Saying goodbye to Holland...Veendam A/C problems

[whogo]

I think HAL has a good future passenger filter in operation right now. Not sure they want to change this. Those that demand 100% satisfaction 100% of the time are on notice and are best served elsewhere.

 

I don't want my HAL prices to go up to satisfy 100% of the people 100% of the time. I like sailing with those who can roll with the punches, and not demand HAL pay through the nose to make them subjectively happy. Because we are still discussing this in the most subjective of terms.

 

When is someone going to contract with HAL for a specific, objective range of cabin temperatures that is acceptable with the assurance HAL will be fully 100% responsible financially for the full and entire price paid, if even for a minute the cabin temperature exceeds that bargained for range?

 

Objective proof required for cabin temperature measurements, naturally.

 

I have taken an accurate thermometer on my last three cruises in case of issues with my cabin's heating or cooling. I can see now that that would not be enough for you on any future cruises. I'll need to take along a bonded technician from an independent laboratory to certify temperature readings and a team of impartial observers to verify the record keeping. Then my legal team can battle it out with you and Holland America over whether 90 degrees Fahrenheit is within the comfortable range for an air-conditioned cabin.

 

I doubt that my legal team has a chance against HAL. The one sided cruise contract has about 6000 words. HAL's responsibility under the contract is covered in 8 words, "Owner agrees to transport you on the Ship".

[CanWeGoYet?]

Pearls and feety pajamas! Just the way to "dress up" the Atrium!

(Remember-Ruth, you only have to wear the pearls to sleep in the atrium if it is formal night!"):D

 

Loving this! :D But geez I don't know. Pearls & footed jammies on formal night, yikes will this become a different flavor of popcorn thread now? ;)

[ballgown1]

I think some people would be surprised to know how many hours some cruisers spend in their cabins. Everyone wants something different from their cruises and there are those of us who don't run around doing lots of ship activities. We book a comfortable cabin so that we can be comfortable in it. I cannot 'roll with it' if our cabin is too hot. Some medical conditions make air comfort mandatory. If it became extreme, there is every chance we would have to leave the ship.

 

Our comfort in our cabin is far more important to us than shows, trivia, casino and other activities aboard ship.

 

 

I agree. With my hormones doing the jitterbug on a good day, I shudder to think being in a cabin with faulty ac would affect me.

[cruz chic]

Do civilized and intelligent people actually sleep in the atrium?

Well if they didn't talk about the A/C what would there be to write about on your "blog"?

[Min52]

I nominate this as the funniest post of the year. ROFLMBO

 

 

O.K. I'm obviously not very savvy. What does ROFLMBO mean??

[PennyAgain]

I'm intelligent enough to find an alternate place to sleep if my cabin is unbearable, and there's no relief coming.

I'm civilized enough to be modestly covered. Heck, I may even wear pearls. Can't get much more civilized than pearls.

 

In any case, thanks for the warning about the a/c problems.

[TracieABD]

O.K. I'm obviously not very savvy. What does ROFLMBO mean??

Rolling on floor, laughing my butt off (yep. it is a dangling participle--- oh my!):D

[Min52]

Rolling on floor, laughing my butt off (yep. it is a dangling participle--- oh my!):D

 

 

Thanks!!

[CowPrincess]

O.K. I'm obviously not very savvy. What does ROFLMBO mean??

 

Roll on the floor laughing my butt off :D The "B" is often replaced by "A", but this is a pretty polite board :)

[Sillyjilly]

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

..

 

I too had AC problems on the Veendam, Deck 6. We were fortunate to have only suffered for 24 hours.

The cabins become unbearably warm. We had to sleep with our door propped open just to survive.

 

Sorry Hal has let you down.

 

I still love the Amsterdam and have never had any problems on her, but I have to say that I will never sail the Veendam again. She doesn't even compare to the Amsterdam.

[HeatherInFlorida]

i have taken an accurate thermometer on my last three cruises in case of issues with my cabin's heating or cooling. I can see now that that would not be enough for you on any future cruises. I'll need to take along a bonded technician from an independent laboratory to certify temperature readings and a team of impartial observers to verify the record keeping. Then my legal team can battle it out with you and holland america over whether 90 degrees fahrenheit is within the comfortable range for an air-conditioned cabin.

 

I doubt that my legal team has a chance against hal. The one sided cruise contract has about 6000 words. Hal's responsibility under the contract is covered in 8 words, "owner agrees to transport you on the ship".

 

:D:D:D

 

(I wanted to just do the smilies, but it won't let me so I'm adding words)

[DizzyDallasDi]

I must be that .1%. And, I can think of some future offers that would make me happy. We don't have central A/C in our home, but we do have lots of fans.

 

You don't live in Texas, do you? :D

[ballgown1]

You don't live in Texas, do you? :D

 

Amen :D

[cruisemom42]

Y'all come on down to Atlanta where the highs for the next 10 days will be a minimum of 94 degrees.... Let me know how well those fans work to keep you cool. ;)

 

Seriously, I can understand the OP's complaint. I once experienced similar torture aboard an NCL ship. There was not a lick of A/C or even a faint bit of air movement in that room. It was our honeymoon and so, uh, one could say that we had looked forward to spending a certain amount of time in the cabin. They brought us one TINY fan and told us there was nothing else they could do. :eek:

 

That was quite a few years ago. I will never sail an NCL ship again. I've been on many cruises since -- they lost a customer for life.

[TracieABD]

You don't live in Texas, do you? :D

Or North Carolina...:)

[Himself]

Certainly not Illinois!

[kjw869]

I have taken an accurate thermometer on my last three cruises in case of issues with my cabin's heating or cooling. I can see now that that would not be enough for you on any future cruises. I'll need to take along a bonded technician from an independent laboratory to certify temperature readings and a team of impartial observers to verify the record keeping. Then my legal team can battle it out with you and Holland America over whether 90 degrees Fahrenheit is within the comfortable range for an air-conditioned cabin.

 

I doubt that my legal team has a chance against HAL. The one sided cruise contract has about 6000 words. HAL's responsibility under the contract is covered in 8 words, "Owner agrees to transport you on the Ship".

 

 

LMAO!! Classic!!!

 

Glad I didn't add to my "Ignore" list yet!!!

[serendipity1499]

Hey, you're on the wrong thread! This is the "Shame on you HAL for having the gall to still operate Veendam on a weekly basis to Bermuda, while in the truly sorry state she's in" thread. For Zaandam bagging, please start your own/a new one:cool:

 

Oh NO! :eek: Drinking water & reading your thread at the same time do not mix..Glad it was not wine..I'm ROFLMBO...

 

 

...cabins (Dolphin / A deck depending on the ship) and find the following item (#2) well worth the cost:

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009PUR90/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000BKGOM2&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=00DQHHKXHZS17SS8E9N0

 

Seriously, I'm sorry you had a 'warm cruise' (I can identify). There's really no excuse for the ventilation problems and your travel costs incurred (regardless of your placemnt on the ship).

 

I can only say that another follow-up letter should be forwarded describing your dissatisfaction with the reply for the cruise as described.

 

Good luck.

 

May your next cruise be a GREAT CRUISE! (regardless of cruise line).

 

Bon Voyage & Good Health!

Bob

 

That little fan seems very clever...Can one purchase it in a sporting goods stores or camping stores..We leave for NYC on Thurs. & board the Veendam next Sun, so might just look for something like that..

 

Agree with you a follow up letter should be forwarded describing ones dissatisfaction, however complaint letters should always have facts..On this thread we keep hearing it's "HOT" & the AC does not work, but no one has said what their Hot means...Is it 80 or 90 or what..The word Hot does not describe facts..To say the AC did not work also does not describe facts..

 

Our thermostat in our home is set at 79 & the temp is always 76-77 in the main rooms...While others in Fla keep theirs at 72..First of all Bermuda is not in the warm climes..When we lived in NYC we did not have central air..We usually had window air conditioners in our bedrooms or used fans or kept the house open to let some air in..Yes it was Hot but we survived..But when you are in an enclosed cabin with no means of ventilation thermostats & AC's should work..There is no excuse for that..

 

Now I have a similar but completely different story..Last Nov on our B2B we froze in our cabin on the Statendam..

Please No Flames!..

 

We travel with an atomic clock & thermometer.. The AC would not shut off & every night our Outside cabin went down to 64...Yes we Froze!...DH taped daily planners over the vents to no avail..We kept pushing the thermostat up & up...Spoke to Front Desk almost daily for 14 days..Every day in late Afternoon they came to our cabin to take the temp with their little thingamajig & the temp always read 70-72 after the sun streaming through the windows warmed up the cabin...They kept telling us our cabin met the comfort paramaters..:(

 

Finally, after leaving San Diego & having to get up for the second time during one night, & freezing to death, we both were very annoyed..At 5: a.m. we got dressed went down to the front desk & said we wanted to see the Hotel Mgr. as soon as got into his office..Believe the front desk people thought we were a little weird, s most Psgrs complain when they are hot.. ;)

 

Assist Housekeeper happened by & seeing our door open, asked if we needed our Steward..We said NO, just want someone to verify that the temp in the cabin was 64 & we were not just complainers!..She came in & immediately said it was too cold, verified the temp on the atomic clock & called the Front desk Supervisor..A while later the Front Desk Mgr called & asked if we would give them one more chance to fix it..Of course we said yes..They had two white uniformed men in our cabin pronto..They knew what they were doing!They pulled down the ceiling, said the thermostat was not connected & needed a part..They got the part within an hour, fixed the AC & we were comfortable for the rest of the trip..

 

The point of my post is to mention that not only are tastes subjective, but comfort levels are also subjective..We had 70 people in our office & one lady hated AC & would keep pushing the thermostat up..Others in our large office were dying of the heat when she raised the temp...

 

Years ago, when Charlie hit , we were without electricity for 9 days...DH slept soundly in our bed with the doors & windows open, I could not..I slept by the pool on the patio with my 14 lb."guard dog" & could hear him snoring away...LOL

 

Realize many of you would love to sleep in a 64 degree cabin, especially Ruth;) but we don't, and because of that thermostats should be connected & work, so that every one can attain their comfort level..We just accepted an up sell to a lanai cabin on the Veendam, next week...If our cabin is too hot we might have to sleep out on Promenade deck..Of course, with my pearls on..:)

I'm rambling, time for bed..

 

 

Goodnight all, sleep tight & don't let those bedbugs bite!

 

Betty

[English_in_Spain]

I must be that .1%. And, I can think of some future offers that would make me happy. We don't have central A/C in our home, but we do have lots of fans.

 

That depends on where you live. When we lived in England we did not need A/C. For the few hot days a year we just had fans.

We now live in South East Spain. We have celing fans in all rooms and air conditioning.

I know just how important it is because at the moment ours in not working and has not been working for over a week (waiting for a part from Madrid).

I have circulatory problems and mustn't get too hot or too cold. If I were to go on a cruise in a warm climate with no aircon in the cabin and they were unable to fix it or move us I would leave the ship at the next port of call.

[happyglobetrotter]

i WOULD LIKE A CRUISE IN THE FUTURE OR SOMETHING BETTER THAN THE OFFER OF A 2 UPGRADE ON THE SAME INSIDE CABIN:confused::confused::confused::confused::confused:

 

If you don't like inside cabins, do not book them.

 

So now you want an better cabin at no cost ! a 2 category upgrade is great offer.

[sevenseasnomad]

..

 

I too had AC problems on the Veendam, Deck 6. We were fortunate to have only suffered for 24 hours.

The cabins become unbearably warm. We had to sleep with our door propped open just to survive.

 

Way off-topic, but I'm a writer & your comment has sent me into plot possibilities overdrive. Thanks!

[mamaofami]

We were booked on the Veendam to Bermuda but canceled the cruise a while ago, although not for A/C reasons. Reading all the negative reviews, I'm glad we canceled. The Veendam was my first HAL ship and we were very forward, on the deck near the infirmary. At first, the cabin was very warm, but then they fixed the A/C and we froze. Would rather be cold than too hot. As you can see from the list of my cruises, that was in 03. Sad to see the problem still exists.

 

We have a reservation on Maasdam in January and I'm beginning to worry about the A/C there too. Anyone have any info about A/C issues on Maasdam?

[SwissMyst]

......

We have a reservation on Maasdam in January and I'm beginning to worry about the A/C there too. Anyone have any info about A/C issues on Maasdam?

 

Before we took our first trip on the Maasdam back in 2009, I remember reading all sorts of horror stories about her as well, including permeating sewage smells, non-working plumbing and temperature controls accused of being only meaningless wall decorations. We found none of these problems ourselves in a verandah cabin, but obviously they happened to some of the passengers.

 

But it appears just like the Veendam these are issues that appear to be concentrated to only a few cabins or areas of the ship. Certainly not fair at all to those passengers to have this negative experiences, when the rest of the same fare paying passengers got a far better deal, but even will those similar tales on the Maasdam, it was our own experience that everything was fine.

 

Hate to think booking a trip is akin to winning or losing a lottery and hope all passengers can be assured of equality of treatment for the class of room they are paying for.

[iancal]

Here's the real challenge. When we are considering a cruise, we typically select the itinerary and then narrow it down to 2 or 3 ships on 2/3 sailing dates per ship. We then check the boards for issues with those ships. If for instance, Veendam was on the short list and we read these posts, we would immediately eliminate the Veendam or the Masdam if it was there as well. While the issue may only impact a certain group, or deck of cabins, we would never,ever take a chance with our money, our time, and our vacation. This would not guarantee a great cruise but it would substantially increase the odds in the 'lottery'. It would be just as easy to move on to the other 2 ships on the list and check them out. This has happened to us in the past with another cruise line.....the ship made our short list based on itinerary, date, value etc. but was eliminated straightaway when we looked at the preponderance of issues relating to that particular vessel. HAL needs to fix this issue or it risks loosing past customers and prospective customers, or both.

[startwin]

The Veendam was our first cruise ship and the reason we got hooked on cruising. We booked 2 weeks before sail date, and got a great deal on a lower promenade oceanview... how lucky were we? Mind you, we were green and knew nothing about cruising and cabins and the like in those days. Anyway, I digress... we had a fabulous time, no problems, and quickly booked another cruise.

 

I will always have a soft spot for the Veendam, and it's sad to see so many complaints about her, especially as this has been going on for such a long time, and HAL doesn't seem able to rectify the problems.:(