We chose this particular cruise because of the ports in Cuba. We booked the end of May, so things went smoothly for us.
The embarkation and disembarkation went very smoothly. We especially like the option of putting our luggage out the night before and it's taken to the airport for us and we pick it up at our final destination. The only problem was they charged us for an extra piece of luggage saying we only get 1 free piece per person on the airline, when in fact, we get to check 2 pieces of luggage free per person. We waiting to see if this over charge has been worked out.
Over all, I thought the Veendam was in great shape. It's a small ship, but that's fine with us. I thought all areas of the ship were clean and in good repair. We always saw crew/staff out cleaning/polishing up everything. Our cabin was in good repair, with everything in good working order. The fabric on the sofa and chairs was in good repair, as were the linens. Our bed was very comfortable. The cabin (a Vista suite) was smaller than we usually like, and not sure why it's called a "suite", but it was good. Our room stewards were very attentive. The furnishings are a bit out of date but still in good shape.
Although much smaller than a "Signature Suite", the Vista Suite was adequate. The bed was very comfortable, the sofa and chairs were in good repair. The linens were in good shape. Our stewards kept the room very clean. The verandah, although small, had enough room for 4 adults. One major disappointment - there was only 1 electric outlet in the entire cabin. Our steward did bring us a power strip that allowed us to plug in several things at once.
We took a ship excursion in Cienfugos. Rather than stay in town we took an excursion to Santa Clara. It was good to see the countryside and how people live out of the cities