Veendam Review

4.0 / 5.0
0 reviews

Veendam - Southern Caribbean

Review for the Southern Caribbean Cruise on Veendam
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seamist
First Time Cruiser • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Nov 2005

First, I would like to say that this was a thoroughly enjoyable cruise that I would repeat without hesitation. The ports were absolutely fantastic. I found the ship to be elegant, not too big and not too small. It was built in 1996, and is beginning to show some signs of wear...but still well maintained in appearance.

I particularly enjoyed the fresh flowers throughout and the famous teak deck chairs on the Lower Promenade Deck. There did seem to be some minor toilet problems (not flushing properly), congestion in the Lido Restaurant, slippery pool deck, lack of a proper space for children to meet in, and in my honest opinion a poorly designed Ruben's Lounge. Balcony (or Upper Promenade Deck) seating there is abysmal at best as regards actually being able to see the shows. However I can say that Holland America is honestly attempting to address these negative issues with an month long upcoming dry dock in January of 2006.

While I have found the food to be better on some other lines, I did not consider it to be horrible by any means which my waist line can now attest to! I would however suggest improvement in variety for the Breakfast menu, both in the Lido Restaurant and in the main Dining Room. It was the same menu day after day for 14 days. Eggs, bacon, cereal, etc. etc. It also appeared that whatever was being served in the Dining Room would be on the menu at the Lido Buffet and vice versa which seemed redundant to me. It would make more sense to have a different choice(s) one from the other. On the other hand, there was always variety for lunch and dinner (different daily menus) and the taco/hamburger bar poolside is a great feature, along with that hand scooped ice cream bar! As far as beverage choices go, the coffee was drinkable but could use improvement, and it would have been nice to see lemonade available in addition to ice tea and water. Harry in the Lido Restaurant more than makes up for any shortcomings in the food department. A truly unique individual who made the cruise quite enjoyable. Service was outstanding. (And I say this having a dining room staff that sometimes was less than adequate in the evening sitting). However when this detail was brought to their attention, Holland America did make an effort to see that any problems in this area were resolved as quickly as possible to the point that towards the end of the cruise the dining room staff was exceptional and quite an improvement. The only fly in the service ointment was a wine steward who became quite rude if you did not order wine with your meal. While much has been made of poor quality in entertainment, I did not find that to be the case. I thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment aboard the Veendam. Violinist Kenny Watson was outstanding, and the Rosario Strings in the Explorer Lounge is a treat not to be missed. The problem is not so much that the entertainment is not being offered, as it is passengers not attending. Holland America should perhaps consider moving the start time for all late night entertainment throughout the various bars on board from 11:15 PM to 9:15 PM.

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