A historic cruise

Rotterdam Cruise Review

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 9
Helpful Votes: 135

Overall rating:

4.4 out of 5
Rotterdam

15 Night 150th Anniversary Transatlantic (Amsterdam To Ft. Lauderdale)

Sail date: October 15, 2022

Ship: Rotterdam

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 8087

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

This was a special itinerary based on the first Holland America voyage from Rotterdam to NYC 150 years ago on the Rotterdam 1. Our ship was the Rotterdam 7. It was a very special experience.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
We were greeted by a men’s choir sing sea related songs. Embarkation proceeded quickly. As usual, VeriFLY worked for my sister but not me.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5
There were special dishes every night from previous eras. There were special alcoholic beverages celebrating Dutch gin that were excellent. The MDR food was very good. Food at Tamarind was excellent and one night was a special Indonesian menu in honor of the Indonesian hotel staff. Pinacle was adequate- just another steak house menu.

Dive-In

5 out of 5

I particularly like the bratwurst with curry sauce. The fries are very good.

Dive-In

5 out of 5

I particularly like the bratwurst with curry sauce. The fries are very good.

Tamarind

5 out of 5

Excellent pan Asian cuisine

Pinnacle Grill

3 out of 5

Mediocre steak house. Nothing special

Grand Dutch Cafe

5 out of 5

My favorite place for light breakfast, afternoon coffee and snacks. A good selection of Dutch and Belgian beers. Superb Belgian style fries.

Explorations Cafe

5 out of 5

I only drank specialty coffee. Excellent

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
There were lots of activities but I didn’t participate except for Trivia.

Entertainment

3 out of 5
I enjoyed the Rolling Stone and Lincoln Center music groups. The music in the Ocean Bar was too loud , not that great and interfered with my dinners in the Orange club. The special multimedia programs- the Origin Story and the History of the Rotterdam were great and I would like to see them again

Rolling Stone Rock Room

4 out of 5

Loud but fun. Definitely Rock and Roll

Lincoln Center Stage

5 out of 5

Classical music from a string orchestra.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
All the staff were friendly, helpful and were overall excellent.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
A new Pinacle class ship. It was spotless.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
A nice midship veranda cabin. Beds were comfortable, plenty of storage. The cabin attendants kept it spotless.

Ship tip

This is not a party ship. They take great pride in their Dutch heritage

Ports of call

Plymouth, England

4 out of 5
This was the first cruise ship to visit in many years. It is a tender port. I took an excursion to Dartmoor which was interesting in spite of the cold foggy day. A cream tea was delicious. Buy some Devon Fudge!

New York, New York

5 out of 5
2 days in port - there is a lot to do- it is New York City. I took a Land and water tour involving bus plus a boat ride on the Hudson River. It was one of the best excursions I have taken in 25 years of cruising

Rotterdam, Netherlands

4 out of 5
It is about an hour from Amsterdam. This is the busiest port in Europe.

Disembarkation

3 out of 5
There was a long wait to board the airport transportation but there even more octogenarians than usual.
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