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Holland America Line

MS Rotterdam (VI)

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Reviewed by:John Dvoarak
# previous cruises: 10+
Date of Trip: November 21, 1998
Itinerary: Western Mediterranean

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 cruising experience was pleasant overall, but there were problems. Embarkation went smoothly for some, while others reported needlessly sitting on their bus for an hour. Disembarkation was confused, luggage handling was awfully slow, and the crew didn't seem to know 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. The projection equipment in the movie theater needed repairs, but our complaints about it went unanswered. Toilets continue to pose difficulties; 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. Stateroom temperatures and ventilation seem fine, although this cruise didn't experience hot weather.

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 recent movies and free popcorn, 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.

In the La Fontaine 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 ought to 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 booth, 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, which 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.

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.

Shipboard activities fell into the typical catagory, 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 kitchen and the engine room are offered and they're great experiences. There was always hot water in the shower.

Shore excursions are overpriced, over hyped, 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 many HAL cruises told my wife and I the line is slowly but surely offering a lower level of service. The Rotterdam's 1998 pamphlet said that `she dazzles with her consummate comfort and luxury, a triumph of the shipbuilder's art.' That's not quite the case. Nevertheless, we had a fine time overall and we'd book the cruise again.