Rotterdam Review
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We booked this cruise for the itinerary, not the ship. The itinerary was spectacular. The ship...not so much.
First, when we got to our room, keys did not work. Turns out, almost everyone in the Neptune Suites had problems with their keys. The beds in the room were not configured correctly, despite our booking twin beds. These oversights are easily corrected but just show the lack of attention paid by the Rotterdam staff.
The ship itself is beat up. HAL claims she was in dry-dock in 2015. If this is true, they certainly didn't do anything to improve the guest sections of the ships. The cabin was just okay. Certainly not up to the Neptune Suite standards on other HAL ships.
Cabin Review
Neptune Deluxe Verandah Suite
A bit run down and not maintained well. Not up to Neptune Suite standards of other HAL ships. Would not recommend spending the extra money on the Rotterdam for a Neptune Suite.
Port Reviews
Stavanger
Lovely town and easy to walk around. Avoid the open air market as it's all cheap stuff made elsewhere.
Don't miss walking around the old part of town with the white wooden houses. The cathedral, too, is worth a visit.
Alesund
We did the hop-on/hop-off bus which is nice. You can buy the tickets right in the port. The Alesund musuem is interesting, too. Gives a history of the city and the fire that changed it.
Geiranger
Unbelievably beautiful. We booked two tours from an independent operator online. Did the Fjord Cruise and a bus tour up the mountain. Both can be done in one day and both are worth it.
Bergen
Bergen is a lovely city and great place to walk around. Do the hop-on/hop-off bus to see the most of it.
Save your shopping for this port, as there is the most variety in woolen goods here.