Veendam

[qsuzi]

I just read the following on another thread and would like some additional feedback on the Veendam. Our first HAL cruise is in March on the Veendam. I have looked at cabin and ship pix and realize she is a smaller ship with not as many venues or activities.She was refurbished in 2011 I believe.

 

"To be perfectly frank, the Veendam is not a beloved ship within the fleet. We've sailed it twice, most recently three years ago when it was in bad shape. Older mechanicals, AC and plumbing issues were commonplace. My understanding is that some monies have been spent to fix it up but it is still an old ship. It is up for sale per insiders who post here."

Edited January 16, 2015 by qsuzi

[dfish]

I've sailed the Veendam twice. The first time was for 17 days in January of 2011, before her refurbishment. This was soon after all the complaints had poured in during the summer months about AC and toilets. One person I knew on the cruise had heard one complaint like that, but I never heard any during the 17 days.

 

The second time was in August of 2013. I was in an inside cabin as far down and as far forward as you can go without being in the engine room. We did not have any problems and I didn't hear of any, although there might have been.

 

The biggest problem with the Veendam is the mess they made of the aft deck. The raised deck in the middle with the hot tubs restricts your view unless you are standing up.

 

I would sail her again if she was going where I wanted to go.

 

Debbie

[Cruiser Andi]

I cruised on Veendam this past August. She was in good shape and I would definitely sail on the Veendam again.

[qsuzi]

Thanks for your feedback dfish and Cruiser Andi. I read about 20 of the most recent Cruise Critic reviews and found a wide divergence of opinion. I do value the opinion of those that post here so really appreciate getting feedback on this board. I've sailed older and smaller ships so I will keep that in mind when we sail the Veendam. We are still excited and looking forward to our first HAL cruise.

Edited January 16, 2015 by qsuzi

[Crazy For Cats]

I sailed on the same cruise as Debbie and agree with what she said. We had an aft balcony and I enjoyed it very much. I also agree that the pool area is a mess. We will sail on her again in May to Bermuda.

 

 

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[PathfinderEss]

Qsuzi, don't worry about the Veendam. Where the problem lies with her is what Hal did to her aft end maybe 5 years ago now. They took away the second pool and have hot tubs on the back end now. Its pretty ugly, but the rest of the ship is fine.

[david,Mississauga]

... I have looked at cabin and ship pix and realize she is a smaller ship with not as many venues or activities. ...

 

In these times of large and larger ships, everyone quite rightly considers the Veendam and Maasdam to be smaller ships. It didn't seem that long ago that a 57,000 GRT ship would have been one of the largest afloat. I well remember our first cruise on P&O's much-loved SS Canberra in the mid-1980s. At that time the Canberra - 45,000 GRT - was the fourth-largest ship in service and it was the third-largest ship we had ever sailed in:). Many of the regular P&O passengers we met on board complained that it was too big and preferred the 28,000 GRT ships that had been withdrawn in the 1970s.

[George C]

I hated that they removed the pool, so only pool left will be filled with screaming kids, this is only Hal ship I would not sail on again

[shrimp56]

Have sailed the Veendam 3 times, twice in the past 6 months. She's a fine ship with a great crew. I'd sail her happily again (and hope we will)

[qsuzi]

Thanks for the feedback Cats, Pathfinder :), David, George, and shrimp. The pool area is definitely not attractive but will check it out and probably at least get the pizza for my DH. I definitely will be doing a lot of walking and exploring! :) Shrimp I like your positive comments and I also "drink the good wine first". Heck after a couple glasses of wine I'm sure everything on the ship will be looking more attractive :)

Edited January 16, 2015 by qsuzi

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for the feedback Cats, Pathfinder :), David, George, and shrimp. The pool area is definitely not attractive but will check it out and probably at least get the pizza for my DH. I definitely will be doing a lot of walking and exploring! :) Shrimp I like your positive comments and I also "drink the good wine first". Heck after a couple glasses of wine I'm sure everything on the ship will be looking more attractive :)

 

Wine always make things look better.:D:D:D

[qsuzi]

wine always make things look better.:d:d:d

 

i agree :) :)

Edited January 16, 2015 by qsuzi

[rafinmd]

I was on the same cruise as Debbie and Jake. Having heard the complaints from 5 years ago, Veendam gets my vote as the most improved ship in the HAL fleet.

