Name: Mark Rosen
Email: masterm1@aol.com
Age: 41
Occupation: Sales
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Holland-Veendam
SailingDate: July 21,1998
Itinerary: NYC to Montreal
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess: 95
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 50
OverallPortsofCall: 7
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 70
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities: 90
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 07 Aug 1998
Time: 13:30:36
Remote Name: 137.69.9.169
Remote User:

Comments

In August, my wife and I completed the NYC to Montreal Cruise which was the first voyage of the season for the HAL Veendam, following that route. Since
this was our maiden cruise, being cruise virgins as it were, I must say that we were suitably impressed. Having read some of the comments that are listed
on this site, I approached this cruise with some trepidation. However, I can report that most of my misgivings were erased within the first day of beginning
our cruise.

Our cabin steward was attentive to the point of having an almost ESP like ability of our comings and goings. Although, part of HAL's policy is
tipping not required, we felt obligated to give our steward a monetary reward. I can say without reservation that our steward kept our cabin clean and
straightened, with fresh fruit in the bowl and the ice bucket filled. We had an outside cabin, and since I don't have any previous experience as to what I
should expect in size, I thought it was roomy. HAL's designers maximized the space, so I didn't feel claustrophobic which I suffer from if the space is too
tight.

We had a table, chair, couch, and the bathroom was nicely sized. I had heard that the shower at times can be not much bigger than a closet, this
wasn't the case in our room. Although attentive and enthusiastic, our dining room steward was prone to making mistakes in exactly what was ordered. I
usually was the one that suffered from the errors but he would quickly correct himself, and my dinner would proceed without to much delay. Mostly, I was
satisfied with the menu choices, and found the food varied and served hot. The food was really geared towards a common palate, so there wasn't a lot of
exotic or highly spiced items on the menu. In the cooking that I do at home, I try and avoid over usage of butters and fats which I found in abundance on
our cruise. My only complaint regarding the food is that they can cut down the fat, and offer more vegetarian choices.

The Lido deck had the buffet line,
and the pasta/burger bar. Plenty of variety which was provided quickly and efficiently, with omelets offered at breakfast with either eggs or egg
substitute. Part of the hospitality of this cruise was the Dutch tea, a close relative of English High Tea. I found the event to be relaxing and refreshing,
and something that I’ll continue at home. I have a mixed review concerning the shore excursions. We took two excursions, one to visit the Titanic graves
and another to the Fortress Louisbourg. Since, the ship stopped in Sydney, Nova Scotia, you were left with only 3 choices. 1. Take the shore excursion to
the fort, 2. go to the on shore casino and look at the town, or 3. stay on the ship. In Sydney, we chose to visit the fort which was well worth a visit.
However, I would have preferred spending more time in Halifax, where we took the Titanic excursion, and far less time in Sydney. Halifax is not as
depressed as Sydney, and somewhat more cosmopolitan. Whereas, Sydney was pretty empty and the people leading the excursion complained
incessantly about their government, and job prospects. The tour guides were a mixed lot as well, the Halifax guide was professional and knew his subject,
whereas the Sydney guide had no clue, and continually asked the bus driver to answer questions. I would recommend that you check out the shore
excursions carefully, because you save money by taking a cab or finding an alternative to the excursions. In defense of HAL, they did have a lot of older
patrons on this cruise, so for them it may have been easier to manage rather than doing it yourself. The nightclub shows, in my opinion were probably my
least favorite part of the cruise. Thankfully, you can tune into the closed circuit television and watch the acts, or not!

The comedians that HAL hired were
all hacks with jokes that were as old as some of the passengers on board. Okay, the acts were clean with no blue material, but so what. Seinfeld works
clean, Drew Carey works clean, any number of comics work clean but they're at least somewhat humorous which I can't say about the acts that I saw. As
I said, you do have a choice, you can avoid the nightclub and change the channel on your television. At least you have more choices, such as in room
movies, a movie theater with popcorn, and the casino. Anything was better than having the pain of watching a hack comic. One other thing about the
closed circuit television, it’s a great source of information concerning on board events, excursions, and or course performances in the NightClub.

The
medical staff was competent and actually made cabin calls. My wife is pregnant, and this was the only vacation that received a blessing from our doctor.
As it happened, my wife did have some minor complications during the voyage, and the medical staff took better care of her than the medical treatment
we receive at home. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my cruise, and would take another. However, in the future, I’ll look for a cruise that offers a theme, a
seminar, or something that engages me during the times that we’re at sea. I felt the staff, composed primarily of Filipino’s and Indonesians were friendly,
and did everything within their power to provide excellent service.

Unfortunately, once again, the stereotype of the ugly American reared it’s head on
board our vessel on several occasions, and this doesn’t make me very proud. These people work harder than anyone I’ve ever seen, and it’s not right
that some of my fellow passengers treated them with disdain. They do their best, so we treated them with respect which sadly a small percentage didn’t .
It was fantastic to be pampered, and served with such grace and willingness to please. I felt the demographics were weighted more towards the geriatric
set (sort of an alternative nursing home for some), and families. As this was our last outing as a couple without children, we’ll certainly look at cruising as
a viable alternative for a vacation.

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