Live Cruise Report: HAL Rotterdam, Feb 5 - 13, 2022 / Western Caribbean

[BelleEpoque]

7 hours ago, canadianbear said:

Hope you had a great day at HMC-it’s such a pretty place, we love it there.  
 

I imagine you were exhausted.  When we fly to Ft Lauderdale we have to be up at 2:30am and that makes for a very, very long day.  We try to stay 2 nights just to relax before a cruise. 

I really enjoy my siestas when cruising. It feels like a true luxury. But, yes, I was really tired yesterday. Plus the extra hoops you jump through these days just to get on a ship add to the exhaustion. 

[canadianbear]

Your cabin looks great!  Thanks for the photos of it.  I wonder if you feel the motion more as the cabin us quite forward isn’t it? 
 

Our daughter in law did the horseback riding at HMC and enjoyed it and riding in the water.  She has her own horse but still wanted to do this.  Was there a reason the horses didn’t go in this time?

 

Goad to hear you are napping and relaxing!  Exactly what cruising should be.    

 

Edited February 7, 2022 by canadianbear

[BelleEpoque]

4 minutes ago, canadianbear said:

Your cabin looks great!  Thanks for the photos of it.  I wonder if you feel the motion more as the cabin us quite forward isn’t it? 
 

Our daughter in law did the horseback riding at HMC and enjoyed it and riding in the water.  She has her own horse but still wanted to do this.  Was there a reason the horses didn’t go in this time?

 

Goad to hear you are napping and relaxing!  Exactly what cruising should be.    

 

I don’t think I feel the motion more in my cabin. In fact, I think I feel it less but that could be perception because I’m usually in bed when I’m in the cabin. lol 

 

No horses in the water today out of concern for the horses and the cruisers. The sea was pretty rough today and the waves were coming in high (hope that makes sense - I’m bad with maritime terms). As you and your daughter probably know, horses don’t like water in their ears and they would have easily been up to their ears in it today. 

 

I love this cabin. If you don’t mind being forward and on a lower deck, it’s a great deal. I think it’s about the same size as an interior but having the ocean view window makes all the difference for me. I also love being just a few decks away from dining and entertainment since I tend to take the stairs. Yet it’s amazingly quiet in spite of being so close to the action. I think with these newer ships, they’ve kind of figured out the noise thing, for the most part.
 

I don’t think they allow two people in these cabins; however, I would be comfortable here with my other half since we spend so little time in the cabin anyway.

 

In summary, I would without hesitation book it again if I were sailing solo.

[glorialagos]

Can't wait to hear and thank you so much.

 

I will be boarding the Rotterdam in two weeks.  My husband passed away in June and it has been a very difficult year.  I am traveling with a dear friend but I am happy to see how many solo cruisers there are.  My husband loved to cruise, so did I, and we took many.  I know the first without him will be a struggle but I am looking forward to it very much.  I have only taken one HAL, to Alaska, 6 years ago.  As 50 year olds, we felt like the youngsters on the ship!  (it was also an Alaskan cruise so older crowd)

 

Can't wait to follow your journey.  Our itinerary is different but I am most looking forward to hearing about the ship.  I also love to be out and about, visiting the gym (love yoga classes - please report if there are any) and have the spa pass mostly for reading books on the stone chairs.

 

Here's another question - is there anywhere to find popcorn onboard?

 

Have a wonderful trip and thanks again.  I'll check back daily.

[mocruzer]

Appreciate the report.  Any chance you could post the When and Where's?  TIA.  

[Overhead Fred]

27 minutes ago, glorialagos said:

Here's another question - is there anywhere to find popcorn onboard?

 

IIRC, they have popcorn and other "movie snacks" at the NY Deli & Pizza in the evenings

[wdw1972]

Thank you for sharing your trip - love all the detail, and your photos are beautiful!  I sailed in the largest solo oceanview on the port side in early December (a friend was in the one on the starboard side) and I loved it.  Like you said, it's very quiet and I didn't notice any movement at all.  

 

Your cruising style is right up my alley - relax, drink, eat, music - repeatedly 😉

I look forward to my next Rudi's meal - ours was fabulous in December!  Loved the Rotterdam too - such a pretty ship.  Enjoy!

