fridayeyes
May 16th, 2006, 02:36 PM
Veendam Coastal, 9 May - Mini-review
Embarkation: Arrived around 11:30, quickest we've ever boarded. Our number was called while we were still having our documents processed. My travelling companion left her blue folder at home, so I can now personally verify that you will still be allowed to board the ship if you are not in possession of your docs.
Cabin: This was our first time in an inside cabin and I am delighted to say that it exceeded my expectations. I was afraid I'd feel like I was trapped in a box, and it didn't feel that way at all. The cabin was well appointed and wasn't cramped save for the hallway leading past the bathroom to the door (which is cramped in any cabin). Drawer and closet space was adequate for two, though I could have used about 2 more hangers. In addition to the very anemic hair-dryer in the bathroom, there was a more powerful model in a blue drawstring bag next to the safe. A few small quibbles: the keys were gone from our night table drawers, making them unlockable. A locksmith replaced them within an hour of our call. We couldn't work the safe and decided to use the locking drawers instead. The bathroom door and the medicine cabinet had temperamental latches, coming open and banging in the night.
Dining: The food in the dining room was good as always. Excellent beef wellington, a wonderful variety of breads and outstanding nasi goreng (Indonesian dish). Randy and Bobby took excellent care of us even under trying circumstances to be described below.
Pinnacle Grill: Oh. My. The Pinnacle is wonderful. This was my first time, and it was so good we went back later in the cruise. I had the salmon and my friend had the filet mignon. Both were superbly done, with the fielt tender enough to be cut with a fork. The chocolate volcano cake is a meal unto itself. If you're into chocolate, the first bite will render you speechless for a good 30 seconds. The appetizers, entrees and desserts were excellent, but the sides were only adequate. I tried the mushrooms, the creamed spinach, the scalloped potato and the baked potato (we went twice, remember) and they were all just so-so. The volcano cake alone was, worth the price of admission however. :) Boban, the maitre d' and our server Adi Ristoro were friendly, knowledgable, helpful and gave excellent service. Oh, and the best cup of (decaf) coffee I've had outside of Brazil.
Lido: Adequate, nothing really outstanding. I'm not a fan of the Lido so it's probably just me. :)
Explorations Cafe: Better selection of books than I expected and ample space for both computer users and readers alike. Computer terminals in two rooms. 100 DVDs available for rental.
Drinks and hors d'ouevres: My signature drink, a BBC, is back to its standard. :) On a previous cruise, it was more like a pina colada with a splash of Baileys but this time they did it right. The tapas in the Crows nest seemed to have slipped just a bit. They were fairly pedestrian cheeseballs, stuffed mushrooms and a puff pastry with an unknown filling. I miss the more Dutch-inspired ones.
Odds and Ends:
Norovirus, the trying circumstance from above - we were told before we boarded that the ship was having norovirus problems. Hand sanitizers were everywhere, and we were each issued a small personal bottle of sanitizer as well. All salt/pepper, sugar dishes, breadbaskets and butter dishes were removed from all tables, requiring individual service if you wanted those items. There was no self service in the Lido, contributing to huge lines especially on Seattle day when the dining room was closed for lunch. Tester bottles of perfume were removed from the shops, and cloth hand towels from the bathrooms. We were advised by the Captain not to shake hands, and to use a tissue to open doors whenever possible. I thought the precautions were more than adequate, and I imagine they caused more inconvenience to the staff than they did to us. The casino staff was working the Lido line, for example.
Dis/embarking pax enroute: This cruise actually began in Tampa, coming through the Panama canal before hitting San Diego and heading up the coast. A significant number of pax were embarked or disembarked at each port along the way, creating rather a bit of chaos (e.g. multiple lifeboat drills, luggage in the halls, etc) especially in the dining room. Our table of 10 had only 2 or 3 people for several nights and on the 3rd night, the three of us decided to eat in the Pinnacle. In our absence, several other poorly attended tables banded together and took over our table. They made room for us on the final night, but the whole process, including the poorly attended tables, was disruptive and made dinner less enjoyable.
Shop/Casino closures: due to the particulars of our itinerary, the casino and the shops closed around noon on Friday - and did not re-open before we disembarked on Sunday. They gave an announcement about the casino, but not about the shops which left me in the lurch as I was unable make some purchases I had planned. I felt bad for the 200 or so pax who embarked at Seattle for a 2 night cruise as the shops and casino were closed for their entire voyage.
Weather: We had headwinds and heavy seas from San Diego to Seattle, making us late into port. The ship handled it well, and it didn't seem 'rough' to me despite trays of crackers being put out and comments about the seas from the staff and captain. Temps were low 50s, overcast until Seattle and partly sunny for the rest of the trip.
Flambe' and dinner chimes: There were two flambes on the menu during our cruise, bananas foster and a pineapple flambe. I saw a thread here saying that there were none on their cruise, so sorry, but apparently we took yours. :) I didn't hear the dinner chimes ever, though, and that's a real disappointment for me. I hope I just missed them and they haven't ditched the tradition.
All in all, it was a wonderful, restful, relaxing cruise. The Veendam is a fine ship, but she hasn't replaced the Ryndam in my heart.
Cheers,
Friday
Edit: We did a culinary arts lesson with the Exec. Chef from the Pinnacle, and that was quite fun. You make - and consume - an entire meal from appetizer to dessert in this class, so plan accordingly.
Edit Edit: Exemplary service - Our second night in the Pinncale, the volcano cakes were over done. The center is supposed to be liquid, meaning runny. Mine was wet but not liquid and my dinner mate's was more like a moist brownie. (Still tasted fine, mind you.) The chef came out and apologized to us personally, and he had two perfect volcano cakes delivered to our table in the dining room on the following night. ;)
Embarkation: Arrived around 11:30, quickest we've ever boarded. Our number was called while we were still having our documents processed. My travelling companion left her blue folder at home, so I can now personally verify that you will still be allowed to board the ship if you are not in possession of your docs.
