Rotterdam! Feb 16-25 Trip Report & Review

[Caribbean Chris]

MaryBethV, I want to thank you for the Aruba countryside tour review. Now I know I need to bring some sturdy walking shoes since we have also booked that tour. 

 

Your trip review gets an A+ for so much great, up-to-date Rotterdam info, and for such wonderful photos. I’m hungry every time I put down my ipad.

 

Really looking forward to boarding on March 29!

[MaryBethV]

14 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

MaryBethV, I want to thank you for the Aruba countryside tour review. Now I know I need to bring some sturdy walking shoes since we have also booked that tour. 

 

Your trip review gets an A+ for so much great, up-to-date Rotterdam info, and for such wonderful photos. I’m hungry every time I put down my ipad.

 

Really looking forward to boarding on March 29!

I'm glad this review helped you plan and I hope you have an amazing cruise!

[Holly g]

Really enjoyed your report since we will be sailing on Rotterdam in April. 
so where are you heading next?  Will look forward to your next trip report.  
thanks for a well written and informative yet fun review. 

[MaryBethV]

Saturday | February 24, 2024 | Half Moon Cay

 

Our alarm went off at 7:30 am. The Rotterdam was scheduled to be at Half Moon Cay at 8:00 am and we thought we'd tender over after the initial rush.

 

The Daily -

 

 

DH was on our balcony as I was getting dressed and packing for the beach. I hear "Uh-oh! Look at that tender!" and ran to look. A tender was making its way towards us and it was bobbing like a duck in a wave pool. 😧

 

 

Our captain swung the ship around to shelter it from the wind and waves. Sadly, the 20+ knot winds were blowing the ship into the tender and the call was made to cancel our day at Half Moon Cay. 😪

 

 

I zoomed in and captured our only look at the beach. Maybe next time! We were disappointed, but it was obvious from what we had seen that the Captain made the right call. We are thankful they take safety first! I must admit that I wasn't entirely surprised as I remember reading somewhere that Half Moon Cay is the most missed private island. (Maybe because of it's location?)

 

 

Since we had ordered room service breakfast the night before, we decided to enjoy it on the balcony and think about how to make the most of what was now not only our last day, but also Sea Day #6.

 

 

Room Service Menu -

 

 

All American Breakfast with Fried Eggs - the sausage was lukewarm today at best, so I just ate around it. 

 

We turned on the bow cam on so that we could hear the announcements from the captain and the cruise director.

 

 

Time to rally and find something to do! We met up with MrC and MrsC for coffee in the Explorations Cafe. Sadly, their coffee machine was undergoing scheduled maintenance... so no lattes. Good company though! And that is the important part, 🥰

 

On our way back to our room, we noticed that there was a showing of Top Gun Maverick in the theater, so we popped in to watch the first 15-20 minutes.

 

 

 

Great movie, but it seemed wrong to us to spend 2 hours watching a movie we'd already seen... so we did some exploring and souvenir shopping instead.

 

 

 

This photo was taken at 10:51 am... we must have caught them in-between breakfast pastries and lunch at the Dutch Cafe. 

 

Back in our room, the dreaded luggage mats were out. I'm the type that knows we need to pack because they are going to kick us off tomorrow -- but I'd rather live in denial as long as possible!!!

 

 

So, we chatted in our room with FIL and MIL for a while. This trip together has been such a blessing! After that, I read my book on the balcony for a while until it started to rain.

 

 

Woo hoo! Made it to chapter 22 in a book = cruise record! 😂

 

 

 

Hmmm - what to do for lunch?

My internal thought process: Buffet? No, not in the mood to fight the crowds and find a seat. MDR? No, not craving anything on that menu either. Burgers at Dive In? Best option yet, but it seems like a repeat. NY PIzza? No, not special enough for our last day... plus those movie snacks were 😬. Wait - I wonder if Pinnacle opened up for lunch today even though it wasn't a planned Sea Day? Doesn't hurt to check..."

 

And here we are. Yes, we have 7:30 pm reservations with the whole crew here tonight, but darn it, this sounds fun.

And yummy.

And makes me less sad for missing HMC. 😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was like we had the whole restaurant to ourselves! The photos above may have been taken during closed hours... but it was almost the same. It was just us and two other couples. Our waiter was fantastic and the food was...

 

 

 

Best bread basket yet, hands down! Warm and served with creamy garlic butter.

 

 

 

 

 

Yuzu Margarita from their featured cocktails list - pretty and very good.

 

Crab cakes - DH loved these! He cracked one open and had me take a photo.  Not much filler here friends - just melt-in-your-mouth crab. 

 

 

Grilled Prawn Bruschetta - 9.5/10! It was served piping hot and was ah-maz-ing. I only deducted 1/2 a point for needing to take the tails off to eat it. There is no polite, gracious way to do that! Why?!! A fork and a knife risks a Pretty Woman escargot incident. Fingers are just messy and probably far from proper. Oh well. Whatever. Worth it! 

 

Beef Tenderloin with Oregon Blue Cheese - DH enjoyed it. It was cooked to order (medium rare) and full of flavor.

 

Broiled Alaska King Salmon - This was very good. I LOVED the salmon and liked the rice pilaf. I don't know if I would order this again - just because there are many other main entrees I'd enjoy trying.

 

 

Warm Fudge Brownie - DH loved it. The coffee gelato was 🤩

 

Coconut Trifle - This was a beautiful dessert. Maybe more beautiful than delicious, but still a solid choice.

 

 

Back in our room, we spotted Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas heading the other way.

 

I took FIL & MIL out for some photos to commemorate this cruise and their 55th wedding anniversary. ❤️

 

 

 

Wonder of the Seas was now just a speck, literally sailing into the sunset. 

 

I love them! 🥰

 

 

Commence crazy packing - what a mess! (I couldn't believe that when we returned after dinner, Gin & Jay had bothered to neatly arrange our pillows behind the messy bed full of suitcases! I'm going to miss them!)

 

Time for dinner! We have such full hearts from being able to sail with & spend time with these very special people. ❤️❤️❤️

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forest Mushroom Soup - poured table-side and MIL said it "was like her mushroom soup", which means it was good. 😊

 

Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes - I had to get them this time and I was glad I did!

 

Heart of Romaine Caesar Salad - DH ordered this and at first I thought it was burrata on top, but no, it was a poached egg. DH loved it and will not want a Caesar Salad any other way from this point forward!

 

Panko Fried Stuffed Mushroom Caps - FIL enjoyed them.

 

Onto the main entrees...

 

Seared Jumbo Scallops - MrsC seemed to enjoy them! 

 

Beef Tenderloin with Lobster Dumplings (with a side of green peppercorn sauce) - My steak was delicious and the sauces were so good. The lobster dumplings were good, but the lobster flavor didn't come through at all in my opinion. 

 

Boneless Rib Eye - DH said it was a very nice steak - and served medium-rare, as ordered.

 

Beecher's Lobster Mac & Cheese ($10 extra) - MIL ordered this and was surprised that the lobster wasn't mixed in... but we just cut it up and mixed it in for her. I tasted a spoonful and thought it was creamy comfort food at its finest.

 

Sides served family style (L to R) - Roasted Baby Beets with Blue Cheese, Asparagus with Hollandaise, Sauteed Mushrooms 😍

 

Creamed Spinach (on the Left)

 

Mini desserts - they brought enough for each person to try one of each kind. 

 

Creme Brulee - MrC seemed to love it.

 

Not-So-Classic Baked Alaska - this has such a fun presentation and FIL thought it was very good

 

Key Lime Pie - Solid Key Lime Pie

 

Jacques Torres Chocolate Souffle - Loved it!

 

 

What a perfect way to end our last night of this lovely cruise.

Thank you if you have followed along this far! Next up: Disembarkation & some final thoughts.

 

Edited March 12 by MaryBethV

[Caribbean Chris]

Lovely sunset photos of the ILs…

[Huskerchick]

Thank you Mary Beth for the fantastic review. Your photos were amazing. Sadly HMC is a port stopped that is missed quite frequently, thankfully they are building a pier which will hopefully solve that problem. Can't wait to follow along on your next adventure. 

[MaryBethV]

21 hours ago, Holly g said:

Really enjoyed your report since we will be sailing on Rotterdam in April. 
so where are you heading next?  Will look forward to your next trip report.  
thanks for a well written and informative yet fun review. 

 

We don't have anything booked yet. It is always fun to look and plan though!

[0bnxshs]

Since you hadn't posted a photo of the "Mast Coin" I was curious if you found it while wandering outside on the upper decks?  It's one of those hidden jewels that can be found on every 'dam ship.  If you didn't, it's just another reason to book another HAL cruise.

 

So long as you order the day before, you can generally have most anything prepared for you, Indian or not.  This is the manner that HAL uses for those with special restrictions and diets, whether for medical, religious or just preferential reasons; my SIL has made extensive use of this feature on her HAL cruises.

 

Thanks again for your great photos and thoughts; your report has been thorough and easy to read. 🥂

[Bimmer09]

On 3/11/2024 at 8:47 PM, MaryBethV said:

What a perfect way to end our last night of this lovely cruise.

Thank you if you have followed along this far! Next up: Disembarkation & some final thoughts.

Yes that amazing dinner in Pinnacle Grill was  a perfect ending! Great photos of what looks like delicious food.

I've enjoyed following along as Rotterdam will be my first HAL ship. I usually sail Princess, Celebrity and Azamara. Myself and DeckChairQueen are sailing the 9 day Christmas Cruise to Aruba etc December 20 this year in an aft wrap-around Neptune suite. If we like it as much as I think we will

we'll keep our Nieuw Statendam 14 day Arctic mid June 2025 booking. If it's awful then we can cancel and try elsewhere. I already have my thermal undies and Icelandic sweater ready for the NS so you can see which way I'm leaning!

 

Norris

 

[MaryBethV]

9 hours ago, 0bnxshs said:

Since you hadn't posted a photo of the "Mast Coin" I was curious if you found it while wandering outside on the upper decks?  It's one of those hidden jewels that can be found on every 'dam ship.  If you didn't, it's just another reason to book another HAL cruise.

 

So long as you order the day before, you can generally have most anything prepared for you, Indian or not.  This is the manner that HAL uses for those with special restrictions and diets, whether for medical, religious or just preferential reasons; my SIL has made extensive use of this feature on her HAL cruises.

 

Thanks again for your great photos and thoughts; your report has been thorough and easy to read. 🥂

I knew the mast coins were in the front somewhere (I even saved a photo someone posted of them so I'd know what I was looking for) and then I forgot to search for them! I'm easily distracted. 😂

 

Thank you for the info about the dining room ordering. I will try to remember that for our next cruise. Indian food is my favorite!

[MaryBethV]

48 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

Yes that amazing dinner in Pinnacle Grill was  a perfect ending! Great photos of what looks like delicious food.

I've enjoyed following along as Rotterdam will be my first HAL ship. I usually sail Princess, Celebrity and Azamara. Myself and DeckChairQueen are sailing the 9 day Christmas Cruise to Aruba etc December 20 this year in an aft wrap-around Neptune suite. If we like it as much as I think we will

we'll keep our Nieuw Statendam 14 day Arctic mid June 2025 booking. If it's awful then we can cancel and try elsewhere. I already have my thermal undies and Icelandic sweater ready for the NS so you can see which way I'm leaning!

 

Norris

 

Those cruises sound amazing! Enjoy that wrap-around Neptune Suite!

[Bimmer09]

6 minutes ago, MaryBethV said:

Those cruises sound amazing! Enjoy that wrap-around Neptune Suite!

We have taken Christmas cruises each of the past 2 years (photo reviews in my signature). We had booked a 14 day Nieuw Statendam Med cruise (Turkey, Egypt, Greece) for Sept 21 this year but meantime were offered tickets to our favorite opera festival in Bayreuth, Germany in August  which takes precedence over everything. I had to cancel NS and decided to extend our run of Santa Cruises. Rotterdam fit the bill. 2025 Christmas is Panama Canal on Celebrity Ascent.

 

Carol (DeckChairQueen) is usually a Princess Sanctuary dweller but the Aft Neptune balcony has one advantage over that...no wind back there. We always book aft cabins/suites.

The Arctic cruise on NS gets us back to Amsterdam (sail from Rotterdam) and gets us to some less-visited Norwegian and Scottish ports. Photo opportunities all the way! ( I carry 19 pounds of camera gear and feel I have to use it.)

 

Our first trip of 2024 though is a road trip up to Mission Peninsula at Traverse City.Wine Country. It's a 350 mile scenic drive from Chicago through Michigan where for 16 years we used to have a second home. We drive up Lake Michigan then head East at Sleeping Bear Dunes. We've been making the same trip for years.

We of course load up on fudge in Sutton's Bay which I've seen reference to in your review.

DeckChairQueen planning the fudge flavors she will get

 

Norris

[MaryBethV]

Sunday | February 25, 2024 | Debarkation

 

We woke up next to RC's Odyssey of the Seas and the Celebrity Ascent. It was a beautiful Florida morning!

 

 

 

 

 

Just five blissful final minutes on the balcony 😊 & then crew came through opening up all the partitions and hosing everything down.

 

 

DH found this little guy on the stairs -

 

And FIL found this one next to the elevators -

 

Cute little flock of cruise ducks - don't you think? 

 

Time for goodbyes. 😭 I hate this part. California is just too far away. We had such a fun week though - and the memories always bring you closer!

 

 

MrC and MrsC headed to the airport and we headed to our hotel with FIL and MIL. Our flights would leave the next morning.

 

I always look forward to going home, even if we don't have palm trees in Michigan. Until next time...

 

 

A few final thoughts for those who are interested in how HAL and Princess compare (in our opinion).

 

HAL - what we loved!

Around the ship:

- Classic exterior - she is a beautiful ship!

- Covered pool - this allows for use of the top deck area even in inclement weather

- Aft pool is 5'6" deep, stair entry, and adults-only

- No loud concerts/movies playing by the pools during the day which allowed for a more relaxing experience

- Full promenade deck!

- Crow's nest - a forward viewing venue open to all 

Stateroom:

- Spacious shower with a glass door

- Separate shampoo & conditioner

- lit mirrors in the bathroom and at the desk, which made doing hair & makeup easy

- plenty of drawers

- deeper balcony with pull-out footrests for the chairs

- unlimited laundry (worth every penny)

- we loved that the cabin stewards worked in pairs, ours were the best we've had on any cruise and I imagine that having someone to work with is better for your mental health as well

Dining:

- The food across-the-board was of a very high quality and plated beautifully. (I do think their desserts could benefit from more creativity and attention to plating.)

- Breakfast room service - multiple hot options and due to using a hot plate, our food arrived at a good temperature

- we were usually seated immediately (and never had wait more than a few minutes) in the MDR (anytime dining with 2-6 people dining)

- Bars available inside the Lido Market which made it easy to grab a drink with food 

- incredible sushi at Nami Sushi

- The Grand Dutch Cafe sounds great, but is not a place to grab a quick lunch and also is not open at times that would be beneficial (late night)

- Lido Market buffet hours were very limited compared to other ships. This was especially noticeable at night and early afternoon.

 

HAL - what we didn't love ☹️

- When we booked this cruise there was classical music from Lincoln Center that we were very much looking forward to! Not only was this gone with the termination of their LC contract, but there seemed to be no effort to have any easy-listening music (during the day, pre-dinner, or evening) on the ship. There was even an unplayed grand piano in the Ocean Bar lounge. We mentioned this to an officer (he was walking around and asked about our experience) and also noted this in our post-cruise survey. We will likely hold off on a future HAL cruise until some effort has been made to bring back classical/easy-listening music on the ship in various venues.

- We had the signature beverage package and MANY common drinks were 50 cents to a few dollars above the $11 cap. That, combined with having to physically sign for drinks, really took away from the "have it all" experience.

