AlexCherie

1 minute ago, StanandJim said:

If extra visits to the Specialty Restaurants are your aim, then a Transatlantic may not be the best way to go.

 

As LHT says, every cruise is different but in general there is more demand for the specialties on sea days when nobody returns tuckered out from a long day in port.  

Surprises the heck out of me!!! But I guess that makes a whole lot of sense. For instance, I have no desire (like, none) to get off a cruise ship in most Caribbean ports Those might be days we could have the specialty dining rooms a bit more available. 

Thanks, that's a good tip.

1 minute ago, LHT28 said:

not  sure  why you would  not want to dine in the GDR ...

The menu's blew me away. Just as a for instance, I would want to be in Polo to see that Veal Oscar presentation, and the Lobster dish. 

thanks to all!

Very reassuring and wonderful that so many of you responded. Speaks well of the clientele the ship line attracts. 

Looking forward to my first experience with Oceanic - I am especially impressed with the Ocean View staterooms. Really nothing like it on the high seas and the bump in price from an interior is so slight. 

I do have some reservations ... about reservations. But my wife and I can manage being part of a larger table now and again. Since I seem to have some attention from seasoned O cruisers ... is it functionally possible to almost never dine in the GDR, or at least to repeat several of the specialty spots?

assuring enough. thank you.

Cherie and I are fairly seasoned and we've been through some rough seas - including Katrina. But always on a ship that I think would have been bigger than even the largest Oceanic vessels. 

We are considering the Marina, leaving Barcelona in the fall and arriving in Rio for our first try. We just loved the Silhouette on a Rome/Fort Lauderdale run in 2017 - really, a perfect vacation. It was like three vacations - three days in Rome in a land-based, self directed trip, then five ports in 7 days in the Mediterranean, and seven really sunny nice days in consecutive sailing. 

Obviously weather is weather. We got lucky. I'm just wondering about a smaller ship in the open seas.

"it is far better to own wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price." ~ the Wondrous Buffett

If you are going to own Carnival Cruises shares - at least in part because you anticipate discounts on future cruises and you'll be cruising for the next 10 years - then does it matter if you bought 100 shares for $6378 (the price today), or $6440 (the price last year) - especially since you would have picked up a tidy $200 in dividends?

My advice: buy when you have the money to put to work, because you can never predict the price of a company.

Just curious on how the rest of you cruise has been. Have they fixed all of the electrical problems? If not, has it had any significant effect on your enjoyment of the cruise?

We got on the ship literally after she left. There were certainly no vestiges of any issues with the ship and we spent a great 14 days (back-to-back) for the first half of September, 2018 on her.

A quick assessment was added to the "boards" and I will do a review as well.

We just left the Veendam, after 14 days (Boston- Montreal- Boston) and will file a review in due time. Left Boston 9/1/2018 and returned 9/15/2018.

Highlights: Arrived in port at 11:20 dropped wife with bags at dock, parked car and walked back to ship by 11:30. Onboard, before noon. Similarly, disembarkation occurred 30 minutes ahead of time, and from when we were called to being at the curb, that process was 12 minutes. 12.

Food: Highest quality, easily comparable to Celebrity MDR/Lido. Pinnacle met difficult standards of ultra premium. Desserts and baked goods were exceptional. Comparable to better onshore bakery.

Ship status: Fine. I mean, it's old. So what? Quebec is Quebec no matter if a piece of carpet needs replacement. Didn't impact our stay.

Ship itself: Yeah, that kind of sucks. The whole bit with the elevators is something you have to live with, and not being able to get to the MDR from Guest Services is idiotic, as is having room numbers like 707 and 656 on Deck Five. Get over it and sail on.

Ports: Outstanding, other than Sydney.

Service: Off the charts good.

Smells: Not a one.

Value: Not a fair comparison. I got $399 per person/per leg. At that price point concessions are made. At twice the number, it still would have been good value. At $1200, which some paid to get a veranda ... mmm. Maybe not.

I’m the person reporting “live”. What wasn’t working on the ship (primarily lighting) since the surge, still isn’t but it really hasn’t impacted our experience. I’m a first time HAL customer and, despite everything, I would definitely sail HAL again. The crew has handled this very well and the OBC was welcome since we were inconvenienced.

 

The food has been good to great (the desserts are superior to Celebity). The ship is dated but comfortable. I do think the atmosphere is pretty sedated. That said, we are having fun. The power surge did worry me- I’m surprised at so many dismissing that. I’ve never experienced it before, or having the ships emergency crew deployed. And I’ve never had one at home.

 

Again, we’re enjoying ourselves. I’d sail HAL again but I’d probably select a newer vessel: (a) because the amenities are ok but not what I’ve grown accustomed to and (2) because power surges just aren’t normal no matter how many people say they are and things just wear out over time, including ships. If I was booked already, I wouldn’t cancel but just be prepared for anything.

Welcome to Boston! It's good to hear you had a good trip. Certainly your comments about a power surge were concerning ... but doesn't it remind us all that safety is a relative thing once we've left our own door?

You make joy with your party. The greatest vacation I ever took left the port of New Orleans literally hours before Katrina made Louisiana landfall - and that was about the people on that ship and what we went through communally.

I won't see you at port. But I'll be taking your place, B2B cruises to Montreal and back.

Cheers and welcome home. Thanks for sharing.

Ramada, thank you for taking the time to keep us updated! We will be boarding in Boston on Saturday and hope issues are 100% resolved by 4 pm! Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

Greetings. Perhaps we will see you onboard!

Alex

Thanks for the updates and please keep doing them as time permits. I am very interested to see if the problems are being completely resolved, or if they might linger over the next 6 weeks. Glad they gave you the OBC, and hopefully the rest of your trip turns out great.

gulp.

But seriously, they put the ship to sea. I'm pretty comfortable especially given the posts so far - and frankly, on a $399 cruise if they gave me $100 back I'd take that deal every day and twice on Sunday.

Veendam has a long, well documented history of mechanical problems. HVAC and plumbing in particular. We’ve experienced both.

I wouldn’t sail it even for $399.

Sorry, just being honest for the OP.

Personally, I would not sail any of the oldest ships of Holland America. We even had quite a few mechanical and broken down furnishing problems on the vaunted Prinsendam.

That's fine; I've been in pretty much the worst circumstances and found a way to enjoy myself. Viking, Seabourn, Regent ... name the ship line, and someone will tell you about their negative experience.

Doesn't make your point less valid, btw. All grist for the mill. Thanks for the input Sammie.

At a minimum, there’s a very current example and that to me seems most relevant as I’m living it. I would think this would be most important to people on the next sailing.

 

Download speeds are extremely slow so I can’t attach the letter right now.

It goes without saying that I will be watching your posts with anxiety. Literally we figure to be a ship passing in the day - I will be boarding in Boston as you get off! Prayers with you.

Well at the end of the day, it's still a Holland American vessel so lively? :) ... well, as we all know here it's about what you are used to sailing.

I've been around Celebrity a great deal, Carnival once or twice, and the Eurodam. I just loved the ship. The quiet, the wood, the attention to detail, the staff, and especially the MDR. We had the upgraded Veranda - the only time I've done such a thing - and I can tell you I would only do it again on a HAL ship. That was a great cabin - I want to say it was like 330 feet and cost only $1100. My beloved mom would say ... such a deal!

It was like listening to a concerto versus a symphony. Great music in it's own right and wonderfully consumable.

Good to get your report on the Eurodam - I will be trying this ship for the first time for a family Christmas cruise. Did her sister ship the Nieuw Amsterdam a few years ago and liked the more subdued and coordinated decor. Thought she was one of the prettiest HAL ships of all. However the Eurodam photos I have seen look a little more "lively". What did you think?

I see you had a trip in '17 - rather long, and I would think with at least four or even five sea days.

Do you recall any special place on the ship while away from port?

The crew on Veendam are proud of their ship. You will discover that they are good at what they do and that carries over to the passengers. You can not and will not have a bad cruise.

 

Jim

Thanks Salt!

I've come to enjoy every ship for what it presents and try to make sure the ship fits the occasion. Last year's TA with Celebrity's Reflection delivered and moved us in a different way.

All that said one of the best experiences is simply communing with the water, with a book and a bit to munch on in a corner. A lasting memory for us was reading together, nestled on a massive couch as the Atlantic passed by.

Sounds like you are a long time HAL lover. We simply loved the Eurodam and members of our family still talk about the MDR/buffet quality. As I say - I live to eat not eat to live and that particular trip Sirio Maccioni presented at Pinnacle, and my particular honor was having creme brulee brought to our table by his wife. Successfully preparing that dish 30 years before was a special moment for me.

That would have been a great cruise - starting from French Canada, through the Caribbean and South American cultures to slice through the Canal and end home. I imagine, all things considered (flight times, costs etc), it turned out to be quite the value for you. What a marvelous trip on a comfortable shoe.

Montreal is a distant memory for me - 40 years now, and I am completely unfamiliar with the other stops. Getting to see each of these towns twice in a week, for this bargain price along with four days of just sailing ... I'm a little bit excited.

I'm glad to hear your report. A great library. The nooks and crannies of a classic liner. I'm looking forward to the musical options that HAL has added - it just seems like such a perfect combination in early September, along that waterway.

Cheers and great sunsets,

Alex

You picked a great itinerary and a very good small ship. We have done plenty of days on the Veendam, with no problems. Occasional gltiches, probably because all older ships can have them, but no major problems.

 

She seems far more traditional, than old - just a classic ocean cruiser. Simple, well laid out, nice cabins and lovely access to the sea. Plus the wonderful, gracious full libraries that used to be a signature on all HAL ships - but alas no more on the newer and larger ones.

 

When last on the Veendam it was her maiden voyage to Cuba and the HAL CEO and family were on board - had there been any problems with the ship, guess who would have been right on top of them.

 

We did another twist on our Veendam NewEngland cruise - we stayed on during her last New England run and went down to FLL and on through the Panama Canal and back to California. So we saved an airfare too to get back home. I think you have found a very good match for your cruising preferances.

Yes, 14 days!

No need for terminals - as I mentioned, we'll be parking the RAV 4 in the garage.

Sounds great.

But don't you mean 14 days cruising?

 

 

Also remember that all carry-ons must fit through the scanner in the terminal -- same size as those at the air ports.

We were interested in the Veendam - a classic smaller ship from Holland America. There's really not a lot of current notes on the ship or to my thinking, about any of the older ships sailing around lately. I suppose it's only trendy to blog out if you are on the biggest, baddest super sized ship.

But we aren't likely to crawl a wall; and there's not much in my wife and I that needs 24 different sub-districts of a ship designed to haul the population of Duluth through the Caribbean. That can be saved for another day. We wanted a nice, quiet trip through fishing villages around the Atlantic corridor and thank you very much we can do without throngs of people.

We found a lower berth opportunity available at the last minute on the aging ship - leaving Boston only six days away. $399 for a trip to Montreal ... and with a few more minutes realized we could sail all the way back and tally $1,596. For me it's like getting insurance that you will have a great day in port - every stop is seen twice. Add in the not inconsiderable port charges/taxes, we barely tilted the scales at $2,500.

Our last minute trips normally have us scrambling to use air miles to offset the increased fee at the terminal but our cupboard is barren - having sent those miles to family members.

Instead of paying almost $1,000 to fly back and forth to Boston (normally about $400), we'll drive and park our car in a garage at $280. Add in an overnight hotel ($100?) midway to Boston and we are all in around $2,900. For essentially 28 days of travel, expenses sit at $100 per day, per person.

So we are set today; we booked at the last minute a berth in the bowels of an aged vessel, complete with Jazz series and the Lincoln Center music and a trip to soothe the soul from Labor Day weekend to mid-September.

Our boarding passes printed, we've made up a bunch of luggage tags. Why not? There's no carry-on limits on the RAV-4. Next up: hotel, parking and boarding the Veendam.

I had horrible issues with both Chrome and IE; switched to Firefox and found it working immediately (08/26). Had some issues the day before as well - called HAL and they had me on hold for 25 minutes only to tell me to clear cache.

Best of luck.

not sure if you would call it a "Labor Day" special but today is August 26th

We took advantage of lowered pricing on a trip to Canada and booked back-to-back cruises from Boston to Montreal, and back, for $399 per passenger per leg of the journey. The ship first sails on September 1.

I had very much enjoyed Eurodam previously - I like the smaller ship experience, especially on this particular sort of cruise. Interior, naturally at that price. Looking forward to it.