Air conditioning problems on the Veendam?

[Chrislynn55]

Hello everyone. DH, DS, and I have been looking forward to our first cruise with HAL on the Veendam for March 15 out of Tampa. Unfortunately, right after we booked I began to read a number of reviews about the Veendam that mention having no air conditioning in some of the cabins. If we happen to get one of these cabins it would absolutely ruin my vacation. As a Canadian who likes cold weather (and who is currently afflicted with the hot flashes that go with a woman my age!) I really need to have a cabin to sleep in that has functioning air conditioning.

 

For those of you who have sailed on the Veendam I would appreciate hearing about your air conditioning situation....especially if you stayed in the cabin we are booked in.....A Deck aft, # 819. If we find out that the problems are only in a certain area, it's still early enough for us to change cabins.

 

Many thanks!

 

Kathy

[pipedreams62]

The A/C problems were over a year ago.I haven't heard any complaints since then. We spent 2 weeks on the Veendam this summer and the air worked fine.

 

The ship and all of it's inner workings A/C units, main engines, generators etc run 24/7 and are exposed to the elements, Sometimes thing break (it's just the way it is)

[Snorkel2Much]

The A/C problems were over a year ago.I haven't heard any complaints since then. We spent 2 weeks on the Veendam this summer and the air worked fine.

 

The ship and all of it's inner workings A/C units, main engines, generators etc run 24/7 and are exposed to the elements, Sometimes thing break (it's just the way it is)

Well this one: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=875155 was written just recently. While the AC functioned in many places, some cabins apparently went without. It's not a minor issue for Mrs Snorkel2Much, therefore it's not a minor issue for me. ;):D

[pipedreams62]

Well this one: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=875155 was written just recently. While the AC functioned in many places, some cabins apparently went without. It's not a minor issue for Mrs Snorkel2Much, therefore it's not a minor issue for me. ;):D

 

 

Machinery still breaks down,wish I could tell you different

[Snorkel2Much]

Machinery still breaks down,wish I could tell you different

..and no one here has said you were wrong. That still doesn't address the OP's concern of whether or not a certain location of a certain class of HAL ship has a chronic A/C problem. Nor does it address how responsive HAL is or is not in attending to the repair of said breakdowns when they occur.

[pipedreams62]

..and no one here has said you were wrong. That still doesn't address the OP's concern of whether or not a certain location of a certain class of HAL ship has a chronic A/C problem. Nor does it address how responsive HAL is or is not in attending to the repair of said breakdowns when they occur.

 

 

Keep cool

[Snorkel2Much]

keep cool

:) :) :)

[BirdExotic]

We were on the 32 day Amazon cruise ending in Tampa on Nov. 1, The A/C was NOT working properly 29 of those days and HAL has offered us credit due to our discomfort [our cabin was like a sauna]. I had called Seattle prior to the cruise and they assured me there were no problems, THEY LIED! In talking with crew members it has NOT worked properly for about 2 years. Also there were a number of pipes that broke flooding cabins. The entire cruise we had equiptment sucking water out of the carpets on our deck [our cabin was 364] and the smell of mold was noticeable. The ship is in VERY poor shape and needs the drydock which it will get for a month in April. It was our first cruise on HAL and out last! It was also our 26th cruise and we're going back to Celebrity.........

[Chrislynn55]

Yikes...you really had a tough time! That was a very long cruise to be so uncomfortable. We haven't tried Celebrity yet but have liked all of our cruises on other lines, especially Cunard. Hopefully this one will work out well for us too.

 

Kathy

[rtx]

We were on the Veendam Amazon cruise for the 36 days out of Vancouver and the air conditioning was a problem the entire cruise and we got everything except the truth as an explanation. We were on Deck 5 and the situation was bad for many people the entire cruise. It was common to see people sitting in their staterooms with the corridor doors open because it was so hot inside.

 

Their was an ever changing array of excuses for the problem and some of them were laughable. Sailing between Vancouver and San Diego we were told that the sea water was too warm and that it was affecting the air conditioning.(this on a ship bound for the Amazon and Caribbean!). Then we were told a technician was being flown in to join the ship in Costa Rica to work on the problem. He didn't seem to manage to do much as many people never saw improvement. The ship loaned fans to some people and when these ran out some passengers purchased fans in port to use in their staterooms.

