VEENDAM: Impressions? Lanai?

[SeaWatch]

Any recent cruisers wish to share their impressions about the VEENDAM? On HAL we have only sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam ( balcony).

 

The lanai concept looks interesting!

 

Thanks!

[Cruiser Andi]

Sailed on Veendam in August of 2014 and had a lanai. We enjoyed the ship and the lanai. We had a balcony previously and were unsure but it was a pleasant surprise. The ship was in good repair and had constant maintenance. Nothing obtrusive. They worked during the day while we were in port which I would guess is pretty common.

 

We chose the lanai because we had a very port intensive trip and didn't think that the balcony was worth the extra money. Like I said, we were pleasantly surprised and would definitely book one again. We were in 328. Excellent access to the elevators and not noisy at all.

[Bubba54]

We were on the Veendam in December. The ship is in good shape and the crew are great. As far as the Lanai stateroom. I would say go for it. Just a note of caution. You can not see into the rooms during the day from the promenade deck. However, at night with the lights in you can see in. So close your drapes. :-)

[tlow]

My wife and I enjoyed our first Lanai so much that we have booked another one for our upcoming cruise to Canada and Bermuda. If you haven't tried a Lanai then you should at least do it once to see if you like it. If you are going with friends, a Lanai can be even more enjoyable when you can get staterooms next to each other. We also sailed on the Veendam and were very pleased with the ship and the crew. Outstanding!

[coolbluegreenseas]

We booked a Lanai, so the good reviews are pleasant to read. We like outside access, but since we are in Bermuda for four days. the private balcony made less sense. The Lanai is the perfect compromise.

[SeaWatch]

If you book a lanai / do you get lounge chairs reserved in your name outside your canon?

[serendipity1499]

If you book a lanai / do you get lounge chairs reserved in your name outside your canon?

Yes you do have dedicated lounges for your lanai cabin.. We sailed on the Veendam in Lanai cabin No. 353 in 2010 when they first came out & loved it!

 

At that time there was only a tiny sign above our lounges stating they were reserved for the cabin.. Because they were so new, some lanai Psgrs had reported that many times they found someone in their chairs.. We of course would not have minded if we were not using the chairs, but we enjoy sitting out on Promenade deck ...To avoid having to ask someone to move if we wanted to sit in our chairs, I made up a small sign which we placed on each chair stating " Thank you for not sitting in our reserved lounger- Hope you have a nice day" & never had a problem with others using our chairs.. It probably is no longer a problem, but you might want to place a book in the chair if you leave & plan to come back..

 

Agree that at night only with your lights on, can someone see into you cabin, so we just closed our drapes when it was dark..

 

We would book a lanai cabin again if we had the chance..

[ZSandy25]

Have had a lanai on the Maasdam (holiday cruise) and the Veendam (Caribbean) . We had verandah cabins in past but as previous poster stated the cruise was port intensive so we chose the lanai. We really enjoyed the cabin and would book again.

 

The cabin is smaller than your typical verandah and there is no cooler (small fridge) in the cabin. You could rent one but really don't know where you would put it. Same amount of storage space.

 

Yes, you do have assigned lounge chairs. As you exit your cabin they are on your right side under your cabin number. You will have a small credit card size card that you swipe over to open your slider door from the outside. As to your own cushions...on one cruise our cabin steward brought them in each night and placed them in the cabin. On another cruise they were all picked up and stored each night. We are early risers so on that cruise we just placed them in our cabin before we went to dinner so they were ready for us in the a.m.

 

As to someone looking in at night they would have to be pressing their face to the door to see in. I had my husband go out and check and he couldn't see in. The lights stay on all night on that deck so it is never in total darkness.

 

I would not want the lanai that is right next to the doors that open on the prom deck. On windy days those doors can really slam hard.

[SeaWatch]

Would you say the ship looked worn or renovated?

[Beachboots]

Any recent cruisers wish to share their impressions about the VEENDAM? On HAL we have only sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam ( balcony).

 

The lanai concept looks interesting!

 

Thanks!

 

Be careful of the location of your lanai room. Had one recently on the Maasdam which was under the galley. EXTREMELY noisy all night.

[SeaWatch]

Good point! 14 days of noise would not be good!

[Parker1]

Like I said, we were pleasantly surprised and would definitely book one again. We were in 328. Excellent access to the elevators and not noisy at all.

 

We're on the Veendam in 2 weeks, wheelchair accessible Lanai 331, just across the hall from 328. Great to hear it was quiet! Looking forward to our first HAL cruise.

[lazey1]

 

The cabin is smaller than your typical verandah and there is no cooler (small fridge) in the cabin. You could rent one but really don't know where you would put it. Same amount of storage space.

 

Yes, you do have assigned lounge chairs. As you exit your cabin they are on your right side under your cabin number. You will have a small credit card size card that you swipe over to open your slider door from the outside. As to your own cushions...on one cruise our cabin steward brought them in each night and placed them in the cabin. On another cruise they were all picked up and stored each night. We are early risers so on that cruise we just placed them in our cabin before we went to dinner so they were ready for us in the a.m.

 

As to someone looking in at night they would have to be pressing their face to the door to see in. I had my husband go out and check and he couldn't see in. The lights stay on all night on that deck so it is never in total darkness.

 

We had a handicapped Lanai on the Veendam and it was as large as, if not larger than, a typical veranda cabin. We did rent a fridge, it was under the dresser/mirror. While small it was fine for keeping several soft drinks, water or bottles of wine.

We only had a problem with someone taking our assigned lounger once, that was solved by the man in the cabin next door who told the lounge grabber that he was going in for a nap so they could use his assigned lounger if they wished. The lounge grabber hadn't know that the lounges were assigned.

We also checked re visibility at night and the only way we could see in was if all the cabin lights were on and our faces were pressed against the window. All that would be seen then was shadows.

We wouldn't hesitate to reserve a lanai cabin again on the right itinerary.

[TiogaCruiser]

Just off Veendam last month and had 375. It was my first lanai - always have had inside or OV. The cabin I had got considerable noise from the electrical room across the hall. It was louder than the HVAC. Not sure the furniture layout is the best for the floor space. There was only 16" on both sides of the bed so if mobility, agility or size is an issue it may not be the best cabin layout. The "love seat" was only 46" and even munchkin me could not comfortably nap on it. The slider was heavy for me to open and there were no drawers in the "desk".

On the other hand, if you enter through the slider (making the hall more just the path to the closet and bathroom) the cabin arrangement seems less crowded.

 

{Not related to lanai design, but that cabin on that cruise: had electrical problems and devices did not charge more than once. ( One night DH's go pro reset and my kindle app (in RAM) on my iPad crashed- both devices were charging. ) Neighbor reported the same and the electrician got involved. Oh- and our smoke alarms (mine and at least one neighbors) went off at 0130 with a plastic smell. The problem hopefully was fixed- at least I had no more issues the last 2 days.}

 

I did love having my own steamer and easy access to it. :). My trip this time was solo. Not sure how well we would do with closet space when DH and I take our packs and camera gear. If we got a good price on a lanai we might just do one in the future.

 

Overall the ship appeared in good repair with new decor (since jan 2013) and furnishings in several of the public rooms. Including new carpet. And the lights in the dining room no longer have the netting under them that hung there so long.

 

Bottom line for me: I'd jump back on in a heartbeat. I might consider a lanai- just not 375 (because of the noise).

Edited April 20, 2015 by TiogaCruiser