Whenever my husband, Carl, and I arrived early for dinner in the main dining room on the Holland America Rotterdam, staff members in the reception area would enthusiastically smile and wave. It always made me feel like royalty. I could forget the world’s tragic problems, relax and have fun, and be served a delicious dinner.
We were on a 21-night back-to-back cruise starting in mid-April from Fort Lauderdale, crossing the Atlantic and stopping in several ports—Ponta Delgada in the Azores, France, England, the Netherlands, Norway and Scotland—before ending in Rotterdam. During the first two weeks (“14-Day Atlantic Sunsets and Exotic Isles”) 2,470 passengers and 972 crew were onboard, including 1,840 from the United States. For the last cruise week (“7-Day Taste of Norway and Scotland”), an extra 273 passengers boarded in Rotterdam—a total of 2,743 from around the world, including 999 from the United States and 961 crew members. We observed several passengers with mobility issues using canes, walkers or wheelchairs and admired them for continuing to travel. There were challenges getting on and off the occasional tender boats, but helpful crew members were always there to assist.
