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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Sandra Russell
Email: Jensun@worldnet.att.net
Age: 55
Occupation: Consulting Systems Administrator
NumberOfCruises: 9
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Holland-Rotterdam6
SailingDate: 7/17/98
Itinerary: Scandinavia/Russia
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 75
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 70
CasinoStaff: 80
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 70
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 75
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 75
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 11 Aug 1998
Time: 22:46:44
Remote Name: 12.78.105.254
Remote User:
Comments
Rotterdam VI – July 17-29 Scandinavia/Russia
Background:
Some years ago, my husband and I decided that cruising was the perfect vacation for us. I
am in my mid 50’s, my husband in his early 60’s. Previous
cruises have included eastern, western, southern Caribbean, Panama Canal (San Juan to
Acapulco), Alaska Inside Passage, and New York to Bermuda.
Although our favorite line is Princess, we have also previously cruised with HAL and
Celebrity. This was our first cruise in Europe and we chose the
Rotterdam VI since our first cruise (and honeymoon) was on the Rotterdam V in 1980.
Getting There:
Since we travel rather extensively, I usually prefer to make my own air reservations
rather than leave it up to the cruise line. While HAL had an air add-on
of $995 per person, I was able to purchase tickets directly from British Airways to
Copenhagen, returning from Heathrow for $810. Total cost of the
transfers (taxi’s) in both cities was $80, which resulted in a substantial saving.
This happened to be the same flight that HAL used for a number of their
passengers flying out of Newark, NJ. All flights were on-time, flight attendants were very
friendly, food was halfway decent for airline food BUT – seats
and leg room on these 747’s seemed much more cramped than other wide body flights we
have been on. We arrived in Copenhagen a day early where I
had made my own hotel reservation at the Kong Arthur, resulting in another substantial
saving over the pre-cruise offering from HAL.
Embarkation:
We took at cab to the ship and arrived at 11:45 for what was scheduled to be 1:00
embarkation. Copenhagen does not have a cruise terminal; the taxi
dropped us off outside of a large striped tent where HAL was setting up a table to start
boarding procedures. Within ten minutes, we had surrendered
our cruise vouchers and were walking up the gangway and onto the ship! A really nice touch
was the string quartet playing as we were met by a steward
and escorted to our cabin. We couldn’t believe our good fortune to be in our cabin
ready to head for the Lido buffet before exploring the ship and it was
only NOON!
Our Cabin:
We got rather spoiled a few years ago and always try to get balcony cabins. This one was
mid ship on the Veranda deck on the starboard side (which
turned out to offer the best view when arriving in the ports on this itinerary). The cabin
was quite spacious with 2 twin beds, 2 night tables (2 drawers in
each), a full size leather couch, coffee table, dresser w/nine drawers, small
refrigerator, mini-bar, TV, VCR, 4 large closets opposite the bathroom (one
contained a safe w/key), bathtub w/whirlpool. A full glass wall separated the room from
the balcony which contained a lounge chair, small round table,
and another chair. The balcony is enclosed with safety glass with a wood rail so that even
when seated you are able to enjoy the view. Our suitcases
arrived within an hour and after unpacking, we were able to stow them away under the beds.
During the next 12 days, we found this mini-suite to be very
comfortable.
The Ship:
The ship is a study in contrasts. Many of the public spaces are very well designed and
very attractively decorated. The Queen’s Lounge is one of the best
‘showrooms’ we have seen on a ship. The LaFontaine Dining Room is also
beautiful. Several of the lounges such as the Crow’s Nest (with beautiful
forward views) and the Explorer’s Lounge are also well designed and tasteful. There
are two negatives regarding the design in our view. First, there is
not a lot of open deck space from which you can enjoy the sea. In fact, I would consider a
balcony a necessity on this ship if you enjoy sea vistas and sea
air. Secondly, the galley runs from side to side on the Promenade Deck so that when
leaving the first floor of the dining room, you must go either up or
down. From the pier, it does not have the lines of a classic ship as the previous
Rotterdam did.
As with all HAL ships, the Rotterdam VI has an enormous amount of art displayed but it
seems as if the designers couldn’t decide on a common theme.
Much of the Eastern Art, and in particular the terra cotta horses, is rather jarring when
you come upon it as you round a corner on one of the inside
promenades.
