Rotterdam Review

4.0 / 5.0
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More Aptly Named the ms Rotten, Dam!

Review for the Caribbean Cruise on Rotterdam
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tc54_2000
6-10 Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Mar 2018
Cabin: Vista Suite
Mud and slime on Balcony
Dirt on Balcony
Human toenail clippings on carpet
Crumbs on dresser top
More toenails
Sopping wet carpet after pipe burst
Loud noisy blower trying to dry out 2" of water in front of our cabin b
Filthy stained bathtub in Suite 6192
Cracks in bathtub

This cruise was a total disaster due to the age of ship and the fact that we missed one of our ports of call, allegedly due to weather (although two other larger cruise ships docked ahead of us with no problems) but more likely due to broken side thrusters (supposedly repaired in Tampa delaying our embarkation over an hour). Upon arriving in Costa Maya, Mexico, the port I wanted to see the most, the Captain informed us after 5 minutes that due to weather he would be returning to Tampa immediately. All the passengers were surprised that he didn't wait to see if we could land later as we were supposed to be in this port til that evening. The Captain didn't even wait to see if the alleged "bad weather" improved but immediately set course for Tampa. The weather was fine--sunny with a slight breeze. The real issue was that the ship would have had to docked using the side thrusters between the other 2 cruise ships, and if they were broken again, then he would not be able to do so no matter how long we waited so he left immediately. Thus one quarter of my cruise was taken away from me and as a "gesture" the Captain gave us all a glass of cheap "sparkling wine" to compensate us. Needless to say the passengers were upset that we didn't get adequate compensation for missing a port of call and having an extra day at sea (meanwhile Holland America no doubt profited by keeping us captive on board with increased gambling and alcohol revenues). When we asked for better compensation, the snotty customer service staff told us to "read the fine print in the contract" and that Holland America didn't have to reimburse us for weather. While technically correct about the contract, the fact that the Captain never tried to wait out the "weather conditions" and sailed immediately to Tampa lends credence to our belief that the problem was really mechanical, for which the contract would necessitate reimbursement. I wrote requesting the maintenance records, but still am awaiting a response from Holland America. Needless to say I am not holding my breath.

This entire ship should be scrapped. The bathtubs and plumbing were horrendous (see attached photos). Our suite was filthy when we arrived (see photos of human toenails on the carpet and crumbs all over dresser and mud on balcony) and then flooded later in the week so we could not use our suite on the last sea day due to maintenance men and loud blowers. Other passengers we met had problems with brown rusty water and scalding hot water so they couldn't shower and had to shower in the spa area. Several other passengers had toilet backups and our toilet flushed irregularly. And we were all in SUITES. I can't imagine how bad the less expensive cabins were.

The restaurant service staff were aloof and disinterested in the main dining room and the Lido Cafe (however, the speciality restaurants Canneletto and Pinnacle Grill were excellent). If you were a group of women, you were often ignored while waiters served couples surrounding you. Every dinner I had to ask to get water, food, and dishes removed. Wait staff need to be trained to treat all guests (including women traveling without men) equally. We went to tea and eight of us women were ignored for a half hour until finally I had to physically track down the restaurant manager to get tea served and then tea sandwiches took another 45 minutes to arrive. There need to be more omelet stations in the Lido. It often took a half hour wait to get an omelet for breakfast.

Cabin Review

Vista Suite

Cabin AA

The suite was in terrible condition, including a large crack in the glass door to the balcony. We arrived to a filthy suite. Human toenail clippings on the rug (see white flecks in pictures on carpeting) , crumbs all over the dressers and in the drawers, and mud slime on the balcony. I asked to be given another suite, but were told none was available. We could not get suite cleaned for several hours so we could not relax, unpack, and enjoy our balcony for embarkation. Instead we had to hang out in public areas until our room got cleaned 3 hours later. When I pay prime dollars for a suite I expect it to be clean and habitable when I arrive. Later in the week our suite flooded when a pipe broke in the suite next door and flooded our room. Thus, we could not enjoy our suite on our last cruise day at sea as we had workmen waking us at 6am to clean the flood and loud noisy blowers going all day so we could not enjoy our balcony and room. The bathtub was old with dirt stains and actual cracks in the tub surface. It was so disgusting I had reservations about standing in it. The pictures attach show the overall staining and filth but the cracks did not show up well in the photos. However, at least we had clear water (other guests had brown water and scalding water to contend with). I expected the luxurious accommodations I had on my previous suites on Holland America but this ship should be retired.

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