Veendam burmuda & a special guest

In part to reading the Holland America posts here on Cruise Critic, I decided I wanted to do the Veendam's cruise to Bermuda before the last of the two S class ships leave the fleet. They along with Prinsendam are the only HAL ships that can dock on Front Street in downtown Bermuda rather than way out at the dockyards. I booked the June 10 voyage knowing the "America's Cup" sailing races were scheduled then as well as to combine it with the 7 day Montreal to Boston cruise.

Let me thank those who encouraged me to do so....the Bermuda sail in was spectacular. As we neared the island at the St George end, we hugged the north shore all the way to the entrance to Hamilton passing by beautiful homes and exceptionally gorgeous yachts. We saw the racing boats which come out of the water and ride on their little "fins" dancing back and forth. The Veendam passed through Two Rock Cut and right up to Hamilton easing into its dock space with what seemed like inches to spare. The staff captain later chatted with me that it is one of his favorite sail ins, although not the easiest. Walk off the ship and you right on the street, complete with a street party Wednesday evening. An unusual 3 nights stay gets you very familiar with the city. We walked about 3 blocks to the bus terminal where you can take buses all over the island.

On the way back to Boston at the Mariners Award reception, after acknowledging the one Presidents Club member in attendance, recognized Kurt Lanterman whom she credited with establishing that level. Since my HAL days began in earnest in 2006, I did not recognize his name, so I asked him as the reception ended, what he did for Holland America. I was taken back when he said he was the CEO, prior to Stein Kruse. We had a nice chat after which I said he should have had "ex CEO's chat" in the theater. I like Captain Albert's talks and Mr Lanterman could probably add some very interesting aspects including the Carnival acquisition of HAL.

The venerable Veendam is doing quite well. Captain Noel O'Driscoll seems to enjoy being in command of her and I feel the staff works well together to please the guests. The dining room and entertainment were 5 stars. AC and plumbing in our lower promenade (deck 6) room were fine.

Glad you enjoyed you Veendam cruises and met the former CEO Kurt Lanterman.

Your cruise is on our bucket list for 2019...hope the Veendam is still part of the fleet! Thanks for your review

An interesting Bermuda cruise that you have had, including meeting Mr. Lanterman. I met Mr. Lanterman once during an Annual Meeting in Coral Gables when he was still on the Board of CCL. A gracious and friendly man whose years as CEO of HAL were of prime importance, in my opinion, in shaping the HAL cruising experience that so many of us enjoy.

I was also on this sailing and agree with all St Pete's comments.

I had the pleasure of sitting with Mr and Mrs Lanterman at their table for the Mariners Luncheon.

Both were very gracious and enjoyed speaking with them.

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Wonderful report. Very enticing. Thank you for all the helpful details, and your great suggestion about more HAL "insider" talks.

Soon after Kirk Lanterman retired as CEO I was on a HAL cruise and eating at the "Old" version of the burger/hot dog/taco bar. Noticing a piece of clothing I had on the grill "master" asked me if I knew Mr. Kirk and I said yes. Well, almost with tears in his eyes he told me how much he appreciated Mr. Kirk. He said that every time Mr. Kirk was on onboard a ship that the cook was working on, Mr. Kirk would stop by the grill and ask how the employee was, how things were going, etc. He, the employee, said - Mr. Kirk really cared about the crew. The crew member said that Mr. Kirk's caring/concerned attitude made him want to work all the harder. He was so proud.

Now, if only more high level bosses had this approach.

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So glad you enjoyed your cruise. Veendam to Bermuda was our first HAL cruise in 2012 and I agree there is nothing like docking on Front St. I'd like to do it one more time before it comes to an end.

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Very nice to read the comments, especially those regarding Kurt Lanterman.

That was a great experience you had there! Thanks for sharing!

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We also enjoy the sail into Bermuda, lovely scenery on the way in. The three day stop over would be a great way to get to know a bit more of Bermuda.

Allan

I appreciated the Veendam docking right in downtown Hamilton. Sure made it easier to get around. Some people to like Dockyard because they just sail for partying and beach. There is so much more to see in beautiful Bermuda~ To avoid the partying night in downtown make sure your room is not on Starboard side or join them! In Sept. downtown is more quiet.

We were on the June10th cruise and it was wonderful. We really enjoyed docking in downtown Hamilton, and had a cabin facing the street. Really enjoyed seeing Hamilton come alive in the morning. Once we shut our balcony door, the street sounds were very muted. The Wednesday street party was a great way to see and participate in a local activity. The music ended around 10pm, and once again, I had a front row seat watching them dismantle all the stalls.

Never having been to Bermuda before we enjoyed the breathtaking scenery of the sail in. On our way out on Thursday, we went out on the bow of the ship. As we neared The Royal Navy Yard, a few of the America's Cup boats came very close to the Veendam. So close that I could make out the names of the crew on the back of their jerseys. ( I did not have binoculars). I think they were putting on a bit of a show for the Veendam passengers.

Unfortunately we did not go to the Mariners lunch.

All in all a wonderful special cruise, and recommend it. We are already planning a repeat.

I appreciated the Veendam docking right in downtown Hamilton. Sure made it easier to get around. Some people to like Dockyard because they just sail for partying and beach. There is so much more to see in beautiful Bermuda~ To avoid the partying night in downtown make sure your room is not on Starboard side or join them! In Sept. downtown is more quiet.

I was on the May 20 sailing. We had an OV on the starboard side and we had no problem with noise from the street, even during all of the Bermuda Day celebrations on the 24th. Have to agree, the sail in was wonderful. In addition to some of the pre-America's Cup hubbub, we were "greeted" by the USCG barque Eagle, which is a beautiful tall ship. Having three days in town was great but need to go back as there's lots more to see and do in Bermuda than we were able to get to. Veendam's in good shape (although I still prefer Maasdam). We did have a plumbing issue (toilets wouldn't flush) but it was resolved quickly and as others have noted in discussions of Veendam in other threads, these things can happen on any ship. We booked her again for next year while onboard. The crew as always was wonderful.

Sorry, after reading a few of these posts, I m confused. Does Veendam dock port or starboard to the dock in Hamilton?

Does Veendam dock port or starboard to the dock in Hamilton?

Starboard on our sailing. Assume that's what they normally do.

Starboard on our sailing. Assume that's what they normally do.

Thank you.

Just off the 6/17 sailing and agree with other posters that this is an excellent cruise. We did it in 2015 and I think this captain has motivated crew to be even more attentive that in the past. Red Bull junior finals were excellent and Oracle as well as Emerites made fly by during their practice runs for us. A nice cabin on Veendam (4 of them) are the aft facing wraps in the new overhang section. Very large balcony. We plan on sailing again this winter from FLL. Casino even treated me well:cool: