Panama Canal Transit

Veendam Cruise Review to Panama Canal, Central America

Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 36

Overall rating:

5 out of 5
Verified Review
Veendam

15 Night Panama Canal Eastbound (San Diego To Ft. Lauderdale)

Sail date: December 05, 2016

Ship: Veendam

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: 819

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

We had a thoroughly enjoyable trip.  The ship was in fine shape and the crew went out of their way to see that we were comfortable and informed.  Food in the Main Dining Room and the Lido Deck was quite good as was the service. We had three Gala Dining Nights (gentlemen wear jackets) with lobster, filet mignon and other top shelf choices.  The two specialty restaurants offered interesting and delicious choices.

 

This is not a brand new mega cruise ship.  Our cruise had about 1250 passengers.  You will not find all the latest features and doodads.  The ship is well maintained and was clean and functional.  Most passengers had passed the half century mark and I don't think there was much to do for children (though I only so 3 or 4 kids / teenagers).

 

Entertainment included shows, movies and lounge performers.  The shows were fun but don't expect Vegas extravaganzas.  The movies were somewhat dated but followed a theme of the Panama Canal and the Christmas Season. We enjoyed the lounges (4) the most.  They were intimate so you could interact with the performers and other shipmates.  The lounges included a classical music salon; a Jazz band with dance floor; a piano bar with requests and guess that tune; and a lounge with a band that played 60's to 90's music with a dance floor.

 

The transit of the canal was interesting.  It took 8-9 hours once we started.  The ship provided a guest commentator on the top deck who explained over the PA system what was happening plus a history of the canal.

 

The ship had a spacious and well stocked library as well as internet (slooow) connections.  There are several "at sea days" so if you don't bring your own books, you will appreciate the library offerings.

 

I thought embarkation and disembarkation were done very efficiently and smoothly.  

 

We are cruise neophytes (this was our second cruise) so we do not have the experience / knowledge of the more frequent cruisers.  We found everyone helpful and very pleasant.  The cruise totally met our expectations and we would recommend it for anyone wanting to transit the Panama Canal.

 

Dennis and Bonnie Kelly

 

 

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
I was interested in the Windows 10 presentations but the room was too small to accommodate all that were interested. Room size was small because they needed a terminal for each attendee.

Entertainment

3 out of 5
Main showroom acts were entertaining but don't expect Las Vegas. Lounge acts were great for socializing and dancing.

Children's Programs

1 out of 5
Didn't see many children but didn't see much for them to do either.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
The dining room manager and wait staff were exceptional. Our cabin attendant did a great job keeping the room ship shape and managing our laundry.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Closets and drawers were sufficient to more than handle two full sized suitcases. Cabin was clean and efficient.

Ports of call

San Diego, California

5 out of 5

Huatulco, Mexico

5 out of 5

Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala

5 out of 5

Enter Panama Canal At Balboa

5 out of 5

Panama Canal Transit

5 out of 5
Transiting the canal was the prime purpose of the trip. We weren't disappointed. The Holland America provided commentator did great job explaining what we were seeing.

Exit Panama Canal At Cristobal

5 out of 5

Cartagena, Colombia

5 out of 5
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