- The interior design/decor of the ship may be classic but often felt a little boring.

- The shows (except for the steel drum band) seemed amateur in comparison to the talent we have experienced in the past.

 

PRINCESS - what we missed about Princess (I know, I'm sorry HAL friends)

- Classical/acoustic/easy-listening live music (string quartet, pianist, guitar/vocalist) in various venues around the ship throughout the day and evening. This was in addition to a house band that would play band/rock/dance music and shows with highly talented dancers and singers.

- The medallion. This allowed us to see where our traveling companions were on the ship (a must when traveling with older kids in our opinion), we didn't have to sign for drinks and didn't have to dig out our cruise card to open our stateroom door. 

- The interior decor was just gorgeous. Every hallway was lined with photographs. Venues and seating areas had so much detail and design put into every nook & cranny - yet the design remained classy and elegant.

- The grand 3-story Piazza - wow factor and gathering place

- The International Cafe - open 24 hours and a place to grab a quick meal, snack, or coffee

- Large open closet in our stateroom that also functioned as a spacious, private dressing area

- More late-night food options and extensive buffet hours (which again, if traveling with young adults is a must - and we liked it too 😉)

- Desserts that looked incredible and tasted amazing. Memorable! (and not just in the specialty restaurants)

- Ability to pre-purchase bottled/canned water for your stateroom

 

We will keep both HAL and Princess in mind as we shop for our next cruise. 😍 Thank you for following along!

 

Edited March 14 by MaryBethV

[MaryBethV]

@Bimmer09 - I've bookmarked your reviews for some relaxed evening reading - thanks!

DH and I took a trip to Traverse City and explored the Old Mission Peninsula last year. Gorgeous area!

[bgomes]

Thanks again, Mary Beth.  It was an amazing review, as I knew it would be.  Perhaps we will meet again on another cruise or in the Grand Rapids area.  So happy to have met you and the family.  I have your num er and plan to look you up sometime that we are in your area.

Barb & Bob

[Trish Traveler]

On 3/13/2024 at 8:16 PM, MaryBethV said:

Sunday | February 25, 2024 | Debarkation

 

We woke up next to RC's Odyssey of the Seas and the Celebrity Ascent. It was a beautiful Florida morning!

 

 

 

 

 

Just five blissful final minutes on the balcony 😊 & then crew came through opening up all the partitions and hosing everything down.

 

 

DH found this little guy on the stairs -

 

And FIL found this one next to the elevators -

 

Cute little flock of cruise ducks - don't you think? 

 

Time for goodbyes. 😭 I hate this part. California is just too far away. We had such a fun week though - and the memories always bring you closer!

 

 

MrC and MrsC headed to the airport and we headed to our hotel with FIL and MIL. Our flights would leave the next morning.

 

I always look forward to going home, even if we don't have palm trees in Michigan. Until next time...

 

 

A few final thoughts for those who are interested in how HAL and Princess compare (in our opinion).

 

HAL - what we loved!

Around the ship:

- Classic exterior - she is a beautiful ship!

- Covered pool - this allows for use of the top deck area even in inclement weather

- Aft pool is 5'6" deep, stair entry, and adults-only

- No loud concerts/movies playing by the pools during the day which allowed for a more relaxing experience

- Full promenade deck!

- Crow's nest - a forward viewing venue open to all 

Stateroom:

- Spacious shower with a glass door

- Separate shampoo & conditioner

- lit mirrors in the bathroom and at the desk, which made doing hair & makeup easy

- plenty of drawers

- deeper balcony with pull-out footrests for the chairs

- unlimited laundry (worth every penny)

- we loved that the cabin stewards worked in pairs, ours were the best we've had on any cruise and I imagine that having someone to work with is better for your mental health as well

Dining:

- The food across-the-board was of a very high quality and plated beautifully. (I do think their desserts could benefit from more creativity and attention to plating.)

- Breakfast room service - multiple hot options and due to using a hot plate, our food arrived at a good temperature

- we were usually seated immediately (and never had wait more than a few minutes) in the MDR (anytime dining with 2-6 people dining)

- Bars available inside the Lido Market which made it easy to grab a drink with food 

- incredible sushi at Nami Sushi

- The Grand Dutch Cafe sounds great, but is not a place to grab a quick lunch and also is not open at times that would be beneficial (late night)

- Lido Market buffet hours were very limited compared to other ships. This was especially noticeable at night and early afternoon.

 

HAL - what we didn't love ☹️

- When we booked this cruise there was classical music from Lincoln Center that we were very much looking forward to! Not only was this gone with the termination of their LC contract, but there seemed to be no effort to have any easy-listening music (during the day, pre-dinner, or evening) on the ship. There was even an unplayed grand piano in the Ocean Bar lounge. We mentioned this to an officer (he was walking around and asked about our experience) and also noted this in our post-cruise survey. We will likely hold off on a future HAL cruise until some effort has been made to bring back classical/easy-listening music on the ship in various venues.

- We had the signature beverage package and MANY common drinks were 50 cents to a few dollars above the $11 cap. That, combined with having to physically sign for drinks, really took away from the "have it all" experience.

- The interior design/decor of the ship may be classic but often felt a little boring.

- The shows (except for the steel drum band) seemed amateur in comparison to the talent we have experienced in the past.

 

PRINCESS - what we missed about Princess (I know, I'm sorry HAL friends)

- Classical/acoustic/easy-listening live music (string quartet, pianist, guitar/vocalist) in various venues around the ship throughout the day and evening. This was in addition to a house band that would play band/rock/dance music and shows with highly talented dancers and singers.

- The medallion. This allowed us to see where our traveling companions were on the ship (a must when traveling with older kids in our opinion), we didn't have to sign for drinks and didn't have to dig out our cruise card to open our stateroom door. 

- The interior decor was just gorgeous. Every hallway was lined with photographs. Venues and seating areas had so much detail and design put into every nook & cranny - yet the design remained classy and elegant.

- The grand 3-story Piazza - wow factor and gathering place

- The International Cafe - open 24 hours and a place to grab a quick meal, snack, or coffee

- Large open closet in our stateroom that also functioned as a spacious, private dressing area

- More late-night food options and extensive buffet hours (which again, if traveling with young adults is a must - and we liked it too 😉)

- Desserts that looked incredible and tasted amazing. Memorable! (and not just in the specialty restaurants)

- Ability to pre-purchase bottled/canned water for your stateroom

 

We will keep both HAL and Princess in mind as we shop for our next cruise. 😍 Thank you for following along!

 

Mary Beth thank you for the outstanding review!  Your photos were fabulous.  We got on the Rotterdam the day you got off.  We did the 12 night Panama Canal itinerary and loved most everything about it.  The Rotterdam is a beautiful ship.  You captured it perfectly.  I made myself complete posting my review before I took time to read yours. We did the same thing the first time we ordered the room service breakfast by accidentally ordering double! 😂 

Sorry that you missed HMC as it is beautiful and photogenic. We had heard your cruise missed it when we boarded so we were hopeful and felt very lucky to visit the day we did.  Glad you had a great cruise and Happy Anniversary to your in-laws!

[MaryBethV]

On 3/29/2024 at 11:41 PM, Trish Traveler said:

Mary Beth thank you for the outstanding review!  Your photos were fabulous.  We got on the Rotterdam the day you got off.  We did the 12 night Panama Canal itinerary and loved most everything about it.  The Rotterdam is a beautiful ship.  You captured it perfectly.  I made myself complete posting my review before I took time to read yours. We did the same thing the first time we ordered the room service breakfast by accidentally ordering double! 😂 

Sorry that you missed HMC as it is beautiful and photogenic. We had heard your cruise missed it when we boarded so we were hopeful and felt very lucky to visit the day we did.  Glad you had a great cruise and Happy Anniversary to your in-laws!

 

Thank you @Trish Traveler - I'm reading your review now! We have not done a Panama cruise and I'm looking forward to reading every detail you post about your cruise. 😀