Holland America Rotterdam 12-Day Eastern Caribbean Cruise Review – Day 7: November 22, 2025

Day 7 on Rotterdam brought us to Scarborough, Tobago, where we pulled up to the pier right around 8am and started disembarking shortly after. On the previous evening, the captain made an interesting announcement — the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, would be in the area we’re heading to. So if any of us spotted it, we shouldn’t “be alarmed.” (I don’t think anyone did, as I didn’t hear anyone talk about seeing it.). He also reminded everyone of the usual Caribbean safety rules: no flashy jewelry, leave the expensive camera and watch in the stateroom, and keep your head on a swivel. Standard stuff, but in a port like this, you need to take it seriously.

Scarborough is a small port. This isn’t a place that sees big cruise traffic — mostly smaller foreign lines stop here on Southern Caribbean itineraries. Fun fact: Rotterdam is the largest cruise ship to dock in Scarborough!

Right outside the port, the area is… well, let’s call it sketchy and run-down, which isn’t unusual for many Caribbean port cities. This is a working town first, cruise stop second. The terminal itself is tiny, definitely not modern, and surrounded by tall fencing topped with razor wire. Not exactly the warm fuzzy welcome you get in places like Curacao or St. Maarten, but hey — it’s authentic.  Right?

The Kentucky Fried Chicken (they’re back to that name, right?  Or is it still KFC?) directly across and to the right of the port was busy with crew members lined out the door, grabbing buckets of chicken to bring back to the ship.  For crew, this is an absolute treat, and they look forward to some of these “comfort foods” instead of the food from the crew mess onboard. Walk further down the street, and you’ll find Church’s Texas Chicken to keep the American fried chicken wars going here in Tobago. Oh, and down the road a bit? There’s an ALDI — but no, not that ALDI, sorry.

If you head left out of the port, there are more huts, makeshift shops, and bars with a mix of locals and ship passengers. Many were closed, but enough were open to make it interesting.

I did my usual routine — headed ashore and wandered around for a couple of hours, recording a walk-around video you’ll find below. And honestly? For a place that looks a bit rough, the locals barely bothered me at all. I was approached once — by a taxi driver directly at the port — and when I said I was just going to wander, he lost interest instantly. Nobody hounded me to buy anything, even as I walked through small street markets where people were selling everything from fake Bogg Bags, to fruits and veggies, to mysterious bottled “beverages,” and massive piles of clothes.

And speaking of clothes — Tobago LOVES mannequins. I’m talking headless mannequins everywhere. Every shop selling clothing had them lined up.

If you want a laugh, look up at any utility pole. I don’t envy whichever unlucky electrician gets called out here after a storm.

I eventually found myself at a small breakwater area and plopped down with a cigar. There is a strip of sand along the waterfront, but let me be clear: it is not a swimmable beach. The water comes right up to the breakwater, there are no loungers, no umbrellas, no safe entry point — just a rugged shoreline that’s great for sitting and taking in the view, but definitely not for swimming.

If you’re looking for a real beach, you’ll need a taxi to get somewhere decent. Tobago has some beautiful ones — just not within walking distance of the port.

As far as safety goes, I didn’t feel unsafe, but this is not a port where you wander around distracted. You’ll see the homeless, the neighborhood drunks, kids trying to get your attention so their friends can try something, and the general day-to-day struggles of a working Caribbean town. Stay aware, stick to populated areas, and you’ll be fine.

Overall, Scarborough is one of those ports where I’m glad I got off the ship to explore… but also one where I was happy to head back to Rotterdam afterward.

So… What’s Worth Doing in Scarborough? Let’s Talk Shore Excursions.

Tobago doesn’t get a ton of cruise traffic, so the excursions tend to fall into two categories: the ones that show you the parts of the island you actually want to see… and the ones where you’re suddenly on a bus that hasn’t passed a safety inspection since the Clinton administration.

Here’s the rundown of what you can do — and what I personally would pick if I weren’t doing my usual “wander around and hope for the best” routine.

Beaches: Pigeon Point or Store Bay – The “beach” near the port is more like a stretch of sand pretending to be a beach while waves slam into a seawall. No chairs, no setup, and no way you’re swimming in that.  Pigeon Point and Store Bay are proper beaches. Beach bars. Chairs. Bathrooms. Vendors who will absolutely try to sell you a coconut but at least they’re friendly about it.  If I were booking one excursion in Tobago, this would be it.

Catamaran, Snorkel & Nylon Pool Trips – Nylon Pool is a crystal-clear natural swimming pool in the middle of the ocean — waist-deep, warm water, and Tobago’s biggest “attraction.”   You can book a catamaran trip and they usually include some snorkeling, and a float around the lagoon with some time to swim.

Island Highlights Tours – I mean… you can do these, just keep in mind: Tobago isn’t really set up for tourism.  You might end up in a bus held together by duct tape with “air conditioning” that involves opening a window. Some tours are great. Others are a waste of time and money, it usually is very dependent on the guide.

Adventure Tours (ATVs, Waterfalls, Ziplining) – These exist, but safety standards in the Caribbean are more of a suggestion than a rule. Not for me, personally… but hey, you do you.

Join Me for a Walk Around Scarborough

Please note, this video was originally presented as a Facebook Live and was shot from my Ray Ban Meta glasses, so video quality is not the best, but it will still give you a good idea of the area surrounding the port.  My commentary is unscripted, raw and in the moment.  Don’t judge!

Holland America Line’s Standby Program

As I was sitting at Half Moon Bar having a few drinks before dinner — chatting with the usual crew that gathers here every evening — someone mentioned they wished cruise lines had some kind of “last-minute offer,” like grabbing a standby seat on a flight. Hold up… they do! And funnily enough, Holland America is one of the only mainstream cruise lines that actually offers a true Standby Program for guests who love a little spontaneity.

Here’s how it works. If you’re at least 21 and live close enough to drive to the port, you can call Holland America (or have your travel agent do it) and ask to be placed on the Standby List for select sailings. You’ll pay the reduced standby fare upfront, which starts at $99 per person, per day for Inside or Oceanview staterooms and $129 per person, per day for a Verandah. Then you wait. About seven days before the cruise, Holland America begins reviewing the list — and they’ll keep doing so right up until embarkation. If a stateroom becomes available, they’ll notify you by phone or email and you’re officially sailing.

If you’re not confirmed? No worries — you get a full refund, and if two days before the cruise you still haven’t been assigned a cabin, you can either drop off the list for a full refund or ride it out to the very end. The only non-refundable moment is when Holland America confirms you for the sailing, so you have to be fully ready to go once you put your name down. You also don’t get to pick your exact stateroom — HAL assigns whatever is open in the category you selected. And if you signed up for a Verandah but the only cabins left are Inside or Oceanview, they’ll offer you the downgrade at the lower $99 per-day rate, and you can decline it for a refund if you don’t want it.

On select standby sailings, the third and fourth guests sail for free (you still cover their taxes and fees), which can make it a good deal for families or friend groups.

Read more about the Holland America Standby program by checking out my article and viewing a list of standby-available cruises (the link is NOT a travel agent, or commissionable link!)

Sail on Standby with Holland America Line’s Standby List Program!

Morimoto at Sea on Holland America Line’s Rotterdam

OK, time to talk about dinner tonight, which was the Morimoto at Sea pop-up that’s held once per cruise. If you read my Zuiderdam Day 5 review, you already know that my first go-round with this event was… not great.

On Zuiderdam, Morimoto at Sea is held in Pinnacle Grill, the ship’s steakhouse. Pacing was a mess. I got my appetizer, the Morimoto tuna pizza, fairly quickly, then sat there for about 45 minutes with nothing. No dumplings,  which I ordered as a second appetizer. No entrée. Just me, my empty plate, and Facebook.

When the main finally showed up, the server-recommended Shrimp Three Ways turned out to be three ways of saying “no flavor,” with the fried rice on the side being the best part of dinner. The vegetables were rubbery and sad, and while dessert was actually good, it was way too little, way too late to save a $55 + 18% meal that felt completely out of sync with the rest of HAL’s usually solid dining. I walked away thinking the concept was good, but the execution in Pinnacle Grill just was not there.  In fact, my server flat out told me, “The kitchen is used to making the regular Pinnacle Grill menu. They take forever with this menu.”

Fast forward to tonight on Rotterdam, and I’m doing Morimoto at Sea again, but this time in Tamarind, which is the ship’s Asian restaurant and a much better fit for this type of menu. It just makes sense. The price is the same as on Zuiderdam, $55 per person + 18%, and just like before it is not included in Have It All, so this is a fully out of pocket splurge. But after my disappointing experience last week, I was really curious to see if changing the venue to Tamarind would fix the issues I had before.

But first, a look at what was being offered in the Lido Market and Main Dining Room this evening:

Lido Market Dinner Menu

Main Dining Room Dinner Menu

Dinner at Morimoto at Sea is a three-course menu: you can pick two appetizers, two mains, and one dessert. I booked my slot in the app a few days ago just to lock something in. I showed up right at 8pm and was seated at a nice table in the dark dining room

Right away, I asked my server the big question: “Hey, can I order something from the Morimoto Sushi Bar next door too?” On regular nights, the sushi bar has its own separate à la carte menu — but she told me that on Morimoto at Sea night, that menu is not offered. I’ll get into that whole setup later in the cruise when I go back for a sushi night, but I figured I’d shoot my shot anyway.

I asked for a spicy tuna roll. She said nope.

I tried again: shrimp tempura roll? Also nope.

She pointed to the sushi option on the Morimoto at Sea menu and asked if I wanted that instead. I told her I don’t really eat raw fish, so that was a no from me. She paused, thought for a second, then said, “Let me have the chef make you something.”

A few minutes later she came back with a little off-menu creation — shrimp with a spicy sauce on small beds of rice. Not bad at all, especially for something improvised. Still, A+ for effort and creativity.

When it came time to order, I s

Morimoto at Sea Menu

When it came time to order, I kicked things off with the Morimoto Fresh Tuna Pizza and the Pork Goyza Dumplings. The tuna pizza had slices of tuna laid over a crispy tortilla-style base with just enough spicy mayo and jalapeño to give it a little kick without being overpowering. The dumplings were equally good — light, almost crepe-like skins wrapped around a generous amount of juicy pork.

When they come out, they arrive sizzling in a cast-iron skillet, and the server immediately pours the scallion-ginger sauce over them, which adds some drama. Personally, I would’ve preferred them without the sauce because the dumpling itself was delicious on its own, but they were still great.

For my entrée, I went with the Angry Lobster — which isn’t angry, but it is delicious. It’s a small split lobster tail, maybe 3–4 ounces, served with rice noodles tossed with even more chunks of lobster in a red curry sauce that wasn’t overwhelmingly spicy but had great flavor. A very solid dish.

For sides, I ordered the fried rice and the bok choy, not realizing the Angry Lobster already came with bok choy — so, yes, I somehow ended up with enough bok choy to share.

When it came time for dessert, I had no choice but to tap out. I was stuffed. I mean done, finished. So I skipped dessert, but here we are.

Now… the verdict.

Morimoto at Sea on Rotterdam was executed flawlessly. This is exactly how this concept should be done — in a proper Asian restaurant with the right kitchen setup — not in a steakhouse. The difference between my experience last week on Zuiderdam and tonight on Rotterdam was truly night and day.

I didn’t have to wait 45 minutes between courses.

I didn’t get a list of excuses about how the kitchen “can’t really execute the menu.”

I didn’t have a single moment where I wondered why I bothered booking it.

Tonight flowed beautifully — attentive service, perfect pacing, food that actually had flavor and tasted great, and a dining room that made sense for the type of cuisine being served. It was a completely different experience simply because the venue fit the concept.

So, Holland America Line — I know you’re reading along — please, for the love of all things tempura, Morimoto at Sea belongs on ships that have a Tamarind.  That’s where it belongs.  Because this was type type of experience that doesn’t tarnish the Morimoto brand and is what cruisers familiar with Chef Morimoto would expect.

Well done Tamarind team!

Evening Shenanigans

After dinner I made my way over to B.B. King’s Blues Club, where — surprise, surprise — the band absolutely crushed it again. This band is easily one of the best parts of sailing Rotterdam.

I tried to head into the casino afterward, but forget it… every machine was taken. Not a single open slot anywhere, and I wasn’t about to stalk people waiting for them to tap out. As I mentioned earlier in the week, Rotterdam added slot machines to the Ocean Bar lounge — right across from Rudi’s Sel de Mer. Those of us on the ship have nicknamed it Little Vegas. However, these machines have their sound turned off, which makes sense because nobody wants to be enjoying a fancy French dinner while a slot machine screams “DING DING DING!” in the background. Still, silent slots are… strange and it really impacts the overall vibe. It’s like gambling at a wake.

But Little Vegas has been pretty busy. Why? It’s non-smoking, and tons of people have been complaining about the smoke in the main casino, so this gives them a clean-air alternative — even if the ambiance is basically “Shh, don’t wake the baby.”

We’re currently sailing toward our next port of call, Bridgetown, Barbados, where Rotterdam is scheduled to arrive around 8am. More from Barbados tomorrow — and as always, thanks for following along!

Daily Schedule

Personal Day-By-Day Rotterdam Cruise Review: