Veendam, the little engine that could.

[mikishel]

Okay, so this was our second cruise on HAL. A few years ago sailed on the Oosterdam, Alaska. While I enjoyed the cruise, I was not particularly impressed, probably because I had heard that HAL was so much better than other lines. I felt it was about the same as most other lines.

 

We've cruised five other lines in the past and have our first Princess cruise booked for later this year. Two years ago we were on the gargantuan Allure of the Seas and loved it. Our last cruise was on the Celebrity Silhouette, transatlantic a year ago, which was an awesome experience. So it was with much trepidation that we booked another cruise on HAL, especially on such a small ship.

 

I had read many unflattering reviews of the Veendam, but we needed a quick getaway just to relax so we just went for it. We live in San Diego, so there was no need to get on an airplane. I lowered my expectations considerably so as not to be disappointed.

 

Long story short, we had a fabulous time. Yes she is small but perfect for the number guests, who, by the way, ranged in age from the very elderly to infants and everything in between.

 

Thanks to tips from you generous cruise critics, we booked an inside stateroom on the lower promenade with quick access to the outside deck. We never had a problem finding an unreserved lounger and spent many hours reading, relaxing and watching the serene Pacific pass by. The stateroom felt large and sleeping in complete darkness was so very comfortable.

 

Also, thank you HAL fans for the tip to purchase the beverage card. That $100 card lasted the whole cruise since DH only drinks sodas and I took advantage of the happy hour specials. Also had a delicious bottle of Riesling and no need to keep account of any receipts.

 

We have recently become vegetarians and had no problem finding delicious food on this little 'Dam ship. I never eat French fries on cruises, but someone mentioned how good they were, so I tried them and I was hooked. The sweet potato fries were fabulous also. The freestyle mortadella mushroom sandwich in the Dive In was to die for! Each night for dinner, the vegetarian dish was delicious.

 

We loved the hand washing machine in the Lido. So much better than using that hand sanitizer, although sometimes we did both.

 

Service was very good on this cruise also. Front desk, stateroom attendant, bar wait staff, Lido servers, and the little guys in the cute uniforms cleaning the ship were all very friendly.

 

Even the elevators cooperated. Never too long of a wait and everyone used good manners entering and exiting.

 

We enjoyed the entertainment at the theater and never had a problem finding a seat, though we did try to arrive early. The cruise director, Mario, was the best, stylish and very funny.

 

I enjoyed walking laps on the promenade deck and even joined in the 5K for cancer research, which was a blast.

 

Because we have done Mexican Riviera a few times before, we only got off the ship in Puerto Vallarta. Had a nice hour-long massage right in the pier area for only 40 bucks and no sales pitch.

 

The immigration process at the end of the cruise was quick and painless.

 

Was the cruise perfect? No, there were some problems, but none big enough to ruin the cruise. Service was very slow in that in MDR. On the second day, which was our first formal night, our dessert never came so we just left and found dessert in the Lido. We never went back to the MDR again. Dinner in the Lido was nicely done. Very relaxing and casual with the same food served as in the MDR. No lobster on the second formal night in the Lido, but that didn't matter to us since we are vegetarians.

 

One thing that did bother me was the smoking on the lower promenade deck. Every day found several people breaking the rules there. A shame, really.

 

Apparently there was a Noro virus outbreak after our second port of call and standard precautions went into affect. Things slowed down in the Lido at lunchtime but most people were patient. I don't know how widespread the outbreak was. The captain gave frequent updates on the matter, reminding us to wash our hands and thanking us for our patience.

 

Also a couple of times I did get a whiff of that unpleasant smell, once in the hallway on the promenade deck, and once on the outside promenade deck.

 

I got trapped a couple of times on the Twilight Zone seventh floor but eventually found my way out and lived to tell about it.

 

Overall, this cruise fit the bill almost perfectly for us. We rested, relaxed, had good food, and we were treated very well. Sorry that I didn't make a long story short. Suffice it to say we had a fabulous time on the little engine that could.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for your report. Glad you had a good cruise on the Veendam.

[Lizzie68]

Thanks for your review. Nice to hear such positive comments about the Veendam.

[erewhon]

Thank you for reviewing your Veendam cruise.

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for posting your review.

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

[POA1]

Thanks for your review. I

[0bnxshs]

Glad to hear Veendam is still pleasantly surprising some. We had our most favorite cruise on her a few years back and feel fondly towards her still. Thanks for your thoughtful comments. :)

[cruz chic]

Thx for taking time to do a review.

[Alcarondas]

Being no stranger to long reports (har ;) ), I thought that yours was concise and informative. Thanks for sharing!

 

Even though I'm not a vegetarian, I opted for the veggie dishes a few times on my recent Westerdam cruise and was impressed every time with how inventive and flavorful they were.

[igraf]

We also live and San Diego and did the same cruise a year ago. Like you, we wanted a simple easy cruise and boarded with low expectations but were also pleasantly surprised.

 

MDR service is typically very slow on the first night as everyone shows up. I let our waiter know that we didn't like to wait so long for dinner and he responded with quicker service on subsequent nights.

 

igraf

 

 

 

..I had read many unflattering reviews of the Veendam, but we needed a quick getaway just to relax so we just went for it. We live in San Diego, so there was no need to get on an airplane. I lowered my expectations considerably so as not to be disappointed.

 

Was the cruise perfect? No, there were some problems, but none big enough to ruin the cruise. Service was very slow in that in MDR. .. [end quote]

Edited March 16, 2015 by igraf

[goodroe]

Thanks so much for the nice review. We will be boarding on Saturday - our first time on the Veendam. We booked primarily because we can drive to San Diego (avoiding the stress of flying) and all those lovely sea days back and forth to Hawaii.

 

Appreciate hearing your positive comments.

[Chelly]

Thank you for your concise and fair review. Boarding on Saturday and looking forward to this relaxing cruise.

[CJcruzer]

thank you so much for concise, informative review. The Veendam was our first HAL ship, back in 2005 and we were bowled over by the experience on HAL. Now, 10 years later, we are introducing our son, DIL and grandchildren to Veendam - we will be sailing in May. Reassures me that your experience was positive, having read complaints regarding AC, plumbing, etc.

 

Carol

[qsuzi]

Loved your writing style and review. Thanks for taking the time to post your review.

[localady]

We were also on the March 7 cruise. We felt that the ship's staff was wonderful, our room steward was excellent as well as the bar staff.:D

 

Unfortunately, it was my first cruise on HAL which was greatly impacted by room related issues and smells.:mad::(:mad:

 

I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed your cruise and didn't encounter the same issues. :D

[Chelly]

We were also on the March 7 cruise. We felt that the ship's staff was wonderful, our room steward was excellent as well as the bar staff.:D

 

Unfortunately, it was my first cruise on HAL which was greatly impacted by room related issues and smells.:mad::(:mad:

 

I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed your cruise and didn't encounter the same issues. :D

 

Localady, I will be on the Mar 21 Veendam. I'd like to hear about the cabin issues and smells. If you prefer not to share here, would you do it on your roll call. It will be very, very appreciated.

Thanks,

Chelly

[SilvertoGold]

I really enjoyed your review.

 

With enough foreshadowing to keep the suspense up, it amounted to a change from most reviews and it was fun to read.

 

Really too bad about the MDR. I would have been quite unhappy with the service. Good that you felt the Lido served you well.

Next time you might want to order from the Vegetarian menu in the MDR. It is quite good!

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to write!

[mikishel]

I really enjoyed your review.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Really too bad about the MDR. I would have been quite unhappy with the service. Good that you felt the Lido served you well.

 

Next time you might want to order from the Vegetarian menu in the MDR. It is quite good!

 

 

 

 

 

Is there a completely separate vegetarian menu? On the regular menu there was always at least one vegetarian offering. The Lido had everything the MDR had, I believe.

 

Actually, on the first night the MDR service was fine. Subsequent nights probably would have been fine also I'm guessing. But after experiencing the Lido deck for dinner, we just didn't want to go back. We quite enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere there. We enjoyed seeing the entertainers and ship's staff eating there, and I was able to tell the performers how much I enjoyed the shows. I did this in passing and hope I wasn't too intrusive [emoji15].

 

This turned out to be a change-of-pace cruise for us. We've always eaten in the MDR exclusively.

[HokiePoq]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise! Thanks so much for your review. We are looking forward to our long awaited cruise on the Veendam.

[mikishel]

Thank you for all your kind remarks. [emoji4].

 

This cruise changed my attitude about HAL. I no longer consider it a last choice option. Now I have even more choices for future cruises. I'm now a fan and will recommend it to my friends.

 

One warning about power cords. We had to go to the naughty room, as they confiscated ours. [emoji15] It wasn't a surge protector and we had brought it on past cruises, so we didn't think it would be a problem. They told us to ask our stateroom attendant for one of their cords. He promptly brought us one, and we got ours back at the end of the cruise. Lesson learned.

[galensgrl]

Thank you for your review. It makes me even more excited for our first HAL cruise in May, if that's even possible! So excited, glad we are down to counting weeks (7.5!) and not months. :D

 

Lorie

[SilvertoGold]

Is there a completely separate vegetarian menu? On the regular menu there was always at least one vegetarian offering. The Lido had everything the MDR had, I believe.

 

Actually, on the first night the MDR service was fine. Subsequent nights probably would have been fine also I'm guessing. But after experiencing the Lido deck for dinner, we just didn't want to go back. We quite enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere there. We enjoyed seeing the entertainers and ship's staff eating there, and I was able to tell the performers how much I enjoyed the shows. I did this in passing and hope I wasn't too intrusive [emoji15].

 

This turned out to be a change-of-pace cruise for us. We've always eaten in the MDR exclusively.

 

 

Yes, there is a completely vegetarian Dinner menu for the MDR. It is huge and would take a week to go through.

 

You can ask for it and choose the night before for dinner the next day. You can combine items from it with items from the regular menu.

 

I think you can do a search for this menu here on CC or start a thread asking for a copy. Someone is sure to have taken a photo of it. Alternately, try googling Holland America vegetarian menu.

Edited March 17, 2015 by SilvertoGold

[janmcn]

Thanks for another positive review…we were on the cruise prior and also had the same comments (loved Mario too!)

We also tried the MDR one night, but with slow service went to the Lido thereafter…our usual choice for the same reasons as you…relaxed, easy to see what you want, etc. It's NOT like lunch and breakfast for those who haven't' tried it.

Looking forward to 35 days of Voyage of the Vikings in July on her. I doubt that Mario, Chris, and the Captain will be the same then…too bad.

[shrimp56]

Veendam certainly is "the little engine who could." Great crew, nice size. We're headed for our 4th cruise on her this May and can't wait.

[mikishel]

Yes, there is a completely vegetarian Dinner menu for the MDR. It is huge and would take a week to go through.

 

You can ask for it and choose the night before for dinner the next day. You can combine items from it with items from the regular menu.

 

I think you can do a search for this menu here on CC or start a thread asking for a copy. Someone is sure to have taken a photo of it. Alternately, try googling Holland America vegetarian menu.

 

 

Man, I missed out on that one [emoji19]. I looked on the website and saw a two-page vegetarian menu. It would be hard to try to guess what I would be the mood for a day ahead of time though.

 

It should be noted that we had Anytime dining, and both days we went right in and got a table to two. We did arrive early, around 5:30.