Veendam in Bermuda Review

Just got off the Veendam July 8 cruise to Bermuda and have prepared this short review ...

- The plumbing worked perfectly.

- The air conditioning worked perfectly.

- All HAL staff were wonderful.

- The food was very nice.

- The wine selection was excellent. (We brought on our own :p)

- Stryker was his usual entertaining self.

- Being docked in downtown Hamilton was very convenient.

Will be happy to answer any questions concerning ship or itinerary.

Right too the Point. I love it.

Sounds like you had a very nice cruise.

So glad you enjoyed your cruise!! We did this cruise two years ago and really want to repeat it... I'm happy to hear Veendam's various problems were not in evidence for your cruise - hopefully that will hold. I love that Dam little ship.

Just got off the Veendam July 8 cruise to Bermuda and have prepared this short review ...

 

- The plumbing worked perfectly.

- The air conditioning worked perfectly.

- All HAL staff were wonderful.

- The food was very nice.

- The wine selection was excellent. (We brought on our own :p)

- Stryker was his usual entertaining self.

- Being docked in downtown Hamilton was very convenient.

 

Will be happy to answer any questions concerning ship or itinerary.

I was so glad to read this. This is my first HAL cruise and I booked this cruise for myself and daughter. I was a little worried by some of the comment that I have read. Thank you for putting my mind at ease.

Also happy to hear your report. We are booked in V'dam for a long cruise vacation this fall, so your report is encouraging.

A couple of curiosity questions, obviously not deal breakers as we are past final payment:

Does V'dam have the Slice pizza place or the NY Deli where they make individual personal size pizzas to order?

Is there still a taco bar?

On the aft Lido they seem to have two types of hot tubs... any noticeable differences between them other than shape? The photos I've seen show the round one running bubbles but the rectangular ones seem calmer, which is what we'd prefer.

I'm excited about our upcoming cruise! Have not been on Veendam; have had many happy nights on Maasdam, but many posters seem to focus on the downsides of the changes. Oh well, however it goes, we will be on her and we expect to have a happy time. Thanks, m--

Sounds like you enjoyed your cruise.

Also happy to hear your report. We are booked in V'dam for a long cruise vacation this fall, so your report is encouraging.

 

A couple of curiosity questions, obviously not deal breakers as we are past final payment:

Does V'dam have the Slice pizza place or the NY Deli where they make individual personal size pizzas to order?

Is there still a taco bar?

On the aft Lido they seem to have two types of hot tubs... any noticeable differences between them other than shape? The photos I've seen show the round one running bubbles but the rectangular ones seem calmer, which is what we'd prefer.

 

I'm excited about our upcoming cruise! Have not been on Veendam; have had many happy nights on Maasdam, but many posters seem to focus on the downsides of the changes. Oh well, however it goes, we will be on her and we expect to have a happy time. Thanks, m--

1) There is a New York Pizza at the aft Lido Deck by the pools or, as we called it, the bird baths. They do individual pizzas and salads.

2) There is still a small Taco Bar by the Dive-In in the Lido Pool area.

3) There are two octagonal hot tubs a bit bigger than on the Vista ships (5 or 6 persons instead of 4) and two larger rectangular hot tubs that are a bit shallower than the regular ones. The larger ones do seem calmer but that is only because they are bigger. If you are close to the jets, the pressure is approx the same. If you move away, the pressure is obviously less.

1) There is a New York Pizza at the aft Lido Deck by the pools or, as we called it, the bird baths. They do individual pizzas and salads.

2) There is still a small Taco Bar by the Dive-In in the Lido Pool area.

3) There are two octagonal hot tubs a bit bigger than on the Vista ships (5 or 6 persons instead of 4) and two larger rectangular hot tubs that are a bit shallower than the regular ones. The larger ones do seem calmer but that is only because they are bigger. If you are close to the jets, the pressure is approx the same. If you move away, the pressure is obviously less.

Thanks Louis for the encouraging additional info. m--

Thanks for sharing the info.

We were on the Veendam cruise to Bermuda in June. Agree with everything in "taxmantoo's" brief and to the point review, but we did not bring our own wine.

Nice to know you enjoyed your cruise!

Thanks for sharing.

Suspect you had a great time :)

And welcome home L & L :)

The Veendam to Bermuda was our first HAL cruise, and I loved that ship despite the blemishes others see on her.

I wish she was back sailing from NY to make it easier to book her.

The Veendam to Bermuda was our first HAL cruise, and I loved that ship despite the blemishes others see on her.

 

I wish she was back sailing from NY to make it easier to book her.

It's hard not to love your first HAL ship! And my motto is that it's hard to have a bad day on a cruise ship! I'm counting down the days.... and suppers I still have to prepare :) m--

Thanks for the concise review. We are planning this cruise in 2019 and, like others, Veendam was our first Dam ship.

We put down a future cruise deposit while aboard Nieuw Amsterdam last month, but, of course, the 2019 sailings to Bermuda are not available at this time.

Any ideas as to when those 2019 sailings will be posted on the HAL website?

Also, we'd appreciate any suggestions for places to visit and things to see while in Bermuda.

Best Regards!

We really liked our Veendam cruise to Bermuda, as well. This was a few years ago. We'll be sailing with her in October and I cannot wait. Love Maasdam, too...have had many cruises with her. The real plus side for us is the size of these ships. We don't like the mega ships. Thanks for your review.

Glad to hear you had a pleasant time. On another recent review it was mentioned that it was humid. Did you notice this?

Glad to hear you had a pleasant time. On another recent review it was mentioned that it was humid. Did you notice this?

The temperature in Bermuda was very hot and the humidex factor was indeed very high. Being from Canada, we tend to enjoy the hotter climates when we can and did not mind at all. :)

How hot was it? On the second day in Bermuda, the sun had heated up the pool water so much that it was actually warmer in the pool than the outside air temperature. Just like going into a bathtub.

We were on the 20 May sailing. Everything generally was great. We did experience a plumbing issue that apparently affected our section of the ship, but it was resolved quickly, and that was really the only glitch of the cruise. Even in late May, it was really hot and humid in Bermuda. We probably would have melted had we gone on one of the later sailings. You can't beat docking in downtown Hamilton. The New York Pizza was very good, and the hot tubs were very popular. The short rib stroganoff in the MDR was probably the best dinner I've had while cruising. If I ever see that dish again, I'm getting seconds.

Just got off the Veendam July 8 cruise to Bermuda and have prepared this short review ...

 

- The plumbing worked perfectly.

- The air conditioning worked perfectly.

- All HAL staff were wonderful.

- The food was very nice.

- The wine selection was excellent. (We brought on our own :p)

- Stryker was his usual entertaining self.

- Being docked in downtown Hamilton was very convenient.

 

Will be happy to answer any questions concerning ship or itinerary.

We were on the July 15 Bermuda cruise. And I totally agree with all the points you made.

Docking in Hamilton cannot be beat, and it will be for this main (but not the only) reason that we will look into the Veendam for future Bermuda cruises.

Thank you for reviewing your cruise on the Veendam.

Thanks for the review and the willingness to take questions. :-)

What did you do in Bermuda? Did you do any excursions?

How did you get around? How long to get to the nearest beach?

Also, what kind of room did you have?

We have two inside cabins, and we got such a great deal, we can't wait to go next summer!

Thanks for the review and the willingness to take questions. :-)

 

What did you do in Bermuda? Did you do any excursions?

First time in Bermuda.

Got there at 1 pm on the first day, just walked around and explored Hamilton.

Second day, took the bus to Dockyard to see the island and for lunch and a bit of shopping then took the ferry back to Hamilton.

Third day took the bus to St George and back to see the other part of the island.

How did you get around? How long to get to the nearest beach?

Bus ... we are not beach people but lots of folks on the buses were and got off at different spots on both days. Very easy!

Also, what kind of room did you have?

Vista Suite

We have two inside cabins, and we got such a great deal, we can't wait to go next summer!

It is a wonderful 7-day cruise. Enjoy!

We have cruised to Bermuda several times on the Veendam and will probably be on the ship again in 2018.We also cruised to Bermuda on a Cunard ship .Although both docked in Hamilton we much prefer cruising on the Veendam.

Thanks for the quick reply taxman

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