Aft pools?

[LAKaye]

Hello Holland America specialists~~

 

.... a Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cruiser here....

 

We are looking to try our first Holland America cruise soon, and we are getting lost in the searches and online brochures and available material regarding refits and renovations over the years, so please help us:

 

As of May 2016, which Holland America ships, if any, still have a regular swimming pool on the aft of the ship, as opposed to a redone area with whirlpools and shallow splash area?

 

DH and I enjoy using the swimming pools and are looking for something different from RCI and Celebrity (no aft pools ever), so the first of many question arises.

 

Thank you so much for your replies~~

 

L

[jtl513]

All but the Veendam and Rotterdam have real aft pools. Prinsendam's is pretty small.

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Edited May 8, 2016 by jtl513

[LAKaye]

John -

 

Thank you for clearing the fog. Someone told me that the Veendam and her three sisters were the same.

 

Do you know why only the Veendam is different (among the 4 sister ships)? Will changes be made in the future to her sister ships, or was this an experiment that then was not executed on all the others?

 

Did the Rotterdam ever have an aft pool?

 

Thank you~~

 

L

[Krazy Kruizers]

The Rotterdam originally had an aft pool.

There were 4 S class ships -- 2 were moved over to P&O Australia -- Ryndam and Statendam.

The Veendam and Rotterdam ships were chosen first to have their aft pools removed and put in what was called a "Retreat" -- which is nothing like the Retreats on other ships. Veendam's first refit had wavy, shallow water ways where lounge chairs place inside them. And a movie screen was also added -- like MUTS on Princess. And of course more cabins were added. Those wavy, shallow streams didn't go over very well so HAL removed them and put in hot tubs.

HAL was going to the same to the other 3 S class ships, but the idea got scraped.

[Cruise4food]

"The Veendam and Rotterdam ships were chosen first to have their aft pools removed and put in what was called a "Retreat" ..... Those wavy, shallow streams didn't go over very well so HAL removed them and put in hot tubs."

 

The Holland America website draws the hot tub patterns in the 2D floor plan of MS Veendam, but they still present the "wavy, shallow streams" in the 3D virtual view for the Retreat . No surprise that people are confused. So, basically, the aft Retreat deck chairs are back on "dry land".

[RuthC]

Do you know why only the Veendam is different (among the 4 sister ships)?

Because once in a while HAL learns from its mistake quickly.

 

Will changes be made in the future to her sister ships, or was this an experiment that then was not executed on all the others?

That continues to be our hope and prayer. At this stage of the game, probably not---at least this particular change. Since two of the sisters are gone (:(), and the third is reportedly going (:(), the odds are nothing major will be done to them.

[Hlitner]

We also thought the changes at the aft of both the Rotterdam and Veendam were huge greedy mistakes. HAL figured that removing the pools (to add more cabins and revenue) would not be noticed. But a single pool is just not enough on those ships, and if there are only a few active teens or kids...they can rapidly take over the single pool leaving older cruisers unhappy. Fortunately HAL finally realized the error of their ways and have not repeated the mistake. My personal description of that rear deck on the Rotterdam is "bird bath."

 

Hank

[Copper10-8]

..............................

Do you know why only the Veendam is different (among the 4 sister ships)? Will changes be made in the future to her sister ships, or was this an experiment that then was not executed on all the others?

 

Did the Rotterdam ever have an aft pool?

 

Thank you~~

 

L

 

A little background for ya ;) In August 2008, HAL announced enhancements to, as well as new features on, five of the line's ships. The four 'S' sisters as well as the lead ship of the 'R' class, ms Rotterdam, would undergo extensive dry-docks to create new venues, new staterooms and new decor. The 18-month, $200 million program began when Veendam sailed without passengers from Tampa, Fl to Freeport, the Bahamas where she arrived on 28 March 2009. On 2 April 2009, she entered Dry-Dock #3 of the Grand Bahama Shipyard.

 

While at Freeport, Veendam’s aft Lido deck was expanded to create "The Retreat" including wading pool, hot tub, outside bar, band stand, giant LED screen and Slice pizzeria. Her Sea View pool on Navigation deck was gutted and moved up one deck (as Retreat pool) while in the space created by this move, twenty six new verandah and five inside staterooms were added. The 26 verandah cabins noticeably "overhang" the main dining room below which did not, by any means, enhance Veendam's exterior appearance.

 

The Retreat was a new resort-style pool area on Lido deck aft. The pool was divided into three main sections separated by low, curving walls running the length of the pool. The middle section was 16 inches deep so pax, it was planned, could sit on built-in benches in the water. The two side sections featured forty-four lounge chairs in eight inches of water. Water falls and spouts were added, as was located at the aft end of the pool, a hot tub.

 

Major problems with the "Retreat pool" were encountered almost immediately after VEDM left Freeport in that the water inside said 'wading' pool would overflow as a result of some of the ship's movements and "exit post-haste", including on and into decks below and the shafts of the aft public elevators.

 

As a result of these, what became, severe leakage problems, the infamous "Retreat pool" was removed during a subsequent dry-dock at Freeport from 15 through 29 April 2011 (and cancelled for the then three remaining "S" class sisters) and replaced with a total of four separate hot tubs, two circular and two rectangular shape.

 

For Rotterdam, the $200 million program began eight months after Veendam when she entered Dry Dock #3 of the Grand Bahama Shipyard at Freeport on 18 November 2009 for her 28-day refurbishment. She also received the "Retreat pool" and additional cabins one deck lower where her Sea View pool had been however, with a considerably less pronounced cabin "overhang".