Veendam Review
Rating by category
Additional details
Let me begin by saying that the cruise, embarkation port and the ports of call were tremendous. The sights from the ship were tremendous and aside from fall, this cruise path was downright awesome in the late spring.
This was only our second cruise experience. We have previously sailed on Costa in the past to Norway and found it to be an amazing experience. Based on our previous experience and from friends who have touted Holland America Lines (HAL) as one of the better cruise lines to take, we decided to take this cruise with them. Unlike our usual selves, we did book this through our local travel service and I think we got a very good rate on the cruise and airfare.
So, let's start with the good:
Cabin Review
Our room was one of only a few that must have been added when the ship was "refurbished" in 2009. From the very small veranda, you could see the openings that had been welded over and where the hole had been cut for the new doors to the balcony. Rust was showing on many areas on the balcony and exterior of the ship in general. The furnishings in the room were OK, but very dated. There was a water-feature/fountain that sat unplugged throughout our cruise - I don't think I would have wanted that thing on anyway. There was lots of room for storage with three large wardrobes across from the bathroom. None of them fit too well and the doors didn't always close completely. The beds were an upgrade at this stateroom level and were VERY comfortable and you were provided with three pillows each with varying firmness. The linens were very nice and comfortable as well and we slept like a baby. We had purposely chosen a deck on the starboard side of the ship to get good views of the coastlines and they were indeed phenomenal. The room was kept immaculate by our awesome steward. The room was made up as two twin beds and he promptly converted it to a double bed upon our request. He was very friendly and always got us new towels prior to bed. We had breakfast in our room on two mornings and the room service was impeccable.