A fabulous cruise experience on the refurbished Veendam
This is a review of Veendam after its recent dry dock. We were on the 5/24 Southbound sailing from Seward.As a young couple in our mid 30s, we've been on Princess cruises about 10 times but never on Holland America.We are forced to take a last minute vacation with just 3 weeks notice and I couldn't believe my eye when I saw the last minute deal of Veendam for less than $330 per person. We grabbed it immediately just 20 days before the sailing date and were eventually upgraded and assigned a category DA standard ocean view cabin 10 days before sailing. Booked a pre-cruise hotel from hotwire at about $70. It turns out to be Inlet Tower at the edge of downtown Anchorage.Flew in to Anchorage on Saturday night, took the free shuttle to Inlet Tower hotel, and walked to Benihana to have a late teppanyaki dinner.Sunday morning the hotel dropped us off at the Alaska railroad train station around 6AM. Booked the train together with Major Marine boat tour. The train ride was very scenic. We revisited turnagain arm and it's our first time to see Spencer Glacier, which is only visible from the train. There are still huge amount of snow and ice along the rail tracks.Arrived Seward at 11AM and took the Kenai Fjord 5-hour boat tour. Saw lots of humpback whales, goats, and bald eagles. Checked in the Veendam ship around 6PM. It took us about 10 minute to go through the process.
Cabin was pretty spacious compared to previous experiences on Princess. We were pleasantly surprised. The bed was very comfortable. It's a Tempur-pedic with pillow top. A bit softer than our bed at home but still extremely nice. The new LCD TV and DVD player is also a nice plus. We brought a few DVDs from home and enjoyed it in our room a few times. Other times the TV was constantly on channel 44 (the bridge cam).So I know what exactly is ahead of us and what is on the starboard side (from my own window).
right across a frequently accessed crew space; a bit noisy but okay to me (not light sleeper); great window and large room.