 

Roy

[qsuzi]

I was on the same cruise as Debbie and Jake. Having heard the complaints from 5 years ago, Veendam gets my vote as the most improved ship in the HAL fleet.

 

Roy

 

Thanks so much Roy.

[NYteacher]

We spent 18 days aboard the Veendam this past summer and had a lovely experience. The aft hot tubs actually became a favorite spot for my husband and son, particularly during sailaways.

[qsuzi]

We spent 18 days aboard the Veendam this past summer and had a lovely experience. The aft hot tubs actually became a favorite spot for my husband and son, particularly during sailaways.

 

Nice to hear. Thank you NYteacher.

[localady]

Glad to hear all these lovely reports.

We do have a rollcall for this cruise, it would be great if you dropped in qsuzi. :D

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2104147

Edited January 16, 2015 by localady

[cruz chic]

It's good to hear these reports. I'm very nervous about cruising on the Veendam in May even though I had a lovely cruise on the ship a few years ago. I love the new ships but Bermuda won in the end.

[redhot1]

We just sailed her for the Nerw Years cruise and she is in good shape. She is smaller but on the plus side with fewer passengers it is much easier to do anything. There arn't as many activities as the bigger ships but again easier to do anything. We sailed her last year also for new years and had a good experience then also. We have her booked again for next years New Years cruise. There were some plumbing problems on deck 4 we were on navigation deck 091 cabin and no problems. The crewe tries very hard to make everyone happy and I think they do a good job, cut backs withstanding, thats a corporate problem tho. . If you like a smaller ship that is easier to get around and less passengers then you'll most likely like the Veendam. Have a great cruise.:):):)

[qsuzi]

We just sailed her for the Nerw Years cruise and she is in good shape. She is smaller but on the plus side with fewer passengers it is much easier to do anything. There arn't as many activities as the bigger ships but again easier to do anything. We sailed her last year also for new years and had a good experience then also. We have her booked again for next years New Years cruise. There were some plumbing problems on deck 4 we were on navigation deck 091 cabin and no problems. The crewe tries very hard to make everyone happy and I think they do a good job, cut backs withstanding, thats a corporate problem tho. . If you like a smaller ship that is easier to get around and less passengers then you'll most likely like the Veendam. Have a great cruise.:):):)

 

Thank you for your positive comments!

[Hlitner]

I hated that they removed the pool, so only pool left will be filled with screaming kids, this is only Hal ship I would not sail on again

 

The Rotterdam is another ship with only a single pool, so you should also avoid this ship (we do).

 

Hank

[CruiseWhere]

It's good to hear these reports. I'm very nervous about cruising on the Veendam in May even though I had a lovely cruise on the ship a few years ago. I love the new ships but Bermuda won in the end.

 

Our first cruise on HAL was on the Veendam to Bermuda in 2011 and then Hawaii and most recently the Panama Canal. While I wasn't thrilled with the wading hot tubs at the back, but made my legs feel great, we never had a complaint with the ship. I love the Veendam, crew etc...

[tuolumne couple]

The crew is one of the best in the fleet. The aft deck is our least favorite.The ship is smaller and a better more intimate experience. We had a cabin on deck six and no problems.

[jimmy2x]

In these times of large and larger ships, everyone quite rightly considers the Veendam and Maasdam to be smaller ships. It didn't seem that long ago that a 57,000 GRT ship would have been one of the largest afloat. I well remember our first cruise on P&O's much-loved SS Canberra in the mid-1980s. At that time the Canberra - 45,000 GRT - was the fourth-largest ship in service and it was the third-largest ship we had ever sailed in:). Many of the regular P&O passengers we met on board complained that it was too big and preferred the 28,000 GRT ships that had been withdrawn in the 1970s.

 

All things truly are relative. At 57,000 GRT the S class ships are still considerably larger than the USS Oriskany, an aircraft carrier that I spent about four years of my life on. As I recall, it seemed plenty big to me!;)

[mskaufman]

We sailed on Veendam last summer. Before sailing we read a lot of negative reviews on these boards. The cruise was much better than the reviews would have indicated. We had a fine time.