Off on another adventure! This time I’m traveling on Holland America Line’s ms Veendam, a 1350-passenger ship built in 1999 – old by today’s standards, but who doesn’t love a classic?
The itinerary this time is pretty much one I’ve been on numerous times before. Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas, Grand Turk, San Juan, and St. Thomas. Those of you who follow my travel blogs know that I don’t cruise for the destinations, but rather the ship.
I chose this trip because the Veendam was a ship I’ve never been on before and is only one of a few small ships that make up the Holland America Line fleet.
Embarkation was originally scheduled to begin at 11am, but early in the morning, I received an email advising that it would be delayed until 4pm. The first thing I thought was, crap the ship came back with a bout of norovirus and it needs to be deep cleaned before embarking new passengers. Luckily, after calling Holland America to see what was up, I was told the ship had been in dry dock for a week and is running behind schedule.
I arrived at Port Everglades just before 4pm and was greeted with a sign saying embarkation was delayed yet again until 6pm. Rather than turn around and go home, I decided to stick it out.
Since the computers used to check passengers in are stored on the ship itself, there was no way to begin the check-in process until the ship arrived, so all of us just gathered in the terminal waiting for news. We were told that the ship would not be arriving until 7pm and that embarkation would begin shortly after arrival.
In the meantime, the line provided everyone with a box lunch, refreshments, and when the ham sandwiches ran out, Polly-O String Cheese. It was certainly the highlight of the day.
What shocked me the most was that nobody was disgruntled. If this had been an airplane that was delayed nearly a half-day, the National Guard would have had to be called in. But not in this case, everyone took it in stride, including myself.
The ship did arrive around 7pm and embarkation started. I had priority boarding, so I was one of the first to check in and get on board. I was seated for dinner with a martini in hand at 8:15pm. Due to the late embarkation, the only dining venue that was open was the main dining room – a place I usually avoid on every cruise ship I go on.
I walked in, asked for a table for one, and had an enjoyable dinner that consisted of an antipasto plate (small enough to make an Italian boy like me cry), cream of broccoli soup, an end cut of some damn good prime rib, a loaded baked potato and a brownie hot fudge sundae for dessert.
Passengers were still making their way onboard when I finished up dinner and once they were all present and accounted for, the mandatory muster drill was held around 10:15pm.
It was an early night for everyone, including myself. After the muster drill, I unpacked, put out my breakfast order, went for a quick nightcap, and off to dreamland.
This time around I booked an unusual cabin that was added to the Veendam when it went through a refit in 2011 which added some additional cabins, lengthened decks, and added additional amenities as part of a fleet-wide initiative.
The Lani Stateroom is a cabin that has a sliding glass door that leads to the open Promenade Deck instead of a balcony. Normally I go for a suite, but I was so intrigued by this type of room, I had to give it a try.
For a single guy like myself, the room is big enough, but I can’t imagine more than one person occupying it. I just had enough room for my own clothes and if there was another person with me, we would definitely be fighting for closet space. I’m not overly impressed with the room and at the same time, I’m not disappointed with it either. The ability to go right out onto the promenade and plop down in one of my two reserved steamer chairs or do a few miles around the teak deck is a plus. One thing I do miss is the ability to have breakfast out on the balcony.
One plus of the Lanai Stateroom was the ability to walk right out the sliding door to the muster drill – and sneak right back in once you checked in with the boat captain.
Due to the late departure, our stop at Half Moon Cay was canceled and we’re going to be spending a day at sea as we make our way to Grand Turk. A tad bit disappointing, since I do enjoy Half Moon Cay, it’s the line’s private island they also share with sister company, Carnival. I brought my tanning oil in anticipation of spending the day lounging in the sun on the beach, but oh well! I’m going to be back on Half Moon Cay in June, so I’ll oil up then.
Personal Day-By-Day Noordam Cruise Review:
Photo Tour of the Veendam:
Welcome to my photo tour of the Veendam! Get ready to explore this beautiful vessel and all it has to offer through a series of stunning photographs. From the elegant dining rooms to the luxurious cabins and the endless entertainment options, you’ll see why the Veendam is a favorite among cruise enthusiasts. So sit back, relax, and let these photos take you on a virtual tour of the Veendam.