Holland America Cruise VLOG | March 2022 | Rotterdam | Day 1

[@VickieCarla]

I agree - first day is an awesome feeling. Because temps dropped that week, no loss in not having a balcony. A cabana is money better spent. I’m with Jill on the side facing cabana not that I’ve ever had one, lol. We need Jill to do a packing/unpacking video or what I wore in cruise video. She always looks so cute! Awesome library.

[@CruisingCanucks]

Jill puts lots of effort into packing strategies and having lots dresses for day and night - it could be a whole channel of it’s own. Not so much for Jerry 😂

[@Jen85176]

Looks like a fun cruise! 🙂

[@CruisingCanucks]

We had a marvellous time on the Rotterdam. We can’t wait to cruise on this ship again.

[@peggy2429]

We will be on the Rotterdam on June 5th. I’m getting excited. I enjoyed your video.

[@CruisingCanucks]

That’s exciting! Not sure if you r found all 7 days of vlogging on the Rotterdam but we had a great time!

[@peggy2429]

@@CruisingCanucks Yes, I am watching them all. 😁

[@CruisingCanucks]

You must be getting excited - only a couple weeks to go until your Rotterdam trip!! We will hopefully have our Ship Tour video out in the next week - so you can get one last peek before the real thing.

[@christinetupper1078]

We left Rotterdam a week ago after our 21 day cruise so I am reliving our amazing vacation through rewatching your Rotterdam trip. I realized that you helped me prepare for our cruise a lot. We visited the library on our first day and I checked out a book that I barely finished in time! There was too much to do! My husband is a musician so I was excited when you said the music was great. I was most looking forward to the piano bar but sadly it wasn’t as good as I’d hoped. However, the Rolling Stone Rock Room band was PHENOMENAL and we listened to them every night they played, nearly every set! I truly appreciate your vlogs!

[@CruisingCanucks]

Yes the piano venue is very dependant on the skill and personality of the musicians. We are happy you had a good time and our videos were helpful.

[@glendahutchinson7100]

Just got off this cruise. Rolling Stone Rock Room band was the best we've ever heard on a cruise ship. The last night we stayed for 3 sets.

[@CruisingCanucks]

We always had a tough time finding seating there. It’s so popular!

[@glendahutchinson7100]

So true! We learned to just go early, relax, and drink until they started. Between 30 and 45 minutes early. This was one of the places we met some really nice Canadians (we are from Illinois). We all sat together for a few nights. The BEST entertainment tho was a couple (in their 60s) who were outrageous (over the top, you have to see it to believe it) dancers. The wife wore various wigs and dressed the part every night. Go-go boots, teeny skirt, etc. Later, long slinky gown (skin tight), long black gloves, stiletto heels. TONS of makeup, huge false eyelashes. Everyone on the entire ship was buzzing about them. On our last night, while in the elevator at 11 p.m., met some people who asked where we had been. When we said the rock room they wanted to know all the scoop on this couple. So funny! (The woman was Asian and danced very dramatically and the guy was a little white guy who reminded me of Austin Powers).

[@sharoncruisingscene]

Wow, what a beautiful ship!! Looks like a great time and the food looked wonderful. Thanks for sharing!

[@CruisingCanucks]

We loved the ship and food and music and no masks…..a great trip.

[@kalozakos]

Getting me in the mood for cruising, thank you. I will be on thee Rotterdam later this year!

[@CruisingCanucks]

Hope you enjoy it! It's a beautiful ship and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Off to get the Day 3 VLOG (a sea day) done...

[@Rose-bv6wp]

What a great first day and what a beautiful ship!! The music is awesome, hubby and I would love it too - definitely not an "old folks" cruise. Your inside cabin looks very comfortable, I hope you don't have an issue with it being behind the elevators. 🤞 Looking forward to the next instalment!

[@CruisingCanucks]

It was lots of fun and we hope it showed. We never did hear any elevator noise. We’d book that cabin again for sure.

[@Jacksbox11]

Hi fellow Canadians! Thanks so much for all your info. It'll really help us plan our trip!!! 💜 from Ottawa!

[@CruisingCanucks]

Our pleasure! We love Ottawa - it's on the short list of places we'd love to live in! Let us know if there's anything more we can do to help plan your trip.

[@JDGFILMPRODUCTIONS]

I watched your vlog and got a first impression of the Rotterdam. We will board this ship on Sunday 2 April for a Caribbean cruise. We are looking forward to. Thanks for your movie. Greetings from Jan de Graaf from the Netherlands.

[@CruisingCanucks]

Excellent! Have a great time. We will have a vlog our for each day - so hopefully you will see a little more before you leave for the ship.

[@JDGFILMPRODUCTIONS]

@@CruisingCanucks Thanks !!

[@jefflimp561]

So glad I found you guys! Heading on the Rotterdam in early February for an 11 night BVI cruise. Really appreciate the review.

[@CruisingCanucks]

Hopefully we can give you an idea of life onboard the Rotterdam. We really enjoyed it and will certainly be on a HAL ship at some point - maybe later in 2023.

[@maryg4551]

Been waiting for this - LOL!! We board on Sunday!!

[@CruisingCanucks]

Let us know how you like it. Beauty of a ship for sure. We love the classic cruising atmosphere

[@maryg4551]

@@CruisingCanucks will do! We were on Koningsdam just before pandemic hit and loved it! Especially the music walk!

[@PaulandCaroleLovetoTravel]

LOL love your accent and love a good library and that did look a fabulous one! That feeling of getting on a ship is just the best.That was a big inside room, funny the TV was behind the sofa. We have never thought about renting a cabana for a week and that is a good option for having your own outside space. LOL loved the blues band we would of been very happy there, particularly with the snacks, and we would of been singing with you both! We are intrigued what is a Crown and Diet?

[@CruisingCanucks]

Crown Royal is a Canadian Whisky (rye) and is Jerry’s choice of liquor that he mixes with Diet pop(soda.) It doesn’t take the great bartenders long to learn what a Crown and Diet is when Jerry arrives in the bar day after day ordering the same thing over and over again! The cabana is a great option for a good-weather cruise and not having to fight for a deck chair.

[@PaulandCaroleLovetoTravel]

​@@CruisingCanucks Oh ok Paul loves a Bourbon and Coke! Yep the cabana would be good in the sunshine!

[@CruisingCanucks]

Hopefully one day our paths will cross on a ship with lots of drinks, sing alongs and dancing. If only that North Atlantic is wasn’t so wide and our retirement would come quickly.

[@PaulandCaroleLovetoTravel]

@@CruisingCanucks Yes that would be fun! 😀

[@cdnbarbqmafia]

Awesome guys, can’t wait to see your vlogs!!! I’m a crown and coke guy too vs beer!!

[@CruisingCanucks]

We should start counting how many rye and cokes are consumed each cruise.

[@cdnbarbqmafia]

@@CruisingCanucks LOL might get dangerous!!!

[@jeffcouchman8029]

Hi Iv been loving watching your videos. I'm going on the rotterdam soon and just wondering which drinks package you had with all those nice cocktails. Thanks Jeff

[@CruisingCanucks]

We had the standard drinks package that comes with the ‘Have It All’ promotion. It covered all that you saw.

[@twilalebold320]

Ha ha! We were on the exact same cruise. In fact, you caught the back of my husband and me on camera beside the Rolling Stone venue. . I was in the power chair. I do have a Vlog I am going to put up, definitely not as detail. We immensely enjoyed the cruise and definitely the ship Rotterdam!

[@CruisingCanucks]

It was a great time and we also enjoyed the ship! Very classy - we like the traditional cruise vibe more than some of the amusement parks at sea. Hopefully we will have day 2 published on Saturday - even though it was crappy weather. We look forward to seeing your vlog as well.

[@benyounce8390]

Wow, Compared to a Princess inside floor plans you guys have a suite !!!!!

[@CruisingCanucks]

We thought the same comparing it to NCL inside cabins. Keep in mind though - this isn't a 'normal' inside cabin. We hunted the floor plan and looked at dozens of pictures before we found this style. There's only about a dozen of these rooms on the ship at the most - but worth it, if you can find them.

[@curtb238]

Awesome vlog. We will be on the Rotterdam in October and enjoy this preview of what we will experience when we finally go on our cruise. Love the pictures of all the food but it would also be fun to hear what you think of the various items.

[@CruisingCanucks]

Sometimes we comment after the meal if something was really good or not great. Hmmmm. We may have to add that in or do a wrap up video of just food. It’s tough - cause food is so subjective- even just between Jill and I.

[@curtb238]

​@@CruisingCanucks Thanks for the reply. Totally agree food is subjective (just like any review you might read on-line or in the paper) but it would be nice to hear about some of the top food/drink items we should try (or even avoid) when we are on the Rotterdam. Thanks again!

[@CruisingCanucks]

I know we make a few recommendations on drinks. Not sure about food but I’m not sure we ever found anything that wasn’t good. Will have to give that some thought.

[@ClemsonTiger2013]

Hey guys, thank you for all the great rotterdam videos! We are considering the same sofa interior room on the rotterdam. Did you experience any noise or vibrations in your room since it was next to the elevator? Thanks

[@CruisingCanucks]

We never heard a sound the whole this. We liked that cabin so much that we had the same one when on the Koningsdam last summer.🛳

[@mikeklar9031]

Hi fellow Canadians......Vancouver here and we will be on Rotterdam in November

[@CruisingCanucks]

Hello fellow Canucks! That's great to hear you will be on this beautiful ship. We're sure you will have a great time. Just let us know if you have any questions.

[@glendahutchinson7100]

We hated the bathrooms on Rotterdam. They are all the size that you had (unless you have a suite). We had an aft verandah room. Talked to our room steward and he said they cut the bathroom size for this ship. The bathroom was less than half the size of their other ships' bathrooms. Jill, you're right - library was great (once we found it, all tucked away 😁).

[@CruisingCanucks]

Our cabin on Nieuw Amsterdam had a bathtub (ocean view) - but not the pinnacle class. We thought maybe our bathroom was small because of being an inside. Guess not. The library is a hidden gem. Odd location - catch some rolling stone rock music and then hit the library. 😀

[@glendahutchinson7100]

@@CruisingCanucks Yes, very weird place for a library. Never saw anyone in there but it was great!

[@shannonsteele8774]

Hello fellow Canadian Cruisers, we just discovered your channel and can't wait to explore it :) We are usually celebrity cruisers and are doing our first HAL cruise in November. Just curious if you prefer the inside cabin + the cabana or a balcony cabin?

[@CruisingCanucks]

Thanks for finding and checking us out! We are looking closely at Celebrity and hope to be cruising that line sometime in 2023! We hope your first HAL cruise will be enjoyable. You will have to let us know how it compares to Celebrity. We prefer the inside and cabana combo. The cabanas have so much more service (and space) than a balcony. Plus it encouraged us to be out and about the ship more and less in the cabin. Hope that helps.

[@barbarashuster9029]

We were to be on last September when really new, but not ready!! Now this September.

[@CruisingCanucks]

That’s too bad it wasn’t ready - but it must have been close. That’s great to hear you are having a chance to sail this beautiful ship this fall!

[@thomasgrant9444]

The largest library at sea is on Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria & Queen Elizabeth have much larger libraries, as well.

[@CruisingCanucks]

We’ll we need to desperately book Cunard soon! We also need to start carrying around a measuring tape to document all the best libraries at sea!

[@thomasgrant9444]

@@CruisingCanucks QE & QV have 2 story libraries with a spiral staircase. I am sailing on the Rotterdam on Wednesday.

[@CruisingCanucks]

Spiral staircases - in the library!? 😳 Where’s our credit card? We need to book Cunard immediately! 📚

[@thomasgrant9444]

@@CruisingCanucks All of these Carnival owned products have been scaled down. I would wait until they make $ again. I was on the Nieuw Amsterdam last week and they had an $8.50 upcharge for shrimp cocktail in the main dining room. I have sailed Holland America for 42 years and I was appalled. Both Cunard and Holland America are not doing parties anymore . The menu never changed either. I am only using up ship credits now. Celebrity Infinity was nothing to write home about either, At least Celebrity did the parties, but the food was just okay. To my surprise, freedom of the Seas had the best food! The Scarlet Lady was just a big disappointment!

