Veendam Dry Dock - Has the ship left yet?

[NordicPrince]

Probably still working on resolving all the issues related to a/c & plumbing! :rolleyes:

 

At some point promise us that you will stop flogging this well beaten horse. We will report back if the horse needs a kick in the you-know-where again, at which time I will myself hold the horse steady for you.

[NordicPrince]

Once ship yard photos were posted of Veendam minus a bow, I am surprised that there was no comment from Holland America.

Replacing the bow is a huge project that is rare to see on the level of Veendam's situation. PARTS of the bow...yes. The ENTIRE bow...no.

I am disappointed that HAL chose to remain quiet about Veendam's yard.

 

Obvious to the naked eye is that the entire bow was not in fact removed but just the very top portion of it. If you removed the entire bow you would be taking off parts of the ship which go down to the keel. This is not what I see going on here.

 

Also if the ship was in any dangerous unseaworthy condition while sailing the ship would have immediately ported and the cruises terminated until such time as repairs could be made. This did not happen either.

 

So IMHO I don't know where all this talk about omminous occurances is coming from. The ship needed some body work up front and it has been taken care of

[Redtravel]

Hope you make the cruise. HAl should offer you more money for the shortened cruise ...and not a coupon for another cruise. With that kind of deal, most people won't trust HAL or book with them again.

[mabert]

Are you getting a 25% discount OFF base rate (does that mean brochure rate) or a discount that means you only pay 25% of the base rate.

 

25% discount off brochure rate isn't very much. The exception would be Prinsendam cruises which sometimes don't have much of a discount.

[CruiseShelly]

Here is the email we recived on Friday,

 

 

 

Revised 4/29/11 -

Dear Holland America Line Guest,

 

Thank you for booking the Bermuda sailing with us aboard the ms Veendam scheduled to depart New York on May 1, 2011. We look forward to sharing a truly exceptional voyage with you.

 

The ms Veendam has been in its regularly scheduled drydock over the past two weeks. Every passenger vessel periodically goes into drydock for renovations and maintenance work that can only be done while the ship is out of the water. Unfortunately, the work is taking slightly longer than expected. We do not want you to board the vessel before it is in the premium condition that you would and should expect with a Holland America Line ship. Consequently, our sailing will be delayed by one day. We sincerely apologize for any disappointment or inconvenience this delay may cause.

 

As a result of this delay, we will need to adjust our itinerary as follows:

 

DAY PORT ARRIVE DEPART

Monday New York 5:00pm

Tuesday At Sea

Wednesday St. George's, Bermuda 8:00am 5:00pm

Wednesday Hamilton, Bermuda 7:00pm

Thursday Hamilton, Bermuda

Friday Hamilton, Bermuda 2:00pm

Saturday At Sea

Sunday New York 7:00am

 

Embarkation will begin at noon on Monday; all guests should be onboard no later than 4:00 pm.

 

As a gesture of goodwill and a token of our appreciation for your patience with this unfortunate delay, each of you will receive a Future Cruise Credit equal to 25% of the base cruise fare paid for this 7-day Bermuda sailing. The terms and conditions of this credit are noted at the bottom of this letter.

 

We know that many of you live near New York while others are arriving by air and will therefore need accommodations in New York on Sunday night. We have developed an alternative for each group:

 

For guests who need a hotel for Sunday night

In addition to the 25% Future Cruise Credit, we have reserved complimentary rooms at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers located in midtown Manhattan at 811 7th Avenue (between 52nd and 53rd Streets). Please proceed directly to the hotel on Sunday where a member of our staff will assist you. If you have purchased our transfer service we will take you directly from the airport to the hotel. When you arrive at the Sheraton, you will also be provided with information on meal arrangements as well as our complimentary shuttle service to the ship on Monday morning. If you require a hotel room at the Sheraton, please contact us as soon as possible at 1-877-425-2231, or 1-206-626-7394.

 

For guests who DO NOT need a hotel for Sunday night

In addition to the 25% Future Cruise Credit, guests who do not need a room at the Sheraton will automatically receive a $150.00 per person Onboard Credit that is applied towards your purchases during the voyage (this is provided for the first and second guests in each stateroom). If you end up spending less than this amount during your cruise, the balance will be paid to you in cash at the end of the voyage.

 

We strive to provide the best possible vacation experience for all of our guests. Again, we are sincerely sorry for any difficulties caused by this situation. We truly appreciate your patience and understanding, and we very much look forward to welcoming you aboard the ms Veendam.

 

Kind regards,

 

Timothy Murphy

Vice President, Guest Programs

Holland America Line

 

 

Future Cruise Credit Terms & Conditions

The value of this credit may be applied to the cruise fare only of a new cruise or cruisetour reservation with Holland America Line, and it is combinable with any other applicable discount. While the credit is valid through May 1, 2012, please note that it needs only to be applied to the new booking by this date; your cruise does not need to depart within this timeframe. Although you may choose any stateroom category, this offer is dependent upon space availability and cannot be transferred, refunded, or used as a deposit. This credit may not be used for onboard expenses, pre- and post-cruise packages, shore excursions, taxes, Cancellation Protection Plans, Home City Air, Hotel Service Charges, or other optional programs or services. We ask that you or your travel professional verify this offer with our Reservation Agent at the time your new reservation is placed. For your convenience, these credits are built in direct association with Mariner Society numbers, so it will automatically be credited toward your cruise fare.

