Back from Veendam

[mare s.]

We had a wonderful time on our cruisetour to Alaska and on the Veendam. Despite earlier propulsion problems, everything seemed to operate fine and our trip was surprisingly smooth and vibration free. The Veendam is a lovely ship and very well maintained and the crew, for the most part, very friendly. Our cabin steward, Ceang, was a joy and we managed to slip him a little extra money (we decided not to opt out of the automatic gratuity) and told him it was for him alone. We gave our waiter, Adi, a little extra too....he really deserved it. He had absolutely no help. He told us that the new HAL policies had resulted in the ship losing 5 of its 7 dining room wine stewards and some of the waiters. The drop in service was apparent. We also found the quality of food to be a bit less than what we experienced on the Rotterdam last Fall. However, the new Pinnacle was excellent. We had only two complaints...the wine service (the wine steward was apparently sent in from the dining room...after pouring our wine the first time we never saw him again) and the coffee service (when I asked for a refill on coffee I had to wait and wait...was finally told they had to go to the dining room to get a new cup of coffee...apparently the Pinnacle doesn't have its own coffee urn.) Was very glad to see that HAL hadn't removed the Java Cafe (one of my favorite places...the cookies are still really yummy!) but never saw the after dinner chocolates in the Explorer's Lounge (don't know if it is because they don't offer them any more, or they were all gone by the time we finished dinner...we were 8:30) Entertainment was middling to good...personally I don't see the attraction in listening to a banjo player, but a lot of fellow pax said they enjoyed the show. Production shows were fine as usual. Fritzie was new to the piano bar...her first cruise gig and it showed a bit. But by the end of the week she had a small group of devotees and I think, with a little more experience, she'll be a real asset. Alaska itself was awe-inspiring! That's it in a nutshell...if anyone wants more info on the land portion or excursions we took, let me know.

[RevNeal]

Thank you for the report on the Veendam. Good to hear that they got the propulsion problems fixed!

He told us that the new HAL policies had resulted in the ship losing 5 of its 7 dining room wine stewards and some of the waiters.

OUCH! How can just 2 wine stewards manage the entire dining room AND the Pinnacle, too??? I sure hope that was an unintended blip, an oversight, or some such hiccup in the staffing rotations. I certianly HOPE that it's not intentional and fleet-wide!

NOTE TO SEATTLE: 2 Wine Stewards is insufficient for an S-class ship's dining room.

[sail7seas]

Welcome back....glad to hear you had a good cruise.


Thanks for posting comments. I enjoyed reading them as we just booked a 12 day cruise on Veendam for January.

[FlorenceItaly]

I currently have this cruise on 24 hour hold, so would really appreciate anything you can share with me. This is a last minute cruise for myself, and don't plan to do alot of ships shore excursions, am going to watch my budget since I just got back from the Maasdam last weekend, so am definitely interested in your thoughts on this approach, and what you did in each port. Thank you.
Also, did you notice independent tour operators in each port.

Thanks again for taking the time to share with me.

Marie

[Budget Queen]

My opinion only but in Alaska you need to budget fully for shore excursions. You get only half a trip without them. There are some tours available at the dock- but you need to do some homework and MAKE sure - bus trips are what you want??? Most anything else won't be available. I always recommend having plans and reservations in place before you leave. Don't waste a minute of your port time- deciding what to do. :) For more touring information- head to the Alaska board.

[FlorenceItaly]

BudgetQueen - After further research, I agree with you. I have decided to not take this particular cruise, and wait until my budget is not a concern.
I cruise again in Sept and Oct, so this would be pushing it. Thanks for your input. Thanks for your contribution on the boards. I value your input.

Marie

[FlorenceItaly]

Bumping this up for Sean. BTW, new update, I am going! So far, I have 2 independent excursions booked, and waiting to hear back from Michele at Island Wings about another.

Marie

[Plut0]

Marie,
I am very excited for you. Having just got off the Veendam on Sunday, I wish I was going back with you. We had such a great time and loved the Veendam. I am currently working on the review and shoul dhave it posted by the end of the week.
Happy Sailing.
Mary

[FlorenceItaly]

Thanks so much, Mary. I'll be watching out for it. I am happy to hear you had a wonderful time. My first HAL cruise was last month, and one of the reasons I am going back next month, is I enjoyed HAL so much.

Marie

[Orcrone]

Marie,

I can't get over that you just returned from the Maasdam and immediately booked another cruise. That's three for this year and three for next. I'm jealous!!!:D

[Orcrone]

Marie,

Oops. Just rechecked your signature. You haven't updated it yet. That's four this year. AARGHHHH.

Seriously, I'm real happy for you and thankful that I'll be going on two cruises in two years.

Marc

[elmorejj]

Thanks for the review. The Veendam is one of my favorite ships. On the Zaandam in April, we were also short on wine stewards. Each night one bartender and 2 servers from the Ocean bar went to the DR to help out with service. I really don`t think this is acceptable and stated so on my end of cruise comments. Sometimes we were already on our entree before a wine steward showed up...jean

[FlorenceItaly]

Marc - It's absolutely RIDICULOUS. I think I need a support group, LOL, or something.

Where do you see my signature??? I don't see it in my posts?? I don't see anyone's signatures. I must not have something checked, lol. I'll have to try to figure it out :).

Marie

[Orcrone]

Marc - It's absolutely RIDICULOUS. I think I need a support group, LOL, or something.

Where do you see my signature??? I don't see it in my posts?? I don't see anyone's signatures. I must not have something checked, lol. I'll have to try to figure it out :).

MarieMarie,

Under the User CP (top left item in tool bar above) there is an EDIT OPTIONS tab. One of the options is to show signatures. You'll have to select this option and click SAVE on the bottom. Then you need to go to the EDIT SIGNATURE tab and update it with your new cruise.

Marc

[FlorenceItaly]

Thanks, Marc :). You and DW are going to LOVE HAL!

Marie

[FlorenceItaly]

Jean - I am very encouraged by knowing this is one of your favorite ships.
Your opinion is very valued by me :).

Marie

[jocelysue]

Hi Mare,

Would you please give me more info on the land excursions. We are sailing soutbound on the Veendam Aug 21. Would appreciate knowing which sites and excursions you suggest. If you prefer you can e-mail me privately at chezgirard@cgocable.ca or to this list.

Your answer will be much appreciated.

Jocelyn ann 9aka jocelysue)


We had a wonderful time on our cruisetour to Alaska and on the Veendam. Despite earlier propulsion problems, everything seemed to operate fine and our trip was surprisingly smooth and vibration free. The Veendam is a lovely ship and very well maintained and the crew, for the most part, very friendly. Our cabin steward, Ceang, was a joy and we managed to slip him a little extra money (we decided not to opt out of the automatic gratuity) and told him it was for him alone. We gave our waiter, Adi, a little extra too....he really deserved it. He had absolutely no help. He told us that the new HAL policies had resulted in the ship losing 5 of its 7 dining room wine stewards and some of the waiters. The drop in service was apparent. We also found the quality of food to be a bit less than what we experienced on the Rotterdam last Fall. However, the new Pinnacle was excellent. We had only two complaints...the wine service (the wine steward was apparently sent in from the dining room...after pouring our wine the first time we never saw him again) and the coffee service (when I asked for a refill on coffee I had to wait and wait...was finally told they had to go to the dining room to get a new cup of coffee...apparently the Pinnacle doesn't have its own coffee urn.) Was very glad to see that HAL hadn't removed the Java Cafe (one of my favorite places...the cookies are still really yummy!) but never saw the after dinner chocolates in the Explorer's Lounge (don't know if it is because they don't offer them any more, or they were all gone by the time we finished dinner...we were 8:30) Entertainment was middling to good...personally I don't see the attraction in listening to a banjo player, but a lot of fellow pax said they enjoyed the show. Production shows were fine as usual. Fritzie was new to the piano bar...her first cruise gig and it showed a bit. But by the end of the week she had a small group of devotees and I think, with a little more experience, she'll be a real asset. Alaska itself was awe-inspiring! That's it in a nutshell...if anyone wants more info on the land portion or excursions we took, let me know.

[FlorenceItaly]

I am traveling NORTHBOUND, on the Veendam, Aug 22...are you on my cruise???? I am confused as you mentioned you are sailing Southbound, Aug 21, Veendam. Oops, saw anothe post you are sailing on the 29th..oh too bad we are not on the same sailing.

I will email ya! :).

Marie

[joeinwpb]

Marie - I better hurry up and welcome you back. Because if I don't get it in soon,. It will be to late, and it'll be time to wish you bon voyage. You remind me of the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland. Always going somewhere.
Welcome back Marie!

[FlorenceItaly]

Oh Joe, I am so pathetic, lol. My husband is a dear to let me spend the monthly retirement check on cruising, lol. Have you and dw been to Alaska?

Marie

[Tinknock50]

Bumping this up for Sean. BTW, new update, I am going! So far, I have 2 independent excursions booked, and waiting to hear back from Michele at Island Wings about another.

Marie
Am I the Sean you bumped this up for?....or is there another one? :)

I am on the Veendam September 19th. I am cruising solo and am also the only one on this ship!

Mare, What was the String Quartet like in the Explorers Lounge? What was their name?

[FlorenceItaly]

You're the one! ;). I am cruising solo, Aug 22, and I am the only one on the ship too. I'll see what I can find out for you, when I am on board.

Marie

[joeinwpb]

No – We've never been to Alaska Marie. It must be beautiful though. Whenever I think of vacation however - I think of tropics. That’s my true love. We have some children that live in New England. I can tolerate that during the months of July, and August. That’s about as far north as I care to go now.

I would love to know what you thought of the Mariner. I’ll be sailing on her next year. From everything I’ve read it’s a remarkable ship. You can email me by just clicking the little blue square at the bottom on my signature. I’d love to get you opinion on the ship.

Happy cruising, and cruising, and cruising ….

[FlorenceItaly]

Joe - I will be happy to share with you my Mariner of the Seas thoughts once I return. I am expecting it will be a fabulous trip. I, too, have read nothing but glowing reports. This will be my first BIG SHIP, and I am curious as to when it is all said and done what will my preference will be, 55,000 tons or 110,000 tons. I sure do enjoy the small ones.

Marie

[joeinwpb]

Joe - I will be happy to share with you my Mariner of the Seas thoughts once I return. I am expecting it will be a fabulous trip. I, too, have read nothing but glowing reports. This will be my first BIG SHIP, and I am curious as to when it is all said and done what will my preference will be, 55,000 tons or 110,000 tons. I sure do enjoy the small ones.

Marie

I must have had a senior citizen brownout. I see the dates now.
After I finnish this message I shall proceed directly to our room of perpetual suffering, and dispense , upon my person, 30 lashes with a wet noodle. :D

[monk888]

Looking for all of your opinions on the Veendam. She sails out of Tampa later in the year and I am looking into sailing on her since I live about 25 minutes from the Port. How are the cabins? Is she updated? (i.e. furnishings, common areas, etc.) Thanks so much.

The Monk

[mare s.]

On excursions...we booked them all through HAL, although on the land portion we had a couple of extra excursions because we were with a special group. My favorites were...in Sitka the Captains Choice wildlife quest, the Portage Glacier excursion, and the Riverboat Discovery in Fairbanks. The Captain's Choice (from Allen Marine) was incredible...partly because it's new and there were only six of us on the excursion and two naturalists. We took a small, fast (and kinda bumpy but fun) ride out into Sitka sound...saw otters and then cruised around a small island and went into a sea lava grotto...absolutely beautiful colors...then the boat pulled onto shore and we jumped out and had an hour to explore the beach and tide pools (with our naturalist) before we jumped back on board the boat and went whale watching (we found humpbacks really close to the boat). It was tremendous fun. Portage Glacier is awesome...and especially appreciated because you're on a small ship and can go very close up. The Riverboat Discovery is a bit touristy but the scenery is wonderful and the Indian village fascinating. The Tundra Wilderness Tour in Denali is amazing (but rather long)...on our second day in Denali we just went hiking on our own. In Juneau we went to the Mendenhall Glacier and did the Salmon Bake (the food was wonderful and if you leave the immediate area there are beautiful hiking trails). In Ketchikan we did the canoe excursion...not terribly exciting but the chowder they served mid-trip was wonderful! Oh, another thing not to miss (and if you don't mind walking, you can do this on your own) is a visit to the Raptor Center in Sitka. You will absolutely love Alaska and the Veendam...if you get a chance, say hello to Jennifer Preston...one of the dancers in the Veendam production numbers...she's a friend of our daughter's and we had no idea she was working on the Veendam until we bumped into her!

[Tinknock50]

You're the one! ;). I am cruising solo, Aug 22, and I am the only one on the ship too. I'll see what I can find out for you, when I am on board.

Marie
Great! Its too bad we are not on the same cruise. We could meet for High Tea. :)

[MISSYLOU]

MareS: Thanks for your positive input on the Veendam. Having read some negative reviews your posts reinforces that I have made a good choice in booking the Veendam.

[FlorenceItaly]

Mare - Thanks so much for the review. It sounds like you had a wonderful time. Just a few questions about the Veendam. Did you have any favorite lounges for before dinner drinks, etc?
How was the food and the service in the dining room?

Marie

[FlorenceItaly]

Tinknock50 - Yes, it is too bad we are not on the same cruise. It would be fun to have another CC'er on board. As of now, I know NO ONE. My date is set, as I am cruising in Sept with my sis, 19-26.

Marie

[Tinknock50]

Tinknock50 - Yes, it is too bad we are not on the same cruise. It would be fun to have another CC'er on board. As of now, I know NO ONE. My date is set, as I am cruising in Sept with my sis, 19-26.

Marie
Ok...just don't get too wild and rowdy so it takes more than a month to fix her up for when I go!

[FlorenceItaly]

Ok...just don't get too wild and rowdy so it takes more than a month to fix her up for when I go!

There is NO wild and rowdy on HAL, you'll see, LOL, but that is one of the things I loved about HAL.

Wild and rowdy will be my sis and I on the Mariner in September. I am convinced I am going to come home feeling like I need a vacation, LOL.

Marie

[Tinknock50]

Mare.......

What was the String Quartet like on the Veendam? Do you recall what the name of the group was?

[Tinknock50]

Mare.......

What was the String Quartet like on the Veendam? Do you recall what the name of the group was?
Hey Mare! Mare! Its me ......Sean. Look here ....see me?

Hows about an answer. :)

[tejmar]

What kind of band do they have at the pool. All of my other cruises have been on lines other than HAL and have all been in the Caribbean and bands playing that type of music. Since we will be on the Veendam to Hawaii, I was curious as to what type of band/music they had.