We booked our cruise to Bermuda with HAL having high expectations based on past experience with the line. We sailed to Alaska last fall on the Oosterdam and everything was fantastic. Nice clean spacious ship. Impeccable customer service. Great food and entertainment. It was a wonderful cruise despite the non-stop rain and gray days. HAL was impressive.

Sadly, our experience on our cruise to Bermuda could not have been more different. The first thing we noticed about the outside of the Veendam was the fact that she was filthy. Rust stained the otherwise white paint and the windows were cloudy looking. Overall the ship appeared old, dinghy and run down.

On board things weren't much better. The carpet was worn in many areas, the decor in our cabin was dated, the elevators had scratches on the doors with pieces missing from the inside, the railings on deck were weathered and rough, and again it all had the appearance that the vessel was nor being maintained very well. Read more