You can go to heaven, I'll go to Bermuda - Aug 15th Veendam review

[indimini]

Background

Our family just returned from the MS Veendam 7 day cruise to Bermuda. I thought I'd share my impressions of the cruise as a first-time cruisers on HAL and a first-time travelers to Bermuda. Our party consisted of myself, my wife, our 18 y.o. daughter and 12 y.o. son. We had a Cat "C" ocean view (room 327, forward) and a Lanai (room 351 mid-ship).

 

Embarkation

Embarkation was very smooth. We drove from Maryland, doing the bulk of the drive the day before, staying in Edison NJ for the night. Sunday morning, we took the scenic route into the city by way of the Verrazano Narrows and Brooklyn bridges. Parking wasn't as plentiful as I'd expected when we arrived just after 11 am. We were quickly inside the terminal, dropped off the bags and made our way through check-in very quickly. By the time we finished checking in, our group was allowed on board the ship so there was no need to wait in the lounge area.

 

Ship/Cabins

Veendam is definitely the smallest ship we've ever sailed on, but it has a good flow so it never felt too crowded. We headed up to Lido for lunch and sail-away drinks. I also ended up purchasing the cocktails card - $56.00 + tip or $68 and change for ten drinks was a good deal for us. In general, drink prices on Veendam were very good, drinks were large albeit a bit on the weak side. Just make sure, if you buy the card, that you don't use it on any drinks of the day or you will be spending more for a drink than necessary.

 

Cabins opened up around 1:30, so we headed down to check out the rooms. A/C wasn't an issue in either cabin, although I personally felt the Lanai was a bit warm while still in port. (I was in the minority as the rest of the family thought the rooms were comfortable to cool.) I'd been reading mixed reviews on the Lanai concept prior to the cruise but must say we loved the concept and execution of the cabin. Being able to step out onto the promenade first thing in the morning to catch a sunrise was so ideal. We only saw our reserved lounge chairs used by others two times the entire week - and by the same older gentleman. Neither time was it an issue as we were either heading off to shore or to eat, so there was never any need to ask a fellow traveler to give up the chairs. Speaking of which, having the deck chairs always available was wonderful - it was so nice to be able to hop out of the room with a book vs. having to head up to decks 11 or 12 and try to find a place to sit. The retreat area was always popular, especially on sea days, so I appreciated the convenience of the lanai.

 

Service by our room stewards was exceptional. We saw the stewards several times a day, always with a smile and willing to chat. I'd asked on two separate occasions for ice to chill some wine/champagne and also asked for a half-dozen champagne flutes and they were delivered and set up promptly.

 

Dining

We had open dining, so never got to know any of the wait staff, but service was always prompt and friendly. We ate in Rotterdam four nights for dinner (with the first night at Canaletto's and two nights at tables in the retreat area, getting food from Lido's). All four nights in Rotterdam, we were seated immediately however, we had table guests each night as well. Table guests was not a problem as we enjoyed meeting our fellow travelers. My favorite dinner guests were a couple from Germany. They provided great conversations plus I gained some insights into Germany/European politics which I enjoyed. Food overall was good to very good, with my favorites being the chilled fruit soups. Desserts were the weak link in an otherwise varied and tasty dinner menu. (I found the cakes to be very heavy, dry and lacking in flavor.)

 

St. George

Bermuda itself was absolutely beautiful. We had temperatures in the mid-80's every day with nary a drop of rain. The last morning in Hamilton, the humidity was quite high, but since all we were doing was hitting the shops it didn't matter much. St. George was the most challenging day because of the impracticality of returning to the ship mid-day. That meant we had to carry our beach gear and still be able to freshen up to do any other sight-seeing. We ended up touring Fort Catherine and then going to Catherine beach right next to the fort after stopping for lunch at Blackbeard's Hideout which was conveniently steps away from the beach and fort.

 

Local Transit

We made the mistake of buying 3 day bus passes as soon as we arrived in St. George, only to find that no bus actually goes up to the fort. I blame myself for not studying the bus system better before reaching the islands. We did use the bus system the next two days in Hamilton, but could have done with either a ticket book or 2 day pass. Speaking of which, we found it odd that not a single bus driver or ferry attendant ever really looked at or marked the tickets so I doubt they would ever know if you bought a 1,2 or 3 day pass. Curious.

 

Hamilton

Hamilton is a perfect point from which to see the Island. Our first day, we took our snorkel gear and headed out to Church Bay, by way of bus #7. Church is a bit past Horseshoe bay and was relatively quiet. I had read that the snorkeling here is the best in Bermuda and I have no reason to believe otherwise. The abundance of parrot fish, coral and other sea creatures was amazing. The beach itself is stunning to behold.

 

After snorkeling, we hopped back on the bus to Hamilton - what's great is that almost all the busses returning to Hamilton come down Front St, so you don't have very far to walk to return to the ship. We freshened up, grabbed lunch and then returned to town that afternoon to do some sightseeing and window shopping. Later that night, we attended the street festival and went to check out the local grocery shop (123 Front St.) We find that visiting grocery stores is a great way to learn about a local area - foods people eat speaks volumes of their culture.

 

Day two, we again packed our snorkel gear and took the ferry over to the Naval yards. We paid the $5 per head to get in to the snorkel park (they only take cash, but an ATM is nearby if needed.) Honestly, the snorkel park was a big disappointment. The waters were nice and shallow, but so sandy, the water was too murky to really see while snorkeling. That combined with a lack of fish and some sickly looking coral paled in comparison to what we experienced for free at Church Bay. We wandered around the naval yards for a bit then headed back to the ship for lunch. Later that afternoon, we hopped on the #11 bus out to Crystal caves. It turned out that the stop for the caves on that route was where the original Swizzle Inn is located. We knew we'd be stopping before our return bus trip home. We headed down a couple of blocks to the Crystal caves, arriving around 4:10. It turned out the last tour of the day was at 4:30, so we made it in time for that last tour. (We caught the 3:30 bus, so if you do caves late in the day, plan accordingly.) The cave was a sight to behold - definitely worth the time and expense. Post cave, we hit the Swizzle Inn for a pitcher of Rum Swizzles. Honestly, we all preferred Dark and Stormy's to the Rum Swizzle which has a very bitter aftertaste. But, sometimes you just have to play "tourist". We grabbed the #3 bus back to Hamilton. What a difference between the #11 and #3 -- it seemed that the #3 bus goes through a much more affluent section of the island, as evidenced by the houses we saw and the lack of locals riding the bus.

 

Originally, we'd planned on heading to another beach that evening, but everybody was too tired to even think about heading out a 3rd time.

 

Sail-Away/Final Sea Day

As I mentioned earlier, we only hit the shops on Friday morning. We considered going out snorkeling one last time, but the kids weren't interested in getting up and out early enough to ensure we'd be back by 12:30. It was so humid, that being on board the cool ship was fine by me. A little before 1:00, the ship pushed away from Hamilton. We opened up our champagne and shared with fellow CC'ers and neighbors Betty and John as we watched Bermuda disappear behind us.

 

Our last full day on the ship was spent taking in some of the on-board activities. We went to the talk about the Bermuda triangle (which apparently I slept through.) and then the demo on towel folding. Both were fun ways to enjoy the ship. We also took advantage of a great DVD collection on the ship, watching several movies during the week.

 

Disembarkation/Final Thoughts

Arrival back to NY found us in overcast/rainy weather. A marked contrast to the perfect weather during the time in Bermuda and a good way to remind me that it was time to return to reality. We walked off the ship at 9:00 am and were in the car, headed for home by 9:30.

 

The week left me feeling rejuvenated which is the best test of a vacation for me. We all found the HAL ship to be comfortable, service impeccable and food plentiful. I can see now why Mark Twain loved Bermuda so much - we plan on returning in the future.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for your wonderful review.

 

Glad you all enjoyed Bermuda.

 

Years ago we also went to the Crystal Caves -- really loved them.

[Ali70]

Thanks, that was a great review. I'm on the Veendam this Sunday (29th). I'm really looking forward to it, fingers crossed that Tropical Storm/Hurricane Danielle doesn't mess things up

[aliaschief]

Nicely written review...thanks for taking the time.

[RalphWiggum]

Thanks. I enjoyed reading your review.

[family cruisers]

Great review.

We too are on this 29th cruise and lets keep everything crossed Danielle disappears. See you on the Veendam to BERMUDA !!!:)

Thanks, that was a great review. I'm on the Veendam this Sunday (29th). I'm really looking forward to it, fingers crossed that Tropical Storm/Hurricane Danielle doesn't mess things up

[dtiger]

Interesting and informative review, thanks for taking the time to write it.

[Ali70]

Great review.

We too are on this 29th cruise and lets keep everything crossed Danielle disappears. See you on the Veendam to BERMUDA !!!:)

 

 

I love your optimism :) and while i'm also feeling optimistic that we'll get to Bermuda, I think I might do some research this week on Canada/ New England ports just so that I'll be a bit prepared.

 

Last year I was on The Caribbean Princess and we couldn't stop at Bermuda because of the weather, so if I miss Bermuda again this year I will be gutted :(

[family cruisers]

Don't do any research, wait a few days to see what happens. Don't jinx us !!

We'll be in Bermuda .

I love your optimism :) and while i'm also feeling optimistic that we'll get to Bermuda, I think I might do some research this week on Canada/ New England ports just so that I'll be a bit prepared.

 

Last year I was on The Caribbean Princess and we couldn't stop at Bermuda because of the weather, so if I miss Bermuda again this year I will be gutted :(

[3rdGenCunarder]

<snip>

The week left me feeling rejuvenated which is the best test of a vacation for me. We all found the HAL ship to be comfortable, service impeccable and food plentiful. I can see now why Mark Twain loved Bermuda so much - we plan on returning in the future.

 

I agree! I worked with a woman who said that people come back from vacatioin looking like they had their faces ironed--the little worry creases were wiped away.

 

We just did Veendam to Bermuda this June and your review made me want to go back! Now that you've seen the Dockyard area, you can see why this cruise is so much better. Even with the tender in St Georges, Veendam has the best itinerary for Bermuda.

 

Ali70, I was on a similar Princess itinerary a few years ago. We missed our day in Bermuda, too. Huge disappointment--that was the reason I had chosen that particular "island" itinerary. I later learned that the large Princess ship often skips Bermuda because of high winds and getting through the reef.

[zookiebird]

Thanks for your great review. The only problem I have is that you've made the wait that much tougher until we leave in Sept.:)

[Himself]

Thanks for the nice review. I have never been to Bermuda. My question is how did you like the Veendam. She had an extreme makeover a year and a half ago and many of us do not like what they did to the back end. The Rotterdam came out much better. I would be interested in your thoughts.

[mamaofami]

Thanks for taking the time to write such a nice review. It's a pleasure to hear good things about the Veendam.

[Cruisin Suzin]

Thanks for the nice review, it was a pleasure to read..

[indimini]

Thanks for the nice review. I have never been to Bermuda. My question is how did you like the Veendam. She had an extreme makeover a year and a half ago and many of us do not like what they did to the back end. The Rotterdam came out much better. I would be interested in your thoughts.

Overall we were very pleased with the Veendam. I must say the Retreat did not look like the newest area on the ship. I recall reading others mention the missing tiles in the retreat pool and thought it would be only a few pieces scattered about. However, there were large areas missing a lot of tiles, so it hardly looked new or fresh. It felt like they designed the Retreat as a way to get more deck chairs into some limited space.

 

Our whole family loved the lanai room concept. It was the perfect reading/resting spot on board the ship for us. We really didn't make too much use of the other public areas, preferring to use the cabin and promenade deck chairs. Our son spent time on Lido playing ping-pong, and he and I spent several afternoons in Mix playing games on the Microsoft Surface tables.

 

While the Veendam is definitely showing some signs of age, compared to our cruise on the Celebrity Mercury this past January, it was so much cleaner and in better repair. I knew Mercury only had about a year or so of service left before Celebrity sold her off, but gosh what a boring ship it was.

 

Thanks for the nice comments -- it's nice to be able to contribute some information back to the boards that I find so invaluable when planning our upcoming cruises. :)

[serendipity1499]

Overall we were very pleased with the Veendam. I must say the Retreat did not look like the newest area on the ship. I recall reading others mention the missing tiles in the retreat pool and thought it would be only a few pieces scattered about. However, there were large areas missing a lot of tiles, so it hardly looked new or fresh. It felt like they designed the Retreat as a way to get more deck chairs into some limited space.

 

Our whole family loved the lanai room concept. It was the perfect reading/resting spot on board the ship for us. We really didn't make too much use of the other public areas, preferring to use the cabin and promenade deck chairs. Our son spent time on Lido playing ping-pong, and he and I spent several afternoons in Mix playing games on the Microsoft Surface tables.

