LovesToRead
June 12th, 2010, 07:52 PM
We received so much helpful information from CCers that we thought we’d provide a recap of our impressions of our wonderful cruise to Bermuda. My apologies if this is a little long.
We’re late 50s and have cruised a fair amount. We’ve been on Cunard, Crystal, and, most recently, Regent. This was our first HAL cruise, but not our first time in Bermuda; we were there 21 years ago on our honeymoon.
Cabin
We booked a BC guaranteed and were upgraded to an A. We had one of the new aft cabins. We loved the large balcony (sailing out of NY was amazing!) and found the cabin very quiet and comfortable. We are terrible packers (we always take too much), yet we found the amount of storage space more than adequate. Our cabin steward kept the cabin in good shape and we often ran into him.
The Ship
We really enjoyed the spaces on the Veendam. The ship never felt crowded; we liked the public rooms and thought the Rotterdam dining room was lovely (and amazingly quiet). We were impressed with all the nooks and crannies in which you could just sit and read quietly. We took (and recommend) the self-guided Ipod art tour.
Dining
We found the food generally good, although somewhat uneven. We thought the following dishes were exceptional: lobster bisque (in Pinnacle Grill and MDR); duck (both on the bone and medallions); seafood linguine dish in Canaletto, rib-eye steaks and lobster tails in Pinnacle Grill; baked brie on the last night; and the cheese plate for dessert. (We didn’t think the desserts were that good, but that didn’t stop us from indulging.) We enjoyed both the Pinnacle Grill and Canaletto. (At the Pinnacle, our window table and a terrific sunset made the meal even more special.) We had dinner one night in the Lido (it was the night of the street fair in Hamilton) and found the selections good and thought the arrangement worked well.
We had As You Wish dining and were very skeptical given all that we read on these boards. Everything worked out fine. Right after we boarded, DH made reservations for the first night in Canaletto and for the first formal night (Monday). At Canaletto we had a table for two and for the first formal night, we had requested a table for six, but were seated at a table for 4. We had a lively conversation with our two wonderful dinner partners, during which we discovered an amazing number of coincidences.
We’d made Pinnacle reservations for Tuesday (several weeks before boarding), Wednesday we ate in the Lido, and on Thursday we dined at a restaurant in Hamilton where we’d made reservations a few months before. On Thursday, we made a dinner reservation at a table for 6 for Friday night and were seated at a larger table, where we had a fine dinner with very pleasant companions.
(On Saturday morning, we had breakfast in the MDR. DH asked for Belgian waffles, which were on the menu. The waiter said the machine wasn't working, so they weren't available. A little while later, one of the managers appeared with the waffles; he had brought them from another kitchen. This was one of the extra touches (and going 'above and beyond') that made our experience special.)
We tried to avoid the dreaded MCD but did end up in the dining room. The food was excellent, but we would dine in our room next time if possible. We skipped dessert, as I was feeling extremely tired and we didn’t want to wait for baked Alaska.
We bought wine and soda cards, which worked out well. The planned drink cards seem like an even better idea.
Bermuda
We were very happy to be back in beautiful Bermuda! We didn’t take any shore excursions. I can’t really speak about St. George, as I was having trouble with one of my eyes (weird allergic reaction that cleared up later) and was fairly miserable. We took the first ferry and probably would have preferred if the ferries ran more frequently. On Thursday, we chose to take the longer ferry ride to the Dockyards for the scenery and the #7 bus back. In Hamilton, we really liked the Aquarium and exploring the shops. Friday AM we went over to the Hamilton Princess, where we enjoyed the grounds and the small art gallery.
Entertainment
I can’t say anything about the shows, as we’ve found that cruise ship shows aren’t our thing. As I wrote on another post, we enjoyed the classical group and the Neptunes in the Ocean lounge. We were also pleased to see 1- and 2-penny slot machines in the casino.
Other
We would definitely take another HAL cruise (in fact, we booked an open reservation and found Elaine, the cruise consultant, very helpful). We feel extremely lucky to have been able to sail on the Veendam to Bermuda!
I'd be happy to answer any questions.
We’re late 50s and have cruised a fair amount. We’ve been on Cunard, Crystal, and, most recently, Regent. This was our first HAL cruise, but not our first time in Bermuda; we were there 21 years ago on our honeymoon.
Cabin
We booked a BC guaranteed and were upgraded to an A. We had one of the new aft cabins. We loved the large balcony (sailing out of NY was amazing!) and found the cabin very quiet and comfortable. We are terrible packers (we always take too much), yet we found the amount of storage space more than adequate. Our cabin steward kept the cabin in good shape and we often ran into him.
The Ship
We really enjoyed the spaces on the Veendam. The ship never felt crowded; we liked the public rooms and thought the Rotterdam dining room was lovely (and amazingly quiet). We were impressed with all the nooks and crannies in which you could just sit and read quietly. We took (and recommend) the self-guided Ipod art tour.
Dining
We found the food generally good, although somewhat uneven. We thought the following dishes were exceptional: lobster bisque (in Pinnacle Grill and MDR); duck (both on the bone and medallions); seafood linguine dish in Canaletto, rib-eye steaks and lobster tails in Pinnacle Grill; baked brie on the last night; and the cheese plate for dessert. (We didn’t think the desserts were that good, but that didn’t stop us from indulging.) We enjoyed both the Pinnacle Grill and Canaletto. (At the Pinnacle, our window table and a terrific sunset made the meal even more special.) We had dinner one night in the Lido (it was the night of the street fair in Hamilton) and found the selections good and thought the arrangement worked well.
We had As You Wish dining and were very skeptical given all that we read on these boards. Everything worked out fine. Right after we boarded, DH made reservations for the first night in Canaletto and for the first formal night (Monday). At Canaletto we had a table for two and for the first formal night, we had requested a table for six, but were seated at a table for 4. We had a lively conversation with our two wonderful dinner partners, during which we discovered an amazing number of coincidences.
We’d made Pinnacle reservations for Tuesday (several weeks before boarding), Wednesday we ate in the Lido, and on Thursday we dined at a restaurant in Hamilton where we’d made reservations a few months before. On Thursday, we made a dinner reservation at a table for 6 for Friday night and were seated at a larger table, where we had a fine dinner with very pleasant companions.
(On Saturday morning, we had breakfast in the MDR. DH asked for Belgian waffles, which were on the menu. The waiter said the machine wasn't working, so they weren't available. A little while later, one of the managers appeared with the waffles; he had brought them from another kitchen. This was one of the extra touches (and going 'above and beyond') that made our experience special.)
We tried to avoid the dreaded MCD but did end up in the dining room. The food was excellent, but we would dine in our room next time if possible. We skipped dessert, as I was feeling extremely tired and we didn’t want to wait for baked Alaska.
We bought wine and soda cards, which worked out well. The planned drink cards seem like an even better idea.
Bermuda
We were very happy to be back in beautiful Bermuda! We didn’t take any shore excursions. I can’t really speak about St. George, as I was having trouble with one of my eyes (weird allergic reaction that cleared up later) and was fairly miserable. We took the first ferry and probably would have preferred if the ferries ran more frequently. On Thursday, we chose to take the longer ferry ride to the Dockyards for the scenery and the #7 bus back. In Hamilton, we really liked the Aquarium and exploring the shops. Friday AM we went over to the Hamilton Princess, where we enjoyed the grounds and the small art gallery.
Entertainment
I can’t say anything about the shows, as we’ve found that cruise ship shows aren’t our thing. As I wrote on another post, we enjoyed the classical group and the Neptunes in the Ocean lounge. We were also pleased to see 1- and 2-penny slot machines in the casino.
Other
We would definitely take another HAL cruise (in fact, we booked an open reservation and found Elaine, the cruise consultant, very helpful). We feel extremely lucky to have been able to sail on the Veendam to Bermuda!
I'd be happy to answer any questions.