Veendam - Yay or Nay??

[Tante Amalie]

Our last Veendam cruise was pretty decent---better than most HAL ships. However, the cafeteria was very poor, so if you are going to eat there, I would be cautious. Try to shop for a bargain if you can.. It's best to wait until the last minute. HAL usually cuts its prices to very low levels. If you book in advance, you can pay 2 or 3 times as much as other people. HAL has been on a major cost cutting binge lately, so they only are attractive if you get a bargain.

[KruzPrincess]

Once again, thank you for all your responses and your trip experiences. I really, really appreciate them. I have already booked this cruise. I'm leaving next week. I booked my cruise after final payment and I believe that I got an awesome deal. I am really looking forward to this opportunity.

 

 

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[Linda&Vern]

Our last Veendam cruise was pretty decent---better than most HAL ships. However, the cafeteria was very poor, so if you are going to eat there, I would be cautious. Try to shop for a bargain if you can.. It's best to wait until the last minute. HAL usually cuts its prices to very low levels. If you book in advance, you can pay 2 or 3 times as much as other people. HAL has been on a major cost cutting binge lately, so they only are attractive if you get a bargain.

 

Can you be more specific? I'm sailing the Veendam soon and I am interested in your comments. How many HAL cruises have you done in the past year or so? I'm curious about this major cost cutting binge lately. We haven't sailed HAL since March.

[KruzPrincess]

Sailed the Veendam , Canada New England this summer. First time with Holland.

After a few days, could not stop humming " I'm in heaven " . Yes, found buffet different from what I was used to on Princess ( you can read review here on CC) , but met absolutely wonderful people, staff was so welcoming and professionnal, laughed to tears at some shows and really enjoyed some others. I had planned this as a rest ( read sleep and read ) cruise , and I ended up setting the alarm clock so I could enjoy the ship more. Reading or just having coffee in the sooo comfortable librairy chairs, snoozing :eek: on the promenade deck chairs, having a chat with the knowledgable about world travels gentleman crew member at the specialty coffee bar. Amazing CD, he really was a key factor in this cruise beeing special . So I say a big yes to Veendam, but I understand it can be a bad choice for someone looking for something different ( it it not Oasis of the Seas , and has no Ziplining , nor many of some things we find on other ships).But, then again, there are many of these ships we do not sail on because they have all these other things.

 

 

Like you, I'm planning on a read, sleep, read, look at the ocean, read sleep… Cruise. I hope I enjoy it as much as you did, and get up and out to do more things. Sounds great.

 

 

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[KruzPrincess]

Here's the view of a novice cruiser - my first cruise was on the Veendam this past August to New England and Canada. Obviously I have nothing to compare the experience to but I thought the ship was very nice.

 

We had an interior stateroom on the main deck. It was somewhat small but large enough for the two of us. The bed was very comfortable and we never noticed any noise. The bathroom was fine. The shower was small but worked well. We appreciated the complimentary bathrobes. One issue we had with the room was there was only one electrical outlet. Bring a power strip.

 

We thought the public areas were very elegant and were maintained well. I didn't notice any signs of shabbiness or poor maintenance. I appreciated that all the public bathrooms were supplied with hand towels - very classy.

 

We thought the food was very good, both in the main dining room and in the buffet. Not the best I ever tasted but similar to what you'd find in a Marriott restaurant. There was a terrific taco bar in the pool area. I had excellent chicken sandwiches at The Dive Bar. Reservations are a good idea for the main dining room or you'll wait on line.

 

As far as the entertainment goes, we were very pleased. We saw four shows at the Showtime Theater and enjoyed them all. Were they Broadway quality? No, but it's unrealistic to expect that on a cruise ship. As far as the lounges are concerned, we liked the piano bar, jazz trio and classical duo. We also spent time up in the Crows Next listening to the contemporary band - very entertaining. My wife went to some classes and I saw a couple of movies in the theater. I wanted to go to the tech classes and cooking classes but never made it - maybe on my next Holland America cruise.

 

Finally, I have nothing but good things to say about the attitude of the staff. Everyone, from the ship's officers to the butlers, stewards and food servers, were always very friendly and eager to please.

 

 

I'm glad you had such a great time on your first cruise. I remember my first cruise so fondly. I hope you'll do many more cruises. Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

 

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