Summary Rotterdam Nov 7-22 South America

Disembarked without problem in San Diego. This is a quick summary. Please ask if something occurs to you.

Flew in by Continental Air via Houston. Arrived 1030 pm, checked into the airport hotel. The touts are there though not persistent. The hotel has tight security and a decent breakfast.

I had a room across the road from the airport. It was noisy. On the plus side, the hotel was willing to pay 10% more for USD cash.

Embarked at 11am. The hotel called a taxi (40 soles) for the ten minute ride to the port terminal. I paid $15. The port does not have a passenger terminal. So, private cars are not allowed into the secure area. The taxi driver had to transfer me to a shuttle at the gate. You might want to use HAL's transfer bus.

The Rotterdam's staff had a courteous welcome. The ship's crew registered guests on the ship itself. So, I guess it is possible to embark at any time, as long as notice is given. Note to passengers arriving at midnight. Ask your TA to pester HAL for a midnight boarding.

My lanai cabin (3381) definitely was larger than the one I had on the Ryndam. The cabin has direct access to the promenade deck via a silvered glass door. No one can see into the room during daylight! Yes, it is a large improvement over a porthole. You re-enter the cabin with a separate wireless card key.

A comment about the cabin which was very comfortable, but creaked a lot while sailing. The layout meant that the bathroom was smaller than the one in the Ryndam inside cabin. So, the bath tub was sized for a child... Continued ...

So, it's true about the noise and a/c. Attended the Q/A with Senior Staff. Humble pie eaten by said officers. The 'midship' has been 'without heat' in the a/c since San Diego. Finally, a passenger informed the Chief Engineer directly (Day 22). Say what?

The problem was attended to the next day. But, the Chief Engineer (Gerhardus Mensink) says that no one told him! So, you know what to do. Go up the chain of command until someone does something.

I also had a problem with my cabin a/c. The temperature got cold at nite. So, I turned the control almost to the warm extreme before it had an effect. Seems like the response has a big lag effect. I ended up swinging back and forth as I tried to fine-tune the room. Finally, I'm bundling up for the night.

The cheapo fifty-cents temperature control dial might be part of the problem?

I complain to Hans Dernison (hotel manager) about noise. Often, there would be thumping noises from upstairs between 10pm to 11pm. Twice, I was woken at 2am. He tells me that I am under the kitchen. He thought that he had stopped the after-midnight noise after complaints from the south-bound passengers! My neighbour (3377) complained that it kept her awake since embarking in San Diego. Oddly, her husband slept through it all.

The food in the Lido was a pleasant surprise. It was palatable and the desert was decent. Like the Ryndam, the Lido and Canaletto share the same manager. Unlike the Ryndam, the Rotterdam manager appears to be on the ball.

I bumped into the manager (Margaretha) just before lunch. She was helping to stack the plates!

That said, the staff are still trying to serve hot food that had gone cool and/or dry. So, you need to be flexible in your selection. There's always sandwiches if all else fails.

In general, the quality of the food and preparation was okay but not outstanding. One example, the Lido BBQ dinner (Callao port day) had ribs. The meat on the ribs were too lean and became chewy after being cooked. Hit or miss! Executive chef Thomas Schumann.... Continued ...

The ship interior was upmarket and upbeat. But, the light blue carpets in the corridors doesn't match the rest! As usual, the 'art' and memorabilia was a mishmash.

The Pinnacle Grill was spacious and designed like a superior European restaurant. The gym looked out over the bow. There were an adequate number of aerobic and weight training machines. But, the weight machines (Cybex) should be replaced.

I would agree that the Showroom has too few seats. Looked like the Rotterdam Showroom had fewer seats than the Ryndam (smaller ship!). Most 8pm shows, a number were left standing at the back. Definitely not enough for the Crew Farewell.

The Rotterdam's Explorer Library was as comfortable as the Ryndam. The ship's interior layout is very similar on both ships. However, there is one noteworthy difference.

On the Rotterdam, the Retreat seems to be an attempt to imitate zesty Carnival. However, the play area won't appeal to HAL's core customers. Will it be a worth while sacrifice (so much space) to appease the younger holiday cruisers (seven days or less)? ... Continued ...

You won't smell any odor in the morning when the fans and aromatics are going full blast. After dinner, I took a walk every night through the passenger decks. Detected noticeable odor in the section near 2551 (near public toilet). Varies in strength over the length of the journey. Disturbing aroma at the beginning and end of the trip.

The staff? Majority of Asians are doing the low paid jobs. They work hard. But, some retaliate against guests. Some do things by the numbers but don't understand the rationale.

What about the passengers? Looks like a mix of Americans, Canadians, South Americans, Europeans and Australians. Good number of middle age folks. There were many walkers, walking sticks and scooters, but not that many. Seems to be a fitter crowd than the Alaska cruise! Many using the stairs.

Just some anecdotes about the elderly. The champion from the Pachoce walk was a great grandmother (weighing @75 pounds) who exercises 3x a week. It's not about age. It's about your girth.

I was chatting with a very elderly couple. SHE says that I'm a spring chicken. I tell her that I am retired. SHE says that HER CHILDREN are retired. I tell her that she looks GREAT!!!

Here's a thread that's a prequel to this trip. Read Page 1 and 3.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1303757

There's a ratings summary (pending) posted at the review section.

Ratings:

Food: Should be 3/5 because of the uneven quality. The entree was too often dry and cool. The meat was often under or over cooked. The crab cake was tasteless. The Asian food was inscrutable. Those who value quantity over quality may like it. Fortunately, the day was saved by the Indian curries. The quality of the food pummelled in the middle of the voyage, but picked up at the end.

Entertainment: There were a number of capable performers. Viviana Guzman, Kimika, Pampas Devils Gaucho, The Stars of the Showroom (4 singers), Woody Pittman, Elliot Finkel, Peter Fernandez, Pingxin Xu, Mike Robinson. But none were really outstanding. The choreography was so-so. The CD Lizabeth Knight (1/5) did a poor job of warming up the audience. Her jokes were flat! Rating 3/5.

Cabin: Would have been 4/5. But, I will downgrade it to 1/5 because of the problems with leaks, noise AND a/c. This ship has ageing installations and plants.

Facilities: Gave a 4/5. Almost downgraded it because of the lack of seating in the Showroom.

Staff Service: Rating it as 3.5/5 because some of the staff behaved wrongly.

Excursions: None of the excursions I was on were eye-popping, and we overpaid for several of the tours. The Huatulco Bird Watching Eco-Tour was misrepresented. Moreover, Quayaquil was a wasted stop. But, I was quite pleased about the birding experience. The itinerary was a successful introduction to South American, and its archaeology and birding. Give it a 3/5.

Bonus point: To Captain de Boer for declaring code red for 8 days until GI outbreak was under control.

Overall Rating: 3/5. Could have been 3.5/5 if I had a less problematic cabin. Enjoyable experience though flawed. Would I repeat this itinerary on the Rotterdam? The answer in half a heartbeat – No!

Full review at ...

What is a tout?

.... The Huatulco Bird Watching Eco-Tour was misrepresented.....

We are signed up for this and due to depart soon. Can you please tell me more and what else looks like a better option at this stop. Thanks.

We are signed up for this and due to depart soon. Can you please tell me more and what else looks like a better option at this stop. Thanks.

From the tour description, I was expecting a walk on nature trails. The reality was that we were bundled into a tattered mini-van. The guide (Renee) had us driven to a look-out point far from the beach for a look at the surf. Then, we went to a GOLF COURSE! :rolleyes:

Fortunately, the golf course was surprisingly productive. Or, we would have lynched him. Even so, the experienced birders had some caustic comments about his 'expertise'.

Can't recommend anything else because I don't know what your interests are. Best advise I can give is to take a positive attitude and seize any opportunity for fun/excitement/learning. :cool:

What is a tout?

2. One who solicits customers brazenly or persistently: "The administration of the nation's literary affairs falls naturally into the hands of touts and thieves" (Lewis H. Lapham).

Doesn't sound the Rotterdam will be much fun and needs updating. He must have got the name of the ship wrong. Hal doesn't have ships in the condition like that. Well they have to fix it before we board next Oct.

Another HAL ship in Code Red, this time for 8 days. What gives?

Wow I just read the recent reviews and they sure did not sourd very good. We have almost a year to go before we cruise on this ship, but will certainly be watching for better reviews or the this cruise will be cancelled. We just completed a wonderful cruise on the Noordam, so it would be a shame to follow it up with one that is as badly reviewed as anything I have read. We have already been on the Rotterdam in the Med. in 2008 and the ship and everything about was very good. Hope to hear something good.

 

The staff? Majority of Asians are doing the low paid jobs. They work hard. But, some retaliate against guests.

 

What was management's response when you told them about this ?

From the tour description, I was expecting a walk on nature trails. The reality was that we were bundled into a tattered mini-van. The guide (Renee) had us driven to a look-out point far from the beach for a look at the surf. Then, we went to a GOLF COURSE! :rolleyes:

 

Fortunately, the golf course was surprisingly productive. Or, we would have lynched him. Even so, the experienced birders had some caustic comments about his 'expertise'. ........[/color]

What do you mean when you describe this as "surprisingly productive" .... that there was a great deal of wildlife viewing as the shore excursion description promised? Claim it is a two mile hike -- is that the walk around the golf course? Thanks for the heads up what to expect.

Since Hautulco is a relatively new and "artificial" Mexican tourism center, I would not have expected nature trails in this area. In fact I see it is a stretch here to offer anything more than resort type activities so the bonus of getting at least some wildlife viewing makes for a nice choice. Just walking around will be good enough for us. We like to just walk and look and walk and look and walk and look.

(And not shopping or seeing "folklore" shows:rolleyes:)

Since Hautulco is a relatively new and "artificial" Mexican tourism center, I would not have expected nature trails in this area. In fact I see it is a stretch here to offer anything more than resort type activities so the bonus of getting at least some wildlife viewing makes for a nice choice. Just walking around will be good enough for us.

For a taste of small-town Mexico, you could visit nearby La Crucecita. We walked there from the Huatulco pier in about 35 minutes going at full tilt. Taxis were available & are likely a better choice since it’s hot, hot, hot. La Crucecita is a small, charming & authentically Mexican town with a central plaza, church, few shops & restaurants. You can explore the entire town in under an hour. We checked out the local church, with its famous ceiling painting of Virgin of Guadalupe (google for more info). Then we wandered the tiny town, popped into shops & settled in for some people-watching in the central plaza. We had lunch at San Juan de las Naranjas & really enjoyed the local specialty of Tlayuda Pollo. We were the only non-locals in the restaurant. At the end of the day, we walked back to Santa Cruz pier & poked around the beachfront before heading back to the ship. It was a great day.

Huatulco is neither new nor artificial. We’ve been there twice. We spent a week at an all-inclusive resort in ‘99 when the town was still relatively undiscovered. Back then, we spent a lot of time doing water sports, kayaking, snorkeling & exploring the famous bays by catamaran. We returned in ‘09 on HAL Amsterdam. We were struck by how much the area had developed since our first visit. We docked at Santa Cruz Bay, at a large pier that wasn’t there previously. Right at the end of the pier is a lovely beach. Huatulco is a hang-out kind of place (for locals & tourists) & many people simply settled at the beach. There were restaurants, bars & locals selling snorkeling, diving, sailing & fishing tours. It’s more commercial now, but certainly much less so than other popular Mexican ports.

 

For a taste of small-town Mexico, you could visit nearby La Crucecita. We walked there from the Huatulco pier in about 35 minutes going at full tilt. Taxis were available & are likely a better choice since it’s hot, hot, hot. La Crucecita is a small, charming & authentically Mexican town with a central plaza, church, few shops & restaurants. You can explore the entire town in under an hour. We checked out the local church, with its famous ceiling painting of Virgin of Guadalupe (google for more info). Then we wandered the tiny town, popped into shops & settled in for some people-watching in the central plaza. We had lunch at San Juan de las Naranjas & really enjoyed the local specialty of Tlayuda Pollo. We were the only non-locals in the restaurant. At the end of the day, we walked back to Santa Cruz pier & poked around the beachfront before heading back to the ship. It was a great day.

Thanks for the follow-up tips. By "new and artificial" I remember the first early Huatulco articles where Mexican tourism office was trying to divert crowds away from Cancun and other more well-known and overly impacted Mexican travel destinations into some of the more under-developed areas that had a lot of scenic and warm water beach appeal too. So in relative terms if this was tourism backwater as you state in 1999, this is what I would call "new and artificial" in my own scale of reference.

So the best news is that is still remains a bit under-developed because we all know when Cabo was a one fishing boat town, Merida was the best stop on the Yucatan and the cliff divers were the only game in town in Acapulco.

Walking to La Crucecita sounds perfect for us, if we have time left over after our trip around the eco-golf course. ;)

The staff? ... But, some retaliate against guests.

Staff Service: Rating it as 3.5/5 because some of the staff behaved wrongly.

Please elaborate with some examples of "retaliation" and "wrong" behavior.

Please elaborate with some examples of "retaliation" and "wrong" behavior.

When we were in Manila, we saw crowds of workers around the ships hiring agency offices. These appeared to be are very coveted job opportunites. It would make me wonder also if anyone would jeopardize this position by "retaliating" against a passenger. I am curious what the specifics of the offense was too.

So the best news is that is still remains a bit under-developed because we all know when Cabo was a one fishing boat town, Merida was the best stop on the Yucatan and the cliff divers were the only game in town in Acapulco.

 

Walking to La Crucecita sounds perfect for us, if we have time left over after our trip around the eco-golf course. ;)

My take of the situation is that human habitation in Huatulco is expanding quickly. However, there are still natural habitation on the extensive hillsides. The water in the artificial ponds on the golf course draws the stilts, ducks, egrets, magpies, flycatchers and songbirds.

For me, the memorable birds were the odd white-throat magpie-jay, the flashy and aggressive vermillion flycatcher, the family of orchard oriole, the noisy orange-frontal parakeet, the scores of dainty black-neck stilts, forty snowy egrets on a tree, the absolutely gorgeous golden-cheeked woodpecker in a coconut tree, the fleeing lazuli buntings and some kind of gigantic lizard sharing a tree with a colony of yellow-crowned night herons.

I don't want to name all the stuff we saw in 2 hours because you might be disappointed if you don't see them on your visit. We did not walk much of a distance. But, this was a blessing because of the humidity. P.S. Some people had fierce sand-fly bites. Wear long trousers and use repellant.

Fortunately, the golf course has not harassed the avian visitors. Saw very few golfers or staff? Hopes the situation remains.

Please elaborate with some examples of "retaliation" and "wrong" behavior.

I noticed that the staff were in a difficult mood when I boarded in Callao. Seems to me that the south-bound journey had been problematic. Lot's of enemies made!

I don't want to go into details because I was annoyed by what I saw. Just one example.

The Indonesian short-order cook at the Lido (short, skinny, moustache) would mess up the eggs when a passenger was rude him. So, the passengers boycotted him.

For several days, he was twiddling his thumbs because he had so little to do.

Things settled down after a few days. But, some staff and passengers had their favourite 'enemy'. Not pleasant.

 

The Indonesian short-order cook at the Lido (short, skinny, moustache) would mess up the eggs when a passenger was rude him. So, the passengers boycotted him.

Why would they boycott the cook, when it was a fellow passenger who was rude ?

The Indonesian short-order cook at the Lido (short, skinny, moustache) would mess up the eggs when a passenger was rude him. So, the passengers boycotted him.

If that was a deliberate "retaliation" in response to rudeness, then it was unprofessional of him. I'm sure he won't last long if that's a pattern of behavior.

However, it is only one example of one person's behavior, and does not indicate a systemic problem.

Did you report his actions so he could be dealt with? Did anyone? Failure to report such things only perpetuates them.

Another HAL ship in Code Red, this time for 8 days. What gives?

Actually, the GI virus is a persistent bugger. It took 7 days before there were no new cases of GI. Then, the Captain waited one more day to be sure.

In total, the number of GI cases were not large. But, that's because of drastic measures like Code Red. It would be a disaster to let the illness run its course on a ship full of fragile bodies. Shudder!

The coughing and hacking was bad enough.

Why would they boycott the cook, when it was a fellow passenger who was rude ?

;) Do you sometimes think we have all fallen down Alice's Rabbit Hole and everything has gone topsy turvy. Yes, where was the passengers ire at the passenger's initial rudeness. No apologies for the cook, but no passes granted to the passengers childish responses either. The Entitlement Generation now moves into the cruise industry. Heaven help us all.

........

 

The coughing and hacking was bad enough.

Winter cruises are bad. People brining in all sorts of upper respiratory things from planes and from their winter bound homes.

Wow I just read the recent reviews and they sure did not sourd very good. We have almost a year to go before we cruise on this ship, but will certainly be watching for better reviews or the this cruise will be cancelled. We just completed a wonderful cruise on the Noordam, so it would be a shame to follow it up with one that is as badly reviewed as anything I have read. We have already been on the Rotterdam in the Med. in 2008 and the ship and everything about was very good. Hope to hear something good.

Same here -- HAL Take Note. There been a lot of negative reviews recently. Sounds more like the Rottendam than the Rotterdam.