PROCRUISE

Just disembarked the Rotterdam on 3/8 after 11 night cruise. Nothing but positive things to say about the ship and the crew! Orange Club was worth the cost too. Enjoy your cruise.

Yes. Just can off the Rotterdam 3/8 where we had cabin #5051. We had an aft facing, on the bump, balcony. Fantastically large balcony with two standard chairs plus two reclining chairs with foot rests and small table. Could have entertained at least 5-6 more people, plus ourselves, on the balcony and had plenty of room.

Having purchased Orange Club sometime after booking our cruise (2/25 -3/8/23) we accepted this upgrade cabin although I wasn't expecting much. I was actually VERY pleased with this cabin and even the location although I usually book aft cabins. The set up for this room is pleasant with a horizontal set up with bed immediately as you enter and bathroom, desk and chair to the right. A small love sofa is also in the room by the exit to the balcony. The balcony is huge compared to most, pie shaped and with two chairs and additional two relining chairs and small table. The bathroom is a bit small but shower also has pull down seat if needed. Plenty of closet and drawer space too. No complaints about this cabin.

Just came off the Rotterdam 3/8. Yes the "art" folks are there. The very large number of those attending one of the Lincoln Center Concerts were not amused with a a VERY LOUD "art" auction going on at the same time, next room over, with a handful of passengers attending. On a side note, the Lincoln Center Concerts were really well attended but apparently that doesn't mean much to the HAL higher ups!

Agree! This is probably one of the best ways to decide upon private tours.

Purchased Orange Club for our December cruise on the Statendam and again for our cruise next week on the Rotterdam BECAUSE of the great separate dining areas on the three Pinnacle Class ships. It is simply great, in our opinion. I would not waste the money purchasing it on the other vessels that just use the MDR.

Agree with AF Navigator. Tamarind Bar is excellent place to relax and enjoy conversations, unlike the Music Walk venue area!

No tile received on NS last December. We'll see what happens next week on the Rotterdam!

Since you have Priority Boarding (due to cabin or Orange Club) you're boarding time will usually be 11am - Group A and possibly taken onboard sooner.

Harbor Master makes the call as to where the ship(s) dock.

We found the accommodations at the Orange Club dining room on the NS to be great just last December. Service was pristine and food was served actually hot!

Cruise has to be more than 13 days for the price to drop to $15pp/day. Our upcoming 11 night cruise on the Rotterdam was still $25pp/day. Also be advised that there is NO special event for Orange Club members as advertised. At least there wasn't one on our NS December cruise. When I inquired at the service desk, they just scratched their heads and told us to go to The Orange Night Party which is open to everyone on the ship and was a mad house in the BB King area, which we left.

Always works for me, especially my dress shirts.

Great!! Boarding the Rotterdam this month on the 25th.

We were on the NS 12/10 - 17/22 and ship was completely decorated upon boarding with the exception of a "gingerbread" village that was put up on 12/12/22.

Was on the Statendam in December and will be on the Rotterdam in February. On "gala nights" in December I wore dress slacks, long sleeved collared dress shirt with tie and no coat. Will wear the same next month. Was, and will be, very appropriately dressed.

I am aware. My questions was/is: what happened to the Orange Club special event still stated in the benefits. Apparently the answer is: something else HAL has cut out!!

Is the Orange Night Party, open to everyone onboard, now considered the "special event" for Orange Club members that is mentioned in the benefits?

Thank you for your observations. Have cruised with X and HAL almost equally and slightly favor X. My only experience with the Summit was 12 night cruise of S.E. Asia out of Singapore. The ship was outstanding in every way. Have never taken a 5 day cruise. Unfortunately, all the cruise lines have had to make changes/cuts. Had a wonderful time on the Statendam the first part of December but heard fellow passengers complaining over things I didn't even notice. Will be on the Rotterdam at the end of February and perhaps will hear the same thing. The nice thing about cruising is the fact that there are many cruise lines from which to make a choice. I am happy with both HAL and X.

Yes, per previous posts, the CO charge is refundable if you must cancel.

Thank you for your ongoing review of the NS. Cruised on this vessel the first week of December and loved everything about it, mostly. We really enjoyed the Orange Club Dining Room: quiet, outstanding service, food served HOT! Booked Orange Club again for our 11 night cruise on the Rotterdam at the end of February. We really enjoy Tamarind and your picture of the Trio of Sorbet made my taste buds spring to life! It's booked again for February since it is our favorite speciality restaurant. Thanks again for your insights.

You can still add Orange Club by simply calling HAL or your TA can do it, if you use one. The three Pinnacle class ships, including the Rotterdam, all have separate dining areas. Is the extra charge worth it? We tried it on our December cruise on the Statendam and then immediately added it to our February cruise on the Rotterdam. Quiet surroundings, outstanding and attentive staff and food served hot were all viewed as a big plus for us. Priority boarding was also nice.

You summed it up well! When I first stared cruising, some 20yrs ago, I cruised with CCL often. I guess I liked the rush of activities, noise, and constantly being told I must HAVE FUN onboard! Then I discovered Celebrity and Holland America and have cruised with them for at least the last 15yrs. I enjoy the quieter atmosphere, the ability to just relax, the upgrade in food and service. I still have "fun" but in my own way, which might sometimes just involve sitting on our balcony and watching the ocean in all its glory and sound.

We tried Orange Club, for the first time, on our December cruise aboard the Statendam. The priority boarding was very convenient, the Orange Club tote bags was actually petty nice. There was Orange Night (open to the whole ship, over crowded and noise level made it impossible to converse) but NO actual event for just Orange Club members. The BIG selling point for us was the separate Orange Club dining area. It was so peaceful, quiet and relaxing and service was outstanding. We're early dinner eaters so we just arrived anytime from 5pm - 6pm and seated immediately. In addition, the meals were served HOT and not just slightly warm. Liked this aspect so much, we paid to add it to our 11 night cruise on the Rotterdam in February.

Canvas. Actually fairly nice!