Veendam - Yay or Nay??

[KruzPrincess]

Have a great time. Hope you get Peter as your dining steward, he was fantastic.

If you are cabbing it from the ship to the airport (after the cruise) and you look across the cab line and see big yellow buses there check them out. For our cruise, they were running a FREE shuttle to the airport. They put your luggage underneath and got it out at your terminal. It was a fantastic service. We were the second stop. Only about 12 people got on. People in the cab line which was long were told but no one would follow us.

No charge but we did tip the driver. The city of Boston sponsers this.

 

Thanks for this tip. I will definitely look for this. I do plan to take a cab to the airport after the cruise. I'll be sailing in a little less than a month. I booked this on the spur of the moment, so I have to get some things in order now. I hope I can get my shareholder benefit in this short time. I'm working on putting that together today. Really looking forward to this one.

Edited August 23, 2014 by KruzPrincess

[Lisa63]

Thank you to everyone for your opinions. ... I like having a good library and I think I read that they have a decent library. I probably will miss the on deck movies, but is there a movie theater? Does anyone see movies on board? Booking late, I got an awesome price for an inside cabin for 14 days. I usually book a balcony or mini-suite on Princess, but I'm trying an inside again just to see how it goes for me. I used to do inside cabins a lot and then got spoiled with balcony cabins. I'd like to cruise more and going with an inside could make that happen. I'll have to wait and see how I like it. I'm glad to hear there are more casual dining options than what I expected. I'm sure I'll be fine. Looking forward to trying HAL again. Thanks!

 

We just got off Veendam this morning. :(

 

The library was my favorite room on the ship. It has a wide selection, and was bright enough for me to read without my glasses!

 

I went to one movie during the cruise. I believe it was a 7:00 pm showing (there were three a day) and the theater was about 2/3 full.

 

We had an oceanview cabin on Deck 5, and peeked into several of the inside cabins across the hall. They were the same size -- our family of 3 adults was very comfortable and we are even contemplating an inside for our next HAL cruise.

 

The only negative issues we discovered were service cuts in the main dining room, yet I hear this is a problem on other ships, as well.

 

Enjoy your cruise planning! Happy to answer other questions.

[KruzPrincess]

We just got off Veendam this morning. :(

 

The library was my favorite room on the ship. It has a wide selection, and was bright enough for me to read without my glasses!

 

I went to one movie during the cruise. I believe it was a 7:00 pm showing (there were three a day) and the theater was about 2/3 full.

 

We had an oceanview cabin on Deck 5, and peeked into several of the inside cabins across the hall. They were the same size -- our family of 3 adults was very comfortable and we are even contemplating an inside for our next HAL cruise.

 

The only negative issues we discovered were service cuts in the main dining room, yet I hear this is a problem on other ships, as well.

 

Enjoy your cruise planning! Happy to answer other questions.

 

Thank you for replying to my post. I'm glad you had such a good cruise. It sounds wonderful. I hear the library calling my name. I'm also looking forward to the comfy beds that HAL is known for. I love Princess, but they have terrible beds in some cabins. Princess seems to be updating the beds, but it's taking a long time. I hope I get a nice comfy bed. :)

[RBB]

We were on VOV this summer. The ship itself seemed fine, we didn't notice anything amiss or deteriorated. But there were two major problems on this 35 day cruise.

 

1. Most of the passengers were sick & you would hear a lot of coughing everywhere you went. In addition to the coughing, the illness going around included congestion, headaches, runny noses, etc. It was an odd illness (yes, we both got it eventually) in that it came in waves: you would think you were almost better, then would find yourself down again. This probably can't be attributed to HAL, but it sure detracted from what was otherwise a very interesting cruise.

 

2. Whoever is in charge of supplies on this ship is completely incompetent. They were constantly running out of things to the point where it became something of a joke among passengers. VOV consists of two segments, eastbound from Boston to Amsterdam, then westbound from Amsterdam to Boston (each segment has entirely different ports).

On the eastbound portion the Espresso Bar ran out of large cardboard cups, so you could only buy small coffees to take away. This wasn't too terrible & we were told they would be restocking during the two days in Amsterdam.

They did restock the large cups in Amsterdam, but after a couple of days they ran out of lids for them, so again no large coffees for the rest of the trip. How tough is it to figure out that you should have as many lids as cups? After all, these are not perishable items, so nothing would be lost if they aren't all used up on this trip. But that's not all . . .

