It's NOT the Rotterdam!

[LoraJ]

I am posting this on behalf of my mom, BOBPATJ, who is currently sailing on the Rotterdam with my dad:

 

 

It's NOT the Rottendam!

 

For any of you who are worried about taking your future cruises on the ms Rotterdam, we are almost halfway through our Incan Empires cruise, and the ship is beautiful. If there are any major problems, we are not aware of them. We're on Main deck, and though there have been some bathroom issues, it's been from passenger errors, rather than ship errors. The new cabin decor is very attractive. The bathrooms have new mirrors, sinks, small two level shelves, and nice tan floor & walls, with brown accents. Missing are the corner cabinet and hair dryer.

 

There seem to be plenty of deck chairs on deck 3, for those of us not in Lanai cabins. Their chairs are new, well marked, and have different pads, with new stripes and colors.

 

The Mix bar area is very attractive and in the Spirits & Ales section, are some tabletop computer games. The shops are all open to the passageway, across from the Mix bars, and sell mostly jewelry. The HAL signature shop is where it always was, as is the liquor/sundries, store. Gold & silver "By the Inch," have been set up in the Atrium, deck 5, every day!

 

I'm very pleased with the Showroom at Sea! The seats are comfortable and the sitelines on deck 4 are wonderful. The tables and chairs in front of the stage don't block the views from behind. The Vegas style shows are gone, but there are two female singers, three male singers and two female dancers that have put on wonderful shows. The HAL musicians have been onstage for many of the shows, backing up individual performers as well as the HAL Singers & Dancers. The new carpet is pretty wild, though! The balcony is unchanged, but I think the seats have been recovered. When the HALcats play for other functions, they have another female singer.

 

Getting used to the Retreat takes some doing, for a long time Rotterdam fan. I'm curious about it, though, and may give it a try, one of these days. There are two waterfall walls, and by each are two red colored lounges. I'm not sure what's different being there, than in the many white lounges. The water is not still, and moves beneath your feet and chairs. Many other regular chairs line the sides of the deck. I haven't heard of any problems with leakage into the cabins below, since we've been onboard.

 

So, future cruisers, worry not. The ship is changed, but still worthy of being the HAL flagship. I will not be able to reply to this post as I'm not using our minutes for the HAL board, at this time. In fact, I'm e-mailing this to my daughter and she is posting it for me. Pat

[Willsot]

Sounding better. Thanks for posting this.

[RuthC]

Lora, thank you so much for posting this! I know your "parental units", and trust your Mom's judgement. If she says the Rotterdam is in fine shape, then it is. I'm thrilled to read this.

I'm glad your folks are having a good time, as I remember they were a little worried how the ship was going to be for them, considering the post dry-dock reports.

Please give them my best.

Thanks!

[sail7seas]

I'm also thrilled to read this. Rotterdam has always been such a beautiful ship, I'm happy to hear she still is. We've had some wonderful cruises on her including Christmas and New Years for the Millenium. Some great memories.

[cruie4ever]

I'll wait to see those cruise reviews from the March 8th Hawaii/South Seas cruise before I pass judgement on the condition of Rotterdam .

 

Here is hoping all cruisers have a great time.

[RevNeal]

Dear Lora,

 

Thank you so much for relaying on this report from your parents! I know them well and highly respect their observations, judgement, and report. It is wonderful to read that the Line has finally gotten the Rotterdam up and running to specs. That's excellent news! It's particularly good to read that the cabin refit did occur, as we were told it would be, and that the result is a good one. I'm also pleased to hear about there being enough deck chairs on the Lower Promenade Deck and that the Retreat pool isn't raining water into the inside cabins bellow.

 

Thank you so much for posting this report, and give your parents my best!

[Cruisin'Lady]

its reassuring to hear a good report that things are improving on the Rotterdam.:D

[bulgargirl]

Am I the only one wondering what the heck a "cruiser error" is in respect to the toilets?

 

Maybe I don't want to know....

[RuthC]

Am I the only one wondering what the heck a "cruiser error" is in respect to the toilets?

 

Maybe I don't want to know....

I know exactly what Pat means. Too many passengers don't/can't read the signs warning that nothing besides human waste and HAL toilet paper is to be flushed. Or, they think the warning doesn't apply to them. They are so special, and all that. :rolleyes:

"NOTHING" means nothing. It does not mean "except facial tissus", nor does it mean "except for sanitary products", nor "wet wipes", "diapers", or any other product.

But try to tell some people that.

[Copper10-8]

Sure sounds like the Retreat pool "issues" have been taken care of. Two down, three more to go:cool: Rotterdam is a fine ship! Be nice to see Mix and Showroom at Sea

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for the report.

[RevNeal]

Am I the only one wondering what the heck a "cruiser error" is in respect to the toilets?

 

Maybe I don't want to know....

 

I know exactly what Pat means. Too many passengers don't/can't read the signs warning that nothing besides human waste and HAL toilet paper is to be flushed. Or, they think the warning doesn't apply to them. They are so special, and all that. :rolleyes:

"NOTHING" means nothing. It does not mean "except facial tissus", nor does it mean "except for sanitary products", nor "wet wipes", "diapers", or any other product.

But try to tell some people that.

 

Violations of THIS is what she means:

 

[kakalina]

Thank you so much for relaying this information from your parents. We leave on the March 8th cruise for 33 days. Many on our roll call have felt a mite trepiditious about the negative reviews posted lately.

 

This glowig report will certainly reassure some of us. We can't wait just 17 more days to go.

[TraelorMex]

Thanks for the post. Have been considering a cruise on the Rotterdam, but having second thoughts due to all the negative comments. Think I'll go ahead and book it, Danno...

[Royalwatcher]

Fantastic report on the Rotterdam refit.

 

All ships have their trying moments when they first come out of a

major drydock and retrofit. If you had that much work done to you

in such a short period of time wouldn't you, also, have a few "kinks"

to work out before you were, again, perfect?

 

As for Rotterdam, because she is the Grand Lady that she is, everyone

expects perfection from the get-go! It's always difficult to take

perfection and make it better without a few hic-cups along the way.

I always take the negatives with the proverbial "grain of salt" anyway.

 

Besides...I'm VERY partial to HAL and their ships, staff and crews!

 

I'm not due to board her again until 9/11/10 for her last seasonal

voyage to AK out of SEA but have no doubt that she will evoke all

the grandeur that her history evokes.

 

Cheers!

[LoraJ]

I have seen a bunch of their photos and I think it looks really nice.

They are dragging me kicking and screaming on the Veendam (I like big ships) in 2011 to Bermuda (I was rooting for Alaska) for their 50th Anniversary, so I will be around this board a bit more.

 

I am sure I will survive. ;)

[jhannah]

I am also relieved to read this after some of the comments that have appeared here. We have many fond memories of the Rotterdam. It was our first HAL ship, and that made it special, too.

[bulgargirl]

Violations of THIS is what she means:

 

 

 

I was wondering. The plumbing went down in my whole little building in London once because someone flushed a beercan down the toilet. I still can figure out how anyone managed to get a beer can to flush.

 

or why.

[RevNeal]

I was wondering. The plumbing went down in my whole little building in London once because someone flushed a beercan down the toilet. I still can figure out how anyone managed to get a beer can to flush.

 

or why.

 

Several years ago I watched as an engineering crew performed maintenance/repairs on the vacuum flush system junction station down the corridor from my cabin. One of the things they removed from the pipes was a child's toy ... matchbox car.

[G&G]

Thanks so much for posting the review of the Rotterdam. We are on the next sailing, 03/08/2010, 33 days to the South Pacific. I was extremely pleased to learn that things are pretty much back to normal for HAL's Rotterdam.

 

I guess I can leave the oars at home :D

[seacruise9]

Hi,

 

My parents also are currently on the Rotterdam's 30-day cruise. They are big fans of the ship (for example, they did the Dubai to Cape Town segment of the world cruise last year). They are in one of the lanai cabins. I receive e-mail messages from them every couple of days. They were apprehensive about the ship after seeing the negative posts following the refurbishment, but they seem to be having a great time.

 

Chuck

[jocelysue]

Violations of THIS is what she means:

 

Would you please tell me how to include a picture in your posr? Have tried

to do so but keep getting a reuqest for a link to a URL which I don't have. Simply want to include apicture which is on my hard drive. Thanks

[LoraJ]

Would you please tell me how to include a picture in your posr? Have tried

to do so but keep getting a reuqest for a link to a URL which I don't have. Simply want to include apicture which is on my hard drive. Thanks

 

You have to upload it somewhere first on a site like photobucket.com. When you upload the photo there, it will give you a link to where the photo is.

 

I have never tried it before, but below the box where you submit a post, there is a button called "manage attachments", see if that works...

[cle1]

HELP>>>>HELP>>>>> I was so glad to read about the Rotterdam, as we sail on her next month, and am no longer aprehensive. I do have one question....since they took the hair dryers out of the bathroom....do they now have the hand held, plug in ones, that are normally found in one of the drawers????????PLEASE let me know if possible..Thanks..Carol

[Himself]

Thanks for the good report on the m.s. ROTTERDAM