We had booked this trip before the ship had finished its sea trials and became more and
more apprehensive as we read of problems with plumbing,
air-conditioning, vibration, water coming into balcony cabins, etc. In fact, we had read
so many poor reviews, that I tried to get on the Royal Princess for
the same itinerary but wasn’t able to get a balcony cabin. Fortunately, the problems
we experienced were minimal. At times, we felt the a/c was not very
good, however, since the weather we experienced was mostly in the high 60’s to low
70’s, it wasn’t really taxed. Both the Baltic and the North Sea were
as smooth as glass but we did notice some vibration in certain parts of the dining room.
On two different days, we had two to three hour periods when the
toilet would not flush. This is a recurring problem on the higher decks that they plan to
address when in dry dock in October. On two different evenings we
had hotel staff at our table at dinner. Both of them seemed to indicate they couldn’t
wait to get the ship into dry dock because of the numerous problems
as noted above.
Food:
Dinners served in the LaFontaine dining room were generally very good with a lot of
variety. There were two fish entrees every night and for the most
part all that we tried was excellent. They even did a better than usual job with the
lobster tails which are often rubbery and tasteless when served on
cruise ships. The Lido buffet had great variety and usually was pretty good but often hot
food was not hot enough to suit me. Therefore, we tried to eat
breakfast and lunch in the dining room as much as possible; however, in open seating, we
were not always pleased with the service. Our regular dining
steward was superb but we felt the kitchen was often slow, particularly at breakfast and
lunch. The real dining highlight is their alternative restaurant, The
Odyssey. We had two excellent dinners there, food, presentation and service. The only
thing missing from our dining experience was the wonderful pasta
courses that we always enjoy on Princess ships.
Service Staff:
HAL really does a good job of training their staff. Our dinner companions joked that they
go to Indonesia, line up all the interested young men and
choose the ones with the brightest smiles. Our cabin steward was wonderful – took
care of lots of little requests cheerfully and promptly. Nothing like
starting your day with room service breakfast and a cheerful good morning from your
smiling steward. In general, the staff encountered throughout the
ship was always friendly. I was impressed that the bar waiters don’t constantly
bother you when relaxing on the deck.
Entertainment:
If you have cruised a lot, you know the routine. A magician, a comedian, a lot of very
energetic young people who sing and dance in a variety of
costumes, etc. Nothing outstanding in this area but a pleasant way to spend an evening. We
enjoyed several recent movies in the Wajang Theater,
complete with freshly made popcorn. I didn’t find the casino to be very
user-friendly; in other words, it took all the money we were willing to part with! We
particularly enjoyed the port lecturer and their Flagship Forum ‘Enrichment’
lecturer who focused on an overview of the history of the areas we were
visiting.
Shore Excursions:
Being first-timers to this itinerary, we took tours in all but one of the ports. In
general they were very good with excellent local guides, very well
organized, and used very comfortable coaches. HAL does a good job of moving people. On our
first morning in St. Petersburg, 1,000 people went out on
morning tours, on time too!
The Itinerary:
Copenhagen: 5:00 p.m. The ship sailed about an hour late because a plane had been delayed
bringing other guests. Our first full day was a sea day
sailing across the Baltic to Estonia.
Tallin, Estonia: 7:30 – 5 This was a delightful stop with a charming, walled Old Town
that had a beautiful Russian Orthodox Cathedral. This country became
independent in 1991 and is hard at work reconstructing their economy.
St. Petersburg: two full days – we awoke at this major port to find a local brass
band playing their version of American music in front of a small passenger
terminal. This was a wonderful stop. We particularly enjoyed the Hermitage and the
Peterhof Palace and Gardens. What a contrast between the splendor
that was and the poverty they are trying to get out from under today. This is the only
port that welcomed American dollars rather than their own currency.
Helsinki: 6 – 5:30 Very clean, beautiful city with many parks and green spaces. Saw
Carnival’s 'Paradise' under construction from the window of our tour
bus. It looked HUGE!
Stockholm:8:30 - 4 Since Stockholm is made up of islands, we chose a boat tour that
entered two sets of locks as it made it’s way around the city. The
highlight of Stockholm was cruising through the archipelago on our way back to the Baltic.
Spectacular scenery on a beautiful bright sunny afternoon –
this alone was worth the price of the cruise!
Kalmar, Sweden: 9 – 4:30 We had not chosen a tour here but did take the tender to
shore and found a delightful small town full of flowers with
cobblestone streets and colorful old buildings. This was the only port where we did not
dock but the tender ride was quite smooth and enjoyable.
Warnemunde, Germany (Berlin): 6 – 9 At 7:00 a.m. we boarded a train for a two hour
and forty minute ride to Berlin. Spent the whole day touring the city
with a great buffet lunch at the Intercontinental Hotel then back to the ship around 8:00
p.m. This was a long, tiring day but one filled with sights of
historical significance. All of the countryside that we traveled through had been East
Germany and many of the apartment complexes we passed were
identical to others we saw in St. Petersburg and Estonia.
Arhus, Denmark: 8:00 – 5:00 This was our first day of less than good weather with
heavy clouds, very breezy and quite cool. Although we had planned a
city highlights tour, we opted to stay on the ship and rest from the previous day’s
‘assault on Berlin’. Late morning we took a short stroll on the dock to
look at some local craft displays but mostly we camped out on lounge chairs around the
pool under the sliding canopy which kept out the drizzle.
Oslo, Norway: 8 – 5 Yet another bright, sunny morning as we cruised up the Oslo
fjord. Our tour did the usual city highlights, a Viking ship museum, and
then went about 25 miles out into the countryside to a glassworks factory where we saw a
team of five workers hand blowing wine glasses. The
countryside in Norway is absolutely beautiful! NCL’s Norway was also in port,
evidently for the first time in a long time. A huge local crowd gathered on the
pier and in small boats to see them off when we were also leaving. What a good-looking
ship that is! We cruised back down the fjord for more than two
hours, again encountering beautiful scenery – small villages, sailboats, heavily
forested islands, etc.
At Sea in the North Sea: Another full sea day on the way to Dover and the end of the
cruise. The North Sea was like a lake and we couldn’t get over what
great weather and smooth seas we have had. Next morning we awoke at 5:30 a.m. to noise on
the docks and found they were already removing our
luggage on a gray and foggy morning.
Disembarkation:
Since we had chosen a post cruise stay in London with HAL, we were in one of the last
groups to leave the ship at 9:15. We boarded a tour bus with
guide for the 1-1/2 trip through the countryside to London and then spent about two hours
touring the city until the hotels were ready to take us in. The
guide was very entertaining and we saw most of the highlights with several photo stops.
Overall Impressions:
I loved this itinerary. I am not a fan of hot weather and found the average temperature of
around 70 to be great for sightseeing. We were very fortunate
with weather and were surprised to find the seas to be calmer than any of the Caribbean
cruises we have taken. The average age of the passengers was
probably in the 60 – 65 range however there were about a dozen young children (and
their young parents) on the ship. I also like the fact that HAL
seems to be resisting getting on the nickel and dime ‘em bandwagon that other cruise
lines are moving toward. Their service is so impressive that I
expect we will cruise with HAL again but perhaps not on this ship. This is an expensive
cruise and for the price paid, I certainly expected that my toilet
would flush whenever I wanted it to. It will be interesting to see if they can work out
these problems in dry dock but for my taste there is not enough open
deck space. We have sailed on the Royal Princess twice and love the feeling of the ocean
all around you that you get on that ship with all its open deck
space.
In summary, we had a great time! This is a good line that knows how to deliver a quality
product to their guests. Unless you are looking for a party
atmosphere, you can’t go wrong with Holland America.
Name: John Dvorak
Email: jdvorak@kcstar.com
Age: 49
Occupation: writer
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Holland-Rotterdam6
SailingDate: Nov. 21, 1998
Itinerary: Western Mediterranean
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 85
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 85
ShoreExcVariety: 70
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon: 80
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 80
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors: 100
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess: 95
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 85
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 80
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 10 Dec 1998
Time: 17:47:10
Remote Name: 207.15.4.8
Remote User:
Comments
We took the Western Mediterranean Cruise aboard Holland America's Rotterdam, leaving Rome
Nov. 21, 1998, with day-long port
stops in Valletta, Tunis, Alghero, Livorno, Monaco, Marseille, Malaga, and Casablanca, and
arriving in Lisbon Dec. 3. The
Rotterdam lacks the classic beauty and profile of an ocean liner, but it's an impressive
looking, comfortable, roomy ship. Our
cruise was near the 1,400 passenger maximum, yet we seldom noticed crowding. The dining
room is beautiful and spacious. So
is a top-of-the-ship bar, which has superb views. Public areas are bright and attractive,
and offer plenty of nooks for sitting. Decks
contain adequate space for walking and ocean viewing. There's a pleasant movie theater
complete with free popcorn and showing
recent movies, an excellent workout facility, a casino, a library, and several bars with
decent live entertainment. One swimming
pool is outside. The other is inside under a glass roof that opens in good weather. Nearby
are two jacuzzis. The ship's decor is
overdone and gaudy in places, but not displeasing. Because of poor design in places, it's
easy to get lost on the ship.
Staterooms are pleasant and nicely decorated, with excellent storage space, good bathrooms
with small tubs, a couch, a desk
and a chair, and twin beds that can be made into a small queen size bed. Steward service
was okay. Several passengers
reported noise problems, but many passengers said their rooms were quiet. Our stateroom,
2557, on the Main Deck, was very
quiet and well-located for access to other parts of the ship. Be careful of rooms adjacent
to a public area. Be wary of rooms on
the Lower Promenade Deck, they provide a poor view through windows which overlook a deck
where people frequently walk or
congregate. The veranda rooms were nice, but to justify the expense be sure the veranda
will be used heavily. On this cruise, the
verandas weren't often used. In the LaFontaine Dining Room service was friendly but not
always efficient. Food ranged from
average to superb, with many dishes in the very good category. Soups and salads were
acceptable. Appetizers and deserts were
excellent to fabulous. Main courses were sometimes superb, frequently very good,
occasionally average. The Lido Cafe is open
for breakfast and lunch buffets. It should also be open for casual evening dining, but
isn't. Food and service were generally very
good. Lines were sometimes long. Views are excellent. An ice cream bar is a real treat. A
late-afternoon pizza service is not
worth much. In other locations, the ship has an all-afternoon burger/hot dog/french fry
booth, which provided good food, an all-day
espresso and coffee both, which was excellent, and a reservation-only evening-only Italian
restaurant, with very good food and
service. The 11 p.m. snack offered superb appetizers. At 10:30 p.m. one night there was a
chocolate extravaganza, whichi
contained an incredible collection of deserts beautiful enough to appear in Gourmet
Magazine. There is no midnight buffet. The
room service menu isn't overly appealing. The cruising experience was pleasant overall,
but there were problems. Embarkation
went smoothly for some, while others reported needlessly sitting in their bus for an hour.
Disembarkation was confused, luggage
handling poor, and the crew didn't seem to understand what was happening or how to speed
things up. Daily announcements
from the captain were sporadic, and couldn't always be heard. We were frequently not
informed about our route or what territory
we were passing. The ship needs more regular reports from the bridge. Mechanical problems
with the Rotterdam continue, and
the ship is not a well-constructed vessel, according to crew members. The ship's inaugural
cruise a year ago was a debacle, but
early problems have evidently worked themselves out. Toilets still pose difficulty; they
sometimes don't flush for short periods. In
one port our departure was delayed four hours because of the inability to life a lifeboat
from the water. We arrived in port late the
next day, losing time on shore excursions. Statewroom temperatures and ventilation seem
fine, although this cruise didn't
experience hot weather. Shipboard activities fell into the typical category, although the
entertainment was above average, partly
because this was a jazz cruise and three good jazz bands performed. At sea the ship
handles well, providing a gentle and
welcome motion. Twice we encountered several hours of heavy waves, but the rocking and
rolling was not upsetting to most
passengers. Several passengers provided favorable reports about on-board medical care.
Tours of the bridge, the kitch and the
engine room are offered and they're great experiences. There was always hot water in the
shower. Shore excursions were
overpriced, overhyped, lacking in imagination and sometimes inexplicably filled up so that
some passengers could not make
desired trips if they didn't reserve early. Passengers who became ill lost huge sums of
money when forced to cancel excursions
at the last minute, a heartless and stupid policy by the ship. Information about what the
excursions contain was lacking and
misleading. Information for independent travelers about each port was lacking. The shore
excursions desk was frequently closed.
The excursions emphasize stops at tourist traps, without visiting places like central
markets where residents of a city really
transact business and where ship passengers might want to go. Meals offered on our
excursions were substandard. Free
shuttles to city centers were offered twice, but were not advertised beforehand so no one
could make plans to use them. In one
case we learned of the shuttle only the evening before needing it. Tender service, where
required, was handled well. In summary,
read the Holland America pamphlets with care. Veterans of manyh HAL cruises told my wife
and I the line is slowly but surely
offering a lowwer level of service. The Rotterdam's 1998 pamphetl said that `she dazzles
with her consummate comfort and
luxury, a triump of the shipbuilder's art.' That's not quite true. Nevertheless, we had a
fine time overall and we'd book the cruise
again.
Name: Anne Herbert
Email: yarlenna@aol.com
Age: 52
Occupation: nurse
NumberOfCruises: 20
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Holland-Rotterdam6
SailingDate: 120398
Itinerary: Transatlantic
FoodDiningRoom: 96
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 99
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 92
CabinAmenities: 99
FoodLidoDeck: 88
DiningRoomService: 92
CabinQuietness: 88
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety:
FoodVariety: 94
DeckService: 92
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 92
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 5
LoungeService: 99
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 91
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 88
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram: 95
MedicalFacilities: 95
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 97
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 99
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 13 Jan 1999
Time: 07:34:34
Remote Name: 205.188.192.51
Remote User:
Comments
To sail across the Atlantic on a ship in a suite had been a longtime fantasy of ours. So
when HAL sent us the
offer of a really reduced fare even on a suite, we went for it. We did fly to Lisbon three
days before the cruise to get
over the jet lag and see a little of Portugal. It was our first time there, and we found
Portugal to be lovely. The trip
started well. HAL had a representative at the hotel and one day we just walked up with our
documents and
checked in. It took about five minutes. On embarkation day, we took the ship's transfer
arrangements. They
involved a bus tour of Lisbon. It was OK, but I would have rather just taken a cab and
gone to the ship. I hate bus
tours. Check in at the pier was a breeze. We walked up, got our ship IDs and we were on
board. A steward
escorted us to our suite and another brought us a pot of hot tea. As it was in the 40s
out, we were cold and the
tea felt good. This thoughtfulness was the first of many extras that we enjoyed as suite
guests. The room itself
was well laid out. The balcony was much larger that the stateroom on our first cruise. We
had two large loungers
and a circular table with 4 chairs. There was a bowl of fresh flowers in the center of
that table. The room itself
was large. I have only one suggestion about the design of HAL suites - it would have been
nice to have had a
separation between the sleeping area and the living area. One of the reasons we did not
entertain was that I
don't like to sit on my bed or look at my bed with people other than family in the room.
The bed was comfortable
and there was more than ample closet space. The Neptune Lounge across the hall functioned
as our 'front
desk.' We went there to set up our sail and sign card. Dining on the Rotterdam VI was
really nice. The food in the
dining room at supper was delicious. We also enjoyed the Oddesy, but the regular dining
room was really fine.
The service was good. We had the great fortune of having a waiter who spoke and understood
English, so our
orders were taken properly. We were also at an officer's table. On formal nights, the
officer purchased wine for
the table and shared stories of his life at sea. Both were intoxicating. The Rosario
Strings were not on the
Rotterdam VI. Instead they had a group called the Champagne Strings. While they were much
better musicians
than the Rosario Strings, their selections of music were not to our liking. They did a lot
of jazz numbers. Now you
can get good jazz at the Ocean Bar and the Crow's Nest, so why another jazz experience. We
tried
communicating with them about their repertoire, with little success. Their English did not
seem up to speed. As
one of our favorite HAL experiences was listening to the Rosario Strings after supper,
while sipping a brandy, we
went to our concierge in the Neptune Lounge. Sabine made a few calls and the strings added
a few more
classical numbers to their performance. We also loved the pianst in the Tropic Bar. The
'name that tune' murder
mystery was most amusing. The ship was comfortable. However, there was noticable vibration
throughout the
ship, which was increased as the ship's speed increased. The ship did take rough seas
well. It is hard to know
how much of our enjoyment of this cruise was based on the special treatment we had because
we were in a
suite. All the little extra parties were really lovely. We had eight sea days and could
have enjoyed ten more. The
new Rotterdam is very young. I hope she sails for a long time. We would like to sail her
again - in a suite.
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