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Name: Tom Carten
Email: tfcarten@kings.edu
Age: 56
Occupation: clergy
NumberOfCruises: 8
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Holland-Veendam
SailingDate: July 21 1998
Itinerary: New York to Montreal
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService:
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess: 90
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities: 95
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 13 Aug 1998
Time: 23:38:43
Remote Name: 192.204.88.3
Remote User:
Comments
This was my first experience on a NYC to Montreal cruise (July
and I highly recommend it and Holland America to anyone who is
looking for a good cruise
on a great cruise line.
Having taken seven wonderful cruises on the classic old Rotterdam
V, I wondered if the new Veendam would be as good. It's all of
that -- a marvelous
ship that looks and acts like a ship. Although it has the typical
boxy shape of modern cruise liners, there is still plenty of deck
space on several levels.
Embarkation was fairly quick and very easy; we were met with the
usual white-gloved crew and a string quartet. Unlike previous
cruises, when our
luggage was in the cabin before us, it took hours for my bags to
appear. In all fairness to the crew, the ship was fully booked,
with 1,400 passengers in
its advertised 1,266 spaces.
The ship is very clean, everywhere and at all times. The windows
were the only exception and a crew member told me they can wash
them only in port,
which we had few of. The cabin is so quiet (with a limit on tv
audio) that I forgot there were people on either side of me.
The crew, incidentally, were friendly and quite good at all
times. The former cruise director had been moved to another ship
(so said one person I
asked)or fired for a bad practical joke (according to a bridge
officer). Regardless, he had a reputation for being a dud and his
replacement was a
vivacious woman who brought a brightness to the cruise and her
staff.
My favorite deck was the forward Promenade. It covers the entire
bow of the ship and was nearly always empty. People may not have
known how to get
to it, as the only entrances are through two unmarked stairwells
in the front of the Lower Promenade. That's fine with me; I like
quiet spots to hang out at
night.
The ports are varied: Newport RI is a classy place and we had a
choice of tours to see it for ourselves. Boston is a busy place,
but the approach took me
through sections of the harbor that I never realized existed; it
was a very pleasant time. Bar Harbor is a Down East experience
and as typically Maine as
you will get.
Halifax and Sydney are two Nova Scotia ports I wanted to see; the
former featured a walking tour and (on my own) the Maritime
Museum of the Atlantic.
Sydney looked like a disappointment, but had its own charm and
some good tours. The locals in Sydney gave us a loud send-off
when the ship pulled
away from the dock. The St. Lawrence River is a peaceful but busy
waterway; the Sagueny Fjord is more dramatic but quieter. Quebec
City is a two-day
visit and people seemed to like the extended time there; I sure
did. It's a big city, but still quite intimate with lovely and
tiny restaurants sprinkled all over
the place.
The Rotterdam Dining Room, as it is called, has wrap-around
windows with a clear view of the outside. On the Rotterdam V, the
dining room was enclosed
so our concentration was on the meal at hand. Here, the windows
kept us in touch with the world around us and I think it's a good
idea.
Negatives? Not many and certainly not serious. The windows were
dirty for most of the trip and somehow this should be avoided.
The luggage arrived
later than I expected. The cabin bathroom had three mechanical
problems which were quickly fixed when I told the cabin
attendant. The music in the Lido
was, at times, inappropriate; this is not Carnival and it
shouldn't sound like Carnival. It's Holland America and the music
should be a bit more subdued.
Unavoidable negative: Complaining passengers. I didn't pay good
money to listen to people whining. On one occasion in the Lido, I
simply got up and
moved when it became clear that nothing would stop one woman's
unwarranted badmouthing.
Positives? Everything else. Absolutely everything. It was as good
a cruise experience as I've had. A fine value for the money and
one which I would
recommend without hesitation to anyone who wants a fine cruise
and a fine cruise line. I've seen reviews where people nit-picked
over the smallest
things. I didn't take the cruise to find things wrong; I went to
enjoy myself on a cruise line with an excellent reputation. And
enjoy myself I did. They even
had daily newspapers (plus the Times Fax under our door) in the
library.
Suggestions: I wish they would go back to CNN Headline News on
the cabin tv's. Regular CNN has less news and we can't always be
there when it's on.
Headline News is constant and better geared to a cruise schedule.
Please contact me anytime if you have questions or need more
information.
Tom Carten tfcarten@kings.edu
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