'Twas the Cruise Over Easter - 9 Day Southern Caribbean - March 29 - April 7, 2024

[Blackduck59]

@POA1 and @Huskerchick, I was just reading your after action observations. I think one of the reasons that you have success with your servicepersons is your attitude. You choose to travel in a "bubble of Awesome" and you are both aware that your personal attitude has a direct impact on the level of awesome in that bubble. I think some of those who had a lesser experience than you, were the authors of their own disappointment. I think many people would find a better experience by dwelling on the good rather than the bad.

[0106]

34 minutes ago, POA1 said:

We had an excellent waiter on night one. We had him again at breakfast on the second day. At that point, I spoke to the manager, Elena, and asked to be seated in his section whenever possible. For the most part, we were. I referred to this as "creating the fixed dining experience in open seating" in our December "Live From."

We always asked to be seated in the same section with the same waiter in CO.  We were on the NS for 14 nights in March, twice we waited  less than 30 minutes for our dinner table.  I felt like they held our 8:30 breakfast table every morning.  The advantage of sitting with the same waiter is they know our “special requests”.  My special requests (no bread, extra vegetables, hot food) were established.  When I sat down at breakfast, fresh squeezed OJ and a mimosa magically appeared.  Of course the “bubble of awesome” appears around people who respect the hard work of the staff on HAL.

[SUESEABE]

Welcome home and thanks for the 'awesome' review.

[POA1]

One of the things I enjoy about Holland America's ships is the extensive art collections. Years ago, they had recorded audio tours on loaner iPods. Later, they released the audo files.

 

Nowadays, they have printed versions of the tours you can get from the front desk.

 

Some of the art from around the Rotterdam:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 8 by POA1

[Fortunate 2 travel]

Hope your journey home was uneventful.  😆.  I truly enjoyed reading about your cruise.  You have a wonderful gift.  Looking so forward to sailing on the Rotterdam later this year.  

[POA1]

All settled in at home with our first breakfast completed. Michelle was seated right away, I had to finish the eggs and sausages before being seated. (Our scrambled eggs use fresh eggs with a little heavy cream whipped in.)

 

While there was no cappuccino, we were offered a selection of 6 different coffees, which were brewed to order in our Tassimo machine.

 

Because we normally pass on the pastries, I simply presented a photo of a pastry basket on my phone. Michelle said, "No, thank you." That's very fortunate because there are no sweets to be had.

 

Breakfast was served hot. The frying pan and skillet do not seem to be washing themselves. That is the one major disappointment.

 

Enjoying the ocean view from the balcony. In port with us today area the Celebrity Silhouette, Disney Dream, and Liberty of the Seas.

 

 

Edited April 8 by POA1

[POA1]

I somehow forgot to take any photos at Billboard, but the solo piano version seemed to be just as well received as the duo was. I'd take one good pianist over two "OK" ones any day.

 

The Rolling Stone Rock Room:

 

 

The band on the Nieuw Statendam had a lead as well as a rhythm guitar. I think that is a better set up than single lead.

 

Two lead female vocalists was a huge plus.

 

The woman in the photo above was on the dance floor for most every set. When she wasn't here, she was at BB King. She's 85, and puts pretty much everyone - of any age - to shame.

 

We ran into her in the elevator and asked the secret to her stamina. She said, "I don't drink and I don't smoke, but I cuss."

 

 

 

Edited April 8 by POA1

[POA1]

Our final-final statement has posted. Everything looks good. If anything odd showed up during the cruise, it was fixed during the nightly audit cycle.

 

For example, our upgrade from Signature Beverage Package to Elite originally posted as full-blown beverage package cost. It was fixed by the next day. It's about a $1,000 difference, but I decided I wasn't going to waste time at the front desk until I gave the system a chance to work things out.

 

I prefer to use my time in line at guest services getting the ship's art guide.

[Haljo1935]

11 minutes ago, POA1 said:

...I prefer to use my time in line at guest services getting the ship's art guide.

Thank you!!😏

It is truly appreciated. 

[chill6x6]

Thanks for answering my questions Brian! Great live review! We have a 9-day of our own coming up in November on Rotterdam.  

[POA1]

Some photos from BB King:

 

On most cruises, BB King is our go-to venue. The band on our December Nieuw Statendam voyage was probably the tightest group we've have had the pleasure of watching. They set the bar for audience participation and kept the dance floor full during most all of their sets.

