Live from Rotterdam - Northern Transatlantic, Oct 12 - 27, 2025

[81Zoomie]

Good morning, unexpectedly, from the middle of the English Channel 🛳️⚓️☁️.  
 

 

We were supposed to be in Zeebrugge, Belgium 🇧🇪 today.  Little did I know that my darling 💙 DH 🧜‍♂️ was secretly pining for a sea day ⚓️ or the strength of his mental powers 🔮!!!  When the Captain wakes ⏰ you with an announcement, it’s either good or bad news.  This morning at 7 am the Captain announced he was awoken at 3 am and asked to go to the bridge.  The harbor master reported a squall line with 35 - 45 kt winds 💨 and 2 meter seas in the channel.  It was not safe for pilot boat operations, nor Rotterdams’s approach and docking.  As a result, our first port was bypassed and we have a day at sea 🛳️.  The ship was remarkably stable all night and we never felt any rocking, swaying, or howling wind.  Perhaps the squall line was between the ship and the port?  Having just experienced a squall line in the Adriatic where the ship listed 🌊 quite dramatically and wine glasses, bottles, and anything else not weighted down went flying, we are very comfortable with our Captain’s decision to sail past Zeebrugge.
 

I wasn’t planning a live report this trip as we just got off Celebrity Constellation (Sep 27 - Oct 7) in the Adriatic/Med, but one should always be flexible.  My schedule is now wide open today!  So here you go, @swigso, a live report from Rotterdam.  Since our Connie cruise is fresh in our minds, I will point out some differences between Celebrity and HAL when they are noticeable or may be of interest.  
 

Away we go on our first transatlantic cruise 🇳🇱🛳️⚓️🇫🇷🇬🇧🇧🇲🇧🇸🇺🇸!

 

[Sir PMP]

Enjoy your crossing, shouldn't be too bad.

[Heartgrove]

Also onboard the Rotterdam for the crossing. We were just finishing our room service breakfast as we had an excursion when the captain made the announcement that we were not going to dock in Zeebrugge. I wondered prior to the announcement what the situation was as we were still rolling at sea when we should have been moored.

 

So currently traveling in the English Channel at approximately 8-9 knots. I was looking forward to being docked alongside the Cunard Queen Anne but it was announced that they would not be docking as well. Much to my surprise though the website “Marine Traffic” shows the Queen Anne moored in Zeebrugge. It is on a short two port cruise so their captain may have felt more compelled to make the port.

[jjfarns]

Looking forward to your reports. We just got off her yesterday in Rotterdam after 21 days on board. After a 21 hour door to door trip home we were wishing we were still onboard. 

[Lady Arwen]

We’re doing this itinerary in 2025, so very much interested in your report.  We really love Pinnacle class ships, but we’ve not been on Rotterdam.  Thank you for taking us along for the ride!

[0bnxshs]

Have done a couple of west-bound TAs (the 150th Anniversary on Rotterdam was most recent) and we love them.  Sorry you missed Zeebrugge as it is a nice port with the lovely town of Bruges beckoning, but always best to be safe.

 

I'll enjoy your comparison between HAL and Celebrity and thanks for doing this.  Enjoy!

Edited Sunday at 01:38 PM by 0bnxshs

[81Zoomie]

Day 1 - Rotterdam

 

How did we decide on this cruise?  We sailed Rotterdam to the North Cape in Norway 🇳🇴 last summer and loved the ship and crew.  Since retirement was around the corner, we thought we would try a repositioning cruise to see how we would like it.  The Ports of call were all new to us, and we are very focused on being able to visit Normandy in France 🇫🇷.  Our last attempt was cancelled during the shutdown.  This full trip schedule was Venice, Celebrity Constellation 11 nights Adriatic/Med, Rome, AMS, Rotterdam, MS Rotterdam, FLL.

 

 

We flew to Amsterdam after spending a few days in Rome.  Our train ride from AMS to Rotterdam was uneventful.  We were quite surprised that the train cars were at platform level, no stairs 🪜 to lift your suitcases 🧳 🧳.  Since we planed, trained, automobiled, bussed, cruised, water taxied, and walked on our adventures, we limited ourselves to one medium rolling suitcase and a backpack each.  Next time I would aim to reduce the weight to make logistics a bit easier.

 

The Rotterdam Marriott was our home away from home.  It was so very convenient, just across the street from the rail and metro station 🚉 .
 

 

 And, there is a lovely outdoor shopping area  around the corner.  The weather is about 10 degrees cooler than was forecast when we left the states over 2 weeks ago.  The stores were quite handy as we Floridians needed an extra fleece.  We even took the opportunity to visit the SS Rotterdam, MS Rotterdam’s much older sister which is now a floating hotel.

 

 

All aboard!!!  We left the hotel via Uber at 10:50 and stepped aboard the ship at 11:20.  How great is that???  It was a pleasure to hand our luggage off to cheerful young people who eagerly took our bags.  Checkin and security were also a breeze.  We were delighted to board the ship via a proper cruise port gangway 😀.  
 

 

Our cabin for this cruise is a verandah 🚢 and we were able to take advantage of the Have It All early booking bonus, on board booking, and Club Orange 🍊.  Our stateroom is well laid out and has a nice amount of storage.  There is more storage than in a Celebrity verandah and sky suite.  The bathroom isn’t huge, but the shower is large and has a bar to assist leg shaving as well as a clothes line.  BONUS - Glass doors 😃.  And DH’s favorite, soft close toilet seats 🚽.  Our balcony has two reclining chairs with foot stools and no zip ties (🤣 Celebrity).  We met our 2 cabin attendants and they were very friendly and helpful.

 

 

 

 

There was plenty of time to wander and get reacquainted with the ship before we had to muster and sail.  There are so many intimate bars, music venues, and interesting are exhibits on this ship!
 

 

 

 

 A desire for a light lunch meant we went up to the Lido Cafe.  I must admit, I’m not that fond of the HAL buffet design.  It has two long sides and the seating is a bit cramped.  That said, our meals were quick and tasty.  
 

 

HAL requires everyone to all go to the muster location when instructed by the announcement 📣.  Not to the life boats, just to the indoor muster location.  So we had an all together now moment throughout the ship. 

 

Following muster we walked up top to watch sail-away.  There were many families, moms & Dads, kids, grandparents, etc. of crew lined up bidding them farewell for the winter season. It was quite touching to hear the kids, “Bye Papa!”.  This Dutch line has been returning to Rotterdam during the summer season.  Now they are leaving for the Caribbean.  It was a giant horn honk fest as we departed.  It was also lovely to have both Rotterdams sound off to one another.  The sail out took nearly 2 hours and was quite interesting.  We toasted 🥂our Bon Voyage up at the pool bar.

 

 

 

 

 

Time for dinner and our first experience in Club Orange 🍊.  Our desire for this venue was twofold. One, to avoid the lines and waits in the main dining room, and two, to have better control of my food allergy.  This is HALs first attempt with Suite and added package dining on their Pinnacle class ships. The menu is identical to the main dining room with one additional entree.  I had the tomato and mozzarella starter, lasagna, and ice cream sundae.  The lasagna was better than the one I had in Tuscan on Celebrity last week!

 

 

 

 

 

 Let’s talk wine 🍷.  Everyone received a glass of bubbly to celebrate!  We were delighted to see Decoy on the menu within our package price 😀.  Deja vu, just like Celebrity, the wine steward couldn’t find any onboard 🙄.  Because Decoy was not available, we were offered the next step up, Beringer’s Knights Valley.  We thought that was a very nice gesture and we enjoyed the wine very much!  
 

 

While Club Orange 🍊 is separate, it is only partially enclosed and is a bit of a fish bowl.  Anyone walking by can and does peer 👀 in at you.  Conversations in the hallway and bar carry into the restaurant.  Suggestion: curtains would be a welcome addition!
 

 

 

At first glance, Club Orange does not appear to be at the same level as Blu, Luminae , or the Elite breakfast on Celebrity.  We will keep an open mind and see if it grows on us.

