ABOARD THE HOLLAND AMERICA VEENDAM -- Tired of gigantic cruise ships that carry 3,000 or more people? Many of the big lines have been phasing out smaller vessels, and what used to be common -- mass-market ships that carry under 1,500 passengers -- are increasingly rare. But the good news for big ship critics is that one major operator, Holland America, not only is holding on to its smaller vessels, it's pouring money into them.
This past week Holland America showed off a massive, $40 million makeover of one of its smallest vessels, the 1,350-passenger Veendam -- a makeover the line soon will repeat on four more of its smaller (and older) ships.
The 13-year-old Veendam's three S Class sisters, the Statendam (built in 1993), Maasdam (1993) and Ryndam (1994), are scheduled for similar overhauls over the next two years, as is the first of Holland America's four R Class ships, the 1,316-passenger Rotterdam (1997). The refurbishments, as seen on the Veendam, are touching nearly every area of the vessels and, no doubt, will go a long way in cementing Holland America's dominance in the market for mid-size ships -- those in the 1,000 to 2,000 passenger range.
What's new on the Veendam? One immediately noticeable change is at the back of the ship, where in a major structural alteration an entire new deck has been added to make room for 48 new cabins, including 32 with balconies -- a relative rarity on such older ships.
Cabins with balconies, of course, are in high demand across the industry and command a significant premium, and they're in particularly high demand on smaller vessels such as the Veendam that were built before balconies became commonplace.
In addition to the new balcony cabins on the back of the ship, Holland America has added balconies to 12 existing cabins on the front of the ship. And in a major and costly change, the line also has added sliding doors to 38 cabins that overlook the public, walk-around Promenade Deck (see photo above) to create what it is calling Lanai cabins -- effectively creating a balcony cabin where there was none before (The Cruise Log will have a full report on the new Lanai cabins on Tuesday).
The overall effect of all the cabin changes is to greatly increase the percentage of accommodations on the Veendam that include an outdoor sitting space, a change that not only will better meet customer demand but also greatly increase the revenue the ship can generate. Still, the structural changes didn't end there. One deck up from the new cabins on the back of the ship the line also has added a stylish new outdoor pool area called The Retreat where passengers can lounge in recliners that sit right in the (three-inch-high) water. The Retreat, part of which is pictured to the left, also is home to a new pool bar, a small pizzeria called Slice (pictured at right), outdoor seating under a canopy and a giant LED screen for evening movies.
More sophisticated than the pool area previously at the back of the Veendam, The Retreat is an example of Holland America's effort to make its ships more contemporary and stylish -- something that was clearly evident with last year's launch of the 2,104-passenger Eurodam.
Along this vein, the makeover of the Veendam also has brought a snazzy (dare we say hip?) new indoor bar zone called Mix that includes a martini bar, Champagne bar and spirits & ales bar.
To make room for the new bar area, pictured to the left, the line broke down walls and removed darker, more traditional piano and casino bars.
In aggregate, the changes serve to update and extend the life of a ship that remains highly popular among cruisers who prefer a more intimate, less crowded experience at sea. Even with a rise in capacity to 1,350, double occupancy, following the makeover (up from 1,258 before the renovation), the Veendam carries about half as many people as many of the newer ships operated by Holland America's rivals in the premium cruise segment, Princess Cruises and Celebrity Cruises, and clearly offers a less bustling experience. Celebrity's new Solstice Class ships, for instance, carry 2,850 passengers at double occupancy.
Even more notably, the Veendam holds just one quarter as many passengers as Royal Caribbean's soon-to-launch, 5400-passenger Oasis of the Seas. In short, relative to the new crop of megaships that are emerging, the Veendam and its S Class sisters at Holland America are downright small, and therein lies the niche that Holland America hopes to exploit in the coming years.
Among other changes to the Veendam that also will come to its sister ships:
-- The addition of Canaletto, a casual Italian eatery. A concept that debuted last year on the Eurodam, Canaletto is located in a corner of the Lido buffet eatery that is transformed each night into a sit-down, dinner-only restaurant with white table clothes and waiters. It serves dishes such as penne alla vodka and veal Milanese. There is no extra charge for the restaurant, but reservations are encouraged.
-- The addition of Merabella, a luxury goods boutique. -- A refurbished Ocean Bar.
-- A complete revamping of cabins that includes new carpets, soft goods, bathroom enhancements and more. While we were a bit disappointed with the quality of the bedding (a plain blanket sandwiched between two relatively thin sheets is a far cry from the fluffy duvets found on some ships), the overall decor of the rooms is refreshing and clean.
-- Creation of 15 new "spa cabins" that have an airy, spa-like decor and extra touches such as organic terrycloth robes.
For the most part, all of the changes listed above will be repeated in almost identical fashion on the four other Holland America ships scheduled for overhauls. But with the exception of the Rotterdam, which is receiving all of the upgrades in December, the changes on the other ships will be completed in two phases instead of one.
Excellent find, Harry. My question is "Is HAL shooting themselves in the foot with this upgrade?" Take the quote "remains highly popular among cruisers who prefer a more intimate, less crowded experience at sea" Now, compare that to the features that are being added to the ship. The intimate bars have been removed in favor of the the open "more hip" areas, the Lainai cabins have been built which are right next to the promenade, and the overall feel is less classic and more, shall we say, Carnival?
Not that I disapprove of all the features. The aft pool was a bit tired. On the other hand, it was salt water whcih gave it a good contrast to the indoor fresh water pool and made a nice place for those who wanted to soak in the sun. The new pool is more of a gimmick, we shall see how well it is carried off.
The new restaurant is a great idea and a far cry from what is happening on other lines with the new eating venues mostly being "extra".
Additional balcony cabins? The ship did need them (the old balconies were a LOT more expensive than the regular outside cabins). My only concern there is that HAL has changed the look of the ship taking away a lot of the classical lines that the Veendam used to have.
Do I want to try her? Certainly. If I was not mad at HAL right now, I would have loved to check out the ship. The size is perfect and gives you a certain intimacy that you do not have on the large megaships. You see the same people day after day and there is far more opportunity to get to meet others than there is on the big ships.
There are many reports of plumbing problems on her -- toilets out in some cabin for quite a while -- one entire deck had toilet problems for nearly an entire day -- don't know what deck it was.
Service has been poor in the dining room.
They are still working on the lanai cabins.
The retreat -- very few like it.
SO ---
For the future the Retreat is being put on HOLD!!
And the SPA cabins -- may be scraped as they are just too heavy for the bow of the ship.
Excellent find, Harry. My question is "Is HAL shooting themselves in the foot with this upgrade?" Take the quote "remains highly popular among cruisers who prefer a more intimate, less crowded experience at sea" Now, compare that to the features that are being added to the ship. The intimate bars have been removed in favor of the the open "more hip" areas, the Lainai cabins have been built which are right next to the promenade, and the overall feel is less classic and more, shall we say, Carnival?
Not that I disapprove of all the features. The aft pool was a bit tired. On the other hand, it was salt water whcih gave it a good contrast to the indoor fresh water pool and made a nice place for those who wanted to soak in the sun. The new pool is more of a gimmick, we shall see how well it is carried off.
The new restaurant is a great idea and a far cry from what is happening on other lines with the new eating venues mostly being "extra".
Additional balcony cabins? The ship did need them (the old balconies were a LOT more expensive than the regular outside cabins). My only concern there is that HAL has changed the look of the ship taking away a lot of the classical lines that the Veendam used to have.
Do I want to try her? Certainly. If I was not mad at HAL right now, I would have loved to check out the ship. The size is perfect and gives you a certain intimacy that you do not have on the large megaships. You see the same people day after day and there is far more opportunity to get to meet others than there is on the big ships.
Some very interesting points you have put across there, Neal!
I think HAL has really messed up this time. Why change the ship? The fleet it being updated with another new ship soon anyway. They have completely ruined the look and style on once a very nice vessel.
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