Cruise that was Ok

Item: Rotterdam
Rating: 4.4
Author: Shawn0427

Rotterdam Cruise Review

Shawn0427

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 3

Overall rating:

4.4 out of 5

21 Night Southern Caribbean Wayfarer / Seafarer (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: February 25, 2023

Ship: Rotterdam

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 6065

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

We have sailed with Holland America before and were disappointed as the experience was not at all like the first cruise. There really did not appear to be enough staff for a lot of the areas and/or staff changing mid voyage. Lots of issue with the 18% tipping automatically applied in areas on top of crew appreciation fees. The cost of drinks was very expensive as well as were most things on board.

Embarkation

1 out of 5

Embarkation was like a cattle call. In spite of arrival time, it was delayed getting onto the ship. Very chaotic and felt totally disorganized.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Food was not anything special to write about. It was the same menu over and over. Cruising menus have changed from the last cruise. There did not appear to be much imagination to what was served and limited options as well. Sad to see so much up charging as well.

Pinnacle Grill

5 out of 5

It is disappointing that in order to get a great meal you have to do an upcharge. This was the best two dinners for the cruise and worth it. The serving staff were excellent and cheerful.

Explorations Cafe

4 out of 5

Overly popular and tough to find seating. Coffee did not meet expectations from previous cruises.

Grand Dutch Cafe

5 out of 5

Great place for good coffee.

Canaletto Restaurant

4 out of 5

It was OK, nothing spectacular.

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5

Half Moon Cay

2 out of 5

We had two trips to Half Moon Cay. The first was totally chaotic with no process in place for effective tendering. Crowding people into the hallways in front of rooms was not good process. Furthermore, the first time was limited time on the beach due to schedule. Could not get my clamshell money I did not use because waiting 2 hours to get to the tenders was unreasonable when the entire time was 5 hours at the Cay. Excuse was it was the end of one portion of the cruise. Shame shame, Holland America.

Guest Services

5 out of 5

The staff were always cheerful. Only concern was that they did not seem well prepared to address all concerns in one visit.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

World Stage Theater

3 out of 5

For a 21 day cruise, there really could have been more shows and better acts. Really enjoyed the Knights and Dancers. Wish there were more creative shows. Comedians ar BB King should have been here to afford more seating for the crowds.

Billboard Onboard

1 out of 5

Unfortunately, the singers were not all that impressive. Their music interpretations tended to not do the original songs justice.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

The room stewards are clearly hard working. However, there did not appear to be enough to meet the need of a bigger ship such as this. Clearly, there was not enough wait staff in the Dining Room or on the Lido. The staff there did not appear to have time to stop and chat. Most times in the Dining room you did not see the assistant waiter and barely saw the Waiter.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

The staff were always cleaning all surfaces, but particular attention to touch surfaces was great. The layout of the music rooms could be better as the overflow of noise from one to the next was very disappointing. The smoke in the casino was horrible and could be found in most of the venues below it. The crew were always touching up the paint around the ship.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

The cabin was OK.

Ship tip

Be ready for a lot of upcharging. If you had sailed pre-pandemic, the experience will not be like that. Be ready to experience your expectations differently. Pack your patience as the second part of our voyage saw a lot of very rude people who had no self-awareness. The flow all around the ship from food to just getting around can be very crowded and frustrating. There is no clear flow with the food services in both the dining room and Lido.

Thumbs up