Well, it finally arrived. The last day of this 9-day Southern Caribbean Seafarer Cruise on Holland America’s Rotterdam and the final day of this 21-day adventure where the ship took us through the Panama Canal, to the “ABC Islands,” Columbia, Costa Rica, and the Bahamas. To say it’s been quite the adventure would be an understatement. The whole experience has been fantastic. From being on such a beautiful ship, traveling to some of my favorite destinations, and experiencing the high level of service Holland America offers, it’s going to be tough to disembark.
Before I get into the overall review of my 21 days, let’s dig into what the final day onboard entailed. We dropped anchor off Half Moon Cay around 6:00 am. Usually, the crew is cleared to start offloading supplies for a day on the island which includes all the food and drinks that will be prepared on land, at 6:30 am. However, due to rough seas, they were not able to bring the supply boat safely alongside Rotterdam until shortly before 8 am – the same time guests were scheduled to be given the clear to go ashore.
Since Half Moon Cay does not have a dock, visiting ships are required to anchor off shore, and tender boats from the island are brought up to the ship to transport passengers back and forth. Sometimes due to rough seas, tender port calls may get cancelled as it becomes a safety issue for passengers embarking and disembarking the tender.
Once the captain gave the all-clear for the supply ship to come and take on provisions, the first tender took the crew members ashore followed by the first batch of guests. The crew usually has at least a full hour to get the bars and food areas set up, but today they only had a few minutes so there was a bit of delay for those wanting that first margarita or frozen Pina Colada as bars were not ready for the first group of passengers ashore.
Once on Half Moon Cay, guests have the opportunity to set up shop on the white sand beach and enjoy the beautiful waters of the Bahamas. Beach chairs are available for free, however, umbrellas and clam shells are available for an additional charge. As are private cabanas that hold up to 6 people and larger family villas for larger groups.
If you’re looking for some adventure on the water, there’s snorkeling, visiting the sting rays at Stingray Cove, hiking on the nature trail, jet ski rentals, a glass bottom boat tour, and even horseback riding in the surf. All of these excursions can be booked pre-cruise, at the shore excursions desk onboard, or on the Navigator app you’ll find yourself using throughout the cruise.
When it comes to food and drink, there’s no shortage of that on Half Moon Cay! An island BBQ is served at lunchtime with hamburgers, hot dogs, ribs, chicken, and all the fixings. For an upcharge, you can visit the Lobster Shack for all things lobster. There are several bars to grab a drink including one as soon as you get to the island at the welcome center, which is also home to shops selling souvenirs and local crafts. The main bar on the island is Captain Morgan’s which is housed in a replica pirate ship and is always a great place to grab a cold one. Of course, there are also servers on hand to take your drink order while you lounge on the beach.
It’s important to note that even though Holland America owns the island and brings food and beverage operations from the ship to shore, any drink package you have is NOT accepted on the island. All drinks – soda, canned water, beer, etc – are charged to your shipboard account. The island BBQ is free, while the Lobster Shack is not. Also, the souvenir shops at the welcome center not owned by Holland America only take cash or credit cards – shipboard charges aren’t accepted.
Our time at Half Moon Cay was short, however, with the last tender back to the ship scheduled for 2:30 pm.
For my report from our first stop at Half Moon Cay, click here.
Once all guests were back on board and accounted for, we set sail from the island around 3:10 pm and started to make our way back to Fort Lauderdale. It was at this time reality set in and it was time to start packing up. Thankfully I had that laundry package, so I sent out the rest of my dirty clothes to have laundered and put in nice bundles which made packing a breeze.
With everyone preparing to go home, activities were pretty slim in the evening. There was the adults-only performance by comedian Tom McTigue in the World Stage, which I didn’t get the opportunity to attend. I did see his first general audience show and his type of humor wasn’t for me, so I didn’t mind skipping out on this performance.
On Music Walk, only the piano players from Billboard Onboard were performing as the Rolling Store Rock Room Band had the night off. However, B.B. King’s Blues Club was the place to catch a live band as they were playing until around 11:15 pm.
For the final dinner onboard, I headed to the main dining room where I started off with a very good Beef Carpaccio.
For the main course, I went with the 5oz filet and 5oz lobster tail from the Pinnacle Grill which was a $25 upcharge. However, I was told that for tonight it was being offered for $18 and they were doing a 7oz filet and a 7oz tail, so that ended up being a good deal and a great choice as both the filet and lobster were delicious.
As I mentioned previously, each night there are two selections from the Pinnacle Grill available for an upcharge in the main dining room. While presented differently, they are cooked in the Pinnacle Grill with the same quality meat served there but are available for either $20 or $25. Considering dinner in Pinnacle is $48 pp + 18%, for those on a budget, this is a good way to experience their food at a discount.
I also went with a side of lasagna to see if it improved from the first time I tried it and was served a refrigerator-cold piece of it. This time it was served hot and was quite good.
Service in the dining room tonight was great, with dinner being served at a regular pace with no rush. It took 21 days to finally have a non-rushed meal here, so that’s a plus!
Now, on to the good stuff! If you’ve been following along, I’ve been on the Rotterdam for 21 days which consisted of two back-to-back cruises, one being a 12-day Panama Canal Sunfarer Cruise and the other being a 9-Day Southern Caribbean Seafarer Cruise. My overall review is going to be based on all 21 days, so here we go!
The Stateroom: For this cruise, I was booked in stateroom 8114, a Verandah Stateroom on Deck 8. I booked a “guaranteed Verandah” with the expectation that I was going to get an obstructed balcony, however, when the room was finally assigned, I was given an unobstructed view cabin with a much larger balcony, so there was plenty of room.
The stateroom itself consisted of two twins combined to form a full-size bed. There was a sofa bed that would be converted to a twin and there was an upper berth making this room accommodate up to 4 people. The room itself was outfitted with plenty of USB and electric outlets, beautiful furnishings, a fully stocked mini-bar, drinking glasses, ice bucket filled twice a day, a writing desk, plenty of storage, a safe, and a television.
The bathroom featured a large marble-tiled shower with glass doors and tiled floors and walls. The water pressure in the shower was fantastic, better than at home actually, and the hand soap, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and moisturizer were from Elemis.
Additional little items in the stateroom to make things more comfortable included terry bath robes, slippers, extra blankets, and umbrellas for venturing out in the rain.
My only complaint about the stateroom was that it was a connecting stateroom and due to the door between the two cabins, I could hear every word, every cough, every sneeze, every snore of the people next to me. And I’m sure they heard me as well. There was little to no privacy when it came to noise from the cabin next door thanks to this. While it didn’t detract from the experience, I can’t stand it when I get a connecting room.
The Food: Holland America is known for having outstanding food and for the most part, the dining experiences lived up to the expectations. In the daily reports, I dive into the details of dinner each evening, but here is a general overview and rating of each restaurant on board.
- Main Dining Room (Free) – **** Service was always rushed, but attentive. The majority of dinners here were well received, but there were a few hiccups here and there like refrigerator-cold lasagna, and dry prime rib, however, those were the exceptions. I normally never eat in a ship’s main dining room because the food is generally much, much better in the specialty restaurants, but I ate most of my dinners here because the quality was almost equal to the specialty options.
- Canaletto ($20) – *** This is the ship’s Italian restaurant that is carved out of a corner of the Lido Marketplace (buffet). Food is prepared at a station on the buffet line and features some items available on the buffet and some not. The one time I dined here, the service was great, the food was equally as good, and overall a great value for the price. The Day 5 report has more about dinner at Canaletto.
- Pinnacle Grill ($45 pp) – ***** Without a doubt a 5-star steakhouse experience. From the overly attentive service, amazing steaks and seafood, a dark private club-like atmosphere, and tableside gin cocktails, Pinnacle Grill was a stop for me several times during the cruise and it never let me down. If you go in with high expectations for a great steakhouse experience, you won’t be let down. Easily comparable to a Morton’s or Capital Grill.
- Rudi’s Sel de Mer ($54 pp) – ***** The most expensive specialty restaurant on the ship and one that wowed me from the moment I walked in. The namesake of celebrity chef Rudi Sodamin, Rudi’s is a French restaurant offering meat and seafood with an elegant and refined atmosphere – a perfect spot to eat on “dressy” nights. The Day 9 report has more about dinner at Rudi’s Sel de Mer.
- Tamarind ($35 pp) – **** From the dark atmosphere to the unique Asian dishes, the two times I did eat at Tamarind the meal was good except for just one appetizer. Service was always on point and portions were good. Worth the $35. The Day 1 and Day 7 report have more about dinner at Tamarind.
- Nami Sushi (ala carte) – Didn’t experience
- Dive In – (Free) – * This quick-service burger and hot dog stand is located near the Lido pool and allows you to order ahead via the Navigator app or you can grab some burgers that are already prepared or stand in line to have one made to your liking. I ordered one custom-made via the app, and it wasn’t all that great. Guy’s Burger Joint on Carnival cruise ships offers a better burger.
- New York Pizza and Deli – (Free) – *** As the name implies you can get your pizza and sandwich fix here starting off with breakfast items in the morning before transitioning to pizza by the pie or slice, sandwiches, and salads from the afternoon until midnight. I found the pizza by the slice to be better than the custom pie you can order. Slices are square and have a thinner crust, while the pies are round and have a slightly thicker crust. I preferred the slices better than the pie, but the pizza wasn’t bad at all… in fact it was pretty good!
- Lido Market – (Free) – **** All I can say is “wow,” what a great experience for a buffet. Unlike buffets on other cruise lines where it’s all self-service, it’s not here. The majority of food is plated for you by a crew member, salads are made to your liking one by one, many items are cooked to order right there as you wait such as pasta and Asian dishes, and only a few items like breads, pre-made sandwiches, plated sushi, and desserts are self-service. The quality of the food at the Lido Market is far superior than what you’ll find on MSC, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, etc. If you wanted to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner here every day of your cruise, I can guarantee you that you would not be disappointed at all with what was offered.
- Fellow Passengers: Holland America Line attracts an older demographic mainly because of their longer itineraries. While they’re trying to ditch that perception, it’s going to be hard for them to do it. For the first 12-day segment I would estimate the average age of the passengers to be 65+ while the second 9-day segment dropped to about 55+. While the line offers kids clubs, there are very few amenities for them to enjoy. The ships do not feature water slides, kid’s splash pads, arcades, and the like to keep them entertained during the day.
How lively the ship is at night is dependent on the average age of the sailing. In the first 12-day segment, the ship was pretty much a ghost town after 10 pm / 10:30 pm as things were bustling till closing at midnight on the second 9-day segment. The early dinner seating and the first 7:30 pm show were always packed as you can expect based on the age.
Holland America Line cruisers tend to be experienced travelers with many cruises under their belt and are very loyal to the line, so many have higher status. Most passengers would be considered “well-heeled” and have also sailed on premium lines such as Regent, Crystal, and Cunard. You won’t find the majority of these folks dressing up in tuxedos for “formal night” pictures.
Entertainment: Activities are tailored for the older demo and you’ll find things on the daily planner like knitting lessons, adult coloring, dance lessons, etc. Sailaway parties are just people standing around looking over the railing. No DJ is pumping out loud music, there’s no mega deck dance party, nothing like that.
Live entertainment at night is centered around live music with a rock band, which was very good during these two cruises, in the Rolling Stone Rock Room; a blues band that played a wide range of music and was equally as good in B.B. King’s Blues Club; and “dueling” pianos in Billboard Onboard. Let’s talk about that for a moment. I shouldn’t call them “dueling” pianos, they’re really just two people playing pianos. There’s no dueling, no wild raucous fun happening there, it’s just two people playing pianos and singing. If you’re expecting more, you’ll be disappointed.
With the way that the Music Walk is set, the Rolling Stone Rock Room and Billboard Onboard share the same general area, there are no walls between them so when one goes on break, the other simply takes over. Each area has its bar and seating, however. So you go from hard and classic rock at Rolling Stone to oftentimes way too mellow piano music at Billboard. The contrast can be jarring. The few times I sat in at Billboard Onboard, I found it pretty painful.
Previously Holland America had other musicians around their ships in various bars and lounges, such as a single piano player or a string quartet. It appears these have been victims of budget cuts.
I found the production shows by the ship’s entertainment company, Step One Dance Company, to be quite amateurish in terms of production value, while the guest performers were very well received and enjoyed overall.
Embarkation: You can read about embarkation in the Day 1 report of the first 12-day segment, located here.
Debarkation: I normally use self-debarkation where you carry your bags off the ship, but for this cruise, I had two large suitcases and another small bag so I opted to not do that. Several days before debarkation, you pick up luggage tags from a rack outside guest services. The color and number of the tag is chosen by you based on when you want to get off the ship. I opted to get off starting at 8:15 am.
Bags were placed outside my stateroom when I went for dinner and the next time I saw them was when I exited the ship and picked them up in their designated location in the terminal.
Debarkation began for those who wanted to self-debark starting around 7:15 am. Luggage tags started getting called around 7:30 am which was a lot sooner than I expected, but then again, based on the age of the passengers, I didn’t think many would opt for self-debark. My luggage tag color and number was called a little before 8:00 am so it did get called early. Once downstairs, there was no line to get off, I simply had my card scanned and was off the ship.
Once inside the terminal, my luggage was all together in the proper area they were using Carnival’s facial recognition system to clear guests through customs. It was funny to see the red, white, and blue Carnival screens as we were getting off a Holland America Line cruise, but Carnival owns many brands, including HAL. This technology may be shared with their other brands as well to quickly allow guests to clear customs and get on their way.
The whole debarkation process was easy, quick, and painless. It was much smoother than the debarks I’ve had recently where I carried my bags off myself. I may have to start reconsidering that in the future.
Final Verdict: Overall, this cruise was a 10 out of 10. Yes, there were some hiccups with food here and there and we had the whole issue with not being able to get off the ship in Panama and being quickly routed away once we passed through the canal the first time, but stuff happens. Holland America has always provided an excellent experience each time I’ve sailed with them, and I have quite a few HAL cruises under my belt. This was no exception.
If I had to list some negatives, they would be: the production shows, the lack of steamer chairs on the Promenade Deck (the design doesn’t allow for it), more shady areas on outside decks are needed, Billboard Onboard needs better entertainment, more late-night food offerings besides pizza after 9:30 pm, and the casino is way too small. There truly weren’t too many cons here!
If you’re looking for a luxury experience without the price of a luxury line, choose Holland America.
Thanks for following along with this amazing journey, and stay tuned for my next adventure at sea!
Links to Rotterdam Restaurant Menus
Restaurant menus for November 9, 2023, on Holland America Rotterdam:
- Lido Market – Breakfast Menu
- Lido Market – Lunch Menu
- Lido Market – Dinner Menu
- 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 8:
