Travel Weekly Blog

Americas4u director Andrew Winstanley, a member of the Travel Weekly Cruise Club, sends this account of a visit to the Holland America Line vessel...

Cruise ship visits are great, but nobody who runs a travel business has time to spare. So is it worth taking a whole day out to tour a liner?

After visiting Holland America Lines MS Veendam in Dover I can say categorically that the answer is yes. There really is no substitute for seeing the product first hand.

I and around 130 other agents were met at Dover by the Holland America team, who split us into groups for an escorted tour of the ship.

Whilst MS Veendam is now 11 years old it is still a five star experience. There are exquisite works of art on most decks and it was interesting to compare this smaller 1200-berth ship with some of the superliners I have visited.

Despite its age, the ship isn’t stuck in the past. The new Explorations Café – powered by the New York Times – is an elegant coffee shop with Internet access.

I was also surprised at how good the children’s facilities are in Club Hal and the Loft, and teenagers will be delighted with their own adult-free Oasis on the sports deck.

There are all the other luxuries you would expect, such as the Greenhouse Spa and signature restaurants, but one attraction I had not seen before was the Culinary Arts Centre, where guests can watch world-class chefs in action.

With travellers seeking more and more from their holidays this extra twist could prove a big draw.

So my advice is get out and see what you are selling – it will help you match your clients to the right cruise.

Andrew Winstanley, director, Americas4u

Ed: for more on this theme see 'Training is vital for cruise agents' from last week's Travel Weekly