Here on Holland America’s Rotterdam, we celebrated Halloween at sea as we sailed towards our next port of call, Falmouth, Jamaica. I’m mid-way through this 21-day cruise which is two cruises back-to-back. This first segment is a 12-day Panama Canal Sunfarer Cruise which will end on November 3rd when we arrive in Fort Lauderdale to let on new passengers and begin a 9-day Southern Caribbean Seafarer Cruise which ends on November 12th at which time this adventure comes to an end for me.
The day started off foggy and wet with some heavy rain and thunderstorms which lingered around for quite a few hours in the morning. There was supposed to be a Question and Answer session with the Captain at 10:00 am, which I wanted to attend, but at the last minute, an announcement was made that he was being swapped out for the ship’s 2nd Officer, presumably so the Captain could remain on the bridge until the weather passed, so I skipped it.
Since it was Halloween, there were special events throughout the day including a pumpkin carving contest around the Lido pool where food and beverage staff carved pumpkins and guests voted for their favorites. The bakery team assembled an edible Halloween-themed display of cakes and cupcakes at the Lido Marketplace, while specialty beverages were available at the bar.
A Halloween Costume Contest was held in B.B. King’s Blues Club later in the evening where, surprisingly, a good number of people donned a costume and got into the spooky spirit.
Following the Costume Party, servers mingled all along the Music Walk with passed chocolate “treats” of all different varieties to end the night on a sweet note. With all this going on, I didn’t get to attend the second show of the Island Magic Steel Drum Band, but since they have a 5-month contract on the ship, I’ll get to see their second show in a few days when it repeats for the next segment of this cruise.
For dinner, I went to the main dining room, which I began jokingly calling it “McDonalds,” not due to the food quality, but due to how quickly I am in and out every night. Each evening, almost immediately after sitting down, the server is over ready to take my order. Once the first plate of food is finished, you don’t even get enough time to put your fork down when one plate is swooped away and replaced my another.
For dinner, I don’t like to be rushed, and that is what it has felt like each time I’ve eaten in the main dining room. This evening was no exception. I was in and out (yes, I timed it) in 22 minutes. This was the fastest dinner yet – so fast that my drinks NEVER CAME until I was almost done with dessert. I get the fact that some don’t want to linger, but I have spent more time sitting in a McDonald’s drive thru than it has taken to complete an entire meal in the dining room.
Obviously that’s doesn’t say much for the speed of McDonalds.
Speaking of dinner, this was the second of two Gala Menu nights, and for a starter I chose the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail, which featured four large (not jumbo) shrimp with a spicy cocktail sauce.
Next up was the Apple, Pear and Cucumber Salad which was unremarkable.
And for the main course, I went with the Cracked Pepper Tenderloin with Grilled Shrimp and a side of the evening’s pasta – the Ricotta and Spinach Tortellini. The tenderloin was cooked a perfect medium rare and you barely needed a knife to cut it as it was so tender. A big improvement over the tenderloin served during the first Gala night, but still not the quality of the steak you would get in the Pinnacle Grill. The Tortellini was pretty much what you would buy frozen and boil. Definitely not homemade. The dish was served with two small shrimp and a few green beans and pieces of roasted pineapple.
Overall, tonight’s dinner was one of the better ones in the dining room.
I did happen to pop into the casino before heading back to my room and found the only open slot machine in the place and lost a very quick $150.
Some of us can’t even get lucky with a prostitute.
Next port-of-call is Jamaica… stay tuned.
Links to Rotterdam Restaurant Menus
Restaurant menus for October 31, 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 (Mariner’s Club Lunch – Invite Only)
- Main Dining Room – Dinner Menu (Gala Night 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 10:
