klonerga

21 minutes ago, cbr663 said:

I also thank you @klonerga for your review.  You highlighted some hits and misses that you experienced on the ship, and as others have pointed out, the misses seem to be consistent with the Veendam.  The rude responses that followed your comments were just that - rude.  Simply ignore them.  Just know that there are many who appreciate your taking the time to share your comments.  Veendam remains on my Do Not Sail List.

Many thanks for your kind response. I wish you many safe and enjoyable cruises!

18 minutes ago, GlennG said:

Thank you, klonerga.  I, very much, appreciate your review and comments regarding the Veendam.  As a casual visitor to the Cruise Critic site, I observe the dialogue on these boards to contain mostly opinion and editorial content.  There's nothing wrong with this.  I wanted you to know that I appreciate reading a "contrarian point of view" as compared to the cheerleader commentary.  Sometimes, I'm a little reticent to contribute to this forum, as I'm a little timid of the "pouncing" and critical commentary that follows.  Your comments provided a clear and personal assessment of the Veedam.  I intend to "steer clear" of this particular ship.  By the way, I don't find the title of your review to be offensive or even "controversial."

Thanks Glenn. Safe and happy travels to you!

20 hours ago, slidergirl said:

 

I have to say that I LOVE your parody of one of the so-called "experts" here.  The thermometer was a great touch.  But, you forgot that the thermometer must be recently calibrated... 😉

 

The stairwells are wonderful if you are not disabled.

1 hour ago, BRWolf said:

We were on the Veendam a couple of years ago for Boston to Bermuda and had a good time.  It was our first ever cruise, so we didn't know any better.  It was showing its age.  We had no air conditioning or plumbing issues.  We were grateful for that.  We enjoyed using the stairs.  A little exercise never hurt us.  We were aware of a few too many elevators being out of order.

 

The crew was wonderful.  Overall, we had a great time.  Sorry the Veendam is not aging gracefully.  IMHO, HAL should maintain the ship or no longer use it.  

I agree! The crew was superb, as was the food. I did mention those two items at the end of my review of the ship's issues and disrepair.

7 minutes ago, sammiedawg said:

 

You made a great decision. Viking is a very, very nice line.  The Viking Sea is a palace compared to Veendam, or as some crew members say, the Veendoom.   We have been on both, our Veendam mistake was 2012 when I saw a desirable South America sailing that fit perfectly into a tight vacation window of time.  Reviews back then were bad and the mistake was on me.  I read reviews but wanted that trip to squeeze around our crazy busy schedule.   Elevators were out of service, even back then, non working HVAC on one entire side of our passenger deck,  smoke haze everywhere as the ventilation system did not work.  We saw leaking ceilings with buckets in hallways and public areas.   

It has been the most hated ship in the fleet for as long as I can remember, hard Core loyalists excepted. 

It has been for sale for many years. No takers.  Carnival Corp is raking every last dime out of this dud.  

PRECISELY!!!!!!!! Some people on this board thought that my remarks were out of line. Clearly, my big mistake was booking on the Veendoom...

4 hours ago, terrydtx said:

We are booked on a Viking Ocean cruise in 2020 that goes from Venice to Athens. We looked at a similar cruise on the Veendam with a Vista Suite. The VO cost for a Penthouse Verandah cabin was only $600pp more and taking the age of the Veendam into consideration we chose VO because it included so much more and the Viking Sea is only 3 years old. After reading this post and confirmed by others on your cruise, I am glad we choose VO. Since the Veendam is showing up in HAL 2020 cruises. it doesn't look like HAL will be selling her anytime soon.

I'm glad you found the information I shared helpful. That was my whole point.You should love Viking. I have taken 3 Viking River cruises and have been overwhelmed by the fabulous experience every time! I have a Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection cruise booked in 2020.It seems many others are going towards yacht style cruises: Ritz, Virgin and Crystal. I will check into Viking Ocean cruises!  

12 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

I also want to apologize for my comment about the One Post Wonder. We see a lot of people post on CC only one time and usually it is a very negative comment, never to be heard from again or even returning to defend their comments and position. Thank you for coming back to explain more. 

 

We have not been on as many cruises as you have, but the only two ports we ever missed were on HAL and both times it was Half Moon Cay because of high winds. So we spent the last day of our cruise cruising in circles off of Fort Lauderdale.

Apology accepted. I hope you have a wonderful day.

10 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

 

 

I guess you missed my later post.  