 

While the Veendam is definitely showing some signs of age, compared to our cruise on the Celebrity Mercury this past January, it was so much cleaner and in better repair. I knew Mercury only had about a year or so of service left before Celebrity sold her off, but gosh what a boring ship it was.

 

Thanks for the nice comments -- it's nice to be able to contribute some information back to the boards that I find so invaluable when planning our upcoming cruises. :)

 

WOW Neighbor, Are you fast! :) Wonderful review & completely agree with you in all aspects of the Ship. Bermuda & the Service..This too, was our first time in Bermuda & we loved it..

It was so nice to meet you & your family..As mentioned on board, you should be very proud of your kids..Thank you both for sharing your champagne with us..

Cheers.....Betty & John

[serendipity1499]

We were Indimini's next door neighbor's & completely agree with him about the condition of the ship, the service & the food..

In lieu of being redundant, will add our experiences to his wonderful review..We flew up from Fla on Jet Blue & spent several days with John's family before the cruise..Seats on Jet Blue were wide enough to fit my tall (all Legs) DH.. A family member drove us to the pier..

Boarding: We boarded around 11 a.m...After lunch, they announced that the cabin's were ready....With trepidation we proceeded to our Lanai Cabin No. 353..The reason, I said trepidation, was because we had read so many negatives about the ship..I was worried that DH would not be happy..

Cabins & Cabin Stewards: We were pleasantly surprised & as the OP so aptly put it, it was wonderful going out on the Promenade Deck to relax in our very own chairs..When we got to our cabin there were three balloons attached to the door & a lovely bouquet of flowers inside from our Dear Friends, whom we normally cruise with..As soon as we arrived at the cabin our two Stewards "Edi" & "Imbuh" called out our names & wished me a Happy Birthday..They were wonderful Cabin Stewards & seemed to work so well together..We made sure to mention them on our survey..We purchased a bottle of HAL's wine & as the OP did, asked for an Ice bucket & glasses..They were there almost instantly.. I sent out a bag of laundry on Thurs around 10 a.m. & it was back beautifully laundered & pressed by 5:p.m. the same day..:D What service! The Air Cond worked perfectly, in our cabin..

Dining & DR Stewards: We took anytime seating as wanted the time flexability..The first night we asked for a table for two & were assigned to table 131..Our DR Stewards were "Asep" & his Assist. "JuJu"..We were so pleased with them, that we turned the week into fixed seating at various times..They presented me with a Birthday cake & the next night an Anniversary cake which our TA had asked for..The cakes were delicious, but I mostly ordered sorbet as dessert except for one night when they served creme' Brulee', my favorite!..When "Asep" discovered the Creme' Brulee' was my favorite, he had some for me for the next two nights...LOL..We mostly enjoyed the food, except one night when John ordered the short ribs, which he said was too fatty.."Asep" immediately offered to replace it, but John said it was not necessary..One night we had Surf & Turf.. DH had my Turf & I had his Surf which "Asep" & "Ju Ju" took care of..Both "Asep" & "JuJu" always had a smile on their faces with a quiet & efficient way of serving us & those around us..Our Wine Steward, "Joey" was always there promptly & served us with a smile..The "Veendam" cut out the Master Chef's dinner..Did not eat in the Pinnacle or the Canaletto, as plan to do that on our next cruise..

All of our Stewards personified the Excellence of Service which HAL is noted for..

Cruise Critic Coffee: About 12 CC members attendee our coffee in the Retreat area at 10:am.on Monday..The Bev. Mgr: Don Collins, the new HM Mgr. Firmin Van Walle & the New CD: Simon Relph joined us for a short while..It was hot in the retreat area, so no one stayed too long..As the OP mentioned the Retreat area was a bit long in the tooth, but we did observe some of the maintenance men trying to fix the tiles, which had come up..I think it was a losing battle...IMO HAL made a big mistake by taking away the Aft Adult only pool, but since we did not use the retreat perhaps others enjoyed it..We were late getting to the Afternoon CC meet & greet at the Retreat Bar..No one was there, so never got to meet many of those who were on our original roll call..

St Georges: Tendering was quick & efficient going, but took a long time coming back..We went to town around 11 a.m. & checked out the shops.. Also checked out the Horse & buggy rides, but they were all quoting $120.00 an hour for two of us..Decided against that, so had lunch at the White Horse Pub..As we were leaving the restaurant, we came across another Horse & buggy driver who quoted a price of $10 per person...We shared the ride with a Mother & three little ones..We were fortunate to get "John" the Driver who had been recommended by another CC member..We enjoyed the ride downtown as well as the outskirts of town..John pointed out many of the same plants we have in FLA & some new ones too..He stopped the buggy & brought us some fennel, which is licorice..He also gave us the history of St. Georges..We had a delightful ride..It was very hot, so decided to go back to the ship..Got to the Ferry dock around 3:30..It took a long time to load the ferry & get us back to the ship..Fortunately we were able to sit in the Air conditioned cabin..

Hamilton: My legs were still so tired from our visit with family, so after walking up hill toward the park & cathedral, we spent the afternoon in our chairs.. Had dinner early & went to the Harbor Festival that night..The next day we hired a cab to take us out the the aquarium & Zoo..We had a cab driver, who burst into song as he showed us a few of the sites..He sang John's (DH's) favorite song "Danny Boy"..We roamed around the Zoo/Aquarium for an hour or two.. Our cab Driver picked us up & showed us a few more sites before dropping us off at the ship..We loved Bermuda & the people & look forward to returning there next April, with our Friends..

As Indimini said, after cast off, they shared their bottle of Champagne with us..We enjoyed meeting them & their children & getting to know them.. Perhaps we will meet again sometime..

Disembarkation & flight home: We disembarked about 8:30 & took the HAL transfer out to JFK..The HAL transfer worked well for us..Checked in at the curb for our Jet Blue flight at 1:p.m. Arrived home to rain around 4: p.m. & our Dear Friends picked us up..This trip was meant to be a restful one for us, as we had been quite busy beforehand.. Unfortunately, John can't hear out of one ear & will see the DR. tomorrow..All in all it still was a wonderful trip..

 

Cheers...:)Betty

[mimi217]

Nice reviews. Enjoyed reading them. Was especially glad to hear about the lanai rooms, since we just booked one (Room 338). We had originally booked an obs. view cabin and then changed to the lanai. Have never had one before and like someone said, having read comments about them ,some negative, wasn't really sure how they would be. We figured we take a chance with it. It was nice to hear how much you enjoyed it.

[Copper10-8]

Indimini & Serendipity; thanks a bunch for both your reviews! Looks like you enjoyed yourselves!

[serendipity1499]

Nice reviews. Enjoyed reading them. Was especially glad to hear about the lanai rooms, since we just booked one (Room 338). We had originally booked an obs. view cabin and then changed to the lanai. Have never had one before and like someone said, having read comments about them ,some negative, wasn't really sure how they would be. We figured we take a chance with it. It was nice to hear how much you enjoyed it.

 

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did..Have a wonderful time!

 

Indimini & Serendipity; thanks a bunch for both your reviews! Looks like you enjoyed yourselves!

 

Thanks, DH & I probably drank too much wine, but we sure did enjoy ourselves..Even had wine with dinner tonight, which we don't normally do..:eek: LOL

Cheers...:)Betty

[TracieABD]

Nice review! Thank you for taking us along on your cruise...:)

[Copper10-8]

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did..Have a wonderful time!

 

 

 

Thanks, DH & I probably drank too much wine, but we sure did enjoy ourselves..Even had wine with dinner tonight, which we don't normally do..:eek: LOL

 

Cheers...:)Betty

 

Try a Wang Wang? by any chance?;)

[serendipity1499]

Try a Wang Wang? by any chance?;)

 

No, but please tell us what it is...:confused:

May want to try it on our Nov. cruise..

Thanks..Betty

[Copper10-8]

No, but please tell us what it is...:confused:

 

May want to try it on our Nov. cruise..

 

Thanks..Betty

 

Well, it has a "lot in it", sorta kinda like a Long island Ice Tea

 

Wang Wang (spelled Weng Weng on our last bar rceipt):

 

1/4 oz Vodka

1/4 oz Gin

1/4 oz White Rum

1/4 oz Scotch

1/4 oz Bourbon

1/4 oz Tequila

1/4 Triple Sec

1/4 oz Brandy

 

Top it off with Pineapple and Orange Juice

 

Add a splash of Grenadine and let the games begin!

 

[TracieABD]

John-

Too many of those and you will have a "Wrong Wrong"...:p