After the crossing I spent a night onboard the static hotel ship ROTTERDAM V. On the positive she is beautifully restored. Absolutely stunning and the restoration work is first class all the way. She is very much how I remember her aesthetically.

Unfortunately I can't recommend staying onboard as the current management is pretty horrific. I can't remember when I've encountered so many rude staff members and one hardly feels welcomed onboard. Most of the ship feels like a police state, as there are rent-a-cops all over the ship looking and acting like they belong in the Secret Service. You would think they were guarding Fort Knox! Honestly it was beyond ridiculous. Even when you first embark the ship there is a large security office just as you enter, looking very high tech and imposing. This is your first impression and unfortunately it sets the tone for the overall experience. While I enjoyed my time onboard, I would not return under the current management and cannot recommend it to anyone else.

I was able to capture some photos of the beautiful public rooms, looking very much as I remember from her sailing days with HAL and Premier. The cabins/rooms were also nicely done, and for the most part they are the size of two cabins when the ship was active (an inside and outside cabin).

Attached is a link to the pictures and some previews as well. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them. The ship is truly a treasure!
ROTTERDAM V Pictures Link

Ernie

Smoking Room

Tropic Bar

Ritz Carlton Ballroom

Ocean Bar

Theater

Indoor Pool

I was also fortunate to have an original deluxe cabin, with the original woodwork, cabinetry, etc. I came away with a genuinely positive impression of my stay on board.

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Originally posted by Linerrich:
Great shots, Ernie, thanks for sharing. I, too, stayed aboard ROTTERDAM some 3 weeks ago, with a much more positive experience. Perhaps it was because I was on board a bit longer than you were, and we were blessed with beautiful, sunny days. And there was also the exciting anticipation of the crossing to come, while you were just ending your trip. My dealings with the personnel tended to be friendly and helpful. But I did find ways to circumvent the "Gestapo" squad, as we called the security / tour guides, to fully explore the ship in the evenings and mornings when the day-trippers were not on board.

I was also fortunate to have an original deluxe cabin, with the original woodwork, cabinetry, etc. I came away with a genuinely positive impression of my stay on board.

Rich

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I'm not sure the weather or cruise anticipation had anything to do with my experience. Actually the weather was not bad by any means, just a bit overcast with spots of sun every now and then. Watching ROTTERDAM VI sail out from the stern of ROTTERDAM V was quite fun. I was also onboard with some other liner enthusiasts and they shared the same experience as me.

The actual hotel staff were fine, and there were friendly standouts like the personnel in the wonderful gift shop and I loved my comfortable cabin with original touches, but it was all overshadowed by the rather oppressive security staff. A very nice staff member at the front desk explained that there are several organizations jointly running ROTTERDAM V right now (hotel, tours, conventions, security, etc) and that is obviously part of the problem. Even she seemed to realize this. One example of the inexcusable rude behavior of the security staff involved the "Rotterdam Experience". My friends and I had a drink in the Ocean Bar and wondered into this space that shows a short movie playing in a loop. I think the entire movie is maybe about 10 or 15 minutes. I would say about 2/3 of the way through, a security staff member comes in, shuts down the movie and rudely orders us out. Turns out it was 8:30pm and this is when the "Rotterdam Experience" ends. Did he let us finish watching what was probably only five minutes left of the film like anyone would expect? Absolutely not. It's that lack of consideration that set the tone of ROTTERDAM V and why I was happy to only have one night onboard. I suppose I expect better hospitality when I stay at a hotel, whether it be a converted liner or not.

None the less, as you can see from the photos I did manage to get just about everywhere on ROTTERDAM V although it was often a challenge, especially considering I only had one night onboard. Well I'm always up for a challenge and I had a lot of determination! Overall it was fantastic seeing ROTTERDAM V again and as I mentioned the restoration work is first class, but the experience as a whole has plenty of room for improvement.

The three of us would open doors without any difficulty into areas worth exploring. There were no do not enter signs in English or Dutch to be seen, and trust me there were plenty of those around, and soon a guard would come shouting we were not allowed there. It was frustrating, and extremely disappointing.

I would not ever consider staying there as a paying guest and subjecting myself to such abuse. Security needs to be given training on dealing with multi-nationals in a culturally sensitive way.

Also the ship is located far out from the City Center which makes it a bit difficult to get to or fro. Dining options are limited onboard and can be quite expensive. Dinner after watching the "new" ROTTERDAM depart in the Lido Restaurant was enjoyable but expensive. The wait staff would not even supply tap water when asked. Their excuse was that they have orders to provide tap water to the patrons only if medically necessary to take medications, otherwise the hapless patron must purchase bottled water.

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Originally posted by lasuvidaboy:

I don't remember the glass-enclosed promenades being completely enclosed w/those doors leading out to the boat deck. Were those added by HAL, Premier or during the rebuilding?

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We were on her in July 1997 on a HAL Alaska cruise just before she was sold and there were no doors there. That was the one deck you could jog on early in the morning and it was wide open. I would be suprised if they were added by Premier. My guess is in Rotterdam due to the winter weather.

quote:

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Originally posted by lasuvidaboy:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by eroller:
[QB]

I don't remember the glass-enclosed promenades being completely enclosed w/those doors leading out to the boat deck. Were those added by HAL, Premier or during the rebuilding?

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Those doors are not from HAL nor from Premier.
Those doors lock the aft. of the Upper Promenadedeck. Forward is the route of the ship's tour.

By the way, those guys in fantasy maritime uniforms are NOT security, but the so-called ship hosts. Security is wearing a V-emblem on their jacket.
Main task for the ship hosts is to answer any questions, tell stories and keep an eye on visitors trying to sneek in in off-limit areas.

[ 07-27-2011: Message edited by: Willem ]

Imagine the sort of experience that the former dinning rooms would generate for the hotel guests if those areas became restaurants as well as serve as a Culinary School? The best option(in my opinion)for the former dining rooms is for them to become a 5-Star restaurant than a conference room. Thus, if at all possible, I would love for them to restore the central kitchen and to convert the former dinning rooms as restaurants that would provide high-end European cuisines.

[ 08-21-2011: Message edited by: Donald Johnson ]