Rotterdam

We sailed on the Amsterdam, 14 day cruise to Alaska, in a Navigator Suite. We loved the ship and the suite.

We are thinking about a cruise from Rotterdam to Rotterdam in June 2019 on the Rotterdam. I know the ship is going in for reburbishment this year, but just wondered if any one has any remarks about this ship.

I really am waiting for the rest of 2019 to see what exactly we would like to do, but I am thinking of putting a deposit down on this cruise, as long as refundable.

So if anyone could shed some light or has any advice about this ship it would be greatly appreciated.

We really enjoyed the ship but that was several years ago. Recently there has been a lengthy thread about maintenance issues. Hopefully, they are addressed.

A very elegant ship. It is very similar to the Amsterdam in layout. We find it rides the waves somewhat better.

Your prospective cruise is a long way off. Crews change, renos are done, HAL changes almost weekly, so it is very difficult to say anything about the ship in specific.

Concerning maintenance issues: this is endemic to all cruise ships. Although an old ship by cruise standards, it is well taken care of. You will not find a cruise ship where problems do not occur.

I would feel confident to sail this ship again because I love the R class ships in particular.

We sailed on the ship in the spring of 2017.

As Silver said, things can change but....

We loved the ship. I hadn't been on her in more years than I care to disclose ;). So I was a tad worried as I had lured friends on board for a 30 day sailing.

Ship was good, good shape, crew was astronomical and we had an excellent cruise.

The ship became my second favourite next to the Prinsendam :)

I hope your cruise is as good as ours. If you have the same crew, the Retreat Bar staff take VERY good care of you - draping the blankets over your shoulder, providing "special waters", bringing you coffee laced with chocolate on a cool morning, etc.

I really was reminded of the old days of sailing HAL. I have only seen that on the P'dam.

Caveat - I did see rust in 3 bolts for the top of the roof that closes on the Lido ;):')

Now, since our cruise I saw a post of issues. I can't explain that only that ours was good and none of our roll call reported any issues and we were scattered throughout the ship.

The Rotterdam is going into dry dock soon and hopefully the issues I have read about will be fixed. I did book the cruise but am still waiting for rest of schedule to see what else might show up. Thanks for all the replys. I was nervous going on Amsterdam but we loved it.

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It has been years since we were on the Rotterdam. We loved this ship, and we found the cabins a bit larger as well as the verandas compared to some of the newer ships. It rides the waves very well, and it was made for longer voyages. Enjoy your cruise.

A beautiful ship that was ruined when the aft pool was removed in favor of the retreat.

A beautiful ship that was ruined when the aft pool was removed in favor of the retreat.

Agree that didn't help. The lanais are another negative in that they cut down significantly on the number of deck chairs on the Lower Prom available for everyone else, but there are still many positives about the Rotterdam.

Since it will be sailing from Tampa, it looks like this will be the next ship to be replaced by one of the new 2600 passenger ships. SAD!

We were on the Rotterdam in 2014 and we really enjoyed it. Just to add to the pluses . . .

If you like the promenade deck it's the widest one that we were on of any HAL ship. We were in Norway and walked on it a lot since we experienced the midnight sun and found ourselves taking walks at all hours just to see the views.

Don't know if it's still the same but our dinner experiences were very nice with excellent food and special themes like an Indonesian night.

The sail away out of the Rotterdam port is very special. You are in the port for quite awhile and people are out waving and flying flags along the way.

It is an older ship but we always look for the best that a ship has to offer. There were many things that we liked about the Rotterdam for our Norwegian cruise.

I am so enjoying reading this thread. I am sailing on her Jan. 7th. with three other friends. This will also be my first HAL cruise and am so looking forward to it. I am really interested with what happens in Drydock and post cruise reviews after she re-enters service. Its been awhile since we've been on a cruise and can't wait to get my sea legs back!

DH and I will be sailing on the Rotterdam on November 19. This will be our first cruise on that ship and our first cruise on Holland America. Since it's only 7 days, it's possible that we'll discover a place or event too late to enjoy it. What's not-to-be-missed?

Of the two HAL co-Flagships, the Rotterdam and the Amsterdam, the Rotterdam is more elegant in decor than the Amsterdam, in my opinion of course. Before she was named while being built, she was nick-named "Fastdam" because of her potential speed. Again, my opinion, if she had been built with azipods rather than propellers, she would be doing the Grand World Voyage and not the Amsterdam.

The creation of "The Retreat" on the aft deck was a failed concept. While some like the Lanai Stateroom concept, the exclusive use of deck chairs "assigned" to these cabins alienates those of us who book other categories of staterooms who would like to use those prime Lower Promenade Deck areas.

Another poster made a comment about her ability to handle the seas and I agree: she is a very good sea boat.

I'd book her again, knowing that I will wander back to the aft "pool" area and offer a curse or two to whomever thought of that concept.