Summit vs. Veendam

[ekmmom]

Hi, took the Veendam to Bermuda last year, had a great time. AC was iffy in one cabin, but it was ok. We are a family of 6, the kids are 18, 16, 13 and 8. We're thinking of taking the Summit this year. Any feedback about howit compares to the veendam? Nervous about making a change, want everyone to have a good time and am a little concerned about the bus problems. Thanks for any help and insight!!

[Amy from Delaware]

I was on Summit to Bermuda last year, and saw Veendam docked in Hamilton. On the one hand, I think it would be nice to be able to walk off the ship and be in Hamilton. On the other hand, I like that it was nice and quiet and more private on the ship's balcony at King's Wharf.

 

Before booking Summit for this year, I did look into Veendam. We need a wheelchair accessible cabin, and the accessible cabins on Veendam aren't even close to what is available on Summit, so that made the decision for me.

 

I can tell you that Summit is a great ship, great service, great staff, great T-pool!

[Casino Player]

Hi, took the Veendam to Bermuda last year, had a great time. AC was iffy in one cabin, but it was ok. We are a family of 6, the kids are 18, 16, 13 and 8. We're thinking of taking the Summit this year. Any feedback about howit compares to the veendam? Nervous about making a change, want everyone to have a good time and am a little concerned about the bus problems. Thanks for any help and insight!!

 

HHHHHEEEEELLLLLLLLLLOOOOO ekmmom: The big difference between the two lines is that Holland America goes on traditional voyage with ports-of-call in both Hamilton and St. George. The larger ships can only pull into the Royal Naval Dockyard. Transportation to the rest of the island is pretty good although can sometimes be time consuming. The water taxi is faster. If you want to see more of the island then take the bus. To go to a specific location such as a particular beach you may want to take the bus.

 

See which line better suits your needs and go with that line. Or maybe you want to see how the line you haven't gone with is? Good luck with watever you choose.

[Keith1010]

We've cruised on both ships. I would highly recommend the Summit. It's a larger ship but there are many nice attributes to both the Summit and to Celebrity.

 

Keith

[Janet524]

We cruised on Maasdam (sister ship to Veendam) several times, and have just returned from our Bermuda cruise on Summit. IMO, if you're travelling with teenagers and younger children, they will find more to do on Summit. My experience with the smaller HAL ships is that there are fewer children and fewer activties for the children. While it is nice to get into Hamilton via ship, it's very easy to get there from Dockyard using the ferry and/or bus.

 

After reading some posts about limited bus and ferry service I was nervous, but we had no problem whatsoever. We tended to us ferries and buses after the morning rush and before the evening rush when locals are going to and from work.

[ekmmom]

Thanks for all the input. I have to make a decsion by tomorrow, I think we're leaning toward the Summit to try something different.

[jgnova]

A few more things to consider:

• Veendam does not dock in St. Georges but uses a tender - the postings I've seen indicate that the trip takes so long that most people don't get off at all. Was that the case on your sailing?
  
  
• From what I've read, docking in Hamilton is fantastic. Some have suggested that it would make more sense to just stay there all 3 days.
  
• Unless things have changed, Veendam allows smoking in many locations - Celebrity allows it only in a few public locations and not in cabins or on balconies.
  
• Recent reports are that Bermuda has straightened out much of the transport problems.
  

If you were happy with Veendam and think the kids would like it, I'd stick to it. We're on the Summit in a week. Would have preferred the Veendam and docking in Hamilton, but the combination of no smoking and lower prices tipped the balance towards Summit.

 

j

[ekmmom]

so much!!

 

A few more things to consider:

 

• Veendam does not dock in St. Georges but uses a tender - the postings I've seen indicate that the trip takes so long that most people don't get off at all. Was that the case on your sailing?
  

No, we were able to get on the first tender, we had to wait until it was pretty much full and went right to St George's, we took a taxi to Tobacco Bay and walked to St Catherine's beach--absolutely gorgeous. Dh and the 3 older kids kayaked from TB to St Catherine's while there and it was great. Took taxi back to town, walked around a little and waited under a canopy for a little while and took the ferry back with no problem.

 

 

• Unless things have changed, Veendam allows smoking in many locations - Celebrity allows it only in a few public locations and not in cabins or on balconies.
  

I think I remember from reading the boards last year that it had become much more restrictive. We rarely saw anyone smoking and i don't remember finding a strong odor, even in the casino.

 

Recent reports are that Bermuda has straightened out much of the transport problems.

 

That's good to know, thanks!

 

If you were happy with Veendam and think the kids would like it, I'd stick to it. We're on the Summit in a week. Would have preferred the Veendam and docking in Hamilton, but the combination of no smoking and lower prices tipped the balance towards Summit.

 

Thanks so much for your input. Have a great trip and enjoy Bermuda!!

 

 

[ariawoman]

Personally, I'm afraid to travel on the Veendam to any locale that is warm, due to the known AC problems. I'm a regular over on the HAL board as I took a HAL cruise last fall, but am considering Celebrity for my next cruise.

 

HAL has a great staff, and personally I love the line, but Veendam is on my "too scared to chance my hard earned money" list. Can't risk ruining a vacation being uncomfortable in a hot cabin, you know?

 

I say, try Summit. :-) You'll also probably get a less expensive price on Celeb than you will on HAL, at least that's the case on the itineraries I've been comparing.

 

Good luck in your decision! It's a fun quandary to have!