Veendam to Bermuda

[habitoiyam]

Hi -

 

My husband and I have cruised several times on NCL and a couple of times on Carnival. (We primarily book balconies, mini-suites and suites.) We like to sail out of our home port of Boston, and recently put a deposit on June cruise to Bermuda on the Veendam. We have never cruised on HAL, but the convenience of leaving from Boston and docking in Hamilton for three days instead of the King's Wharf/Heritage Wharf area for less time with NCL seemed like a nice change for us.

 

The final payment is due in a couple of days, and I have some concerns based on recent reviews I have read about general conditions and upkeep as well as mechanical issues on this ship. This has made me nervous about what to expect. We had already put a deposit on an aft-facing balcony on the Dawn for considerably less (free gratuities included) than the aft-facing veranda on the Veendam, so we have to make a decision.

 

Has anyone sailed on the Veendam recently? What were your experiences and observations? Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks!

Edited April 10, 2015 by habitoiyam

[cbr663]

Welcome to CC. Here is a recent thread that covers the same topic. A quick search can often find the answers to many questions.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2152091&highlight=veendam

 

Here are recent CC Member Reviews: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=39

[Topsham]

If you are a regular with NCL then you may not be happy with VEENDAM. VEENDAM is 20 years old. Quite different from new NCL.

 

BUT.....

 

VEENDAM is a nice classic. Every ship can have problems... more or less. VEENDAM is no different. Last reports on CC... most says that the ship is just fine. If I were you... don't worry about it.

 

Even better... VEENDAM will be berthed in Hamilton from Monday morning (noon) and departs at Noon on Thursday. Much better than in Dockyard.

 

Come over on CC Rolls... and read the comments.

 

Can' be that... I'm doing B2B... and I live in Bermuda!!!!

[Rotterdam]

A few years ago we sailed in Veendam from NYC to Bermuda..a cruise we had taken many times since the 1970's.....WE are 4 star mariners w/ HAL and Bermuda is my favorite island.

 

Saying that - after the cruise in Veendam we have not been back to HAL. It is wonderful staying in Front Street for the 3.5 days(I've never docked at the Dockyard). The ship itself was in such bad shape(inclusive of sewage smells) and crowded due to the additional cabins that were added(which also took out the aft swimming pool& replaced w/ a shallow splash pool - not good while on a warm climate itinerary) and the A/C was also off due to the changes.

 

Seems that Carnival/HAL had maxed out the ships of that era(Maasdam etc) as they are sold off and maintenance cutback. One less day in Bermuda might be worth the overall experience over the course of the week.

If you've sailed NCL before there will be major differences for you.

[tlow]

My wife and I took our first cruise on the Veendam to Alaska in July 2009. We have been cruising ever since. We can thank the Veendam and Holland America for our love of cruising. We sailed on her again to Bermuda in June 2010. As with Alaska, we had an absolutely wonderful experience. We will be taking another trip on the Veendam this summer on the Canada/New England & Bermuda Collectors' cruise. We can't wait!