Beautiful Norway
Rotterdam Cruise Review to Europe - Northern Europe
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 30
Review summary
The Rotterdam is a beautiful ship, and the fjords of Norway are visually overwhelming. The crew and service staff were outstanding.Embarkation
Embarkation moved from Amsterdam to Rotterdam, due to limited service at the canal locks. Not the fault of Holland America, but it created
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Dining rooms and specialty dinning were very good. The quality of the food in the buffet was top notch. We booked a package that included a drink package, Wi-Fi, specialty dinning and shore excursion credits. Apparently, HA doesn't have a provision for allowing the drink package to be upgraded to the premium package, if you have booked the bundle. First time I've ever seen a cruise line unwilling to take my money for an upgrade. HA needs to fix this.
Onboard Activities
We participated minimally in these activities. The spa services were very good.
Entertainment
Plenty of live music to enjoy. We especially enjoyed the rock band and blues band venues, but there is more than that to choose from. The musical talent was outstanding.
Service and Staff
Service was great, and the staff was always helpful when needed. Requested Ice in the cabin on day 1, and never has to ask again. The room steward was outstanding.
Ship Quality
The Rotterdam is a beautiful new ship. Everything was spotless clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
Our cabin was very nice. The bed was comfortable, and the room was always clean. we were moved to deck 8, so we were not on the spa deck.
Ship tip
On most nights, the bars and casino were all closed up by 1:00am. If you like to be active late into the night, you might be disappointed.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
We had a lot of fun walking around this town. It's very close to the port and there is plenty to see without getting on a bus packed with people.
Great little town at the end of the fjord. There i a nice little waterfall, a short walk from the port.
Disembarkation
No problems here. Would have been much more convenient to be back in Amsterdam, but as was stated earlier, this was out of HA's control.