tot she always preferred to eat off of the big people's menus whenever we would go out. I liked it that way because there was only so much $5 plus mac-n-cheese I was willing to pay for.

This was our second small boat experience. The first was on Empress OTS. We enjoyed both. If you don't require all the fanfare of the larger ships and simply enjoy cruising you should be fine. That being said we love the BIG ships too. Next trip is on the Allure OTS and I can't wait.

Loving your review!

Thanks for following along.

Part 3 Key West VLOG is up and running.

Hope to get Sea Day 1 up later today. Seems my technical difficulties are worked out for the moment.

Just got caught up with everything -- VLOG