Veendam June 21 - 28, My Attempt at a review

[richwmn]

Embarcation:

My reason for this cruise included a visit with some friends in Ottawa ending with a retirement party on the 20th. Therefore, I knew in advance that the 21st would be a travel day. However, since the Veendam overnighted in Quebec City I was assured that I could board any time until the ship sailed on Sunday. With that in mind I booked Via Rail Canada to transfer me from Ottawa to Quebec via Montreal. My hosts dropped me off at the rail station in Ottawa and the train ride was fantastic. I booked business class and was well treated during the entire trip.

 

I arrived at the Quebec train station on time at 9:30 pm and found a taxi to the ship without too much trouble. Cab fare with tip was $10 (Canadian). I arrived at the port right at 10:00pm. Here I had a little problem. There was little noticeable signage, and the taxi driver directed me around to the right to board the ship. As I walked toward the ship I saw the gangplank from the building and knew I should be there. After a little trouble finding the entrance I found excellent assistance from that point to the ship.

 

Arriving at the front desk I had a couple of seconds wait then I checked in with no trouble at all. A crew member had taken my bag when I first entered the ship, and it was in my cabin when I arrived.

 

Cabin:

 

As I normally do I booked an outside guarantee. In the two weeks prior to sailing I had three emails offering upsells. I declined each one. I ended up with an unobstructed outside on the “A” deck (4). Since I arrived late I didn't meet my cabin stewards, Edward and Mikko, until Sunday morning. They kept good care of me all week. I had no mechanical or plumbing problems with the cabin and it seemed to be well kept.

 

Meet & Greet:

 

We had a roll call that was a little slow until the last couple of weeks. Despite late notification the Veendam's crew was able to arrange a M&G for us. We had reasonable attendance, along with the Captain and Hotel Director. The Beverage Manager was around, and provided Champagne and Memosas for those who wished them.

 

Internet:

 

It appears that the Veendam has the new system as I had to log into “ICAFE-GUEST-Veendam” instead of mtndsi. The rates remained as they have been in the past except that I had no signon fee.

100 minutes $55

250 minutes $100

500 minutes $175

1000 minutes $250

pay as you go - $0.75 per minute

I did not attempt any speed tests, but it seemed a little more responsive than the old system.

One note on internet access – the port in Halifax had free access. My cabin was close enough to the port building that I had a good signal all day. Someone in a cabin about 5 forward of me did not.

 

Ports:

 

I am not much of a port person and had visited each of the ports two years ago so I won't comment other than to say each was nice. Poor weather in Sydney and Halifax prevent people from doing much in those ports.

 

Entertainment:

Adagio – this was a duo that played each night. I listened to them several nights for a few minutes. To my untrained ear they sounded fine, but a fellow passenger wasn't impressed.

 

Neptunes – again, my impression is based on just a few minutes but they sounded fine and had a small crowd each evening.

 

I don't remember seeing a “HalCats” group, and didn't have a group playing around the pool at any point when I was there.

 

Piano Bar – Barry from Boston – this is where I was Sunday – Thursday evenings between 9pm and midnight. Barry is a very good entertainer and interacts well with his audience. He had a good to very good crowd each evening. He has a good voice and knows the lyrics well. Each night was a very nice time.

 

Showroom:

The only show I went to was Julie Barr. Pretty good show for an entertainer that interacts with the audience.

 

Immigration:

As we entered US territory in Bar Harbor, ME we had to go through immigration there. The officials were late boarding the ship, but once they were there the process went quickly and smoothly. When my deck was called I went to the designated area and, although the line was long it never stopped moving. I honestly don't think it was over two or three minutes from the time I got into the line until I passed the official and was done.

 

Disembarcation:

Saturday morning the Veendam arrived in Boston on time. The officials were late arriving but the ship seemed to catch up. My disembark time was 8:30 and I left right about that time. Once I started moving I continued until I was outside the port and entering the taxi. My flight didn't leave until noon so I let the cab driver show me a bit of Boston. I got to the airport in plenty of time, and the flight home was fine.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report! Sounds like the piano bar was the place to be!

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for taking the time to write and post a review of your Veendam cruise. Sounds like you had a good time.

[Susie51]

Thank you for sharing. I'm glad embark., disembark., and customs went well for you.

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you -- I enjoyed reading your thoughts.

[sppunk]

Rich, glad you had a nice trip. That's such a beautiful part of the world.

[RuthC]

Entertainment:

Adagio – this was a duo that played each night. I listened to them several nights for a few minutes. To my untrained ear they sounded fine, but a fellow passenger wasn't impressed.

 

Neptunes – again, my impression is based on just a few minutes but they sounded fine and had a small crowd each evening.

 

I don't remember seeing a “HalCats” group, and didn't have a group playing around the pool at any point when I was there.

 

Piano Bar – Barry from Boston – this is where I was Sunday – Thursday evenings between 9pm and midnight. Barry is a very good entertainer and interacts well with his audience. He had a good to very good crowd each evening. He has a good voice and knows the lyrics well. Each night was a very nice time.

 

Showroom:

The only show I went to was Julie Barr. Pretty good show for an entertainer that interacts with the audience.

Thank you so much for including the entertainment portion of your review! It is much appreciated! :D

Welcome home. Glad you had a nice time.

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[erewhon]

Thank you for reviewing your Veendam cruise.

[Keith1010]

Thank you for your review/report.

 

Keith

[Copper10-8]

Great job Rich! Thanks for taking the time and effort!

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for taking the time to post your review.

[macandlucy]

Thanks for your review, especially for the details about the later embark -- much appreciated.

[TracieABD]

Thank you for the review! Sounds like you had a lovely time!

[Cruising-along]

Thanks for your review, Rich! Welcome home. :)

[richwmn]

Thanks for your review, especially for the details about the later embark -- much appreciated.

 

A major reason I wrote it was because of the late embarkation. I was surprised at how smoothly it went. Something I forgot to mention - When I first asked about the cruise port the driver had no idea what I was talking about until I mentioned the ship name. Someone else mentioned the same thing.

 

Thank you so much for including the entertainment portion of your review! It is much appreciated! :D

Welcome home. Glad you had a nice time.

 

I thought about you when I was writing the review.

[sail7seas]

What a nice review. I enjoyed reading it.

Thanks so much for sharing with us. :)

[buckirj1]

Thank you for the review. I'm considering one of the one-way itineraries embarking in Quebec City, and your information is very useful.

[RuthC]

I thought about you when I was writing the review.

Aw shucks. :o

 

I wish more people would at least mention the entertainment when they do a review. It's usually not mentioned at all, and I find it very frustrating to read an entire review and see nothing on the subject. :(

[BarryFromBoston]

richwmn writes (about RuthC): I thought about you when I was writing the review.

 

This is my fault entirely... I believe I postulated that if Ruth's 31,500+ postings here were laid end to end, they would extend beyond the state boundaries of Rhode Island, and that I must meet this cruising legend, an hour South of me. Cheers from Quebec City, Ruth!

[RuthC]

richwmn writes (about RuthC): I thought about you when I was writing the review.

 

This is my fault entirely... I believe I postulated that if Ruth's 31,500+ postings here were laid end to end, they would extend beyond the state boundaries of Rhode Island, and that I must meet this cruising legend, an hour South of me. Cheers from Quebec City, Ruth!

You flatter me. :o

I have somehow missed you at the piano, even with all my cruises, and know from these boards that it is my loss. I do so hope that someday, somehow, you will be on the when I board. My heart will take a little leap to read your name on the daily program.

 

Oh, and I can play a really strong game of "Stump the Piano Player"! That would be fun with you! (best game is when we break even, with both of us learning some new to us songs.)

[mudscraper]

richwmn writes (about RuthC): I thought about you when I was writing the review.

 

This is my fault entirely... I believe I postulated that if Ruth's 31,500+ postings here were laid end to end, they would extend beyond the state boundaries of Rhode Island, and that I must meet this cruising legend, an hour South of me. Cheers from Quebec City, Ruth!

 

Thank you for the great entertainment you provided us during our recent B2B. You were wonderful. The surprise Happy Hour announcements at the Piano Bar were a nice surprise.

[Jolie_Cruiser]

Embarcation:

My reason for this cruise included a visit with some friends in Ottawa ending with a retirement party on the 20th. Therefore, I knew in advance that the 21st would be a travel day. However, since the Veendam overnighted in Quebec City I was assured that I could board any time until the ship sailed on Sunday. With that in mind I booked Via Rail Canada to transfer me from Ottawa to Quebec via Montreal. My hosts dropped me off at the rail station in Ottawa and the train ride was fantastic. I booked business class and was well treated during the entire trip.

 

.......

 

Disembarcation:

Saturday morning the Veendam arrived in Boston on time. The officials were late arriving but the ship seemed to catch up. My disembark time was 8:30 and I left right about that time. Once I started moving I continued until I was outside the port and entering the taxi. My flight didn't leave until noon so I let the cab driver show me a bit of Boston. I got to the airport in plenty of time, and the flight home was fine.

 

Nice review. Very comprehensive. Have you thought of putting it on the CC review page. Many people don't think at looking the HAL forum to get some feedback on the Veendam. Perhaps you already know about this but here is the page:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/?src=nav