Is Holland America for me....

[vanessa5076]

Hi all

 

I would appreciate your opinions on HAL and in particular the Veendrm.

 

My DH has suggested taking me on a cruise for my 40th next year and HAL visits a place I have always wanted to visit (Charlottetown) and appears to be the only one that does at the time of my birthday.

 

Neither of us are party animals but like good food wine and entertainment and good company.

 

What is the age demographic on this ship and what do you think??

 

We have sailed on Sea Princess (loved it), P&O Ventura (loved the ship and the staff just really unruly passengers spoilt it!) and MSC (hmmm an ok experience)

 

Any help appreciates

[Aquahound]

I think HAL sounds perfect for you. You might be a little disappointed in the entertainment, but everything else you mentioned seems to be a great fit for HAL. :)

[MOcruiserman]

HAL ships are elegant, with good food, and the Veendam is no exception. The Veendam doesn't have the BB King band, as do HAL's larger ships, though it does have plenty of entertainment, though the entertainment tends to be low key. The service is wonderful. And, as is the case with all HAL ships, you get fresh-squeezed orange juice for breakfast!

[Alberta Quilter]

Generally, the age demographic is around 55 - 65, with some older and some younger. The longer the cruise, the older the passengers. That being said, I've cruised with HAL since age 42 and have found it very enjoyable but I am one who is early to bed, early to rise. The entertainment can be hit or miss. If you are somewhat self entertaining, you'll be fine on HAL. There are a fair number of activities during the day - cooking demos, wine tastings, port and itinerary related lectures, team trivia, bingo, bridge games, etc. In the evening, there is another trivia game (usually during early dinner), and shows in the main lounge which features the cast of the ship or a guest entertainer. There is also a piano bar, classical music duo in a lounge outside of the dining room, a guitarist in the Crow's Nest or Mix bar.

 

Hal has a full promenade deck where you can walk around the ship on one level, great for a morning or evening stroll, to burn off any extra calories consumed.

 

As for the Veendam, well, you'll get lots of feedback, not all of it good. The aft pool was removed and replaced with some hot tubs. I haven't seen it in its latest incarnation but did have a thoroughly enjoyable cruise prior to that. Since you're planning a Canada/NE cruise, the loss of one pool may not be a deal breaker for you. The mid ship pool has a retractable roof so it can be used, rain or shine.

 

i hope you come to my country for your birthday. We would love to have you. I visited PEI for the first time in May, and found it to be a lovely piece of paradise.

Edited October 12, 2015 by Alberta Quilter

[Krazy Kruizers]

You will like that itinerary.

In fact read RetiredMustangs "Live" as he is on that cruise right now:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2265644

[OCruisers]

We mostly cruise on Princess but have also very much enjoyed our HAL cruises. :)

[take us away]

Did my 1st cruise for my 30th birthday and it was on HAL because they had a great deal at the time. By day 2 I knew I had found a 2nd home. The passengers were great, had wonderful stories, the food was awesome but the service was the best anywhere. Have tried many different cruise lines and always come back to HAL!

 

Sorry but no belly flop or hairiest leg contests at the Lido pool (thankfully!). You should have a great time!

[Marianne]

I think you will enjoy HAL cruise line. The passengers seem to be more well read, well-traveled and fine food served. BTW -- the PEI was my favorite stop when doing the NE Canada cruise. Am sure you will love it!!

Marianne

[Heartgrove]

I think that you will be happy with the choice of the Veendam. Regarding the demographics, I felt it to be a bit older than 55-65 (I'm 64) though. :) We did meet quite a few passengers while on board and had interesting conversations. The only negative (not really) is that Quebec City (YQB) is difficult to travel to. But visiting the city is well worth the effort! The Veendam was docked with the port side to the city. That gave us two beautiful days with a view of the city from our Vista Suite.

 

Read my review entitled "Very Enjoyable" in the Reviews Section of CC.

[Cruise_More_Often]

Next year the Veendam will be starting/ending cruises in Montreal. We just cruised on her sister ship, the Maasdam, and liked the ship and itinerary so much that we came home and booked the same itinerary next year on the Veendam.

[Viesczy]

HAL offers a great time going to sometimes unique locales w/o the distractions of a frat party.

 

On a longer cruise expect the deck to roll up by about 10.30 pm as most everyone will be out like lights as they went to "late" dinner (which is really the first seating! :D).

 

You'll have a killer time, just understand that you might need to self entertain if you're a late evening owl.

[kevingastreich]

I do read that some people are disappointed by the entertainment on HAL ships but we never have been...just for the record.

Edited October 13, 2015 by kevingastreich

[Cruise_More_Often]

And on the Canada/New England itinerary, if you're like us -- up early to take advantage of all the ports and then early to bed -- you probably won't even get to take advantage of evening entertainment.

[vanessa5076]

Thanks for the responses everyone.

 

Sadly the cruise we were looking at has come in way over budget so will have to save it for another special occasion :(

[Alberta Quilter]

Thanks for the responses everyone.

 

Sadly the cruise we were looking at has come in way over budget so will have to save it for another special occasion :(

 

Sorry to hear that. I was going to recommend putting down a deposit and booking anyway with hopes of price drops but you're probably subject to a different cancellation policy, since you're from the UK.

 

Instead, I'll just wish that you win the lottery so that you can afford to come. Do keep watching for specials, maybe fares will drop enough so that it fits the budget. Do keep in mind that the Canadian dollar (CAD) has tanked in the past year and your pound will go a lot farther. Of course that only applies if you're booking tours on your own in CAD, eating meals off ship and making other purchases in CAD.