Veendam A/C issues - cabin by cabin reports please

Since the A/C issues on the Veendam seem to vary from cabin to cabin I thought it might be helpful to have folks that have been on board post their cabin number with just a simple comment on the A/C - along the lines of too hot, too cold or just right - so those of us who have upcoming trips can better plan. We're in S023 in September. This is likely my only opportunity to ever experience a suite and I am determined to love it... Just want to know if I'll love it more if I bring a fan! Thanks in advance.

This was posted on another thread---

"With a snail-mail received yesterday, I'm breaking my silence about the A/C problems on Veendam. Stay away from cabins 406,408,410 and 416. None have any a/c or air movement (until they put a fan in your room). Holland America has sent me their final offer for 7 sleepless nights in 2 cabins and it's absolutely unacceptable."

Karen

From the many threads in this subject it seems that the cabins in the rear are more likely to have problems. There is even some conjecture that it had to do with the addition of the new cabins above.

See also http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1248569

Thanks. I've seen lots of other threads. Hoping to keep this one a cabin list as an easy resource.

We were provided with a fan & all it did was blow around the hot air and take up much needed cabin space. The heat in our cabin was unbearable with or without a fan. Many people require air conditioning not only for comfort but also for medical reasons. Lack of air conditioning can trigger many health issues and should not be taken lightly. Maybe all HAL passengers should now consider filling out a Special Requirements Form which states that air conditioning is required for medical reasons.

There were numerous cabins affected by this problem on our cruise. All you had to do was visit Guest Relations and you could hear people complaining. Cabins up and down deck 5 were affected and there's an unbelievable recent review in the review section about a suite that was affected. These people left the ship and went to a hotel because the heat was so unbearable. In other words, this problem is all over the ship. Hal needs to step up to the plate and respond to these passengers. Here's a quote that HAL has used to describe their cruise line: "Through excellence, we create once-in-a-lifetime experiences, every time." Unfortunately, our once in a lifetime experience was one I'd like to forget.

I will be in cabin 632 Main deck. Anybody been there>

Thanks

We were provided with a fan & all it did was blow around the hot air and take up much needed cabin space. The heat in our cabin was unbearable with or without a fan. Many people require air conditioning not only for comfort but also for medical reasons. Lack of air conditioning can trigger many health issues and should not be taken lightly. Maybe all HAL passengers should now consider filling out a Special Requirements Form which states that air conditioning is required for medical reasons.

 

What cabin were you in?

I actually have hesitated to post on this thread because our experience was 3 years ago. With that caveat in place we were in B141 and it was quite warm. We didn't notice it so much during the day but we didn't stay there much during the day. At night it was warm, not hot, but almost too warm for comfortable sleeping and a bit stuffy. They were unable to do much about it.

As stated previously, there were cabins affected all over the ship & on different decks.

I don't think you can have any sort of reliable list as air gets diverted sometimes from one section to another, or thermostat is broken one cruise but fixed the next. It doesn't seem possible to keep any current, accurate list. We've had cabins that were fine for 5 days and then hot for 3 days and cool again for two day etc

Air conditioning problems seem to 'move around' the ship.

Thanks S7S... That's actually very helpful. I knew there were issues all over the ship and was hoping to compile a list of cabins to avoid, but I had no idea that the problems migrated around the ship. I am so looking forward to our trip - and am determined that it WILL be fantastic - but I'm also at that special age where I have my very own personal built-in heater so if we are in one of the 'hot spots' I'm in trouble. I looked at a little fan at target last night, but put it back on the shelf... I just refuse to give up valuable suitcase space to a fan! Hopefully we won't have a problem cabin. And if we do, there's always the balcony or perhaps a tub full of cool water with an ice bucket close by! :)

I was in cabin 072 back in June and the a/c was fine through the entire trip. I like it cold and found it fine on less than the maximum setting. It's probably worth mentioning that Bermuda in June was only in the 70s, so it may have been better just because it wasn't very hot outside.

