PHOTO REVIEW! Just off the Rotterdam.

[Bostonjetset]

4 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

Hi,

Really enjoying your review.  Thanks for taking the time to report back, with such excellent images too!

One question for you.......(and I appreciate that your response will be from memory!).  Looking at the deck plan it seems that the 'front door' of 7096/7098 are open to the elevator lobby and stairs area and do not have a protective wall to deflect the noise.  Did you experience any noise (elevator or passenger) from the lobby?  Do you think that noise may become a problem when the ship is to capacity rather than the current 40/50%?

Thanks for reading!

 

You are correct about the doors of those suites being sort of open to the elevator lobby.  However we didn't notice too much noise.  I'm not overly sensitive to such things but if it was really terrible we would have noticed.  Also, the beds in the Vista Suites are located near the balcony doors so are the furthest away from the hallway as possible anyway.  I will comment that we thought the location was perfect.  EXACTLY in the middle of the ships so it was really convenient to get around basically anywhere.  We almost always book guarantee cabins as we're not too picky and feel we lucked out with this assignment.  Of course any "suite" stateroom should be in a prime location, but we especially liked where this one was.

[AncientWanderer]

I'm really enjoying your review.  Your photos are just beautiful!  And so nice to hear about Puerto Plata.  This ship has, I think, the loveliest color scheme of any yet.  It's definitely a goal to board her one day.

Thank you very much for taking the time to put together your report.  

[portofrome]

Thanks for the review and your beautiful photos!

[MISTER 67]

Great photos, thanks for posting.

The new Rotterdam is gorgeous, can't wait to cruise on her in March to the southern Caribbean.

 

[esimon]

we are getting on her on 2/5 and your reviews are sooooo exciting -- we will skip the dutch cafe maybe but we will enjoy the warmth, peace and quiet, island time etc.   Pinnacle grill is a fav and relaxing is top of our list.   

[cat shepard]

2 hours ago, Bostonjetset said:

Some photos of Tamarind.

 

 

 

 

Do you know what the item is on top of the dessert! It almost looks like puff pastry - though very pale colored. 
 

Great photos and review. Thank you for sharing. 

[Bostonjetset]

59 minutes ago, esimon said:

we are getting on her on 2/5 and your reviews are sooooo exciting -- we will skip the dutch cafe maybe but we will enjoy the warmth, peace and quiet, island time etc.   Pinnacle grill is a fav and relaxing is top of our list.   

Thanks for the compliment and enjoy your trip!  Do at least TRY the Dutch Cafe.  The apple pannenkoek was so delicious and not something one finds often where I live.  Of course they have some other things as well that I didn't post pictures us and the coffee really is better than the free coffee in the Lido lol.

 

We too like Pinnacle Grill but didn't eat there this time.  We usually limit ourselves to one specialty restaurant per cruise as we've already paid for our food with our fare and don't want to pay again every night; one night as a treat is good enough for us.  Honestly I really like Canaletto as well.  This is the first ship we've sailed with a Tamarind though so we had to try it due to the fact that everyone on CC raves about it coupled with the fact that my husband is Chinese and is always in the mood for any Asian food.  It was quite nice.

[Bostonjetset]

46 minutes ago, cat shepard said:

Do you know what the item is on top of the dessert! It almost looks like puff pastry - though very pale colored. 
 

Great photos and review. Thank you for sharing. 

It was some sort of rice paper sculpture or something.  It was edible but didn't have much taste...it was more for decoration and texture I think.

[Bostonjetset]

DAY 8: 01/08/2021 - 10.00pm [Half Moon Cay, Bahamas]

 

The final day of the cruise took as to Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas.  So far, this is the best private island I've been to.  It's truly perfect other than the lack of shade without having to pay for a clamshell.  I would give it a 9/10 whereas the Princess private island [Princess Cay] is maybe a 5/10 and NCL's Great Stirup Cay is about a 7/10.  Half Moon Cay has the most perfect powdery sand and the clearest water; I can understand why it's rated so highly.

 

Once back on the ship I had to head to Grand Dutch Cafe for one final apple & bacon pannenkoek with a cafe latte.  We spent a little more time around the pool and I got in another few laps around the promenade deck.  I'm sad to have the cruise come to an end but at least we have one more night in FL before flying home.  We'll drive down to Miami to visit Vizcaya.

 

 

[arijsky]

My wife and I are sailing Rotterdam's February 20 cruise.  Can't wait!   

[Bostonjetset]

DAY 9: 01/09/2021 - 9.30pm [Miami, Florida]

 

Debarkation was pretty seamless as we self-carried our luggage.  After breakfast in the buffet we were off the ship by 8.30am. 

 

We took an Uber to FLL airport to pick up our rental car for the day and headed right to the Vizcaya estate in Miami to spend the morning.  I truly love is there and wanted Li to experience the house and gardens.  One of my favorite places in Miami by far!

 

After a couple hours we drove to the Miami Design District for lunch.  What a cool area; I'd never been to this part of the city before and was quite impressed.  I had a delicious chicken sandwich and onion rings at Coop inside MIA MARKET.  The we followed with after lunch cappuccinos at Cafe Dior inside the Christian Dior boutique.  It was overpriced for sure [$14 each] but the rooftop setting, Dior china, and Instagram photo ops were worth it at least once.  We browsed around a bit more before driving back to Fort Lauderdale to our hotel for the night.  Dinner was at a local pizza/Italian place and then an early night since we had a morning flight home.

 

 

[canadianbear]

1 hour ago, esimon said:

we are getting on her on 2/5 and your reviews are sooooo exciting -- we will skip the dutch cafe maybe but we will enjoy the warmth, peace and quiet, island time etc.   Pinnacle grill is a fav and relaxing is top of our list.   

Please try the Dutch Cafe!  It’s our favourite.  Food is free you just pay for drinks if you want one.  We go at off hours and the food is delicious.  I actually started getting my latte from there as they made it so tasty.  Walk by a few different times to just check out their display, you may change your mind.  
 

Have a great cruise! 
 

 

[Bostonjetset]

RECAP

 

Now that I'm home and unpacked I can reflect on our trip.

 

First, HAL's FlightEase was a Godsend and quite literally saved our trip.  I think booking airfare through the cruise line is like a bit of extra insurance that often times costs even less than booking directly.  We will most likely always use this service in the future unless we are planning at least 3-4 days in a city pre-cruise.  It's especially helpful until this Covid mess is behind us. 

 

The Rotterdam is an absolutely beautiful ship and a perfect flagship for the HAL fleet.  Her decor is elegant and modern whilst still keeping with HAL traditions.  Grand Dutch Cafe is amazing.  The World Stage theatre format is new and exciting but still proves to be a wonderful was to showcase talented performers.  Lincoln Center Stage is a great addition as well.

 

We also found the Vista Suite to be worth the extra cost as long as it's not an outrageous upcharge.  For our sailing it was about $250pp more than a standard verandah cabin and we were content with that.  I do think a few extra suite benefits would make it more worthwhile though, perhaps like the upgraded balcony furniture with the cushions like higher level suites get.

 

Service was good but it's clear that they are stretched thin in some area like the dining room.  We were never once offered coffee with dessert and only received it after we asked for it.  Even with anytime dining we've been offered it in the past.  I also missed the Yum Yum man handing out mints after dinner.  He was a nice HAL touch that is no longer.

 

The ports on this cruise were all good though I don't care if I ever go back to Grand Turk again.  I don't understand why so many on CC rave about it.  The beach inside to port area was nice enough but Cockburn Town was dismal and not worth the taxi ride there.  Puerto Plata was wonderful and an excursion of of the [very nice] Amber Cove port area is well worth it.  St. Thomas' Magen's Bay truly is an amazing beach and deserves all the accolades it gets.  Downtown Charlotte Amalie was quaint enough but there isn't much there unless one wants to buy jewelry or watches.  I prefer to make higher end purchases closer to home though.  Half Moon Cay really is a paradise and much nicer than other Bahamian ports we've been to.

 

All in all this was a wonderful cruise and it was so good to be back cruising again after such a messy two years.

[MTAK]

Thanks for your review, we will be on Rotterdam in April. Amber Cove is not a planned stop for us at this time, but hopefully someday we can visit.

 

We're not fans of Grand Turk either. We might grab a beer at the Beached Whale but probably won't spend much time on shore.  My impression from January 2020 was that they never fully recovered after the 2017 Hurricanes. I was never there before so not really sure what it was like.

[albingirl]

Thank you for a wonderful review.

[hotzej]

40 minutes ago, MTAK said:

Thanks for your review, we will be on Rotterdam in April. Amber Cove is not a planned stop for us at this time, but hopefully someday we can visit.

 

We're not fans of Grand Turk either. We might grab a beer at the Beached Whale but probably won't spend much time on shore.  My impression from January 2020 was that they never fully recovered after the 2017 Hurricanes. I was never there before so not really sure what it was like.

 

Edited January 13, 2022 by hotzej
not our post

[electricguy]

Thanks for your great review.  We board Sunday for 13 days.

[0106]

Lovely review. 
 

I rave about Grand Turk because the snorkeling there is wonderful and near the port.  I always book a private trip and avoid the crowded cruise tours

[waiting2retire]

Thanks so much for taking the time to post your review and great photos!  My daughter and I are booked on the April transatlantic and have decided to go ahead with final payment after seeing what awaits us 💕.  Can’t wait to explore every inch of this new and beautiful ship. 
 

I might still consider an up sell to a suite for the right price, but I have a particular fondness for houndstooth and was disappointed to see different carpets in the suites.   Will definitely give the Dutch Cafe a try. 

[Bostonjetset]

22 minutes ago, electricguy said:

Thanks for your great review.  We board Sunday for 13 days.

Enjoy!!! 
 

15 minutes ago, 0106 said:

Lovely review. 
 

I rave about Grand Turk because the snorkeling there is wonderful and near the port.  I always book a private trip and avoid the crowded cruise tours

Thanks! 
We don’t snorkel so that may be why we don’t have the same appreciation for GT. 
 

5 minutes ago, waiting2retire said:

Thanks so much for taking the time to post your review and great photos!  My daughter and I are booked on the April transatlantic and have decided to go ahead with final payment after seeing what awaits us 💕.  Can’t wait to explore every inch of this new and beautiful ship. 
 

I might still consider an up sell to a suite for the right price, but I have a particular fondness for houndstooth and was disappointed to see different carpets in the suites.   Will definitely give the Dutch Cafe a try. 

I like the houndstooth carpet in the regular staterooms too but oh well. We did enjoy the extra space of a Vista Suite but suites aren’t a must for us; in fact during the before times we often got inside staterooms. With the Covid mess I think we prefer to at least have a balcony though. 

[Skipper's Mom]

20 hours ago, Bostonjetset said:

DAY 4: 01/04/2021 - 10.48pm [Grand Turk, Turts & Caicos]

 

Today we called at Grand Turk in the Turks & Caicos islands.  Though a British colony, they use the US Dollar as their currency which was easy for us.  The cruise port was purpose-built and is quite lovely with a very nice beach.  We did take a taxi into Cockburn Town which is the capital city and turned our to be less than lovely.  The buildings were mostly run down and not in a charming way like Havana.  There were a few local shops in dilapidated buildings selling mostly junky souvenirs for more money then even the cruise port shops.  Very few artisan products other than some carved wood sculptures that one finds throughout the region.  I have higher hopes for the Dominican Republic tomorrow.

 

Back on board brought us to another lunch in the wonderful Grand Dutch Cafe again.  This is such a great venue and HAL would do well by adding it to all their ships.  

 

The fabulous quartet at Lincoln Center Stage performed a wonderful Mozart program this afternoon; they are very talented!  The show tonight was called "Billboard Off the Charts" and was a collab between the amazing Step One dancers and the Billboard Onboard pianist/singer duo.  Li loved it so much that we went back for the second show at 9.30pm after we ate dinner.  So far both World Stage productions have been wonderful.

 

 

A visit to Jack's Bar on the beach is terrific!

 

 

[Cruisercl]

@BostonjetsetThanks for the great review of your cruise!

The pictures were wonderful.......😊

[sunshine100]

Great review and pictures!  We were on Rotterdam for 10 days over Thanksgiving. We enjoyed every aspect of our cruise--the crew, the ship, the entertainment, the food, our room(veranda). Our ports were Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, HMC, Amber Cove,  and San Juan.  Did not want our cruise to end--absolutely no complaints!

[Turtles06]

Thank you so much for taking the time to post this excellent review and your beautiful photos.  

 

We are booked on the Rotterdam for July 2023 -- Norwegian fjords and North Cape -- and your review makes me even more excited!  (Still a long way off though.  🙂 )

 

Thanks again, and stay safe. 

[RICHARD@SEA]

So nice to see that you mentioned Vizcaya....James Deering mansion - it really is spectacular & the site couldn't be more beautiful. Since it was built & furnished w European Antiques - it truly rivals any estate in Europe.

 

About 3 years ago I first discovered Vizcaya & so enjoyed visiting it.  at that time it was struggling to survive - they did have a gift shop that sold odds & ends.  I bought one of the original door knockers from the estate & used it in my home ever since. Several years ago I met a manager from the estate & asked me to donate it back

Thankfully  Vizcaya is in much better financial footing today & many more people will get to enjoy it - before Miami sinks.