Veendam Review
Rating by category
Additional details
This itinerary is amazing! We enjoyed many great ports, highlighted by Rio and the ports of the Amazon. It was a bucket list cruise for me.
We have spent a total of 90 days on the Veendam, 83 of them with Capt. Van der Wahl and cruise director Christina. Love them! Total confidence in the competence of this captain who has guided us through an ice field in Greenland and shallow waters entering the Amazon. The service given by room stewards, dining room waiters,reception and bar staff is exceptional.
Entertainment was mediocre. Part of this is due to the fact that those who perform must either be from a nation that is not required to have a visa or have a visa. Exceptions were the fantastic Veendam singers and dancers who gave many wonderful performances and piano bar entertainer Jeremy who is one of the best. Guest entertainers Jo Little and Joe West from the UK were my favorite guest entertainers. Jo Little is not only a great comedian but a great singer as well. Joe West is a great singer who can play multiple instruments. Most of the guest entertainers were from the UK as UK is not required to have a Brazilian visa.
Cabin Review
Large Ocean-View Stateroom
Our cabin was great! It was a large OV, letter of which I am not sure of.
There was good storage which is helpful on a long voyage. It is located near the front elevators and was very convenient to activities and entertainment.
Port Reviews
Half Moon Cay
We love Half Moon Cay! If you've not done a sting ray experience, this is a great place to do it. Having been here a number of times, we bring our own snorkel equipment and enjoy the snorkeling area with no additional cost.
Curacao
Don't buy at the distillery. The samples were tiny and I stupidly assumed the pricey bottles I bought in a gift set were of Curacao. They were colored triple sec! Don't waste your money going to a distillery.
St. Maarten
We went to Airport Beach on our own. The destination speaker encouraged this after we'd asked about it. It is interesting to watch the planes come in at the beach. It is NOT a beach to enjoy a beach day. The beach has been graded so that the road and airport do not flood. This results in a dangerously rough surf that knocked me for a loop and others as well.
Port of Spain (Trinidad)
Okay excursion. Best part at the Monastery was seeing the hummingbirds.
Aruba
DH took the Scuba experience. I had heard once onboard that the water was rogh at Aruba and canceled mine....good decision as the water was indeed rough and they didn't see much of anything.