firsttimer1!

Embarkation from San Diego: Went smoothly (not that I had anything to compare it to since this was our first cruise though we did go with 18 others who were cruise pros). If driving, I hear the Wyndham across from the pier and within easy walking distance has a good rate for parking. Back to embarking, the line wasn't too long and seemed to go fairly smoothly. When you pass through security you go to a desk area to fill out a "How are you feeling" card. Not sure if this is standard or not but we got a letter that some passengers on the last cruise had gotten Norovirus (NV). After filling out the card, we went to get our picture taken and received our room cards. [sIDE NOTE: Turns out our cruise also came down with a bad bout of it causing a Code Red issue]

Stateroom: Outside stateroom #718 A Deck 4. Window view was nice. Never got too salty that we couldn't see out the window until the last two days when ocean swells of 15 feet and 40mpg gusts made is foggy to see. Room location was great, right near elevator/stairs. Spacious for 2 adults and 2 9year olds. Bed from ceiling was comfy according to son. Sapto was a great hard working cabin steward. Got a towel animal many nights. He left us chocolates each night as well. Bathroom shower water pressure not great. Sink water got super hot super fast but better than not having any hot water at all. Plenty of closet and drawer space. Round chair doubled as a hidden storage space. Sofa converted to bed which was comfy as well. Lots of lights. Never could figure out the wall socket in the bathroom to properly charge stuff. So we had one outlet on the desk. Nice sized wall safe. No noises heard from floors above or below. Room service line was always busy and one night it took 90 min to arrive.

Food: All of it was great. There always seemed a line at Explorations Café for fancy coffees but it was always service with a smile and the barista never got flustered. The food choices on Lido Buffet were pretty good. Because of the NV outbreak, everything had to be serviced to you. At times lines got long but it was better safe than sorry. I was impressed with the diligence of workers asking us to wash hands in these automated washers or use the hand sanitizer stations. Dive-In food was good, the mushroom burger was tasty. Good place to go for burgers, dogs and fries. Lines at lunch were 10 deep but the wait was never too bad and you could just look out the window to pass the time. The Slice In Pizza place on the other side of the Lido Buffet was good with cheese, pepperoni, veggie and supreme pizzas serviced. We had 1st seating in Rotterdam Main Dining Room. Service and food was so yummy. A good enough variety to satisfy all needs. As for Smart Casual and Gala it's pretty much to each their own. Smart Casual ranged from tshirts that said Mazatlan, jeans and sneakers to business casual one would expect in the real world. And Gala was tuxes to suit and tie. No ball gowns seen but very pretty dresses.

Lido Buffet was closed from 8-10:30. Wish it would have opened up at 10 or 9 when the Show got out but shouldn't be eating all the food that late at night anyway. Didn't get to Pinnacle Grill as it was booked up for dinner and lunch. Bummer. Next time. Enjoyed afternoon tea two times. Tasty tea and a nice way to enjoy oneself. I had to laugh as some British woman was getting very instructional to a waiter on the PROPER way to do afternoon tea and apparently this did not suffice. It never bothered me but I guess I'm not too classy....

Sports: Pool was small but enjoyable for my girl. It was never overcrowded. But then we only went the first two days so maybe the pool popularity had not caught on by then. No thrills like a water slide or diving board but not bad. Lounge chairs here and everywhere else I went were plenty. Pool did close at the end the final two days because of the crazy boat rocking. On the other side of the Lido Buffet was a hot tub area that never had hot tub visitors but had some tables and lounge chairs to enjoy the views. The basketball court was nice but too small, just one 1/2 court and the balls weren't real bball. But we had our own bball so it wasn't an issue. Ping Pong tables were nice but there were only 2 tables and with Norovirus, paddles were taken away for a few days until cases declined. Same with the floor size chess game. Gym was nice, never had to wait for a machine. Nice views.

Salon: Not used but my cousin got three massages and loved them all.

Club HAL: Signed the kids up but never used the club. They weren't too friendly when my DD and I went to visit. Didn't even greet us on that first day and there were three workers there and only one other parent/child. So I wasn't too impressed.

Showroom: Great entertainment, Veendam singers were really good. Also had a comic David Cross who I thought was funny. Also had a Beatles show which was good. Had to cancel the last night because the waves posed a danger to the dancers. The Piano/Violin lounge was really good. Dora and Christian were excellent. Did no hit the casino but walked through it a few times. Never too smoky.

Front Desk: Great service and big DVD movie collection though it was stopped for those days the stomach bug was bad. We checked out one movie, very easy to do.

