Any good news about the Veendam

[alohadad]

There seems to be so much bad press about the Veendam. Has anyone heard anything good about this ship.

[jtl513]

There seems to be so much bad press about the Veendam. Has anyone heard anything good about this ship.

Except for the aft Retreat area and the slight impact that the lanai cabins have on the promenade, on the inside it's pretty much the same nice ship that it has always been. :)

[Protseq]

Except for the aft Retreat area and the slight impact that the lanai cabins have on the promenade, on the inside it's pretty much the same nice ship that it has always been. :)

 

Yep, a nice ship with some problem areas, eg. service level in dining rooms, 'anytime' dining, ventilation problems. If HAL fixes the problem areas, I would consider trying the ship again. Just my opinion.

[scottjeanne]

We were on Veendam's first cruise post retrofit. The Veendam is a lovely ship. There were some problems with things not being completed, but the actual design and condition was fine. The new bar areas are great. The piano bar is a big hit as is the interactive computer tables in the lounge. I would not hesitate to try the Veendam if the decor and ships' condition is your only concern.

[Himself]

I think as people have gotten used to her, the complaints have subsided. The main thing is she still floats.

[cardbucfan]

We were on the Veendam in July up in Alaska and the ship was fine. We had some plumbing issues in our cabin (which we were ultimately compensated for they were so severe and took 5 days to finally get resolved) but other than that, the ship was lovely. I think overall the food has declined in quality but the service remained excellent (except for the one line chef in the Lido who constantly overlooked children-he is no longer a line chef!). We would sail on the Veendam again in a heartbeat!

[cardbucfan]

Oops-I forgot to mention that the retreat area was not open for business. No water in the hot tub or "pool" and nothing on the TV but you could sit in the area. That was a shame because we had such lovely weather it would have been really nice to sit in the hot tub and watch the scenery go by. The Mix was a huge hit with our family and kids loved it as well.

[Hflors]

There seems to be so much bad press about the Veendam. Has anyone heard anything good about this ship.

 

My sis and her husband were on Veendam for 28 days(I think, or near that number) right after she came out of dry docking. They loved her and still do. Sadly this coming year Veendam isn't doing the Panama Canal, but sis and her dh and my other sis and her dh and me and my dh are booked on Statendam!

[innlady1]

Yessssss!!!!! She's sailing from New York to Bermuda in 2010! :D

[mamaofami]

She's a HAL ship :D

[Paul_76]

We just got back from cruising aboard the Veendam (I haven't had a chance to right a "proper" review yet or post photos, but you can read details on my blog -- link below). Anyway, this was our first cruise on HAL, and we were impressed overall (enough to tentatively book the inaugural sailing of the NA).

 

Was the ship perfect? Well, no. But, a fair assessment is favorable:

 

The updated areas (which are sleek and contemporary) sort of "clash" with the obviously untouched areas (which are sort of tired and frumpy). At first, we were unimpressed by the look of the ship (there's less "pop" than on bigger and newer ships with more open areas and expansive glass vistas). However, the ship grew on us over the week, and became a comfortable home.

 

The main dining room food was pretty medicore (about on par with recent experiences in RCI's and better than NCL's main dining room). The Lido was of higher quality but a somewhat more limited selection (again compared to NCL and RCI). The Pinnacle Grill was at or above the standard of any "extra surcharge" venue we've experienced at sea. We also liked--but did not love--the Italian dining option.

 

The updated cabin (or in our case, new aft balcony cabin) was very nice. Indeed, it was the best cabin we've had aboard a ship yet. It even still smelled new. :-)

 

The service was very good -- at or above what we'd expected from HAL. I say this despite the ship operating under "code red" conditions due to a stomach virus outbreak. That's no small task for the crew to deal with... but deal with it they did. And, we stayed healthy thanks to those efforts.

 

Bottom line: if the Veendam is actually a "bad" HAL experience, I'd love to see a great one on HAL. We could have happily stayed aboard Veendam for many additional weeks.

[alohadad]

Yep, a nice ship with some problem areas, eg. service level in dining rooms, 'anytime' dining, ventilation problems. If HAL fixes the problem areas, I would consider trying the ship again. Just my opinion.

Thanks for the comments; Can you tell nore abut the "ventilation problems" and the food quality. Would you still sail her. We have the choice to sail the Veendam or the Oosterdam this winter to Mexico. Help me pick.

[jtl513]

Thanks for the comments; Can you tell nore abut the "ventilation problems" and the food quality. Would you still sail her. We have the choice to sail the Veendam or the Oosterdam this winter to Mexico. Help me pick.

What is your past sailing experience? If you like large ships you may feel "confined" on the small Veendam. OTOH, if you've only been on larger ships you might try the smaller Veendam just to see what it is like.

 

My DW likes the smaller ships (lots less walking) and I prefer the newer Vista/Signature size. But you can't go wrong with either one.

 

We didn't have any ventilation problems - whatever Protseq was referring to.

[JerseyJaguar]

I've sailed both ships and you'll be fine with either.

 

Although, the Oosterdam does have that hydropool area that the Veendam really doesn't, so if you are spending a lot of time on the ship, I'd go with the hydropools. If you are very port intensive, it won't matter. The cabins on both are lovely.

 

Although, I did think the Capt. on the Veendam was 100 times more likeable than the Oosterdam, we never saw the Oosterdam Capt. except for the Welcome Reception, the Veendam Capt. made himself available a few times.

[Protseq]

Thanks for the comments; Can you tell nore abut the "ventilation problems" and the food quality. Would you still sail her. We have the choice to sail the Veendam or the Oosterdam this winter to Mexico. Help me pick.

 

Our ventilation problems involved the inability to set the thermostat to a consistent room temperature. When the Veendam was in port, I could not feel any air circulation coming out of the ceiling vent, as if a fan was turned off. Thermostats do not have a fan speed, just temperature.

 

Food quality was good to very good. I was not impressed with the Lido's dinner menu and quality. Breakfast and lunch in the Lido were good.

 

I guess our first HAL cruise on the Zuiderdam spoiled us. Although it is a larger class ship, I never felt crowded when we sailed on her in the Eastern Caribbean. Service, ship amenities, food were all excellent. Tom

[herb]

Our ventilation problems involved the inability to set the thermostat to a consistent room temperature. When the Veendam was in port, I could not feel any air circulation coming out of the ceiling vent, as if a fan was turned off. Thermostats do not have a fan speed, just temperature.

 

Was the ventilation problem you mention specific to your cabin or was it prevalent throughout the ship???

 

What was your cabin # so I can make sure NOT to book that cabin, or nearby ... I've dealt with a/c issues in the past on certain cruises and it's no fun.

[Protseq]

Was the ventilation problem you mention specific to your cabin or was it prevalent throughout the ship???

 

What was your cabin # so I can make sure NOT to book that cabin, or nearby ... I've dealt with a/c issues in the past on certain cruises and it's no fun.

 

What I read in reviews before the cruise, I am sure that I was not the only cabin with that problem. We were in Main Deck cabin 679.

 

I reviewed the Veendam and you can read my comments in the Member review area. Just my opinions of course.

[sail7seas]

Anyone know why the Retreat 'fountain/water' is not yet in use? Do they intend to never have the water as designed?

 

[pms4104]

Anyone know why the Retreat 'fountain/water' is not yet in use? Do they intend to never have the water as designed?

 

Perhaps the plan is to fill it with blueberry jello ... no slosh-out when the ship makes a slight turn. Also, those in the jello-loungers wouldn't need to worry about their stuff getting soaked.

[sail7seas]

Is that it? The water sloshed around causing trouble? Design problems?

Truly, I don't know but am interested.

 

[pms4104]

Is that it? The water sloshed around causing trouble? Design problems?

Truly, I don't know but am interested.

 

Sail ... Somewhere on the boards lately, perhaps regarding the first sailing after drydock, there were comments that when the ship made a slight turn, the water slurped and sloshed out of the poolette. People, responding to the big slosh, started dashing about to get away from the water splash ... in what was described as a pretty slippery area. Also, I vaguely recall mention of possibly leakage from the poolette into the brand-spanking new inside cabins below. So, yes, seems, to be a design issue. And, with water slopping out like that, a liability issue as well. Not sure the poolette has ever been opened since then. Don't know for sure.

 

Further, I'm not sure the new aft hot tub has been filled and available since that initial sailing.

[mattR]

Anyone have a list of what was actually done during this dry dock?

[JerseyJaguar]

Is that it? The water sloshed around causing trouble? Design problems?

Truly, I don't know but am interested.

 

When I was on the Veendam the water was in the retreat pool and anytime the Capt. turned the whole deck got soaking wet. And in Alaska it's not like people are lounging in the sun a lot so I can understand them emptying it and waiting till they go someplace with more heat and less turning.

 

Don't know why the hot tubs were emptied out, I found them very enjoyable.

[RevNeal]

When I was on the Veendam the water was in the retreat pool and anytime the Capt. turned the whole deck got soaking wet.

 

Note to HAL Design Team: That which works well at land-based resorts won't always work well aboard ship. The land doesn't make turns, doesn't encounter swell, nor does it have to contend with winds that cause the ship to list, etc. etc.

 

If the water is sloshing out from a gentle turn, what will it be doing in 20 ... 40 ... 70 foot seas???

[sail7seas]

:confused: Marine architects, presumably, would be aware of the differences.... No?

 

Thanks Camp and JerseyJaguar for explanation. Sounds like something of an "Ooops". :eek: