After an incredible day yesterday transiting part of the Panama Canal and soaking in one of the most fascinating engineering marvels in the world, today brings us somewhere that feels like the complete opposite end of the travel spectrum: Puerto Limón, Costa Rica.
Now when many people think of Costa Rica, they picture something very different. Images usually come to mind of wealthy Americans and expats living the good life on the beach without a care in the world. You picture beaches, fishing boats heading out at sunrise, people sipping a glass of champagne on a sunset cruise, and that laid-back lifestyle Costa Rica is known for.
Well… that’s somewhere else.
Because Puerto Limón, often referred to simply as Limón, is not that place.
Rotterdam arrived around 7:30 a.m., and passengers were cleared to go ashore shortly after 8:00 a.m.. And as we all know, first impressions matter, and if this is your first visit here, that first look from the ship might leave you thinking, “Well… this should be interesting.”
Unlike many cruise ports that have invested heavily in modern cruise terminals and tourist-friendly amenities, Puerto Limón feels very much like a port that just happens to accept cruise ships.
Occasionally.
In fact, not many ships call here. You’ll see the occasional visit from a Carnival or Princess ship, and sometimes a Holland America itinerary like this one will include it, but it’s definitely not a regular stop on most cruise routes, and after spending some time here, you begin to understand why.
The port itself is extremely basic.
There are essentially two piers sitting in what essentially is a large, rundown parking lot, and a small building that has clearly seen better days. Inside that building are rows of (very) tightly packed vendor kiosks selling the usual mix of t-shirts, souvenirs, magnets, and locally made junk.
And that’s about it.
There’s no real cruise terminal, no shopping promenade, and no entertainment area designed for cruise passengers.
If you’re hoping to spend time inside the port area, you’ll run out of things to do in about five minutes.
So if you want to explore, your options are pretty simple: book a shore excursion or venture out into town on your own.
Just outside the port gate you’ll find a sign showing what Limón calls “17 Attractions on Foot,” which maps out a self-guided walking route through town.
Some of the spots listed include:
- Limón Amphitheater
- Vargas Park
- Harbor Master’s Office
- Old Municipal Place
- Municipal Market
- Heart of Jesus Cathedral
- Abel Robles Park
- Los Baños Beach
In theory, it sounds like a nice little walking tour of the town.
In reality… it’s more of a collection of local buildings and small parks, and while it does give you something to see, it’s not exactly the kind of sightseeing experience most cruise passengers are expecting when they think of Costa Rica.
A few of these spots, like Vargas Park, offer views of the waterfront and some green space where locals hang out during the day. The Heart of Jesus Cathedral is another landmark, standing out as one of the more recognizable historic buildings in town.
You’ll also pass by schools, government buildings, and tons and tons local shops along the route. You’ll quickly notice that there are more appliance stores per square block than Walgreens has stores in Manhattan.
Limón is a working Caribbean town not a polished tourist destination, which is why most visitors who come here choose to head out on excursions to experience what Costa Rica is really famous for.
Because the truth is, the real highlights of this region aren’t in Limón itself.
They’re outside the city, in places like rainforests, wildlife reserves, canals, and national parks, where you can spot monkeys, sloths, toucans, and all the other wildlife Costa Rica is known for.
So if you’re visiting Limón on a cruise, the best plan is usually to leave Limón.
Puerto Limón Shore Excursions
As I mentioned earlier, there really isn’t much happening right around the port itself, which is why most passengers who get off the ship here are heading straight for shore excursions.
And honestly, that’s the way to do it. The Costa Rica you see in brochures and travel shows is all outside the city of Limón.
If you look through the shore excursion list for this port, there are a few options, but three tend to be the most popular, and they all involve a bit of a bus ride to get there.
- Tortuguero Canal Wildlife Tour – This is probably the most popular excursion offered in Puerto Limón, and you’ll see a long line of buses leaving the port early in the morning for it. The drive usually takes about 45 minutes to an hour depending on traffic. Once you arrive, you board a covered river boat that takes you through the Tortuguero canal system, a network of waterways running through dense rainforest.
- Sloth Sanctuary – If there’s one animal Costa Rica is known for, it’s the sloth, and there’s a well-known Sloth Sanctuary located about 45 minutes to an hour south of Limón. This excursion takes you by bus to the sanctuary where injured and orphaned sloths are cared for and rehabilitated. Visitors get a guided tour explaining the animals, the conservation work being done, and of course you get to see the sloths up close, which is the highlight for most people.
