Day 2 aboard Holland America Line’s ms Veendam and we’re at sea. As I mentioned yesterday, our late departure Thursday night forced a cancellation of our stop at Half Moon Cay today, so we’re heading straight to Grand Turk.
As a gesture for the delayed departure, all passengers received a $50 onboard credit, a 15% future cruise credit (15% of the value you paid for this trip), and there’s free Mimosas and Bloody Marys from 11am – 2pm today. Woo hoo!
The day started with breakfast. I only eat breakfast when I’m on a cruise. Not sure why, but why not?
A quick trip around the ship to do some exploring was next on the agenda. Unfortunately, work from the ship’s dry dock was still going on in parts and some areas were closed including the pool and hot tubs. I don’t enjoy bathing in other people’s sweat and whatever else, so I wasn’t disappointed.
One thing I noticed about the Veendam, is that just when you think you can take a staircase to get somewhere, you’re suddenly met with a wall or railing that has been added at some point in time and you hit a dead end.
Very strange.
Other noticeable things going on around the ship post-dry-dock, new cushions for the deck chairs were put out and the old ones are piled up in boxes waiting to be offloaded. There are still contractors working on some items that are not passenger-impacting and oh, that new carpet smell throughout the ship. One of the crew told me that her feet are so happy now that there’s new carpeting.
Wanting to soak up some sun, I kept trying to find a chair around the pool and there just weren’t any. At all. All day. I managed to find a secluded deck that some other sun worshippers found as well and went to grab a chair off a pile stacked nearby and every one I grabbed was broken. I quickly found out that was why there were there.
I gave up on the sun and headed to the bar where I enjoyed a couple of Manhattans and grabbed a slice (well, two) of pizza for lunch. I was surprised at the quality of the pizza. Usually, pizza on a ship sucks and is usually just pre-fab crap thrown in an oven to make kids happy. This was made with fresh dough by hand and was very good.
I spent a good deal of time camped out on my steamer chair on the Promenade Deck taking in the view and chatting with those passing by. After several doubles of those Manhattans, I become quite the social butterfly.
At 5pm I went to the LGBT gathering in the ship’s Mix Bar – a unique concept that includes a champagne bar, martini bar, and a regular bar all in one venue. A few more doubles were on the to-do list followed by a well-deserved nap before dinner.
I must mention that on other Holland America Line ships I’ve been on, I’ve complained many times about the low-flow shower head. I was expecting the same on the Veendam, but low and behold, low-flow be dammed! Now there are supposed to be low-flow shower heads (and I’m sure it is one), but damn, it’s pretty good. So no complaints about the shower head this cruise.
On this cruise, I’m having dinner each night in the ship’s steakhouse, the Pinnacle Grill. As usual, I had a great meal starting off with a tomato salad, shrimp cocktail, and a New York strip, and ending with a chocolate bread pudding with vanilla ice cream.
The evening’s entertainment was a show featuring Bob Mackie-designed costumes and show tunes. While I love a good rendition of the theme from Oklahoma, a group of us were meeting up in the Crow’s Nest for some after-dinner drinks, and when someone says “drinks at 10” I’m not going to be left behind.
After a few more Manhattans I can’t recall much of what happened next, but the night ended with me getting an escort back to my room and waking up with just a pair of shoes on this morning. So it couldn’t have been that bad.
Well, maybe it was.
Sunday will see us in port in Grand Turk where there’s not much to do but go to the beach and watch suckers whip out their credit card for stuff they think they’re getting a deal on.
Kinda like the people who line up for the big “Gold By The Inch” sale happening “just once during this cruise.”
One thing that I did notice and I’ve fallen in love with on this ship is the automatic hand washing machines. There are still hand sanitizer dispensers located just about everywhere, but these really cool machines have been installed outside the dining venues that you stick your hands in and for 15 seconds they’re washed with warm water and sanitizer.
Unfortunately, not everyone feels the need to wash their hands or even get a spritz of Purell before eating and those are the ones you want to catch the dreaded norovirus so it teaches them a lesson. Washey-washey people especially after going tinkle-tinkle!
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.