Sluggoaafa

Just completed the 21-day Caribbean cruise and must say, really enjoyed the cruise!

There were a few hiccups here and there. Knowing that the ms Rotterdam is an older ship, I must say the crew are still taking great care of her. Sadly, there were a couple of bad odors for some guests, and a few of the windows in Staterooms had bad streaks between the glass (one guest said their glass had mold/mildew growing between the panes)

My shower in my room was difficult. Knowing how a European outlet works with the small button to get a more forceful stream and/or hot water, my shower only had HOT water for about 30 minutes before the cold would kick in for the water to be tolerable. It took nearly 4 days for maintenance to figure out what was going on, however, I was able to just deal with it.

Crew were AMAZING! Always had my favorite seat, drink at the Ocean View Bar, greeted everyday with a smile, and even the Security team at ports started to chat more when I would embark/disembark. There was one bartender at the Crow's Nest who seemed like they just didn't want to work, other than that, everyone was top notch.

Excursions were great, even got credited for one where they didn't have enough interest, so I was happy with that. I would love to visit with these same guys again!

Anyone going to be on the Rotterdam either for the 7day or 21 day?

Itinerary

• Day 1 Tampa
  
• Day 2 Key West
  
• Day 3 Cruising
  
• Day 4 Roatan
  
• Day 5 Santo Tomas de Castilla
  
• Day 6 Costa Maya
  
• Day 7 Cruising
  
• Day 8 Tampa
  
• Day 9 Key West
  
• Day 10 Cruising
  
• Day 11 Cruising
  
• Day 12 San Juan
  
• Day 13 St. Thomas
  
• Day 14 Antigua
  
• Day 15 St. Lucia
  
• Day 15 Cruising (Soufriere Bay)
  
• Day 16 Cruising
  
• Day 17 Curacao
  
• Day 18 Aruba
  
• Day 19 Cruising
  
• Day 20 Grand Cayman
  
• Day 21 Cruising
  
• Day 22 Tampa
  

Hi everyone,

Gordon here, 45, 4th time cruising, 1st time cruising solo in February on the Rotterdam. Bit nervous and excited all at the same time!

Hello! I am brand new to cruising. I recently booked our very first cruise; a three-generation, week long cruise to Alaska on Holland America for June 2018.

 

My son is gay, 25 years old, and I would love for him to have this social opportunity on our vacation.

Dang, just missed you it looks like, I was on the Eurodam end of August on an Alaskan cruise, and on an Eastern Caribbean in November.

It did seem that the CD for the Alaskan cruise only posted 1 LGBT meet-up, but the CD for the Caribbean posted several during the week.

I didn't attend during either cruise as I was with friends, but hope to do a FoD meet-up in February for my 21-day cruise on the Rotterdam.

So, was your son able to meet anyone during your cruise?

I have felt that HAL (at least on the Eurodam) has been very accommodating to LGBT passengers. On the two cruises I just did, the staff and crew were awesome, and the Filipino crew, some of which were FoD, were great.

I'm doing another HAL cruise in February, this time on the Rotterdam, so it'll be interesting how this crew is and if I'll enjoy being by myself for 21 days!

I'm looking forward to my 21-day Caribbean cruise on the Rotterdam in February. It's during my vacation from work, and vacation from the cold here in Minneapolis, so looking forward to the sun and (hopefully) fun!

Hi everyone!

Just recently joined here and have been in the lurking stage.

My first crossing on the QM2 was awesome as they had a "Friends of Dorothy" gathering everyday. Met some great friends there, however have since lost touch with them.

I have been on two other cruises, both times with friends, so never did any of the LGBT gatherings. During my last cruise, I booked my next cruise, a 21-day in the Caribbean on HAL Rotterdam....of course, NOW I find out there is a Gay cruise on the Koningsdam in the middle of my cruise! LOL - just my luck!

Anyway, looking forward to my time alone, as this will be my first time traveling alone. I usually travel with friends and/or family, so this will be my first adventure on my own.