Crow's Nest: Great place to hang out, play games, nap and enjoy a drink or two. Princess Esperanza is a great waitress, attentive and always smiling. There is one TV in there that had ESPN which my husband enjoyed. Great wrap around views .

Signature Shops: Several shops but didn't think they were that great. Watches and bauble jewelry were the main attraction. The last day they had some blowout deals but I am not a shopper but I think you could get good deals later on in the cruise.

Photos: Fun to have taken but at $20/sheet, didn't seem like a good deal to me. The Black and White Label version is $$$ but they really are nice photos.

Internet: I paid the $12/30 min at $.40 minute. Since I could not decide if the connection was going to be manageable or super slow, I decided to start small. Turns out I renewed it several times. It was worth it since I was able to blog and post pictures for my mainland family to enjoy.

Disembarkation: The night before you leave your luggage outside your room and it goes happily and quietly to the terminal room. We were an hour late on the staggered disembarking times. Apparently they were missing a few people from Customs check in. Their names kept being pages over the speaker but oh well. Not a big deal since we pulled in early and didn't have a flight until 2pm. All you need to get off the ship is your room key card. Then to leave the terminal bldg. you show them your Customs Declaration Form and passport. And then the trip ended L

Open to any and all questions. I've loved this board in preparation for my cruise so I'm happy to return the favor.

How sweet to be sent off in such fashion. Merry Christmas to everyone and may we all meet one day on a future cruise to somewhere :)

Can someone recommend a reasonable priced whale watch out of Cabo? should I pre book or just do it on the dock once we arrive? I believe we once took one from Pez Gato many years ago? Cant quite remember the name of the company though. Thanks in advance.

http://whalewatchcabo.com/

We booked with the above outfit for Dec. Seems well priced, if you pay cash when you arrive, you get a discount. Also, they have free photos they provide you via DropBox when you book their tour.

The speed of internet on ships is notoriously slow. The best chance of fastest use is at an hour when few others are likely on line. I always have my own device with me and when I would use it at night before bed, I often got a better speed than on a sea day mid morning. :)

 

Great advice. Noted, maybe I'll get a free coffee with our Explore 4 deal and do my blog in the moonlight! Thank you.... :)

RetiredMustang is presently on the Veendam.

 

Check out post # 91 at this link:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=47960789#post47960789

 

and ask him questions.

Thanks for pointing me in this great direction!

There is no charge to use the computers, however, you must buy a package to connect to Internet. It is the same charge you would pay if using your own device.

 

No USB ports.

 

Wow, super quick reply. :D Thank you so much. Would you know how fast or slow the internet service is? Is it like dial up?

Okay, so I just talked to HAL agent who wrote:

"I am fairly certain that the public computers are free for use. I think all computers are capable of handling USB. Wireless service is available in most public lounges around the ship. Service is also available in guest staterooms.

There will be a one time $3.95 set up fee and then pricing as below:

PRICING:

Time Plan #1: 1000 Minutes for $250.00 Time Plan #3: 250 Minutes for $100.00

Time Plan #2: 500 Minutes for $175.00 Time Plan #4: 100 Minutes for $ 55.00

*PRICING IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

My question is for anyone who has actually been on the ship. For Explorations Café, do I have to purchase a package and start up fee to use the public computers? And is there a USB port?

sounds like a wonderful holiday cruise planned :)

 

delighted to add it for you.

Getting excited/obsessed about this upcoming adventures. Wonder if we'll catch the cruise bug! :D

Veendam - 20-Dec-15 - 7 day Mexican Riviera

firsttimer1! - 1st cruise, 1st trip to Mexico, going with DH (45), DD (9) and DS (9) and 18 other family members

The ship will never leave passengers at the tender dock who were there on time. Your only obligation is to be at the tender dock by the designated "return to ship" time. HAL will continue to run tender boats until everyone at the tender dock is picked up.

 

It has been my experience that the tender dock crowds for HAL are rather sparse towards the end of the day as most passengers prefer to be back on board with a comfortable margin. Or because they are just hungry for that lido buffet.....

 

You may have read other accounts for the 3000 - 5000 passenger ships. This will not apply to the Veendam small-ship experience.

 

igraf

igraf, thank you for your insight. It truly eases my worries. I'm addicted to reading all these threads and tend to focus on the negatives which snowballs to worries. So thanks, can't wait for December!

Just remember if the ship is scheduled to leave at 7pm the last tender will probably be at 6:30pm.

Thanks for the heads up. Would you recommend us taking a privately booked excursion that doesn't return until 5:15pm? I read that the lines to get those last tenders can be crazy busy....Appreciate the guidance. I also note you were on the Veendam. How was the ship? Not like there is anything I can do about it at this point but just curious. We have an OV on the lowest deck but at least near some elevators.... :)

We cruised to Mexico last year on the Veendam and took the HAL Whale Watching excursion in Cabo (the large catamaran, not the small Zodiac).

 

First of all, tendering is no problem on a small ship like the Veendam. People on the earlier excursions will get priority, but other than that it is easy-peasy. Kind of fun, actually, and a very scenic ride. The whale watching boats are right next to the tender dock, and there is no trouble at all returning to the ship.

 

This is one time that I strongly recommend the HAL excursion over independents, and this is coming from a couple that normally arranges their own port activities. The HAL whale watching boat was large and comfortable with space to walk around, chairs and tables in the shade, and an open bar. That's right, all you care to drink plus a few snacks.

 

All the whale watching boats ended up going to the same whales and we were comfortable while the people on the other tours looked miserable in their cramped Zodiacs. All boats had the same viewing distance.

 

igraf

Thank you igraf. That was a great review. That Deluxe Whale Watch isn't offered by HAL in Dec. Doesn't start until Jan and we'll be there Dec 22. :( And with your take on those on the Zodiac, I think we'll pass on booking the HAL zodiac and find a private one onshore instead. Wish us luck that we'll make it to and from with little issue! :D

Following....I have a Whale watching tour scheduled through HAL, and would like to ready about your impressions of yours.

When are you going? Yeah, the Zodiac whale watch tour from HAL looked great and convenient but then Whale Watch Cabo (easy google find) seemed really appealing. Small boats of ten led by marine biologists and then you get access to their photos. Got great reviews on Trip Advisor and the like. Their tour time is 2:45pm - 5:15pm so it seemed like we wouldn't have to stress to get the first tender off the Veendam though coming back could be tight. I think a Zodiac would be fun but could be too bumpy. It would be for me and DH (both 46) and our two 9 yr olds so we could handle the ride. It's a gamble and who knows, we may do the HAL whale watch so I won't need to worry about tender times, etc....

What about you?

We have been in Cabo many times and the ship always changed times to co-incide with Cabo.

 

Just read your daily "On Location" program for the times and if they will change them.

Thanks for the info! I love this message board!

I understand the 7:01. Makes sense. I've read on other threads that HAL doesn't recognize local time until after Cabo. So that when HAL lists departing at 7pm in Cabo, do they really mean the ship leaves port at 8pm Cabo local time? I ask because the Whale Watch returns at 5:15pm, and I am wanting to get to the boat tender dock in plenty of time. So does that give me 1hr 45min to get back to boat or 2hr 45min to get back to boat. Boy, time changes are confusing!

Quick (or maybe not) questions for expert advice. Going to be in Cabo from 11-7 on ms Veendam 12/22/15. Wanted to book Whale Watch Cabo...anyone ever book this tour? I liked the free photo share and 10 person group size compared to Zodiac cruise shore excursion. Just stressed about tendering. First time on a cruise and so we'd be given no priority. Also, if the tour ends at 5:15 MT, does HAL's 7pm mean 7 or 8. Wanted to be sure we'd have enough time for getting back to ship....Thanks in advance. I have been loving CC though nervous with what seems like lots of negative Veendam reviews. But this is a multi generational trip not planned by me so I had no choice. :) Just gotta not sweat the small stuff and enjoy things....

It's less likely that you would be moved. You can have your ta mark your reservation "do not upgrade" as you will not usually have the opportunity to turn it down. You may be offered an "upsell". In those cases you pay to upgrade and generally have your choice of rooms available. Hope that helps.

Good to know so I can prepare! Thank you for all the help. I love this site!

Thanks for the response. Now can we still be upgraded or moved even if we have an assigned stateroom? Or would it be an option we could accept or deny if need be?

First time cruiser and wasn't the one to make arrangements. My relative forwarded me the travel agent's cruise confirmation info with details that included Category and Stateroom info on the Veendam sailing out 12/20. From reading all your posts, cabins were assigned closer to sail date. It is b/c we used a travel agent?

Great news!!! We are sailing on the Veendam to Cabo in just over a week from now, and we have already signed up for the whale watching excursion.

 

igraf

Booked a Dec 2015 Veendam trip to Mexico and interested in picking your brain on the ship AND the whale watch. Did you do the ship offered excursion or book privately? Was it enough time to get from ship to tour? Thanks in advance for any and all advice on time to get from ship to shore to tour. Been reading negative reviews on the HAL Veendam as well...:eek: but it's a multi generational family trip and I'm only along for the ride as a first timer...thanks :D