 

It is not unusual to see a new poster come on here, complain and not come back.  Especially when there is a dramatic title. 😉 

You are right, I did.

On 12/11/2018 at 2:13 PM, OlsSalt said:

Cruise to Cuba are now offered by most cruise lines from $517 to $9,994 for an ocean view room 4-10 day option. Choose your cruiseline carefully for your best cruise satisfaction.  There are choices, and some are far less "family" oriented than HAL during school holiday weeks.

This was not a school holiday week.

On 12/11/2018 at 8:31 PM, ChinaShrek said:

I sympathize with the OP.  I am sailing on Veendam next week out of Fort Lauderdale, and I booked this cruise primarily for the stop in Cienfuegos (as did many of the passengers, I'm sure).  If the ship us unable to go to Cuba, I will probably consider my cruise a failure.  However, I will not post my frustration here because no one here is sympathetic or cares.

I guess they only want to hear how fabulous  everything is. They don't want to take the time to warn others. Rather selfish and childlike including name calling: one post wonder.

On 12/11/2018 at 6:00 PM, kazu said:

Oh, I think you are so right!

 

 

8 hours ago, KAKcruiser said:

We were also on the cruise that cancelled the port of Cienfuegos.  This was especially disappointing because we also had this port cancelled last March because of high winds.  But, this time it was because of the auxiliary engine breakdown.  They said they didn't feel comfortable going in the channel of Cienfuegos without a backup engine (though the Captain explained in his shipboard presentation before the cancellation that they had a third engine system).  Though I could understand if this was truly an emergency or safety issue, I just wonder how long they knew about this problem.  We originally left Fort Lauderdale a little late due to some maintenance issue.  The captain announced the cancellation the day before we were due into Cienfuegos.  And he said he had been in contact with corporate so there must have been discussions taking place for some time.  

 

After this our entire itinerary was moved up.  We arrived a day early in Georgetown and then Ocho Rios, then had a sea day, Half Moon Key and a sea day.  If they were able to do all this rearranging, I wonder why they couldn't just have substituted another port for us.  The captain said they worked long and hard to make these changes for the "convenience and enjoyment of the passengers."   

 

I also wonder if maybe the port of Cienfuegos is just too hard and unreliable.  I know some ships call at Santiago de Cuba but I don't know anything about that port.  Would it be better?  I can't believe I missed Cienfuegos twice in one year.

 

We were given $50 per person shipboard credit and free drinks at lunchtime one day but only at the Crow's Nest and Lido Bar and it was fairly hard to get service.  We also got our port charges refunded.  

Exactly. The compensation meant nothing to me: $100 for missing a port????. Come on! And free drinks at lunchtime meant nothing tome having purchased an Elite Beverage package. It was actually a giant inconvenience because the Lido deck was swamped with people and some rather toasty by 2;00 and there was literally no enjoying the pool during that time. I am sorry that you have missed Cienfuegos twice. You are correct, Santiago de Cuba would have been a decent substitute. Oceania uses that port of call in almost all of their Cuba itineraries. Thanks for chiming in.

18 hours ago, wombatKY said:

First, I think their feedback is valuable. I just don't think he should rant from the first second about what should be done with the ship.

 

Second, I didn't conclude from his post that he had sailed on HAL, or in fact, any cruise line numerous times. Why be angry that a port is missed?  Happens all of the time. You can be disappointed, but ranting about it and expecting some compensation is over the top, in my opinion, and they should read their cruise contract more closely.

 

Maintenance on any ship is possible, especially on an old one...should be expected and should be expected that some things don't work right or at all.  Captains cocktail party....seen that downgraded or has disappeared on several cruises I've been on, not just HAL. Internet was slow.....since there has been an internet at sea, in my experience. Critique card....my experience is that was normal for HAL and I know you can get more or heck, a novel idea, just use a piece of paper or make a phone call. 

 

What gave you the impression he was an experienced cruiser?

 

There are some things that happened on that cruise that I wouldn't be pleased about either, but I chalk those up to just bad luck that they happened on my cruise and maybe I won't sail on a ship that old in the future. 

 

Love the feedback, just don't care for the delivery and I think it sets the tone for the responses. 

 

 

My Husband and I wrote this together. My Husband was a USCG officer for 20 years and has his 100 ton 100 mile license. He Captained many Coast Guard vessels over the years including many years on a 378'. We have cruised over 20 times on Silversea, are 4 star mariners on HAL, have cruised Princess 16 times and Viking 3 times. We have never experienced missing a port on any cruise. Maybe we are just lucky.

You are correct, I will never sail on a ship that old or in that much disrepair in the future. My delivery may have been harsh, but it is accurate. You can't make this stuff up. I just don't want anyone else to go through what we went through when spending almost $10,000. I appreciate your honesty and your response. 

Old Salt,  If you don’t have time then don’t read my critique. Telling the truth is not a bad thing. Trying to keep others from being disappointed isn’t a bad thing either. For someone who doesn’t have time for my comments you certainly respond a LOT. 

First and foremost, I was trying to let others know what to expect of Veendam. I am a 4 star Mariner, so this is not my first trip on a HAL ship. I have also cruised many, many times on Silversea, Viking and Princess. The point being that things have changed dramatically aboard these ships over the past several years. There is no excuse for the disrepair. If the ship is not capable of providing what is promised when when you book (outside of weather conditions) then perhaps it's time to put it into dry dock to repair the plumbing system, refurbish the suites etc. It appears that corporate is becoming very stingy. Cienfuegos was NOT cancelled due to weather, tides or any thing of the sort. It was cancelled due to a mechanical problem that the crew had to work on all night long. I am aware that I can travel to Cuba via a flight and land excursion. I chose a cruise because I wanted the comfort of cruise ship accommodations and food. I was not eager to stay in a hotel or several hotels during my visit due to what I heard from friends who had visited. 

Veendam

1.)    The Captain may not take you to all of the ports on the itinerary. Our second stop in Cuba (the main reason for the cruise), Cienfuegos, was cancelled. A $50.00 per passenger shipboard credit was the purported compensation for the port cancellation. So many passengers complained that the Captain opened the Lido bar for 2.5 hours of free cocktails. There was no additional compensation for passengers that purchased a beverage package either before or during the cruise. Free cocktails means absolutely nothing to those who have already paid good money up front for a signature or elite beverage package. We were given a case number by our fabulous Neptune Lounge concierge. Case #364388. Waiting to hear back from corporate.

2.)    The hot tub in the Greenhouse spa was either luke warm or not functioning for the entire cruise. Really annoying to buy a greenhouse pass and not be able to use/enjoy the hot tub at all.

3.)    The Captains cocktail party for 3,4 and 5 star Mariners. I guess he was too embarrassed, nervous or just plain sick of listening to any more complaints because he only attended the event for 15 minutes.

4.)    The plumbing on the ship leaves a lot to be desired. The toilets in the Spa and the gym were overflowing and inoperable on several occasions. The toilet in the men’s locker room was out of order for the entire cruise. Maintenance was constantly working on pipes around the ship. Promenade deck would be wet and slippery. Maintenance was working on the plumbing/pipes on the Navigation deck right outside of our Neptune suite for an entire afternoon while at sea. Tap, tap, tap, bang, bang, bang all afternoon. Then comes the telephone call that they need access to our suite. So much for resting and relaxing in our suite, let alone an afternoon nap.

5.)    The internet is slow, which I understand but having hours of it being inoperable after you have paid to use it is annoying to say the least.

6.)    One of the elevators was out of service for the entire cruise.

7.)    The all day in room dining menu is a joke. There are a half dozen items and then sandwiches. The all day menu was not available at all on the 8^th day of the cruise.

8.)    Two points on the pool. Safety regulation are not enforced. They allow small children and not so small children to jump, dive, splash as long as they want to, which ended up being most of the day on several days. Obnoxious to say the least. When reported to the Officers, nothing was done. In fact, on one occasion two officers were present at the pool while the jumping, splashing and diving was happening and they looked the other way. Second point, the retractable dome was not opened on completely sunny days. This made the pool bar and dining area feel like Viet Nam in the summer. Not comfortable at all.

9.)    The aft bar and the entire aft seating area on Lido was closed on 11/9 at 5pm for the remainder of the day. This is one of only 2 smoking areas available on the ship. The other area is the casino (on smoking days) where there is a table in the rear of the casino with 8 ashtrays on it and no chairs. No place to sit. Stand and smoke and get out.

10.)  Fairly amusing is the fact that one very small, postcard sized critique card is handed out on the first day of the cruise. Gee, I wonder why?????

The good part is that the crew are FABULOUS! The food in the Pinnacle (where we enjoyed dinner most of the time), dining room and Lido buffet is always extremely good and an interesting variety is offered. The crew and the food are the only reason to take a cruise on this ship.