After three days at sea, it’s time for our first port-of-call on this 9-day Southern Caribbean Seafarer Cruise on Holland America’s Rotterdam and we’re docked in Kralendijk – the charming capital of Bonaire. Looking out from the ship, the first thing you notice is the turquoise bay and small boats anchored in the water. Kralendijk, whose name comes from the Dutch word for ‘coral dike’, is a gateway to some of the most pristine natural wonders in the Caribbean where the unspoiled coral reefs are a mecca for scuba divers and snorkelers.
Rotterdam docked around 9:30 am and we got the all-clear to go ashore at 10 am. Once you leave the ship, a fairly modern shopping area is steps away. Within walking distance, there is an open-air local market where food, arts and crafts, and local goods are sold. While the area may appear to look run down and sketchy in areas, it’s not. Generally, the area is very safe and the locals are friendly and don’t pressure you to buy their goods or services.
If you venture a little further from the port, following the shore, there is a nice walking path you can take for a few miles. At the start of it you’ll find a new shopping center with familiar brand names as well as a coffee and ice cream shop. Several restaurants and bars also line the street and the smell of food fills the air. If you keep walking, you can walk down to the shoreline and hunt for washed-up pieces of sea glass mixed in with coral.
The beach along the port is not a beach you want to swim at but is a good spot to snorkel if you bring your gear. Shore excursions will take you to Mambo Beach which is about 15 minutes away by car/bus/taxi and is a resort-style beach that was built specifically for tourists. If you’re not part of an excursion, it does cost a few bucks to use the beach. There are also several different excursions offered for those who want to go on a guided snorkeling adventure.
If you wander around on your own, there’s still plenty to see in the port area and you can even check out a new floating pier that just popped up within the past few weeks and is a neat little place to sit and you can go into the water here. But it’s a small area and doesn’t have facilities other than the pier to sit on and the water to swim in. It’s not meant to accommodate large crowds and it takes some walking to find it. The weather was very hot and humid and the water was certainly tempting.
With the heat, the majority of guests on board returned to the ship fairly early in the afternoon considering we had an all-aboard time of 6:30 pm. Upon returning to the ship, crew members were passing out chilled face towels and had an area set up with water and lemonade – a nice touch!
We left a few minutes early and once we were out to sea, the evening activities started to get underway. The first was comedian Cisco Duran’s general comedy show at 7:30 pm and his adult-only show at 9:30 pm. His routine was pretty much the same as the previous segment of the cruise. He picked on the age of the people onboard, picked on Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians – nobody was off limits. One gentleman was visibly offended by a joke aimed at his ethnic background, which Duran used as a reminder that comedy is comedy and is not meant to be taken seriously.
Everyone else in the audience reacted strongly with his zings, jokes, stories, and select guests who he picked on throughout the show.
After the show, I headed to the main dining room for dinner, and the menu was the Culinary Council Menu where the celebrity chefs who work with Holland America Line on menu creation select their favorites for guests to enjoy on this once-per-cruise event.
I started off with Chef Rudi Sodamin’s Coconut Crusted Shrimp which was two very average, more than likely frozen, breaded shrimp on top of spinach, green beans, bok choy, and beets.
Next up, Chef Andy Matsuda’s sushi trio consisted of three pieces of sushi – spicy tuna, volcano, and avocado. Now, sushi is available every day at the Lido Market and each time I’ve had it, it’s been fantastic. Sushi from Matsuda is also available at the sushi restaurant, Nami, as well as the Asian Fusion restaurant, Tamarind. I found the sushi on the Lido to be better than what was served here. These were loosely rolled and the rice was not “soggy,” which I can only assume was due to the condensation from the fridge where these were kept all day.
For my main course, I went with an end cut of Chef David Burke’s Roasted Spice Crusted Prime Rib. Yes, I asked for an end cut and was expecting it to be a little more well done than I would have wanted, which it was, however, it was still remarkably tender and was very flavorful. Just what one would expect from an end cut, so no complaints there.
I also went with a side of Chef Ethan Stowell’s Rigatoni with Italian Sausage which had a very good meat sauce, a few pieces of not-too-spicy sausage, and pasta cooked a perfect al dente.
I passed on dessert, as this was a boat-load of food (no pun intended).
After dinner, the bar I usually end the night at was very busy so I made my way to Music Walk and took in a set from the band at B.B. King’s Blues Club which was packed both on the dancefloor and in the seating area. When they went on break, I made my way to Rolling Stone Rock Room where it was just as busy and was standing room only.
This is a vast departure from the previous segment of the cruise where these venues were not anywhere near to this crowded at 10:45 pm.
We’re going to be taking a leisure cruise just down the road to our next stop, Willemstad, Curacao – a beautiful port where will will dock at 8 am in the morning. Till then, thanks for following along.
Links to Rotterdam Restaurant Menus
Restaurant menus for November 6, 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
- Main Dining Room – Dinner Menu (Culinary Council Dinner 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 4:
