Anyone else on the Veendam recently?

[Zezzie]

I'm curious to know how you enjoyed the trip. We were on the May 8th run. I have to say I was very disappointed in the service on board. The only 2 places we truly experienced top service was in Canaletto and Pinnacle Grill. I felt like everyone else was just going through the motions. (I'm talking MDR, Cabin Stewards, Front Office, Lido staff etc) Is the staff new? I don't know how it works after a ship comes out of dry dock.

 

We made the best of it and enjoyed ourselves but I'm very hesitant to travel on HAL again. This was not my first cruise with HAL so I know what's to be expected.

[HamOp]

Could you provide some specifics of what was not up to par?

 

What did you expect, and what didn't you get?

[FRANKIEDNYC]

:) We were on the 1 May cruise and found the service to be excellent in the dining room The Pinnacle and our room. We had as you wish dining and the 1st night were placed at a table for 2. The service was so good that we reserved the same table each night for the rest of the cruise. We ate 1 night in the Pinnacle and again the service was excellent although a bit slower than in the MDR. Our room steward kept the room immaculate and fully stocked (ice, soap, towels etc.) throughout the entire trip. We had booked a bc guarantee and ended up getting an aft facing verandah suite, with a larger balcony which we used quite a bit. Linda enjoyed the digital camera and computer course that were given on board free of charge. The only thing I really missed was that aft pool. We take many extended cruises and I would never book the Veendam or Rotterdam for one . I spend all those long sea days in and around the aft pool.

[Zezzie]

Could you provide some specifics of what was not up to par?

 

What did you expect, and what didn't you get?

 

The first night in MDR our waitstaff never introduced themselves. (we were not part of the As You Wish dining) They were pleasant and smiling as they handed out the menus and waited to take our orders but that was it. We finally got them to interact with us as we finished dinner - that was when we got the head waiter to tell us his name. I know the first night can be crazy so we brushed it off. The next evening the same thing - no greeting when we got to the table. We felt so disconnected from our servers which I have never experienced on any cruise line before this. Then we asked for a soda several times throughout the meal - it never came. With dessert I asked for tea and my spouse asked for coffee. Dessert came and I was given a teacup with a regular HAL teabag and no hot water (I know they are supposed to come around with the tea selection case and I saw other waitstaff doing this) My husband never got his coffee. We tried getting the waitstaff's attention but they never seemed to be in or around our table. Both evenings dinner took a full 2 hours which we all felt was too long. We never returned. Ate in the Lido, Canelleto and PG the other nights. The 2nd formal night we did plan to eat in the MDR but the water was rough so we opted to have dinner in our cabin.

 

We pre-ordered some beer for the 1st day...it was there but not on ice. Disappointing. We had to ask our cabin stewards daily to replenish the ice (we had wine and sodas out so it was evident we would need it). They never offered up glasses - we had to ask and then waited several hours for them. Our toilet backed up and it took 12+ hours to fix - we called the Cabin Steward who came and said he would get someone and nobody came the rest of the evening (this was about 7pm) We tried calling the Cabin Steward and Front Office later that night (we went out to enjoy the ship and assumed someone would come to fix it) and couldn't reach anyone. Had to go to the FO the next morning and finally someone came and fixed it. When we asked the Cabin Steward why nobody was able to come the evening before he said we must have left the privacy card on the door so they wouldn't want to disturb us (that was not the case - we didn't leave that on the door)

The flip side to this (at least regarding the Cabin Steward situation) is the other couple we traveled with (their 1st cruise) had a wonderful experience. Their ice was always replenished, glasses were put out without them asking, etc.

 

I noticed during the Lido Deck Party and again later in the week after lunchtime tables piled with dirty plates, glasses etc. Normally on other cruises they are cleared rather quickly. It was obvious guests were piling things up on a few tables because other tables weren't being cleared fast enough. I was only asked twice to use the hand sanitizers which again I found odd. On other cruises someone was stationed at the machines and asked you to comply - this was not the case on HAL. It was the honor system and while I did see many guests use it I saw just as many not. I even saw one woman take fruit off the buffet with her bare hands in clear view of those in charge of the Lido without a word being said.