 

There were pipe breaks on Deck 6 I know because we had staterooms evacuated on Deck 5 because of this and there were wastepipe problems in the Deck 6 port corridor and they spent most of the cruise trying to dry it out and cover up the sewer smell.

 

Veendam seems to be in serious need of a major overhaul.

 

This was our first Holland America cruise and may be our last as we found more serious problems on this ship than on all cruises combined we have done in the past on other lines. It was also the poor attitude and stonewalling from the management segment on the ship who seemed to view all passengers as nuisances that shocked us.

 

Just so this doesn't sound totally over the top as far as complaining, I would like to say that the cabin and restaurant staffs were top notch and I was very impressed with all of them I encountered. It was only when dealing with the "higher ups" that you met with a sense of disregard for the passengers and their comfort.

[TCF]

We were also on the Veendam 36 days Vancouver to Tampa and what others on that cruise are saying is absolutely true!

I posted a review on this board shortly after we returned...you should be able to find it with the search engine...and also a review on the Veendam Review Board...that talks about the A/C problems plagueing this ship.

We too specifically asked HAL corporate about the consistent reports of chronic A/C problems on this ship before we purchased the cruise and were told that there had been problems but they were all fixed. HAL simply lied to us which is why they are now handing out future cruise credits to the people on this cruise.

 

Veendam is a great ship with an even greater crew....that said...I would avoid sailing on it until after the re-fit in April. There are other HAL ships doing Caribbean itineraries...I would look at them!

 

I have said this before and I believe it to be true....what keeps people coming back to HAL ships is the crews and itineraries...not anything that Seattle does or does not do! What happens in Seattle has nothing to do with the great service one gets on these ships...in fact...it is fair to say that HAL is successful in spite of those who claim to be managing this corporation. There is a Vice -President of We Don't Give A Dam in Seattle and he/she is doing a tremendous job!

[Chrislynn55]

Thanks for all the input everyone. After a family conference we have decided to go and make the best of whatever situation we find. The cost of this particular cruise was very, very low compared to what we usually pay for the three of us traveling in peak season (school holidays), and we're looking forward to seeing relatives in Tampa for a few days before we board. So, we'll go and take our chances on the AC.

 

Perhaps an abundance of wine might make the heat less noticeable...lol!

 

Kathy

[TCF]

Have a great trip!

If you get a chance please hello to Lady in the Logo Shop from Tom and Deb in Vancouver....she is a real delight!

[Loreto]

Hi Kathy, We were on the Veendam Nov.1-9th. Our stateroom #49 was very cold....never more than 70 degrees, which we loved! We heard about the Amazon problems, and some people on our cruise had warm rooms. They were given fans. We enjoyed the Veendam, and hope you have a great cruise!

Karen

[happy cruzer]

If I were worried about the temp in the room, I would bring a thermostat type clock with me that shows the temp as well as the time. so that if I needed to complain/resolve an issue, I would know what the temp in the room is.

 

Talking theoritically here, I know some people who are not comfortable unless the temp is 60 F or so. The ship is most likely not designed to get every cabin that cool. If the cabin stays around 72 to 74 during the hot part of the day most likely the ac is working pretty well. Anyway, knowing what the temp really is will help communication rather than just stating that the room is too hot.

 

I hope all is well on your cruise.

[Chrislynn55]

Great suggestion, Happy Cruzer! We'll do that. Frankly, we'd be absolutely delighted if the temperature were even 75-76....it's the possibility of having no AC at all (as some reviews have described) that would not be fun!

 

Kathy

[Copper10-8]

We were on the same cruise with Loreto (so the one after the infamous 32-day Amazon cruise) in cabin #10 on Deck 10 and the a/c worked fine - no problems:)

[Luvstravl]

We just got off the Veendam on the 16th and had no problems with the AC. Our room was fine and never heard anyone complaining. Hopefully they got it all worked out.

 

Nancy