Caribbean Holland America Rotterdam Caribbean Cruise Reviews

First time on HAL (primarily Celebrity cruiser). Ship was nice, but didn't have the "wow" factor. We liked the back of the ship adult pool area and Exploration Cafe Deck 12 was a favorite! We (my friend and I in our mid 50s) enjoyed the Music Walk concept, but didn't like that you had to arrive very early and wait to have a seat. BB Kings talent was excellent and we enjoyed that standing ...

We were looking for a last minute getaway. We used Verifly and zipped online , bypassing the very long lines. We have sailed Rotterdam before (Christmas - New Year) and we jumped at the chance to get back onboard. We got a great deal on an aft facing Vista Suite (mini - suite) on deck 6 and we loved our room - beautiful decor, great bathroom, wonderful in cabin entertainment. We love the spa ...

Full Disclosure, this was only my second cruise (first was on the Carnival Elation in Jan 2020). That being said, here are some thoughts. First, the service was fantastic! From the cabin steward(Dedi was awesome) to the wait staff and everyone in between, it was a great experience. Some of the bar and dinning room staff seemed a little green, but we all were new to our jobs at one time. ...

Just wanted to get away on our 17th cruise and thought why not try this new ship. Generally, we wait at least 6 months before attempting a cruise on a new ship. This worked pretty well. The food service staff seemed to need further training but I will give this a pass due to Covid hiring issues. Appreciated the service crew serving everyone and hope that HA will permanently continue this for ...

Beautiful new ship. Staff great. Dining room and Lido food good. No lobster, entres not as pricy but we all know why. Recommend trying some of their creative concoctions. I tried their beet, orange and goat cheese salad and scraped my plate! In-room dining good... menu is very limited now but kudos for them keeping it free. Enjoyed breakfast every day. Two main points....we got the "Have it all" ...

The ship was beautiful and spotless. Food in the buffet was outstanding (best buffet at sea in my opinion). Food was not as good in the main dining room except for the Culinary Council dinner midway through the cruise. Service in the main dining room was also not very good: The servers were rushed and harried and empty plates sat on tables. The stateroom was very attractive and well-appointed. ...

We are long time cruisers; many times with Celebrity. The idea of a music walk instead of the production shows enticed us to try our first Holland America cruise. We are happy that we did and will be returning. The ship is beautiful new, not too big and easy to get around. Overall, the food was hit and miss. We tried three speciality restaurants; Calamita (Italian) was awful, but the Pinnacle ...

I've been cruising for 4 decades. This was my first on Holland America. The ship is absolutely beautiful and the crew is excellent. My cabin steward remembered my name from the moment we met and always greeted me by name in the hallways. The ship itself is gorgeous. The music theme is evident throughout and there are many opportunities to hear live music. The show theater and performers were ...

Having taken over 42 cruises and gap of 2 years we took Rotterdam cruise for 14 days expecting Holland America cruise lines standards. But we were wrong. HAL has major cutdowns in guest services, entertainments and meals options and selections. Main dining room dishes are repeated . On a 14 day cruise it was the same food. No more souvenir glasses with shot drinks, no more lobster in main dinings. ...

This was our first cruise since 2019 and was in celebration of our 50th anniversary. We'd originally planned an 11-day Panama Canal cruise, but decided a shorter cruise presented less Covid risk. Because the Rotterdam was new and the music venues sounded great, so we cruised with HAL for the first time. As a first-time HAL cruiser, it was difficult to determine if we were experiencing the true ...