Holland America Rotterdam 12-Day Eastern Caribbean Cruise Review – Day 1: November 16, 2025

Fresh off seven days on Holland America Line’s Zuiderdam, it’s time to kick off another cruise adventure, and this time I’m settling in for the long stay. I’m back on Holland America Line’s Rotterdam, and not just for a quick getaway — this is the first of two back-to-back cruises that will have me onboard for 21 days. The first sailing is a 12-day Caribbean itinerary, which rolls right into a 9-day, you will find many, many HAL cruisers who do not only back-to-backs, but back-to-back-to-back-to-backs!

For this first voyage, we’re island hopping our way through the Caribbean with stops at the line’s private island Half Moon Cay, Bahamas; Philipsburg, Sint Maarten; Castries, Saint Lucia; Scarborough, Tobago; Bridgetown, Barbados; Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, and finishing up in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Not a bad way to spend the Thanksgiving holiday, right?

What makes this trip feel a little extra familiar is that the last time I sailed Rotterdam, I did almost the exact same thing — a 12-day Panama Canal itinerary followed by a 9-day Southern Caribbean, back in October and November 2023.

Rotterdam is the newest of Holland America’s Pinnacle Class ships, joining her sisters Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam. Built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy and delivered in 2021, she has a more modern feel compared to older HAL ships, but manages to keep the signature touches and familiar venues that keeps people loyal. She comes in at around 99,500 tons and carries roughly 2,700 passengers (3,172 max), which makes her noticeably larger than the Vista Class ships — like Zuiderdam — that top out around 2,000 guests.

To some of HAL’s longtime loyalists, that additional 700+ passengers might as well be 6,000. These are the purists who still reminisce about the tiny R-Class ships where everyone knew each other by day three. HAL has expanded gradually over the years — R-Class to Vista, Vista to Signature, and eventually up to the Pinnacle Class — so Rotterdam represents the natural evolution of the fleet, definitely not a giant leap into mega-ship territory where most lines are going these days.

Despite the hand-wringing from a few traditionalists, Rotterdam isn’t that much bigger. She still feels mid-sized and very much Holland America — relaxed, elegant, and never overwhelming.

She’s also the seventh ship to carry the Rotterdam name and holds the title of flagship, which is one of those cruise terms people tend to misunderstand. Flagship doesn’t mean biggest ship in the fleet. It’s more ceremonial — the ship that represents the brand, appears in marketing, shows up for special events, and basically carries the corporate “flag.”

The ship’s décor walks a fine line between modern and classic, the layout makes sense, and she’s just an easy, comfortable ship to spend time on — whether that’s seven days or, in my case, three full weeks.

Holland America Line – Rotterdam

Dates: November 16–December 7, 2025
Homeport: Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA
Ship Facts: 2021 build • Pinnacle Class • 99,500 GT • ~2,668 passengers

Three weeks aboard HAL’s flagship Rotterdam with a rare overnight in Aruba, Thanksgiving at sea, and a casino tournament on the second leg. This one’s going to be special and hopefully I win something!

Date	Port	Country
Nov 16	Boarding Day – Port Everglades	USA
Nov 17	Half Moon Cay	The Bahamas
Nov 18	At Sea	–
Nov 19	At Sea	–
Nov 20	Philipsburg	St. Maarten
Nov 21	Castries	Saint Lucia
Nov 22	Scarborough	Trinidad & Tobago
Nov 23	Bridgetown	Barbados
Nov 24	Pointe-à-Pitre	Guadeloupe
Nov 25	San Juan	Puerto Rico
Nov 26	At Sea	–
Nov 27	At Sea (Thanksgiving)	–
Nov 28	Fort Lauderdale (Turnaround)	USA
Nov 29	At Sea	–
Nov 30	At Sea	–
Dec 1	Willemstad	Curaçao
Dec 2–3	Oranjestad (Overnight)	Aruba
Dec 4	At Sea	–
Dec 5	At Sea	–
Dec 6	Half Moon Cay	The Bahamas
Dec 7	Return to Port Everglades	USA

Embarkation at Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale)

Unlike Zuiderdam, which is spending her winter season sailing out of PortMiami, Rotterdam is calling Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades home. And thank goodness for that, because as you probably know by now, PortMiami is my least favorite port to sail from. Great ships… terrible experience getting in and out.

As a side note, today was absolute chaos down in Miami — ten cruise ships in port. Ten. That’s a full house and a traffic nightmare all rolled into one. But Port Everglades wasn’t exactly easy going. We had eight ships in today: Allure of the Seas, HAL Eurodam, Celebrity Xcel, Celebrity Eclipse, Majestic Princess, Sun Princess, and Disney Destiny, all sharing space with us on Rotterdam.

Getting to Port Everglades from my home base of Delray Beach is easy — a straight shot down 95 — but the worst part is always the Security Gauntlet at the port entrance. Every vehicle has to stop and show ID for everyone inside. Sometimes they do random trunk checks. And all this does is back traffic up for what feels like a mile. No idea why this isn’t streamlined after all these years, but here we are.  Google Maps was showing this added 11 minutes to the trip time.

Rotterdam was berthed at Terminal 19 today, and by the time I arrived around 1:30pm — about 30 minutes before my scheduled boarding time — the parking garage was completely full. After dropping my luggage with a porter, I was redirected to a surface lot nearby. And here’s where it gets interesting: no parking ticket, no gate, no little slip of paper. Just drive in, park, and… that’s it. How they plan to charge for parking when I return in three weeks is anyone’s guess. But I’ve got plenty of time to ponder that mystery.

Once inside the terminal, waiting until 2pm absolutely paid off. There was zero check-in line. You walk up to an iPad-style kiosk, center your face on the screen, a staff member scans your passport, and boom — you’re checked in. After that, it was straight to security, which also had no line, and then directly onto the ship.

Rotterdam uses facial recognition instead of tapping your keycard to get on and off the ship, and this is used in ports of call too. A security officer just holds up an iPad like they’re taking your picture, it registers you, and you’re good to go. You still need your keycard, of course — and you’ll find yours waiting in an envelope at your stateroom door the moment you board.

Family Oceanview Stateroom 1028 on Rotterdam

For this segment, I’m sailing on a casino promotion that included a free interior stateroom, which is what I was originally assigned for both this cruise and the next. But when I went to print my boarding pass, surprise — my room suddenly changed to a Family Oceanview Stateroom. Nice upgrade for this leg, but my next segment still shows me back in an interior. So unless I can get very persuasive at Guest Services, I’ll be packing everything up and switching cabins mid-cruise. Fun.

For now, though, I’m in stateroom 1028, located on Deck 1 forward, and let’s talk about this room because it’s… something. It’s designed to accommodate up to five people. Yes, five. How? You get two twin beds that convert to a queen, a sleeper sofa that holds two, and an upper pullman for a fifth person. Would I personally want to put five humans in here? Absolutely not. In my opinion, unless you’re in a suite with a separate bedroom, no cruise cabin should ever hold more than two people unless you really dislike the people you’re traveling with.

That said, with more families cruising now than ever before, it makes sense that HAL added these larger, family-friendly staterooms to their newer ships.

Now, here’s the part that does make sense for a “sleeps five” cabin: there are two bathrooms. This alone will save families from at least 10 arguments a day. The main bathroom has a tub/shower combo, toilet, and sink, while the smaller bathroom has a walk-in shower and sink. I’m splitting my bathroom time between the two, as I prefer the walk-in shower over the tub.

When it comes to storage, this room has tons. There’s an entire wall of closets and shelves when you walk in, and yes, there were plenty of hangers too. You also get drawers and cubbies tucked around the room, so space definitely isn’t an issue here.

Other features include a large TV across from the bed, a small vanity/desk, and a nice-sized window — though not nearly as impressive as the giant window I had on Queen Elizabeth. The room also has a fully stocked mini-bar (not free), a snack basket (also not free), and an in-room safe, which wasn’t working until someone came to fix it while I was at dinner.

For power options, there are outlets and USB-A ports on each side of the bed, as well as more by the desk. However, for anyone sleeping in the sofa or upper berth? No outlets over there. There are no USB-C ports, so keep that in mind when you’re packing up your cables.

Overall, the room is laid out well, comfortable, and everything — except the safe — was in working order. If I didn’t have to move in a few days, I’d be perfectly happy staying right here.

Video Tour of Stateroom 1028 on Rotterdam

Muster / Mustard Drill

Once I settled into the room and did the usual routine of rearranging everything so it works my way, it was time for the muster drill — or as half the cruise world insists on calling it, the “mustard drill.” I don’t know who started that trend, but every time I hear someone say it with a straight face, I immediately want to scream.

Thankfully, HAL has fully embraced the modern version of muster, so gone are the days of standing shoulder-to-shoulder under a lifeboat while an officer yells instructions through a crackly loudspeaker. No more dragging your life jacket down five flights of stairs. No more sweating in the sun listening to the same announcement in six languages. Honestly, this is the one thing we should all be grateful to COVID for.

On Rotterdam, the drill is completely electronic. You watch the safety video on the app or your stateroom TV, then walk to your assigned muster station so a crew member can scan your keycard (this is one thing you DO need your keycard for). The whole thing takes about two minutes. No life jackets. No crowding. And absolutely no mustard.

Rotterdam Entertainment

One thing I really enjoy about Rotterdam is that she has a solid lineup of evening entertainment venues, something HAL loyalists have very strong opinions about — especially when it comes to one venue in particular.

Let’s start with the big one: BB King’s Blues Club. This place is always packed. It has a cult following on Holland America, and for good reason. The band is phenomenal and it’s one of those spots where you can walk by “just to peek” and end up staying for an hour. On Rotterdam, BB King’s draws huge crowds every night, and it remains one of the most-loved parts of the ship. Which is why so many people are still upset that HAL removed it from some of the smaller ships during their post-pandemic entertainment reshuffle. Mention BB King’s to a longtime HAL cruiser and be prepared for a passionate monologue about how “it should be on every ship.” And honestly… they’re not wrong.

Then there’s the Rolling Stone Rock Room, which fills the gap nicely if you’re in the mood for something more upbeat and classic-rock focused. Think live band, guitars, high-energy performances. It’s a fun spot, and it gives Rotterdam a nice balance: you get blues and soul at BB King’s, and then rock and pop here.

The Casino is a decent size for a Holland America ship — bigger than what you’ll find on the older classes, though nowhere near the sprawling Vegas-style floor you’d see on some other lines. Slot selection is solid and if you’re here on a casino offer (like I am), you’ll probably spend a little extra time donating to the cause.

Rounding it out is the World Stage, Rotterdam’s main theatre. It’s a beautiful space with a wraparound LED screen that’s used for production shows, guest entertainers, and various presentations throughout the cruise. You won’t find the Broadway-style productions that some other lines boast about, but HAL’s entertainment leans more toward music, dance, and guest performers — which fits their brand.

Choosing a Spot for Dinner on Rotterdam

Dinner on Rotterdam — and really, all Pinnacle-class ships — is a whole different world compared to HAL’s older classes. Yes, you still have the familiar staples like the Lido Market, the Main Dining Room, and the line’s signature steakhouse, Pinnacle Grill, but this class adds several extra dinner options.

I’ll be diving mouth-first into each of these spots throughout the next three weeks, but here’s a quick overview to set the stage:

The Main Dining Room serves breakfast, lunch or brunch on select sea days, and, of course, dinner for both traditional early/late seating and open dining. If you’re part of Club Orange — and if you want to know everything that comes with that, I have a full write-up you can read by clicking here — you get access to the dedicated Club Orange Restaurant. And no, it’s not a section roped off in the MDR. It’s its own space with the regular MDR menu plus several exclusive Club Orange dishes each night.

What is the Holland America Club Orange Upgrade and is it Worth It?

Pinnacle Grill is HAL’s classic steakhouse and is available for lunch on select days and dinner every night. Always a solid choice.

Tamarind is one of HAL’s most beloved restaurants. It’s perched high on the ship with a menu of Pan-Asian dishes like wok-seared lobster and panang red curry.

Morimoto Sushi Bar, located inside Tamarind. This spot serves sushi, rolls, sashimi, and small plates created by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, tying into HAL’s Global Fresh Fish program.

Then you have the Morimoto by Sea pop-up — a one-night-per-cruise takeover of Tamarind that features a special three-course menu also designed by Iron Chef Morimoto. I tried the experience last week on Zuiderdam, and let’s just say it didn’t go well (you can read about that adventure here), so I’m curious to see if Rotterdam redeems it.

For Italian, there’s Canaletto, carved out of a corner of the Lido Market. It’s perfect if you want fresh pasta, veal, and classic Italian comfort dishes. The food is usually solid and the atmosphere cozy.

And then there’s Rudi’s Sel de Mer, created by celebrity chef Rudi Sodamin (whose work you’ll also find on Carnival and Princess). This small Mediterranean bistro focuses on seafood prepared the traditional way — French, Italian, Spanish, and Greek influences with a “fresh fish first” mentality. I absolutely loved it on my last Rotterdam cruise, so I’m looking forward to seeing if it’s still as good as I remember.

So between the MDR, Club Orange, Pinnacle Grill, Tamarind, Morimoto sushi, the Morimoto pop-up, Canaletto, and Rudi’s Sel de Mer, dinner on Rotterdam gives you a lot to work with. And over the next 21 days, I’ll be sampling my way through it all… strictly for research purposes, of course.

Dinner in the Main Dining Room on Rotterdam

After enjoying a few pre-dinner cocktails with Reema at the Half Moon Bar — someone I originally met on Rotterdam back in 2023 and have randomly bumped into on other HAL ships over the years — I headed to the Main Dining Room for dinner. Since I have open seating, I wandered over around 8:45pm and was seated right away.

The MDR on Rotterdam is a large, open, two-deck space at the aft of the ship. If you’re doing Anytime Dining, like I am, you’ll head to Deck 2, which is also where the dedicated Club Orange Restaurant is located. If you’re on traditional early or late seating, you’ll go up to Deck 3.

Main Dining Room Menu

Lido Market Dinner & Late Night Menu

Dinner kicked off with the usual bread service, which at this point I’m going to have to politely wave away because if this continues, well…. Ozempic.

I started with the tomato and mozzarella salad, which was exactly what you’d expect — simple, fresh, nothing groundbreaking. Followed that up with a shrimp cocktail, which was fine, but the shrimp were appropriately sized for their name.

When it came time for the entrée, I chose the ginger-mango chicken, an airline chicken breast lightly breaded and served with what was basically a stuffed baked potato. Not bad, but not a dish I’d rush to order again.

Because I wanted to try something else, I asked for a small portion of the bucatini caponata pasta, and honestly, that ended up being the highlight of the entire meal. I wrapped things up with the cheese plate, which is pretty much my go-to closer on HAL.

Service tonight wasn’t quite as personable as what I experienced on Zuiderdam last week. I’m chalking it up to first-night chaos — plus I showed up about 15 minutes before closing, so things were understandably a bit rushed. Nothing terrible, just not the same level of friendliness I had gotten used to. We’ll see how things shake out over the next few days.

After dinner, I wandered the ship a bit, but between rushing around earlier and all that unpacking, it was an early night for me. We’re heading toward our first port, Half Moon Cay, where we’re scheduled to arrive at 10am. Our sister ship Koningsdam will also be there, arriving a few hours before us.

More from the sunny Bahamas tomorrow — and as always, thanks for following along!

Daily Schedule

Personal Day-By-Day Rotterdam Cruise Review: