Cruise Ship Review

Veendam is considered the culmination of the Statendam-class ships, with a strong traditional flavor. Her signature is a kind of private pampering, with all sorts of retreats where passengers can enjoy a quiet moment or a book within the activities of the ship. Although the ship carries 1,226 passengers, the feeling is intimate, since spaces are broken up into little cafes and lounges, deck sections, and small rooms dedicated to cards, puzzles, books, etc.

The main decks are organized around an atrium pierced by Jacob's staircase, a sculpture of Murano stained glass.

The Dutch roots of the ship are reflected in the names and décor of its public rooms and in the $2 million art collection: magnificent antique Delft, armor, and ship models on display and huge Georgia O'Keefe-like flower paintings in the dining room which are actually magnified details from Dutch still-life paintings.

The crew is very highly regarded, presenting a special cultural show, singing Indonesian songs in the dining room and supervising regional specialties at lunch.

Public Rooms

The lobby atrium is well designed to allow a flow of people booking shore excursions or making arrangements with the front desk, and the photo gallery is right off the lobby, as well. The Java Lounge, tucked away at the end of a hallway, is filled with a steady stream of small groups and individuals enjoying espressos and cappuccinos while reading or chatting.

The Explorer's Lounge, with its huge ship models and secluded tables for two tucked away at the end, is in use day and night. The casino, placed along a wandering path from the atrium near the shops, attracts a very strong late-night crowd, partly because of the attractiveness of the two bars, the Casino Bar and the secluded Piano Bar, which feature excellent entertainment. Surprisingly, the huge television set surrounded by a sports lounge sees little use. Washers and dryers are available for use with a fee, irons and boards are free.

Dining

The Rotterdam Dining Room is striking. Instead of the usual neutral colors, the décor is rich red and gold, with huge flower paintings. The dining room has two levels, and there is enough room between tables for private conversation and easy movement. Service in the main dining room is universally good and warmly attentive; the wine steward is knowledgeable and pleasant with novices and experts. Breakfast and lunch are served in the dining room or in the Lido. There are sometimes lengthy lines in the Lido, but there are smaller stations both at lunch and dinner, allowing passengers to have something light with a drink if they choose to wait for the traffic to slow down. Hot food is hot, cold food is cold, and the staff is careful to keep the serving areas full. Some passengers were not pleased that smoked salmon was served in individual plates, although others got by the portion control by dumping one plate into another.

At lunch the poolside area just outside the Lido is also used for stations offering Mexican and Indonesian food and sometimes pasta. The ice-cream station in the Lido gets tremendous traffic during lunchtime, and as a result the flavor choices diminish quickly. Although guests carry their own trays, tray removal is very prompt and tables are kept neat and clean.

The overall quality of the food is uneven, with some excellent dishes and some that fell in the mediocre to poor range. Vegetarian dishes in the dining room are particularly iffy. On the other hand, room service was outstanding, with a much wider choice than usual among hot and cold sandwiches, dinners, soups, salads, desserts, and cheese dishes, and choices from the dining room menu. Service was quick and good. Among the late night buffets, the Dessert Extravaganza, with its Dutch Chocolate Treat, was the most popular. Overall the staff is good, but there are variations ranging between spectacular and unresponsive.

Cabins

Standard staterooms are decorated either in shades of peach or blue, and all beds can be arranged as singles or queen. All staterooms have sofas and nearly three-quarters have sofabeds, great for families. The ship has 336 outside staterooms, which are 190-2,548 square feet; 52 (combining standard and deluxe) have connecting doors, and 148 inside staterooms, plus a penthouse and 28 suites. The 149 suites and deluxe staterooms each has a private verandah, VCR, whirlpool bath, and minibar; other cabins have hairdryers, safes, individual climate control, telephones, multi-channel music, and closed circuit television. Six staterooms are designed to accommodate physically challenged passengers.

Safes are operated by any card the passenger may have with a readable strip, eliminating the need for memorized codes. Lighting by the bed is good, and bathroom amenities are generous and very good. There is enough closet and drawer space for two, although anyone using the sleep sofa for children might have to be ingenious about space for additional clothing and toys. Cabins on the Promenade decks have special glass so the interiors of the staterooms cannot be seen by day from deck (at night, draw the curtains). On the Lower Promenade Deck there are cabins with obstructed views.

Entertainment

The 600-seat Rubens Lounge is very impressive, from the etchings of Rubens' portrait in the glass entrance doors to the elegant balcony. The lines are organic, featuring columns tapered smaller at the bottom than at the top with attached glass figures illuminated from within. The tri-color marble and granite dance floor and the superb sound system attract a good crowd of passengers. In the later hours, guests seem to gravitate heavily to the smaller performance areas with singers and pianists playing well into the night; the disco wasn't so well attended.

The casino has 108 slot machines, stud poker, draw poker, a roulette table, a dice table, and five blackjack tables, and in general nobody had to wait to play. The 249-seat Wajang Theater, which shows two movies at four times during the day, complete with popcorn, was very well attended.

Fitness & Recreation

The spa has the usual range of Steiner treatments and products; there are men's and women's saunas and steam rooms, a juice bar and salon/barber shop, and a fully equipped gym plus aerobics classes and a jogging track. The ship also has two practice tennis courts and Jacuzzis adjoining the Lido pool. A smaller pool on the Navigation deck is less crowded and attracted sunbathers and families.

The line offers plenty of information in port for the independent traveler, and there are continuous activities during the day, from bingo to wine tasting, games, movies (in-cabin and in the theater), and mixers or classes. There is no e-mail or Internet access, although this is expected to change by the end of the year.

Children's Programs

Although there are no dedicated children's areas on the Veendam, there are children's programs, which use open deck space, meeting rooms and other public areas. The ship has more than a hundred children on board at times, although numbers can be much smaller, depending on the sailing date. Club HAL caters to younger passengers ages 5-17 with structured programs, and they seem to enjoy themselves very much. Counselors meet at the beginning of the cruise with parents and guardians, and they must personally drop off and pick up each younger child. For diapers, formula and other services, passengers should make their requests known when they book the cruise.

There is a children's menu with smaller portions of dishes like spaghetti, along with hamburgers and other standards. Women who will be 24 or more weeks pregnant by the last day of the cruise are not accepted as passengers.

Fellow Passengers

There is a good sprinkling of international passengers, Latin America, Asian and European, but the overwhelming majority is North American.

Dress Code

A dark suit is fine for formal nights on board; some men even wore dark sports coats, although there was a generous sprinkling of tuxedos. Two formal nights are set on a seven-day cruise; the second isn't the conventional final night but the one before. The rationale is that people are too busy packing on the last night to have a big formal occasion. On casual nights both men and women wore casual pants and shirts.

Gratuities

For years and years, Holland America Line distinguished itself with its "no tipping required" policy, the objective of which was to prove that the cheerful and accommodating staff worked for the love of serving their guests, not for tips. Unfortunately, many passengers took this to mean "tips are included," or "tipping not allowed," so as Holland America hopes to attract a more diverse clientele and more first-time cruisers, the tipping policy has been specifically addressed.

According to a statement from Holland America president Stein Kruse, the tipping policy--fleetwide--is as follows:

"For your convenience, a gratuity of $10 per guest per day, for dining and stateroom service, will be automatically posted to your shipboard account. We are confident you will find the service on board exemplary and, should you wish to make adjustments, you may do so at the end of the cruise by visiting the front office. Also, a 15 percent service charge will be automatically added to your bar and beverage purchases."

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