Veendam - worth sailing old ship for great itinerary?

My husband and I last cruised in 2008 for our 5th anniversary, when we took a Panama Canal cruise on HAL's Amsterdam. We are considering another HAL cruise for our 15th anniversary next year.

We love the itinerary of the New England/Bermuda cruise on Veendam, and the dates work for when we want to travel. Unfortunately, however, this cruise has gotten a lot of negative reviews, mainly due to the poor condition of the Veendam.

Has anyone been on this itinerary? What are your thoughts? We don't need world class food or entertainment, but we don't want problems, either.

I've done New England/Canada cruises on both Maasdam and Veendam with no problems. To me, the biggest issue on Veendam is the stupid "retreat" area that replaced the aft pool. But if you're doing a northern itinerary, that shouldn't matter so much. And for the Bermuda part, you can be off the ship much of the time, so unless the pool is a big issue for you, I don't think it would matter much on that part of the trip. I did Bermuda on Veendam and I don't think we used the pool. We went to the beach.

This cruise is great as the V can docked right in the center of Hamilton which has easy access to downtown and the bus service. Yes, the V doesn't have all the gold and glitter of the newer ships but for us the most important thing was the actual time spent at the island. Circumstances can happen on a newer ship just as well. No one ever asks how old their airplanes are or how many miles they have traveled. HAL tries to keep up with repairs which are hard to do when the ship keeps sailing. Get the 2 days bus/ferry pass and you can easily get around to all points of the island. St. George is very different from Hamilton. It is a beautiful island.

Loved my trip to Bermuda on the Veendam. Excellent crew and ship is small enough to get right into downtown Hamilton close to the bus station and ferry terminal. (Didn't do the New England/Canada portion as I would have ended up "home"). I'd go again on her no problem.

This has been discussed several times here on the board in the past few months. The consensus has pretty much been what's already been stated here--people don't like the Retreat area at the back of the ship, stuff can happen on any ship of any age, Veendam's in good shape but not glitzy or new/modern, and the itinerary is great. And there are a few people you couldn't pay to sail on Veendam. I did the Bermuda trip in May and enjoyed it very much. We did have a plumbing issue one day that was fixed quickly; ship does happen and no one on any ship can guarantee you that it won't. I would much rather do what you propose and do the Canada run as well to make it two weeks. I'd happily go on Veendam again (did have another cruise booked on her for next year until HAL cancelled it). YMMV so check this board for recent commentary on the ship.

Loved my trip to Bermuda on the Veendam. Excellent crew and ship is small enough to get right into downtown Hamilton close to the bus station and ferry terminal. (Didn't do the New England/Canada portion as I would have ended up "home"). I'd go again on her no problem.

Thanks; this is helpful! I have heard that the Hamilton part is one of the main attractions. :)

Veendam's in good shape but not glitzy or new/modern, and the itinerary is great. And there are a few people you couldn't pay to sail on Veendam. I did the Bermuda trip in May and enjoyed it very much.

Glitzy or new/modern we don't need; the fact that you recently enjoyed the Bermuda trip and would sail Veendam again is helpful; thanks.

Without asking anyone to completely reinvent the wheel, would someone briefly mind telling me what the retreat area issue is?

We were on the Veendam for 35 days in 2015 for the Voyage of the Vikings and it was great. The only negative is they removed the aft pool and seating area many years ago on the aft lido deck for a large raised Hot tub area. We love the smaller ships and will be on the Veendam again starting Oct 7 for 13 days for the cruise from Montreal to FLL and looking forward to a great cruise.:D

We were on the Veendam for 35 days in 2015 for the Voyage of the Vikings and it was great. The only negative is they removed the aft pool and seating area many years ago on the aft lido deck for a large raised Hot tub area.

btobey, this is the Retreat problem that folks complain about. If you're into hot tubs, you may actually enjoy this (was certainly popular spot on my cruise). However, because it is a raised area, it blocks the nice views that one would've gotten with the old pool area (which her sister ship Maasdam still has, as does Amsterdam which I think you said you sailed before). It's not as nice to sit out there now if you're there for wide open view, and I don't think walking over to the railing to just stand and stare was very practical, just so many deck chairs to weave through (but if you just want some sun, there's plenty of chairs). A few tables near the doors to the interior with pretty much no view--I prefer sitting at a table, so this was a bummer for me. The one plus of this area in my opinion is the New York Pizza, which I thought was very good, and Maasdam doesn't have it. Also there's only one pool on Veendam. And since they also added some cabins with this Retreat renovation, the stern end of Veendam looks weird when compared to the classic lines of Maasdam. These things may or may not matter to you. Not inherently good or bad, just different from what a lot of people previously enjoyed on this ship (and still do on some of the others). Having experienced both, I definitely strongly preferred Maasdam's aft pool area to Veendam's Retreat, but the latter wouldn't likely be a complete deal breaker for me.

Been on ms Veendam 4 times since 2012, the last in 2015. We've done 2 NE/Canada, Bermuda and Circle Hawaii on her. Yes to most of the comments, and we always found the ship in good nick and the crew and captains excellent. Pinnacle Grill has windows and there is a wonderful display of blown glass on the ledge between Ocean Bar and the Atrium. We'd sail her again in a nanosecond.

Been on ms Veendam 4 times since 2012, the last in 2015. We've done 2 NE/Canada, Bermuda and Circle Hawaii on her. Yes to most of the comments, and we always found the ship in good nick and the crew and captains excellent. Pinnacle Grill has windows and there is a wonderful display of blown glass on the ledge between Ocean Bar and the Atrium. We'd sail her again in a nanosecond.

...And we would go with both of you.:cool:

of course it is

My husband and I last cruised in 2008 for our 5th anniversary, when we took a Panama Canal cruise on HAL's Amsterdam. We are considering another HAL cruise for our 15th anniversary next year.

 

 

 

We love the itinerary of the New England/Bermuda cruise on Veendam, and the dates work for when we want to travel. Unfortunately, however, this cruise has gotten a lot of negative reviews, mainly due to the poor condition of the Veendam.

 

 

 

Has anyone been on this itinerary? What are your thoughts? We don't need world class food or entertainment, but we don't want problems, either.

We did this cruise twice...in '13 and in '15. Loved it!

Plan to do it next may or June for our 50th anniversary. Our honeymoon in 1968 was spent in Bermuda.

[emoji898]🥂[emoji512]🥂[emoji898]

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The Veendam had a lot of problems perhaps 7 or 8 years ago. The problems have been fixed (except for the retreat) but they never seemed to get fixed in people's minds. I've had 2 great cruises on her and would go again in a heartbeat.

Roy

We had a great Panama Canal cruise on Veendam a couple years ago -- 17 nights. No problems at all. Lovely experience. Thumbs up.

I HATE the Retreat area on the Veendam, but otherwise like the ship.

One other thing I don't like is the large number of Lanai cabins on Lower Promenade. Not only did we lose a lot of viewing area at the Retreat, but also a lot when many loungers on the promenade were reserved for people in the cabins located there.

Loved this ship, perfect size and great crew. What a bonus to dock in Hamilton while all of the other ships are way out in the Dockyard which is a ferry ride away. We had an aft corner and I was surprised how quickly I could get to the Explorations Cafe way up front. I'd Go again.

I HATE the Retreat area on the Veendam, but otherwise like the ship.

 

 

 

 

One other thing I don't like is the large number of Lanai cabins on Lower Promenade. Not only did we lose a lot of viewing area at the Retreat, but also a lot when many loungers on the promenade were reserved for people in the cabins located there.

The Retreat is dreadful. Last time we went to Bermuda on the Veendam, we booked a lanai. The crew worked on the lower promenade the entire time we were in Bermuda rendering our use of it impossible. May as well have saved $ and booked an outside!

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I also have sailed the 35 day Voyage of the Vikings on the Veendam.

I will NOT sail on the Veendam nor any in her class for a number of irreparable reasons not mentioned yet.

First the crew and food were excellent as one would expect of HAL.

The Veendam has no midship set of elevators/ stairs. This makes for crowding in the elevators at popular times such as dinner and disembarking. If you are "stair worthy" this might not be too much of a problem.

The showroom balcony seating is for me, and by my observation, a lot of others, is uninhabitable for any amount of time such as the shows, port talks, or lectures. This causes the main floor showroom to become very overcrowded. The seating on the the main deck isn't much more comfortable. With chairs added from outside the showroom, exiting the showroom can become an ordeal. I'm surprised that the safety officer didn't stop the addition of chairs. If you don't intend to use the showroom this probably doesn't matter.

Our veranda cabin was very narrow. I'd guess there was not much more than 18 inches of space between the wall and the end of the bed. I cannot speak to the other class of rooms.

If you don't mind the foregoing issues, have a great cruise.

I like this ship. Others complain about the aft pool removal, but on the Maasdam I saw nothing but smokers in the aft area reserved for them. They wandered near the pool area and made it smoky. I agree with Ruth about fewer chairs on the Promenade deck, due to lanai cabins. I've no problem with an older ship unless it leaks like crazy and is dirty. That would be a deal breaker for me.

We did this cruise twice...in '13 and in '15. Loved it!

 

Plan to do it next may or June for our 50th anniversary. Our honeymoon in 1968 was spent in Bermuda.

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Sheila, if it works out, maybe my husband and I will get to meet you! :) Although it will only be our 15th anniversary, we will have been together 30 years next year (took us awhile to tie the knot, LOL)--and you and your husband can inspire us to keep going.

Thank you to joekerstef for the explanation of the Retreat area. It sounds like more of an issue for those who have been on the ship before and don't like the change, which isn't really us. We might dip in the hot tub for a few minutes, but we are more likely to find quiet areas of the ship where we can read or promenades where we can just watch the ocean.

When we sailed Amsterdam, my husband and I had both turned 40 that year, and we may have been the youngest people on the ship--in fact, one night, to our amusement, a woman with a British accent said "I've sighted the young couple!" ;p But as we don't have children, we tend to enjoy activities of an older crowd anyway.

Thanks so much for all the great replies. My husband and I definitely have a preference for a smaller ship--we would prefer to stay <2000, but probably the size of Celebrity's Galaxy (around 2400) would be about our max.

Finally, Airnocker, I do appreciate your disenting opinions. I don't know that crowed elevators/show rooms would be big issues for us either--I am more concerned about poor maintenance and upkeep. But definitely I will stay alert as to whether others share your views!

...And we would go with both of you.:cool:

Ditto! Miss you both!

We did the Panama Canal on the Veendam, 15 days in January 2017. We had and saw no problems and didn't hear anyone else complaining. It was reconditioned in 2016. We liked the decor. We liked the size - only 1266 passengers. The Retreat was a mistake - it clutters up the aft deck and is virtually unused - but there are still plenty of lounge chairs if you want sunshine.

We did the Panama Canal on the Veendam' date=' 15 days in January 2017. We had and saw no problems and didn't hear anyone else complaining. It was reconditioned in 2016. We liked the decor. We liked the size - only 1266 passengers. The Retreat was a mistake - it clutters up the aft deck and is virtually unused - but there are still plenty of lounge chairs if you want sunshine.[/quote']

Thanks for the info! :)

I have a follow-up question: for those who have actually done the Canada/NE/Bermuda itinerary on Veendam, did 4 days in Hamilton feel like too much? If we take this trip, it would be only be the 3rd cruise for my husband--although our last cruise was also 14 days, there were many more sea days, as it was a Panama Canal sailing. I'm not sure how he'll feel about spending so many days in port.

Complaints about the Veendam have been around for several years. I'm glad I did not pay any attention to them before booking our cruise from Quebec to Boston a couple of years ago. On the other hand, there was a plumbing issue--water gushing down a stairwell even. Some cabins were affected. But most people did not even realize there was a problem. We just happened to be passing by when it started. The crew jumped into action immediately.