 

This version of the band was very good. It's a shame we had to compare this band to the Nieuw Statendam's band. The singers were great. The musicians were top notch. They just didn't work the room as successfully.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 9 by POA1

[POA1]

The Gym on the Rotterdam:

 

 

Most of the machines are Precor.

 

Treadmills and machines

 

Stationary bikes and elliptical machines

 

Yoga studio

 

Spin cycles

 

Ellipticals & striders

 

Dip station & weight bench

 

 

Dumbbells

 

Weight machines

 

Edited April 9 by POA1

[julia]

So, let me get this straight.... the 85 year old dancing lady doesn't drink or smoke, but she cusses?!

Well, I %@#×# hope that I %&^*$#@ live that %÷/<$#%^ long too!  Hahahaaaaaaaaa!

[POA1]

Some assorted bar photos:

 

Sea View Bar by the Aft Pool - This one is back by the smoking area on the starboard side of the Lido deck.

 

Notes - The whiskey tasting bar. I had high hopes for this, but we never made it to any of the events. The one bourbon-focused tasting conflicted with our sunset sail excursion. The other issue was scheduling. The tastings usually fell at around the time we were getting ready for dinner. Maybe in 2025.

 

The Ocean Bar - This turned out to be our favorite. Friendly, entertaining bartenders and a vibe more in tune with what we were seeking.

 

Seating area for the Ocean Bar - The Ocean Bar has two fairly large seating areas. If you wanted to have a drink and conversation, thus was an ideal place. The seating is comfortable, and arranged in what your HGTV-watching friends would call "natural conversational groupings."

 

At first, we thought that the Half Moon Bar was going to be our regular pre-dinner stop. (And hopefully Michelle has a photo. Because, despite going there a few times, and passing it several times a day, I do not have any.)

 

The Half Moon Bar had a good following and their craft cocktails were excellent. We like the occasional craft cocktail, but we're usually drinkers of simpler fare. Michelle drinks Ketel One and soda with a lime. I drink Maker's Mark on rocks. The non-stop parade of fussy drinks with a litany of ingredients, does not equal an everyday bar for me. There's nothing wrong with it. It's just not my speed. (I felt the same way about flare bartending, if you remember that craze. Still like the song, "Kokomo" by the Beach Boys, though.)

 

 

 

 

Edited April 9 by POA1

[Huskerchick]

2 hours ago, POA1 said:

Some assorted bar photos:

 

Sea View Bar by the Aft Pool - This one is back by the smoking area on the starboard side of the Lido deck.

 

Notes - The whiskey tasting bar. I had high hopes for this, but we never made it to any of the events. The one bourbon-focused tasting conflicted with our sunset sail excursion. The other issue was scheduling. The tastings usually fell at around the time we were getting ready for dinner. Maybe in 2025.

 

The Ocean Bar - This turned out to be our favorite. Friendly, entertaining bartenders and a vibe more in tune with what we were seeking.

 

Seating area for the Ocean Bar - The Ocean Bar has two fairly large seating areas. If you wanted to have a drink and conversation, thus was an ideal place. The seating is comfortable, and arranged in what your HGTV-watching friends would call "natural conversational groupings."

 

At first, we thought that the Half Moon Bar was going to be our regular pre-dinner stop. (And hopefully Michelle has a photo. Because, despite going there a few times, and passing it several times a day, I do not have any.)

 

The Half Moon Bar had a good following and their craft cocktails were excellent. We like the occasional craft cocktail, but we're usually drinkers of simpler fare. Michelle drinks Ketel One and soda with a lime. I drink Maker's Mark on rocks. The non-stop parade of fussy drinks with a litany of ingredients, does not equal an everyday bar for me. There's nothing wrong with it. It's just not my speed. (I felt the same way about flare bartending, if you remember that craze. Still like the song, "Kokomo" by the Beach Boys, though.)

 

 

 

 

Sadly I have pictures of our drinks from the Half Moon Bar but not the bar area itself

[POA1]

33 minutes ago, Huskerchick said:

Sadly I have pictures of our drinks from the Half Moon Bar but not the bar area itself

 

I'm bummed to see that you, too, missed taking a photo of a bar we passed at least 4x a day.

