We had never been on a cruise before, and I really couldn't see myself as a cruiser. We've always been very independent travelers, eschewing package tours and the like. But we were going to New York for a day and a half, and wanted to extend our vacation. Having spent time in NYC recently, we decided to take a cruise. We picked the Veendam cruise because it gave us a little more time in Bermuda, somewhere neither of us had ever visited.

Embarkation was efficient and we found our cabin without difficulty. Our luggage appeared almost immediately. Following lunch in the buffet was a lifeboat drill, and the departure. The ship sailed past the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and under the Verazzano Narrows bridge into the Atlantic. Eventually, it arrived at St. George, and we left on the first tender. After spending a day at St. George, the ship moved to Hamilton, and was tied along the main street. This was a very convenient location, and it was nice to be able to leave the ship and be in downtown Hamilton.

Our experience on the ship was generally very positive. It was clean, the crew were friendly and helpful, and we thought the food was good, even very good. In fact, the quality of the food exceeded my expectations. There were many dining options: the buffet, with fairly typical buffet type food, where we ate breakfast and usually lunch; the main dining room, with a nice menu which varied from day to day; the Pinnacle grill, an extra cost dining room ($25) where we ate one night; and an Italian restaurant, no extra cost. Plus various snack places, and special events. Read more