Veendam Review

4.0 / 5.0
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Veendam - Western Caribbean

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Veendam
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cruisewolf
First Time Cruiser • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Nov 2006

We drove down from Atlanta (8 hours) and spent the night at Clearwater Courtyard by Marriott which we got for $40 on priceline. The trip to the terminal was about 15 minutes and we arrived about 11:15. Parking is at the terminal and cost 12$/day. We got there with the crowd and boarding didn't start for about 30 minutes, but we were at the Lido Restaurant 15 minutes later. Compared to the zoo at Miami this was a snap. My wife went back to the car to retrieve something about 2:00 and there was no line at all. We've also sailed out of Miami, Houston, Seattle and New Orleans and this was about the easiest port to get to, park and get on and off the ship. Food and service were pretty good, but because everybody came on board at the same time and had to wait till the cabins were ready the line was very long. Cabins were ready by 2:30 and the line at the Lido was gone. Come aboard at 2:00 if you can. This was our first time aboard Holland America and we were traveling with another couple on their first cruise. I was impressed by how many people I met who were long time HAL cruisers with HUNDREDS of days of sailing with them. Our previous cruises have all been on Norwegian, except for our first and probably last cruise on the Carnival Victory last December. The Victory is a nice big, youth oriented ship but being 60 and 61 the shows were too loud and too risquE for our tastes. If we were in our 30's or still had kids at home we'd book Carnival again. The average age on the HAL cruise was 60's with only a few school age kids on board and a good number of 50's, 70's and even older. We are Catholics and having a priest on board (which we have never had before) and daily mass is reason enough for us to make HAL our new cruise line of choice. It sure beats limiting ourselves to Sunday to Sunday or shorter cruises so we can go to church. They also had Protestant services and Sabbath eve and Sabbath services. The shows ranged from very good to great. The first night the musicians from all the lounges did a short set and the band and entertainers danced and sang. Music ranged from 60's and 70's to classical strings and piano lounge. Unless you're into heavy metal you'll find something you like. John Branyan is one of the funniest comedians I've ever seen. Besides that, the language was squeaky clean. Bob Cates, the comedy juggler did tricks I've never seen before. Justin Miller is a guitar genius and played a variety of stringed instruments. I struggle with the six strings on a guitar. I think one of his custom made instruments must have had 14! The singers and dancers were very good - not ready for Broadway yet - but better than average. The food was a cut above Carnival and Norwegian and for the most part was about what you'd expect from a good restaurant. I'm a diabetic and really appreciated the sugar free deserts at all the meals. Usually I have to get a cheese plate or no sugar added ice cream (vanilla only). These were cheesecake, black forest cake, and other similar items as well as no sugar added strawberry, chocolate and vanilla ice creams. Besides the usual steaks, surf & turf and prime rib were some good lamb and fish dishes. The waiters were very good and we gave them extra tips to show our appreciation. We're adventurous and try dishes we've never had like mango gazpacho. On the very few occasions that we ordered something we didn't like, they seemed genuinely interested and wanted to know how it could be improved. The food in the Lido was much better than on other cruises we've been on and there was always someone to carry your tray if need be. The smaller size of the vessel was great. There was always a deck chair available, always room in the hot tubs, pools and saunas and always a seat at the shows. Sometimes there was a line for breakfast at the Lido but you could always eat in the dining room without a wait. My wife liked the Dutch High Tea in the afternoon and took in some of the late night buffets. Our traveling companions enjoyed trivia in the Crows Nest. All in all we thought Veendam was a well kept, comfortable ship. My wife was impressed by how clean everything was. The elevators could have been faster, but we weren't in a hurry. Our cabin was the only part of the cruise I would improve on and that was primarily my fault. I got an outside guarantee cabin hoping to get upgraded but the ship was sold out and I got a porthole cabin near the bow on the main deck. Even so, it was a bigger and nicer cabin than most and came with a bathtub/shower combo which was small but adequate, a flat screen tv, dvd player, bathrobes, fruit basket and really comfortable mattresses. Our trip went to Georgetown, Grand Cayman, Ocho Rios, Jamaica, and Costa Maya, Mexico. The first day the seas were running 8 feet plus and the ride was bumpy. This was the first time my wife has ever been seasick. She went to the infirmary and got some pills and was soon ok. Once we turned the corner at Cuba the seas calmed and the rest of the time including the trip back to Tampa was smooth as silk. Before we left we went online and booked a Stingray City tour via catamaran with Captain Bryan at http://caymanislandsdiscounts.com/CaptainBryan.htm that included stops at Stingray City and two 30 minute stops on the reef for snorkeling for $39 each. It was well worth it. You're supposed to kiss a sting ray for luck, but I passed. It's supposed to be a short walk from the dock, but next time I'll take a taxi. Georgetown was nice and safe and after the trip we ate some conch fritters and conch chowder at Breezes by the Bay. After conversion from Cayman dollars to US it was about $40 for the two of us. In Ocho Rios we booked the ship tour to the Enchanted Garden and Dunns River Falls for $59 each. They took you to the top of the falls so you had to walk down before you could climb the falls. It takes about 45 minutes to climb the 600 feet and you should be in reasonably good shape to do it. The shopping stop was in a shopping area that was fenced and guarded so you didn't have to contend with the street vendors. 30 minutes wasn't long enough for our fellow travelers. If you don't like to be pressured and haggle don't shop there. Next time I'll book online with someone else. We also went online and booked a fishing excursion and tequila Beach Club break at Costa Maya for $45 each at http://www.costa-maya-tours.com . There were just the 4 of us and 2 guides on the boat and we fished for two hours. We only caught one small tuna and lost something much bigger about 10 feet short of the boat. The beach is really nice and there is a reef close enough to swim to. You can rent snorkel gear for $5/day. We had some pretty decent fish and seafood there. The guys were friendly and very helpful. It costs $3 for the taxi to the beach and $2 back. I guess that there will always be things that people can fixate about on any ship, but you would really have to try to have a bad time on this trip.

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