Holland America Rotterdam Review
Holland America may be attracting a younger passenger...that's a good thing.
Rating by category
Additional details
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 sanitary reasons.
One area lacking was live tropical music on deck...there was none. "Music Walk" is a nice concept of three places to hear music, generally alternating every 30-40 minutes without skipping a beat in the evening. The three are located very close together. Problem is...the music in each venue is way too loud for most passengers. This is a serious issue that HA should to address right away. Also, there is a serious lack of dancing at all venues except for maybe the BB King venue and there a lot depends on the type of music being played.
Another thing lacking on Holland America for the last several years, and not just this ship, are things to do on sea days or in the evenings...the non-existent enrichment sessions or presentations is what I mean. If HA is really trying to swing to a younger cruiser it must provide more to do for those without walkers, cains and scooters.
Cabin Review
Quiet and nice decor. Bathroom was ok but it seems smaller than our previous experiences on HA ships. One plus is the shower size 24" X 52" and nicely equipped with significant water pressure and hot water. Sink area suffers. We were on Deck 6 and about 15 cabins from the aft and yes there was some prop vibrations felt in this area but entirely acceptable.
Port Reviews
Half Moon Cay
Newer ship sailing from Ft. Lauderdale (seasonally). Ship skipped Half Moon Cay due to power failure on the island. Substituted Bimini instead and there is little to do there. So, we rented a Golf Cart near the Hilton resort to tour the small island.
Grand Turk
Really enjoyed the Rainbow Calypso Tram. It has a special surprise on one stop.
Amber Cove (Puerto Plata)
Very nice captive cruise port with a nice tropical flavor. Took the Panoramic Puerto Plata bus tour. Saw lots of poverty, etc but the narration during the ride was reasonably well done. Could have skipped the souvenir shop and Coffee shop sales stops but this seems to be the norm in the Caribbean and around the world for that matter.
Key West
My Wife and I did some walking on Duval and visited the Sandal Factory as she wanted a pair. We each tried the wonderful "Chocolate Covered Key Lime Pie on a stick". Located across from CVS near the port. Spent quite a bit of time on the balcony enjoying the passing boats. If you select a Starboard side balcony you too can enjoy the view and avoid the sun at this port.