Holland America's Rotterdam
Cruise Circle
Our Mark recently took a trip on Holland America's new ship, Rotterdam. Read on to see what he thought of the ship and his sailing up to the Fjords.
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Holland America recently invited me to join them in Amsterdam for a very special sailing where they were to officially christen the ship – never has an invitation been so easy to accept! I have been on various Holland America Line ships, including Koningsdam, sister ship to Rotterdam, but this was my first time sailing with them and first time sailing to the Norwegian Fjords.
Initial thoughts
Upon joining the ship in Amsterdam (and having recently visited P&O’s Iona and MSC’s MSC Virtuosa, it became clear very quickly that Rotterdam is a significantly smaller ship. Whilst she couldn’t be classed as a small ship by any standards, it was noticeable that a more modest size would make it very easy to explore most of the ship relatively quickly. She has a capacity of 2,668 guests (based on twin occupancy) and a tonnage of 99,935 GRT (Iona by comparison accommodates 5206 guests and has a tonnage of 184,089 GRT). From the exterior, she boasts the traditional, elegant deep blue hull and white superstructure and proudly flies the Dutch flag, being registered in the city of Rotterdam.
Public areas
The majority of facilities onboard are grouped around Decks 2 & 3, plus the pool decks 9 and 10. Most dining options are on the lower decks and the upper decks feature a surprisingly large aft pool and sundeck plus, as with all Holland America ships, the main pool with a retractable roof, perfect for all-weather cruising. Deck 3 also features a promenade that allows you to walk around the entire ship. There are three banks of lifts so getting around the ship is easy and I didn’t experience any crowds. The art collection onboard is extensive and each of the lift lobbies, stairwells and many public areas feature quirky and thought-provoking art that often catches your eye and causes you to pause and consider it. I loved this feature.
Dining
The ship has a beautiful 2-storey main dining room at the aft of the ship that is centred around a striking, sweeping art sculpture that I think resembles the rib cage of a dinosaur – sounds unusual I know but you’ll see from the pictures it is beautiful. Open for breakfast, lunch (sea days) and dinner, the meals that I had here were excellent. The menu featured a good choice of options that would suit most people. The Lido Market is the onboard buffet and features a range of themed cooking stations – breakfast featured the usual fare of fruits, baked goods, cooked-to-order eggs/omelettes and so on. Lunch featured made-to-order salads, various meats, vegetables, fresh sushi, Mexican cuisine, sandwiches and so on. One of the speciality restaurants – Canaletto – is set up in a section of the Lido Market during evenings.
Casual dining is also available by the pool. The Dive In Burger is well known as one of the best burgers at sea – these are all cooked to order and are complimentary. The pool area also has a handmade pizza/sandwich bar. I tried all of the other speciality options: Canaletto offers Italian fare and specialises in larger, sharing plates. Tamarind has an extensive Asian-fusion menu plus the restaurant offers a small, sushi bar with delicious food prepared freshly to order. Pinnacle Grill is the Holland America steakhouse and has everything a carnivore could desire, whilst my favourite was Rudi’s Sel de Mer where you could easily think you were sitting in a chic, Parisian seafood restaurant. The food and service were superb and easily worth the approx. $50 surcharge (the other speciality options are generally much cheaper).
Entertainment
Holland America Line is not a cruise line if you’re looking for the latest, high-energy West End show. That’s not to say the entertainment isn’t great, but it’s a different market that Holland America caters to. Rotterdam doesn’t feature a traditional theatre but the ‘World Stage’ which is a grand, circular stage with large, LED screens that wrap 180 degrees around it. You’ll find song and dance shows which are of high quality. Holland America Line has an exclusive at-sea partnership with BBC Earth and I was really excited to see one of their shows; you get to see some of the most amazing scenes from recent BBC documentaries (remember the snakes chasing the lizard across the beach?) and a soundtrack, created specifically for Holland America, is played live by the onboard 5 piece ‘orchestra.’ It’s stunning. Many bars also feature live music, plus this class of ship features the Music Walk where you’ll find Rolling Stone Rock Room, Billboard Onboard (featuring duelling pianos) and the Lincoln Center Stage & B.B. King’s Blues Club, each offering a distinct style of music until the early hours... it’s almost like a food court but for live music. Fabulous.
Stateroom
I was kindly offered a balcony stateroom – 7142. There was plenty of storage space, the bathroom was well equipped with a large, powerful shower and Elemis toiletries. There were plenty of 110 and 220v plugs (no UK versions so take your adaptor) and USB ports on either side of the bed. The air con had plenty of adjustments available and, unusually, you could switch it off which I did, choosing to sleep with the balcony door open and listen to the ocean. I had a look at a range of other staterooms and some of the suites and the thoughtful design and tasteful decoration were consistent. There are generously sized oceanview staterooms specifically for solo travellers – these do not have a solo supplement. Room service is complimentary 24 hrs/day and the stateroom TV features on-demand movies, again, free of charge.
Who would it suit?
Holland America Line has really evolved with their newest class of ship. The ship feels very modern, yet not overly so. The Dutch heritage is apparent throughout and there were many Dutch guests on board – it’s almost as if the ship is as proud to be Dutch as the Dutch are as proud to ‘own’ the long legacy and history of Holland America Line. If you want well-designed itineraries that focus on destination discovery, plenty to do on board but with a calmer atmosphere than perhaps found on larger, American brands, good food and an international guest mix, Holland America would be an excellent choice.
Have it All Upgrade Package
I purchased the ‘Have it All’ upgrade and wanted to share a few thoughts on it. For one price, currently £40pppn, you get Wi-Fi, a drinks package, shore excursion(s) and some speciality dining included.
Drinks: The Signature Beverage package is included and, in my opinion, is one of the stronger drinks packages available. You get unlimited soft drinks, speciality coffees, non-alcoholic cocktails, juices etc. plus any alcoholic drink you want pricing up to $11. You are restricted to 15 alcoholic drinks per 24hr period. Whilst this does sometimes attract criticism, I never reached this limit. Most other cruise lines have a long list of exclusions – I found Holland America’s simple approach to be refreshing and easy to understand. If you order anything over $11, you pay the full value.
Wi-Fi: You can surf the web, use social media and so on – there are no time limits to what is included which, again, makes it easy. If you need a faster package, you can upgrade onboard.
Shore Excursions: Depending on the length of your cruise, you get up to $300 toward shore excursions
Speciality Dining: Depending on the length of your cruise, you get up to 3 speciality dining experiences included
Many cruise lines are offering upgrade packages. It was nice not to have to worry about the extras and I think I at least got my money’s worth. Drinks weren’t particularly expensive but it was great to be able to order speciality coffees, fresh juices, a glass of prosecco or two plus all of the soft drinks without the worry. The drinks package alone is around £40pppd, so you can easily reach that level with a couple of coffees, soft drinks and a glass or two of wine at dinner. I’d absolutely recommend it.
Want to travel with on Rotterdam? Take a look where she is sailing here
