Mini Review Veendam Jan 11th out of Tampa

[Sirdar]

Just returned from the Veendam on the Jan. 11 thru 18th cruise. I last sailed on this ship in the summer of 2007 in the Baltic and, thus, have some basis of comparison.

Our CC role call organized a Meet and Greet and HAL provided space and refreshments in the Crows Nest for our get together. It was a great pleasure to meet everyone, and both the ships' hotel manager and guest relations manager dropped by to say hello, which we appreciated. many thanks to all who atended and to Michael for organizing this event.:)

Overall this was a good cruise and HAL offered an excellent product for the price of the cruise. I would do the same sailing again and, while on board, booked Veendam for a Bermuda cruise in the Spring of 2010. One caveat: avoid cabins at the stern. We were “upgraded” to an E from a guar H and had a cabin in the stern on the main deck. It was extremely noisy when the ship docks in the AM and unless you like getting up between 5AM and 6AM this is an area to avoid.

Yes, the ship does show its age in some places, particularly in our cabin WC where evidence of mildew etc. was noticed. There was a detectable diminution in certain services: the cabin of our friends was not in good condition and the carpets were littered upon arrival. A call to housekeeping corrected this quickly. Our cabin was cleaner and we were satisfied. Staff reductions however resulted in slow make up of our cabin (on some days not until after 3PM) and dining room service was somewhat slower as well. We do not like AYWD and after seeing the manager were able to switch to early seating. The staff reduction among the cruise director staff was most noticeable but those remaining did a great job of seeing to the passengers.

While the rest of the ship showed evidence of wear and tear, the overall condition was very good and very clean. We expect that it will be quite terrific after its refit in the Spring. The Veendam is also, IMHO, the right size for a true cruise experience and while lacking the bells and whistles

The food in both the Lido and Rotterdam dining room was quite good and roughly comparable to that which we had on the Caribbean Princess in July. The service was a bit slower than in the past but our waiter; assistant waiter and wine steward were all very friendly and helpful.

Both embarkation and disembarkation were handled very well. As stated, I remain quite pleased with what HAL has offered at a reasonable price. If anyone wants impressions of the ports just let me know

[cruzisme]

thanks for the honest, concise review of the Veendam; always good to hear from a previous passenger.

I have friends who are wondering about the ship's condition, and I believe you have answered that for me.

thanks again.

[maninmontreal]

Rich... I thought your review was fair & balanced. I've misplaced your e-mail address.Drop me a line at comi2@videotron.ca The photo of the lunch we did with Val & Pete in the Rotterdam turned out pretty good and I would like to send it to you.

As for the group photo I posted on the roll call section.....the actual photo is a lot larger but I could only seem to post a thumbnail. Clicking on this gives a not too clear photo of our group. I've seen other larger photos on these boards and would be interested in knowing how that was done.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for your review and glad you had a wonderful cruise.

[Sirdar]

Rich... I thought your review was fair & balanced. I've misplaced your e-mail address.Drop me a line at comi2@videotron.ca The photo of the lunch we did with Val & Pete in the Rotterdam turned out pretty good and I would like to send it to you.

 

As for the group photo I posted on the roll call section.....the actual photo is a lot larger but I could only seem to post a thumbnail. Clicking on this gives a not too clear photo of our group. I've seen other larger photos on these boards and would be interested in knowing how that was done.

 

Michael

 

I've sent an email as requested. Hope you get it

 

Richard

[trixiee]

I would be mighty obliged if you could share your port experiences with us as well.

 

Thanks so much for posting your review! :o

[Sirdar]

I would be mighty obliged if you could share your port experiences with us as well.

 

Thanks so much for posting your review! :o

 

Trixee:

 

Our port stop in Costa Maya was cancelled due to very rough seas that prevented our getting to the dock so I can't tell you about that port.

 

Our first stop was Key West which did not lend itself to any tour suitable for us. We took our time walking along the major shopping streets and sampling the local key lime products as well as a couple of beers andone of the local bars. The weather in key west was the best we experience on the trip. if you don't care to walk a lot, there are at least a couple of trolley tours that are located in the ship area that offer tours of the major areas. There is also a tourist info center near the ship that can direct you to the various sites.

 

In Guatemala (Santo Tomas de Castilla) our original tour was cancelled and we rebooked on the ship. We were on the tour to the San Felipe Fort. This involved a 1 and 1/2 hour bus ride to the site. A small but interesting fort over the junction of the Rio Dolce and lake Izabel. We found it interesting and the bus ride, while long, is a good way to see something of the country and the people. It was a market day in one of the towns there and the streets were crowded and it all looked very interesting. I would liked to have stopped but given the crime stats this might not have been in order. The Us state Dept website should be consulted before any sort of independent activity is undertaken. Given the short stays in port, we found tours that encompassed a bus ride the best way to see something of the country. Of course, if you are into a particular activity (snorkeling etc), then you would explore these options. Guatemala is a hilly and very green country (it gets an tremendous amount of rain annually). I would certainly bring along a rain jacket of some sort when travelling there and in Belize this time of year.

 

In Belize we also booked through HAL. Our sense of adventure is not so great as to book locally or try truly exotic tours. In this case we booked the tour to the Mayan ruis at Xunatunich with marimba lunch afterward. This also involvbed a long (2 hour bus ride) to the site which afford an interesting view of Belize and the various eco zones you pass through on the way. The tour was through Grey Line travel and the guide, Raul, was superb (as was the Grey Line guide in Guatemala-Hugo). This is a country of natural interest but also great poverty-all of which is visable on the way. The marimba lunch was at a hotel in San Ignacio (out of doors) which was very pleasant and affored an opportunity to interact with local people..The ruins were very good but climbing to the top of the main temple may be daunting to some.

[CowPrincess]

In Guatemala (Santo Tomas de Castilla) our original tour was cancelled

 

Hi,we're doing a similar itin in many, MANY months :) What tour had you booked, and do you know why it was cancelled? I've got a concern that some of the more "physical" tours may get cancelled on us, and want to have a back-up plan if that's the case.

 

Thanks!

[hammybee]

Thanks for taking the time to share your cruise with us. I appreciate that you blanced the experience with the value.

[Sirdar]

Hi,we're doing a similar itin in many, MANY months :) What tour had you booked, and do you know why it was cancelled? I've got a concern that some of the more "physical" tours may get cancelled on us, and want to have a back-up plan if that's the case.

 

Thanks!

 

We had booked the Motaqua (???) Valley tour with visit to banana plantation. This was not a particularly physical tour. No explanation for the cancellation was given. Guatemala has been experiencing flooding and it is possible that roads were out or degraded. Crime is also a factor which some speculated might be an issue.