Quick thoughts from Veendam

1 The Retreat. Someone should walk the plank for this.

2 Cabin AC is great. Public rooms se warm

3 Muster drill Scan cards

4 Time to sail [emoji3]

 

 

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I don't understand "Someone should walk the plank..." Can you clarify?

I don't understand "Someone should walk the plank..." Can you clarify?

 

 

It's a waste of deck space . No more sea view deck pool

 

 

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Thanks for the quick thoughts.

 

I have avoided the ship because of the aft pool area, but in all honesty, I kind of liked the Retreat on the Rotterdam. Why? It was a fairly quiet area and still had great views ;). And, it was not taken to the extreme that the Veendam was. (But, I do prefer the sea view pool - we made do ;) )

 

Have a great cruise :)

It's a waste of deck space . No more sea view deck pool

The Sea View pool disappeared in the 2009 renovation, and was replaced with The Retreat that included what became known as the 'birdbath'. That was a disaster, including flooding whenever the ship rolled even just a bit. The birdbath was replaced with what is there now---the high-rise of hot tubs that block the view. Not an improvement, either.

I don't understand "Someone should walk the plank..." Can you clarify?

 

 

 

Several years ago, HAL took out the perfectly lovely Seaview Pool on the Veendam and the Rotterdam. Dumb idea. Dumb. Dumb. [emoji12]

 

 

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The alteration that was done to both the Veendam's and the Rotterdam's stern deck areas ought to have earned whomever authorized that a place on the unemployment line. Followed closely, of course, by whomever was the designer. Interesting, that it was not incorporated into any of the other S- and R- Class ships, thankfully.

1 The Retreat. Someone should walk the plank for this.

2 Cabin AC is great. Public rooms se warm

3 Muster drill Scan cards

4 Time to sail [emoji3]

 

 

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I don't get number 4. Are you on the Veendam now or getting ready for another cruise on a different ship? :confused:

I don't get number 4. Are you on the Veendam now or getting ready for another cruise on a different ship? :confused:

 

On the Veendam if I recall my Future Cruise Listing/Bon Voyages correctly :)

Veendam is a ship that we would not consider booking. Ever. Too many other far better ships out there to choose from.

All ships are built w/ a certain passenger capacity..Carnivore Corp decided to squeeze more $$$ out of HAL by adding more cabins to all their ships and taking out pools, promenade decks & lounges.

 

Now take a perfectly good ship like VEENDAM, take out the rear pool(designed for so many passengers) add cabins below( and a few other modifications) add more passengers and then sail that same ship on a warm weather itinerary.(like the S. America & Caribean cruises). we were 4* cruisers since the 1970's..no more.

 

We loved the Bermuda cruises on Veendam for YEARS...gave up on HAL Carnivore after these refits.

Thanks for checking in. Enjoy!

 

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Please don't tell me it is so bad that you will not sail on her. We leave in three weeks and are excited about the cruise. And, we will enjoy the cruise even if the ship is so bad that you will not sail her again.

1ANGELCAT

Thank you for checking in.

We were fortunate to sail on the Veendam many years ago before the aft pool was taken away.

And even back then, the cabins were cool but the public areas were all warm.

Have a great cruise.

We're driven by itinerary, often overlooking a ship's shortcomings if a ship is going where we'd like to go. Veendam to Bermuda or Cuba is a case in point. So is the Rotterdam next winter. A ship without the Sea View Pool will be interesting in the Caribbean. [emoji50]

 

 

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Please don't tell me it is so bad that you will not sail on her. We leave in three weeks and are excited about the cruise. And, we will enjoy the cruise even if the ship is so bad that you will not sail her again.

 

We have done multiple trips on the Veendam including a lengthy one last Fall 2016 - Montreal to San Diego. No problems. Wonderful small ship.

Please don't tell me it is so bad that you will not sail on her. We leave in three weeks and are excited about the cruise. And, we will enjoy the cruise even if the ship is so bad that you will not sail her again.

We cruised on her from Montreal to Boston in early May, and I would go back on her tomorrow if I could. We don't use the pools, so we didn't miss an aft pool. We sure loved our aft verandah, which wouldn't have been possible if the old pool was still there.

 

Veendam has a beautiful interior and a very large, well-stocked library.

 

Please let us know what you think of her when you return.

I hope you enjoy your cruise.

 

We sailed on Veendam in 2012 to Bermuda and spent a lot of time in those Aft hot tubs because nobody else seemed to like it out there. So it was a win for us. [emoji6]

 

They didn't have cabanas back then (that I remember anyway)

 

Maybe the addition of the cabanas crowded the deck too much.

 

We liked Veendam but then again we were docked in Bermuda for 3 days so it was more about the port than the ship. But thankfully we didn't experience any of the problems I read about here.

 

 

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Please don't tell me it is so bad that you will not sail on her. We leave in three weeks and are excited about the cruise. And, we will enjoy the cruise even if the ship is so bad that you will not sail her again.

 

 

Please don't let the complaints scare you.

 

We enjoyed Veendam very much and since I live in MA there's a good chance we will take a last minute cruise on her again. I wouldn't hesitate to book a cruise on Veendam.

 

And just an FYI I'm not loyal to HAL or any one cruise line. We like to cruise on a number of lines.

Have fun and safe travels to Boston and the Veendam!

 

 

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We're booked on Veendam for the fall, med cruise. Looking forward to the additional hot tubs. Didn't know there are cabanas on her now. Thanks for the tip, will inquire. m--

On the Veendam if I recall my Future Cruise Listing/Bon Voyages correctly :)

Thanks for answering my question. You are always so kind! :)

I'm glad to read some positive comments about the Veendam. DW and I will be on her for a 14 Caribbean cruise in December.

Thanks for the responses. I know that everything is in the "eye of the beholder", but this family cruise celebrating our 50th anniversary is all about family togetherness and enjoying our cruise. We hope for working toilets, etc., but a few paint chips, etc. isn't going to spoil our vacation.

I'm glad to read some positive comments about the Veendam. DW and I will be on her for a 14 Caribbean cruise in December.

 

I think there is only one primarily negative but always predictable comment here about the Veendam. All of the older, smaller HAL ships come with compromises compared to the newer models, so go with realistic expectations and enjoy their timeless beauty and grace because these smaller ones may not be with us much longer. It seems most of the negative reviews are from people who had pre-conceptions of what a "modern cruise ship" should be.

They didn't have cabanas back then (that I remember anyway)

 

Maybe the addition of the cabanas crowded the deck too much.

 

Didn't know there are cabanas on her now. Thanks for the tip, will inquire. m--

There are no cabanas on the Veendam, and there never were.

 

The confusion could be because the Lido Aft is called "The Retreat", but that term is a totally different interpretation of "Retreat" than found on the fleet's large ships.