 

HAL doesn’t do an entertainment show the first night of the cruise.  After dinner we wandered through the shops🛍️ and the casino 🎰.  I did not see anyone smoking in the casino even though it is permitted.  There also were photographers stations set up for welcome aboard photos. It was a longish day and we were eager to get a good nights sleep 🛌.  We were looking forward to an unstructured day in Bruges 🇧🇪 in the morning…

Edited Sunday at 02:02 PM by 81Zoomie

[swigso]

@81Zoomie many thanks for taking time to post 

have a great cruise 👍🍷🍷

[swigso]

@81Zoomie many thanks for taking time to post 

have a great cruise 👍🍷🍷

[swigso]

@81Zoomie many thanks for taking time to post 

have a great cruise 👍🍷🍷

[SUESEABE]

Following. Also onboard this sailing. Overnight in lehavre. Plan to explore Honfleur tomorrow. Happy cruising!

[ORTravelGal]

Have a fantastic trip!  We were on Rotterdam this past spring for the sailing over to Europe from Fort Lauderdale.  It was a terrific cruise and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.  To be honest, I'm a bit envious (in the nicest way possible) that we're not on the trip to bring her back to the U.S.

 

If you make the Le Havre port and get to visit Normandy, it will be a real treat.  We did a tour with Overlord and it was so informational.  I felt honored to see the area and it was really sobering to hear the stories and try to imagine what the troops were going through.

 

Is your trip stopping in Dover?  That was also a delightful stop as we did a tour with Karen & Chris of White Cliffs of Dover Tours.  They were so very knowledgeable and I highly recommend booking with them.  I realize it's probably too late to book with them now, but for anyone reading who will be visiting the Dover port on a future trip, please take the time to lookup White Cliffs of Dover Tours - I promise you won't be disappointed.

 

It's funny that you mentioned the Marriott in Rotterdam.  I am staunchly opposed to staying at "American" hotels when we're in Europe, but I'll admit we stayed there for five days this spring after our crossing and I loved it.  We chose the hotel because of its proximity to the train station and we were not disappointed.  It is truly a great launching point for anything you wish to do before/after a cruise and it is very easy to get to AMS for flights by taking a train from the Rotterdam Central Station.

 

I look forward to following along on your trip and hope you don't miss out on any other ports.  Wishing you smooth sailing as you make your way west across the Atlantic.

[81Zoomie]

Day 2 - At Sea until Evening…

 

We regrouped and adjusted to our new open schedule day!  I grabbed a coffee ☕️ and DH went to Tai Chi 🥋.  Then we zipped off to Club 🍊 for a light breakfast.  DH had a salmon and veggie omelet and I had the banana oatmeal French toast.  Both were tasty 😋.

 

The Captain’s announcement this morning was actually my second awakening during sleep 💤.  DH got up to use the bathroom last night.  When he walked by the closets it felt like a search light 🔦 turned on and aimed at my pillow.  What the *+!*** was that 🤬?  Well, there is a motion activated LED night light under the closets.  I hesitate to call it a night light because that thing will give you night blindness 😎.  After investigating this morning, a little painters tape covered the sensor 🥸.  Ironically, there is no nightlight inside the bathroom.  I remembered that and brought a small one.  All the lighting issues are now remedied 😀.

 

 

Today was a good opportunity to get some exercise.  I walked the inside corridors and DH went to the gym.  The interior spaces were quite busy.  The cruise staff did add a couple of events to the schedule.

 

Change 2 - The Captain announced that we would now be docking in Le Havre tonight “for a rare overnight opportunity” instead of in the morning.  He said the excursion staff would be putting something together.  That said, we don’t dock until 8 pm, so I’m not certain what might be available.

 

American football 🏈 and showers are on tap this afternoon.  DH just announced that the shower 🚿 in our cabin was the best of our vacation to date!  He is delighted to be out of the tiny closet showers and not have to deal with a curtain.  How exciting 🤗.  I’m just happy I won’t have to channel my inner flamingo 🦩 to shave 🪒.  Happy to report consistent water temps, nice pressure, and the bathroom doesn’t fog up 🌫️!

 

How about a little libation before dinner?  There are so many nice bars to sample on Rotterdam.  No, there is no energetic martini bar like on Celebrity.  But, you can always carry on a conversation, meet your fellow passengers, find a seat, and enjoy some music at the various cozy bars.  BONUS - You can see the ocean from many of the venues!  We chose a Billboard Onboard this evening.  Yes, the sea was visible out the side window.  There were many people in this location.  Peanuts were provided as well as large block ice cubes.  Bonus to HAL for the large ice blocks.  Bonus to Celebrity for their new daily nut variety!

