Veendam after dry dock questions....

[CRUISELDP]

Sailing July 4th -NYC to Bermuda and counting the days....

Has anyone been on the Veendam since it's dry dock two years ago. Was on this ship, 20 day cruise, right before it was going into dry dock and it was looking pretty sad, just wondering how the ship looks now.

 

Also can anyone tell me what the Retreat Pool area is? Are there cabana's and can you rent them for the week, if so are they worth it. Did they upgrade the spa area to include a hydrotherapy pool or is it still just the sauna and thermal lounge benches?

 

Were all the public areas redone as well. And one more question I believe I saw this ship last year in Vancouver and thought there was a giant movie screen on the back of the ship? Thanks for your help.

[Krazy Kruizers]

There are no cabanas in the retreat area. They have placed lounge chairs in the curving water area -- looks like a wading pool.

The Mix has replaced the Piano Bar, Casino Bar area.

It is not really a hydo pool -- all the S class ships have a whirlpool in what is called the hydro area -- it is small. These ships could not support a big hydro pool like the one on the Vista and Signature class ships.

There is a Movie screen back in that Rereat area as well as the pizza "Slice".

[CRUISELDP]

Thank you for the info, especially before I make my travel agent go crazy trying to book me a cabana!

[KWIN]

CRUISELDP

Also going to Bermuda on the 4th! - Come join the Roll Call!

[Copper10-8]

Sailing July 4th -NYC to Bermuda and counting the days....

Has anyone been on the Veendam since it's dry dock two years ago. Was on this ship, 20 day cruise, right before it was going into dry dock and it was looking pretty sad, just wondering how the ship looks now.

 

Also can anyone tell me what the Retreat Pool area is? Are there cabana's and can you rent them for the week, if so are they worth it. Did they upgrade the spa area to include a hydrotherapy pool or is it still just the sauna and thermal lounge benches?

 

Were all the public areas redone as well. And one more question I believe I saw this ship last year in Vancouver and thought there was a giant movie screen on the back of the ship? Thanks for your help.

 

Here's some info plus pics of Veendam's amenities incl. the always interesting Retreat Pool area:;) Enjoy Veendam + Bermuda; we'll be giving them both a go in SEP

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-vacation-onboard/Veendam

[John Cruise]

Good luck with the service on the Veendam.

I was on it in October and it was not good.:mad:

[CRUISELDP]

I am so sorry to hear that, the main reason I always sail HAL is for the outstanding service that we receive (at least on the smaller ships). They have lost that personal feel on their bigger ships where no one seems to care about customer service or making you feel special. Hope this is not the way it is going to be on all their lines.

[dobbsie]

We were on the Veendam for 3 weeks from Valparaiso to Rio over Christmas/New Years. Except for the gastro intestinal problem on board the cruise was terrific. Never had a complaint about the crew. They were overworked because of the code something, but we never heard a complaint. We had open seating dining and always had the same table and same wait staff. An open mind is a wonderful thing.

[bermuda triangle]

I found the crew to be friendly and pleasant as usual. Unfortunately when the 40 cabins were added (where the pool was removed) the amount of staff stayed the same. We were under semi-code red conditions the entire cruise. There was a head cold (which I have now) going around. The strain on the staff is noticed.

Laura