My family of three recently sailed on the Veendam from New-York to Bermuda. I have over 10 cruises under my belt and this was my first experience on a HAL ship. I have previously sailed on Celebrity, Princess, RCL, NCL, Costa and Carnival cruise ships.

I chose this particular cruise at it docked in Hamilton and not further out in the Royal Dock Yards. This and the devotion of the crew were the only positive aspects of my cruise experience.

My main complaint is with HAL and its decision to change the original lay-out of the ship. There used to be two pools. HAL decided to add more staterooms at the expense of the pool which was located at the stern of the ship. Yes, HAL did add some small hot tubs but this is no substitute for a pool when cruising in warm climates. Read more