Rotterdam - Hide and Go Seek

[81Zoomie]

 Found - Contrary to what we were told in Rudi’s and the Pinnacle, we sighted red (Maine) lobster tails in Tamirand.  Our server confirmed they were Maine lobster tails.  Wish we had known…

[YourWorldWithBill]

5 hours ago, 81Zoomie said:

Found - The tour busses did not get to the funicular early.  We bought our tickets online and took the 9 am tram up.  It’s a lovely view with lots of walking trails at the top.  We lucked out with a peak of blue sky and just a few dibbles of rain.  We took the 10 am tram back down, but you can hike both ways if you wish.

 

Hint - We would have loved to take some reindeer sausage home to share with our neighbors.  However, this type of meat is not allowed to be imported to the US.  So, we thought… maybe caviar.  Apparently, there are also strict limits on the quantity and type of those imports as well. Perhaps we will just be sharing our pictures 😊

 

Thanks for the interesting, thorough reports!

When we took the funicular in May, the wind was so strong up there it was challenging!

My wife bought a bit of caviar in the market, as small amounts are okay.

[SDARCH]

my sister just told me her supervisor is the mother of a pianist currently on the Rotterdam

[PROCRUISE]

On 7/9/2023 at 11:14 AM, electro said:

Can you tell me if the bathroom sockets take polarized plugs?

 

I thought HAL casinos were non smoking. there was no smoke on the NA and zaandam cruises I was on.

The only four HAL ships that have non smoking casinos are: Eurodam, Westerdam, Oosterdam and Zuiderdam.

[Crew News]

1 hour ago, PROCRUISE said:

The only four HAL ships that have non smoking casinos are: Eurodam, Westerdam, Oosterdam and Zuiderdam.

The Nieuw Amsterdam is a non-smoking casino and I confirmed just two months ago.

[PROCRUISE]

18 minutes ago, Crew News said:

The Nieuw Amsterdam is a non-smoking casino and I confirmed just two months ago.

That's good to know.

I suppose the next big issue, currently THE ISSUE on the Celebrity boards, is their "trial" period of allowing vaping in the casino on two of their ships. Over whelming response has been negative but you know the higher ups think this will draw younger clients. Of course if they think they'll be able to confine vaping to just the casinos, they really are blind. Had a friend just come off a Virgin cruise and said people were vaping all over the ship!

Edited July 13, 2023 by PROCRUISE

[electro]

13 hours ago, Crew News said:

The Nieuw Amsterdam is a non-smoking casino and I confirmed just two months ago.

Yes, it was definitely  non smoking when I was on in June.

It is disappointing that the Rotterdam casino is not non smoking. I will be on her in Oct. I guess I will spend less time in the casino.

[81Zoomie]

We are back on board after our last port call of this cruise.

 

The morning started out with moderate rain at our dock in Sandnes.  Somehow the Rotterdam drew the long straw and we were 15km away from our published port of Stavanger.  We opted for the 55€ Hop On Hop Off Bus/transfer in case the weather was bad.  Good decision.  We had to walk a circuitous route off the ship to the bus and we’re pretty wet from the start.  Once seated on the bus we were told the only transfer back to the ship was at 4 pm. It rained so hard we didn’t see much from the foggy bus windows.  When we arrived in Stavanger we saw the jumbo AIDA Nova (4000+ pax) and the Viking Juniper (900 pax).

 

 

Good News - HOHO stop #4 was at the Petroleum museum and we arrived at 9:45.  We were actually first in line for the 10am opening.  It was very interesting and we learned a lot about oil exploration.  There are a lot of interactive exhibits for children as well.  We then walked to the canning and graphics museums.  They were interesting as too.  The canning museum smoked sample sardines in the old smoker and allowed you to grab one from the rack. I am really not a fish person, but when in Norway, I had to give it a go.  We ate lunch at one of the waterside cafes.  DH got an unexpectedly large salmon sandwich.  By the time we finished lunch, the rain had cleared and we had some blue sky and sun.  We walked some of the old sections with adorable white clad houses, beautiful flowers, and narrow streets.

 

Now happy to be back on the ship and relaxing for our final sail away toward Amsterdam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 13, 2023 by 81Zoomie

[Crew News]

2 hours ago, electro said:

Yes, it was definitely  non smoking when I was on in June.

It is disappointing that the Rotterdam casino is not non smoking. I will be on her in Oct. I guess I will spend less time in the casino.

While aboard last December, I was told that the Casino has a very small slot machine smoking area with very powerful air-cleaning devices to keep the smoke contained. 

[81Zoomie]

2 hours ago, Crew News said:

While aboard last December, I was told that the Casino has a very small slot machine smoking area with very powerful air-cleaning devices to keep the smoke contained. 

There is a small room with zero atmosphere and no signs I noticed about any requirements for being or not being in this open space. In this day and age I am very surprised that HAL knowingly subjects its staff and customers to a well documented health hazard in indoor public spaces.  The effects permeate the entire casino and adjacent areas.

Edited July 13, 2023 by 81Zoomie

[81Zoomie]

Two ships passing in the night.  Nieuw Statendam sailing north off the coast of Norway while the Rotterdam sails south.

[81Zoomie]

In the middle of the deep blue North Sea.  It’s warmer, partly sunny and partly cloudy, with calm seas.  Just us and the oil rigs.  Regardless of which side of the petroleum debate you fall on, the oil platforms are a remarkable feat of engineering.  At the petroleum museum we learned that there is a company in Norway that is pumping CO2 emissions deep underground for storage.  Similar technology for pumping in and out!
 

A few nights ago The casino delivered chocolate covered strawberries our cabin.  We joked we would rather have a casino offer.  As others have mentioned, DH got his offer today (last day).  $250 of free play did not entice us, so we shall pass on this one.  We did book an another cruise on board, but this offer says new bookings only.  I guess it can’t hurt to ask….. 🤷‍♀️.

 

We also received our HAL tile.  It’s a nice remembrance.  Last cruise we only received a sticker of the Nieuw Amsterdam.

 

I am posting a pic of the laundry package options since that is a frequently asked question.

 

Seek and you will find - There is a large drawer at the foot of each bed.  Kindly ask your cabin steward to remove any extra bedding that might be stored there and you will have extra storage space!

 

Well, it’s time to pack a little more.  We fly home tomorrow.  I will post a recap of our cruise shortly.  We did have a wonderful time!!!

 

 

[Ellencruise]

Thanks for taking the time to give this informative report. Boarding Rotterdam 7/29! Can’t wait!

[81Zoomie]

42 minutes ago, Ellencruise said:

Thanks for taking the time to give this informative report. Boarding Rotterdam 7/29! Can’t wait!

I’m sure you will have a great time 😁

 

[mebruch67]

Have enjoyed reading your posts, as my family and I will be on the Rotterdam in a couple of weeks.  Can you share the disembarkation schedule for when the ship docks in Amsterdam?  I'm looking to see what time self-assist disembarkation is scheduled to begin versus what time HAL transfers disembark the ship.  We've got an early flight out of AMS, and I'm thinking self-assist may be the way to go.

 

Thanks!

[badtwin]

Would also like to know the schedule for those staying on board for the next cruise. When may they get off and when must they return.  Thank for your posts.  Been very helpful 

[YourWorldWithBill]

12 hours ago, 81Zoomie said:

A few nights ago The casino delivered chocolate covered strawberries our cabin.  We joked we would rather have a casino offer.  As others have mentioned, DH got his offer today (last day).  $250 of free play did not entice us, so we shall pass on this one.  

You will probably get an offer a week or two (or three) after getting home, that will be for either a free cabin or reduced fare. I don't know how that works if you already booked another cruise, but I bet you get something. I was offered $150 free play, but got the cruise price offers after returning home, and was told that both cannot be used on the same cruise, but every offer is different.

[NCTribeFan]

The entire starboard side of slots (from entering from the shop area up to the bar) was smoking.  Sadly, some of my favorite slots were only on that side of the room.  On busy nights (and we had a quite a few on those 26 nights), the smoke was quite noticeable all the way over to the tables.

 

Looking forward to the non-smoking casino on Eurodam again.  Too bad the roulette wheel is directly across from the makes-my-ears-bleed piano bar.  

 

I'm booked on Volendam to Hawaii this November but will probably cancel.  Hoping to get a casino offer for the same time frame even if it's "only" another Caribbean cruise.  I only get free interiors with a little casino cash but hard to pass up a "free" cabin.  Disembarking Rotterdam on 4/30/23 and not sailing again until mid January 2024 is a long time without a cruise!  I'm going through withdrawal!

[81Zoomie]

On 7/14/2023 at 3:26 PM, mebruch67 said:

Have enjoyed reading your posts, as my family and I will be on the Rotterdam in a couple of weeks.  Can you share the disembarkation schedule for when the ship docks in Amsterdam?  I'm looking to see what time self-assist disembarkation is scheduled to begin versus what time HAL transfers disembark the ship.  We've got an early flight out of AMS, and I'm thinking self-assist may be the way to go.

 

Thanks!

Hi from over the deep blue Atlantic.  Only now we are 37,000 ft up.  A short recap on disembarkation.

 

Luggage had to be outside the room by midnight.  I hang my clothes for disembarking on a separate hanger.  I learned this from my parents.  One time on a family cruise my dad packed his pants and had to wear a pair of my Mom’s pants off the ship 🤣

 

Our flight from AMS was scheduled to depart at 1pm.  Three days ago DH went on the Schipol website and booked the latest security timed appointment which was 9:45 - 10am and preordered an 8:45 Uber.  We selected Gray color tags and were off the boat at 8am.  Self disembarkation started about 7:30am.

 

No one checked the color of the tags as we got off the ship.  We got off mid ship  and then had to walk the entire length of the terminal on wooden deck like flooring. It was a longer walk than we anticipated. Once downstairs, we had to walk back to the middle of the building.  It looked like all the bags were placed in their color groups by the time we looked.  We found ours easily, and were out of the building at 8:15.

 

Hint - There are restrooms inside the baggage area.  We did not see any by the outside waiting areas.

 

Taxi pickups are straight out and to the left.  Ride share and private pickups are at the “Meeting Point” to the right.  It was pretty congested out front. It appeared tours and transfers were out the back toward the pier.  The sidewalks, like most of Amsterdam and Norway are spaced bricks.  They are not the most conducive for rolling bags over.  We were lucky to have a nice weather day.  Other than an umbrella or two, there is no shelter out front of the terminal if it is raining.

 

Our Uber was on time at 8:45 and there was little traffic on the highway since it was Saturday.  We arrived at Schipol at 9:10.  We found the KLM economy line that handles Delta.  There were about 15 people in front of us.  However, there were only 3 agents, and two were only working unaccompanied minors.  So we waited, and waited.  We were fortunate as the line grew and snaked longer and longer behind us. We finally made it through at 9:55.  We got to security at 9:58.  We had priority, so we just stayed in that lane.  That took 5 minutes.  Passport was about a 10 minute line.  It’s facial recognition self service for many countries.  When it was all done it took about an hour from arrival to the inside gate terminal area.  I never did see a Priority check in lane for KLM/Delta. Warning - The line to check in behind us could have been an hour+.

 

Our inbound plane was 30 minutes late arriving.  Our 15 min delayed departure turned out to be a one hour and 20 minute delayed departure.  We spent over an hour sitting on the plane before we departed.  I’m grateful I had some pretzels and water, because it was almost 3 pm before we were served any food.  And speaking of food, nothing shocks you back into reality faster than an airline meal served with wooden utensils in cardboard containers.  Wine in a plastic cup tops off the experience 😂.

 

With our delay, we will now have about an hour in Atlanta to deplane, grab and recheck our bags, clear immigration, and scramble to our 2nd flight. It is almost Deja vu of our experience last year.  Wish us luck! 
 

Back in the USA!  We didn’t make our connection and were rebooked.  Spent nearly 11 hours on the plane by the time we made it to ATL.  Took the scenic route via West Virginia, and Chattanooga, Tenn. 🤪🥲😩. Now waiting for our next flight and seat assignments.  On a positive note, there was a piano bar in the food court.  So we ordered our fast food burgers listening to music!  Kind of easing our way back to reality.

 

It’s been a long travel day and we are really looking forward to sleeping in our own bed.  Hope your journeys home are safe and uneventful!

 

Edited July 16, 2023 by 81Zoomie

[badtwin]

We have what I consider a ridiculously early flight out of Schipol in October.   Will be disembarking Rotterdam so wondered I wondered if the kind and helpful authors of these posts are still watching this discussion.  

Usually we would just go on the train but given the walk from port to station and timing, I am trying to decide between ship's transfer or cab.  Never done a ship's transfer and I wondered how early they run or if you had to wait until the first bus was filled or what.

 

I called HAL about this. Not a clue what I was worried about.

 

Thank you

 

 

 

 

[VMax1700]

26 minutes ago, badtwin said:

We have what I consider a ridiculously early flight out of Schipol in October.   Will be disembarking Rotterdam so wondered I wondered if the kind and helpful authors of these posts are still watching this discussion.  

Usually we would just go on the train but given the walk from port to station and timing, I am trying to decide between ship's transfer or cab.  Never done a ship's transfer and I wondered how early they run or if you had to wait until the first bus was filled or what.

 

I called HAL about this. Not a clue what I was worried about.

 

Thank you

 

 

 

 

I would go with a taxi as the ship transfer is not the fastest to get loaded and away.

Have a look at staxi.nl to prebook a taxi,  they quote €66.50 for the trip from Cruise Terminal to the Airport for 8.00 am  collection 2 people on October 7th.  Probably not much more than 2x HAL transfers.

[kazu]

57 minutes ago, badtwin said:

We have what I consider a ridiculously early flight out of Schipol in October.   Will be disembarking Rotterdam so wondered I wondered if the kind and helpful authors of these posts are still watching this discussion.  

Usually we would just go on the train but given the walk from port to station and timing, I am trying to decide between ship's transfer or cab.  Never done a ship's transfer and I wondered how early they run or if you had to wait until the first bus was filled or what.

 

I called HAL about this. Not a clue what I was worried about.

 

Thank you

 

 

 

 

 

21 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

I would go with a taxi as the ship transfer is not the fastest to get loaded and away.

Have a look at staxi.nl to prebook a taxi,  they quote €66.50 for the trip from Cruise Terminal to the Airport for 8.00 am  collection 2 people on October 7th.  Probably not much more than 2x HAL transfers.

 

I completely agree with Colin.  Take a cab.  You need time at Schipol to get through the stuff to be in time to board.  

 

You’ll lose time waiting for luggage to be loaded on the bus and a pile of people to load - not to mention the wait time for stickers, etc.

[VMax1700]

Too late to edit post but be aware that you can now book a time slot for security at AMS

 

https://www.schiphol.nl/en/page/timeslots/

[81Zoomie]



Final overall thoughts on the Midnight Sun cruise and the Rotterdam.  The good, the bad, and the surprising!

 

The Good 

- The Rotterdam, just about 2 years old is in excellent condition!  It’s an update on the Vista and Signature class ships, but HAL didn’t break the mold.  The colors are more neutral and tasteful, but not starkly modern.  It’s a nice blend.  There are still a lot of intimate spaces and bars where you can enjoy a conversation and/or a drink.  HAL kept “real balconies”, with comfortable chairs and foot rests.   There is ample storage in the non suite categories.  The large glass showers with hand wand, plenty of hot water, and ample pressure are awesome!  You can walk around the entire promenade deck.  The 2 story pool deck enclosure is great for in-climate and cool weather.  For us, this all amounts to a a big win.

- Norway is stunning!  We would definitely visit again.  Words simply can’t explain how beautiful it is.

- With the exception of the first 2 days we were lucky with nice weather and sunshine.

- The food in the main dining room was good to very good.  Prime rib, filet mignon, halibut, shrimp cocktail, and baked Alaska were all offered at least once.

- HAL does it’s best to accommodate food allergies.  You can preorder dinner the day before.  

- Good supply and variety of beer, wine, and spirits. And, peanuts at the bars!

- Multiple music venues.

 

The Bad

- Smoking in the casino.  Smoke filled the space some nights and overflowed into the adjacent stairwells and lounges.  The area smelled even when the casino was closed. Perhaps HAL has decided a revenue stream is more important than the health of the crew and passengers?  Smoking indoors is contrary to all the “green” initiatives on the ships.

- I’m not a fan of the linear station set up in the Lido.  Lines snake from 2 directions with no real flow.  Coffee and water are near the ends.  It was sometimes difficult to find seating or your companion.  

- Tiny desserts.  “Cake” sometimes arrived in the size of a thin cupcake.  “Cheesecake” came in the same skinny cupcake size, like an jello mold, and without crust. The ice cream sundaes were also quite small.  I suppose you could always ask for another, but to be honest, they were not that appealing.

- Removal of the wine stewards.  Just not as refined to have the waiter ask you what wine you want.  “Do you want wine or drinks?”  And, not all of the waiters are skilled at opening a bottle.

 

The Surprising

 - This was the first cruise in years where there was little emphasis on hand washing or sanitizing before entering eating venues.  No one to remind you, no one holding gel, nothing but a few brief mentions in announcements.  There were sinks up in the Lido that were rarely used except by crew.  There were sanitizer stations about, but most passengers just passed by.  Only exceptions were when we were asked to use the gel when boarding the ship in port.

- Not all the staff appeared happy as in the past on HAL.  Several people mentioned this.  If I had to name one location, I would say the food servers in the Lido seemed to be the least cheerful.

- Metering of some items.  Butter, syrup, low sugar syrup, jelly in the Lido were behind the glass and you had to ask.  You could self serve rolls and pastry, but you had to stand in line and ask for butter, etc.

- Bar service was very consistent.  Every bar tender measured and you rarely saw an over pour, much less a generous one.  I only saw one in 14 days.

- HAL still has “art auctions” or expositions nearly daily.  Various venues were closed at times to accommodate the promotions.

- Laundry sometimes came back the same evening we sent it out.  It was the fastest laundry service we have ever experienced on a ship!

- Gangway and security areas on the lower decks are very small.  This is one area that could be improved on a new build.

- It was standing room only for the Port talks in the World Stage.  They were not broadcast or rebroadcast on TV.

 

Inconsistent

- The service at anytime dining in the main dining room was widely inconsistent.  Some waiters seemed overly busy.  One night we never saw our waiter, only the assistant waiter.  Sometimes water was refilled, sometimes not.  One night dinner took well over an hour.  One night we were out in just over 30 minutes.

- Docking locations.  HAL seemed to be the line that was berthed outside of the city center.  We were 17 km away from Stavanger and near the shipping containers in Bergen, while other ships were docked in the city centers. Could be a coincidence?

 

Final Thoughts

- We have sailed many of the HAL ships and the Rotterdam is our favorite to date.  We had a very relaxing and enjoyable experience on a beautiful ship!  Given a choice between the Celebrity Edge class and the HAL Pinnacle class we would select a Pinnacle class ship if pricing and itinerary were similar and we were in a verandah cabin category or below.  The overall quality of food, service, and venues is in our opinion, better on HAL.  However, while we love the Signature and Neptune suites, the suite amenities on HAL do not match that on other lines with a more comprehensive suite experience.  We love to cruise, and plan to sail the Rotterdam again next year 🛳️.  Hope to see you on board!

 

 

 

[badtwin]

Thanks

 

I was leaning toward taxi unless the ship transfer was somehow earlier.  Luckily we (well DH) is strong enough we can self disembark and hopefully get off around 7:30

 

And thanks for reminder or security appointments.