Rotterdam refurbishment

[Tampa Girl]

So Trivia is not hosted by the Cruise Director anymore ??? Tell me that is not true..:o

 

And are all the Vista suites redecorated as well ? We are on the Rotterdam next april, the last cruise on her was in june 16, the Vista' s were up to some work even then...

 

I, also, curious about the Vista Suites. Has the color scheme changed from the red/orange formerly used?

[caladezi]

I just spoke with my PCC at HAL and she knew nothing about BB King being canceled. She said that it was one of their big selling point and she would be very surprised if it were true.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

I just spoke with my PCC at HAL and she knew nothing about BB King being canceled. She said that it was one of their big selling point and she would be very surprised if it were true.

 

Rotterdam has been the only S/R class vessel featuring BB Kings, it was originally only contracted for the Vista, Signature and Pinnacle Class vessels. I had hoped that during the Rotterdam's dry-dock the Crows Nest would be retrofitted with a revised stage/seating arrangement and some acoustic tiles to help make the space better suited to the BB Kings band and that this would eventually roll out to the entire fleet. Perhaps they have decided that the S/R class demographic and BB Kings are just not a good "fit".

 

While the Crows Nest is a lovely space, and is well used during the day, it has always struggled to find it's "niche" for evening entertainment usage.

[KAKcruiser]

Maybe one of the problems with people not going to the Crows Nest for the BB King performances was that the smell of mold was so overpowering. I understand that there were many leaks there and it was scheduled to be fixed in drydock but it really was unpleasant.

[Cruizer Bill]

Are the deck chairs out on the aft pool area still in the water or are the on dry deck now?

Any photos of the new design out there? Thank you so much for all this great information.

We want to cruise on the Rotterdam to the Caribbean but never booked it because of the aft pool area.

 

 

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The chairs are on dry ground now. The area is VERY popular. There is a small waterfall and three people can sit under the waterfall. There are usually three women there as they are smart. There is still a lot of finishing work to do and there was a crew of ten workers there until very late into the night. They seem to be working around the clock on this ship and it needs t.

Edited November 8, 2017 by Cruizer Bill

[Cruizer Bill]

So Trivia is not hosted by the Cruise Director anymore ??? Tell me that is not true..:o

 

And are all the Vista suites redecorated as well ? We are on the Rotterdam next april, the last cruise on her was in june 16, the Vista' s were up to some work even then...

 

This is amazing, we talked to a couple staying a. Neptune Suite and all they have done to it so far is the carpets, bedding, drapes and not much else. They only have one sink there now. No nteractive TV yet. All cabins have new carpet,bedding, drapes and two USB ports on the main desk.

Www talked to a lot of crew and they all said there was not enough time to get everything done.

Lots of people complaining about water leaks or flooding and problems with the air conditioning. We asked our room steward how to set the AC and he showed us OK. Our hot water in the shower is not very warm, otherwise our cabin - number 1926 is perfect.

They replaced a LOT of furniture on th ship and it looks and feels great.

 

This is NOT a new ship. If you look closely you will find many problems. If you want a new ship you should book the Koningsdam. This ship is 20 years old and requires constant maintenance.

 

The Hotel Manager Mustafa is everywhere! I see him and talk to him every day. The guy is awesome!

 

The service is FANTASTIC! We have exactly 1061 guests and 618 crew.

[rotjeknor]

Thanks , a work in progress....

usually right after drydock .

Hopefully ready in april :-)

 

Any update on Team Trivia ? Not hosted by staff or was that just one time ?

 

 

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[trident]

The chairs are on dry ground now. The area is VERY popular. There is a small waterfall and three people can sit under the waterfall. There are usually three women there as they are smart. There is still a lot of finishing work to do and there was a crew of ten workers there until very late into the night. They seem to be working around the clock on this ship and it needs t.

 

 

 

Thanks so much! Very helpful.

 

 

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[Cruizer Bill]

Thanks , a work in progress....

usually right after drydock .

Hopefully ready in april :-)

 

Any update on Team Trivia ? Not hosted by staff or was that just one time ?

 

 

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Yes they are still hosted by the staff as far as I know.

[kazu]

Absolutely wonderful update CruizerBill.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to do it :)

[rotjeknor]

Yes they are still hosted by the staff as far as I know.

 

 

 

Pfffff , Thanks !!!! [emoji16]

 

 

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[tkwbear]

This is amazing, we talked to a couple staying a. Neptune Suite and all they have done to it so far is the carpets, bedding, drapes and not much else. They only have one sink there now. No nteractive TV yet. All cabins have new carpet,bedding, drapes and two USB ports on the main desk.

Www talked to a lot of crew and they all said there was not enough time to get everything done.

Lots of people complaining about water leaks or flooding and problems with the air conditioning. We asked our room steward how to set the AC and he showed us OK. Our hot water in the shower is not very warm, otherwise our cabin - number 1926 is perfect.

They replaced a LOT of furniture on th ship and it looks and feels great.

 

This is NOT a new ship. If you look closely you will find many problems. If you want a new ship you should book the Koningsdam. This ship is 20 years old and requires constant maintenance.

 

The Hotel Manager Mustafa is everywhere! I see him and talk to him every day. The guy is awesome!

 

The service is FANTASTIC! We have exactly 1061 guests and 618 crew.

 

Bill,

 

Thanks for all the great information. The Rotterdam is my favorite ship so I am glad to know they have fixed it up. Did they fix the outdoor movie screen by The Retreat? Back in 2013 I watched some good concert videos on that but since it has been out of service.

[Cruizer Bill]

Sorry or report this but I just went to the back of the ship and there is no more movie screen.

[Cruizer Bill]

Are the deck chairs out on the aft pool area still in the water or are the on dry deck now?

Any photos of the new design out there? Thank you so much for all this great information.

We want to cruise on the Rotterdam to the Caribbean but never booked it because of the aft pool area.

 

The back end of the ship has all brand new chairs. They are very nice.

 

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The back end of the ship has all brand new chairs and they are very nice. They are lightweight and easy to move too.

[Georgeny]

Cruiser Bill, really appreciate the information on the drydock etc. We sail Rotterdam for the Xmas cruise. Thank you again for taking the time to update us. We were sailing the Nieuw Amsterdam the week of the dry dock and skipped Nassau as a port due to tropical storm winds hitting Nassau. Wonder of that caused some problems in getting Rotterdam refurbish done during the drydock.

 

George in NY

[DaveOKC]

Sorry or report this but I just went to the back of the ship and there is no more movie screen.

 

I viewed one movie on the Koningsdam on the outdoor screen. While it was an interesting experience, I do not think it is a great concept. The movie selections were limited, since I think they have to view only PG films (too open to the public). Not many people attended these viewings and it seems to require extra work for the crew in moving the chairs one way (to face screen) and back again (not sure I would like a cabin below this activity late in the evening).

[RMS Olympic]

As food is subjective, I won't ask about the main diningroom food. But I would like to know how the service was during the evening meals. Years back I felt diningroom service quality went down when wine stewards were eliminated. Dining room waiters were stretched too thin taking and serving meal courses while taking drink orders and delivering wine to tables.

Sailing on Rotterdam on Jan 7th, my first Hal cruise since 2009 on the Ryndam also out of Tampa, looking forward to Rotterdam, she may be old, but so am I

[Skoobings]

As food is subjective, I won't ask about the main diningroom food. But I would like to know how the service was during the evening meals. Years back I felt diningroom service quality went down when wine stewards were eliminated. Dining room waiters were stretched too thin taking and serving meal courses while taking drink orders and delivering wine to tables.

Sailing on Rotterdam on Jan 7th, my first Hal cruise since 2009 on the Ryndam also out of Tampa, looking forward to Rotterdam, she may be old, but so am I ��

 

One plus side, the sommeliers are back in the MDR & Pinnacle, as well as Lido, so the dining room stewards are purely focused on food. Was on the Rotterdam the week before dry dock & had excellent service from both the stewards and the sommeliers.

