10 Night Canada & New England Discovery (Montreal To Ft. Lauderdale)
Sail date: October 14, 2017
Ship:
Rotterdam Retired
Cabin type: Inside
Cabin number: 3419
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 7 years ago
Review summary
First HAL cruise and although younger than the average age on the ship we had a great time. Loved the food and staff. Laid back atmosphere. Easy ship to get around. Given what we paid for this cruise the value is just awesome. The ship was going in for a big refit right after our cruise and the crew had started doing a few things in preparation which seemed to irk a few passengers but did not bother me. As long as you do some research about what to expect, i highly recommend The Rotterdam and HAL.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation in Montreal very smooth
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We only ate in the MDR and Lido as the food and service was so good we did not need to upgrade. The food is not Michelin 3 star by any means, but for what you pay for it, it is really good and lots of variety. The breakfast and lunch in the MDR are great but geared towards early risers and the lunch was only done on select days. Tea is done in the MDR and is lovely, but lightly attended.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
This is an older ship without a lot of the novelty do-dads on the huge ships so some might find the activities limited. The talks revolve around the excursions mostly. They do have talks about Windows computers and cooking demonstrations which my fellow passengers said were quite good. Def geared for older middle aged gang.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
All the music and performers on board is really high quality, lovely and designed to have broad appeal, understandable. Again geared to middle aged crowd. The BB King band were fantastic but for their last couple of sets in the evening there were few people there, since it was past most people's bedtime.
Children's Programs
There were no kids on our cruise at all.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Super friendly and helpful staff. Very kind, dedicated, hard working and have good senses of humour. They don't move at hyper speed but they are gracious and appreciate being treated with respect.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship is not overly huge so is pretty easy to get around. The decoration is tasteful but maybe a tiny bit outdated in a few places. Most common areas are very clean but there was the odd glass on the quieter parts of the decks that seemed to take a while to get cleared. Smoking is allowed in the casino about half the time.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The cabin is adequately sized with tons of storage. Storage is hanging convertable to shelving as required. Bed and bedding are super comfy and clean. There are very minor signs of the ships age (minor paint chipping etc) TV is smallish. No fridge. Our showerhead worked but not well. When I mentioned it to our steward he had it replaced in less than 24 hours and the ship followed up to make sure we were happy with the replacement.
Ship tip
Expect a laid back "classic" cruise geared to an older middle aged crowd and their tastes. Younger folks can have a great time too as long as they are not there to meet tons of other people their own age and are not expecting loads of activities geared towards the younger crowd. Great for relaxing. Do your research about what to expect. Make sure HAL is a good fit.
Louisbourg and Baddeck are both great attractions but you need to travel to them. Sydney has a few small charming attractions but they are limited. We stopped in at a used clothing store called Gala(re) and had a riot. Awesome selection and pricing and the owner needs to be on a reality tv show.
Ship was only in port for about 5 hours and the port is south of downtown so while Boston is a fantastic city to visit, this cruise did not really give enough time there. Repositioning to Fort Lauderdale cut into the call.
Asked for expedited and if you are organized you can be off the ship, cleared customs, taxied to the Fort Lauderdale airport, checked in with bags and through security in less than an hour.
My first cruise, we were probably half as old as the ship average. Still had a delightful experience that brings happy memories to this day. Glad you enjoyed your HAL cruise.
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