 

© 2001 – 2011 Holland America Line Inc., 300 Elliott Avenue West, Seattle, WA 98119 http://www.hollandamerica.com

[barante]

A disappointment, yes. But that complimentary NYC hotel deal plus future credit looks like an excellent deal. Does it apply to anybody. If I were on this cruise, I would view it not as a setback but as a bonus.

[IRL_Joanie]

Sounds like Y'all will have one heck of a great deal there!!

 

WTG HAL!

 

Joanie

[CruiseShelly]

I don't know if this offer was universal or not. We are in a "L" category inside upgraded from "MM". Since we are not flying in, we took the $150,00 OBC option over the Hotel Stay (HAL called Friday at dinner time to ask which we wanted so they could plan hotel rooms). And since we tend to book a cheaper cabin, the 25% credit means about $175.00 apiece towards next cruise. I decided I'm happy with that. One less day in Hamilton for us is okay as we were just using the cruise to "get away" for our 20th anniversary. We had booked no excursions and have been to Bermuda. For us it meant changing our ride to the train station, and taking out one day's clothing. I'm sitting here just enjoying being "on vacation" even if I'm not in the MDR at lunch this Sunday.

[V'sGirl]

We are sailing Veendam on June 12. I can't wait to see what occurred on her during drydock, not that it will make a bit of difference to our enjoyment of our cruise. I just like to have a visual reference when looking forward to, and planning, our time on board. I lived on a sailboat for a few years back in my "glory days" and I don't find anything ominous about the storm repairs. She is obviously sea worthy and safe.

Looking forward to the reports from folks boarding tomorrow.

[Krazy Kruizers]

SO just fyi yesterday I went to the holland america blog and the moment I logged on there were photos of the ship...one I posted earlier. The aft poolette was gone. And it looked like they were installing HUGE hot tubs. But then seconds later when my page refreshed...they were no wear to be found!

 

i keep checking hal's blog -- nothing new there in days for the veendam

there were pictures of the maasdam getting new spas by the lido pool -- maybe you clicked onto those pictures

[Captain Rhone]

No, Holland America did have Veendam drydock pictures up on the blog briefly, and I saved them to my computer when I found them...and they were later removed from the blog so that is why some did not see them. Here is three of them. Hopefully they attach...

[Krazy Kruizers]

No, Holland America did have Veendam drydock pictures up on the blog briefly, and I saved them to my computer when I found them...and they were later removed from the blog so that is why some did not see them. Here is three of them. Hopefully they attach...

 

thank ypu

i can't understand why they would put up the pictures and then remove them

but it does look like they are going to put in spas

[lvz2cruz]

Could it be possible they are not HOT tubs but some kind of small pool like the poolette in which you can cool off rather than something 105 degrees?

[Krazy Kruizers]

i would rather see a POOL!!

[3rdGenCunarder]

i would rather see a POOL!!

 

That would require cutting into the deck and getting rid of the cabins below. That would probably take more time than they had. I wonder if the larger "pool" in the foreground of the photo will be a cool version of a hot tub, maybe with benches all around. That could still feel like a relaxing "retreat."

[lvz2cruz]

That would require cutting into the deck and getting rid of the cabins below. That would probably take more time than they had. I wonder if the larger "pool" in the foreground of the photo will be a cool version of a hot tub, maybe with benches all around. That could still feel like a relaxing "retreat."

 

 

That's what I was talking about. Something to cool off in after laying on deck. It's not like I want to do laps; just be refreshed and such a pool would do it better than the old wading pool.

Something novel like this would be exciting and a triumph after the poolette flop.

[3rdGenCunarder]

That's what I was talking about. Something to cool off in after laying on deck. It's not like I want to do laps; just be refreshed and such a pool would do it better than the old wading pool.

Something novel like this would be exciting and a triumph after the poolette flop.

 

Anything would be better than the poolette. And if HAL does something unusual, and if it's successful, they could brag about a New and Improved Retreat!

 

How many other ships now have the poolette?

[sail7seas]

Only Rotterdam and Veendam got 'poolettes'.

[gwenmarie]

The two ships with these both go to very warm climates, South America and Bermuda. Why not use them in Northern Europe and Alaska? I would love to travel to both areas with HAL but not on either of these two ships as they are.

[webfoot3]

The hotel and on board credit is for all passengers. They will also collect on board luggage from our rooms at the hotel and transport them directly to our cabins on the ship. This really will make the complimentary transfer from the hotel to the ship easy (I hope). HAL agents from Ft Lauderdale:) where brought to New York to help the local agents with questions and problems. The hotel dedicated a large ballroom to take care of check-in and luggage. Of course it was hectic for a couple of hours when hundreds of passengers all showed up at once, but things kept moving and everyone had a place to sit if they wanted to. I saw some confused people but no angry people. (to my eyes). It was a beautiful afternoon in New York and the hotel is just three blocks from Times Square. Thanks HAL and Sheraton for a great job today. I hope tomorrow goes as well.

[pms4104]

Could it be possible they are not HOT tubs but some kind of small pool like the poolette in which you can cool off rather than something 105 degrees?

That's what I was wondering ... replacing one leaking poolette with a couple of smaller, hopefully unleaky, ones?