 

Sue/WDW1972

[canadianbear]

Hoping you aren’t relaxing so much you’ve forgotten about us tagging along with you on here!! 
 

Thanks  for the explanation about why the horses didn’t go in the water-that makes sense.  
 

I will definitely look into the solo cabins if I have to start going alone.  Even if going with a friend in the future I doubt I’d share a room again-both friends I went with (on separate cruises) snored so bad!  I really appreciated being with my husband again on our next cruise, lol. 

[BelleEpoque]

On 2/7/2022 at 9:24 AM, glorialagos said:

Can't wait to hear and thank you so much.

 

I will be boarding the Rotterdam in two weeks.  My husband passed away in June and it has been a very difficult year.  I am traveling with a dear friend but I am happy to see how many solo cruisers there are. 

 

Can't wait to follow your journey.  Our itinerary is different but I am most looking forward to hearing about the ship.  I also love to be out and about, visiting the gym (love yoga classes - please report if there are any) and have the spa pass mostly for reading books on the stone chairs.

 

Here's another question - is there anywhere to find popcorn onboard?

Hi Gloria- Sorry for your loss. I hope you enjoy your solo cruise. I have met more than one solo cruiser with a story similar to yours, so I think you’ll find others to empathize with. But also, the vast majority of the cruisers are incredibly friendly so you definitely won’t be alone in anyway, unless you choose to be. 
 

I have spend lots of time reading a mystery now and listening to a sci-fi audiobook on the heated stone chairs in the spa lounge, so you’ll be happy there. (My advice is to prebook

the thermal spa if you can as the price goes up if you book it on board.)

 

I have seen the yoga class on the schedule at least twice. (There is also a stretching class, cycling and total body conditioning class. I think that only the cycling class has an extra fee.)

 

They have had popcorn on Deck 10, which overlooks the lido, at night when movies are screened on the big screen next to the lido pool. 

[BelleEpoque]

On 2/7/2022 at 9:47 AM, mocruzer said:

Appreciate the report.  Any chance you could post the When and Where's?  TIA.  

Yes, I have been saving them. I’ll try to take photos today and post a few of them. But I mostly use the app’s Itinerary function, which does work well. 

[BelleEpoque]

Days 3 and 4:

 

Day 3 was a sea day, following HMC and en route to Falmouth, Jamaica. It was one of those perfect day where I did very little, as planned. I also met many of my fellow shipmates, including a couple of solo cruisers, though I didn’t attend the solos and singles lunch. (I did meet someone who attended the solo lunch and they said it was lovely but it was roughly six women and one man; I’ll admit to being a man’s woman - an offshoot of being a daddy’s girl - so that didn’t really appeal to me. And my experience has been that it’s quite easy to meet people through my normal daily activities.) 
 

I spent most of the day in the incredibly comfortable lounge chairs on the lido deck reading my book and chatting with fellow cruises in the pool and hot tub. I also found time to get a nice spa treatment in the afternoon. I would say that nearly all of the deck chairs at the lido pool were taken during the peak times around 10a - 2p, but it did seem like everyone who wanted a deck chair was able to get one.

 

I went to the whiskey tasting at Notes, which focused on Highland scotch and was great fun. There is a Japanese whiskey tasting later this week and I would love to go but I think the fee is $40. I am trying to stick with the included drinks and dining options going forward (wish me luck).
 

I had dinner that night at the sushi bar at Nami Sushi and the food and experience were both great, including the staff at the restaurant and the other cruisers I met there. Nami’s prices are a la carte and it is located sort of in the same space as Tamarind. I’m excited to use my specialty dining credit at Tamarind later this week - I have heard only good things. 
 

I had caught a performance on the Lincoln Center stage, just before the whiskey tasting, that featured a lovely program of French composers and musicians, including music by Debussy, Ravel, and others, plus a medley of songs popularized by Edith Piaf. But that night I went to bed shortly after dinner, so I didn’t catch the stage show or any other performances on Music Walk. 

