Veendam A/C problems

[HeatherInFlorida]

Great to hear! Would you mind sharing your cabin numbers?

 

A lightbulb moment!!! Maybe instead of beating this to death the way we are, we should just start a thread about the good and bad cabins on Veendam. We all know there are problems, few deny that these problems have been going on for years and HAL has no plan to change things soooo.....

 

As each person goes on their cruise they can come back, post their cabin and deck number, and say whether or not there were A/C problems. It will also be interesting to see if the same cabins are always the problem.

 

Celebrity has a thread like this now about the Solstice. You just post the cabin number and say how the location was, whether there were noise issues, how big the balcony was, etc.

 

I'm really not kidding. I think it could prove really helpful. We can be pro-active.

[Sillyjilly]

a lightbulb moment!!! Maybe instead of beating this to death the way we are, we should just start a thread about the good and bad cabins on veendam. We all know there are problems, few deny that these problems have been going on for years and hal has no plan to change things soooo.....

 

As each person goes on their cruise they can come back, post their cabin and deck number, and say whether or not there were a/c problems. It will also be interesting to see if the same cabins are always the problem.

 

Celebrity has a thread like this now about the solstice. You just post the cabin number and say how the location was, whether there were noise issues, how big the balcony was, etc.

 

I'm really not kidding. I think it could prove really helpful. We can be pro-active.

 

i-220

[jotabecu]

I am booked in cabin 632, any problems?

[Rotterdam]

After reading HAL's reply to these boards question about the a/c problems on the Veendam - which we recently sailed on in July 2010 - it just reinforces my opinion that not only is HAL poorly managed & customer service is of absolutely no concern to them - I have no desire to return to a line that I have sailed on for over 100+ days.

 

Not only did we have problems w/our A/C as others have mentioned(tho not as bad) the condition of the ship(especially the aft pool area and soft goods in cabin) & the mediocre food and the staff being reduced to the point of unneccessary stress for all concerned.

 

Instead of a proper maintainence program for the ships HAL has new builds and ridiculous income generating programs(the spa cabins on Veendam/Rotterdam).

 

Its a shame....a wonderful line has been reduced to a product w/ a very mediocre future....there is a way to be profitable & respectable quality...HAL has chosen the low road.

[kazu]

After reading HAL's reply to these boards question about the a/c problems on the Veendam - which we recently sailed on in July 2010 - it just reinforces my opinion that not only is HAL poorly managed & customer service is of absolutely no concern to them - I have no desire to return to a line that I have sailed on for over 100+ days.

 

Not only did we have problems w/our A/C as others have mentioned(tho not as bad) the condition of the ship(especially the aft pool area and soft goods in cabin) & the mediocre food and the staff being reduced to the point of unneccessary stress for all concerned.

 

Instead of a proper maintainence program for the ships HAL has new builds and ridiculous income generating programs(the spa cabins on Veendam/Rotterdam).

 

Its a shame....a wonderful line has been reduced to a product w/ a very mediocre future....there is a way to be profitable & respectable quality...HAL has chosen the low road.

 

I am confused :eek: Title is Rotterdam but your are talking about A.C on the Veendam. Did you have a problem on the Rotterdam with the AC or have you just decided not to sail on her. If you were on her, I am sure we would all welcome a review.

[Randyk47]

I am confused :eek: Title is Rotterdam but your are talking about A.C on the Veendam. Did you have a problem on the Rotterdam with the AC or have you just decided not to sail on her. If you were on her, I am sure we would all welcome a review.

 

Threw me at first too but then I realize his board name is Rotterdam, not the title of his posting. So we've got Rotterdam on the Veendam. :)

[peaches from georgia]

Title of the thread isn't Rotterdam; his/her username is Rotterdam. A member since 2001, so probably Rotterdam was a favorite ship when he joined CC and he used it for his name.

 

EDIT: I was typing when you posted Randy with the same information.

[kazu]

Threw me at first too but then I realize his board name is Rotterdam, not the title of his posting. So we've got Rotterdam on the Veendam. :)

 

You are so right. Stupid me. The Rotterdam caught my eye. Hope that doesn`t mean he will have to change his board name too!!:eek:

[CtheW0rld]

i had a good laugh when the article quoted hal as saying the problem was fixed. i doubt that. what were they going to say, "yes, some cabins will not be air conditioned and public areas will be freezing"?

[peaches from georgia]

i had a good laugh when the article quoted hal as saying the problem was fixed. i doubt that. what were they going to say, "yes, some cabins will not be air conditioned and public areas will be freezing"?

HAL's response about the A/C was insulting, expecting anyone to believe what they said. Probably been sending the same thing out for 5+ years. :rolleyes:

[iancal]

I would not boycott HAL, although I would never even consider booking the Veendam or any HAL vessel that is fresh out of drydock. HAL has lots of good ships, as do the other cruise lines. There is certainly lots of choice out there.

[EviesCruisin]

LOL SwissMyst.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

I think we are all of us extremely fortunate that we have the disposable income, the leisure time, and the employment and/or investments that make it possible for us to go cruising. There are a great many options out there for all preferences and budgets. I submit that if the OP (original poster) doesn't wish to continue on HAL, then that's his/her perogative, and he/she should choose elsewhere. Whether he/she is searching for a more upscale environment, or one that is more oriented to providing superior customer service, there are Regent, Crystal, Silversea, Oceania, Celebrity, Cunard, and Seabourn, etc as viable alternatives. Go for it! Don't stay around HAL if it makes you miserable. Life is too short.

[Vic The Parrot]

Dude ... all because of one ship ??

 

 

There are others in the fleet to choose from, so sail on them til they fix the AC problem on Veendam. ;)

[bepsf]

Dude ... all because of one ship ??

 

 

There are others in the fleet to choose from, so sail on them til they fix the AC problem on Veendam. ;)

 

I can see his point - it only took 2 days aboard a Celebrity ship to make me realize that I wanted nothing to do with them ever again...

...and after spending millions to add staterooms, rip out swimming pools, reconfigure bars and rearrange the furniture in the showroom - They can't figure out basics like getting the A/C to work properly?

After witnessing first-hand the sad conditions aboard Zaandam post-drydock earlier this year - I'd be wary of booking the older HAL ships too!

Rottie -

2012: Crystal, Oceania or Cunard?

[califgary]

Ive been known to hold a grudge myself and never return to a supplier - but not so far on a cruise line - What Ive found with cruising is "stuff" happens sometimes, its a real roll of the dice everytime you step on board a ship - karma is shaping what turn of events may or may not happen - I know we pay big bucks enjoying our cruising and expect perfection - Ive had some pretty whacked out things happen (with HAL too) like not getting ANY items for the suite amenities package I ordered and a lack of interest at front desk about the whole thing ...... but come on if youve got over 100 sea days with HAL (obviously good experiences) and now your leaving over one trip....Id say reconsider! Make that lemonade out of those lemons and let it go, because there will be any "situation" waiting for you no matter what line you pick! We did an upscale Crystal one time and I could go on about some bad items with them as well......

[HeatherInFlorida]

Good by, but nice to know you will reincarnate your self in perpetuity on this forum, beating the same old Veendam A/C dead horse over and over again. Who is the real loser in this occasion? The rest of us. Bye. :(

 

If the horse is so dead, why don't you just skip over it and go to the next? Why does a poster who doesn't see eye to eye with your way of thinking need to be chastised?

 

When people get frustrated or fed up, they need to get it out of their systems. And it's food for thought for everyone else who can take the information and filter it their own way.

 

Rotterdam, not sure I would say good bye to entire cruise line just because of the Veendam ... seems a shame. They have a lot of other wonderful ships.

 

I'm switching back to Celebrity for now because it's always had a slight edge over HAL in all our experiences with them, but I won't rule out another HAL cruise ... just not the Veendam.

[woodofpine]

I think we are all of us extremely fortunate that we have the disposable income, the leisure time, and the employment and/or investments that make it possible for us to go cruising. There are a great many options out there for all preferences and budgets. I submit that if the OP (original poster) doesn't wish to continue on HAL, then that's his/her perogative, and he/she should choose elsewhere. Whether he/she is searching for a more upscale environment, or one that is more oriented to providing superior customer service, there are Regent, Crystal, Silversea, Oceania, Celebrity, Cunard, and Seabourn, etc as viable alternatives. Go for it! Don't stay around HAL if it makes you miserable. Life is too short.