 

The only shore excursion we booked was canceled and we didn't get notice about it until we were at the pier terminal. Talk about wasting the last full day of vacation. We heard that many excursions were being canceled (due to weather) so we asked at the shore excursion desk and the FO several times the day before and the morning of if it was going to be canceled and we were assured it was a go. I understand weather isn't predictable however I think they could have handled this much better.

 

There were other aspects of the cruise we enjoyed like the musicians on board (everyone was fantastic), the Crow's Nest, the Mix, the Comedian/Magician/Dog show, the Cruise Director Eric etc. We had fantastic service in Canaletto and PG. I just felt like there wasn't anyone trying to go above and beyond.

[lvz2cruz]

Did the comedian/magician/dog show have a 2 poodles? Was this some "Olympic world class" comedian? If so, he was on the Eurodam in January.

 

I can't wait for our cruise in a couple weeks and hope to have great service.

Sorry yours was not the experience you are used to.

[Zezzie]

Did the comedian/magician/dog show have a 2 poodles? Was this some "Olympic world class" comedian? If so, he was on the Eurodam in January.

 

I can't wait for our cruise in a couple weeks and hope to have great service.

Sorry yours was not the experience you are used to.

 

It was actually the Jeff Peterson Comedy & Magic Show with Indy who is a Coton De Tulea.

 

Enjoy your upcoming cruise! There's nothing better than looking forward to a cruise! :)

[schoolinmy3]

Did you attend formal night? If so how were the majority dressed? My daughter really enjoyed the formal evening we attended on the Eurodam last May. We were in the Mediterranean and I wonder if Bermuda cruisers aren't quite as formal. In any case I wasn't sure what formal wear would be appropriate for our Bermuda cruise June 5th. My daughter is 11 so she could probably wear a sundress but not sure what I should bring.

Diane

[kazu]

The first night in MDR our waitstaff never introduced themselves. (we were not part of the As You Wish dining) They were pleasant and smiling as they handed out the menus and waited to take our orders but that was it. We finally got them to interact with us as we finished dinner - that was when we got the head waiter to tell us his name. I know the first night can be crazy so we brushed it off. The next evening the same thing - no greeting when we got to the table. We felt so disconnected from our servers which I have never experienced on any cruise line before this. Then we asked for a soda several times throughout the meal - it never came. With dessert I asked for tea and my spouse asked for coffee. Dessert came and I was given a teacup with a regular HAL teabag and no hot water (I know they are supposed to come around with the tea selection case and I saw other waitstaff doing this) My husband never got his coffee. We tried getting the waitstaff's attention but they never seemed to be in or around our table. Both evenings dinner took a full 2 hours which we all felt was too long. We never returned. Ate in the Lido, Canelleto and PG the other nights. The 2nd formal night we did plan to eat in the MDR but the water was rough so we opted to have dinner in our cabin.

 

We pre-ordered some beer for the 1st day...it was there but not on ice. Disappointing. We had to ask our cabin stewards daily to replenish the ice (we had wine and sodas out so it was evident we would need it). They never offered up glasses - we had to ask and then waited several hours for them. Our toilet backed up and it took 12+ hours to fix - we called the Cabin Steward who came and said he would get someone and nobody came the rest of the evening (this was about 7pm) We tried calling the Cabin Steward and Front Office later that night (we went out to enjoy the ship and assumed someone would come to fix it) and couldn't reach anyone. Had to go to the FO the next morning and finally someone came and fixed it. When we asked the Cabin Steward why nobody was able to come the evening before he said we must have left the privacy card on the door so they wouldn't want to disturb us (that was not the case - we didn't leave that on the door)

The flip side to this (at least regarding the Cabin Steward situation) is the other couple we traveled with (their 1st cruise) had a wonderful experience. Their ice was always replenished, glasses were put out without them asking, etc.

 

I noticed during the Lido Deck Party and again later in the week after lunchtime tables piled with dirty plates, glasses etc. Normally on other cruises they are cleared rather quickly. It was obvious guests were piling things up on a few tables because other tables weren't being cleared fast enough. I was only asked twice to use the hand sanitizers which again I found odd. On other cruises someone was stationed at the machines and asked you to comply - this was not the case on HAL. It was the honor system and while I did see many guests use it I saw just as many not. I even saw one woman take fruit off the buffet with her bare hands in clear view of those in charge of the Lido without a word being said.

 

The only shore excursion we booked was canceled and we didn't get notice about it until we were at the pier terminal. Talk about wasting the last full day of vacation. We heard that many excursions were being canceled (due to weather) so we asked at the shore excursion desk and the FO several times the day before and the morning of if it was going to be canceled and we were assured it was a go. I understand weather isn't predictable however I think they could have handled this much better.

 

There were other aspects of the cruise we enjoyed like the musicians on board (everyone was fantastic), the Crow's Nest, the Mix, the Comedian/Magician/Dog show, the Cruise Director Eric etc. We had fantastic service in Canaletto and PG. I just felt like there wasn't anyone trying to go above and beyond.

 

I apologize as I haven't learned how to snip and still have it show as a quote.

 

In any case, a word from someone who has learned - at least for the MDR.

 

We've always had good service until we got on the Nieuw Amsterdam - I won't go into details but suffice it to say that I am not hard to get along with and wasn't going to put up with this for 20 days. So when the asst dining room captain came along, I told him politely and firmly our issues.

 

He hovered for the next two days and watched out tables and intervened twice to improve the service. We obviously had a 'distant' head waiter.

 

I do believe in bringing problems (especially if they are serious) to the attention of the appropriate person (politely, nicely). our service improved. That MDR will never be memorable for us but the asst dining room manager was and I know we all wrote him up in our surveys with cudos :)

[Zezzie]

Did you attend formal night? If so how were the majority dressed? My daughter really enjoyed the formal evening we attended on the Eurodam last May. We were in the Mediterranean and I wonder if Bermuda cruisers aren't quite as formal. In any case I wasn't sure what formal wear would be appropriate for our Bermuda cruise June 5th. My daughter is 11 so she could probably wear a sundress but not sure what I should bring.

Diane

 

We attended the first formal night. The second one the water was rough so we ate in the cabin (we ordered from the MDR and were still able to get our filet mignon and lobster tail! :)

 

I would say the majority of people were formal...men in suits - some in tuxedos. Ladies were dressed very nicely in formal dresses, fancy tops/pants, etc. It seemed to me that I noticed more the individuals who weren't dressed up so they were the minority.

 

Enjoy the cruise! Bermuda is so beautiful! and being docked on Front Street in Hamilton is great.

[Zezzie]

I apologize as I haven't learned how to snip and still have it show as a quote.

 

In any case, a word from someone who has learned - at least for the MDR.

 

We've always had good service until we got on the Nieuw Amsterdam - I won't go into details but suffice it to say that I am not hard to get along with and wasn't going to put up with this for 20 days. So when the asst dining room captain came along, I told him politely and firmly our issues.

 

He hovered for the next two days and watched out tables and intervened twice to improve the service. We obviously had a 'distant' head waiter.

 

I do believe in bringing problems (especially if they are serious) to the attention of the appropriate person (politely, nicely). our service improved. That MDR will never be memorable for us but the asst dining room manager was and I know we all wrote him up in our surveys with cudos :)

 

I know - I probably should have addressed it then and there but I didn't even know who the dining room captain was. That's how strange it all was. Ah well, live and learn. Bermuda was still wonderful and for the amount of time that the Veendam is in Bermuda its the best value ship wise going there.

[kazu]

I know - I probably should have addressed it then and there but I didn't even know who the dining room captain was. That's how strange it all was. Ah well, live and learn. Bermuda was still wonderful and for the amount of time that the Veendam is in Bermuda its the best value ship wise going there.

