As always, Holland America was outstanding with service, food, music & excursions.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Went very smoothly considering we had to be tested for covid at the pier & wait for the results which were provided quickley.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We ate almost all of our meals in the main dining room. The food was excellent. The breakfasts had the most choices with foods from around the world. The Dutch cafe has wonderful snacks & great beer. Part of our cruise package included several free meals at the upscale restaurants which we never took advantage up because of the food offered in the main dining room & the great service provided by our waiters.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We went to most of the meet & greet sessions, enjoyed the in room movies & wine tastings. We are foodies so we really enjoyed the opportunity to try the different foods & beverages offered around the ship. Although we are in our early 70's, many of the activities are a bit too sedate for us. We wish they would bring back the American test kitchen from several years ago where there was a hostess/host, the chefs participated & food samples were offered.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Some of the best entertainment of any cruise we have sailed on. The Step One Dance Company pesented Musicology, the comedians Bud Anderson & Fred Bevill, The Jersey Tenors; Akos Laki a saxaphonist; the singer Kate Gordon, Julian Gargiulo the pianist with the hair, B.B King's All-Stars & The Lincoln Center Stage. The Rolling Stones Rock Band & the Dueling Pianos were good, but not outstanding like the other entertainment. Since the ship could not stop at Ponta Delgada we were at sea 9 days in a row; consequently, the Main Stage entertainers remained on the ship until Ft. Lauderdale & all performed 2-3 times. All enjoyable performances.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
All outstanding: Ade & Anang the waiters, Anton the ass't waiter, Citra the maitre d', Hazel the hostess, Rony & Surya the room stewards, Rebekah Law the Cruise & Travel Director & Errol Nelson the Hotel Manager. My wife unfortunately stained her top at breakfast with blueberries. She is great at removing stains, but the blueberry stain was just to tough to remove. The hotel manager suggested that we send the shirt down to the laundry. When the shirt came back there was no evidence of the blueberry stain. Needless to say, the laundry crew did a wonderful with all of the cloths we sent to be cleaned.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Before covid Holland America did a great job of keeping their ships very clean & well-maintained. Those high standards have continued. We love the layout of the Pinnacle Class ships.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Adequate size, storage, usb & electrical outlets. Well-lighted bathroom with a nice glass enclosed shower. The beds were very comfortable.
Ship tip
If you want European style beer, go to the Dutch Cafe.
This is the second largest port in France. The city is a World Heritage Site because of its unique post World War II reconstruction & architecture. We thoroughly enjoyed Rouen.
Had to go through British customs before leaving the ship. The ship docked in Portland where we enjoyed a ride through the town on our way to Weymouth. In Weymouth we toured the Athelampton Castle. I would love to go back & spend time in Portland.
No problems whatsoever. We usually wait to get off the ship as late as possible since we live about two hours from the port. We cleared customs quickly because of Global Entry. A number of the crew were lined up to say goodbye to us which made us feel very special on the first cruise of the Rotterdam.
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