 

 

 

Tonight is gala night.  The menu has some interesting options. Decisions, decisions 😊.

 

 

DH and I are on the same wave link.  Both ordered the shrimp cocktail 🍤, tenderloin 🥩 and shrimp, and the crème brûlée 🍮.  All was very good!  The addition of pineapple 🍍instead of potatoes was an intriguing twist!  No Decoy wine again tonight.  We were able to cope with the BKV 🥰.  The service, and food were much better tonight.  It was a big step in the correct direction!  (Pics are loading in random order.  But life is short, so you can eat dessert first!)

 

 

 

 

We have sailed into Le Harve.  As far as we can tell, no additional excursions were added.  At least we are at the dock and will be cleared shortly.  There should be no issues or congestion leaving the ship in the morning.  @ORTravelGal , we too are booked with Overloard Tours.  We were scheduled with them in 2020 when cancelled. They have a great reputation.  The weather is cooperating and we are looking forward to a memorable tour.

 

It was a very relaxing day with calm and cool weather.  Tomorrow should be in the low 60s with partly cloudy skies. Tomorrow is one of the highlights of our trip. The opportunity to visit Normandy, the allied beaches, and pay our respects to those who gave it all to support the freedoms we enjoy is long overdue.  That is the focus tomorrow.  It will be a long day and I will do my best to catch up after we return.
 

Wishing everyone a great day.  Bonne Nuit 🌃!

 

 

Edited Sunday at 06:54 PM by 81Zoomie

[Ken the cruiser]

Here’s hoping you have an awesome cruise! We are looking forward to reading about your experiences, as we are booked on the Rotterdam in Oct 2026 on a similar itinerary following a Northern Lights cruise.

[albingirl]

Such a great thread to follow and, to add, thank you for sharing your trip with us

[oakridger]

Thank you for the review!

 

Did I miss something about a change in muster procedure on HAL?  My last cruise in May 2024 on Zuiderdam, passengers were still having to watch the video and report to their muster station at any time before the cut off time for their card scan.  There was not a group muster time.

 

Anyone else currently on other HAL ships has it changed back to a group muster?

 

~Nancy

[Mary229]

2 hours ago, oakridger said:

Thank you for the review!

 

Did I miss something about a change in muster procedure on HAL?  My last cruise in May 2024 on Zuiderdam, passengers were still having to watch the video and report to their muster station at any time before the cut off time for their card scan.  There was not a group muster time.

 

Anyone else currently on other HAL ships has it changed back to a group muster?

 

~Nancy

The Rotterdam is using group muster but inside an assigned area. I don’t know if it is because we are in Europe or if our Captain is newly minted.  It is the first time I have had to group muster in years.  Pax only need do it every 30 days.

[CT D&N]

10 hours ago, oakridger said:

Thank you for the review!

 

Did I miss something about a change in muster procedure on HAL?  My last cruise in May 2024 on Zuiderdam, passengers were still having to watch the video and report to their muster station at any time before the cut off time for their card scan.  There was not a group muster time.

 

Anyone else currently on other HAL ships has it changed back to a group muster?

 

~Nancy

We recently had this on the Nieuw Statendam.  For what it's worth I was told by a cruise member that it is not the new standard but rather was periodically being done as part of their training/coast guard requirements.

[oakridger]

8 hours ago, CT D&N said:

part of their training/coast guard requirements.

 

That makes perfect sense!  Crew needs to practice "herding the cats" for crowd control, etc.!

 

Thanks,

~Nancy

[81Zoomie]

Day 3 - Le Havre

 

Please excuse the delay….  CC was very quirky yesterday and was “not available” in the evening!

 

We were up bright and early this morning to get some breakfast 🍳 and not have to rush.  Actually, it was not so bright as the sun 🌞 doesn’t rise here at this time of year until after 8 am!  It didn’t actually lighten up until we were on our way out of the port.

 

The Overlord tour guides and vans were waiting for us just outside to cruise terminal building.  Each was a group of 8.  Le Havre is the 2nd largest port in France 🇫🇷 and we are docked in the boondocks.  It was a 20 minute drive to exit the port!  Obama Beach was ~1.5 hours away.  We stopped about mid way for a bio break at a nice rest stop.