 

I didn't either - since I knew the waiters wouldn't co-operate, I asked the wine steward to call him over. He was the saviour of the cruise for us. He joked with us every night and made sure we were well taken care of.

 

Definitely, if you have an issue, ask - it's the first time I've done it (and I hope the last). Every other service in the dining room on HAL has been a joy:D

[schoolinmy3]

We attended the first formal night. The second one the water was rough so we ate in the cabin (we ordered from the MDR and were still able to get our filet mignon and lobster tail! :)

 

I would say the majority of people were formal...men in suits - some in tuxedos. Ladies were dressed very nicely in formal dresses, fancy tops/pants, etc. It seemed to me that I noticed more the individuals who weren't dressed up so they were the minority.

 

Enjoy the cruise! Bermuda is so beautiful! and being docked on Front Street in Hamilton is great.

Thank you. I am not sure what to take for formal wear. But it is helpful to know the majority are dressed up for the occasion. We are really looking forward to the cruise. We are introducing a few friends to cruising so I hope the Veendam delivers!

Diane

Diane

[Zezzie]

Thank you. I am not sure what to take for formal wear. But it is helpful to know the majority are dressed up for the occasion. We are really looking forward to the cruise. We are introducing a few friends to cruising so I hope the Veendam delivers!

Diane

Diane

 

We introduced friends to cruising too when we were on the Veendam and they loved it despite all these bumps along the way. :)

[lburg7]

:) We were on the 1 May cruise and found the service to be excellent in the dining room The Pinnacle and our room. We had as you wish dining and the 1st night were placed at a table for 2. The service was so good that we reserved the same table each night for the rest of the cruise. We ate 1 night in the Pinnacle and again the service was excellent although a bit slower than in the MDR. Our room steward kept the room immaculate and fully stocked (ice, soap, towels etc.) throughout the entire trip. We had booked a bc guarantee and ended up getting an aft facing verandah suite, with a larger balcony which we used quite a bit. Linda enjoyed the digital camera and computer course that were given on board free of charge. The only thing I really missed was that aft pool. We take many extended cruises and I would never book the Veendam or Rotterdam for one . I spend all those long sea days in and around the aft pool.

FRANKIEDNYC, I also booked a BC GTY and got assigned an aft facing A cabin. Any chance that you were assigned a corner aft facing cabin? If so, what was your impression of it?

[luvcruisn']

I apologize as I haven't learned how to snip and still have it show as a quote.

 

As long as you leave the original brackets around the first word that says "quote," and the last word that says "quote," you can take anything at all out, and still leave it as a quote.

[schoolinmy3]

FRANKIEDNYC, I also booked a BC GTY and got assigned an aft facing A cabin. Any chance that you were assigned a corner aft facing cabin? If so, what was your impression of it?

 

I booked a BB GTY and haven't received an assignment yet. An aft facing cabin would be different. I am excitedly awaiting an assignment.;) We originally booked a specific inside but couldn't help ourselves and as soon as we saw a bargain price we jumped on a balcony gty.:D On our Noordam cruise departing the 21st - in just 4 days! - my son and I were assigned a VA from a VH gty. The room assignment came at 10 days out. So I will probably still be on that cruise when our room assignment comes in as we depart on the Veendam June 5th.

Diane

[DutchByAssociation]

Did the comedian/magician/dog show have a 2 poodles? Was this some "Olympic world class" comedian? If so, he was on the Eurodam in January.

.

 

The one you are thinking of is James Cielen. He JUST boarded Zuiderdam in the last couple days.

[kazu]

As long as you leave the original brackets around the first word that says "quote' date='" and the last word that says "quote," you can take anything at all out, and still leave it as a quote.[/quote']

 

Thanks very much:D

[lvz2cruz]

The one you are thinking of is James Cielen. He JUST boarded Zuiderdam in the last couple days.

 

I remember that name. He was very enjoyable.

Thnaks DBA!