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Veendam needs to be decommisioned. You can see why HAL is desperately trying to sell


klonerga
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Thanks for reposting klonerga. Some posters on CC can be nasty to critical first posts. 

 

I remember posters complaining about parts of Veendam's MDR ceiling falling down years ago. It was in a state of disrepair for months. I was put off sailing Veendam then. 

 

20 minutes ago, klonerga said:

If the ship is not capable of providing what is promised when when you book (outside of weather conditions) then perhaps it's time to put it into dry dock to repair the plumbing system, refurbish the suites etc. It appears that corporate is becoming very stingy. Cienfuegos was NOT cancelled due to weather, tides or any thing of the sort. It was cancelled due to a mechanical problem that the crew had to work on all night long. I am aware that I can travel to Cuba via a flight and land excursion. I chose a cruise because I wanted the comfort of cruise ship accommodations and food. I was not eager to stay in a hotel or several hotels during my visit due to what I heard from friends who had visited. 

 

I agree with your assessment that if a ship is not capable of fulfilling its itinerary, it should be either fixed or pulled from that itinerary. 

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5 hours ago, ski ww said:

I think Klonerga was just reporting his impression of the cruise & the ships condition. I've read posts from people on the same cruise at the same time, one will say never again the another, best cruise ever. Different stroke for different folk.  

 

OP title headline set the  tone for expected responses to his ship reviewt. Hardly just an "impression" about his experiences; it was a demand the ship should be scrapped and HAL was desperate to unload it ........because the hot tubs were not hot, but only lukewarm and room service was not to his liking..  I have little patience for that type of  criticism.

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We avoid older HAL ships for this very reason.  We are not willing to take a chance when there are so many other great ships out there-within HAL's fleet and within other cruise lines.

 

Most especially older ships that the cruise line has been trying to unload for years.   Maintenance cutbacks are one thing.  Maintenance cutbacks on a old ship that has been for sale for an extended period are quite another.

Edited by iancal
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Old Salt,  If you don’t have time then don’t read my critique. Telling the truth is not a bad thing. Trying to keep others from being disappointed isn’t a bad thing either. For someone who doesn’t have time for my comments you certainly respond a LOT. 

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My opinion is that people don't stop and think about posting their experiences as such, but just want to complain. OP could easily have made his point, but possibly would not have generated the ire, by titling his post as "Let me tell you about my cruise on the Veendam". 

 

I then read his points from the standpoint of his experiences, rather than his rant. I may even come to the same conclusion, but it's been from my impression of his experiences, not his opinion.

 

I'm turned off immediately, when someone is screaming at the get go.

 

Sadly, there are a lot of posters that don't seem to think like I do.

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Well, OP drew the ire of the one poster who is consistently nasty across a variety of topics, so I'm not sure how much that really tells anyone as it relates to the content of the original post.  It was clear from the original post that OP has sailed on HAL numerous times.  I found the feedback valuable.  Most of us can read information and pick out the legitimate criticisms.

Edited by bEwAbG
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21 minutes ago, bEwAbG said:

Well, OP drew the ire of the one poster who is consistently nasty across a variety of topics, so I'm not sure how much that really tells anyone as it relates to the content of the original post.  It was clear from the original post that OP has sailed on HAL numerous times.  I found the feedback valuable.  Most of us can read information and pick out the legitimate criticisms.

First, I think their feedback is valuable. I just don't think he should rant from the first second about what should be done with the ship.

 

Second, I didn't conclude from his post that he had sailed on HAL, or in fact, any cruise line numerous times. Why be angry that a port is missed?  Happens all of the time. You can be disappointed, but ranting about it and expecting some compensation is over the top, in my opinion, and they should read their cruise contract more closely.

 

Maintenance on any ship is possible, especially on an old one...should be expected and should be expected that some things don't work right or at all.  Captains cocktail party....seen that downgraded or has disappeared on several cruises I've been on, not just HAL. Internet was slow.....since there has been an internet at sea, in my experience. Critique card....my experience is that was normal for HAL and I know you can get more or heck, a novel idea, just use a piece of paper or make a phone call. 

 

What gave you the impression he was an experienced cruiser?

 

There are some things that happened on that cruise that I wouldn't be pleased about either, but I chalk those up to just bad luck that they happened on my cruise and maybe I won't sail on a ship that old in the future. 

 

Love the feedback, just don't care for the delivery and I think it sets the tone for the responses. 

 

 

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32 minutes ago, wombatKY said:

What gave you the impression he was an experienced cruiser?

 

Being part of the 3-star and above Mariner program

 

I took the complaint about the missed port to be more about the level of compensation provided.  Everyone got $50 OBC but others got the $50 + the value of an open bar, i.e., the level of compensation was not equal across-the-board

 

I think we've all experienced SOME of what the OP posted but not many have experienced EVERYTHING on a single cruise

Edited by bEwAbG
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We were on the Veendam for the cruise just prior to the OP’s cruise and had a great time.  Having said that, we did have one ship issue that affected us each and every day.  Each of the banks of elevators had one elevator (same two elevators) non operational for the entire 11 day cruise.  That means 25 percent of the elevators did not work.  I don’t mind using the stairs, but DW has a hip issue.  After a show or at the end of a tendering day, the buildup of people waiting for an elevator was definitely out of the ordinary.  What was even more frustrating was when we watched two or three elevators pass by our floor without stopping (maybe the elevator was smart enough to know it couldn’t take on any more weight since they were always pretty full during busy times).

 

We didn’t use the pool, spa or smoking area, so I can’t comment on those items.  Personally, I don’t care if the Captain is at a Mariner event, but I know some people do.  The only other “issue” we had was the toilet, but once we learned the “secret”, everything was fine.  For the first day or so, we often had to press the button 2-4 times before the toilet flushed.  By luck, I learned if you press the button very quickly, from start to finish, the toilet flushed every time.  We’ve never had to do that in our other HAL cruises (we’ll become Five Star on our next cruise, so we have some experience with flushing HAL toilets).

 

If it’s any consolation to the OP, we found our time in Havana 100 times better than our stop in Cienfuegos (our excursion went to Trinidad).  Nevertheless, I would be a bit unhappy if the ship missed a port due to mechanical reasons, as opposed to weather conditions.

 

 

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We were also on the cruise that cancelled the port of Cienfuegos.  This was especially disappointing because we also had this port cancelled last March because of high winds.  But, this time it was because of the auxiliary engine breakdown.  They said they didn't feel comfortable going in the channel of Cienfuegos without a backup engine (though the Captain explained in his shipboard presentation before the cancellation that they had a third engine system).  Though I could understand if this was truly an emergency or safety issue, I just wonder how long they knew about this problem.  We originally left Fort Lauderdale a little late due to some maintenance issue.  The captain announced the cancellation the day before we were due into Cienfuegos.  And he said he had been in contact with corporate so there must have been discussions taking place for some time.  

 

After this our entire itinerary was moved up.  We arrived a day early in Georgetown and then Ocho Rios, then had a sea day, Half Moon Key and a sea day.  If they were able to do all this rearranging, I wonder why they couldn't just have substituted another port for us.  The captain said they worked long and hard to make these changes for the "convenience and enjoyment of the passengers."   

 

I also wonder if maybe the port of Cienfuegos is just too hard and unreliable.  I know some ships call at Santiago de Cuba but I don't know anything about that port.  Would it be better?  I can't believe I missed Cienfuegos twice in one year.

 

We were given $50 per person shipboard credit and free drinks at lunchtime one day but only at the Crow's Nest and Lido Bar and it was fairly hard to get service.  We also got our port charges refunded.  

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6 hours ago, KAKcruiser said:

We were also on the cruise that cancelled the port of Cienfuegos.  This was especially disappointing because we also had this port cancelled last March because of high winds.  But, this time it was because of the auxiliary engine breakdown

If this was the only stop in Cuba I can understand your disappointment. I have looked a some Caribbean cruises that stop in Cuba only because that is one of the very few places in the Caribbean that we have never had the opportunity to visit. If I had been on your cruise I would have been very upset and most likely complaining on this thread too. Cuba has only been opened up for a few years and missing with missing it, $50 OBC is not much compensation.

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18 hours ago, wombatKY said:

First, I think their feedback is valuable. I just don't think he should rant from the first second about what should be done with the ship.

 

Second, I didn't conclude from his post that he had sailed on HAL, or in fact, any cruise line numerous times. Why be angry that a port is missed?  Happens all of the time. You can be disappointed, but ranting about it and expecting some compensation is over the top, in my opinion, and they should read their cruise contract more closely.

 

Maintenance on any ship is possible, especially on an old one...should be expected and should be expected that some things don't work right or at all.  Captains cocktail party....seen that downgraded or has disappeared on several cruises I've been on, not just HAL. Internet was slow.....since there has been an internet at sea, in my experience. Critique card....my experience is that was normal for HAL and I know you can get more or heck, a novel idea, just use a piece of paper or make a phone call. 

 

What gave you the impression he was an experienced cruiser?

 

There are some things that happened on that cruise that I wouldn't be pleased about either, but I chalk those up to just bad luck that they happened on my cruise and maybe I won't sail on a ship that old in the future. 

 

Love the feedback, just don't care for the delivery and I think it sets the tone for the responses. 

 

 

My Husband and I wrote this together. My Husband was a USCG officer for 20 years and has his 100 ton 100 mile license. He Captained many Coast Guard vessels over the years including many years on a 378'. We have cruised over 20 times on Silversea, are 4 star mariners on HAL, have cruised Princess 16 times and Viking 3 times. We have never experienced missing a port on any cruise. Maybe we are just lucky.

You are correct, I will never sail on a ship that old or in that much disrepair in the future. My delivery may have been harsh, but it is accurate. You can't make this stuff up. I just don't want anyone else to go through what we went through when spending almost $10,000. I appreciate your honesty and your response. 

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8 hours ago, KAKcruiser said:

We were also on the cruise that cancelled the port of Cienfuegos.  This was especially disappointing because we also had this port cancelled last March because of high winds.  But, this time it was because of the auxiliary engine breakdown.  They said they didn't feel comfortable going in the channel of Cienfuegos without a backup engine (though the Captain explained in his shipboard presentation before the cancellation that they had a third engine system).  Though I could understand if this was truly an emergency or safety issue, I just wonder how long they knew about this problem.  We originally left Fort Lauderdale a little late due to some maintenance issue.  The captain announced the cancellation the day before we were due into Cienfuegos.  And he said he had been in contact with corporate so there must have been discussions taking place for some time.  

 

After this our entire itinerary was moved up.  We arrived a day early in Georgetown and then Ocho Rios, then had a sea day, Half Moon Key and a sea day.  If they were able to do all this rearranging, I wonder why they couldn't just have substituted another port for us.  The captain said they worked long and hard to make these changes for the "convenience and enjoyment of the passengers."   

 

I also wonder if maybe the port of Cienfuegos is just too hard and unreliable.  I know some ships call at Santiago de Cuba but I don't know anything about that port.  Would it be better?  I can't believe I missed Cienfuegos twice in one year.

 

We were given $50 per person shipboard credit and free drinks at lunchtime one day but only at the Crow's Nest and Lido Bar and it was fairly hard to get service.  We also got our port charges refunded.  

Exactly. The compensation meant nothing to me: $100 for missing a port????. Come on! And free drinks at lunchtime meant nothing tome having purchased an Elite Beverage package. It was actually a giant inconvenience because the Lido deck was swamped with people and some rather toasty by 2;00 and there was literally no enjoying the pool during that time. I am sorry that you have missed Cienfuegos twice. You are correct, Santiago de Cuba would have been a decent substitute. Oceania uses that port of call in almost all of their Cuba itineraries. Thanks for chiming in.

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On 12/11/2018 at 8:31 PM, ChinaShrek said:

I sympathize with the OP.  I am sailing on Veendam next week out of Fort Lauderdale, and I booked this cruise primarily for the stop in Cienfuegos (as did many of the passengers, I'm sure).  If the ship us unable to go to Cuba, I will probably consider my cruise a failure.  However, I will not post my frustration here because no one here is sympathetic or cares.

I guess they only want to hear how fabulous  everything is. They don't want to take the time to warn others. Rather selfish and childlike including name calling: one post wonder.

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On 12/11/2018 at 2:13 PM, OlsSalt said:

Cruise to Cuba are now offered by most cruise lines from $517 to $9,994 for an ocean view room 4-10 day option. Choose your cruiseline carefully for your best cruise satisfaction.  There are choices, and some are far less "family" oriented than HAL during school holiday weeks.

This was not a school holiday week.

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7 minutes ago, klonerga said:

Think again.

 

 

19 hours ago, kazu said:

 

Nope, not correct at all.  OP has come back twice now and made their case.  They are NOT a one post wonder.

 

I guess you missed my later post.  

 

It is not unusual to see a new poster come on here, complain and not come back.  Especially when there is a dramatic title. 😉 

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10 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

 

 

I guess you missed my later post.  

 

It is not unusual to see a new poster come on here, complain and not come back.  Especially when there is a dramatic title. 😉 

You are right, I did.

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