Photo Review! Our Family's Spring Break Aboard the Rotterdam!

[Daisyloo]

Really enjoying your review and your pics are great. Thanks for sharing.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks so much for your detailed review! We will be boarding the Rotterdam this Sunday with our two kids, so this is very helpful.

I hope we cross paths with you on a dam ship someday as your "traveling with kids" philosophy matches ours! In January our 8 year old earned his 4th mariner star:)

 

 

Congratulations to your 8 year in becoming a 4 star Mariner.

[Krazy Kruizers]

sailawaybellaluna

Appreciate your posting the When and Where program.

[OlsSalt]

Anyone else get misty eyed seeing those photos of those young Mariners all dressed up in Sunday best and just loving being at sea? I think HAL found its new poster girl.

 

Beautiful photos and your storyline is superb. Glad the thousand or so "new and doting grandparents" on the rest of the ship wiped out the bad taste of that very first unfortunate MDR encounter. Thanks for taking the time to share these and your family with us.

[erewhon]

Enjoying your review and photos, thank you.

Sorry that you had such an unfortunate experience at lunchtime.

Such a pretty dress your daughter is wearing on embarkation day.

[E@syPe@zy]

Loving your review! So very sorry you had others that pre-judged your family in such a rude and careless way. I'm sure when they sat next to you at tea, they were having a crow sandwich with their tea! You set such a wonderful example for your children by ignoring the crude comments even though you were probably shuddering on the inside. This is exactly why your children are so well behaved in so many different settings. They have fabulous parents that are setting examples for them. We traveled everywhere with our son from a very early age as we were not fortunate enough to have family close enough to watch him for us. If you start them right early, then they will be prepared and comfortable in many different venues. Bravo to you and your husband! You have a beautiful family and some day you will get to travel by yourselves and you will always look back on those precious memories that you had when traveling with your children.

[tuolumne couple]

awesome. thanks. cant wait to sail her again in Nov.... thanks for taking the time to post these pics.

[madera1]

Finishing up on Day 1 and thought I'd share the "When & Where" in case they might prove helpful for anyone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for your review with photos. I am so happy that you have chosen to share your passion for cruising with your young children. Our children are now in their 30's and we still talk about the cruises we took when they were in elementary school. I am sure you too will treasure these family trips.

 

 

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[nana51]

Your children are adorable!! I love the elegant Rotterdam. Took it for our Canada/New England cruise.

 

 

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[sailawaybellaluna]

Thank you so much for your report--it brought sentimental tears to my eyes!

 

While working on a scrapbook today for my son's high school graduation, I realized that many of our precious family memories involve cruising on HAL. We started when our son was six, and my daughter was three. The kids are four-star Mariners and have traveled everywhere from Colombia to Russia.

 

I can't articulate how travel enriched my son's education, as well as his appreciation for other ways of life. He also learned about etiquette, social skills, food, and how to talk to all kinds of people. We met wonderful older folks on HAL who shared their life wisdom. He did meet other kids and still keeps in touch with teenagers in Amsterdam, London, and South Africa. And Senior Prom is this weekend, and he's been rocking a tux since the 1st grade!

 

World travel with little ones (and teens!) can be challenging and tiring but don't ever let anyone tell you that they "aren't getting anything from it." My husband's health no longer allows us to travel--enjoy these years--they are indeed fleeting.

 

Best to you and your family and your wonderful adventures together!

 

Thank you so much for sharing this! You son sounds so fortunate to have been all over the world with you! And congratulations to him on his upcoming graduation!

[sailawaybellaluna]

Anyone else get misty eyed seeing those photos of those young Mariners all dressed up in Sunday best and just loving being at sea? I think HAL found its new poster girl.

 

Beautiful photos and your storyline is superb. Glad the thousand or so "new and doting grandparents" on the rest of the ship wiped out the bad taste of that very first unfortunate MDR encounter. Thanks for taking the time to share these and your family with us.

 

What a kind comment! Thank you for reading along...:)

[sailawaybellaluna]

Thanks everyone for reading along...!

 

Today we start Day 2, in Key West.

 

We arrived at 11am, and the weather was perfect! My kiddos loved sitting in the window, watching as the pilot boats helped us get in and out of port. One thing I loved about the oceanview cabins on the Rotterdam was how wide the windowsill was! I also enjoyed sitting up there having my coffee sometimes in the mornings!

 

Today we decided to DIY Key West. I had checked the Port Schedule in advance and found that we would be docking at Outer Mole. Unlike Mallory Square, Outer Mole is actually within an active secure military base, so you cannot walk freely to and from the ship. The cruiseline provides free shuttle service down to Mallory Square approximately every 10 minutes or so. We happened to get onboard the hop-on/hop-off trolley which was helping to provide the shuttle service this morning. I actually really enjoyed our driver, who gave us a narrated mini-tour of the port and the downtown area during the 10-minute ride. The trolley actually lets you off right in front of the market and the Shipwreck Museum.

We were looking forward to a relaxed day! Below is a pic of the lines of people waiting to get off, and take one of the shuttles. The line moved very quickly!

More coming up...our excursion to the Hemingway House!

Edited April 12, 2018 by sailawaybellaluna

[sailawaybellaluna]

I had been to Key West a couple times prior, and didn't necessarily feel the need to book an excursion. We had decided upon visiting the Hemingway House. Both my husband and I were interested to see this (I actually visited during my very first cruise back in 1998, but it was August and extremely hot, and I ended up fainting during the tour). ;p Our kids also love animals, so we knew they'd enjoy seeing all of the 6-toed cats!

 

 

One thing to note about the Hemingway House is that they accept cash only. The current rates are $14/adult and $6/child, so keep that in mind. Tours start every 15 minutes or so, and you don't need any reservations. Some tour guides were much more animated/dynamic than others. There was a chance we were going to get a gentleman that seemed less than excited about doing the tours, so we opted to visit the bathrooms and take a stroll around so we could get a gal that truly seemed excited about the history of the Hemingway House.

 

 

And she did a wonderful job of sharing the life and tumultuous history of Hemingway!

 

After leaving the Hemingway House, we were all a bit hungry and thirsty. There aren't many options immediately near the house, but we did see a restaurant called Blue Macaw across the road, so we popped in for some nachos and fish and chips. The service and ambiance was lovely there, but I wish I had never visited the bathrooms. The cleanliness left me feeling a bit sick to my stomach about what the kitchen may possibly look like.

 

By this point we decided to take a leisurely stroll back to the ship. My son is obsessed with lizards, geckos and iguanas, so he enjoyed scoping all of the little reptiles popping in and out of the hedges.

 

Back on board we saw some gorgeous views!

[sailawaybellaluna]

Your children are adorable!! I love the elegant Rotterdam. Took it for our Canada/New England cruise.

 

 

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Thank you! I'd love to do a cruise like that during the fall to see the leaves changing colors!

[sailawaybellaluna]

After getting back on board, we played a bit of basketball on deck 9 and then headed to dinner early.

 

One complaint (probably my ONLY complaint) about Holland America was the dining situation. It was truly impossible to get a table, even though we had the anytime dining. The dining room would open at 5:15pm, and we'd often be there by 5:25pm, and they wouldn't have any tables available? Now we hoped to eat with my parents every night, but a table for 6 seemed impossible for the gentleman when we'd check in, regardless of the time. Several times the four of us would be given a table for 6 or 8, and then we'd be scrambling to tell my parents to come and join us because we scored a bigger table. It was very bizarre, and not something I've experienced before. On this day, I called and attempted to make reservations for the remaining 5 nights of the cruise, and I was told the only reservation they have remaining was for the last night at 7:45pm. :o:confused:

 

Did most people book these reservations in advance of getting on the ship? I know you can do that on Royal Caribbean (and I've frequently done so), but on a smaller ship I didn't expect getting a table to be so problematic. Especially dining so early.

 

In any case, here we are during our dinner in Key West. We ended up with a beautiful table for six, but unfortunately my parents couldn't join us. (They'd often tell us to go early to get a table since our kids go to sleep rather early)...

 

One random note about the ship layout...I thought the ladies bathrooms outside of the dining room on level 5 were just gorgeous! Having a two-year old that needed to go every single night during dinner made me appreciate the views! :')

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Loving your review and pictures of Key West.

We enjoyed our tour of the Hemingway House when we did it a few years ago.

[InTheWASide]

The kids are too freakin cute! Thanks for all the pics. Please keep them coming. Rotterdam is looking fantastic these days!

[OlsSalt]

DH and I always get fixed dining and find it the best for a nice, quiet and predictable experience with very attentive waiters who get to know all your personal wishes immediately. Tried anytime-dining last time with my sister and friend and found the entire dining experience chaotic and unpleasant. Never again.

[lcookie]

Following along. I was on this same cruise with my little one. Our experiences were very similar so far except I never encountered anyone that turned their nose up at us for having a kid on board. My ongoing review is listed on this board as well.

[OlsSalt]

Following along. I was on this same cruise with my little one. Our experiences were very similar so far except I never encountered anyone that turned their nose up at us for having a kid on board. My ongoing review is listed on this board as well.

 

 

Uh, oh.... at the rate this thread is going HAL is not going to be known only as an old people's cruise line! :cool: All these family cruising HAL reports are so heart-warming.

[OlsSalt]

..........

Back on board we saw some gorgeous views!

 

I did the bike tour on our last Key West stop and learned the story about those two islands - one with the homes is very upscale with its own ferry service, the other Wisteria Island is now a "homeless" camp and our tour guide said depending on who you want to listen to it was either Lord of the Flies Island, or Paradise on Earth. There is no water or sanitation on that "homeless" island so things were building up to be a major problem.

[sailawaybellaluna]

DH and I always get fixed dining and find it the best for a nice, quiet and predictable experience with very attentive waiters who get to know all your personal wishes immediately. Tried anytime-dining last time with my sister and friend and found the entire dining experience chaotic and unpleasant. Never again.

 

I'm thinking we may start doing this as well...

[sailawaybellaluna]

Following along. I was on this same cruise with my little one. Our experiences were very similar so far except I never encountered anyone that turned their nose up at us for having a kid on board. My ongoing review is listed on this board as well.

 

Oh, how fun! I'll go and search for your review now!

 

Fortunately, everyone else was so lovely to us and our kids. I think we just had bad luck that first day!

[sailawaybellaluna]

Loving your review and pictures of Key West.

We enjoyed our tour of the Hemingway House when we did it a few years ago.

 

Thanks so much! Yes, I understand they just recently got air conditioning installed throughout the entire house as well, which made the tour even more enjoyable!:D

[sailawaybellaluna]

I did the bike tour on our last Key West stop and learned the story about those two islands - one with the homes is very upscale with its own ferry service, the other Wisteria Island is now a "homeless" camp and our tour guide said depending on who you want to listen to it was either Lord of the Flies Island, or Paradise on Earth. There is no water or sanitation on that "homeless" island so things were building up to be a major problem.

 

I've always wondered about those two islands! Thank you for sharing a bit of history about them. I'm going to do some additional research on them. How fascinating!