Just Back From Veendam Canada Cruise

[MrFSS]

We recently returned from the NYC - Montreal cruise earlier this month.

 

My cruise review is here:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=32836

 

They messed up some of the formatting when it was published, but I think you can still read it.

 

It was not the best cruise we have been on. Food was mediocre and the entertainment almost non-existent. I talked with a lot of the other passengers and this was the general consensus of opinion.

 

But, over 1160 photos are here:

 

http://tbedwell.smugmug.com/Vacation/375640

 

Comments - let me know.

[49holding]

your review is a bit disconcerting for me. I cruise on the Veendam in 4 weeks...my first HAL cruise. I am not expecting RCCL caliber entertainment but I was expecting for the food and service to be at least of the same caliber. I am not a foodie so will hope for the best

 

I think your trip started off on the wrong foot and set the tone for your vacation. The mix-up/wait at the airport for HAL transport was definitely a flaw. Hotel rooms in NYC are quite small ( location/real estate), unless you are springing for big bucks for a suite. Nobodys fault there, it is NYC after all, not your hometown. At the HAL pier check-in you were lucky that you had chairs to sit on and wait...I have embarked twice from NYC pier and stood in line for 2 hrs ..no chairs to be had ( CCL and Celebrity). I have never heard the cruise line info brochures/the shop specials/sales flyers referred to as propaganda!!!!

 

thanks for the review, hope your next vacation is a good one

[hammybee]

Thank you for making the time to share your perseptions with us. So sorry parts of your your vacation did not live up to your expectations.

 

I could only see 48 pictures. Am I doing something wrong?

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome home.

 

So sorry that your cruise wasn't up to your expetations.

 

[MrFSS]

your review is a bit disconcerting for me. I cruise on the Veendam in 4 weeks...my first HAL cruise. I am not expecting RCCL caliber entertainment but I was expecting for the food and service to be at least of the same caliber. I am not a foodie so will hope for the best

 

I think your trip started off on the wrong foot and set the tone for your vacation. The mix-up/wait at the airport for HAL transport was definitely a flaw. Hotel rooms in NYC are quite small ( location/real estate), unless you are springing for big bucks for a suite. Nobodys fault there, it is NYC after all, not your hometown. At the HAL pier check-in you were lucky that you had chairs to sit on and wait...I have embarked twice from NYC pier and stood in line for 2 hrs ..no chairs to be had ( CCL and Celebrity). I have never heard the cruise line info brochures/the shop specials/sales flyers referred to as propaganda!!!!

 

thanks for the review, hope your next vacation is a good one

We paid $500 (to HAL) for that matchbox room. The room size I could live with - it was the noise all night long that wasn't worth the cost.

 

I guess my overall reaction is - I'll never sail out of NYC again.

[MrFSS]

Thank you for making the time to share your perseptions with us. So sorry parts of your your vacation did not live up to your expectations.

 

I could only see 48 pictures. Am I doing something wrong?

Don't know what you may be doing wrong with the pictures. In the upper right of the web page there is a drop down box that lets you select HOW to look at them. Try SLIDESHOW and see if that works. Sometimes dialup has a problem.

[49holding]

I did a quick check on prices for that sheraton and they run about $379 a nite plus all the taxes ( tourism, etc) which run at least 18% ( ouch I know but we have gotten soaked with taxes and fees like that in other cities). So for $500 per nite I don't think you were taken by HAL. Perhaps that included the airport to NYC transportation and hotel to ship as well?? Taxis from the airport have a flat rate of $40 plus tip for trips to NYC.

 

My husband has sworn off embarking from NYC...the traffic around the pier is horrendous and chaotic, especially when there are a few ships in port and this from a man who was raised, went to school and worked in NYC and drives like a NYC taxi driver

[sail7seas]

Thanks for your review. Sorry things were not all the way you would have liked.

 

Also really sorry you had such miserable weather in Boston. :( September 11 was a horrid, torrential rainy day. There was no way anyone could enjoy a tour in that sort of rain. We were at Black Falcon/Veendam that day.

 

Welcome back.

 

[earl_m]

One nice thing about cruising. There is always next time!!

[Chetsky]

Good Review - I too am concerned about some of your comments. We are on the Veendam for a 12 night Atlantic Coast cruise on Oct 9th.

 

Most of the items that you mentioned are very important to us especially the food and entertainment. I was hoping for better this time - we sailed on the Z-Dam about a year after launch and had many of the same experiences as you.

 

I worked for World Wide Shore Services last season in Tampa - we provided embarkation and debark services for the Veendam. I know that there are many fanatic loyal HAL cruisers that consider the Veendam their favorite ship and that HAL is the "be all - end all" of all cruise lines.

 

I chose the Veendam because of the intinerary plus we live in the Tampa area. I hope we are not disappointed - if I am it will be my last HAL cruise for a good long while. I am not a nay sayer nor do I look for negative things to pick at. However, I do expect a certain level of services and food quality on every cruise. There are just too many other cruise lines that I have sailed without any major complaints than to continue to sail with one that doesn't meet my expectations.

[BILLP1]

We have lived in the new York area all our lives and the hotel that you stayed in would be very low on our list of hotels to book in New York. It is the old Americana and was a decent hotel in the 1960's .

 

For the same price there are so many better hotels and locations ( quiet ) in the City.

 

Sorry to hear about your bad experience but we still enjoy that sail down the Hudson River and the view of the Statue Of Liberity..

[lb0103]

Sorry that your cruise was not all that it could have been. We will be on the Veendam out of Tampa on 10/21. I am not surprised by your comments as we have NEVER found the entertainment on HAL to be exciting. But that is not why we cruise, we like to see different places.

 

Last year on the Zuiderdam the food was not great, but we did NOT go hungry. We go to where there is food that we like and always check the dining room menu for the evening BEFORE we dress for dinner.

 

Sorry the weather on 9/11 was so poor, it hadn't rain much at the end of summer, it seems we got it all that day.

 

I really enjoyed your honesty as I don't post much on here because there are a FEW that think HAL can do no wrong. The majority are great people and they ALL have a right to their own opinion.

 

Chetsky, you said you worked for the transport co. in Tampa for a time.

We are getting ON Oct 21 as you depart. Do they work well in Tampa?

 

Linda

[MrFSS]

I did a quick check on prices for that Sheraton and they run about $379 a nite plus all the taxes ( tourism, etc) which run at least 18% ( ouch I know but we have gotten soaked with taxes and fees like that in other cities). So for $500 per nite I don't think you were taken by HAL. Perhaps that included the airport to NYC transportation and hotel to ship as well?? Taxis from the airport have a flat rate of $40 plus tip for trips to NYC.

 

My husband has sworn off embarking from NYC...the traffic around the pier is horrendous and chaotic, especially when there are a few ships in port and this from a man who was raised, went to school and worked in NYC and drives like a NYC taxi driver

Thanks for the figures. That makes me feel a little better. I guess it hurts when I remember last year on a Celebrity cruise out of San Diego when we stayed two nights for $400 total and it was almost a suite! I, too, have had it with NYC.

[MrFSS]

Sorry - It double posted.

[MrFSS]

Good Review - I too am concerned about some of your comments. We are on the Veendam for a 12 night Atlantic Coast cruise on Oct 9th.

 

Most of the items that you mentioned are very important to us especially the food and entertainment. I was hoping for better this time - we sailed on the Z-Dam about a year after launch and had many of the same experiences as you.

 

I worked for World Wide Shore Services last season in Tampa - we provided embarkation and debark services for the Veendam. I know that there are many fanatic loyal HAL cruisers that consider the Veendam their favorite ship and that HAL is the "be all - end all" of all cruise lines.

 

I chose the Veendam because of the itinerary plus we live in the Tampa area. I hope we are not disappointed - if I am it will be my last HAL cruise for a good long while. I am not a nay sayer nor do I look for negative things to pick at. However, I do expect a certain level of services and food quality on every cruise. There are just too many other cruise lines that I have sailed without any major complaints than to continue to sail with one that doesn't meet my expectations.

Please don't take my comments that everything was lousy. We enjoyed the cruise and certainly had enough to eat. The wait staff was very good and the cabin service was excellent. I probably should have pointed that out more than I did. The quality and selection of the food simply wasn't what I had remembered on the Veendam 7 years ago. And, it wasn't close to what it was on our last cruise on the Mercury. I ate everything. It just didn't have the pizazz that we have had before.

 

The other thing was the number of other passengers who commented on the poorer than normal quality of the food. The classic comment one night from someone in the elevator was, "well, I don't have anything else to do so I guess I'll go have the evening meal in the dining room." Several others sort of said Amen!

[Chetsky]

ib0103 -

I'm a bit biased but I think Tampa generally really has their act together. If you come by bus from the "airport you get what you get" - sometimes there are three or four buses full of Pax and it does take a bit of time to board. If you are on your own or don't haave to use the HAL airport tranfers the best time to get to the terminal is 10:30 or after 2:00. If you can manager your own luggage to carry off with you you can get off as early as 8:30. Customs and immigration is a breeze unless they have a tip they suspect there's some possible illegal activity - it happens alot more than most people know.

 

MrFSS -

I think I "feel" your comments exactly as you intended - In fact, it could have been me writing the same wording for my Z-Dam cruise. Sometimes it's something you just can't put your finger on but it's just not right or what you expected.

 

The worse cruise I ever had was just wonderful !

[sail7seas]

We thought embarkation and debark in Tampa were fine. We enjoyed sailing from Tampa and would again without hesitation. They do a good job IMO We always come on our own in a taxi. We stayed a few nights pre cruise so it was a snap.

 

[CHACruiser]

I have to say, I agree with the review of the service. On our trip in Aug/Sept 07 the crew did seem "tired" - and cut back. Way cut back from our trip last year to Alaska. I have to imagine they have cut their staff back in all areas, because of finances. I think for the same reason they have cut out their NYC port destinations. We were in a suite in 8/07. Suite service was slow...and I mean 2 or 3 in the afternoon before the room was cleaned up. And the dining room as well. Everyone at our table (6) commented on the slow, late, service and the mediocre meals they served. Nothing was the same as our first Veendam cruise, just 12 months before.

 

We all still enjoyed the Captain - he was terrific.