Veendam August 17, 2013 Review

[Crazy For Cats]

This was the first time that we could drive to a port and catch one of those dam ships. As many of you advised driving to the port of Boston and parking was very easy. Just a quick walk across the street and you are at the terminal. The pricing at the garage was also easy on the wallet. Very unexpected for Boston.

 

We carried our luggage onto the ship and unpacked before heading to lunch in the MDR. I find this a nice quiet way to begin a cruise, avoiding the crowds in the Lido. The food was good and the service and attention was fabulous. After lunch we walked around to see where everything was located. While all of the ships are similar they do have their differences. After this walk around we thought we made a mistake booking this ship. It seemed so small after our most recent trip on the NA. At some point the following day that feeling was gone.

 

We went to the opening show and my expectations were low. I was pleasantly surprised. The singers have obvious talent but some of the numbers were not up to par. I have noticed that HAL is saving money on sets, by not having any,for their shows and this continued on this cruise. I hope that this changes after their association with DWTS. Other entertainment was a comedian that was so good that I went to the second show. A magician made an appearance one night and that was very disappointing.

 

The food on board was what I expected. There was always something to be found that was appealing to eat. We ate in the MDR twice and both times the service was perfect and the food matched. Our last night was in the PG and the steak Diane was wonderful, Juan's lobster tail was good but not enough. The chocolate volcano cake for dessert was a very nice treat. The lido was a bit more problematic. It is here that we noticed some budget cuts, especially at breakfast. The food was good and the staff tried their best to keep up but they were understaffed, especially at breakfast. Typically there is someone at each station, especially at the egg stations, they were at least one or two people short to keep up with the crowds and this became a huge issue on disembarkation day.

 

There were happy hours in the Crows Nest and Ocean Bar at 4 each day, except for the first day when none were present. The Crows nest began the cruise with happy hour at 11 and then switched them to 10 part way through the cruise. I had heard that attendance was sparse at 11. I know we were asleep in our rooms at that time. We did make appearances at 10 and the crowds were there. Service in the Crows Nest was perfect. One of servers went out of her way to make sure that we felt at home, she remembered our names and always let us know when other friends were on the other side of the bar. I did make a point of providing an extra tip for her as this was above what we expected an received on other ships.

 

Overall I found the Veendam to be in good repair I could not find anything to fault her with except for that hot mess called the Retreat. We had wanted to book Hawaii next year and the Veendam is making those sailings in 2014. We decided not to book the Veendam for that itinerary and the Retreat was a major factor, so was the five sea days each way. We will wait until a bigger ship does that route.

 

The service and friendliness of the staff was apparent and comes into a close second to the Westerdam crew. I would be happy to sail on her again if the itinerary is right.

 

We did book a B2B cruise on the Maasdam for next June taking advantage of the Explore 4 and OBC while on board. I will be curious to see how the two ships compare.

 

The biggest surprise came at disembarkation. We expected a long wait at customs. No so much. As soon as we got off the ship an officer took our declaration cards and sent us on our way. No checking of passports, no questions, just a quick thank you and we were free to go! Is this the norm for Boston??

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the review. There is a bit of a difference from the NA! We have always liked the Veendam, it was our first dam ship. Glad you had a nice cruise!

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for your review.

Glad you had a wonderful cruise.

That Retreat does turn off a lot of people.

[Winters in NZ]

We love Boston.....simply a fantastic city.

 

Who was the comedian aboard your cruise ?

[innlady1]

Our first cruises were on the Noordam, then the past three years, we've been on the S class ships...and have found we love the size. I'm a bit apprehensive about returning to the larger ships when we do the TA this Fall!

 

Glad you enjoyed the Veendam. We did as well. Only thing we didn't like so much was the Retreat...a stupid move if the ship is sailing in warm weather climates or has a lot of sea days.

[mamaofami]

It's always nice to read good things about Veendam . Thank you for taking the time to post.

[RuthC]

Other entertainment was a comedian that was so good that I went to the second show. A magician made an appearance one night and that was very disappointing.

I'm happy that you were happy with your cabin, considering all the problems HAL gave you.

 

Do you have the names of the comedian and magician? I like to know who to look for (or look out for) when I board the various ships.

Thanks.

[Crazy For Cats]

The comedian was Joe Yannetty. He is from Boston. A few of the people I met on the cruise also went to both shows. He played well with the audience. Wouldn't mind seeing him if he was at a local venue. The magician was Devlin: The Matador of Magic.

[RuthC]

The comedian was Joe Yannetty. He is from Boston. A few of the people I met on the cruise also went to both shows. He played well with the audience. Wouldn't mind seeing him if he was at a local venue. The magician was Devlin: The Matador of Magic.

Thank you for the answers. Appreciated greatly.

[comfortcove]

Glad you had a good cruise! We sailed on the Veendam once, and mainly I remember an exceptionally friendly staff throughout the ship that always remembered our names, beautiful fresh flower arrangements and a laid back vibe. We were in a suite, and I loved the free laundry! I just went and poured my coffee into my blue and gold Veendam mug!

[Crazy For Cats]

Glad you had a good cruise! We sailed on the Veendam once, and mainly I remember an exceptionally friendly staff throughout the ship that always remembered our names, beautiful fresh flower arrangements and a laid back vibe. We were in a suite, and I loved the free laundry! I just went and poured my coffee into my blue and gold Veendam mug!

 

Now that the bags are unpacked and the mugs washed I will have coffee in my Veendam mug tomorrow while looking at my Veendam ship model. The perk of not needing to fly.:D

[Crazy For Cats]

I forgot to mention the one thing that thrilled me the most on this cruise. The captain allowed for the bow to be open to passengers as we sailed into and out of ports. This was an unexpected and most pleasing surprise. The views from the bow are priceless.

[George C]

Thanks for the review, I agree with the "Retreat" I would not take this ship again because of it, prefer Massdam which more or less is same ship but there is a real pool where Retreat is

[rafinmd]

Enjoyed meeting you on board Jake. I would like to pick your brain on one question I couldn't answer on my thread. Did you go to the final show, Dancing with the Stars. The finalists had a choice of 4 dances samba, tango, waltz and jive, and the question was which of the dances the winners did. I thought I knew but was not 100% sure. Do you by chance remember?

 

Roy

[Crazy For Cats]

Enjoyed meeting you on board Jake. I would like to pick your brain on one question I couldn't answer on my thread. Did you go to the final show, Dancing with the Stars. The finalists had a choice of 4 dances samba, tango, waltz and jive, and the question was which of the dances the winners did. I thought I knew but was not 100% sure. Do you by chance remember?

 

Roy

 

Roy, I didn't make it through the whole show. I'm not a DWTS fan.

 

 

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[sail7seas]

Wish I could help but we didn't go to DWTS. Sorry.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for your review.

[erewhon]

Thank you for the review of your Veendam cruise.

[kazu]

Great review. thanks for taking the time to share with us.:)

 

Love that the bow was open for you for viewing. very nice.

 

and, welcome home:)

[zeen978]

Hi, I was on this cruise and the winning dance was the jibe. I can't remember the gentlemen's name though.

[Winters in NZ]

I forgot to mention the one thing that thrilled me the most on this cruise. The captain allowed for the bow to be open to passengers as we sailed into and out of ports. This was an unexpected and most pleasing surprise. The views from the bow are priceless.

 

Being on the bow going into or out of a port would certainly be a thrill for me as well.

 

Thanks to your captain for adding to the enjoyment of your cruise and making that experience an added bonus.

[sail7seas]

Were you on the bow sailing into Portland?

That is such a pretty port I imagine it must have been beautiful.

 

I watched from our verandah as we sailed into Boston early Saturday morning. That, too, is a beautiful sail in past the small islands and seeing Boston's fabulous skyline.

[Winters in NZ]

I have been allowed access to the bow on 3 occasions, sailing into San Francisco , NYC and Charleston .

 

These spectacular views are forever etched into my memory . I envy anybody who may have sailed into a European port...or any port for that matter, from the same vantage point.

 

But I learned from my first experience to claim my spot very early when the captain gives the heads-up.... if the bow is indeed open to passengers.

[Crazy For Cats]

Were you on the bow sailing into Portland?

That is such a pretty port I imagine it must have been beautiful.

 

I watched from our verandah as we sailed into Boston early Saturday morning. That, too, is a beautiful sail in past the small islands and seeing Boston's fabulous skyline.

 

Yes I was on the bow going into Portland. It was beautiful. It was such an unusual treat that I was there for all of the ports, except for the return to Boston. I tried to block out the idea of disembarkation. It really was a wonderful week, even if it went too fast!

 

 

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