Holland America Veendam

Pros: Excellent service from the crew; Tasty food
Cons: High prices on some services; Small pools; Bad beer selection

Vacationing on a major cruise line is an enjoyable way to spend time away from home while soaking up the sun and visiting several different destinations in one trip. I have traveled extensively in my time, but taking a cruise is the one type of vacation ...

Pros: Holland America's Veendam is elegant ... Alaska trumps that! See Alaska by all means!
Cons: That most of us cannot spare the time to fully explore this beautiful land!

ALASKA ... by all means! “As long as I live I will hear waterfalls and birds and winds singing. I’ll acquaint myself with these glaciers and wild gardens, and get as near the heart of this world as I can to see and feel ...

Pros: Beautiful ship, wonderful service, excellent food
Cons: Eventually the cruise ends and you must leave the ship.

"It's good to be on a well run ship." So says the little card placed on our pillows each night by the cabin steward aboard the MS Veendam. The Veendam is without question a well-run ship, and our Eastern Caribbean cruise (Dec. 22 2001 - Dec. 29 2001) on...

Pros: Very Elegant and Classy Ship Nice variety of ports of call Perfect Size Ship
Cons: Overpriced shore excursions

Observations about the ship:

Security was tight on the port upon embarkation. Armed guards, metal detectors. Bring a book or something to do to the port. There are no TV's in the waiting area before you board the ship. It is very...

Pros: EVERYTHING, FROM WAKE UP THROUGH SLEEP TIME!
Cons: none

The Holland America Veendam cruise to St.Thomas and to Mexico must be the most luxurious way to travel invented by man! My husband and I were lucky enough to be able to travel for free through a business bonus, and we were both enchanted, as well as...

Pros: Food,Outside Attractions (Private Island), Clean and Classy Interior of main hall.
Cons: Needs better entertainment inside, rooms, bigger pool/s.

>>Imagine lying on a cruise boat tanning in the warm sun outside near the outdoor pool. You are relaxing, enjoying a nice cold ice tea, when suddenly out of nowhere an Hydrogen bomb drops down upon your ship and blows it up. At your funeral,...

Pros: beautiful vessel; excellent cruise staff; excellent food and beverage; excellent shore excursions
Cons: SLOW website; poor disembarkation process;

Situation My wife, early teenage daughter, and I traveled northbound on Holland America's ms Veendam from Vancouver, British Columbia to Seward, Alaska between June 11 and 18, 2006. It followed the Inside Passage with ports of call in ...

Pros: The friendly crew and fun excursions
Cons: nothing really

My family went on one cruise and we were hooked. Now we go on one nearly every year. This cruise is one of the best I've been on.

The islands we visited were beautiful and full of exciting opportunities, from shopping to sunning to...

Pros: luxurious, relaxing
Cons: lack of young people

A while back after completing a hectic semester a school my parents rewarded me with a cruise through the Bahamas. I wasn't sure to what to expect except for a bunch of grey haired people and hokey shuffle board games. Instead I was delighted that upon...

Pros: Luxurious--good food, nice destinations, good overall impression.
Cons: Poor childrens program, little to do for teens, not enough time at destinations.

I had, overall, a wonderful time on my Holland America cruise. It was the first cruise I had been on, and was very luxurious. I shared a room with 3 other people, and it was rather small, but I didn't spend much time there.

My grandparents,...

Pros: Service and safety
Cons: none

Bright Sunny Skies, warm ocean breezes and food to satisfy any taste. The Veendam sailed from Ft. Lauderdale Thanksgiving week. Hurricane Larry was just exiting the Caribbean to the east and the weather forecast was for clear sailing for the next week....

Pros: paid for up front and almost all-inclusive, pampered
Cons: small rooms

My husband and I arrived in Fort Lauderdale a day ahead of the two other couples joining us for the cruise.We stayed at the Ireland Inn in a room overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.The red-eye flight from California was exhausting so we proceeded to take a...

Pros: Blue-Collar Housekeeping Staff and Dining Staff: friendly, worked hard
Cons: White-Collar Management unwilling help if you need Customer Related Assistance.

My ENTIRE family took our FIRST EVER cruise with Holland America. from January 3rd to 10th for the Eastern Caribbean with stops at Grand Cayman Islands, Montego Bay, and Puerto Maya, Mexico. First, the Facts: SHIP SIZE: ...

Pros: The highlight was disembarking alive and well in San Diego. 
Cons: Cancellation of  the ports of call.  There were too many sea days.

Everything from the engines to the coffee pots broke down on this ship.  It should have never left port.  I should have been forewarned when the computers broke down and there was a 2 hour wait  to board.  They finally decided to ...

Pros: Great service, friendly staff and excellent food.
Cons: Excursions and drinks were expensive, not worth it, didn't feel safe in ports

My husband and I had never cruised before, we purchased a cruise at a charity fund raiser, the only good thing I can say about this experience is that I can use the cost of it as a charitable deduction. I know you cannot control the weather, the last ...