The Cadillac of Cruise Ships
Written: Aug 30 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: luxurious, relaxing
Cons: lack of young people
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| sdenligner's Full Review: Holland America Veendam |
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 disembarking, I was introduced to three other 20-somethings also on board. It's true that most of Holland America's passengers are older (mainly because of the prices) but the crew and entertainment director had gone out of their way to hunt us out and introduce us. The four of us are STILL close friends.
During our 10 day cruise every single wish or fancy we had was magically taken care of. I honestly think it might have had something to do with many of the Phillipan male crew members having a crush on us, but who knows!
As for the shuffle board contests there were none! There was of course optional bingo, a huge casino, and during the day fun little games and contests by the pool side. However, they were very non-intrusive and you could easily ignore them or choose to join in.
The state rooms were remarkable. These room were more luxurious than many suites I've stayed in land hotels. Of course, my room was top of the line, on the upper deck with a balcony, since my parents had paid for it. I did visit one of my friends room who was staying in a port-side cabin on C Deck. Her room was furnished lovely, but the lack of a window made me extremely claustraphobic. I'm not sure if I could have cruised for 10 days in a room like that. Although we didn't spend much time sleeping, we were always on deck or running around our port of call.
The interior of the ship was exquistely glamourous. This is definitely a cruise line made to feel "creme de la creme" there were uncountable chandeliers dripping in the entry ways, beautiful glass winding stair cases, gorgeous crystal and glass sculptures, and my favorite a wonderful Calypso Steel Drum Group that never seemed to stop playing! Sometimes they were in the main grand entrance, other times by one of the pools.
The one place that the four of us seemed to spend a lot of our time in was the Crow's Nest which was their dance club/bar atop the very tip front of the boat. Since very few of the passengers are young, this place was relatively empty. It was absolutely breathtaking however. The entire wall facing the front of the boat was glass and from where we were positioned it seemed as if there was no boat under you and you were simply flying along the water. There is a small dance floor in there with a sort of pathetic DJ but he happily obliged to our requests. We were able to meet another group of people up there, a bit older but we became "dancing buddies". The bar has a huge selection of drinks, if not overpriced.
Even their outside observation decks are beautiful. On one clear starry night I slept outside on the deck. It was the most romantic feeling to have the warm breeze rushing through my hair, while staring up at the stars and seeing nothing but dark blue water in front of me. Pure heavenly relaxation.
Our port of calls were typical, but they provided us with information such as in Jamaica do not get in a taxi cab if you're a single female, you may be robbed or worse. We also received the standard info for shopping and eating. I was very impressed though that they went out of the way to give us "insider tips" however.
My favorite part of the whole cruise was our stop on the Island that Holland America privately owns. It was absoultely beautiful and untouched.
Last, but most important, was the food. Cruises are famous in general for feeding you until you burst. Holland America out does all of them! You can choose to eat at the formal "Captain's Dinner" which is a wonderfully fun dress up elegant dinner, or any of many casual restaurants (all of course included in your price) and no matter what time of day or night you can bet there's a buffet somewhere on the boat. Our cult favorite was the midnight chocolate buffet. Every single type of chocolate imaginable, and I swear some of it was better than Godiva!
If you're looking for a luxurious cruise to pamper you , feed you with the most succulent of foods, and provide you with beautiful untouched islands, all with bedrooms that are better than the Hilton you should definitely try this ship. However if you're a 20 or 30 something, single and looking to cut back, have some fun and meet people, this would probably not be your ideal cruise line.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
sdenligner
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Member: Susannah
Location: Cincinnati/Chicago
Reviews written: 35
Trusted by: 5 members
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