I'm so sad to have gotten off the Veendam this morning but happy to report that my stateroom was deliciously cool all week. So much that my husband called our cabin, 586 (Main Deck) the "Igloo." I agonized over a potential problem with the AC, and insisted that a fan be available on boarding. While it was there waiting for me, it was unnecessary. Our family in cabin 580 were also blessed with great AC and a working thermastat too. We did notice that one side of the Lido was significantly cooler than the other but all other areas of the ship were cool and comfy.

Will be on the Veendam next week..When we return I'll post my cabin No. & temp..Will have an atomic thermometer with us..

cheers....:)Betty

Thanks everyone... I sure hope we're in an "igloo!"

In the meantime, I've been doing some searching and aside from what people have already posted, I've seen reports of 822,784, and 015 being hot and 089 and 766 being freezing.

No problems reported in reviews of 212, 390, 405, 522, 609, 732, 830 and 836.

Of course if the issue is moving around the ship, this is pretty much an exercise in futility!

Just returned yesterday and we were in 089. We found the AC to work perfectly and the thermastat resposive to my up and down settings. It was extremely hot and muggy in Bermuda and the AC seemed fine throughout the ship. We spoke with many people during the week and did not hear one complaint about AC.

We also left the Veendam yesterday - no problems in 080, a Verandah Suite. My daughter was in an interior room (074) - that was fine, too.

It just good common sense to be pro-active and at least try to see if there's any kind of consistency of problems in any given cabin. If there is, it could prove helpful over a period of time.

Going south (and facing east) our cabin was okay, not as cool as I would like but fine. Returning (with the sun coming at us all afternoon), we had to black out the cabin to even maintain 79 degrees. No reason to post our cabin number because it's been destroyed in the last dry dock.

If there is a cooling problem in your cabin for any amount of time during the cruise then there is an A/C issue in that cabin ... doesn't matter if it's 2 days here, 3 days there. It's still an issue.

We have cruised so many ships so many times and repeated those ships time and again. On one cruise on a given ship, we might hear there are a/c problems on Promenade Deck aft. Next cruise we might hear, same ship, air conditioning issues on Navigation Deck forward. We have been in the same cabin, back-to-back and for 6 days the a/c may have been fine and suddenly day 7 it isn't functioning well. After reporting it, it could be fixed by the end of the same day or on the next day. Then again, on our last day, we might notice it's hot in the cabin again. If it isn't consistent one cruise to the next or even throughout one seven day cruise, how can a lengthy thread posting my cabin had great air on August 15, 2010 cruise mean a darn thing at the end of September? Or, for that matter, might not mean a thing the next week.

Air conditioning is mechanical and they break, they get fixed, they break.

I totally agree it is unacceptable to be in a tropical location and not have reliable, functioning air conditioning. I am not looking for 70 degrees in my cabin but I do expect and require for my health and comfort a reliable 78 degrees.

It just good common sense to be pro-active and at least try to see if there's any kind of consistency of problems in any given cabin. If there is, it could prove helpful over a period of time.

 

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I agree with you Heather. It is more informative vs just posting that the "A/C is broken" and have people canceling cruises, when we don't know if it's 3, 5, or 10 staterooms in question. I'd be willing to bet there might be some consistency. We have a room in our home that is consistantly very very hot, right now over 85 or 90 degrees. Thankfully our 25 year old Tortoise lives in this room and he is very happy. He can't live with air conditioning...

 

Someone suggested problem on Veendam might be in area where the aft was extended. I can't tell because we are ending up with threads with an issue, but someone reading CC might not even realize some are from the same poster or stateroom. In the very least HAL would have somewhere to start.

Thanks everyone... I sure hope we're in an "igloo!"

 

In the meantime, I've been doing some searching and aside from what people have already posted, I've seen reports of 822,784, and 015 being hot and 089 and 766 being freezing.

 

No problems reported in reviews of 212, 390, 405, 522, 609, 732, 830 and 836.

 

Of course if the issue is moving around the ship, this is pretty much an exercise in futility!

I was the one who posted that 089 was cold. Actually it was the only temperature available if one wanted air conditioning. It was possible to warm up the cabin to too warm but we seemed to spend all week trying to get it just right---to no avail. It did not detract from our trip however. I would take that cabin again.

It just good common sense to be pro-active and at least try to see if there's any kind of consistency of problems in any given cabin. If there is, it could prove helpful over a period of time.

 

Going south (and facing east) our cabin was okay, not as cool as I would like but fine. Returning (with the sun coming at us all afternoon), we had to black out the cabin to even maintain 79 degrees. No reason to post our cabin number because it's been destroyed in the last dry dock.

 

If there is a cooling problem in your cabin for any amount of time during the cruise then there is an A/C issue in that cabin ... doesn't matter if it's 2 days here, 3 days there. It's still an issue.

It just good common sense to be pro-active and at least try to see if there's any kind of consistency of problems in any given cabin. If there is, it could prove helpful over a period of time.

 

quote]

 

I agree with you Heather. It is more informative vs just posting that the "A/C is broken" and have people canceling cruises, when we don't know if it's 3, 5, or 10 staterooms in question. I'd be willing to bet there might be some consistency. We have a room in our home that is consistantly very very hot, right now over 85 or 90 degrees. Thankfully our 25 year old Tortoise lives in this room and he is very happy. He can't live with air conditioning...

 

Someone suggested problem on Veendam might be in area where the aft was extended. I can't tell because we are ending up with threads with an issue, but someone reading CC might not even realize some are from the same poster or stateroom. In the very least HAL would have somewhere to start.

 

Also agree with you both..It's important to list the cabins & also try to take a thermometer with you..We'll be on Veendam next week & will report here on our return..We'll have our atomic clock/thermostat..

As Jade, we also have one room in our house, the guest room which is always warmer that most..We purchased an extra window air cond. just for that room..

 

Betty

We were on the Veendam in cabin S020 in October 2009 and found the A/C Ok. no problems.

We have cruised so many ships so many times and repeated those ships time and again. On one cruise on a given ship, we might hear there are a/c problems on Promenade Deck aft. Next cruise we might hear, same ship, air conditioning issues on Navigation Deck forward. We have been in the same cabin, back-to-back and for 6 days the a/c may have been fine and suddenly day 7 it isn't functioning well. After reporting it, it could be fixed by the end of the same day or on the next day. Then again, on our last day, we might notice it's hot in the cabin again. If it isn't consistent one cruise to the next or even throughout one seven day cruise, how can a lengthy thread posting my cabin had great air on August 15, 2010 cruise mean a darn thing at the end of September? Or, for that matter, might not mean a thing the next week.

 

Air conditioning is mechanical and they break, they get fixed, they break.

 

I totally agree it is unacceptable to be in a tropical location and not have reliable, functioning air conditioning. I am not looking for 70 degrees in my cabin but I do expect and require for my health and comfort a reliable 78 degrees.

While I'm very disappointed to hear that apparently HAL is having A/C problems on all their ships fairly regularly, that has absolutely nothing to do with the issue here.

Here we are discussing the Veendam. And more important, we are not talking about problems that are repaired and all is well. We are talking about ongoing problems with no fixes. This thread is about the Veendam where time and time again over a period of over 3 years people are reporting problems and being told by staff there is nothing they can do except, when available, they are given fans.

It serves no purpose to argue that posting problems in specific cabins will serve no purpose when you have no idea whether it will be helpful or not. Perhaps it will; maybe not. Only time will tell, but it's better than doing nothing. And from what is being reported, nothing is what HAL is doing in this instance.

I am not bashing HAL, no one here is. It's an excellent cruise line, but no one is perfect. For whatever reason they've made a decision to sail this ship with ongoing A/C problems and in some instances have denied, in fact, that problems exist.

If someone is not interested, then pass by the thread and leave it alone so it can be utilized by the people who would like the information.

I do not understand how HAL can think about using the Veendam on Amazon cruises with all the A/C problems..Very concerned about my March cruise..

Dennis

Jacksonville, Fl

409 days at sea

34 cruises

11 cruise lines

T/P, T/A, Hawaii, Central & South America, New Zealand & South Pacific

Booked

12 day TA Norwegian Sun Oct 2010

8 day Norwegian Sun Oct 2010

28 day Rio/Amazon river/ Ft. Lauderdale March 2011

Can anyone report the a/c problem with the inside cabins in the middle of the lower promanade toward the back?

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thanks in advance!