Veendam Review

4.0 / 5.0
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Horrible Weather on an Old Ship Yet Still a good Cruise

Review for Canada & New England Cruise on Veendam
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richstowe
6-10 Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Jul 2015
Cabin: Lanai Ocean-View Stateroom

Extreme cold and rain on an old ship sounds like a recipe for disaster and yet we had a good time . This was our first HAL cruise . This is the smallest ship we have ever been on but we were surprised by the quality of the food and entertainment . We felt the space to passenger ratio was very generous . HAL offered a few differences over the other cruise lines including great drink prices (as well as happy hours) , an actual library , daily free mini newspapers , a jazz trio for dancing , $5 blackjack tables and smoking permitted balconies . Many of these are vestiges of the past which, except for the last, are missed .

We booked just 2 1/2 weeks prior to departure with a guaranteed unobstructed ocean-view cabin. Two hours after receiving an e-mail with our cabin, we got an offer of a lanai cabin, which we took . Great decision . Our steward was efficient and met all our requests . Being on the promenade allowed us to use the walking track which circled the ship , a design feature which sadly seems to be a thing of the past .

Food - MDR food was good but the Maitre'ds were not helpful for those without set dining times . At times there were 5 or more groups waiting when there were many empty tables . Portions were small allowing us to enjoy more then a single choice . The shrimps were the largest and tastiest we have ever had on a cruise .

Cabin Review

Lanai Ocean-View Stateroom

Cabin CA

We booked late and were offered an up-sell of a handicapped Lanai cabin . It was great being 50 % larger then other cabins . Huge bathroom with an open shower . It felt like showering at the YMCA . The room had adapted features , none of which were issues . The cabin opened up right on to the (lower) Promenade deck which was great . Not private but it felt like we had a one acre balcony . We had two reserved deck chairs right outside the sliding door . Very glad we chose it .

The cabin although well kept was clearly dated with older furnishings , no fridge and a bolted on DVD on the TV . No accessing your folio by TV . The toilet made noise but we didn't wish to get involved with plumbers so we kept the door closed .

Port Reviews

Quebec City

Very rainy . We spent hours at the Musées de la Civilisation which had multiple exhibits including one on magic in ancient Egypt Another on the NFB (National Film Board of Canada) cartoons and a permanent exhibit on the history of the people of Quebec .There were many more exhibits which were all in English as well as French. We got a ticket that allowed us to visit a sister museum ,the Musée de la Place Royal which had a short 3D film about Samuel de Champlain. Artsy and fun .

Quebec City was, as always, beautiful with great places to investigate.

Charlottetown (Prince Edward Island)

We had a pleasant day in the provincial capital of this itty bitty province . We walked along the water through Victoria Park and then visited Government House which is the home of the Lieutenant Governor . We were given a pleasant tour of the building and then viewed the gardens . No charge .

We walked to the PEI Brewing Company brewery where we took the tour which included samples . Since there were no other visitors, we had a private tour .The beer was good and worth the $10 fee .

We walked back to the port . Pretty town .

Sydney (Nova Scotia)

We planned to visit the Alexander Graham Bell Museum, a one hour drive out of Sydney as Baddeck has more to offer then Sydney . We reserved a car from Discount Car Rentals and I called at 8 to arrange pick-up from the port . They said they had no car for me and expected me to be concerned about the terrible situation they were in . I was not. I called back at 9:15 for a last chance and was told that if we were 2 we could have a cargo van . No I am not kidding . So we drove to Baddeck through fog , rain and steep hills in this large van . We had a nice day and earned a story to tell the kids .

The Bell Museum was interesting . It is not the actual Bell home , called Beinn Bhreagh Hall . Baddeck is a charming town with lots of lunch options .

Halifax

We enjoyed the best weather day of our cruise on a serious walking tour of Halifax . We walked through the waterfront boardwalk and through the downtown area both of which are clean and inviting with great stores and restaurants . We eventually made our way to the Halifax Public Gardens . Very pretty. Finally we made our way through the old South end past St Mary's University on the way to Point Pleasant Park which was very impressive with well kept, clearly marked walking trails . We finally dragged ourselves back to the ship .

Bar Harbor

This is a classic New England shore town with great old mansions , stores and restaurants , We started by walking to Bar Island ,hiking up to the top . It actually becomes an island at high tide . We then took the Island Express a fantastic free shuttle service which covers Mt Desert Island and Acadia National Park which surrounds Bar Harbor . You can hop on and off on the various stops and they will even pick you up if you flag these buses down . Truly a great service for which we happily made a donation . The walk along Ocean Path trail between Thunder Hole and Otter Cliff is spectacular .

The town is great with lots of great tourist spots and great inns and B&B's .

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