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

[ithaca gal]

We will be visiting Costa Maya for the first time next week. Can you tell us about it ... what did you do, what is there to do?

 

We are senior citizens and I do NOT appreciate children who, through no fault of their own, have not been taught how to conduct themselves when out to dinner. You seem to have aced it. I would have been one of those who approached you to tell you what a good job you have done and how we would be happy to sit next to you any time!

 

We used to go out for fine dining with our three year old. One time we walked into a French restaurant in NYC and when the maitre'd saw our son (who was dressed in a three piece suit!), he almost fainted with despair. You could tell the other diners felt the same and, at those prices, I didn't blame them for thinking their evening out was about to be ruined. However, as time went by and everyone saw that we had no coloring books, no story books, but we just engaged our son with conversation ........... well, you could feel the room warming up. At the end of the meal the maitre'd came over and shook hands with our son and said "Young man, you may come back any time you'd like!". We were so proud ..... we hardly made it through the door with our puffed up chests.

 

It CAN be done. It's not always easy, but it can be done. We always told our son, when you go to friends' houses, and they see your manners, you will always be invited back!

 

Thanks for a lovely review and all the photos!!!

[sailawaybellaluna]

Finishing off our day in Key West...

 

After dinner we took a stroll around the ship. There was typically live music happening in the Ocean Bar and the Explorer's Lounge when we left the dining room around 7:15pm each evening...

 

We put the kids to bed around 8:30pm and ended up taking turns playing the slot machines in the casino for a bit. Not much of a selection in there, but like I said previously, I appreciated that it wasn't very smoky!

 

More to come...

[travelhound]

So loving this review! We are sailing this exact ship and itinerary next spring break. It will be our dd's 9th cruise, but first on HAL. We've only sailed HAL in Europe and I was beginning to wonder if we made a mistake booking this one with our dd. She will just have turned 8 when we leave.

 

Did your son attend the kids' club? Being an only child, our dd loves meeting other kids there and it's usually one of her favorite parts of the cruise.

 

Can't wait to hear the rest of the review. Your kids are adorable and it's nice to hear we're not the only ones that bring children to the dining room to eat as a family.

 

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[sailawaybellaluna]

We will be visiting Costa Maya for the first time next week. Can you tell us about it ... what did you do, what is there to do?

 

We are senior citizens and I do NOT appreciate children who, through no fault of their own, have not been taught how to conduct themselves when out to dinner. You seem to have aced it. I would have been one of those who approached you to tell you what a good job you have done and how we would be happy to sit next to you any time!

 

We used to go out for fine dining with our three year old. One time we walked into a French restaurant in NYC and when the maitre'd saw our son (who was dressed in a three piece suit!), he almost fainted with despair. You could tell the other diners felt the same and, at those prices, I didn't blame them for thinking their evening out was about to be ruined. However, as time went by and everyone saw that we had no coloring books, no story books, but we just engaged our son with conversation ........... well, you could feel the room warming up. At the end of the meal the maitre'd came over and shook hands with our son and said "Young man, you may come back any time you'd like!". We were so proud ..... we hardly made it through the door with our puffed up chests.

 

It CAN be done. It's not always easy, but it can be done. We always told our son, when you go to friends' houses, and they see your manners, you will always be invited back!

 

Thanks for a lovely review and all the photos!!!

 

Thanks for reading along, and sharing about your son! While our children have somewhat aced dining out, we do still have some colored pencils and crayons at the table! ;)

 

I will be writing a full detailed review of our time in Costa Maya. But as you're leaving next week, I'm not sure if I'll have it completed by then! We ended up spending the day at Maya Chan. Lots of useful information on it over on the Mexico board! We had a wonderful time there! Two quick things to note: the roads are often mentioned as being horribly bumpy, making the 20- minute journey to get there rather difficult. As of two weeks ago, the road was repaired and the drive was quite smooth. Of course this can change with the first rainfall, so be prepared. Secondly, much of Costa Maya has the sea grass that washes ashore and has a bit of a sulfur odor. It's a gorgeous port and we had a blast, but in many places the water is a bit murky due to this.

[ithaca gal]

Thanks for reading along, and sharing about your son! While our children have somewhat aced dining out, we do still have some colored pencils and crayons at the table! ;)

 

I will be writing a full detailed review of our time in Costa Maya. But as you're leaving next week, I'm not sure if I'll have it completed by then! We ended up spending the day at Maya Chan. Lots of useful information on it over on the Mexico board! We had a wonderful time there! Two quick things to note: the roads are often mentioned as being horribly bumpy, making the 20- minute journey to get there rather difficult. As of two weeks ago, the road was repaired and the drive was quite smooth. Of course this can change with the first rainfall, so be prepared. Secondly, much of Costa Maya has the sea grass that washes ashore and has a bit of a sulfur odor. It's a gorgeous port and we had a blast, but in many places the water is a bit murky due to this.

 

Thank you for skipping ahead to Costa Maya! We found out about Maya Chan on the Mexico boards and booked it for the day! While I am a 4* Mariner, my girlfriend is taking her first cruise! She just wanted a beach day and this sounds great!

 

I certainly am not knocking the coloring books, etc.! In our case, for this visit to a very high end restaurant, we left them behind. But I'd much rather see books and crayons than the electronic "babysitters" that parents allow kids to bring to the table! I'm sorry, it's just my opinion, but I think it is inappropriate (at home and in public). I was going to say my age is showing but I would prefer to say that it is my upbringing!

 

Again, your family looks amazing! Hope we meet you on a cruise some day!

[sailawaybellaluna]

So loving this review! We are sailing this exact ship and itinerary next spring break. It will be our dd's 9th cruise, but first on HAL. We've only sailed HAL in Europe and I was beginning to wonder if we made a mistake booking this one with our dd. She will just have turned 8 when we leave.

 

Did your son attend the kids' club? Being an only child, our dd loves meeting other kids there and it's usually one of her favorite parts of the cruise.

 

Can't wait to hear the rest of the review. Your kids are adorable and it's nice to hear we're not the only ones that bring children to the dining room to eat as a family.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

Hello Teri! Thanks for your compliments and reading along! I think You guys will have a wonderful time. As we were disembarking, I even commented that I'd book the exact same ship and itinerary again next year for Spring Break! (Although we're considering possibly heading to Peru...depending on how my diva 2-year old might handle the altitude).;p

 

I would like to hear about your experience of HAL in Europe actually? We are considering the Baltic cruise, but I'm wondering if there'd be enough for us to do in the evenings and such? This cruise was VERY CHILL. The selection of offerings wasn't huge but we enjoy just chilling anyway, so that wasn't a major issue for us.

 

My son did not go to the kid's club actually, although I heard only positive things about it! He's very into basketball at the moment, so whenever we weren't in port or dining, we were dragged up to Deck 9 to play hoops. Let's just say...I only packed dresses and sandals for this trip and playing basketball wasn't my favorite part. :')

 

And yes, eating as a family in the dining room is one of my favorite parts of cruising! I usually cook 4 - 5 times a week at home, and I'm not about to be schlepping back and forth to the buffet, filling plates for myself and my daughter while my husband struggles to fill his plate and save the table! I enjoy the dining room service so much!

[sailawaybellaluna]

Thank you for skipping ahead to Costa Maya! We found out about Maya Chan on the Mexico boards and booked it for the day! While I am a 4* Mariner, my girlfriend is taking her first cruise! She just wanted a beach day and this sounds great!

 

I certainly am not knocking the coloring books, etc.! In our case, for this visit to a very high end restaurant, we left them behind. But I'd much rather see books and crayons than the electronic "babysitters" that parents allow kids to bring to the table! I'm sorry, it's just my opinion, but I think it is inappropriate (at home and in public). I was going to say my age is showing but I would prefer to say that it is my upbringing!

 

Again, your family looks amazing! Hope we meet you on a cruise some day!

 

You'll have a wonderful time at Maya Chan! Just keep in mind, it isn't a 5* resort atmosphere. It's really an off the beaten path, boutique beach experience. If you have your expectations set accordingly, you'll really love it! It's quite rustic but so very relaxed. And the staff and service are top notch. Before you even have the chance to set your pool bag down, there will be a welcome drink + chips and salsa being brought to your palapa! You'll love it!

 

And I have to agree with you on the electronics...My son doesn't have any screen time in the home, and as a result (at least partially), he is extremely artistic. He fills most of his free time by sketching and coloring and writing stories and lists. I love that so much about him! My daughter is much more difficult, and to my husband's chagrin, I have insisted she stay away from screens as well in restaurants. We will *sometimes* allow her to look at photos on the phone if we're in a desperate situation, but I want her to learn to dine properly without being addicted to the constant stimulation electronics provide. It's a challenge, for sure! And if she would've interrupted my steak and lobster on gala night, I would've eaten my words and probably handed her an iPad since I never get to eat like that! ;p

 

You'll enjoy Maya Chan so much! And the port there is also so lovely. It has wonderful shops and you can also watch dolphins swimming around, etc. Just make sure you print the directions you're given to meet the driver for the Maya Chan pickup. It's a larger port, and walking all the way out near the faux Mayan pyramid can easily take you 20 minutes from the moment you step off the ship. Perhaps a bit more if you get distracted by the vanilla, pottery and free wifi as I did!

 

Have a wonderful journey!

[vicd1969]

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.

 

 

I was with a group of like 14 with everyone having anytime dining. The secret to getting tables you want is as soon as you board, go to the dining room manager and set up your reservations. The dining room manager that day may be located at a bar, not the actual dining room, so ask around. You will be assigned a table number and this makes it easy to essentially be fixed dining with the same waitstaff and early time. You may have to accept that the time may be 15 minutes later or earlier than your optimal time, however. We were able to have the same two tables each night for our 7-day cruise, because even though HAL only makes reservations for like 3 or 4 days in a row, they easily "roll over" the reservations to last the entire cruise.

 

Great content from your posts and photos. I hope you are able to do the Baltic Cruise and provide a similar level of quality review!

[sailawaybellaluna]

Today we'll be talking about our first day at sea - officially day 3 of our cruise!

 

I love sea days!

 

We started the morning with room service. This is one area where I feel Holland America really stands out compared to other cruiselines. Hot omelettes and hash browns delivered to the cabin on proper dishes? Yes, please. The presentation alone was far superior than other room service I've encountered, but so was the quality of the food!

 

Here are the nuggets enjoying their fruit plates and fruit loops. (The ONLY time they're allowed to eat fruit loops!) :p

 

 

 

Following breakfast, I noticed the daily schedule said there would be a kitchen tour, meeting in the dining room at 10:30am. A few years ago I paid $79 to do a "Behind the Fun" tour on a Carnival ship, and I absolutely loved it! I was fascinated walking through the galley, seeing how the laundry was done, where the staff ate, etc etc. Now this tour was far less comprehensive, but no complaints as it was free!

 

It was a little unorganized. Basically, everyone was jammed into the entrance of the dining room, filling out a health questionnaire. Once that was complete, they took probably 10 - 15 people back at a time. It was a very quick, unguided tour. Basically, just walking through the kitchen. I really enjoyed it! It seemed very efficiently run, and very clean!

 

 

 

Following the galley tour, I ended up spending about 30 minutes in the casino. Spoiler alert, I didn't win. In fact, I lost $130 over the course of the cruise! But, I enjoyed myself while losing it, so...

 

By this point we were ready to head outside and eat! We thought we'd try to Dive-In burgers up on deck 8! Now, the process to order and receive the food was quite lengthy. I'm not a huge greasy burger fan anyway, but I thought these were just "ok". In fact, I'd say this might be one area where Carnival has HAL beat with their "Guy's Burgers". Now those are very delicious, and the ordering process is streamlined and much quicker.

 

The ship was moving quite a bit during this time, and my 8 year old (who doesn't get motion sickness) was feeling a bit "off". So rather than insisting on a proper lunch + veggies, I let both kids have ice cream for lunch. Everyone was feeling great after that!

 

At this point, my family wandered around a bit and I laid out on the deck for about an hour, reading, before heading to the cabin to get ready for the day.

 

All that reading and relaxing made us hungry again, so off we went to Afternoon Tea!

 

I loved how Holland America served the tea on proper tiered tea stands! Everything was delicious, and I appreciate that an attempt wasn't made to "upsell" me on a brand name tea. That is something Carnival has been doing lately...if you don't want to drink Lipton (which I don't, but I will because it's free).

 

 

After tea time, we wandered around the ship a bit. There was usually piano music in the Ocean Bar during this time, although I felt a little bad for the pianist since the place was often empty.

 

More to come...

[sailawaybellaluna]

I was with a group of like 14 with everyone having anytime dining. The secret to getting tables you want is as soon as you board, go to the dining room manager and set up your reservations. The dining room manager that day may be located at a bar, not the actual dining room, so ask around. You will be assigned a table number and this makes it easy to essentially be fixed dining with the same waitstaff and early time. You may have to accept that the time may be 15 minutes later or earlier than your optimal time, however. We were able to have the same two tables each night for our 7-day cruise, because even though HAL only makes reservations for like 3 or 4 days in a row, they easily "roll over" the reservations to last the entire cruise.

 

Great content from your posts and photos. I hope you are able to do the Baltic Cruise and provide a similar level of quality review!

 

Thanks so much for this advice! I'm such a planner, so I was pretty bummed that I overlooked getting this done in time.

 

And thanks for reading along!

[sailawaybellaluna]

I was so happy to see that the Gala Night was scheduled for a sea day! I love it when this happens! So off we went to get dressed up for dinner, and take a few photos!

 

 

My son really loves escargot! He was first introduced to it when he was 3 and we were sailing through the Mediterranean. He was so happy to see it was on the menu tonight!

 

 

My daughter's palette isn't quite as refined, so she decided to apply my lipgloss during the starters...

 

 

The dinner was quite good. I had the mushroom risotto with truffle oil, and it didn't disappoint.

 

 

I will say, the service was a bit slow this evening, but I think that's usually how it goes on formal nights.

 

After dinner, the kids were ready to change into pajamas, and I was quite happy to read in the cabin while my husband hit the casino and tried to win back our (my) losses! :p

[sailawaybellaluna]

To finish up our day at sea, here is the "Where & When" schedule for that day in case it proves useful for anyone.

 

[OlsSalt]

You look gorgeous for Gala Night and I can see why your family melted the hearts of any remaining onboard curmudgeons. That photo is a keeper for all the relatives. One of the biggest treats about Gala Night is when the little ones get dressed up too.

 

Naturally, It would be impolite to ask how anyone can keep their hair looking so perfect with four people in a cabin and a small bathroom ........, so ..... I won't ask. :rolleyes:

[carlyshenk]

I'm so enjoying reading your review and seeing your photos! What a beautiful family!

[sailawaybellaluna]

You look gorgeous for Gala Night and I can see why your family melted the hearts of any remaining onboard curmudgeons. That photo is a keeper for all the relatives. One of the biggest treats about Gala Night is when the little ones get dressed up too.

 

Naturally, It would be impolite to ask how anyone can keep their hair looking so perfect with four people in a cabin and a small bathroom ........, so ..... I won't ask. :rolleyes:

 

Haha, thank you!

 

I'm so enjoying reading your review and seeing your photos! What a beautiful family!

Thank you for reading along!

[jbhcw]

Wonderful review and your pictures are great! We sailed several years ago on the Zuiderdam with two grands...one about 4 I think and the other 7....they did great and toward the end of the cruise some near by diners came up to us and asked if the kids were for real:) they were well behaved and we were so proud of them....Oldest grandson has been sailing since he was two...youngest started about four....cruising is wonderful for family time:)

[Krazy Kruizers]

I am so enjoying reading this review and looking at all the wonderful pictures.

Your children are adorable and look wonderful all dressed up.

[ithaca gal]

I was so happy to see that the Gala Night was scheduled for a sea day! I love it when this happens! So off we went to get dressed up for dinner, and take a few photos!

 

 

My son really loves escargot! He was first introduced to it when he was 3 and we were sailing through the Mediterranean. He was so happy to see it was on the menu tonight!

 

 

My daughter's palette isn't quite as refined, so she decided to apply my lipgloss during the starters...

 

 

The dinner was quite good. I had the mushroom risotto with truffle oil, and it didn't disappoint.

 

 

I will say, the service was a bit slow this evening, but I think that's usually how it goes on formal nights.

 

After dinner, the kids were ready to change into pajamas, and I was quite happy to read in the cabin while my husband hit the casino and tried to win back our (my) losses! :p

 

These pictures show why it is exasperating to read other passengers questions: can I wear NICE jeans on Gala Night? Or, I really don’t want to bring a collared shirt ... do you think they’ll let me in with just a T-shirt and Dockers?

 

I know, I know ...... we aren’t supposed to care about what other people wear but when families like this go to such an effort to have even their small children dressed to the nines, why can’t other people at least dress to the minimum?

[Daisyloo]

These pictures show why it is exasperating to read other passengers questions: can I wear NICE jeans on Gala Night? Or, I really don’t want to bring a collared shirt ... do you think they’ll let me in with just a T-shirt and Dockers?

 

I know, I know ...... we aren’t supposed to care about what other people wear but when families like this go to such an effort to have even their small children dressed to the nines, why can’t other people at least dress to the minimum?

 

 

Agreed!

[travelhound]

The first HAL we did was a two week to the Middle East and Egypt on the Rotterdam. Then a few years later we sailed from Barcelona on Maasdam through the Mediterranean.

 

Our Baltic cruise was on Celebrity, which was very nice. It was so tour extensive during the day that we weren't really looking for too much to do at night. Every morning was an early call and since we kept changing time zones, some nights were a little short. From London to St. Petersburg was either 3 or 4 time zones, so we got those time change cards night after night.

 

 

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[travelhound]

I also share your dislike to eating with the family at the buffet. By the time my dd and I sit down, dh is half finished. If we're wearing swimwear and coverups it's ok for lunch, but I prefer being served for dinner.

 

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[puppycanducruise]

Wonderful family photo!

You all look fabulous.

 

Looking forward to reading more of your review.

[SeaWatch]

After dropping our carry-ons down in our cabin, we headed up to the main dining room for lunch!

 

 

 

The Rotterdam has a two-level dining room which is not very big, but very nice. Now I wasn't terribly impressed by the decor in there, but the service was great!

 

 

 

One thing I noticed immediately upon being seated was the quality of the place settings. German porcelain dishes, silver vases with fresh flowers, and monogrammed silverware. It just felt a bit more "special" than Carnival, etc.

 

 

 

Now we always eat in the main dining room when we sail, and our children do quite well eating there. We eat out regularly at home, and I feel confident our kids know how to sit quietly and not make a mess when they're dining out. That being said, as soon as we were seated, there was a table of 4 sitting behind us that made it quite clear they weren't thrilled to see our children on the ship. They were probably in their 60's and 70's, and commented quite loudly, "I can't imagine why they'd bring their children on this cruise. What can there be to interest children on a ship like this? They must just be the type of people that travel with their children simply for virtue."

 

 

 

Now, I'm not going to lie, I was pretty shocked to overhear this and it did make me nervous about my children possibly not behaving just perfectly throughout their meal! This was the first time I felt that perhaps it was a mistake to book this cruise...We enjoy the quieter, smaller ship atmosphere and our children are very well behaved. In fact, the party ships make us feel a bit uncomfortable. At the same time, I kind of worried we'd be under the microscope and people would think because we had young children, that they would disrupt their meal somehow.

 

 

 

We also believe that traveling with our kids is a valuable education, in and of itself. Showing them different parts of the world, encouraging them to taste different types of food, and learning about people who look and live differently than they do is very valuable! So while the ship may have not been full of crazy adventures for little ones, it was important to us to take them along so they could experience and learn something new. We've traveled with our kids since they were infants. My son added his 36th country to his list of places visited on this vacation, and I don't believe for a second that we'll ever regret that!

 

 

 

As you can see, my two-year old handles her stemware rather well, and does say "cheers" every time she's seated in a restaurant. ;p:D

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fortunately, this was the only negative experience we had. In fact, I was so touched throughout the remainder of the cruise by the number of older couples that came up to us and told us how well behaved our children were in the dining room. A few mentioned how quickly the time passes, and how they enjoyed seeing them eating in there. So my initial worries were unfounded. I think we just were unlucky sitting next to a group that may have been having an "off" day...

 

 

 

We also enjoyed wine with out lunch, something we rarely do! But when I booked this cruise, there were two promotions Holland America was offering: free gratuities and free beverage cards! Unlike other cruiselines, I learned the beverage credit must be used for just that - beverages. It can't be added as general onboard credit. So I enjoyed a nice Chardonnay with my lunch!

 

 

 

More to come...

 

 

 

Just wondering....why do people feel they have to publicly voice their feelings and not see it has a hurtful impact?

 

 

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[sailawaybellaluna]

Thanks everyone for your kind comments and reading along up to this point...!

 

 

Today I will begin Day 4 - Mahogany Bay (Roatan), Honduras. We arrived at 8am, with the Carnival Magic pulling in immediately after we docked.

 

 

I had been to Roatan years ago on a cruise, although we docked in Coxen Hole during that journey. So, Mahogany Bay was new for all of us.

 

 

Initially, I had considered booking Rony's Tours to do the West End. We were thinking of spending the day at Bananarama. But email communication with Rony was a bit difficult (he was very polite and professional - the delay between messages was due to unreliable internet service made things a little complicated). In addition, the more I thought about traveling 40 minutes each way, packing our carseats along, etc., the more doubts I started to have.

 

In the end, I decided to have this be a "relaxing beach day" and simply stay at the port. I never do this! But the kids were excited about the idea of the flying magic chairs, and I was excited to just relax a bit.

 

 

Now the flying magic chairs were only $12 on the Holland America site, but couldn't be booked for children 3 or under. I had a feeling if I attempted to book on land, they'd allow me to take my 2.5 year old. And they did, no problem. But the price was $14/each (and I believe $8 for my son).

 

The chair lift has a short line that moves rather quickly, and they do use additional safety belts for children. It is a fun ride over the tree canopy and you get a lovely view of the ships in port!

 

 

The chair lift drops you directly on the beach...More to come on our beach experience!

[OlsSalt]

Your photos have a beautiful quality and very nice depth of field. Will you please tell us about the camera you use and any particularly artistic background you might have? Thanks. That last shot with the ship in the background is particularly gorgeous.