SS Rotterdam Hotel

[ski ww]

Has anyone used the old SS Rotterdam ship as a hotel for an over night in Rotterdam? How is it compared price wise to a city hotel?

[princeton123211]

2 hours ago, ski ww said:

Has anyone used the old SS Rotterdam ship as a hotel for an over night in Rotterdam? How is it compared price wise to a city hotel?

Had a great night onboard in 2019. Compared very favorably price wise with just about any 4-5 star hotel in town-- Rotterdam is not a very expensive place to begin with when compared to a lot of other major European cities. 

 

You do have to take a taxi or Uber to or from the hotel as it is out on its own and a bit of a walk to anything. The ship itself was my main reason for staying there so it wasn't that much of an issue although I did venture over to Hotel New York (the former Holland America offices) which was also a treat. 

 

The tours onboard are very insightful and the ship's public spaces are immaculately preserved. Onboard food and bars are great-- the Ocean Bar is like stepping back in time. If you are a ship enthusiast or a mid century enthusiast staying here is a must. 

 

The rooms are very nice but they are updated and modernized in a way that the rest of the ship's preserved public spaces are not. I think the original cabins were thought to be too small so most were enlarged by knocking down walls etc and putting in new fittings. Most of this is evident in the bathrooms which are large and modern-- the bedrooms still have a vintage feel although you can tell they aren't original. 

 

Couldn't recommend the SS Rotterdam enough for a quick overnight-- I wish I had planned for 2 nights instead of 1. 

[ski ww]

We're planning two nights pre cruise. My first HAL cruise was on the Rotterdam, Nov 1981. Don't know if that is the ship that was turned into a hotel 

[harola]

 

54 minutes ago, ski ww said:

We're planning two nights pre cruise. My first HAL cruise was on the Rotterdam, Nov 1981. Don't know if that is the ship that was turned into a hotel 

 

This hotel was a cruise ship until 1997. So she is definitely the ship from 1981!

[princeton123211]

3 hours ago, ski ww said:

We're planning two nights pre cruise. My first HAL cruise was on the Rotterdam, Nov 1981. Don't know if that is the ship that was turned into a hotel 

You'll recognize her for the most part with the exception of the cabins. The public spaces are nearly essentially unchanged, right down to the furniture, from 1959 which is extraordinary. Total time capsule that's been lovingly taken care of. 

[cruiseaholic78]

We have had a few receptions there, eaten in the restaurant and DH has stayed overnight (it was a business do). I can’t imagine any better place to start a cruise holiday.

 

Try using a water taxi its great fun and they can drop you off at your SS hotel.

https://rotterdamnetherlands.com/water-taxi-rotterdam/

 

Happy planning

Rosalyn

[FreestyleNovice]

4 hours ago, ski ww said:

We're planning two nights pre cruise. My first HAL cruise was on the Rotterdam, Nov 1981. Don't know if that is the ship that was turned into a hotel 

 

Here's some more in depth info about her:

https://ssrotterdam.com/who-are-we/history/

[ski ww]

Thanks for all the info about the Rotterdam, looking forward to getting back on board to see how much I remember.