Holland America Line ms Veendam

Overview

Owing to its location, far forward, ours was an atypical, elongated cabin—about 24 feet long, not counting an additional 3 feet that separated the headboard from a pair of recessed porthole windows. The total size was about 208 square feet, whereas Holland America says that Ocean-view cabins on Veendam start at 174 square feet. We appreciated the extra space, the only caveats being that our location close to the bow was a bit noisier and rocky during rough seas, and the modest-sized TV screen was a fair distance for viewing from bed.

Bedroom

Our cabin featured a very comfortable Sealy Posturpedic mattress—two singles actually, with the split between mattresses apparent but not obnoxious, somewhat disguised by a pillowtop. Because the cabin configuration was stretched by its location the modest-sized TV was further than we like for viewing from bed. An overhead fluorescent blub ran parallel with the window above our head, and there were also pillow-level reading lights for each side of the bed—not bright, but still useful. On either side of the bed were small nightstands with drawers, plus a phone.

Bathroom

The bathroom was unexceptional in size and features, save for one non-standard amenity found in most cabins on Veendam: a bathtub large enough for a proper bath (45 inches long, 16 inches deep). The showerhead was a Grohe model with an adjustable spray. Wall-mounted pump dispensers provided good-quality Elemis body soap, shampoo and conditioner. There was a retractable laundry line in the shower for our wet bathing suits. A bit more storage space for travel kits would have been appreciated. A 115-volt electrical outlet in the ceiling was marked for shavers.

A sign advised us to protect the environment: “Towels left on the rack will be considered clean. Towels on the floor will be washed.” Our towel was replaced only when we left it on the floor once, just as we wanted.

The desk in the bedroom had an illuminated makeup mirror and hair dryer.

Features

Located near the forward section of the bow, our cabin had two small porthole windows, each not quite a foot wide (most Ocean-view cabins on Veendam have a larger, rectangular window). The windows were recessed, so it was possible to see what was going on outside only by climbing onto the bed pillows. But the windows were sufficient for introducing natural light into the room; there was a blackout curtain to block the light, or a sheer for privacy.

Our cabin had ample closet space—four sections facing the bathroom door, each almost 19 inches wide. The left-hand compartment had four fixed shelves, one of which held a safe, plus a basket to put shoes in for shining. The safe was barely 7 inches deep and 14 inches wide—not large enough for a laptop. The next closet compartment had two rods for hanging clothes, while the next two each have three shelves; the shelves folded up to allow storage for luggage or additional hangers. There was a curtain that could be pulled for privacy, separating the entry and closet area from the bedroom. There were under-dressers beneath the beds, allowing additional storage.

There were two main lighting systems for the cabin: One controlled an overhead at the cabin entrance and a florescent bulb at the other end of the room, spanning the width of the bed; the other, in the middle of the room, was a pair of lamps attached to the mirror and a couple lights over the couch pointed at the framed painting (one of which was out and not replaced during our cruise). There were ample switches for these systems at the front door, at the desk and one on either side of the bed. There was a lamp next to the couch that was not, by itself, quite bright enough for reading. There were also individual reading lights on either side of the bed, also not quite bright enough for bedtime reading.

The TV in our room was an older, 20-inch LG flat screen; the TV was in a fixed position at an angle toward both couch and bed. The distance from the bed pillows to the screen was about 15 feet (due to the elongated nature of the room). We liked that, when turned on, the channel that appeared was the one we left it on; no hunting through hotel interface to get to CNN. There was a DVD player mounted under the monitor—CyberHome CH-DVD 300 (and MP3 player), and DVDs could be borrowed from the front desk.

Although there were cans of soda and bottles of water on the desk (for purchase), there was no fridge in our room. An ice bucket was kept filled by our cabin steward, and bathrobes were hanging next to the bed for us.