Veendam 7/15/12 review

[lkdrymom]

Finally getting a chance to review my recent cruise.

 

The one thing HAL really does well is get people on and off the ship. The other cruise lines could take lessons.

 

The ship looked good. I was her two years ago. Our room was nice, just enough storage and a decent size bathroom. The only problem we had was the last day we could get nothing but scalding water...even the toilet flushed hot...but at least it flushed. We ran into a man who had just picked up his bottle of champagne as compensation for no working toilet for 5 days. I know I will get flamed for saying this but seriously...that is just unacceptable. They did send out a plumber to our room a few hours after I alerted them to the problem...never fully resolved. Luckily it was only one day. I would have been raising holy heck if it had been mid way through the cruise without a resolution.

 

The shows were good...but I think I saw the opening show on the ship two years ago. I remembered the costumes.

 

No one seemed to venture out on deck at night so my kids were happy to have the basketball court to themselves. No one in the gym either (but considering how it is hidden maybe no one could find it)..we had that to ourselves also.

 

Our cabin stewards were very good. Made sure we always had ice as I requested.

 

Dinner service was a bit lacking. Often we'd sit there for 5-10 minutes before anyone even acknowledged us. I remember when we first started cruising we were amazed that we were greeted immediately every night. The tables were never filled so it wasn't that they were too busy. My biggest complaint is there seems to be no bar service in the dining room anymore. Does HAL realize how much money they are losing on this? I was asked once during the week if I wanted anything. Most nights I did pick up something at the bar on the way in, but I would have much prefered to been able to order a drink at the table.(and would have probably ordered more than one)

 

The dessert extravaganza they put on one evening was excellent.

 

Ordered breakfast room service on the last day...never came.

 

Had no AC problems. In fact the room was quite cold.

 

I am very sad HAL will no longer go to Bermuda. It is my favorite port.

[irisheileen]

Thanks for the review. What cabin did you have?

[lkdrymom]

736. Mid ship level 4. Room was quiet, no problems with noise.

[innlady1]

Glad that you enjoyed your Veendam cruise!

[aliaschief]

Thank you for sharing your cruise experience.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for taking the time to write and post a review of your cruise. Glad you had a good time.

[erewhon]

Thank you for writing a review of your cruise.

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for your review.

[kazu]

thanks for taking the time to share your experiences with us:)

 

Welcome home:D

[SwissMyst]

..... We ran into a man who had just picked up his bottle of champagne as compensation for no working toilet for 5 days. I know I will get flamed for saying this but seriously...that is just unacceptable. .....

 

The only issue that makes these thread difficult is not offering a more precise definition of a "working toilet" when these statements are made. For some this is a delayed flush and to others it is a 100% no flush ever. Not sure what this five day problem was that was "unacceptable" from your description.

 

For a fully "non-working" toilet that required use of facilities elsewhere for five full days and getting only a bottle of champagne for recompense seems exceedingly inadequate. For a five-day delayed flush toilet, it is an odd token gesture that may or may not have satisfactory. As suggested elsewhere, one does need to get more facts from both sides of the story.

[George C]

thanks for the review

[lkdrymom]

A delayed flush is still a working toilet. This was a toilet that did not work. A delayed flush is no big deal...a non working toilet is.

[sppunk]

If I don't have a working toilet for five days on my Bermuda cruise in 3 weeks, HAL best be prepared to put me in another room and if that is unavailable at a hotel in Hamilton.

 

A functioning toilet (even if it occasdionally misfires, i mean fully nonfunctional) the most basic need we have. A mere bottle of anything would be a slap in the face for this problem. Let's hope there is much more to the story and specific details missed (like compensation, moved room, etc).

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for sharing your insights.

[vivavegas]

Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences!:)

[mingamonga]

Thanks for your review. My fiance and I are heading to Bermuda on 8/19 and are planning to get married in Bermuda in a civil ceremony.

 

Do you have any suggestions on things we must do in Bermuda or things to skip. Did you book your tours through HAL or on your own?

 

The only thing my fiance booked is a dolphin swim for me!

 

I hear the pool is quite small. What did you think?

 

mingamonga

 

P.S. If anyone reading this is going on the same cruise, please let me know

[SailBadtheSinner]

Thanks for your review. My fiance and I are heading to Bermuda on 8/19 and are planning to get married in Bermuda in a civil ceremony.

 

Do you have any suggestions on things we must do in Bermuda or things to skip. Did you book your tours through HAL or on your own?

 

The only thing my fiance booked is a dolphin swim for me!

 

I hear the pool is quite small. What did you think?

 

mingamonga

 

P.S. If anyone reading this is going on the same cruise, please let me know

 

 

Welcome to the Cruise Critic and Congratulations on your upcoming Nuptials.

 

 

There is a Roll Call started for your cruise here - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1559772

A RC is a way for cruisers doing the same cruise to me before the cruise and exchange tips, info on the cruise ship, etc. RC definition is here - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=44773

 

 

 

SBtS

[RuthC]

I hear the pool is quite small. What did you think?

The Lido pool is a decent size, especially when you consider this is a ship and everything is scaled down somewhat from land size.

Not Olympic size, or anything even close to it! But certainly the pool is a lot larger than one found on ships in the old days; they were postage stamp size. In those times the longest distance one could swim was straight down. :D

[iancal]

Absolutly no surprise about a non working toilet on Veendam...not delayed flush but non working.

 

There have been consistent reports, over several years. of plumbing, flooding, and non functioning air conditioning in a very small number of Veendam cabins. Just as there have been consistent reports of malfunctioning elevators on this ship.

 

The trick is to select your cabin carefully or select another ship.

[High C's]

Thank you for posting a review. We will be taking our first HAL cruise on Veendam in 3 weeks. So I am constantly looking for info.

We booked a "BC" guarantee with no room assignment yet. I guess we just have to hope that we don't get one of the rooms with a non-functioning toilet!! :eek:

[CatG04]

Hi lkdrymom, thanks for your review! We were actually on the same trip... and I've already posted the issues we've had, but suffice it to say I totally believe that the person you ran into had a non-functioning toilet because I travelled with 11 other people and we had toilet issues, 1 completely non-functioning air conditioner and 3 barely-functioning air conditioners. And I have to say that it bothers me when some posters doubt what is being said when it's not a glowing report about HAL and their ships.

 

The fact is, we've ALL seen the complaints about the plumbing, A/C and elevators, and now I've lived through it personally, so perhaps it really is true!

 

My group and I were very disappointed in this last cruise, and if HAL did continue to sail to Bermuda, I know my husband and I and at least one other couple would not book another HAL trip. We spent too much money to be told over and over again that "we hope you are finding your room to be comfortable because we have adjusted the temperature in your cabin to the maximum level possible". 77.5 degrees is NOT a comfortable temp ever, but least of all on a fully enclosed space in July in Bermuda or anywhere! I actually threatened to sleep on a couch in the area opposite the front desk one night... I wish I'd had the nerve to have done it, because I think they may have suddenly have found another cabin for me.

 

For those who will still be sailing in the coming weeks, I hope you don't have any of the rooms with issues... if you do, get a fan on day one and good luck!

 

HAL has not received my letter of discontent, but you can be sure they will.

[sppunk]

Cat, posting your troubled cabin numbers would be a great benefit for future cruisers.

[CatG04]

383, 396, 398 and 403 all had A/C issues with the first 2 being the worst. 383 had numerous plumbing issues.

 

Good luck to the future passengers in those cabins.

[sppunk]

Great info for future travelers. Thanks for posting.