Some might like this Ship, but it was not for us.

Item: Veendam
Rating: 2
Author: Sha259

Veendam Cruise Review to Canada, New England, New York

Sha259

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 12

Overall rating:

2 out of 5

Verified Review

9 Night Canada & New England Northbound (Boston To Montreal)

Sail date: April 28, 2016

Ship: Veendam

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: 743

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

My husband and I are both in our early 30s and booked this cruise as a last minute babymoon. The Veendam is a small, old ship and she shows her age. However, that is not the main issue. The clientele is much older than we had anticipated (avg age in their mid 70s), and though that did not impact us directly, it did create an atmosphere that was not as lively as we would have liked. The on board entertainment was very much geared toward a much much older crowd. Most of the cruise we ended up sitting around on the Lido Deck. The ports of call were very hit or miss, as most things were closed because they didn't consider the cruise season to begin until later in May. We enjoyed Bar Harbor, PEI, and Quebec City, but we could do without visiting Gaspe ever again. Consider yourself lucky as ours will be the only cruise to go there this year. The service crew themselves were the real highlight of the cruise as they were all very nice, welcoming, and happy to speak to you. The entertainment staff was not as welcoming. They would pass by you without even looking at you, as if they were the passengers and you were the staff. I found that interesting. Overall, do I plan of cruising HAL again, not unless i got the deal of a lifetime. Would i recommend HAL to anyone else? Not unless they were over the age of 65.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

Entertainment

1 out of 5

Children's Programs

1 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

1 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

The cabin was old and showing it's wear, just as the rest of the ship did. However, our cabin stewards were very sweet and took really good care of us. I wish they could get a contract on a better ship! The location of the room was good. Very little ship movement felt. The bed was comfortable, as were the linens.