Holland America’s Veendam is one of the first ships that was profiled on Beyondships. She is a relatively small ship in comparison to today’s mega-cruise ships but she has elegance and sophistication.
In 2009, Veendam underwent a major refit. The focus of the work was on the stern area where the aft pool was turned into a resort-style shallow pool and the surrounding area transformed into a retreat. In addition, a series of balcony cabins were added along the stern.
What I had not expected when I went onboard recently were the changes to the ship’s interior. The area that was the casino bar has been re-done into “The Mix”, which encompasses three different bars - - spirits and ale, champagne and martinis. In some ways, the concept is similar to the “Bar Central” area on the larger NCL ships. However, here the three bars are physically separate.
The Ruebens Show Lounge is now the Showroom at Sea. In addition to changing the name, HAL has changed the concept. Instead, of being a theater, there are nightclub like tables in front of the stage.
All of the changes to Veendam necessitated essentially redoing the Beyondships’s profile and photo tour. The profile page is at http://www.beyondships.com/Veedam-Profile.html and the new photo tour begins at http://www.beyondships.com/HAL-Veendam-Tour1.html
In addition, Veendam now spends her summers cruising from New York to Bermuda. This has produced several opportunities to photograph her in one port or the other. Accordingly, I have added a new page of exterior photos of Veendam to the profile at http://www.beyondships.com/HAL-Veendam-photo-1.html
In 2009, Veendam underwent a major refit. The focus of the work was on the stern area where the aft pool was turned into a resort-style shallow pool and the surrounding area transformed into a retreat. In addition, a series of balcony cabins were added along the stern.
What I had not expected when I went onboard recently were the changes to the ship’s interior. The area that was the casino bar has been re-done into “The Mix”, which encompasses three different bars - - spirits and ale, champagne and martinis. In some ways, the concept is similar to the “Bar Central” area on the larger NCL ships. However, here the three bars are physically separate.
The Ruebens Show Lounge is now the Showroom at Sea. In addition to changing the name, HAL has changed the concept. Instead, of being a theater, there are nightclub like tables in front of the stage.
All of the changes to Veendam necessitated essentially redoing the Beyondships’s profile and photo tour. The profile page is at http://www.beyondships.com/Veedam-Profile.html and the new photo tour begins at http://www.beyondships.com/HAL-Veendam-Tour1.html
In addition, Veendam now spends her summers cruising from New York to Bermuda. This has produced several opportunities to photograph her in one port or the other. Accordingly, I have added a new page of exterior photos of Veendam to the profile at http://www.beyondships.com/HAL-Veendam-photo-1.html
No comments:
Post a Comment