Day 8 of this 9-day Southern Caribbean Seafarer cruise on the Rotterdam found us at sea heading to our fourth and final port of call – Half Moon Cay. We also set the clocks behind one hour so we finally bid adieu to Daylight Saving Time on the ship. As noted previously, we did not go back an hour with the rest of the country on Sunday morning which caused a lot of confusion with guests and crew.
Since it was a sea day, there were plenty of activities scheduled during the day to keep everyone entertained. First thing in the morning, there was a Q&A session with the Island Magic Steel Band where they talked about the group’s history, and their instruments, along with taking questions from the audience. Later on, “A City on the Sea” gave insight into life on board the Rotterdam for the crew who come from all corners of the world and that was followed up by a game of Deal or No Deal. The popular game show, also on select Carnival Cruise Line ships, allows a lucky attendee the chance to win up to $1,000 while audience members have the chance to win prizes by purchasing bingo-like cards.
With just one more day left to the cruise, the crew is going out of their way to remind us about the importance of the guest survey that will make its way to our inboxes once we return home. Anything less than a score of 10 for any of them is a big deal (apparently) and as things come to a close, they want to make sure they earn high marks from the guests. That doesn’t mean service wasn’t a “10” the whole time, they just want to make sure that if it wasn’t, they want the opportunity to earn that perfect score.
In yesterday’s report, I talked a little about gratitude and how the daily charge is spread out among crew you don’t see but work behind the scenes to make your vacation special. While you don’t get the opportunity to thank them, sometimes they will reach out to you to say thanks! A few times I found some notes left with laundry thanking me for using the service. An unexpected, but appreciated gesture.
All cruise lines offer some perks for loyalty and on Holland America, there were a few of those such as the Mariner Society (loyalty program) lunch on embarkation day, a special cocktail party for three, four, and five-star Mariners, and President’s tier members. Another way they say thank you is with a commemorative delft tile that the line has been giving out since the 1930s. These tiles created by Royal Goedewaagen, in Holland who is known for producing authentic delftware since 1610.
This year’s tile celebrates the line’s 150 years of sailing when on October 15, 1872, the first Holland America Line ship sailed from Rotterdam to New York City.
Time to talk about the evening. In the World State, the ship’s performers were putting on their final show on this cruise, Humanity. It was the first show I saw during the first segment of this 21-day adventure and one that I walked out of. I was unimpressed with the quality of the show and its poor choreography, so I did not attempt to see the rest of their performances. Like they say, you’ve got one shot to make a good impression…
On Music Walk, the piano players at Billboard Onboard had the night off, but the Rolling Stone Rock Room band was doing three sets and so was the band in B.B. King’s Blues Club, so there was entertainment running till after 11 pm.
For dinner, it was one final night at the Pinnacle Grill ($48 pp +18%) where every meal I’ve had there so far has been fantastic and the service worthy of that perfect 10 I mentioned earlier.
Once again, I started off with the standout appetizer of the entire cruise, the Steak Tartare. While some can’t fathom the thought of eating raw beef, don’t knock it until you try it!
When it comes to beef, the best I’ve had in the Pinnacle Grill was the ribeye, so I decided to have it one last time paired with a lobster tail. Cooked and seasoned perfectly, it was a great way to cap off three weeks of dining here.
After dinner, I decided to hit up the casino. On this segment of this 21-day B2B cruise, there are 300+ casino VIPs – aka, the high rollers who drop a boat-load of money in the casino, are given free play as well as free rooms and suites. With the casino being so small, it’s been a challenge to get a slot machine as most of these people are camped out at them morning, noon, and night.
Literally.
Many of them are complaining that there have been “too many” of them on the cruise making their own play a challenge. It creates a situation where you have more “whales” than you do machines and some have expressed that they will never do a VIP cruise again.
Despite that, I finally was able to get a machine to play, and of course didn’t win a thing. Most of my casino points were accumulated during the first 12 days, with very few being racked up during this 9-day segment due to so many players.
After losing, I called it a night.
The final day of this journey is tomorrow, and in that report, I’ll go over the good, bad, and ugly of spending 21 days onboard Holland America’s Rotterdam. Till then, thanks for following along.
Links to Rotterdam Restaurant Menus
Restaurant menus for November 10, 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 (Gala Night #2)
- 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 8:
