Holland America Rotterdam 12-Day Eastern Caribbean Cruise Review – Day 4: November 19, 2025

Day 4 on Holland America’s Rotterdam, and we’re spending it at sea as we make our way toward our second port of call on this 12-day Eastern Caribbean cruise — St. Maarten. So far we’ve only visited one port, Holland America’s private island Half Moon Cay, back on Day 2. Once these two back-to-back sea days are out of the way, we pretty much hit a run of nonstop ports, which I’m absolutely looking forward to.

Since today was another sea day, the activity schedule was packed — trivia, music, pickleball, dance lessons, you name it. (You can check out the full schedule at the end of this post.)

In yesterday’s report, I gave you a rundown of all the venues you’ll find on one of Rotterdam’s two big interior decks, Deck 2.
Today, I’m moving on to Deck 3 — what’s there, what to expect, and why this deck ends up being one of the most heavily used parts of the ship.

Rotterdam Deck 3 Venues

If Deck 2 is the “music and cocktails” deck, Deck 3 is the “casino, coffee, customer service, and cruise business” deck. It’s busy, useful, and you’ll end up here a lot over the course of your cruise — whether you mean to or not.

Let’s take a walk moving from forward to aft (aka: front to back!).

World Stage

Just like on Deck 2, the very front of Deck 3 also opens into the World Stage, HAL’s high-tech main theater. The lower level seating is on this deck, giving you a nice, direct view of the stage and that massive 270-degree LED screen. If you prefer easy in-and-out access or don’t want to navigate stairs after the show, Deck 3 is the level you want to enter from.

Rotterdam Casino

Walk aft from World Stage and you run straight into the Casino, which spans both sides of Deck 3. If you’ve been following my earlier reports, you already know this casino has been very busy this cruise — packed machines, full tables, and even slots have been added down on Deck 2 in the Ocean Bar’s lounge, but have not been turned on yet.

Now, here’s the thing with the casino on Rotterdam, it’s a smoking casino and the ventilation is not that great.  Add to it, a massive spiral staircase from Deck 2 to Deck 3 and some of the smoke filters down.  But the biggest complaint here with smoke is that is infiltrates the B.B. King’s Blues Club’s second level and the shopping area on this deck.  Why?  Well, there are glass doors in place to try to keep the smoke out, but on a busy ship, the doors are opening constantly, so the smoke escapes.  Additionally, with the forward main staircase just outside the casino, if you begin to notice the smell of smoke in the staircase starting around Deck 6, believe it or not.

So in short, the ventilation here is not that good and smoke does escape the casino.

Is there a non-smoking area?  Yes, there is but it also gets some smoke smell in it.  It’s also very small with just a handful of slots.

Rotterdam’s casino includes a solid mix of slot machines (classic, new, themed, weird — you name it), table games like blackjack, craps, roulette, and poker.

Shops

As you walk through the casino, you transition right into the Shops on Deck 3. This is where you’ll find more retail options — clothing, accessories, logo merchandise, perfume, jewelry, and the usual cruise ship assortment.

Nothing too wild here, but you’ll end up walking through this area a lot since it connects the casino zone to the midship atrium.

Guest Services (Atrium)

Deck 3 houses the main level of the Atrium. You’ll pass through here constantly. This is where you find several really important spaces including Guest Services — your go-to for billing questions, keycard issues, complaints, and every “hey, quick question…” moment you’ll have onboard

This area is usually busy on day 1 and day 12… and about every 20 minutes in between.

Future Cruises

Across from Guest Services is the Future Cruises desk — where HAL tempts you to book your next adventure before you’ve even finished this one. If you like onboard booking perks like onboard credit, or just want to view some new itineraries, this is the place to stop by.

Internet Center

Yes, there is one of these relics onboard!  Even though most of us travel with our smartphones, tables, and laptops, some do not.  So, behind the atrium, tucked away on Deck 3, is the Internet Center. This spot is where you’ll find computers and a quiet space to take care of tech-related things. It’s also where crew sometimes directs you when the “my Wi-Fi isn’t working” line starts forming.

Grand Dutch Cafe

One of the best additions on Rotterdam’s Pinnacle-class ships, and a fan favorite across the fleet, is the Grand Dutch Café. Located on the starboard side of Deck 3, this spot serves: Dutch snacks, pastries, specialty coffees, cocktails, sandwiches and light bites.

It’s the perfect place for a mid-morning cappuccino, an afternoon treat, or a late-night snack. It also stays consistently busy because the food is included — only the specialty drinks have an upcharge.

Photo Shop

Just aft of the Atrium on the port side is the Photo Shop, where you can browse your embarkation photos, port-day shots, or any onboard pictures taken by the ship’s photographers. You can also buy cameras, binoculars, accessories, and photo gear (check models pricing, as oftentimes the shops sell older versions of items at high prices).

Main Dining Room

Finally, all the way aft is the second level of the Main Dining Room. This is the entrance used for those with traditional early or late seating.  It’s open for breakfast, lunch/brunch on select days, and dinner.

Deck 3 may not have the flashy entertainment venues of Deck 2, but it’s home to many of the most useful, most visited places on the ship — plus a casino that’s been way too happy to take my money this week.

On the next set of sea days, I’ll dive into the ship’s outdoor upper decks.

Mariner Society Lunch and Reception

Before heading off to dinner, I stopped by the Mariner Society Reception, which was held at the Lido Pool for all Three-Star Mariners. Earlier today at noon, there was also a special Mariner Society luncheon in the Main Dining Room. Unfortunately, I had a meeting scheduled at that exact time, so I wasn’t able to attend the luncheon — but I did make it to the evening reception.

There are over 600 Three-Star Mariners on this cruise alone, not to mention all the Four-Star, Five-Star, and President’s Circle members who had their own reception on night one. So yes, this sailing is packed with HAL loyalists.

The reception itself was pretty basic. The captain and senior officers were out mingling, servers came through with champagne and wine, and the cruise director gave her remarks. Nothing over the top, but a nice half hour to chat with fellow HAL fans before heading off to dinner at Pinnacle Grill.

Dinner at Pinnacle Grill on Rotterdam

Dinner tonight wasn’t in the Main Dining Room or up in the Lido Market — though I’ll still give you a peek at what both were serving down below. Instead, I made my way over to one of my favorite spots on any Holland America ship: the Pinnacle Grill.

Lido Market Dinner Menu

Main Dining Room Dinner Menu

If you’ve been following along the past few days, you already know Pinnacle Grill is HAL’s signature steakhouse, and it does come with an upcharge: $52 per person + 18% for dinner, and $25 + 18% when it’s open for lunch. It’s not cheap, but Pinnacle always usually justifies the surcharge.

I’ve had some excellent meals here on past Rotterdam cruises — including lamb chops that make the MDR’s version jealous — so I was definitely looking forward to a solid, no-surprises dinner tonight.

Pinnacle Grill Lunch Menu

Pinnacle Grill Dinner Menu

Dinner kicked off with a bread basket filled with freshly baked rolls and breads and that sweet butter Pinnacle Grill does so well. Yes… I caved. I know I said I was skipping bread for the rest of the cruise, but this is Pinnacle Grill bread. It doesn’t count.

For my starter, I went with the always-fun Clothesline Candied Bacon — three thick strips of candied bacon literally clipped to a mini clothesline and served with a little flourish. It’s one of those dishes that never stops being a crowd-pleaser, even if you’ve had it a dozen times. Sweet, smoky, salty, and just plain cool to look at.

I also ordered one of the special Caribbean selections: the crab and shrimp cakes. These had a good amount of actual chunk crab and shrimp (not the sad little “mystery filling” you sometimes get elsewhere), and they were seasoned really well. Honestly, they were much better than I expected — plenty of seafood, not a lot of filler, and a great way to start the meal.

For the entrée, I went with the 15oz boneless ribeye, cooked medium rare.  This one was seasoned perfectly, cooked exactly the way I ordered, and had just the right amount of marbling without being loaded up with big chunks of fat. Juicy, flavorful, and a winner.

Pinnacle does steak right, and tonight was no exception.

When it came time for dessert, I was fully planning to skip it… really, I was. But then I remembered just how ridiculously delicious the Not-So-Baked Alaska was on Zuiderdam last week, so of course, I ordered it.

And yes — it was just as good as I remembered.

Before calling it a night, I made one last stop: the casino. I figured I’d try my luck and see if I could find an open machine. Spoiler alert — I couldn’t. I literally walked by just as someone was getting up, because there wasn’t a single open machine anywhere. This casino has been jammed every night, and tonight was no different.

I sat down, played a bit, and… dropped more than I should have.  And won exactly zilch.

That was my sign to wrap things up and head back to the stateroom.

We’re continuing our way toward St. Maarten, where Rotterdam is scheduled to arrive at 8am. Looking forward to getting off the ship for a bit and enjoying one of my favorite ports.

More from St. Maarten in tomorrow’s report — and as always, thanks for following along!

Daily Schedule

Personal Day-By-Day Rotterdam Cruise Review: