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