DAY VISIT ON THE MS ROTTERDAM
Review of Holland America ms Rotterdam by Nicola (24 May 07)
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Overall Rating
I was lucky enough to visit the Holland America ship the MS Rotterdam for the day, when it was docked in Harwich before it set off on a Baltic itinerary. This was my first visit on a 5 star ship, and I could certainly tell the difference from the 4 star ships I have been on before. The ship was very impressive and from the moment we boarded I was amazed by the beautiful decor and fantastic facilities. We started our day by visiting the cabins on board, all of which where very spacious and well layed out, the Deluxe Verandah suite and Verandah Suite both had large balconies which had a small table and chairs on them, the Deluxe Verandah Suite had the largest balcony which also had 2 sun loungers as well as the table had chairs on it. Each cabin was equipped with a Flat screen TV and DVD player, a small seating area with sofa and table (I thought this was a nice feature as it gave you a separate seating area away from the beds especially a nice touch if you don't have a balcony to sit out on) and each cabin had a dressing table and plenty of drawer and hanging space.
Once we had seen all the cabins we went to look round all the facilities the ship had to offer, the first area we looked at was the fantastic Teen area 'The Oasis', it was situated on the very top deck away from the main open decks which was perfect as I imagine it could get quite noisy and busy with lots of teenagers in it! It was equipped with it's very own waterfall, metal palm trees, deck chairs and Hammocks. This area is perfect for teens as it gives them somewhere to hang out and meet friends. Out on the open decks there where 2 sports courts one for basketball and the other for tennis, there was also an area for shuffleboard. At the back of the ship was an small outside pool with sun loungers around it, and in the centre of the ship was the main large pool this is covered by a sliding dome roof which is opened up on the hotter days, unfortunately it was a typical rainy day in Harwich so we didn't get too see the roof open but the area around the pool was brightly decorated which made it feel very warm.
Back inside we made our way to the promenade and upper promenade decks which are home to the main facilities, walking around the ship there were fantastic works of art everywhere we turned and the ship was layed out fantastically each area flowing into the next. The Greenhouse Spa & Salon were beautiful and we managed to sneak a look into some of the therapy rooms which were fantastic and looked very relaxing. The Gym and aerobics area were situated in the same area and were full of all the latest equipment. The Queens Lounge Theatre was well layed out and had lots of comfy seats to sit on and enjoy the shows! After we had seen what the ship had to offer we made our way to the main dining room, the 2 tier La Fontaine dining room which was spectacular, and the food was amazing! We sat down to a four course meal with a choice of wine and the service was brilliant from the waiters, they made the dining experience second to none.
After lunch it was time to leave, after our fantastic day! I would definitely recommend Holland America to anyone looking for a fantastic 5 star cruise, their attention to detail and fantastic facilities would a cruise with them a memorable experience.
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