Welcome home, Diana, and thanks for the info on the Rotterdam. My cruise
friends tell me that I am not ready for HAL, but I hope to try them some
day. Maybe a 7-day cruise would be a little more livelier.
It is difficult for me to say which cruise line is my favorite. I would
have to say Princess, NCL, Carnival and RCI, in that order. I like
Freestyle and Personal Choice, although I know it does not suit
everybody. I enjoy the Solarium on Royal Caribbean, although their lunch
buffet is not the best. Celebrity was my least favorite cruise line,
but I hope that changes after I try the Millennium on the MOAGC2 in
February. I hear they have made some changes so I am looking forward to
it. I will be cruising with friends, so I am sure I will have a great time.
Becca
D Ball wrote:
> Greetings, RTC'ers,
>
> I hope everyone is enjoying a great summer!
>
> We just returned from a 12-night cruise on HAL's ms Rotterdam from Rotterdam
> to Copenhagen with stops in Oslo, Norway; Arhus, Denmark; Warnemunde,
> Germany; Tallinn, Estonia; St. Petersburg, Russia; Helsinki, Finland; and
> Stockholm, Sweden. We spent time in The Netherlands pre-cruise and in
> Copenhagen and London post-cruise. We traveled as a party of 5 adults and 3
> kids spanning the ages 12 to a very active 82.
>
> The itinerary was grand and the driving force behind our selection of the
> HAL ms Rotterdam. Once interested, we couldn't pass on a "flash" sale of
> cabins about 45 days pre-sail. Our cruise experience on the Rotterdam,
> however, was just "okay." The ship is quite lovely (she's HAL's flagship,
> and it shows); our staterooms were very comfortable (love those Euro
> pillow-topped mattresses) and well-appointed (we lucked out on our
> guaranteed booking and were assigned the highest category of OV's in a
> convenient amidships location); and the Signature of Excellence enhancements
> are nice, especially HAL's creation of a New York Times co-branded Internet
> cafe and library/multimedia center (one great place to hang out!). The food
> and entertainment as we experienced them on this cruise were not a good fit
> for us, though, and with the exception of our stateroom attendant, who I'm
> delighted to report was the best we've ever had, service generally was not
> up to par (there had been staffing cutbacks on this ship).
>
> We were fortunate to unexpectedly take a "just for fun" Caribbean cruise on
> the Carnival Miracle in June, so with two cruises fresh in mind, it's easy
> to make comparisons. Curiously, our HAL and Carnival cruises are sides A and
> B of the same record (yeah, how old am I to talk about records??!)--we
> thought the food and service on Carnival were top notch, but the ship was
> ugly! Based on what we've seen on 13 cruises over the past 5-1/2 years since
> we've discovered cruising--and we've now cruised on all of the mainstream
> lines except Disney, plus enjoyed one small ship river cruise
> experience--our family's happiest on Carnival, Princess and
> Royal Caribbean (in no particular order--each has its strengths and
> weaknesses). Celebrity is still a question mark--she failed to impress when
> we tried the Millie in the Med last summer--and we just don't think HAL or
> NCL are good fits for our tastes and interests. YMMV
>
> We go back to school early in Texas, so considering post-trip catch-up and
> back-to-school chores, I doubt I will get a trip report prepared soon enough
> to be of benefit to anyone who may be going to the Baltics before the season
> is over or cruising on the Rotterdam soon. However, I am happy to answer any
> questions.
>
> BTW, the current production of Guys and Dolls in London featuring Ewen
> McGregor as Sky Masterson is unexpectedly magical! I wholeheartedly
> recommend it to any of you who may be in London in the next few months. Ewen
> is the draw, to be sure, and he is surprisingly good on stage, but the
> runaway stars are the American singer/actress Jane Krakowski who plays Miss
> Adelaide and, collectively, the ensemble cast of actors/singers/dancers who
> play the missionaries and the gamblers, plus the orchestra. The normally
> reserved British audience (compared to Broadway theatre goers) went wild at
> the end of a contagiously enthusiastic, "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat."
> This musical (new to the West End and slated for a short run, at least with
> the current cast) is very popular with residents, and our performance was
> SRO--the first time I've ever seen folks pay to stand at the back!
>
> Anyway, another memorable travel experience, moving right into anticipation
> mode for the next....
>
> Smooth sails to all,
>
> Diana Ball
> near Houston, TX
>
> |