 

However, the fact that you hove drink photos show your commitment to our primary mission. 😘

[Haljo1935]

14 minutes ago, POA1 said:

 

I'm bummed to see that you, too, missed taking a photo of a bar we passed at least 4x a day.

 

However, the fact that you hove drink photos show your commitment to our primary mission. 😘

Well I guess @POA1 @Huskerchick have another Rotterdam cruise in their future - in the name of research, of course.🤭

[POA1]

Dance lessons were held almost every day in the BB King Lounge. They taught a variety of dance styles throughout the cruise.

 

 

There was a ballroom dance hour most nights, featuring recorded music.

[POA1]

One of the things I've always admired about Holland America's ships is that they have art that celebrates their heritage. There are a number of nicely detailed Rotterdam models located around the ship.

 

These two are located in the deck 7 forward and midship elevator areas.

 

As residents of Schubert Deck (7), we saw these two models quite often.

 

Despite passing these ships many times a day, we never saw any tiny people in the little pools

 

 

This is the largest of the Rotterdam models that I came across. It is located in the Crow's Nest area. (The area is currently labeled as "explorations central & cafe" except they omit the acute diacritical on the e in café. (Perhaps it's a nod to e. e. cummings.)

 

I will probably go to the grave calling this the Crow's Nest. After all, why call it explorations central? It's forward, and on a high deck. Nothing central about it.

 

In addition to the ship models, there are a number of paintings of former Rotterdams.

 

The ship's bell from the Rotterdam VI is also on display in the Crow's Nest. The current Rotterdam is the Rotterdam VI.

 

 

Edited April 10 by POA1

[oakridger]

I'm with you on still calling it the Crow's Nest!  Dumb name that "Explorations Central"!!!!  🙄

 

 

~Nancy

[POA1]

Just now, oakridger said:

I'm with you on still calling it the Crow's Nest!  Dumb name that "Explorations Central"!!!!  🙄

 

 

~Nancy

Yes, indeed. The term exc is short for excrement. 💩

[POA1]

From the "choose the name of your Destructor" section of the Lido pool area.

 

The Lido pool bar. We went here to upgrade our SBP to the Elite Beverage Package upon embarkation; the logic being that there would be extra bar staff and management here to handle all the new passengers who were boarding.

 

Gelato and Juice Bar - You can, and we did, get milkshakes here. The shakes are covered by the beverage package. The cold-pressed juices are not. The gelato was quite good. Despite it being a supplemental charge, it's significantly less than gelato in Fort Lauderdale.

 

If you want frozen treats without the upcharge, there is ice cream and soft serve in the Lido.

 

Not shown, but to the left, is the Dive In. Yummy burgers, dogs and fries. They had gluten free buns, veggie burgers, and a mushroom "burger."

Edited April 10 by POA1

[POA1]

From the Crow's Nest -

 

Far forward there are two articulated binoculars.

 

A fair amount of club chair style seating.

 

 

 

The shore excursions desk is here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 10 by POA1

[RuthC]

18 hours ago, POA1 said:

One of the things I've always admired about Holland America's ships is that they have art that celebrates their heritage. There are a number of nicely detailed Rotterdam models located around the ship.

 

These two are located in the deck 7 forward and midship elevator areas.

 

As residents of Schubert Deck (7), we saw these two models quite often.

 

Despite passing these ships many times a day, we never saw any tiny people in the little pools

 

 

This is the largest of the Rotterdam models that I came across. It is located in the Crow's Nest area. (The area is currently labeled as "explorations central & cafe" except they omit the acute diacritical on the e in café. (Perhaps it's a nod to e. e. cummings.)

 

I will probably go to the grave calling this the Crow's Nest. After all, why call it explorations central? It's forward, and on a high deck. Nothing central about it.

 

In addition to the ship models, there are a number of paintings of former Rotterdams.

 

The ship's bell from the Rotterdam VI is also on display in the Crow's Nest. The current Rotterdam is the Rotterdam VI.

 

 

Quick correction on your typo (if you don't mind): The current Rotterdam is Rotterdam VII.
(I know my Rotterdam's going back to Rotterdam V) 

[POA1]

7 minutes ago, RuthC said:

Quick correction on your typo (if you don't mind): The current Rotterdam is Rotterdam VII.
(I know my Rotterdam's going back to Rotterdam V) 

Not at all! Thank you for catching that.