 

 

 

Much of the immediate little town near Omaha Beach looks almost the same as it did 80 years ago.  There are old pictures of the same spots in 1944 on some of the buildings. It’s a rather gray day.  We did have a few glimmers of sunshine while we were on the beach.  It is such a quaint and tranquil beach and difficult to imagine the horror and chaos that took place here.  The hills behind are not very high or steep, but the German fortifications and armament made them formidable.  We learned that the Allies didn’t have the best luck with the weather, their equipment, or their air support.  Allied success was due to numbers, determination, and the sacrifice of so many lives.

 

 

 

 

 

The American Cemetery at Omaha Beach is a fitting memorial to those lost in the battles.  It is U.S. property and the flags stand tall over the fallen.  Over 9000 U.S. personnel are buried here.  This amounts to approximately 40% or the casualties in this battle.  The average age was 22.  The crosses and stars of David line the grass overlooking the beach.  As a veteran, I stood in awe.  It is a reminder of the sacrifices our service personnel continue to make around the world.  Freedom isn’t free.

 

 

I wish we had a bit more time to contemplate the impact these brave people had on history, but it was time to move on.  Our next stop was Bayeux.  It was another very cute town focused on the invasion.  It also looks much like it did in 1944.  I have never felt so welcome in Europe!  There were allied flags flying everywhere and the whole town is adorned with a military theme.  We had a delightful lunch in a little restaurant.  The local wine 🍷 🍷 (of course!) was 10€ for a 1/2 liter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now off to Honfleur, yet another cute old harbor town.  This is where Oceania and Scenic are docked.  This town has very narrow streets and many street side cafes.  There was a very old large wooden church, small art stores, wonderful chocolate 🍫 shops, and many cider & brandy offerings.  The weather was pretty dreary with some drizzle 🌧️, so the pictures do not do it justice.  After a leisurely walk about, it was time to drive 🚐 back to the ship 🛳️.

 

 

 

 

 

We are still full after our French lunch!  Dinner will be postponed.  The plan is to go to the magician show and then to dinner afterward.  Maybe we will be hungry by then???

 

Rotterdam’s theatre is quite nice.  There is no balcony, but the sight lines are awesome!  We really enjoyed the magician Kristian.  He was very good 👍 and there was a lot of audience interaction.

 

 

Now off to a late dinner in Club 🍊.  No wait at this hour, 8:20.  I had the farrow salad, Turkey, and lemon sorbet.  DH had the cod fish and s’mores sundae.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This concludes a most memorable day.  We will wake up in Portland, UK 🇬🇧 in the morning!  BONUS - We set the clock back one hour tonight 😀.

Edited 17 hours ago by 81Zoomie

[Mary229]

Nice pictures.  We chose to leave later and stay in town.  The walk to town was only a 15 minute stroll. We actually enjoyed Le Havre visiting the fish market, shops and two churches. Both were interesting but the St Joseph church built to commemorate those killed in WWII is something special.  From the outside it looks like a concrete obelisk but inside it is stunning.  The acoustics are perfect and they do play serene music.  The entire steeple is stain glass framed in wooden timbers.   I rarely take photos anywhere but this was an exception 
 

 

[Caribbean Chris]

Thank you so much for posting. I’m following, as we will be on board Rotterdam again soon!

 

So much to see & do in southwest France… it’s definitely worth return visits. We loved visiting charming Honfleur & Deauville on one cruise and Mont St.Michel on another.

 

But the Omaha Beach battlefield and American cemetery you pictured there were the highest priority for me since two of my uncles were part of the Normandy invasion. An unforgettable tour.

 

Now I’m adding the St. Joseph Church to my future cruise list - thank you for sharing that information!

[2inSETexas]

11 hours ago, Mary229 said:

We actually enjoyed Le Havre visiting the fish market, shops and two churches. Both were interesting but the St Joseph church built to commemorate those killed in WWII is something special.  From the outside it looks like a concrete obelisk but inside it is stunning.  The acoustics are perfect and they do play serene music.  The entire steeple is stain glass framed in wooden timbers.

I used to travel about once a year to LeHavre on business. I would stay at the little hotel just across the street from the church. It was an awe-inspiring experience to stop by each trip. On our last HAL stop in Le Havre, I made sure my wife was able to see this beautiful sanctuary.

 

There are many very good cafes in the area I really enojoyed.

 

[Gsel]

Thank you so much for the pictures. We were fortunate to have a survivor of Omaha beach when we were in the area, he had quite a group following him around, his memories were very enlightening!

[81Zoomie]

I have tried all day to load images.  I keep getting an “unknown server error” from Cruise Critic.  I will attempt to upload the pics in the am.
 

Day 4 - Portland, UK 🇬🇧

 

Three cheers for an extra hour of sleep!!!  We woke up alongside the pier.  It is still dark.  The weather today will only reach a high of low 60s with clouds.☁️.  In other words, fall in the UK.  Upon first light our neighbor at the pier was the HMS Tide Force.  DH felt right at home as it is a British Navy supply vessel.

 

 

 

Everyone on the ship has a mandatory face to face passport check with UK immigration authorities.  They are no longer part of the EU, so we are entering another authority.  This is the same thing the US does if you sail to Key West from a foreign port.

 

We zipped down to Club 🍊 for breakfast in advance of our immigration 🛂 check. Best laid plans are always subject to change.  We were quickly seated, but the restaurant was hopping.  After 10 minutes an assistant waiter offered me coffee.  It arrived 5 minutes later.  Then, for a first time since on board, we were offered a pastry from a tray.  DH was already getting antsy as no one had taken our order.  So, we finished our pastry, coffee, and OJ before being able to order.  After 20-25 minutes of sitting we departed.  Note: Club 🍊 struggles with breakfast service when it’s busy.

 

Down to the theater for our passport check.  The line moved very quickly.  There were 4 UK immigration officers!  Last time we did this in Lerwick there were only 2.  It was a very quick and efficient process!  Once we had our mandatory scan and card mark, we popped up to the Lido for our “second” breakfast 🧇.  It wasn’t too crowded and we had salmon and bagels plus waffles with fruit.  No waiting 😀.

 

Today’s agenda doesn’t include any cute towns, old churches, or ruins 😆😱🥳.  The tour groups this morning met in BB Kings.  This was also a very orderly process.  We were checked in, received our tour stickers, and then departed for the busses 🚌. Today’s focus is hardware, military hardware!  Timing was like clockwork 🕰️ as we departed for the Tank Museum right on time.  It was a 45 min drive to the museum on a two lane road.  The tour guide provided commentary on the local sites and history as we drove.

 

 

 

Welcome to the world famous Tank Museum in Bovington!  We arrived to a welcome sight, a nearly empty parking lot 😀.  Tanks, tanks, and more tanks.  The exhibits covered everything from WWI, the invention of the tank, evolution of tanks, and present day tanks.  It was very interesting to learn about the different sizes, missions, designs, strengths, and weaknesses.  If you like military history and machines, this is the place for you!  We thoroughly enjoyed it and yes, ,it was a bit of AF/Navy appreciation 🛩️⚓️ for us!

 

 

 

The tour reversed course as the bus made its way back to the port.  Our naval pier mate had been replaced.  As we pulled up it was hard not to notice MCS Virtuosa dwarfing Rotterdam.  We scurried up the gangway because it was VERY blustery 💨🌬️💨.  Virtuosa is so big I couldn’t get her in one picture.  Too big for us, but we have heard great things about the Yacht Club.

 

 

 

Time for a light bite up in the Lido and then a nap.  Lunch for me was a made to order salad.  DH added a bit of cake as dessert 🧁.  I opted for the Orange Vitamin tea.  
 

 

 

Not so sure about the nap… we are presently being serenaded 🎤🎤🎶🙄😜🙄🎶🎤🎤 .  You can literally sing along through the glass 😳.  Interesting choice of music, 🎶Let me go home, I wanna go home,…🎶

All aboard is at 4:30.  Perhaps we can sail a bit early to escape the sing along 😆???  YES 👏, the Captain 👨‍✈️ agrees, we are ready to set sail 🛳️⚓️❤️.  Confession, I was totally prepared to blame MSC for the concert.  However, when I looked over the side, there is a group of very hardy local singers belting out the tunes.  Friendly gesture I suppose.  Better to have them singing than protesting our presence!

 

 

As we left the dock, a group of British military personnel manned a cannon and gave us a 2 shot salute!  Now that was impressive 💥💥.

 

 

Edited 2 hours ago by 81Zoomie