 

I awoke early on Day 4 (no surprise there). I did disembark and take a stroll through the Falmouth cruise port. I wasn’t in the mood for an excursion, so I spent about an hour in port browsing through the straw market and then headed back on board. I have spent a lot of time in Jamaica, so I kind of treated it like a sea day. And I once again spent most of my day poolside at the lido deck and relaxing in the spa. 
 

i missed out on the music yesterday because I chose to spend time in the casino and at the Half Moon Bar (which I absolutely loved; if you enjoy craft cocktails, the Half Moon is not to be missed - some photos below). Food that day was all quick and casual, except I did do breakfast in main dining, which is one of the few meals I enjoy taking there. Lunch was Dive-In burger, so convenient to the lido pool.
 

I had dinner at New York Pizza and Deli. The salads at NYP&D are small but very fresh and good, and the pizzas are outstanding, in my opinion (and I say that as someone who knows both New York and Neapolitan pizza very well, which is an important detail because I do think the pizza is more like what you would find in Naples, Italy than what you would find in the five boroughs of NYC. I prefer Neapolitan-style pizza so it’s a win for me). 
 

In any case, my days tend to be busy with restorative and relaxing activities and I haven’t had nearly as much time to vlog as I expected, but that is definitely a good thing. 
 

Today is another sea day (I love sea days which makes me think that I would also enjoy a Transatlantic cruise). It will look a lot like a combo of Days 3 and 4 but I’ll try to stay out of the casino, though I have to admit that I enjoy it so much more since it’s non-smoking and last night it felt like I was winning, but in the end, it was just break even (which is not the ultimate goal but still fine by me).
 

*Note: I rarely do food photos but I’ll try to remember to do a few throughout the week if anyone is interested. I can also post menus later in a separate post. 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Great pictures and posts.    Glad to read about your happy adventures 

[glorialagos]

5 hours ago, BelleEpoque said:

 

I have spend lots of time reading a mystery now and listening to a sci-fi audiobook on the heated stone chairs in the spa lounge, so you’ll be happy there. (My advice is to prebook

the thermal spa if you can as the price goes up if you book it on board.)

 

I have seen the yoga class on the schedule at least twice. (There is also a stretching class, cycling and total body conditioning class. I think that only the cycling class has an extra fee.)

 

They have had popcorn on Deck 10, which overlooks the lido, at night when movies are screened on the big screen next to the lido pool. 

Sounds amazing.  Thank you for answering those questions.  Yes, I have the spa package booked and cannot wait.  I do hope to get some yoga in, and stretching sounds wonderful!

 

Thanks so much and have a relaxing time.

 

[jeh10641]

12 hours ago, BelleEpoque said:

Days 3 and 4:

 

Day 3 was a sea day, following HMC and en route to Falmouth, Jamaica. It was one of those perfect day where I did very little, as planned. I also met many of my fellow shipmates, including a couple of solo cruisers, though I didn’t attend the solos and singles lunch. (I did meet someone who attended the solo lunch and they said it was lovely but it was roughly six women and one man; I’ll admit to being a man’s woman - an offshoot of being a daddy’s girl - so that didn’t really appeal to me. And my experience has been that it’s quite easy to meet people through my normal daily activities.) 
 

I spent most of the day in the incredibly comfortable lounge chairs on the lido deck reading my book and chatting with fellow cruises in the pool and hot tub. I also found time to get a nice spa treatment in the afternoon. I would say that nearly all of the deck chairs at the lido pool were taken during the peak times around 10a - 2p, but it did seem like everyone who wanted a deck chair was able to get one.

 

I went to the whiskey tasting at Notes, which focused on Highland scotch and was great fun. There is a Japanese whiskey tasting later this week and I would love to go but I think the fee is $40. I am trying to stick with the included drinks and dining options going forward (wish me luck).
 

I had dinner that night at the sushi bar at Nami Sushi and the food and experience were both great, including the staff at the restaurant and the other cruisers I met there. Nami’s prices are a la carte and it is located sort of in the same space as Tamarind. I’m excited to use my specialty dining credit at Tamarind later this week - I have heard only good things. 
 

I had caught a performance on the Lincoln Center stage, just before the whiskey tasting, that featured a lovely program of French composers and musicians, including music by Debussy, Ravel, and others, plus a medley of songs popularized by Edith Piaf. But that night I went to bed shortly after dinner, so I didn’t catch the stage show or any other performances on Music Walk. 

 

I awoke early on Day 4 (no surprise there). I did disembark and take a stroll through the Falmouth cruise port. I wasn’t in the mood for an excursion, so I spent about an hour in port browsing through the straw market and then headed back on board. I have spent a lot of time in Jamaica, so I kind of treated it like a sea day. And I once again spent most of my day poolside at the lido deck and relaxing in the spa. 
 

i missed out on the music yesterday because I chose to spend time in the casino and at the Half Moon Bar (which I absolutely loved; if you enjoy craft cocktails, the Half Moon is not to be missed - some photos below). Food that day was all quick and casual, except I did do breakfast in main dining, which is one of the few meals I enjoy taking there. Lunch was Dive-In burger, so convenient to the lido pool.
 

I had dinner at New York Pizza and Deli. The salads at NYP&D are small but very fresh and good, and the pizzas are outstanding, in my opinion (and I say that as someone who knows both New York and Neapolitan pizza very well, which is an important detail because I do think the pizza is more like what you would find in Naples, Italy than what you would find in the five boroughs of NYC. I prefer Neapolitan-style pizza so it’s a win for me). 
 

In any case, my days tend to be busy with restorative and relaxing activities and I haven’t had nearly as much time to vlog as I expected, but that is definitely a good thing. 
 

Today is another sea day (I love sea days which makes me think that I would also enjoy a Transatlantic cruise). It will look a lot like a combo of Days 3 and 4 but I’ll try to stay out of the casino, though I have to admit that I enjoy it so much more since it’s non-smoking and last night it felt like I was winning, but in the end, it was just break even (which is not the ultimate goal but still fine by me).
 

*Note: I rarely do food photos but I’ll try to remember to do a few throughout the week if anyone is interested. I can also post menus later in a separate post. 

Hi,

We, too, love NY Pizzas so my wife was really disappointed with her pepperoni NY pizza in December. We are currently eating pizzas without the crust (health). She scraped the toppings off of her FOUR slices to make a meal. The toppings were very skimpy and really fell short of what we call NY Pizzas. We were both born and raised in and around New York City. Loved Dive In burgers and Nathan Hot Dogs. Usually, I find specialty restaurants not worth the extra fee. Rotterdam broke the rules. We ate at all except Nami Sushi. They were extraordinary and made for our evening entertainment. We ate at 7 PM all four nights. Each dinner was 1.5 to 2 hours long. Worth the time and the cost. We love sea days as well. I find they are the only way to really get to know the ship. I wanted more sea days on our 12/01/21 Caribbean cruise so made a couple of the port days sea days. Your photos are great. Thanks for helping me to bring back memories.

 

Jim

[quilter49]

Can you tell me what movies are playing outside? 

[Greysandy]

The Half Moon Bar looks amazing! I can't wait to try it.

[RedneckBob]

Thanks for the review. Do you know how many passengers on this cruise?

[robear14]

On 2/9/2022 at 7:48 AM, BelleEpoque said:

I went to the whiskey tasting at Notes, which focused on Highland scotch and was great fun. There is a Japanese whiskey tasting later this week and I would love to go but I think the fee is $40. I am trying to stick with the included drinks and dining options going forward (wish me luck).

 

Thank you so much for doing this live review! I'm very curious about Notes - I can't seem to find any reviews about it. My main question is if the bar is only there for tasting events, or is there a bartender there at other times when you can order anything you want?

 

Also curious about the movies that are played in the Lido area - I'm sure the selection is different from what Carnival would be playing!

[tompeter]

On 2/10/2022 at 4:27 PM, robear14 said:

 

Thank you so much for doing this live review! I'm very curious about Notes - I can't seem to find any reviews about it. My main question is if the bar is only there for tasting events, or is there a bartender there at other times when you can order anything you want?

 

Also curious about the movies that are played in the Lido area - I'm sure the selection is different from what Carnival would be playing!

My experience in December....It usually had a bartender assigned in the evenings. Always seemed like there were at least 2-3 people there...