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Objective rating of the m/s Rotterdam
I would not know how to “title” my review other than what we titled it above. To begin with it is our understanding the m/s Rotterdam is the most senior ship in the Holland America fleet. Having said that. The overall accommodations, service provided by the ship’s staff and their itinerary of ports-of-call are well organized.
However, this ship is due for a major overhaul and an updated face lift. The staterooms are comfortable but, need to be refreshioned. The crew/staff of the m/s Rotterdam are aware of this. We personally are good with this.
Viking Passage Cruise
The cruise was very enjoyable.
We just found the excursions to be very expensive, but can understand why with buses, directors on buses to talk about the areas, etc. They were very informative and patient.
Also, this was first experience with the hospitality expense and was caught by surprise with this cost, but could understand that also.
Rotterdam Review - Steve Marshall
There was no show the first evening.
Missed having an organized backstage Showroom and Galley tours. Two of our party had never cruised before. This is where the Cruise Director, Marcel, stepped in during his personal time and took 6 of us behind the Showroom for a brief tour.
Would have liked to have gone to a few of the computer classes offered but they were given at bad times - during 1st seating at dinner.
The tour excursions offered were expensive for a bus ride and what you were to see.
Most enjoyable trip.
I had a wonderful time on the Rotterdam. Staff were very friendly and accommodating to us. Meals were excellent in both dining room and lido deck. Piano players in the Billboard were most entertaining. Enjoyed movies, documentary on history of canal and history of shipping line. Tours were most enjoyable.
Great Ship & Fantastic Itinerary
We sailed with an other couple. The scenery was breath taking. The Ship was beautiful. The service was excellent. They initially did not give us our shareholders OBC, but after showing them a copy of our FAX, they corrected the matter. We had paid for our shore excursions in advance, one of which was cancelled. We received a $129.90 credit to our onboard account for this. We, also, received a refund on the "Taxes, Fees & Port expenses of $95.72.
Because of these two Charge Backs, we walked off the ship with a negative balance of $185.10. We were assured that this amount would be refunded to our credit card, because they initially paid before the cruise. We are waiting to see if this happens.
HAL's Safety/Life Boat drill is totally antiquated when compared to other major cruise lines. They use paper and pencil method to record the passengers names. The other cruise lines we have sailed on use the hand scanner/room card system to authenticate who has attended. HAL has the equipment onboard to do this. They use it when you leave from and and return to the ship. HAL Corporate and/or Carnival should look into this matter.
As part of the promotion package, we were to receive a dinner for two in the Pinnacle Grill and a dinner for two in the Canaletto Restaurant. The Pinnacle was great and everything went smoothly. We and the other coupe we were traveling with all received our invitations an dined together. That was the first week. Then came the second week and the Canaletto, After several days of no word about the Canaletto, we inquired about our invitations. Some mysterious person had both couples dining at separate times. When we complained we were basically given the run around by the front desk. We told them any night would be okay other than Thursday. We ended up receiving and invitation about 15 minutes before the time they finally gave us and of course it was on Thursday. We opted not to go. This was the "Gala Night" and the dining room was serving "Surf & Turf" which trumps pasta. Other than the above cited problems everything was great. We will be letting HAL know in our after cruise evaluatin.
An excellent cruise line to travel with.
The entire crew is well trained, always friendly and helpful when one needs some help. The ships have an elegant, tasteful decor with beautiful art and an easy layout and since each ship has the same layout, one already feels like "coming home" after the first trip.
Customer service, cleanliness, good entertainment including lectures on up coming points of interest, nightclubs, library and all sorts of other events for the different interests of the ships passengers are available for every passenger.
Trip to Iceland and other ports
Ship staff were very friendly and accommodating.
Nightly entertainment was excellent although it was hard to get a seat unless you arrived 30 minutes early.
Had a problem with the water in the cabin and it did take the staff two days to get it working correctly.
My visit to the spa was incredibly expensive and I would not do that again.
carribean cruise
The staff was unsurpassed. We have not one complaint. The captain was quite the talker and kept us informed on everything.
Typical Holland America Excellence
Excellent service as expected and usual. Well looked after. Staterooms were clean and well kept. Embarkation and disembarkation were very easy. While we will miss the Princedam this vessel is small enough to miss the mass voyages of 4,000+ passengers with no chance to establisk good relations with the dinning staff.
Highly recommended.
Hartley's Opinion on Rotterdam
We felt badly that no one (ok, maybe 25 people) attended the second show for the entertainment provided. Maybe consider only 1 show nightly?? The entertainers were wonderful...but must have been disappointed to look out in the audience and see all of the empty seats. Very disappointing.
Better then expected
It was nice to have daily mass onboard. They need to update there drill departure service. Check off names used a paper list instead of key card. The service on the Lido deck was not good. Used main dining room much as possible. The first night, entertainment was only a movie, no show. There singer and dancers were excellent. Great talent. Enjoyed the classes that were offer from Microsoft.
Holland America's sixth ship to bear the name, ms Rotterdam gracefully blends classic features (fine woods, vibrant colors) with groundbreaking new elements (Internet Center, boutique shopping, children's play room). Premium quality pervades every inch of Rotterdam. A full 80 percent of the spacious staterooms offer ocean views. Guests staying in Penthouse or Deluxe Verandah Suites have exclusive use of the Neptune Lounge and its concierge. An intimate reservations-only restaurant features cuisine of the Pacific Northwest.
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Future Cruise Credits What to know
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