[Cruizer Bill]

As food is subjective, I won't ask about the main diningroom food. But I would like to know how the service was during the evening meals. Years back I felt diningroom service quality went down when wine stewards were eliminated. Dining room waiters were stretched too thin taking and serving meal courses while taking drink orders and delivering wine to tables.

Sailing on Rotterdam on Jan 7th, my first Hal cruise since 2009 on the Ryndam also out of Tampa, looking forward to Rotterdam, she may be old, but so am I ��

 

There are only 1061 guests on this sailing. As a result, there are empty tables and the staff has no problem providing good service.

[rotjeknor]

One plus side, the sommeliers are back in the MDR & Pinnacle, as well as Lido, so the dining room stewards are purely focused on food. Was on the Rotterdam the week before dry dock & had excellent service from both the stewards and the sommeliers.

 

 

 

Same on our 2 HAL cruises last year on the Volendam and Prinsendam . Swift and excellent service . There is a diffference though in the time between courses when sailing with a majority of European pax . Especially Dutch like to take their time , also with coffee at the table afterwards. A dining room manager on the Rotterdam once told me that they had to slow down their pace and leave more time between courses. One of the result was longer waiting time to get a table with open seating . I’m Dutch but we always eat at a non-Dutch table , so don’t blame me ...[emoji6]

 

 

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[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for all your reports.

[Iris5383]

Thanks for the updates! I'm booked on the Rotterdam in January and adding my request for photos when you return from your cruise.

[Hlitner]

Same on our 2 HAL cruises last year on the Volendam and Prinsendam . Swift and excellent service . There is a diffference though in the time between courses when sailing with a majority of European pax . Especially Dutch like to take their time , also with coffee at the table afterwards. A dining room manager on the Rotterdam once told me that they had to slow down their pace and leave more time between courses. One of the result was longer waiting time to get a table with open seating . I’m Dutch but we always eat at a non-Dutch table , so don’t blame me ...[emoji6]

 

 

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We are not Dutch, but simply Americans who enjoy dining without feeling like we are in a fast food restaurant. When on our HAL cruises we usually share larger tables at later open sitting times and ask our waiters to slow it down :). When we get a good table (which is quite often) dinner can become a 2 to 2 1/2 hour fun time. Perhaps because we have spent a lot of time driving around Europe...but we really enjoy the dining experience and its often the highlight of our day. Some of our best friendships have developed at those relaxing long dinners, and we do not get indigestion from gulping down our food :).

 

On our recent Rotterdam cruise, we met some Dutch friends for lunch while we were docked in Rotterdam. Yes, you might have guessed but it was a 3 hour lunch (in the Hotel New York....right near the pier).

 

Hank

[kazu]

One plus side, the sommeliers are back in the MDR & Pinnacle, as well as Lido, so the dining room stewards are purely focused on food. Was on the Rotterdam the week before dry dock & had excellent service from both the stewards and the sommeliers.

 

We were on her in April and May and had the same experience :) Very good service :D

[rotjeknor]

We are not Dutch, but simply Americans who enjoy dining without feeling like we are in a fast food restaurant. When on our HAL cruises we usually share larger tables at later open sitting times and ask our waiters to slow it down :). When we get a good table (which is quite often) dinner can become a 2 to 2 1/2 hour fun time. Perhaps because we have spent a lot of time driving around Europe...but we really enjoy the dining experience and its often the highlight of our day. Some of our best friendships have developed at those relaxing long dinners, and we do not get indigestion from gulping down our food :).

 

On our recent Rotterdam cruise, we met some Dutch friends for lunch while we were docked in Rotterdam. Yes, you might have guessed but it was a 3 hour lunch (in the Hotel New York....right near the pier).

 

Hank

 

 

 

Hotel NY is my favorite restaurant in town , hotel is great too .

We should have dinner on board next april/may !

Jaap

 

 

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