HOLLAND AMERICA LINE
I met the Representatives from Holland America Line (HAL) along with the other invited, and paying guests in the cruise terminal at Harwich port at 10am. We were given information packs containing brochures and a map of the ship, we were then escorted through security, and onto the ship, our passports were handed in and we were given visitor passes.
Once on board and we were given a brief introduction and a timetable to adhere to, it was then up to us to view the ship on a self guided tour. Although the tour was self-guided, HAL had provided a detailed list of show cabins which were open to view, and a suggested route in order to view as much of the ship as possible in the allotted time, I decided to adhere to the suggested route and made my way to deck 7 midships.
On deck 7, I viewed suites 7022 & 7023, these were S-category suites with 2 lower beds convertible to 1 king sized bed, a whirl pool bath and shower, large sitting area, dressing room and a private verandah. There was also a sofa bed which would sleep two, a VCR, mini-bar and fridge.
I then proceeded to deck 6 where I viewed mini-suites 6172 & 6165 which were A-category and had 2 lower beds which converted to 1 Queen sized bed, again there was a whirlpool bath and shower, a sitting area, private verandah, VCR, mini-bar and fridge.
I continued through the decks, on deck 4 I saw the art gallery and wine display as well as the pinnacle grill which was a delightful intimate restaurant. On deck 3 I viewed a large outside cabin, passing a grand piano in the foyer. On deck 2 I viewed both inside and outside cabins. All the cabins viewed were of a good size and had twin beds which could be converted into a Queen sized bed. Also on deck 2 there was a large self service laundry room and a rather nice foyer style sitting area by the stairs and lifts.
Other facilities on-board include. on deck 8, the Lido restaurant, pool and bar, hot tubs, the Grill, the spa and the gym. On deck 9 there is the Oasis area with its rock waterfall with imitation rocks and palm trees (a little tacky for my taste but a nice sitting area). There is also basket ball on this deck. Deck 5 is where you will find the main restaurant which I found to be very tasteful, spread over two decks with stairs in the centre of the restaurant, there is also the kings room which is a small intimate dining area, an internet café, library, casino, the Queens lounge with 2 small cinema screens and the theatre which is spread over 2 decks, seats 577 and has its own bar.
Other interesting facts about the ship are that she was launched in 1997 and was the 6th ship that Holland America Lines has named “Rotterdam” and is the flagship of the fleet. Her gross tonnage is 62,000 grt. and her length is 777.6 feet, she has 10 passenger decks and can accommodate 1,320 passengers in 655 staterooms, 378 of these are outside cabins and 160 have verandahs. There are 12 elevators and 23 handicapped accessible staterooms. Square footage of staterooms are generous with a minimum of 186 square feet for inside staterooms and 196 square feet for outside staterooms. A nice touch is that all guests receive complimentary fresh fruit basket and terry robes in all staterooms.
Most service staff are Indonesian & Filipino and are most attentive, and provide a first class service, the officers are Dutch and the ship is registered in the Netherlands.
The Casino has slot machines as well as gaming tables, there are two swimming pools, one of them covered, there are also two whirlpools.
At the end of the tour we all met up in the Restaurant for a fantastic meal and I left the ship at 1.30pm feeling as if I had been on a cruise, so immersed in all the glory of the ship, and so envious of the passengers who were now embarking to sail away to foreign lands and a world of adventure.
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