Veendam Review
Amazing itinerary and great ship, which needs a little nightly entertainment
Rating by category
Additional details
The highlights of this cruise are absolutely the ports. Plan on lots of walking or touring. Each of the ports, Bar Harbor, Maine, Halifax, NS, Sydney, NS, Charlottestown, NS and Quebec, QC are amazing. When in Sydney, definitely do Louisbourg Fort.
The Fort employs people to reprise the jobs people had in the 1700's. We talked to a Cannonneer, a baker, a blacksmith, a musician and some household maids. Each was a unique and amazing experience. Bring a jacket. It is cold out there, no matter how warm it is in Sydney.
When in Charlottestown, definitely look up Experience PEI and do their Heritage Quest. They give you an old style GPS (that tells you kind of where you are going), clues to PEI Heritage and a crossword puzzle to fill out after you find the clues. We love walking tours. This one was just amazing. We spent 4.5 hours doing an in-depth tour of the city and its long history. We got to see some amazing buildings, some little known sights and had amazing fun doing it. Best self-guided (kind of) walking tour ever.
Cabin Review
Large Outside Stateroom (fully obstructed views)
What a bargain our "fully obstructed" stateroom was. Yes, if you look directly outside there is a steel panel. If you turn your head 10 degrees either way, you get a beautiful view outside. We were on the Lower Promenade Deck. This deck has an outside promenade and lounge chairs. We did not notice any noise, even though we were below the dining room. (Hard to believe.) We discussed the room category and frankly, this may be the best kept secret in the cruise business.
We had an issue with the AC the first day that was fixed as soon as humanly possible. Our room steward even warned us of the issue while in port.
The room was great but Baktee and his assistant steward made the experience. What great guys to have working with you to create a great experience.
Port Reviews
Boston
We toured on our own using the hop on hop off bus system and then running around the next day. The hop on hop off is a great way to get a feel for a city and we certainly did that. Boston has so much history and such interesting people. We had a great time.