- Cahuita National Park & Beach Tour – Another popular option is heading south to Cahuita National Park, which is about an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes by bus from the cruise port. Cahuita is known for its combination of rainforest trails and beautiful Caribbean beaches, making it a good excursion for those who want a mix of wildlife and scenery. It’s one of the few excursions here where you actually get some beach time, which a lot of people expect when they hear “Costa Rica.”
Now if you’re wondering whether there’s a beach near the cruise port, technically there is.
A place called Los Baños Beach is listed on the walking map just outside the port area, but if I’m being honest, it’s not really not a nice beach. I wandered over and while there is a large park area, it’s pretty run down and the neighborhood around it is sketchy to say the least. You will see many of the locals hanging out in the park, but none were actually on the beach.
In other words, when you stop in Puerto Limón, the real Costa Rica is about an hour away.
Normally this is one of those cruise stops for me where I get off the ship, take a quick selfie to prove I was here, and head right back onboard. Puerto Limón has never really struck me as a place where you want to spend hours wandering around.
But today I decided I needed to get some steps in, so I did a bit of walking around town.
Like I mentioned earlier, this is very much a working town, not a tourist destination. When you leave the port area you’re basically walking into the everyday life of the city, where locals are heading to work, running errands, and doing their shopping.
Much of the area around the port is pretty rundown, with buildings and streets that have clearly seen better days. At one point I wandered down a side street that was lined with stall after stall of street food vendors. If you’re the adventurous type when it comes to street food, you might find something interesting there.
For those who aren’t feeling quite that adventurous, there’s also a KFC nearby, which I suppose qualifies as a little taste of home if fried chicken is what you’re craving while in Costa Rica.
The locals really didn’t pay much attention to cruise passengers at all. There were no aggressive taxi drivers, no tour guides chasing you down the street, and nobody trying to sell you souvenirs every five feet.
It was actually a pretty relaxed atmosphere.
One thing you do have to pay very close attention to is… where you’re walking. This is definitely a port where “watch your step” is a must. Sidewalks and roadways are uneven, cobbled together, there are holes in the sidwalks and roads that can easily lead to a sprained ankle if you’re not paying attention.
When all is said and done, this isn’t the kind of place that’s going to make many travelers’ “must visit again” list. It’s interesting enough to walk around for a little while and see a glimpse of everyday life in Limón, but it’s definitely not a destination people are cruising to specifically see.
Remarkably, when all aboard time rolled around at 4:30pm, two names were called over the ship’s PA system. Uh oh. That’s never a good sign. Someone didn’t make it back in time.
As the clock crept closer to 5:00pm, our scheduled departure time, we were still tied up at the pier. Then suddenly out in the parking lot a bus came rolling in, drove straight up to the gangway, and out came our two missing passengers. A few minutes later the lines were pulled in and we were on our way. A little late leaving Puerto Limón, but thankfully nobody got left behind.
And that’s a good thing, because tonight was one of the biggest nights of the cruise – Orange Party night.
Speaking of being left behind? Read my article about what happens to you and your stuff if you’re ship leaves without you.
Before getting into everything orange, here’s a quick look at what was being served tonight in the Lido Market and the Main Dining Room.
Holland America Lido Market Dinner Menu Night 9 Dutch Dinner
Menu from Rotterdam, March 2026
Available on: all ships
Holland America Main Dining Room Dinner Menu Night 9 Dutch Dinner
Menu from Rotterdam, March 2026
Available on: all ships
Dutch Night Dinner in the Main Dining Room
You’ll notice tonight’s menu was a special Dutch-themed dinner, honoring Holland America Line’s Dutch roots. That theme ties directly into the Orange Party, since orange is the national color of the Netherlands, stemming from the Dutch royal family, the House of Orange.
With the party scheduled to start at 9:15pm, I decided to head to the main dining room a little earlier than usual.
I started things off with the beef tartare, which was actually a nice surprise to see on the MDR menu. Usually that’s something reserved for the specialty restaurants, so it was a welcome addition. The portion was nice, although it definitely could have used a few more pieces of crostini to go along with it.
For the main course I went with the pan-fried Dover sole, a small filet of fish with a nice buttery flavor served alongside vegetables and potatoes. Simple, but well prepared.
And when dessert rolled around, there was really only one option on a Dutch-themed night.
Dutch apple pie.
You can’t have Dutch night without it.
Service once again was very quick, and I was in and out in about 45 minutes. That’s actually one of the reasons I’m not the biggest fan of dining in the main dining room on cruise ships in general. Service often feels rushed, the food sometimes arrives a little lukewarm, and the overall goal seems to be turning tables as quickly as possible.
In fact, Carnival Cruise Line just announced they’re rolling out a new “express dinner” option in their main dining rooms for guests with anytime dining. The idea is a smaller menu where they guarantee you’ll be in and out in under an hour.
Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I spent more than an hour in a cruise ship dining room on any cruise line.
On Holland America, I’ve sometimes been in and out in under 30 minutes, much to my disappointment.
How does that happen?
Well, the reality is that most of the food is already prepared and plated ahead of time. The servers simply go into the galley, grab what they need, and bring everything out. At their service stations they have equipment that keeps dishes warm or chilled until they’re delivered.
I was seated right next to the waiter station, and my server walked out of the kitchen carrying three plates on his tray – my appetizer, my entrée, and my dessert.
With one hand he cleared my plate, and with the other he immediately set down the next course.
Boom. On to the next one.
Honestly, I hate that.
I prefer having some time between courses to relax and enjoy dinner, but when you’re feeding thousands of people every night, the goal isn’t lingering over a meal.
The goal is keeping things moving.
And that’s one of the reasons I end up spending most of my evenings in the specialty restaurants, even though they come with an extra charge.
Morimoto By Sea Pop-up Dinner
A quick note before moving on. In addition to tonight’s Dutch themed dinner in the main dining room, Holland America was also offering one of its special pop-up dining events, Morimoto by Sea. This is a $55 specialty dinner held in Tamarind up on Deck 12 and features a menu created by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. The event is usually offered just once per cruise and tends to sell out quickly.
I’ve actually done this dinner before. I experienced it on Zuiderdam, which you can read about here, and I also tried it earlier on this very ship, Rotterdam, which you can read about here. Same menu, but two very different experiences depending on the ship and service that night.
I didn’t take advantage of the Morimoto dinner this time around, but I do plan on attending it during the next segment of the cruise that begins Friday, so stay tuned for a full report on that.
Holland America Morimoto by Sea Pop-Up Dinner Menu
Morimoto by Sea is a special pop-up dining event that takes over Tamarind or Pinnacle Grill for one unforgettable night during the cruise. Featuring dishes created by Chef Morimoto and a curated drink menu, it’s one of the most sought-after reservations onboard when it appears.
Available on: all ships except Nieuw Amsterdam
Orange Party Time!
With dinner out of the way, it was time for one of the biggest events you’ll find on any Holland America cruise – Orange Party night.
The party officially kicks off at 9:15pm and on Rotterdam it’s held in the BB King’s Blues Club. If you’ve sailed on one of Holland America’s Pinnacle class ships before, you already know that this venue is one of THE liveliest spots on the ship, and when the BB King’s band hits the stage, the crowd gets fired up.
Orange Party is easily the biggest celebration of the cruise and it’s Holland America’s way of leaning into their Dutch heritage. For those who want to get the evening going a little earlier, Holland America also offers an Orange Party Bar Hop that starts around 8:30pm. For $29 per person, guests make their way through several bars around the ship enjoying pre-batched cocktails at each stop before the group eventually ends up at BB King’s right as the main party begins.
Once the party gets underway, the bar staff has a small bar set up in the breezeway where you can purchase orange-themed cocktails and the gift shop sells orange accessories for anyone who didn’t pack their own festive attire. And yes, a lot of people really get into the theme – including myself as you can tell! Shirts, dresses, hats, feather boas, glasses – if it’s orange, someone is probably wearing it.
They also start things off by passing around light bites, which is a nice touch since many people head straight there after dinner.
Then the band kicks in.
The BB King’s band usually opens with a high-energy set that runs close to an hour, and the dance floor fills up almost immediately. Even if dancing isn’t really your thing, it’s hard not to get pulled into it when the entire room is clapping, singing along, and moving around.
I’m not exactly known for tearing up the dance floor, but Orange Party is one of those nights where you kind of just go with it. The atmosphere is fun, the music is great, and everyone’s in a good mood.
From past cruises I’ve taken on Holland America, Orange Party has always been one of those events that people remember. It’s one of the few times on the cruise where the ship really feels like a full-on party instead of the more laid-back vibe the line is known for.
After the band wrapped up their first set and the dance floor started thinning out a little bit, I decided to call it a night. It had been a long couple of days between the Panama Canal transit and today’s stop in Costa Rica, so heading back to the room seemed like a pretty good plan.
Tomorrow we’ll be spending another full day at sea as Rotterdam makes her way to our final port of call for this cruise, George Town, Grand Cayman.
As always, thanks for following along.
Daily Schedule
| Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 2:00 AM | Ship’s Clocks Set 1 Hour Back | Shipwide |
| 7:30 AM | Walk a Mile | Atrium 3 |
| 8:00 AM | Rotterdam Arrives in Puerto Limón | Pier Ashore |
| 8:00 AM | Puerto Limón Photo Opportunity until 11:00 AM | Pier Ashore |
| 8:00 AM | Ask Your Travel Guide Holly | Pier Ashore |
| 8:00 AM | Tai Chi for Everyone | Lido Poolside 9 |
| 9:00 AM | Let’s Play Cornhole | Sport Court 11 |
| 9:30 AM | Origami Folding: Tulip | Game Room 12 |
| 10:00 AM | Shuffleboard Challenge | Sport Court 11 |
| 10:00 AM | Party Bridge Play until 12:00 PM | Hudson Room 1 |
| 10:00 AM | Mahjong Players Meet until 3:00 PM | Half Moon Room 1 |
| 10:30 AM | Creating Designs from Doodles | Game Room 12 |
| 1:00 PM | Party Bridge Play until 4:00 PM | Hudson Room 1 |
| 1:30 PM | 5 Steps to Flawless Skin | Greenhouse Spa 9 |
| 2:30 PM | Health Seminar: Improve Your Posture | Fitness Center 9 |
| 3:00 PM | Ping Pong Tournament | Lido Balcony 10 |
| 3:00 PM | Friends of Bill W. Meet | Stuyvesant Room 1 |
| 3:00 PM | Complimentary Massage Sampler | Greenhouse Spa 9 |
| 3:30 PM | Coloring for Adults | Game Room 12 |
| 4:00 PM | Pathway to Yoga $20 | Fitness Center 9 |
| 4:00 PM | Today’s Trivia: Orange | Billboard Onboard 2 |
| 4:00 PM | Let’s Play Ladder Ball | Lido Poolside 9 |
| 4:30 PM | All Aboard as Rotterdam Departs Puerto Limón | Shipwide |
| 4:30 PM | Origami Folding: Tulip | Game Room 12 |
| 4:30 PM | Have Your Orange Party Portrait Taken | Atrium 2 |
| 5:00 PM | Total Body Conditioning $20 | Fitness Center 9 |
| 5:00 PM | A Pickup Game of Pickleball | Sport Court 11 |
| 5:00 PM | Evening Catholic Prayer | Half Moon Room 1 |
| 5:00 PM | Old And Modern Masters Exhibition | Art Gallery 1 |
| 5:00 PM | Guess the Weight of the Sculpture | Atrium 2 |
| 5:30 PM | EFFY Beauty Gift with Purchase | The Shops 2 |
| 6:00 PM | PRIDE Meetup | Rolling Stone Lounge 2 |
| 6:00 PM | Ask Your Travel Guide Holly | Crow’s Nest 12 |
| 6:30 PM | Singles & Solo Travelers Meetup | Billboard Onboard 2 |
| 6:30 PM | Designer Watch Sale Up to 30% Off | The Shops 2 |
| 7:00 PM | True Love Diamonds Event | EFFY Jewelry 2 |
| 7:30 PM | Ladies Night in the Thermal Suite $49 | Greenhouse Spa 9 |
| 7:30 PM | On World Stage: SING! | World Stage 2 & 3 |
| 8:00 PM | Movies by the Pool: A Big Bold Beautiful Journey | Lido Poolside 9 |
| 8:00 PM | Scent-sational Fragrances Sale | The Shops 2 |
| 8:00 PM | Deal or No Deal Card Sales | Casino 3 |
| 8:30 PM | Guests vs Officers Music Trivia | B.B. King’s Blues Club 2 |
| 8:30 PM | Rotterdam Bar Hop $29 | Explorations Café 12 |
| 9:00 PM | On World Stage: SING! | World Stage 2 & 3 |
| 9:15 PM | The Orange Party | B.B. King’s Blues Club 2 |
| 11:00 PM | $615,000 Paradise Lotto Jackpot Drawing | Casino 3 |
| 11:30 PM | Dance to the Hits Afterparty Hits | B.B. King’s Blues Club 2 |
| 12:00 AM | Stay and Play Slots All Night | Casino 3 |