 

RIGHT ON SISTER!!

 

But where would all the "Too Bad, So Sad!" drama be if posters didn't stew about crying...

 

For the love of anything sacred, I'd be happy to take a ship load of these 'intrepid travelers' to some third world spots for a few days where they could more courageously do whatever... Oh right... you saved - forever - for this cruise and for what you got your $100 pp per diem was... like being under a dentist's drill...:rolleyes:;):rolleyes:

 

Well I'm booked in cabins on a HAL ship for Thanksgiving that reportedly has a/c issues... I'll let you know, holy jeez, but there are more reasons than canned cranberry and dry poultry for Thanksgiving!!

[DeRon]

I'm obviously new here, but is the Veendam the only ship having A/C problems?

[Dunelm]

Ships are not perfect; people are not perfect; and life is not perfect. "Stuff Happens!" I am sorry that you had such a bad experience and, of course, it is your prerogative to choose not to sail with Holland America anymore. You seem to have taken many cruises so I guess you must not have had problems before--how fortunate!

[PaulMCO]

ZZzzzzzzzz . No offense to horse lover's (my DW included)

 

[igraf]

Please elaborate on this teaser about Celebrity. Are you a smoker by any chance?

 

igraf

 

 

 

...it only took 2 days aboard a Celebrity ship to make me realize that I wanted nothing to do with them ever again......

Rottie -

2012: Crystal, Oceania or Cunard?

[kazu]

Please elaborate on this teaser about Celebrity. Are you a smoker by any chance?

 

igraf

 

I'm not the poster, but I doubt it. I was on Celebrity a couple of years ago. May have been a bad cruise, but to me they no way compared to HAL. Lacklustre staff, not even decent juices at breakfast, just a myriad of things. No problem with AC or toilets but just probably one of the worst cruises in my life from the quality of food to everything else.

 

Probably the luck of the draw, but it makes me rethink to sail with them again. First cruise where I lost weight!! And quickly booked HAL for the next one. Not justifying the AC issues, but thanks to this board, we can avoid those ships and cruise the other ones.

 

So, I guess, everyone gets stung sometimes by some ship. Celebrity has great reviews so I probably just got the bad luck that time.

 

We'll wait to see what the poster says.

[luxurysailer]

Does anyone know where we can see HAL's response to the OP's complaint? I'd like to read it.

 

Yes, things can happen; but an in your face or insincere response by the company you have paid for a product/service would really set me off.

[HeatherInFlorida]

I have to laugh at all the people who are so bored with this subject that they come on every thread that discusses the problems on the Veendam and they post. Things must be pretty slow.

 

Igraf, Brian just had a perfectly awful experience on Celebrity. He left the ship after about 2 1/2 days and swears he'll never cruise on Celebrity again.

 

If you want to hear anything good about Celebrity, with the exception of a few of us, you're better off reading the Celebrity board:). Same holds true the other way around. Since I have had as many cruises on each, I'm pretty confident in saying they are very similar in style. For all those here that prefer HAL, I prefer Celebrity. But I also am generally happy sailing on HAL.

 

RIGHT ON SISTER!!

 

But where would all the "Too Bad, So Sad!" drama be if posters didn't stew about crying...

 

For the love of anything sacred, I'd be happy to take a ship load of these 'intrepid travelers' to some third world spots for a few days where they could more courageously do whatever... Oh right... you saved - forever - for this cruise and for what you got your $100 pp per diem was... like being under a dentist's drill...:rolleyes:;):rolleyes:

 

...................

 

This forum happens to be about cruising. Hopefully everyone here knows how lucky they are (some of us a lot luckier than others;)) to have the good fortune (i.e. enough $$$) to cruise.

 

This is a discussion board, a place to bring both the highs and lows of cruising HAL and also comparing it to other lines. It's what we do here. I can't for the life of me understand why that's a problem for anyone. If it's a subject you're bored with, why not skip it?

 

It's going to be pretty unproductive if it comes down to everyone just agreeing that cruising on HAL is perfect, the sky is always blue, the sun always shines, the service is always perfect, all the passengers are friendly and upbeat and well behaved, the food is absolutely delicious every night, nothing goes wrong and if it does it's fixed before you even have time to report it, etc., etc. etc. ....... talk about ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......