Cruised Veendam in Last 3 Months?

I would appreciate some recent (last 6 months if possible) overall feedback regarding the Veendam. I just read some recent (June 2014) reviews, where many reviewers commented on the obvious needs for repairs and/or worn areas (including upholstery) throughout the ship, food being cold or poor quality, etc. Since we are cruising the Veendam (normally sail larger ships) this coming March, we are considering switching our December 2015 cruise to a larger ship.

There are three reviews from September and August on the reviews section of Cruise Critic.

Remember food is totally subjective.

Bruce, thanks and I did read the most recent reviews and many others from May 2014 forward. Is there any other feedback from someone who did not file a cruise review here? Also does the ship staff use one half of the Lido buffet as someone noted?

I would appreciate some recent (last 6 months if possible) overall feedback regarding the Veendam. I just read some recent (June 2014) reviews, where many reviewers commented on the obvious needs for repairs and/or worn areas (including upholstery) throughout the ship, food being cold or poor quality, etc. Since we are cruising the Veendam (normally sail larger ships) this coming March, we are considering switching our December 2015 cruise to a larger ship.

I was on the Veendam in August 2014. I didn't notice any of the issues you mentioned.

I was on the Veendam in August 2014. I didn't notice any of the issues you mentioned.

Thanks for your feedback.

We were also on the Veendam in Aug. 2014. We did not notice any of the issues mentioned. We found the Veendam to be in great shape, the crew was wonderful and seemed happy and the food good to excellent.

Not on Veendam, but I have seen staff use half the Lido at night at times, particularly when pax demand would be low, such as overnights or late nights in port. They don't always close off half of the Lido, it is very limited what staff gets to eat up there. But there are nights with a larger number of staff eat in the Lido. It has never affected Lido operations in my view.

You will find similar generic complaints for any ship, large or small. Then when you get on the ship you don't see the problems, or at least you are enjoying the cruise so much that a small issue is of no consequence.

We were on the Veendam a couple years ago and it was fine, even though there were several previous critical reviews. Enjoy your cruise.

igraf

I would appreciate some recent (last 6 months if possible) overall feedback regarding the Veendam. I just read some recent (June 2014) reviews, where many reviewers commented on the obvious needs for repairs and/or worn areas (including upholstery) throughout the ship, food being cold or poor quality, etc. Since we are cruising the Veendam (normally sail larger ships) this coming March, we are considering switching our December 2015 cruise to a larger ship.

Thank you for your comments Gsel, Bruce, and igraf. :) Sometimes when there is an issue early on in a cruise, it colors how some comment about the whole experience.

Very true! You make your own fun and make your own cruise. If you go with the idea that you are going to enjoy your vacation you will. Ignore what everyone else is saying.

We were on Veendam for 35 days this summer....did not notice any issues..cabin clean, staff efficient and friendly, condition of public rooms very good, food good, entertainment, okay. Ports: FABULOUS.

We were on her at the end of September for 4 days stuck at the port of Quebec City because of mechanical issues. While on board we found everything was just great, very clean, great food, and friendly helpful staff. Too bad our cruise was eventually canceled, but we leave in December for the Caribbean on a make up cruise thanks to Hal.:)

Also does the ship staff use one half of the Lido buffet as someone noted?

This is typical of all the HAL ships at dinner time that we have been on over the last 5 years.

We were on Veendam for 35 days this summer....did not notice any issues..cabin clean, staff efficient and friendly, condition of public rooms very good, food good, entertainment, okay. Ports: FABULOUS.

Were you on the Voyage of the Vikings?

Thanks for the Veendam update. We are on next summer's VOV and follow the Veendam threads.

We were on Veendam in August. She had come out of a fairly recent dry dock and was spiffy as heck. New carpet, new furniture, pristine hull. Great crew. All good. We're on her for another 18 days in December and we are looking forward to it.

Were you on the Voyage of the Vikings?

Thanks for the Veendam update. We are on next summer's VOV and follow the Veendam threads.

Yes, we were on the VOV. Great trip...fascinating ports. We met many folks who have done that itinerary multiple times. If you can access that roll call, you'll get lots of excursion tips.

We are on Veendam now, day 9 of a 17 day cruise. All is well. No issues for us. Crew always cleaning. Crew always smiling. Best room stewards we have ever had. Will write more at end of cruise. Just remember this is a smaller ship than the Vista or Signature class, if that matters to you.

I'm copying and pasting a post I made about the Veendam a few days ago on another thread:

I'm going to preface this by saying I hadn't been on a HAL cruise in 14 years and I primarily sail on Princess.

I was just on the Veendam in September. Unfortunately, my cruise was cut in half when they cancelled the cruise due to mechanical problems and made us get off the ship. The cruise was OK. It was a B2B Canada/New England RT which should have been 14 days. I was on for 8 days. Overall, the crew was really good. I really enjoyed the good service and positive attitudes of the crew members. They honestly, for the most part, were delightful. The ship is older and most of it is well kept, but you can see a lot of chipped paint and dings here and there. None of that bothered me. They have a really nice promenade deck and the chairs there are nice, but most are reserved for the Lanai cabins. I could always find one on my itinerary, but I imagine it would be harder to find a chair in the Caribbean. This really is a much smaller ship than what I've sailed recently and I loved that. There is only one pool and the area is small. On a warm weather cruise it will likely be pretty crowded. The buffet area is small, but they had good food with lots of choices. They have limited hours for the buffet and they close the grill and pizza at 5pm. They had good desserts and ice cream in the buffet. MDR food was decent. Pizza is atrocious. Grill food is pretty good. They make the burgers, etc. to order and give you a buzzer. They have a nice taco bar near the grill. People do take dressing nice more seriously than some other cruise lines, but I really didn't see much true formal wear. Demographics were a bit older than I'm used to, but people were very nice and interesting. I was cruising solo and people were very warm. Entertainment was pretty sedate. I loved the big library and all the comfy chairs. There were some negatives here and there, but not huge problems. Of course, it was disappointing that the cruise was cancelled, but the captain did the right thing choosing not to sail. The crew and HAL handled everything very well. For me, I'm not anxious to try another HAL cruise, but it really was OK.