Veendam Review
I'm glad we went but I wouldn't do it again.
Rating by category
Additional details
We selected this cruise to travel with friends during the holidays, and we wanted to go through the Panama Canal. The Veendam was a nice size ship and easy to get around. Embarkation and disembarkation were smooth, because the ship was not too crowded. The ship was attractively decorated for the holidays, and even Santa found the ship on Christmas Day!
We had positive, negative, and average experiences during the cruise.
First, the positives:
Cabin Review
Lanai Ocean-View Stateroom
We had a cabin with a sliding door that opened onto the promenade deck where people could walk laps. It was quiet, due to the very heavy sliding glass door (with a crack in it, marring the view.) The bed was comfortable, and linens and towels were of good quality. Our stewards (Taufik and Charel) took good care of the room, created cool towel animals, and always greeted us by name. There was plenty of storage for a two-week cruise. The water in the shower was hot and had good pressure.
Our main complaint was the toilet, which sometimes leaked (fresh) water, flooding the bathroom. On other days, it wouldn't flush at all, causing us to need to use the public restrooms - however, fairly frequently, there would be an "Out of Order" sign on one of the stalls in the restrooms. One night, the water in the sink came out discolored. We reported all of these issues to customer service, and they were eventually resolved, but not terribly promptly. The plumber who visited our room said he was the only plumber available. Other people on our deck had similar or worse problems.
Port Reviews
Cartagena (Colombia)
Lots of species of beautiful birds! Our bus driver/tour guide pointed out birds for us.
Puerto Quetzal (Antigua)
The Coffee Estate and Antigua tour was very good. Our bus broke down on the way, but it was replaced within 30 minutes. There was a nice meal, and it was interesting to see the coffee production process.