Cabin: This was our first time in an inside cabin and I am delighted to say that it exceeded my expectations. I was afraid I'd feel like I was trapped in a box, and it didn't feel that way at all. The cabin was well appointed and wasn't cramped save for the hallway leading past the bathroom to the door (which is cramped in any cabin). Drawer and closet space was adequate for two, though I could have used about 2 more hangers. In addition to the very anemic hair-dryer in the bathroom, there was a more powerful model in a blue drawstring bag next to the safe. A few small quibbles: the keys were gone from our night table drawers, making them unlockable. A locksmith replaced them within an hour of our call. We couldn't work the safe and decided to use the locking drawers instead. The bathroom door and the medicine cabinet had temperamental latches, coming open and banging in the night.
Dining: The food in the dining room was good as always. Excellent beef wellington, a wonderful variety of breads and outstanding nasi goreng (Indonesian dish). Randy and Bobby took excellent care of us even under trying circumstances to be described below.
Pinnacle Grill: Oh. My. The Pinnacle is wonderful. This was my first time, and it was so good we went back later in the cruise. I had the salmon and my friend had the filet mignon. Both were superbly done, with the fielt tender enough to be cut with a fork. The chocolate volcano cake is a meal unto itself. If you're into chocolate, the first bite will render you speechless for a good 30 seconds. The appetizers, entrees and desserts were excellent, but the sides were only adequate. I tried the mushrooms, the creamed spinach, the scalloped potato and the baked potato (we went twice, remember) and they were all just so-so. The volcano cake alone was, worth the price of admission however. :) Boban, the maitre d' and our server Adi Ristoro were friendly, knowledgable, helpful and gave excellent service. Oh, and the best cup of (decaf) coffee I've had outside of Brazil.
Lido: Adequate, nothing really outstanding. I'm not a fan of the Lido so it's probably just me. :)
Explorations Cafe: Better selection of books than I expected and ample space for both computer users and readers alike. Computer terminals in two rooms. 100 DVDs available for rental.
Drinks and hors d'ouevres: My signature drink, a BBC, is back to its standard. :) On a previous cruise, it was more like a pina colada with a splash of Baileys but this time they did it right. The tapas in the Crows nest seemed to have slipped just a bit. They were fairly pedestrian cheeseballs, stuffed mushrooms and a puff pastry with an unknown filling. I miss the more Dutch-inspired ones.
Odds and Ends:
Norovirus, the trying circumstance from above - we were told before we boarded that the ship was having norovirus problems. Hand sanitizers were everywhere, and we were each issued a small personal bottle of sanitizer as well. All salt/pepper, sugar dishes, breadbaskets and butter dishes were removed from all tables, requiring individual service if you wanted those items. There was no self service in the Lido, contributing to huge lines especially on Seattle day when the dining room was closed for lunch. Tester bottles of perfume were removed from the shops, and cloth hand towels from the bathrooms. We were advised by the Captain not to shake hands, and to use a tissue to open doors whenever possible. I thought the precautions were more than adequate, and I imagine they caused more inconvenience to the staff than they did to us. The casino staff was working the Lido line, for example.
Dis/embarking pax enroute: This cruise actually began in Tampa, coming through the Panama canal before hitting San Diego and heading up the coast. A significant number of pax were embarked or disembarked at each port along the way, creating rather a bit of chaos (e.g. multiple lifeboat drills, luggage in the halls, etc) especially in the dining room. Our table of 10 had only 2 or 3 people for several nights and on the 3rd night, the three of us decided to eat in the Pinnacle. In our absence, several other poorly attended tables banded together and took over our table. They made room for us on the final night, but the whole process, including the poorly attended tables, was disruptive and made dinner less enjoyable.
Shop/Casino closures: due to the particulars of our itinerary, the casino and the shops closed around noon on Friday - and did not re-open before we disembarked on Sunday. They gave an announcement about the casino, but not about the shops which left me in the lurch as I was unable make some purchases I had planned. I felt bad for the 200 or so pax who embarked at Seattle for a 2 night cruise as the shops and casino were closed for their entire voyage.
Weather: We had headwinds and heavy seas from San Diego to Seattle, making us late into port. The ship handled it well, and it didn't seem 'rough' to me despite trays of crackers being put out and comments about the seas from the staff and captain. Temps were low 50s, overcast until Seattle and partly sunny for the rest of the trip.
Flambe' and dinner chimes: There were two flambes on the menu during our cruise, bananas foster and a pineapple flambe. I saw a thread here saying that there were none on their cruise, so sorry, but apparently we took yours. :) I didn't hear the dinner chimes ever, though, and that's a real disappointment for me. I hope I just missed them and they haven't ditched the tradition.
All in all, it was a wonderful, restful, relaxing cruise. The Veendam is a fine ship, but she hasn't replaced the Ryndam in my heart.
Cheers,
Friday
Edit: We did a culinary arts lesson with the Exec. Chef from the Pinnacle, and that was quite fun. You make - and consume - an entire meal from appetizer to dessert in this class, so plan accordingly.
Edit Edit: Exemplary service - Our second night in the Pinncale, the volcano cakes were over done. The center is supposed to be liquid, meaning runny. Mine was wet but not liquid and my dinner mate's was more like a moist brownie. (Still tasted fine, mind you.) The chef came out and apologized to us personally, and he had two perfect volcano cakes delivered to our table in the dining room on the following night. ;)