It’s been a while since I’ve been on a Holland America ship and there’s no better way to get reacquainted with the line than with a 21-day cruise on the newest ship in the fleet and the line’s flagship, Rotterdam! Actually, this cruise was sold two different ways – as a 12-day Panama Canal Sunfarer, a 9-day Southern Caribbean Seafarer, or the two combined as an ultimate 21-day adventure.
Holland America Line, established in 1873, is a premium cruise line known for its traditions, sophisticated ambiance, and commitment to service and excellence. Catering primarily to older, mature travelers, the line’s fleet of ships offers a blend of classic elegance and modern amenities, often featuring longer itineraries that appeal to those who appreciate a more relaxed and refined cruising experience. The passenger demographic for Holland America tends to be older and we’ll see how that plays out relatively soon!
The Rotterdam is the seventh ship in the company’s history to bear this iconic name and stands as a testament to the line’s deep Dutch heritage and maritime tradition. Launched in 2021, the Rotterdam is part of the Pinnacle-class of ships with a capacity of 2,600 guests. The ship offers Holland America’s traditional classic elegance, expansive public areas, multiple dining venues, and a Music Walk, which is a collection of live music experiences across multiple stages.
For this cruise, the ports of call we will be visiting include Half Moon Cay, Bahamas; Oranjestad, Aruba; Cartagena, Columbia; Colon, Panama / Panama Canal; Puerto Limon, San Jose; Falmouth, Jamaica; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Kralendijk, Bonaire; Willemstad, Curacao; Oranjestad, Aruba; and Half Moon Cay, Bahamas before returning to Fort Lauderdale.
Unlike my last several cruises on Carnival, this cruise is not a casino comp offer but was discounted quite a bit thanks to my loyalty status with the line. My base fare for a guaranteed (assigned by the line) Verandah Stateroom was $798 including the single supplement. Add on $690 in port fees and taxes and the total fare was $1488 which comes in at just over $70 per night. In addition to the base far, I purchased what Holland America calls the “Have it All” package which for this voyage included the Signature Beverage Package, $300 in shore excursion credit, and three nights of specialty dining. The cost for this add-on was $1050. Considering the Signature Beverage Package alone costs $54.95 per day + 18% service charge, the “Have it All” package already saved me several hundred dollars.
One thing to note with the Signature Beverage Package – and this is important! The package limits you to 15 beverages a day – that includes both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages up to $11 each. I was kind of shocked to see that considering any soda you may drink throughout the day is being subtracted from your 15 per day max. If you upgrade to the Elite Beverage Package for $59.95 per day (+18%), your non-alcoholic drinks don’t count but you’re now covered for alcoholic drinks up to $15 each. Finally, none of Holland America Line’s drink packages work on their private island, Half Moon Cay.
Now, on to embarkation. Holland America home ports out of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, FL for their winter Caribbean season – which for those of us in South Florida is a blessing. Port Everglades is an easy cruise port to get in and out of, unlike PortMiami which is an absolute, unmitigated disaster on so many levels. Because this is the Rotterdam’s first sailing out of the United States this season, embarkation times were a bit later than normal because of Coast Guard and United States Public Health inspections. My original check-in time was scheduled for 1:40 pm, but was pushed back to 2:00 pm.
I arrived at the port at 1:20 pm and there was a bit of a queue leading up to security check-in. Once through security, you are directed to a few facial recognition stations that scan your passport and send you on your way. Unfortunately, my face did not scan and I had to wait in another line to be checked in the old-fashioned way. Once that was all taken care of, I was on the ship at 2:10 p.m. – a bit longer than anticipated, but still shy of an hour.
I headed up to my stateroom, 8114, midship on Deck 8. This is what you would call a “bump out” stateroom which results in the interior space being the same, but the balcony slightly larger due to the design of the ship’s superstructure. The extra outdoor space was a welcome surprise, for sure!
The stateroom itself is luxurious and well appointed with plenty of closet and drawer space for a long journey like this one. The room consists of two twin beds that can be combined into one full-size bed, a sofa bed that can convert to a twin, and an upper berth – so this room can sleep four. It also has a fully stocked mini-bar with premade cocktails, beer, wine, water and soda (not included in any beverage package), as well as a selection of proper glassware to enjoy them in. A large flat-screen TV is directly across from the bed as is a desk/makeup area.
The bathroom is just as luxurious with marble tile, a glass shower, and a fantastic shower head that has three settings – the most powerful is close to the kind of pressure you’ll find at a car wash which is just fantastic. Elemis body wash, hand soap, shampoo, and conditioner are supplied in wall-mounted pumps.
USB ports and electric outlets, both 110v and 220v, can be found bedside and at the writing desk. The number of USB ports should be sufficient for most.
Once settled in, it was time for the electronic muster drill. Like Carnival, Holland America just requires you to visit your muster station, have your keycard scanned, and watch the video on your television. You will not be able to do anything with the TV until you have watched the safety video in its entirety.
Sail-away was originally scheduled for 3:00 pm but we didn’t depart until 5:00 pm, presumably due to the previously mentioned inspections.
Before dinner, I went to the ship’s very (very) small casino. If you’re here to gamble, you will be disappointed as I can’t emphasize just how small the casino is. It offers slots and table games and has its own bar in a diminutive space. No, I didn’t win. I never do. Vegas wasn’t built on winners you know!
When it comes to dinner, Rotterdam has a few restaurants to choose from besides the main dining room, the Lido Market which is the ship’s buffet and offers a different menu daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For the most part, the buffet is not self-service. Many stations cook food to order for you, or serve it to you rather than you serving yourself – which I find delightful. Other options include Canaletto, an Italian restaurant which is carved out of a small area of the Lido Market, Rudi’s Sel de Mer which is Rudi Sodamin’s seafood restaurant, Tamarind for Asian, Nami for sushi, and Pinnacle Grill which is the ship’s steakhouse.
Tonight, I chose Tamarind ($35 per person) which is located on Deck 10 and offers great views of the Sea View Pool and the ocean.
At 8:00 pm, I was one of just four tables in the restaurant. I started out with the Satay Sampler which was made up of small skewers of shrimp, beef, pork, chicken, and lamb with a peanut sauce on the side. Each skewer was seasoned perfectly, tender, flavorful, and delicious.
Next up, were Shrimp and Lobster Potstickers which were crispy, well-stuffed, and equally delicious.
For the main course, I went with the Crispy Duck with sides of crab-fried rice and oyster shitake mushrooms. True to its name, the duck was crispy and full of flavor with the side dishes of equal taste and quality.
Finally, for dessert, I went with the selection of exotic fruits which were chopped into tiny pieces, served with a scoop of sorbet, and accompanied by a simple syrup.
When it comes to evening entertainment, everything is focused on what the line calls Music Walk. Covering a good portion of Deck 2, Music Walk is made up of different music venues including B.B. King’s Blues Club, Rolling Stone Rock Room, and Billboard Onboard.
First up, B.B. King’s Blues Club where a live band was playing not only blues but hits from the 70s and 80s in 45-minute sets. Down the hall, in the Rolling Stone Rock Room, another live band was entertaining the crowd with some classic rock. When their set was over, on the other side of the room in Billboard Onboard, dueling piano players sang and took requests. Since Rolling Stone and Billboard share the space with no divider between them, when one goes on break, the other takes over so there is no downtime in this venue. Of course, each of these three areas has a bar, cocktail seating, and a dance floor.
Let’s talk about the crowd so far. As I mentioned earlier, Holland America caters to an older crowd and this cruise is no exception. Most guests are 55+ and I haven’t seen a single kid and maybe just a few people under 30. Most passengers dress up for dinner, eat, and retire early. By 11:00 pm / 11:30 pm most shipboard activity is done with the exception of the casino which is open late.
We are cruising to our first port of call which is Holland America’s private island in the Bahamas, Half Moon Cay, so stay tuned for more!
Links to Rotterdam Restaurant Menus
Restaurant menus for October 22, 2023, on Holland America Rotterdam:
- Lido Market – Breakfast Menu
- Lido Market – Lunch Menu
- Lido Market – Dinner Menu (Steak Dinner Night)
- Main Dining Room – Breakfast Menu
- Main Dining Room – Lunch Menu
- Main Dining Room – Dinner Menu
- Club Orange – Breakfast Menu
- Club Orange – Dinner Menu
- Pinnacle Grill – Lunch Menu
- Pinnacle Grill – Dinner Menu
- Canaletto – Dinner Menu
- Nami Sushi – Dinner Menu
- Tamarind – Dinner Menu
- Tamarind Bar – Lite Bites Menu
- Rudi’s Sel de Mer – Dinner Menu
- Rotterdam Room Service Menu – All Day Menu
- New York Deli & Pizza – All Day Menu
- Dive In Burgers & Hot Dogs – All Day Menu
Daily Planner for Day 1:
