SS Rotterdam Hotel Review. For our final night in Rotterdam, we stayed on the SS Rotterdam which is now permanently moored on the River Maas. It is just a short drive from Room Mate BRUNO where we spent the majority of our trip. The boys were very excited by the prospect of staying on a boat and I do wish we had more time to explore all it had to offer. As its possible to take part in tours of various areas of the ship which I think we would have enjoyed if we had more time.
SS Rotterdam Hotel Review
The SS Rotterdam was commissioned back in 1959 and had its maiden voyage to New York a couple of years later. It was eventually decommissioned in 1999 and has since become a very popular hotel. Offering the chance to stay on a cruise ship at a very reasonable price.I was pleased to find a large car park on arrival although you do need to pay to park.
Our Cabin
Our room was located on deck A and was a standard family room. I wasn’t anticipating having much space if I am honest. I have read about staying on cruise liners revolves around the lack of living space. However, that can not be said for our room. I was surprised by just how spacious it was. The main room had been divided into two with a semi partition. Separating the large king-sized bed from the boys’ bunk beds. They were not tucked around the corner which meant I could keep an eye on them easily.
Opposite our bed, there was a large flat-screen TV which showed a whole host of channels divided up by language. There was ample space for us all to get into bed and watch a movie. In the boy’s room there was also a writing desk, tea making facilities and several Art Deco-inspired leather chairs. The novelty porthole windows let in more light than I expected. The décor was retro to stay the least harping back to the 60s when the liner first came into service. I was quite keen on the yellow and green chairs if I am honest.
There was also a small windowless square room off to one side which I assume was originally designed for storage. Perfect to keep all the coats and bags in. The bathroom is small and only offers a shower. But it was very clean and there was plenty of towels and bottles of miniature toiletries.
The Restaurant LIDO
SS Rotterdam has its own onsite restaurant called LIDO. We opted to eat onboard. Although there is a metro station nearby to allow you to eat in the city if you wanted. The restaurant looks like it has recently been refurbished with brightly coloured upholstery and a clean, modern feel. One end has long windows running down the side where you can watch the sun go down. The food was well priced albeit on the higher end for a family meal. Which I was surprised about considering they have a captive audience to a certain extent. The waitress was helpful and they dealt with Monkey’s allergies well by creating a burger for him that didn’t have sesame seeds.
The Captains Bar
After dinner, we decided to go through to the Captain’s Bar. It felt as though we had gone back in time to the 60s. In the centre of the room was a large well-stocked bar surrounded by cream leather chairs and mosaic tables. Over to one side was a small grand piano and cocktail music played in the background. Right next to the bar was the Playmobil room. This meant that the kids could enjoy playing while we had an after-dinner drink. More could be made of this room. Some of the smaller parts had been posted into the display cabinets and you couldn’t get them out again. Monkey was a little bit too old for the toys that were left and grew bored quickly. I think with a little love this area could be really special.
Breakfast & on deck
One of the benefits of sleeping on the ship is that it’s only a lift ride to your room. We had a good nights sleep and woke early. Turns out that the bed was large enough to sleep all of us! Breakfast was served in the LIDO. Although busy the buffet was being constantly refreshed with lots to choose from. They had both continental and hotfoot options. Monkey particularly liked the smoothies. After breakfast, we had a quick walk around the deck. Because of the time of year, the pool was empty but I can imagine in the Summer it would be lovely sitting outside watching the sun go down. The lights reflected in the water.
We had a very pleasant stay aboard the SS Rotterdam. If visiting Rotterdam you should not miss the opportunity to stay in this novelty hotel. You can book online here.
47 Responses
Looks like you had a great time,and what a great looking cruise ship x
sounds like a great time was had by all, I would love to do something like this
Wow, this looks like an amazing trip, the views alone are so tempting!!
Wow that looks fabulous makes me want to go on a cruise
Looks like an awesome trip, I would love to take my Son on a trip like this
Looks amazing! would love to go on a cruise
looks great, I am surprised at the size of your room I always expect them to be a lot smaller
This look like a amazing trip
Oh my gosh how fun! Glad you had more space than expected. Food looks pretty delish too.
This looks so cool! I love the photos and when I finally make it there, I will definitely check it out!
Awesome, definitely nicer then Carnival Cruise lines I’m guessing. Looks fancy for sure 🙂
The hotel looks amazing and the food OMGGGGG!!! looks delicious. I am happy you had a great time.
Adorable boys, cute rooms, what can you ask for.. I have yet to exp a cruise but it looks exciting from this post.
What a great experience you guys got to have. Your boys looked so happy and your pictures are great, the food looks amazing.
Sounds like the boat option was the right one for you, especially for the boys, who must have loved it 🙂
It looks like your family had a really wonderful time. I’ve personally never been on a cruise, but a lot of people that I know really enjoy them. The food looks amazing and I’m glad to hear you and your family enjoyed yourselves.
This looks so fancy and very fun! I would love to spend even a night on a ship/cruise! Glad you guys had fun!
Looks like you had a lot of fun! The pictures are so beautiful and the hotel is stunning.
Such a gorgeous hotel. I always make a point to get a place that has a pool. Rotterdam is on my bucket list, I will make a point of staying there on my visit.
Wow, that was really a nice place for a stay and I love it because they have a place for kids to play.
I had no idea you could just stay on a big boat like that! It looks like a fantastic time, it would be a great place to stay!
Looks great – good idea to stay on a boat – a bit different!
You and your family must have had a great time there! Thanks for sharing your experiences, i would love to stay there too!
oh la la! I am so happy you were able to get a reservations. The food looks so good and tasty! The decor looks amazing too. I would love to visit the Daniel one day. I am so happy that you shared this with us. I really like learning about new places to visit. I really would love to know how the Ecrevisse taste. It looks like an interesting item.
It reminds me of the cruise I went when I was young! It’s such a fun and memorable experience. I want to go to cruise again!!
I heard a lot of good reviews about SS Rotterdam Hotel. I bet you had so much fun during your stay.
Seems like you had a great experience. Your room is so spacious, I bet the foods are nice too. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Looks amazing, a cruise is on my bucket list!
Thanks for sharing about this nice hotel which looks perfect. I wish I could have visited there.
I was so confused that this was called a hotel when it clearly looked like a cruise shop, LOL. It’s permanently moored on the River Maas, got it! How cool! Looks like a cool experience, especially to take the kids.
Looks fab – never really thought of doing this – great fun for all
This looks like such a fun trip! I would love to go on one of these someday!
Something I’d love to do one day is to go on a cruise, whether it will happen I don’t know but I can dream. Lots like you had a nice time
Wow this looks amazing! how lovely the cabin is!
It looks lovely and you took some great photos.
Looks amazing, a cruise is on my bucket list!
I love me a good cruise. I hope I get to do one soon, with my best friend. I loved what you ate, it really looks delicious from the pictures.
that boat looks huge and so fancy
Looks rather cool … and a great location near the Metro station. What a novel experience. #BloggerClubUK
I have never stayed on a ship. What a super floating hotel in a great location.
Looks amazing! Especially the food. I would love to go here. Thanks for sharing your review, it looks like you all had a great time. #BloggerClubUK
What a great experience. I love the playmobile room, great to keep the kids entertained. Beautiful photos.
What a treat! I got totally mesmerised by those food pics too. #BloggerClubUK
This look like a fun cruise!
Cool never done a big Cruise before.
Wow, floating hotel! I thought you went on a cruise when I first opened the page 😃 but when I read doen I just had to show my wife and tell her cos we’re going to Holland next month so we may now consider this when we hit Rotterdam!
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Oh my gosssh look at those bright blue skies!!