This was our 22nd cruise and the 7th with HAL, previously sailing with Cunard (4), Disney (4), Princess (4), Royal Caribbean (2) and Celebrity (1). We wanted to avoid the hurricane season to Bermuda later this year as we did not have much luck the first time we went in August 2006 with our kids. Back then, we were on RCCL Empress of the Seas, which has now left their fleet, and encountered the remnants of Hurricane Ernesto on the journey back to Philadelphia. In August 2010 we were on the Caribbean Princess to Canada and New England when Hurricane Earl ruined our plans. Last year in late August 2011, who could forget Hurricane Irene. We now avoid travelling anywhere near the east coast in late August because the statistical odds are high that you can expect a major weather-related problem. All this effort to avoid travelling near end August and we still could not avoid bad weather for this voyage.

This was the 1st of 19 cruises for the Veendam to Bermuda. From speaking to the onboard staff and from other discussions on cruisecritic, no HAL ship will be coming back to Bermuda next year or anytime in the future with a Bermuda-only destination, although HAL ships will continue to call here for a day (or two) as part of multi-port itineraries or transatlantic crossings. While docked in Bermuda, all the casinos and shops are closed due to Bermuda's laws. This obviously reduced income for the ship, compounded by having to pay wages (someone said it was reduced but I don't know) to employees who cannot work.

We are six hour drive from NYC and after looking at all the options to get to the port such as Amtrak, bus, driving or flying, we chose driving because of the convenience of going when you want. With the cruise leaving and arriving on a Sunday, the reduced traffic in Manhattan makes driving there much easier. We stayed on the NJ side as there was no need to stay in Manhattan the night before. Parking is $35 per night or $245 for the week at the port. No other good options to save money and ensure our car is safe. If driving, you should arrive at the parking lot early as by about 1 pm, there was only one or two parking spots left. There are always one or two ships leaving on the same day. The overflow parking is on 59th St for the same price and you still have to cab it from there, thus reducing the convenience of driving. We met a couple who arrived at the ship at about 4:15 pm due to multiple delays enroute. As always, have a backup plan which could include flying to Bermuda to meet the ship. Read more