Sirdar
January 20th, 2009, 11:45 AM
Just returned from the Veendam on the Jan. 11 thru 18th cruise. I last sailed on this ship in the summer of 2007 in the Baltic and, thus, have some basis of comparison.
Our CC role call organized a Meet and Greet and HAL provided space and refreshments in the Crows Nest for our get together. It was a great pleasure to meet everyone, and both the ships' hotel manager and guest relations manager dropped by to say hello, which we appreciated. many thanks to all who atended and to Michael for organizing this event.:)
Overall this was a good cruise and HAL offered an excellent product for the price of the cruise. I would do the same sailing again and, while on board, booked Veendam for a Bermuda cruise in the Spring of 2010. One caveat: avoid cabins at the stern. We were “upgraded” to an E from a guar H and had a cabin in the stern on the main deck. It was extremely noisy when the ship docks in the AM and unless you like getting up between 5AM and 6AM this is an area to avoid.
Yes, the ship does show its age in some places, particularly in our cabin WC where evidence of mildew etc. was noticed. There was a detectable diminution in certain services: the cabin of our friends was not in good condition and the carpets were littered upon arrival. A call to housekeeping corrected this quickly. Our cabin was cleaner and we were satisfied. Staff reductions however resulted in slow make up of our cabin (on some days not until after 3PM) and dining room service was somewhat slower as well. We do not like AYWD and after seeing the manager were able to switch to early seating. The staff reduction among the cruise director staff was most noticeable but those remaining did a great job of seeing to the passengers.
While the rest of the ship showed evidence of wear and tear, the overall condition was very good and very clean. We expect that it will be quite terrific after its refit in the Spring. The Veendam is also, IMHO, the right size for a true cruise experience and while lacking the bells and whistles
The food in both the Lido and Rotterdam dining room was quite good and roughly comparable to that which we had on the Caribbean Princess in July. The service was a bit slower than in the past but our waiter; assistant waiter and wine steward were all very friendly and helpful.
Both embarkation and disembarkation were handled very well. As stated, I remain quite pleased with what HAL has offered at a reasonable price. If anyone wants impressions of the ports just let me know
Our CC role call organized a Meet and Greet and HAL provided space and refreshments in the Crows Nest for our get together. It was a great pleasure to meet everyone, and both the ships' hotel manager and guest relations manager dropped by to say hello, which we appreciated. many thanks to all who atended and to Michael for organizing this event.:)
Overall this was a good cruise and HAL offered an excellent product for the price of the cruise. I would do the same sailing again and, while on board, booked Veendam for a Bermuda cruise in the Spring of 2010. One caveat: avoid cabins at the stern. We were “upgraded” to an E from a guar H and had a cabin in the stern on the main deck. It was extremely noisy when the ship docks in the AM and unless you like getting up between 5AM and 6AM this is an area to avoid.
Yes, the ship does show its age in some places, particularly in our cabin WC where evidence of mildew etc. was noticed. There was a detectable diminution in certain services: the cabin of our friends was not in good condition and the carpets were littered upon arrival. A call to housekeeping corrected this quickly. Our cabin was cleaner and we were satisfied. Staff reductions however resulted in slow make up of our cabin (on some days not until after 3PM) and dining room service was somewhat slower as well. We do not like AYWD and after seeing the manager were able to switch to early seating. The staff reduction among the cruise director staff was most noticeable but those remaining did a great job of seeing to the passengers.
While the rest of the ship showed evidence of wear and tear, the overall condition was very good and very clean. We expect that it will be quite terrific after its refit in the Spring. The Veendam is also, IMHO, the right size for a true cruise experience and while lacking the bells and whistles
The food in both the Lido and Rotterdam dining room was quite good and roughly comparable to that which we had on the Caribbean Princess in July. The service was a bit slower than in the past but our waiter; assistant waiter and wine steward were all very friendly and helpful.
Both embarkation and disembarkation were handled very well. As stated, I remain quite pleased with what HAL has offered at a reasonable price. If anyone wants impressions of the ports just let me know