[@harleymorgan7226]

Hello. Pretty good video. I would ask, when dining in the future, tell us if what you ate was okay, good, or excellent. I know its subjective, but its a starting point. You should have advised us if there was an issue with the elevators so close. The room did look comfortable. I am going on a HAL Alaska cruise in 2 1/2 weeks, cant wait.

[@CruisingCanucks]

For sure - food can be subjective but we've had a couple similar requests for feedback on the food. So we may do a separate video in the future that covers our viewpoint of the food. With this being only the first day of seven (and only the first of seven video vlogs) we felt we wanted to give it a whole week to see what we thought of the stateroom location. When we release our vlog for the last day of the cruise (like being released next week), we do talk about the room. Spoiler Alert - we never heard a thing from the elevators! ;) We've done 30 cruises, but never Alaska. We get our fill of snow, wildlife, water, and beautiful vistas throughout the year in Northern Ontario Canada - but it's just a matter of time until we do Alaska to check out some whales and the cute communities up there. Have a great time!

[@josephh16]

I'm glad I subscribed to your channel. I like the Canadian point of view, and appreciate the reports on the availability of Crown Royal as it is my #1 choice. It's also got us thinking about trying a HAL cruise - The Rotterdam looks very nice.

[@CruisingCanucks]

Welcome aboard! No Crown was sad - but only a glitch. HAL certainly has Crown and we will be cruising with them again in March 2023!

[@glendahutchinson7100]

Love your videos! We are eagerly awaiting more on the rest of your recent trip. We are taking the exact same cruise in April (on same ship) altho we have an aft room. We have sailed with Holland many times but are curious if you used verifly and mbark on this cruise and, if so, how does it work? We are in our late 60s and are retired. Every time I think I'm tech savvy something new and confusing comes along. P.S. Husband is really looking forward to Half Moon Bar!!

[@CruisingCanucks]

Yes we did the VeriFLY. That was all done on our phones and to do that they wanted us to also have the boarding pass on the phone (not printout). Once we figured that out it went really fast. We just showed that, had a picture taken and went straight to security and then to the ship. You can fill out the VeriFLY app in stages as you get the info - so we started it a week or two before the cruise and filled in the info as it was available. First we had to upload vaccination status, then do the health questionnaire the week of the cruise and lastly enter our negative COVID test. The app then somehow communicates with HAL and you fly through the gate agents by showing it. There’s a separate line for verifly and those that don’t use it. Half moon bar is great! Say hi to Paola Mae for us! Try the Rotterdam VII smoked drink - it was better than we expected! Have a great time!

[@debbiem7834]

Looks like a great ship! We will be on her next January!! We've never cruised with HA before. Those cabanas look great! Do I assume you can reserve those ahead of the cruise? May I ask how expensive they are per day or do you get a discount for renting one for the whole cruise? Thank you for your help!

[@CruisingCanucks]

We did an entire video on the cabanas that explains the details you are looking for. In that video’s description is a link to a document that has the prices. Take a look at the video and if you have any remaining questions please let us know and we will help you out. Here’s the link to that cabana video. Holland America Cabana Tour 2022 | How to Book, The Cost and Perks kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5KwZo2Zh7yYkLs

[@jimelfering7485]

I’ve just found this series and am wondering if you’ve ever sailed on Holland America Westerdam. I’ll be on an Alaskan cruise on Westerdam in the fall of 2023.

[@CruisingCanucks]

We have not sailed on that ship or any of those older classes of ship. From conversations with other long-time HAL cruisers, there is a love for those old ships. Some like them better than the new classes. Hopefully we find our way onto one soon!

[@salvatriceterranova6970]

Great video. I was wondering what was the ship’s capacity on your cruise?

[@CruisingCanucks]

We heard 1700 guests - we believe the ship has -around 2600 for full capacity.

[@salvatriceterranova6970]

Thanks for the info. We are leaving 4/10 and are hoping it’s not at 100%.

[@wayneswindel]

Thank you for sharing this one as well as the more detailed one later on. We are so encouraged by your favorable comments regarding Rotterdam. We will be on this ship in late August, and early September, cruising Norway, Iceland, and Scotland out of Amsterdam. Holland America has been our choice of cruise line for many, many years and we are so looking forward to our cruise on the Rotterdam as it has now been four years since our last cruise on a ship because of the pandemic. Holland America has treated us well throughout the years.

[@CruisingCanucks]

We are sure it'll be a great cruise - we've been chatting with folks from Germany that recently sailed the Rotterdam to Norway and loved it. HAL sure does things right and we found through COVID did a great job of keeping people safe and doing the little extras to help folks navigate the challenges of COVID.

[@andreaontour8961]

@Wayne Swindel! Oh , i just booked the same cruise! Greetings from Germany 🛳🤩

[@wayneswindel]

@@andreaontour8961 Hope all goes well for you. Lots of travel challenges these days with all that is going on with the airlines and pre-embarkation testing.

[@andreaontour8961]

@Wayne Swindel! Thank you, we have just over two hours by car to get there and for the testing, i have heard that only on the Rotterdam there will be no testing for embarkation for the next 3 cruises! If it works well, maybe we do not have to worry about anymore!

[@wayneswindel]

@@andreaontour8961 Sorry, I didn't think about how close you might be to Amsterdam. You are fortunate to be able to drive over. We fly out of Atlanta on Friday evening, the 19th, arriving in Amsterdam on Saturday, and stay overnight at a hotel near the boat dock for boarding on Sunday. Sure hope you are right about the testing requirement.

[@jlizardi5013]

Didn't check the buffet for cookies? They still open the buffet at night, no? The cabin looks great. Love the ship!

[@CruisingCanucks]

Yes - the buffet had several types of cookies and was open before midnight again each night. On the Nieuw Statendam we were spoiled with these huge plate-sized chocolate chip cookies that we loved - no luck finding them on the Rotterdam. However, we didn't go hungry - that's for sure!

[@doranadams9132]

Hi there! On Rotterdam, do they store your luggage or do you need luggage that fits under the bed? Thanks!

[@CruisingCanucks]

Ours fit under the bed.

[@letsgomets002]

I order at least 2 entrees for myself on cruises because the portions are so small ,2 desserts also

[@CruisingCanucks]

Portions have certainly gotten smaller over the 20 years we've been cruising.

[@WeepingWillow422]

I agree with your "common sense" approach. I question how effective masks are at preventing anything but, in crowded areas where a lot of other people are wearing masks, I will often wear one myself even if just to put their minds to ease. But in open spaces, I don't wear one at all unless the establishment requires it. OR if I've been coughing or sneezing a lot (like if I've been having bad allergies) I will willingly wear one so that my sputum doesn't reach other people or objects. Because even if I don't have anything catchy, being sneezed or coughed on is just gross.

[@CruisingCanucks]

Sadly common sense is less and less common - but masking and COVID are finally adjusting to meet people’s needs and comfort levels.

[@solson9870]

Have you ever been on a Princess Cruise? If so, how does it compare to Holland America?

[@CruisingCanucks]

We’ve done one Princess cruise several years ago. It’s a combination of Carnival and Holland America. Less activities on Holland America (like deck parties, Vegas style shows, general activities) but more classic/cultural cruising on HAL (like Lincoln center, EXEC talks, educational, etc). Holland America decor is likely a touch classier and the clientele are likely a little older than Princess. We will be on a Princess cruise in January of 2023 and will have to see how it compares now after three consecutive Holland American cruises.

[@Rose-bv6wp]

@@CruisingCanucks We're going to be on a Princess cruise in January 2023 too! We'll be on Enchanted Princess sailing on January 28th. We can't wait!

[@CruisingCanucks]

It looks like we will be in the Sky Princess on Jan.28 - just working our some details before booking!

[@letsgomets002]

Where are all the people ????

[@CruisingCanucks]

It's a bit slight-of-hand - we deliberately try to avoid filming other guests in our vlog, since they haven't chose to be part of the vlog.

[@monicadepoy5157]

Unfortunately I witnessed a young man(late teen) take a breadstick off of the little piano bar area and put it back! His mother watched and said nothing! How rude

[@CruisingCanucks]

That’s frustrating. Both the behavior on a teen that should know better and the parent that should start parenting.

[@letsgomets002]

Looks underwhelming for a new ship compare to NCL...new ships and Royal Caribbean

[@CruisingCanucks]

The cruise industry seems to be going in two directions - one is the larger more themepark approach, whereas others are settling into 'classic' cruising. For sure HAL is in that last group.