Shortly after leaving Amsterdam they developed a shortage of Romaine lettuce, so the Caesar Salad was removed from the everyday menu for the rest of the cruise. The Espresso Bar ran out of mocha & white chocolate. They ran out of hot chocolate. They ran out of Guinness beer on the Lido deck (although some waiters would go to another deck to get some) & they ran out of a couple of other brands of beer altogether. They ran out of Pinot Grigio wine. There was more, but you get the idea.

HAL has been running this same cruise every year for a long time, so they ought to know what supplies are needed for this cruise. They had run half of this cruise when they restocked in Amsterdam, so they certainly should have known by then the rate at which these supplies were being used. And it doesn't take a genius to understand that you should have as many lids as cups! I don't think I would travel on this ship again as long as it is being so poorly managed, even though there were many positive things as well (itinerary, captain, staff, ship's condition).

[GRACECRUISE]

I think this was the first time the VOV had the all you can drink cards on board. We only had $100 drink card and only used it at happy hour. It was kind of funny watching some ladies in lido pool area with the drink cards. They ordered sodas about every 10 minutes and then loaded them all in her bag and put them on her walker seat and left. It was not a one day deal. We spoke to the Beverage Mgr and Hotel Manager and it appeared people used them at the Explorations Cafe much more than expected. I think they also went crazy on water and soda.

[Mickie]

We were on VOV this summer. The ship itself seemed fine, we didn't notice anything amiss or deteriorated. But there were two major problems on this 35 day cruise.

 

1. Most of the passengers were sick & you would hear a lot of coughing everywhere you went. In addition to the coughing, the illness going around included congestion, headaches, runny noses, etc. It was an odd illness (yes, we both got it eventually) in that it came in waves: you would think you were almost better, then would find yourself down again. This probably can't be attributed to HAL, but it sure detracted from what was otherwise a very interesting cruise.

 

2. Whoever is in charge of supplies on this ship is completely incompetent. They were constantly running out of things to the point where it became something of a joke among passengers. VOV consists of two segments, eastbound from Boston to Amsterdam, then westbound from Amsterdam to Boston (each segment has entirely different ports).

On the eastbound portion the Espresso Bar ran out of large cardboard cups, so you could only buy small coffees to take away. This wasn't too terrible & we were told they would be restocking during the two days in Amsterdam.

They did restock the large cups in Amsterdam, but after a couple of days they ran out of lids for them, so again no large coffees for the rest of the trip. How tough is it to figure out that you should have as many lids as cups? After all, these are not perishable items, so nothing would be lost if they aren't all used up on this trip. But that's not all . . .

Shortly after leaving Amsterdam they developed a shortage of Romaine lettuce, so the Caesar Salad was removed from the everyday menu for the rest of the cruise. The Espresso Bar ran out of mocha & white chocolate. They ran out of hot chocolate. They ran out of Guinness beer on the Lido deck (although some waiters would go to another deck to get some) & they ran out of a couple of other brands of beer altogether. They ran out of Pinot Grigio wine. There was more, but you get the idea.

HAL has been running this same cruise every year for a long time, so they ought to know what supplies are needed for this cruise. They had run half of this cruise when they restocked in Amsterdam, so they certainly should have known by then the rate at which these supplies were being used. And it doesn't take a genius to understand that you should have as many lids as cups! I don't think I would travel on this ship again as long as it is being so poorly managed, even though there were many positive things as well (itinerary, captain, staff, ship's condition).

 

We were aboard as well for 35 days and agree with Rick above. We had a fine time, nice cabin, interesting ports, FAIR entertainment, except for the marvelous Barry from Boston at the piano bar. Food was very good.

Yup, they ran out of Grolch and Bailey's too. Laughable after a while.

BUT, I'd certainly sail on the Veendam again, though we love the Prinsendam.

[innlady1]

We were on the Veendam two years ago for the New York to Bermuda cruise and enjoyed the ship a lot. I would cruise her again...and we plan to book another Bermuda cruise next summer.

[Gsel]

We just got off the Veendam yesterday also. We were thrilled to see her in such good condition and did not meet one crew member that did not have a smile on his (or her) face. All systems in our cabin were in good working order and we enjoyed great service in the dining room and Lido. Our only problem was with the internet connection and we managed to get that "fixed" after we had a talk with the Front Desk. (our money was quickly refunded) Embarkation and Disembarkation was fast and we made our 11am flight out of Boston with time to spare. We would definately sail the Veendam again and are looking into future booking right now.

[Cruiser Andi]

We also just got off Veendam yesterday for the round trip Boston cruise. She was in excellent condition. The crew was always maintaining some area of her. The cruise was wonderful. The service was fantastic and the crew was always smiling and happy. We had fixed dining at 7:45 and the service was superb and quite fast. Enjoy your cruise.

[KruzPrincess]

Thank you! All good news stories. Now, I'm sure I'll enjoy my cruise.

[KruzPrincess]

Back with some questions. I've been looking at pictures and info on line. I have a couple questions that I'm sure some of you will be able to answer.

 

It appears there are two specialty restaurants on the Veendam, Pinnacle Grill and Canaletto. What is the dress code for these restaurants on formal night? I'm hoping it would be possible to go there on formal nights without dressing in formal attire. I know food is subjective, but which one do you like the best? Also, what is the charge? I read some old information that said there was no surcharge for Canalletto, but that would surprise me.

 

Also, I had read there wasn't a deck top movie screen, but now I see there is a movie screen at the Retreat. Any of you who have just returned from the Veendam, can you tell me what movies are currently playing? Do they show those same movies on the in-cabin TV?

 

Thank you!

[Swampy48]

have just got back from Voyage of Vikings on Veendam & thoroughly enjoyed cruise.Re specialty restaurants,surcharge of $29 per head for Pinnacle & $10 head for Canaletto.Formal nights you do need a coat & tie.

 

Movies are shown daily in the Wahjang theatre or occasionally if no live entertainment is in auditorium they show the movie on the large screen.Also movies shown in these venues are on your cabin tv the next day.No movies were shown on the screen on the aft deck but this was mainly because of the weather.

 

Enjoy your cruise & don't listen to the negative people.Nev.

[NYteacher]

Although the aft Retreat isn't popular, the hot tubs there were my husband's favorite part of the ship. He loved being there for sailaways, enjoying the hot water as we went past icebergs.

[sppunk]

Back with some questions. I've been looking at pictures and info on line. I have a couple questions that I'm sure some of you will be able to answer.

 

It appears there are two specialty restaurants on the Veendam, Pinnacle Grill and Canaletto. What is the dress code for these restaurants on formal night? I'm hoping it would be possible to go there on formal nights without dressing in formal attire. I know food is subjective, but which one do you like the best? Also, what is the charge? I read some old information that said there was no surcharge for Canalletto, but that would surprise me.

 

Also, I had read there wasn't a deck top movie screen, but now I see there is a movie screen at the Retreat. Any of you who have just returned from the Veendam, can you tell me what movies are currently playing? Do they show those same movies on the in-cabin TV?

 

Thank you!

On formal nights, you can eat in Canalletto without dressing up. It is the same dress code as the Lido buffet (ie casual). Cost is $10 pp.

 

Pinnacle is $29 pp and it follows the dress code of the MDR, ie formal nights you are "requested" to wear a dark suit, tux or jacket and tie for men and dress for women.

[mskaufman]

Note that Canaletto is actually part of the Lido that is partitioned off. There might be table cloths and different food but the atmosphere is Lido.

[shrimp56]

Canaletto on VEDM has been redecorated and is much nicer. It's always been our favorite Canaletto.

 

 

3 of the new small plates.

[KruzPrincess]

Thanks, again. I think Canaletto sounds like a great choice for me for a formal night. Will reservations be necessary? Are they usually booked up?

 

I was reading up on the deck top screen on the Veendam and it sounds like it's not used much. I'll probably us the other venues for movies. Does anyone remember what movies are currently being shown?

 

Now I have to decide how much chilly weather clothes to bring....

[KruzPrincess]

Canaletto on VEDM has been redecorated and is much nicer. It's always been our favorite Canaletto.

 

 

3 of the new small plates.

 

Thanks for the pictures. Food looks very good. Yum.

[shrimp56]

Thanks for the pictures. Food looks very good. Yum.

It's good to make a reservation. We walked in for dinner on embarkation day and didn't have a problem. (MDR was having its 1st night meltdown so we bailed.)

[serendipity1499]

On formal nights, you can eat in Canalletto without dressing up. It is the same dress code as the Lido buffet (ie casual). Cost is $10 pp.

 

Pinnacle is $29 pp and it follows the dress code of the MDR, ie formal nights you are "requested" to wear a dark suit, tux or jacket and tie for men and dress for women.[/QUOTE]

 

I bolded part of your last sentence, only because it's almost, but not completely correct..Women do not have to wear a dress, however they are requested to wear a formal outfit..

 

Many time I wear long dresses or skirts but also have worn black chiffon Palazzo pants with a dressy chiffon/lace top for formal night & that is quite acceptable..

 

http://www.pyramidcollection.com/itemdy00.aspx?T1=P84753+XS

 

http://www.steinmart.com/onyx-nite-chiffon-palazzo-pants-zid25-46477329/cat-25-catid-20

[Lizzie68]

Those are lovely outfits, Serendipity, and I like chiffony stuff too. But on formal nights you will see many less dressy outfits than those. Many ladies wear regular black pants or skirt, with a nice top, or cocktail dress.:)

[Capt_BJ]

spousal unit is just back from the boston to boston special having traveled with a group of 'lady friends' sans hubbies

 

she is an experienced cruiser - see my sig - 40 plus cruises on many lines

 

in one line her review: "I would not sail this ship again" and probably not HAL at all . . .

 

- ship was warm to hot (despite a northern location) ... everyone in the group commented on it and only 2 of the 6 traveling had ever cruised b4

 

- service was very ... variable. Good folks were very good but poor folks were very poor and 1 good to 3 poor .... dining room being the low point and cabin staff being quite good. {wine stew brought the wine but never brought wine glasses .... wine stew simply removed not empty bottle, not asking if folks were done .... }

 

- food seemed like the prep and cooking was good but the initial product was poor resulting in a pretty dish that did not taste very good. Exception were the specialty rest's ... but basic dining SHOULD be good . . .

 

- special requests totally confused the staff - attempt to arrange a birthday cake was screwed up for 4 days . . . "oh, you need to order that in advance ... we DID, one, two, and 3 days ago"

 

- pool bar was not equipped to make frozen drinks ... no blender ..... HUH?

 

- ran out of several common items . . . .

 

- entertainment ..... ugh :p shows were a joke to non-existent. The popular piano bar was overflowing as the ONE popular venue . . .

Edited August 26, 2014 by Capt_BJ

[Gsel]

Don't know what ship they were on, but we were on the Veendam last week and saw lots of folks carrying around frozen drinks, plenty of ladies with sweaters and heard a lot of comments about the food being good to excellent. Guess we missed the bad part. Sorry they didn't have a good time.

[KruzPrincess]

Thanks for more comments. I've read enough positive reports that I know I'll have a good time. I have to say that my single HAL cruise back in 2001 was not a good one. It's taken me this long to try one again. In retrospect, I know it was just the luck of the draw that so many negative things happened on that cruise. For the past couple years I've wanted to give HAL another shot. Who knew that I'd pick a ship that many people aren't fond of. I'm hoping for the best.

 

Now, can anyone tell me if they still make great wrap sandwiches? One of our favorite things on our single HAL cruise was that they made great wrap sandwiches in the buffet at lunch time. LOL. I know they probably don't do that anymore, but I was hoping. I did watch a video last night about the Dive-In and those burgers look great. I don't eat a lot of burgers and fries, but I'll have to try one.

 

I think I'm going to have to start early packing soon!! :rolleyes:

[sparty1]

Yes! They still make great wraps:-) They did it on only one side of the Lido buffet, tho. So if you don't see them, check the other side or ask(they keep the wraps behind the display) Do try the Dive-In, too. And their fries are fantastic!!(I'm not really a fry expert, but...)

 

Thanks for more comments. I've read enough positive reports that I know I'll have a good time.

 

Now, can anyone tell me if they still make great wrap sandwiches? One of our favorite things on our single HAL cruise was that they made great wrap sandwiches in the buffet at lunch time. LOL. I know they probably don't do that anymore, but I was hoping. I did watch a video last night about the Dive-In and those burgers look great. I don't eat a lot of burgers and fries, but I'll have to try one.

 

I think I'm going to have to start early packing soon!! :rolleyes: