Holland America Line

MS Veendam

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Operator: Holland America Line
Year Built / Last Refurbished: 1996 / 2006
Length / Tonnage: 719 / 57,902
Number of Cabins / Passengers: 675 / 1,350
Officers / Crew: British / Indo / Filipino
Operating Area: Bermuda, South America, New England
Telephone / Fax: Tel 330 943511 / Fax 330 943512

Fourth sister of the "S" class, like the other ships, the snazzy VEENDAM is another product of the Fincantieri Shipyards at Monfalcone, Italy. When she made her maiden voyage in May 1996 and for some time after, she was great...and she "wows" passengers for many reasons...When TravelPage.com Associate Cruise Editor Chris Smith sailed in her in early 1997, she was splendid in every way....and he spoke of her with no shortage of superlatives....but for a while in 1997 under a new CEO, Holland America went through some curious days...and it did show up on board...Chris and sailed in her in May '98 along with a lot of my extended family and none of us came away thrilled.... So we gave her another try recently and I'm here to tell you that things have changed on this beautiful liner..in a word, she's GREAT and a cruise on her is not only a good deal pricewise, but a treat for the senses. Those cutbacks, occasional attitude problems and some sloppy maintenance have all been addressed. It was like seeing our wish list taken care of and I can't begin to tell you how happy I am about that because there are NO new cruise ships that thrill me like Holland America's "S" Class sisters, except maybe the ROTTERDAM and VOLENDAM... Simply put, the VEENDAM is fine...Holland America again really takes its much advertised 127 year history and "Tradition of Excellence" seriously and it shows...I found that crew here could not do enough for the passengers...the attitude is great, the service wonderful, the food good!

Holland America has had other VEENDAMs ... most notably a beautiful 15,000 tonner that debuted in 1923 and the former American liner ARGENTINA which Holland America had converted into the cruise liner VEENDAM in 1973. There's a new VEENDAM now and she's a beauty. New as she is, this great ship has little in common with her illustrious predecessors...well, she's so much better, going miles beyond the good food and gracious service those old timers were famous for. Because she works the 7 day Caribbean cruise circuit instead of the longer 10 day "Seafarer" and "Wayfarer" cruises or longer trips her sisters and fleetmates operate, or the 10 day Panama Canal cruises where the MAASDAM has been making such a splendid name for herself, the VEENDAM's decor is inspired by the tropics. Hot colors ... warm colors ... even jungle red abound here...the colors and decor make a bold statement and it's WARM, giving the VEENDAM a younger, more "with it" air than her rather more polite sisters. Don't get me wrong, though, this is a classy ship!

The VEENDAM is once again a member in good standing of the "Spotless Fleet" and we're struck by the extent of the change in attitude and the extent of her superlative housekeeping! In the exact same places as the public rooms in her sister MAASDAM are bars and lounges in the VEENDAM. The VEENDAM offers passengers a 28 foot tall tower of crystal in the three deck high atrium... and above the Purser's foyer on Promenade Deck, just off the foyer above, is the OCEAN Bar, a pleasant club which might just make it difficult for you to overlook as you head fore or aft on Upper Promenade Deck. In the VEENDAM the two deck high show lounge is named for Dutch master Rubens ... and though no portrait of anyone voluptuously fat decks the hall of this lounge, there ARE photos of some just outside in the photo gallery...the entertainment here ranges from glittering to corny, but what the hell, this is a cruise ship, not Carnegie Hall, and in general, most audiences are enthusiastic so there you have it.

In this show lounge decorated in an evocation of a very Dutch "bruin kroeg", "brown cafe", dancers, singers, magicians and others entertain when the room is not being used for social affairs like Captain's Cocktail Parties, gala functions and rounds of trivial pursuit when passengers wait their turn for tender rides ashore in those places the ship doesn't dock. Differing in concept and execution from the Crows Nest of her sisters is the Crows Nest in the VEENDAM. On the starboard side the decor is decidedly masculine, said to take its inspiration from an English pub but not one I have ever seen. The decor port side is said to originate in the concept of an English tea room but a more Philippine or Indonesian garden lounge I have yet to see at sea. Whatever it is, I like it...but ANYWAY ... the views are as marvelous from here as in the other sisters. The hot appetizers used to be why I would come up here at cocktail time. After all, the Ocean Bar is so popular at cocktail time that I could never find a spot to myself....and they still serve the hot goodies during cocktail time. I don't much eat them because the food in the dining room is very good now and I don't want to miss out on any of the many courses...Another HAL treat, in the company's other signature room, the Explorer's Lounge, offers a soothing evening entertainment, a salon orchestra plays in the evening and the refined set meet here for after dinner coffee and cognac while I come here for (heheheheheh!) chocolates... There is also a Piano Bar, Library, card room and a 249 seat cinema. Fresh pop corn is served just outside the door of this room at matinees. Specialty coffees are served in the Java Cafe from morning until 6PM while at sea.

The two?deck high Rotterdam Dining Room aboard the VEENDAM is very RED ... my father proclaimed it the most beautiful ship's dining room he has seen (he's been sailing since 1949 when he honeymooned on the QUEEN MARY and ILE DE FRANCE) ...however, I'd give that accolade to the more blue dining room on the RYNDAM. The food is worth getting fat for! Unless smoking in ship's dining rooms is entirely banned, smokers are usually seated upstairs. Many passengers love a place at a table along a window ... not realizing that at second sitting, anyway, it's dark outside ... and no view is possible... So don't kick if you can't get one... those floor to ceiling windows on both decks give those great views to the sides and to the stern and provide wonderful natural light during breakfast and lunch which are open sittings, anyway. There is sometimes no dining room lunch service during full day stays in port, so passengers must take lunch, if not breakfast, from the buffets in the Lido Restaurant and the Hamburger Bar (don't bother to order it rare they WON'T give it to you that way). Late nights bring ethnically theme buffets like German, French, Japanese and Mexican while Indonesian and Filipino lunch buffets are further HAL signature items. The line's specialty Dutch dinner is also a tradition and has a few items worth eating but well, as much as I love Holland and the Dutch, you'll forgive me if I tell you that not once in my entire life have I ever awakened with a craving for Dutch food ... Anyway...the VEENDAM will feed you very well.

A hotel service charge of US $10 per passenger is automatically added to each guest's shipboard account on a daily basis. Passengers can adjust this amount at the end of the cruise by visiting the hotel manager's desk. A 15% service charge is automatically added to bar charges and dining room wine purchases.

Expect to see reviews a la Broadway, musicales and both an Indonesian or a Filipino crew show...Beyond that the VEENDAM lacks for no recreational facility a ship can legally or morally offer... she has the same extensive recreational opportunities ... from working out and aerobic exercise, jogging and stationary bikes to snoozing atop comfy pads on wooden deck chairs, this ship features it all ... Swimmers have the same choice of either of two pools (one fresh water, the other salt) that the passenger in the sister ships get... there are whirlpools under the retractable dome near the Lido Deck pool. Do be careful if you don't much like lots of children, because certain sailings find the VEENDAM overrun with tykes, and of course, they all end up cavorting in the pool at one time or other...and all too often at the exact moment you choose to take your dip... For the solitary among us the video library boasts over 300 selections and of course all deluxe cabins and penthouses have VCRs but standard cabins have TV only. The cruise staff has loosened up and pays attention to passenger moods...and I find they do a crackerjack job...

Designer Kym Anton's cabins and suites in the VEENDAM are identical in design and execution to the private quarters in the other three ships. They are all very comfortable, beautiful cabins, decorated in earth tones and with Indonesian inspired fabrics for curtains and bedspreads. The standard cabins on the "S" class are truly my favorite standard cabins in today's cruise trade...The penthouse here is similarly an 1,100 square foot apartment featuring terrace, living room, dining room, bedroom and two baths and well equipped butler's pantry! Usually sold out are the ship's 28 ultramodern suites where 563 square feet of space includes sitting area and a large private veranda. The line's "Suite Life" program of amenities and perquisites add a special cachet to these accommodations. Suite # 30 and 45 are particularly sheltered and very shaded so if you want a lot of sunlight (which you don't really get on a ship's covered balcony) you're plumb out of luck. My favorite cabins aboard the VEENDAM are the 120 deluxe category A and B cabins (284 square feet including veranda), each one provided with VCR, minibar, and sitting area. In the bathroom of every deluxe cabin is a whirlpool bath. Again ... since you are not living an "I LOVE LUCY" episode ... do NOT add bubble bath to the water when you use this device! The 2 aftermost category B cabins 205 and 220, are particularly fine buys for their longer private balconies, but there can be more vibration here than in midship cabins.

But far more numerous are the 336 outside and 148 inside standard cabins and they deserve special praise because they are among the best at sea. All designed for the long haul traveler, each has a variety of cabin lights and is roomy enough for a sitting area but more important is the availability of ample storage space. Our heads rested very well on extra fluffy pillows and the beds can be pushed together to have a roomy queensize. Of course every cabin has its own bathroom, all outsides have tubs, insides showers only and all have a hair dryer. Passengers seem to like the thick bath and hand towels (and the Line does not skimp if you want more just ask), complimentary fine soaps, shampoos and ginseng body lotion. There aren't any bad cabins aboard the VEENDAM, just some more desirable than others. If you want a lot of sunlight and demand total privacy, avoid anything on Lower Promenade Deck because strollers tend to peek in, and since the form of the ship has the cabins set back from the ship's sides, they are shaded. Remember ... that one way glass does not always provide anonymity ? especially at night when it is hopeless as a means to provide a measure of privacy, so keep the curtains drawn unless you get off on exposing yourself to the inquisitive. Cabins in Category E are identical to the more expensive D cabins but all are located midships. The best bargains aboard if you'd like an outside cabin for the price of an inside room, are any of the I grade cabins on Lower Promenade Deck, except the two forwardmost. The 12 other I grade rooms, identical to higher priced category C cabins next door, have picture windows but are sold as inside cabins because they have no sea view.

The VEENDAM and her sisters count many experienced cruisers among their passengers. Expect the soft, wonderful service from some of the ship's Indonesian and Filipino service crew...though don't expect a deep philosophical discussion with them. They speak English, but more of the kind of English they need for their service industry jobs...though you will find some wonderfully fluent. Even with new tonnage joining the fleet, Holland America's training school in Jakarta turns out competent stewards and hotel crew so you can expect good service... Because the VEENDAM operates popular 7 night Caribbean itineraries all winter long she gets a far wider cross section of ages and people than do her sisters which tend to attract a slightly older, slightly more experienced and often slightly more affluent crowd. Wherever she goes, she is not the ship for the tank top and gym shorts for dinner crowd nor is she the place for the raucous and the wild... During her Alaska season she gets people of all ages, quite a lot of extended families choose this beautiful ship for a cruise to our gorgeous 49th state.

Eastern and Western Caribbean sailings during the early spring, late fall and winter.....and two trans Canal cruises a year to position the ship to and from her Alaska season.

Holland America is intent on selling themselves as the dernier cri (the last word) in all that is great, graceful and wonderful at sea...and for the prices they charge, IT IS. That "Tradition of Excellence" remains alive and well and they surely DO give a damn and it shows. In fact, I find little to separate the VEENDAM girls from the "Five Star" ships of today...were Holland America to add cabin bathrobes for all, and offer full meal service in each grade, they assuredly would be five star ships. I don't mind telling you that I MUCH prefer the HOLLAND AMERICA ships over the two Crystal ships and the SEABOURN SUN, because HOLLAND AMERICA staff don't carry nor cater to snob appeal.

The heaviest word for the VEENDAM is GO FOR IT, sail the VEENDAM!!