14 Night Western & Eastern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)
Sail date: February 26, 2020
Ship:
Veendam
Cabin type: Oceanview
Cabin number: 656
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 4 years ago
Review summary
It was a rough cruise due to weather. We met great people. Had some laughs and really relaxed. The captain was very informative. Some great staff made the trip more enjoyable. I would rate this cruise a B-. It suited our needs for the time, but we do prefer other cruise lines.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was fast and easy.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The food quality was sporadic. Some things were excellent. Others were horrible. We did run into quite a bit of almost raw meat in the buffet, once at the beach, and once in the dining room. We enjoyed the Caneletto restaurant. The beverages were good in all areas.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We enjoyed the trivia very much and Clare, who ran it was a ton of fun. The cooking classes were not as described on the website and were a disappointment. There was only one pool and it was shut down due to weather quite often. One hot tub was out of service the entire two weeks. The outside hot tubs were cold the 1st 3 days. The movie theatre-Wajang was nice and they served popcorn-it was a real treat during the rough sea days. There were plenty of self improvement lectures. Too many activities involved the shops and trying to sell you stuff (typical of cruises).
Entertainment
2 out of 5
I hate to say it, but it was a bit pitiful on the mainstage. However, they had a musician in one of the bars called Stryker, he was absolutely wonderful.
Crow's Nest
5 out of 5
Great times in this area. Very relaxing atmosphere. Great place to kick back and read a book. Bring a jacket though, they keep it pretty cold in there!
Children's Programs
We didn't bring any children.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Again, this was spotty. Our room stewards did the minimum, and there towel animals were pathetic. Most service in the dining room was excellent, except for one night, which was a disaster. In the buffet we got a mixed bag, which we have seen on many cruises.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
This was an old ship. It had great lines and decor. The common areas were always clean and seemed very well maintained.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The cabin is HUGE! There was plenty of space to move around. Storage space was maximized. This is the biggest bathroom we have ever seen on a ship. They have a bathtub/shower combo which actually makes showering very comfortable. I would book a room like this again, and again.
Ship tip
Remember it is an older ship that caters to the senior popluation. Bring things to do like, magazines, books, cards, etc. It is a cruise meant for relaxation.
Not our favorite. The turtle park was nice. We enjoyed a fresh coconut water straight out of the coconut. We did not have an excursion as we had been here before. It was a rainy day, so that didn't help very much.
I love the Veendam and I agree with you about the large room size.
The only reason we have not sailed more often was we love the thermal rooms on the ships such as the Nieuw Amsterdam, Eurodam etc. We also love the BB King All Star band too.
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