VEENDAM Transition cruise to Vancouver POST REFIT (LONG)

[JimVrhovac]

This review is the opinion of Ruth & Jim Vrhovac with some input from passangers and members of the Cruise Critic Group that we talked with about the cruise. I will post pictures of the refurbished areas seperately on threads.

 

MS Veendam

Spring Panama Canal Cruise May 01 thru 17, 2009

 

Captain Pieter Jan Van Maurik

Hotel Manager Frank Ulbright

Cruise Director Johnny Quinn

Guest Relations Manager Dustin Coomer

Cruise Consultant Sheryll S. Tiangco

Shore Excursion Manager Melissa Burkus

Party Planner Joy Moersch

Digital Workshop Ryan Nelson

 

REFURBISHMENTS:

There was a lot of new carpeting throughout the ship and it looks good. There is a lot of shedding in the Lido Restaurant but with tip sheared commercial carpeting this was to be expected. It was vacuumed multiple times during the day to control the problem.

 

The MIX bar area was up and running and it is a very nice addition to the ship. There are three separate bars there (Spirits and Ale, Martini, and Champagne Bars) and there is a piano type bar setup and a guitar player for entertainment. We feel that most of the long time cruise will welcome this change. The electronic table games have been well used even when the bars are not open.

 

The new cabins on decks 9 and 10 were mostly completed when we boarded but they did have multiple problems with them during the cruise. Most of the passengers there took the problems in stride..

 

The Retreat area was not completed when we boarded the ship and did not open until May 14 when we departed San Diego. I cover this later in the thread.

 

The ship went to CODE RED status the day we were in Cartagena, Columbia and remained that way until Vancouver. One of the passengers who got sick the first sea day was removed by ambulance in Cartagena. We do not know the results but we wish him and his family all the best and hope that he had a speedy recovery. The CODE RED status slowed down the food service in the Lido Restaurant and some passengers were upset but they forget that these precautions were taken for their benefit. There were entertainers and other non food staff helping out in the Lido and it refreshing to see the crew pull together and help out during this adverse situation.

 

The MS Veendam was thrown into a situation where multiple problems hit them all at once and the combination of all these problems together would and did stretch the crew to its maximum potential and many small things were neglected for the greater god of the passengers. When the ship arrived in Ft Lauderdale they still had an immense amount of trash onboard (approximately 25 dumpsters) that had to be unloaded before they could start anything else. The rarely come into Ft Lauderdale so they were not accustomed to working with the ground crews in Ft Lauderdale. The refurbishments were not completed and that interfered with a lot of the ships operations. On top of that we had an engine failure early on (that was repaired that day) that necessitated multiple schedule changes in one day and caused a lot of frustrations among the passengers. Then the Code RED status hit and required a lot of changes in the daily routine of the ship. Ships personnel not normally involved in the Lido operations were pressed into service to help out in the Lido Restaurant. Overall Ruth and I felt that this crew did the best possible job under the circumstances and we feel that they should be commended for their efforts.

 

BARS:

Crow’s Nest:

There were no major changes made to the Crows Nest Bar. We frequented this bar many times as it is the only bar with a smoking section and were generally well satisfied with the service and the quality and pricing of the beverages. On several occasions the smoking area was so crowded that there were no seats available for smoking passengers as there were only 16 seats available for us. GOOD PLANNING HAL.

 

Explorer’s Lounge:

The forward section was turned into the Merabella Luxury Collection Jewelry Store. The reduction in size did not appear to interfere with the operations of the Lounge.

 

Explorations Café:

There were no major changes done to the Explorations Café. They still have the Video desk, library, newspapers, puzzle desks, internet café, and the coffee shop there and all the services we used were performed in a polite and courteous manner.

 

Lido Bar:

The Lido Bar is located in the vicinity of the Inside Lido Pool and there were no changes made to this facility.

 

Mix:

This is a completely new area which consists of 3 separate bars (Spirits and Ale, Martini, and Champagne Bars) with a guitar player and piano bar type setup in the area. There are computer games integrated into some of the tables by the Ale and Spirits bar. You can play checkers, chess, look up the ports and see what is available there as well as many other functions built into these computers. The area is well laid out and not crowded with a fair amount of seating. It is located between the Casino and the Shops areas so it is centrally located on the ship. This makes a nice addition to the ship.

 

Ocean Bar:

There were no major changes made to the Ocean Bar except that it is now a non smoking venue. I passed there multiple times during the cruise and noted that it was never full whereas the smoking area in the Crows Nest was frequently crowded and on several occasions there were no seats available for smoking passengers…..

 

CASINO:

The Casino area remains the same but there are fewer slot machines so it is a lot roomier than it was before. They still have a selection of table games for those so inclined. There were no non-smoking nights in the casino. The Casino turned into a smoking area for the smokers who were sitting around taking a break and not playing the slots. It was the only place on deck 8 that you could smoke.

 

Ruth does not like the new coinless system for the slots as she said “It is not as much fun as it was before!” What she is saying is that you no longer have the coins to put in and you do not hear them drop into the trey. It is the sensation that is lacking and for her that is where the enjoyment comes from when she plays the slots. PER RUTH “I won $165.50 after playing the slots for two weeks. She forgets that I put in almost $1,000.00 for her to get that return. Her system is I put the money into the slots and she keeps what comes out. She thinks this a fair system. YES DEAR!!!!!

 

DINING VENUES:

Rotterdam Dining Room:

We utilized the “As you Wish” dining and made reservations for 7:00 pm every night. We seldom waited more than a few minutes before we were seated and received the polite and courteous service that we have become accustomed to on Holland America cruises. The timing of the service was generally satisfactory and the service was excellent. The presentation and quality of the food was very good and the quantity was more than adequate. Ruth and I are basic people not connoisseurs so our expectations are not same as someone that dines at five star restaurants all the time. Our waiter Erik and his assistant Abbi did an excellent job throughout the cruise. They were very attentive and did everything in a timely manner. Our wine Stewart Edwin did an excellent job throughout the cruise.

 

Pinnacle Grill:

We ate in the Pinnacle Grill once during the cruise and it was everything that we have come to expect. The service, food, presentation, and ambiance were everything that you would expect to find in a high end restaurant.

 

Canaletto:

The first night on the ship we ate at this restaurant. It is all Italian cuisine. The service was excellent, the presentation was good, the quantity of the food was more than adequate and the taste of the food was good. Ruth had Minestrone and I had Linguine with a mixture of shrimp, scallops, clams, and other sea foods. We plan on eating there again before the cruise is done. We dined there several times during the cruise and would highly recommend it to future cruisers.

 

Slice Pizza:

This opened on the 14th and we did not have a chance to sample the cuisine. I was told that the Pizzas are coked on stone and made with real Italian cheeses.

 

Terrace Grill:

The Terrace Grill remains a nice place to get hot dogs and hamburgers for a quick snack.

 

Lido Restaurant:

We ate several times in the Lido, mostly at lunch and were generally satisfied with the overall service. We did hear several complaints about there not being any trays but we think everyone will become accustomed to this over a period of time. We did have to make several trips to the counters during each meal as you could not carry everything at one time and this was an inconvenience. The plates were generally small and could not hold a lot of food. HAL may want to check out Princesses setup and look at larger plates to solve this problem.

 

My wife uses a walker and on several occasions there were not waiters available to assist her with her plates and this did cause a safety issue which I brought to the attention of the appropriate managers. This situation was resolved as the cruise progressed and by the middle of the cruise it was back to its normal operations by providing assistance to those passengers that needed it.

 

As I generally go there and bring things back to the room we brought along a weaved wicker trey with us. One person asked me where I got the trey from and I said “We are in a suite and our cabin steward got it for us. Don’t you have one in your room? Ask you cabin steward and he will get one for you.” I could not resist having some fun with the subject.

 

Room Service:

We have breakfast in our room every day delivered by room service. It was always on time and there were no mistakes made during the entire cruise. The eggs were always warm and the coffee was hot. We have always been very satisfied with the room services on the ships.

 

EDUCATIONAL OPPURTINITIES:

Culinary Arts Center:

We attended several of their presentations and Joy Moersch (Party Planner) and Thomas (Executive Chef) did excellent jobs of presenting classes on food preparation and other subjects. The classes were well attended and most people that we talked with were well satisfied with the presentations and the subject matters. Joy averaged two to three classes each day and they are a welcome addition to the shipboard activities.

 

I had the opportunity to meet Assistant Cook Joey Soriano when he did the fruit carving demonstration. He is the cook who does all the food and ice carvings on the ship and the man that did the fruit carvings on the platters we had at our Meet and Greets.

 

Digital Workshops by Microsoft:

Ryan Nelson had several presentations and workshops each day geared to helping computer novices learn new skills. Most of the classes were centered on loading pictures, modifying pictures, and putting together slide shows and movies of their cruise pictures. I am not a computer novice but these classes taught me a lot and I was generally pleased with all of his presentations. We were not able to solve the problem of turning the video clips from my new Cannon HD Video Camera in full movies. He did tell me that when the new (updated) Microsoft program comes it should solve this problem. He did however find a program that will work for me and I am going to order it when I get home.

 

I would like to acknowledge the fact that Microsoft sponsors these workshops and they are done at no charge to the passengers.

 

Explorations:

Richard Detrich was one of the guest speakers and he gave several lectures on the Panama Canal and Panama in general. Mr. Detrich lives on a coffee plantation in Panama and frequently is a guest speaker on Holland America ships. We sat in on several of his lectures and then saw others when they were replayed on the television and were generally well satisfied with his lectures. He has a tremendous depth of knowledge of this part of the world and was able to answer all the questions presented to him. He always made for a lot of question and answer periods before and after his presentations.

 

Lisa Didier was a guest speaker and talked on some very interesting subjects. Her first two lectures were on “The history of American Madams”. I finally learned how bordello’s got the name “Cat Houses”. I watched both of the lectures several times on the television and enjoyed them more each time. She did multiple lectures during the cruise on a variety of subjects and provided a wealth of information on a variety of subjects. Most of Lisa’s lectures were geared to the entertainment side rather than spouting a lot of facts and dates. Ever lecture from the history of Madams in the United States to Einstein’s life were interesting and enjoyable.

 

The Greenhouse:

There were multiple classes throughout the day, from Tai Chi in the morning to Sunset Stroll on the deck at 6:00 pm. Most of the classes were free but there were a few that had nominal charges. A lot of the people I talked to were generally satisfied and pleased with the quality and variety of the classes.

 

The Veendam does not have a hydro pool like the vista class ships so we got a day pass and used the whirlpool, steam room, sauna, and the heated lounge chairs. It was a nice relaxing experience and if you are into that type of relaxation we would highly recommend this facility.

 

ENTERTAINMENT:

MIX had Bon Mullins on Guitar (5:00pm – 9:00 pm)and Piano Man Dave on the Piano (9:00 – close).

 

The Explorer’s Lounge had The Adagio Strings that played mostly classical selections from 6:00pm to 11:00 pm.

 

The Ocean Bar had dance music by the Neptune’s from 7:00 pm – 12:00 mn.

 

The Crows Nest had DJ Brad from 9:00 pm till closing and had several theme nights. There is no more live music in the Crows Nest bar. VERY BAD MOVE HAL.

 

The Showroom at Sea had some form of entertainment every night and several production numbers throughout the cruise. From the comments that we heard most of the passengers were satisfied with the entertainment.

 

Ruth and I seldom go to the shows but went the night that “Fun, Fun, Fun performed The Beach Boys as The Beach Toys” and we would highly recommend this show if you ever have the opportunity to see it. The played the Beach Boys music as it was originally played in the 1960’s and it brought back a lot of memories. We spent a couple hours having a drink and reminiscing and talking with the band members and they are great people.

 

Generally we were satisfied with the entertainment overall. It provided a variety of venues that should have met the tastes of most of the passengers. We were very disappointed in the lack of entertainment in the Crows Nest. BAD MOVE HAL.

 

CABIN 007:

The suite provided everything that we have become accustomed to on Holland America. Our cabin stewards Olif (lead) and Sigit did a superb job overall. We tend to spend a lot of time in our cabin so it made it difficult for them to get in and do their jobs. We just told them to work around us and let us know when to move. The amenities of the suite were without problems. The laundry is the best part of the amenities and it was well used throughout the cruise. There were a few problems with the temperature regulation and a couple where the water pressure was low but these problems were resolved. These problems happen on ships that have been in continuous service over 15 years.

 

Ruth had one major problem with cabin 007. SEAN CONNERY never showed up to tuck her in at night and I caught hell about this every morning. I talked with the Neptune staff but they said the best they could do was Dustin the Guest Relations Manager and his wife has him on a tight leash.

 

SHOPS:

The shops located around the Atrium have not been changed. They include the Cruise wear shop, Perfume shop, and the Liquor shop. The new Jewelry shop is located across form the MIX area and has been totally revamped. It now has only jewelry and Swarovski crystal products and some Porcelain/China collectable dolls. It is a lot more open and very brightly lighted. They no longer carry formal wear for women and dress shirts and ties for men. Ruth must be in favor or the new jewelry store format as she spent $3,000.00 there during the cruise and I just said YES DEAR and shut my mouth. Jack and I had several long discussions about her spending habits but neither of us expects them to change in the near or far future.

 

FRONT DESK:

During the cruise we had dealings with the front staff on multiple occasions and never had a problem. We were always treated in a polite and courteous manner and our questions or problems were given immediate attention and solved. The bill was correct and we were able to get copies whenever we requested them. On more than one occasion I witnessed the front desk staff being verbally abused by passengers for things that they had no control over but they just smiled, took down the information, and told the passenger they would check on the problem and get back to them. On one occasion if I were working behind the counter I would have probably been fired for smacking the crap out a person that desperately deserved it. Most of us that are frequent cruisers have seen this type of thing happen and wonder how the staff manages to hold their composure during these tirades.

 

MEET & GREET:

On May 03 we held the first one in our cabin for everyone that got on in Fort Lauderdale. It was well attended and everyone had a good time. Issandra of the Neptune staff printed up and distributed all the invitations for us and provided snacks and setups of Cade, and Ice tea for the party. There assistance was greatly appreciated. Several of the ships officers stopped by to say hello during the meeting and we appreciated their spending some time with us.

 

On May 15 we held a meet and Greet for those staying on to Vancouver and everyone that boarded the ship in San Diego. Issandra of the Neptune Lounge again printed up and distributed the invitations for us and the ship provided snacks and setups of Coffee, Ice Tea, and Lemonade for the meeting. Captain Van Maurik stopped by with his wife and this was appreciated. The cheese and vegetable platters were decorated with carved fruits and looked fantastic. We expressed our thanks to the Hotel Manager, Chef, and Asst Cook Joey Soriano for going above and beyond for us.

 

THE GREENHOUSE

Ruth and I got a day pass for one day and spent some time in the Jacuzzi and the hot beds and it was nice and relaxing to try for the day. Ruth got her normal measure of cosmetics from the spa area and I was told to SHUT UP and pay the bill. So I just said YES DEAR and shut up………per usual. I discussed this problem with Gentleman Jack (Jack Daniels) and it did no good. I was told that it is cheaper to live with it than get a divorce so I said YES DEAR again.

 

THE CRUISE:

May 01: Ft Lauderdale, Embarkment

The ship arrived in port about 2:00 am in the morning and had to unload about 25-30 dumpsters of trash before they could even start with the normal loading procedures. We arrived at the docks about 12:00 noon and entered a small receiving area on the right side of the building. It was already full. The computers were down and they did not start embarking passengers until about 1:30 pm. We got to our cabin about 2:30 and started settling in. Lifeboat drill was at 4:15 as usual and was not attended by everyone as they were still getting on the ship. The ship departed Ft Lauderdale about 7:30 pm because it took a lot longer than anticipated to get all the stores loaded. He Captain came on the PA system to explain why there was a delay in departure.

 

May 02, 03, and 04: Sea Days

There were several problems with the engines and electrical systems on the ship that required the Captain to rearrange the itinerary several times. We did make it to Cartagena, Columbia and the thru the Panama Canal one day late but they had to cancel the visit to Costa Rica. There were a lot of disappointed passengers about these changes but we felt that the Captain made the best of a bad situation that was thrust upon him.

 

On May 03 we held the first meet and greet in our room and had good attendance and a great time.

 

May 05: Cartagena, Columbia

We have been here several times so we did not take a tour or go into town. We went to the little shops and park area by the port and spent a couple hours there. Ruth managed to find some trinkets that will grace the inside of her drawers and collect dust for multiple years and I got about 20 bags of coffee. We met Mama Lou there and had a couple drinks (coke) there and talked (we listened) for about an hour. For those of you that know or have met Mama Lou you know that it is virtually impossible to get a word in when you converse with her. But that is her, and she is one of the sweetest people we know.

 

Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica stop was cancelled because of schedule changes.

 

May 06: Panama Canal Passage

We passed through the canal without any problems and as usual it is so impressive that 100 year old technology still is working with only minor problems.

 

May 07: Sea Day

 

May 08: Corinto, Nicaragua

We had planned on an excursion but transportation problems caused by the vendor on shore cancelled the tour for us. We did wander through the flea marked by the port and Ruth managed to find another (#30) leather purse that she could not live without. I just said YES DEAR and paid for it (as usual).

 

May 09: Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala

We did an excursion to Antigua and were well satisfied with the transportation and tour services provided. There was a lot of walking involved on cobblestone streets that were not walker friendly so our tour guide talked with us and suggested we get a motorcycle type cab that would take us to all the same sights and then drop us off at the hotel we were scheduled to dine at for lunch. The driver did an excellent job and we met the rest of the group for a good lunch at a local hotel and then went to the Jade Museum for a lecture on Jade and how they make jewelry. It was well worth the visit and the time spent there. When were arrived back at the ship they pulled in the gantry and left port. It was a long day but a good day.

 

May 10, 11, 12, 13: Sea Days

We did not make any of the Mexican ports because of the flu problems there and we understand and appreciate that Holland America did this to protect our safety. There were multiple events, lectures, and demonstrations throughout the day to keep everyone busy.

 

May 14: San Diego, California

We got into San Diego very early in the morning and they started running people through US Customs at 6:15 am but as usual there were a few that thought the rules do not apply to them. They finally tracked down the last IDIOT at about 9:15 am and got the ship cleared so they could disembark everyone.

 

May 15 & 16: Sea Days

On May 15th we had the second meet & greet for everyone that stayed on the ship and those that got on in San Diego. The Neptune staff made up and distributed the invitations for us and coordinated the snack and beverages for the meeting.

 

May 17: Vancouver, British Columbia and Dismemberment

Everything went smoothly as usual. We were scheduled to get off early but we stayed and gabbed with the crew and staff and finally got off about 2:00 pm. Ruth and I screwed up and made our airline reservations for 1:30 pm. We did not check the schedule and just assumed that they would dock at 8:00 as usual but it was not scheduled to dock until 12:00. The front desk noticed this problem on the 16th and called us about it and then contacted our TA to get the problem solved for us. SERVICE ABOVE AND BEYOND – THANK YOU HAL

 

We spent the night in the Hyatt hotel in Downtown Vancouver and would highly recommend the hotel and the services that they provided to us.

 

SPECIAL RECOGNITION:

Ruth and I would like to give special recognition and thanks to two people who really went out of their way for us during this cruise.

 

Issandra Perez, Concierge in the Neptune Lounge, made all the invitations for the meet & greets and had them distributed in a timely manner. She also coordinated the snack trays and beverages for the meetings and insured that everything ran smoothly. She also made a lot of reservations for us during the cruise and made our time on the ship much more enjoyable.

 

Ryan Nelson, the Microsoft representative that ran the Digital Workshop, spent a lot of time with me trying to solve a problem between my Cannon camera and my laptop computer. I cannot download movie clips to the laptop and then stream them together to make a movie. We tried with Nero 9 and the Windows Movie Maker with little success. He did find a program that would work for me and I will order it when I get home. But the time and effort that he put forth to try and solve this problem for us was well beyond what would be normally expected.

 

 

Ruth & James Vrhovac

HAL 547 Days

 

NOTE:

This review was shared with Dustin, Guest Relations Manager on the Veendam, and a copy will be emailed to Guest Relations Department, Holland America Cruise Lines.

 

Ruth and I do not work for Holland America or have any financial interest in it or Carnival Corporation other than the 100 shares of stock necessary to get the shipboard credit each cruise.

 

POST CRUISE:

We spent the night at the downtown Hyatt Hotel and would highly recommend it. Normal rates $270.00 per night but our TA got us a $75.00 rate -THANK YOU AMBER.

 

Got to the airport at 5:00 am and got Continental airlines Houston to Orlando and had a great flight. They were in early on both legs. Ran into Ma Ma Lou and she knows everyone in the airport too. She is going home for a week and then back to the Veendam for 3-4 weeks.

[dchip]

Your review was wonderful. Looking forward to the separate installments. Your humor is beyond fabulous!!!!!! :D

 

Cheers, Denise

[Harry1954]

Very thorough and excellent review .. thanks,

Harry

[lovebug33]

Thanks for the review. I am very excited to board the Veendam on June 7!

[funlovin'cruiser]

Ruth had one major problem with cabin 007. SEAN CONNERY never showed up to tuck her in at night and I caught hell about this every morning. I talked with the Neptune staff but they said the best they could do was Dustin the Guest Relations Manager and his wife has him on a tight leash.

 

Ummm....have you met Dustin? :) The chance of him having a wife...

[JimVrhovac]

We have both met and know Dustin and have sailed with him several times

 

My comment was ment as a tongue in cheek concerning her wanting Sean Connery to tuck her in at night (while I was out of the room for 6 hurs)

 

Jm (without Ruth)

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Welcome Home Jim and Ruth :) Thought about you a lot while we were on the Statendam since I knew you would be leaving the day we returned.

Great review, I think the New Mix is going to be a BIG Hit and look forward to seeing it.

[JerseyJaguar]

Thank you so much for your review Jim. I can't wait to get on this ship, it will be after two weeks of travelling through the interior of AK so that day pass at the spa sounds like a great idea.

 

You mentioned that there were often no seats for smokers in the Crow's Nest. Was this because nonsmokers were sitting in that area, or because there were that many smokers in the Crow's Nest?

 

Is there no Sports Bar anymore?

[JimVrhovac]

There are only 16 seat for smokers in the Crows Nest smoking area.

 

The sports bar is gone with the refit and the MIX area additions.

 

We say a lot of people sitting in the casino and using this as a smoking break area and not playing the slot machines.

[casavaha]

Jim: Enjoyed your review. Unfortunately I did not receive an invitation to the meet &

greet on Friday the 15th. I agree with most of your observations.

 

We arrived back in San Diego last night. I plan on doing a review of the 3 day cruise.

Hope to have that finished today.

 

Greg

[KathyPet]

Jim, You obviously are a very wise and long married man who has learned that the correct response in every situation to your wife is "Yes Dear". I am glad that you had a good time and am pleased to hear that some of the problems that have been documented on this board appear to have been resolved.

[JimVrhovac]

Sorry on the invitation.

 

We thought we had everyone...

 

Ruth on Jim

[Green Onions]

Regarding your comment:

 

Ruth and I do not work for Holland America or have any financial interest in it or Carnival Corporation other than the 100 shares of stock necessary to get the shipboard credit each cruise.

 

How much shipboard credit do you get?

 

Thanks for the review.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Appreciate the complete and fair review. Thinking of doing Alaska on her in August and this review helps alot in decision making. Thanks

[JimVrhovac]

We get $100.00 SBC per cruise for having 100 shares of stock. We have almost paid for our stock with OBC's so soon it will be all gravy.

 

Ruth & Jim

[RetiredMustang]

Jim,

Excellent review, with lots of good info. Thanks

 

Dave

[scopewest]

Thank you for your excellent review, can't wait until my cruise.

[northern dancer 37]

I think Jim may owe someone an apology. The instructions about customs/immigration inspection were not made clear. The cruise director admitted this in his announement about 9:00 when they were trying to track down the last passengers who had not gone through the process.

 

p.s. I am not the IDIOT, since I was disembarking in San Diego, and was called upon to show up for 6:00 a.m. (not 6:15) for the inspection.

[Mscruisin]

From your review it doesn't sound like we were on the same cruise. Mind you I didn't have a suite that I could hang out in and hide from all the problems on board. I realize that you are a frequent HAL cruiser and are loyal to them but I can't afford to waste my money on cruises like this. I hope you Alaskan cruisers will be able to enjoy a finished ship and not a construction zone like we had to endure. Also as having been a past infection control officer at a hospital I hope they get the Noro Virus cleared up for you but the sanitation on our cruise was atrocious. No running water in some bathrooms, not enough hand sanitizers placed about and I even saw one staff member drop an orange on the floor and pick it up and put in back in a bowl for the guests to eat. Just make sure you wash your hands thoroughly and often and use paper towels to turn off taps and open doors.

[pms4104]

... I even saw one staff member drop an orange on the floor and pick it up and put in back in a bowl for the guests to eat.

I think that's called a "floor sample".

[Himself]

Jim: Thanks for a good and balanced review. I am sure they will get all the "kinks" worked out of the Veendam

[LoyHAL]

Thanks, Jim & Ruth, for the good review.

As you know, we had friends sailing with you. We are meeting them tomorrow for lunch and their personal review. :)

 

Looking forward to North to Alaska in Sept. on Veendam.

LoyHAL