This "back to back" 2021 total 21 day cruise was the inaugural cruise for the new Rotterdam Ship - and it's a beauty!! Yes, it's the same Pinnacle Class "blueprint" as the Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam, but BRAND NEW; direct from Amsterdam!!

All on board; officers, all HAL staff and passengers were very happy to be back at sea on a gorgeous new ship. Yes, the staff wore masks all the time and the passengers wore masks in most areas, but were able to have some mask free times when alone in open air areas, in the stateroom/on the balcony, in the pool, etc. It seemed all on the ship wore a permanent SMILE (under the mask) : though for many different reasons, we had all terribly missed being at sea during the pandemic.

All HAL staff gave us great service. We did not eat in the Dining Room, but the food available in the Specialty Restaurants AND in the Lido was fresh, varied, well prepared and tasty. We did always eat early to avoid crowds and have the best selection. The chefs were always in the areas, supervising, getting feedback from the passengers and handling special requests. On a few occasions when I ate meals in the later hours, some of the food was overcooked and not replaced often. The servers were very attentive to whatever the diner wanted/needed. Read more