Veendam Questions

[cidymom]

I've never cruised with HAL before. I'm in early 50's but very active. I have mainly cruised with Royal Caribbean as they have the biggest and newest ships with all the bells and whistles. I'm considering HAL because of an itinerary. The reviews I've read have not been very complimentary on the Veendam even though it appears it recently went into dry dock so am a bit worried. Is there enough interesting things to keep one busy during a 7-day cruise? What are the evening shows like? How do you rate the entertainment for a 7-day cruise? How is the condition of the ship? Is there issues with the stateroom, plumbing, air conditioning, etc? Food is not that important to me but great entertainment is - I enjoy watching shows, singing, dancing, magic & comedy. Does HAL have that? or is it geared for the older crowd? Thank you in advance for any comments.

[geoherb]

If you're searching for great entertainment, HAL probably isn't for you. What HAL has is interesting entertainment--sometimes bordering on great. You won't get large production casts and shows. When we were on the Veendam, for instance, there were not any male dancers. The singers were pretty good, but the shows not that great. Some of the guest entertainers were very good. I remember a violinist on that cruise. On another HAL cruise, they had a cellist as a guest entertainer. She and her husband sat with us at dinner. It's the type of entertainment you won't see on other cruise lines.

 

HAL has cut back on the cruise director's staff. If you're the type who needs constant activities booked by staff, HAL isn't for you. But if it's a port-intensive cruise, you may not notice.

 

We did not have any problems with our cabin. There was a flood the last night of our cruise that affected several cabins on a different deck. We saw the water gushing down a staircase before the crew was able to stop it.

[rotjeknor]

Don' t expect big extravagant shows . Some Broadway musical stuff , singers , dansers , pianist and solo performers . We had some great shows on prevoius Hal cruises such as a concert pianist , Hyperion Knight , illusionist Ruben Millegrand . Also BB king blues club and Adigio strings , they are on every ship . In general older crowd . But Veendam is a nice small ship , we 've been on her sister Ryndam.

 

 

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[GradUT]

Unfortunately, the BB King Club, which is fabulous, is not on the Veendam.

 

We (mid-50's and active) sailed the Veendam a couple years ago and really enjoyed it, but the production shows are not HAL's "strength". We did, however, have a great time with the Barry from Boston at the piano bar.

 

The Veendam is a nice, smallish ship and is fine for a port-intensive cruise (as ours was from Quebec to Boston), but you might be bored if there are a lot of sea days.

[Airnocker]

I've never cruised with HAL before. I'm in early 50's but very active. I have mainly cruised with Royal Caribbean as they have the biggest and newest ships with all the bells and whistles. I'm considering HAL because of an itinerary. The reviews I've read have not been very complimentary on the Veendam even though it appears it recently went into dry dock so am a bit worried. Is there enough interesting things to keep one busy during a 7-day cruise? What are the evening shows like? How do you rate the entertainment for a 7-day cruise? How is the condition of the ship? Is there issues with the stateroom, plumbing, air conditioning, etc? Food is not that important to me but great entertainment is - I enjoy watching shows, singing, dancing, magic & comedy. Does HAL have that? or is it geared for the older crowd? Thank you in advance for any comments.

 

For your first HAL cruise please pick a ship not in the Veendam "S" class. DW and I did the 2015 Voyage of the Vikings, all 35 days.

I really like HAL, but I'll not be sailing "S" class ships again.

It's the basic configuration that I dislike. 1. There are only 2 elevator bays, making deck shifts more crowded at popular times. 2. The seats in the showroom balcony are very uncomfortable IMO, and I'm fairly sure that's a wide opinion. We had to get to the showroom about an hour early to get a decent seat. The over crowding on the main floor was likely caused by the balcony seating.

Eric

[Bostonjetset]

The Veendam was my first HAL ship and really got me to love HAL. She is a smaller, older lady but still lovely with a great crew. As others have stated, evening shows are not HAL's strong point but the good food, FABULOUS service, and great itineraries make up for that. Every line has their weak points but those are usually balanced out by other points that are stronger than the competition. The Indonesian & Filipino crew really spoil the passengers on HAL with their warmth and "can't do enough for you" attitude. Also, if you like classical music, HAL has a decent programme for that.

 

You didn't mention the itinerary and that could also be an important factor. Veendam is currently the only mainstream passenger ship to dock in Hamilton, Bermuda and her 4day/3night itinerary is one of the best around for that particular island. She also does wonderful [so I've been told] itineraries in Atlantic Canada.

[Cruise_More_Often]

. . . I have mainly cruised with Royal Caribbean as they have the biggest and newest ships with all the bells and whistles.

cidymom, if you are cruising with Royal only because of the newer, bigger, has-something-for-everyone ships, you will not be happy on the Veendam. She is just the opposite of Royal's behemoth ships. The Veendam is intimate and lovely and quiet, has exceptional service, but she doesn't have any bells and whistles. We cruised on her sister ship, the Maasdam, a couple of years ago, and based upon that terrific small-ship experience, we can hardly wait to cruise on the Veendam in May.

[dee2673]

We are booked on the Veendam for March 2018. We sailed on her for our first cruise in 1998 for our 25th anniversary. We will be celebrating our 45th in 2018. Seems she will be as great and just what we're looking for , 20 yrs later..again

 

 

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[liketraveling]

The Veendam is my least favorite ship. I have been on her 3 times and twice I got really sick. The Service is good and the staff is friendly. That being said the Maasdam, the sister ship is one of my favorites. The staff and the crew on the Maasdam seems more polished.

 

My first HAL cruise was on the Veendam on a SB Alaska inside passage.

My dad and I took the NB Passage to Alaska on the Celebrity Millennium and switched over to the SB on the Veendam. In my opinion Royal Caribbean and Celebrity has been the best of the cruise lines I have been on. It could have changed because I have not been on either line in the last 9 years.

 

 

If you like the Large Royal Caribbean Ships this might not be your cup of tea. You also might like the intimacy of the smaller ship.

 

Entertainment on HAL ships in the Lounge is basically fair. They do have a piano bar which is lots of fun. Also a lounge that plays classical in the evenings.

 

If you want to try HAL you might be better off on a Vista, Signature or Pinnacle ship.