Though this is a negative review, there were several highlights on this sailing and excellent staff members including Angeli and Monica at guest services; our stewards, Hasan and Bambang; and Lisa, the ship’s enrichment lecturer. In addition, the friendliness of fellow guests; generally well-executed shore excursions in beautiful, somewhat difficult-to-reach ports in Colombia, Nicaragua, Guatemala; and the fascinating Panama Canal helped improve bad moods and even elicit some smiles.

There were problems normally worth mentioning, but the glaring rupture was the ship’s condition. Missed ports and mechanical malfunctions might happen on any sailing. But based on the unscheduled dry dock last fall, continued operational issues prior to this sailing, and the more serious impairments on this sailing, HAL is not giving the Veendam the time and resources to make adequate repairs. Fellow passengers mentioned sailing the Veendam two years ago from Hong Kong and noted shocking deterioration on this voyage. Furthermore, according to an entertainment staffer, HAL plans to remove the Veendam from its fleet in the near future, which helps explain the lack of care.

However, that's not acceptable. These are issues which cause health problems. I’m referring to recurring sewer gas smells, diesel fumes, brown water/plumbing issues, and according to fellow guests in other staterooms, inoperable air conditioning controls which led to breathing trouble or laryngitis. Sewer gas mishaps could be detected in different areas of the ship on different days as if they were rolling brown-outs. Read more