Veendam Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We chose this cruise for the itinerary and were not disappointed in any way. The refurbished ship is beautiful, clean, and everything looks brand new. The staff were all friendly and helpful, and the food in the MDR was very good. We ate in the Pinnacle once; it was OK but we enjoyed the MDR more. Entertainment was good if not excellent; there were some but not many activities during the day, but most everyone was off the ship anyway, as we only had one day at sea, and on that day there were many activities at all times. Embarkation was easy, as was disembarkation at the end of the trip. The Veendam is a small ship, so the staff/guest ration is much better than on the larger ships. It is comfortable, and we much prefer the smaller ships for this reason. Sailing up the Adriatic into Venice was an amazing and beautiful ending to our voyage.
Cabin Review
Neptune Deluxe Verandah Suite
The suite was spacious and had all the comforts we'd have expected. The bed was very comfortable, the sitting area was large and well laid out, and the dressing room was a nice space between the bed and the bathroom. Everything was brand new and perfect.
Port Reviews
Barcelona
We stayed here prior to departure. We chose a hotel in the Poblenau district, just east of downtown, which has its own Rambla, which we enjoyed.
Marseille
We took a taxi to/from the port area and walked the port. We took the choo-choo excursion and enjoyed it.
Monaco (Monte Carlo)
What a jewel! We took a Hop on Hop off tour to get a feel for the city and then enjoyed lunch at a dockside restaurant.
Florence (Livorno)
We took the shuttle to Livorno and picked up a bus tour to Florence, where we walked the old city and enjoyed its beauty. We lunched on amazing, paper-thin delicious pizza.
Rome (Civitavecchia)
We had a private driver for the day who took us into the city and was able to navigate the narrow roads into the places we wanted to see. Traffic is horrendous; our driver made it look easy. We saw the Pope in St. Peter's Square, and the Roman ruins and Coliseum were both amazing.
Naples
We didn't take an excursion here.
Taormina (Messina)
Sicily was interesting. We took a Hop on Hop off tour, and we watched Mt. Etna blowing white smoke from her volcanic top.
Corfu
We had a private driver who took us everywhere and showed us beautiful villages and views. We enjoyed a delicious "snack" he provided of beautiful bread dipped in olive oil and covered with feta and tomatoes.....
Dubrovnik
An extraordinarily beautiful walled city. We walked thru it to the port behind it and enjoyed our day. We did not walk the wall, as the price per person was 28 euros, but those who did enjoyed it very much.
Kotor
Another beautiful walled city. Smaller than Dubrovnik but situated next to beautiful sheer mountains.
Venice
Just the most beautiful city. Our ship was towed in by tugs to avoid any possible issues, and we immediately took the water taxi to San Marco to view the square and the rest of the city. Venice has been cleaned up and the water is also clean.