Just back from a 7 day Western cruise on the HAL Veendam out of Tampa. There were three ports of call, Georgetown, Grand Cayman, Montego Bay Jamaica and Costa Maya, Mexico. We decided early on not to do shore excursions and to go it alone.

There were 5 or 6 ships in port at Georgetown and the place was very crowded. We were going to do an island tour with one of the taxi's but they all wanted full vehicles or the rate would be very high. We waited for about 40 minutes for one guy to try and get four more people for his 6 passenger van. He ended up getting a party of 6 travelling together so guess where we were left. We gave up on that and just walked around. Lots of shopping available and places to eat or drink. As we had heard, prices for drinks were high, $20 for two drinks at one place we stopped. All things considered though we would go here again and check out more of the island. We liked Georgetown much more then CA in St. T.

Wouldn't give you two cents for Mo'Bay. We shuttled into town from the dock and were immediately pounced upon by venders and shop keepers to the point where they physically grabbed us and tried to pull us in their stores. Five minutes there was too long. we decided to walk to Margaritaville (about 20 minutes away) and picked up an "escort" within seconds, five minutes later she was joined by a friend. Turns out they were taking us to their "craft market" which was just a cluster of mini junk shops with exactly the same stuff we had just seen. They got upset when we didn't want their wares and complained about how were they supposed to make a living.

We managed to escape them and continued on but of course two minutes later another "escort" trying to "keep us safe from traffic" all he wanted was money for his services. We did finally make it to Margaritaville and as we walked in there they grabbed us to explain that they made Margaritas and we needed to buy them...well no s..t sherlock, that is the name of the place isn't it??? One drink each, two tee shirts and we were out of there and taxied back to the boat, we had had enough.

We spoke to other people on the ship later and they described similar experiences at different areas on the island. People that went to Dunn's said the shops they were taken to near there were just as aggressive. If we ever go on a ship that stops in Jamaica again we will not be getting off. Worst experience we have ever had on any island or port yet.

Costa Maya was our favorite stop this trip. We took a taxi from the pier to the little village of Mahahual. There were venders lining the sand "Main" road but a polite "no thank you" and they left you alone. Not one of them was overly aggressive toward anyone that we saw. We found a little place with some tables set up in the water and settled in to $2 Dos XX's and Corona's. The owner, Francisco was polite and friendly. We talked fishing and about the locals and their lives there. A fellow with a guitar walked up a asked if he could please us with a song, he was very good and content with a couple of dollars tip. There were venders with dried fruit, nuts and shells that also came along but again, a "no thank you" and they were off. We found the place very relaxing.

At the pier area there is a village of sorts that was built just for the cruise ships. It contained shops, eating and drinking places, a large pool and an entertainment stage. We did not spend a lot of time here as we just stopped in on our way back from Mahahual but it was nice, obviously built for tourists but nice. There was a small resort with individual huts alonside of this shopping village that looked quite interesting, we thought it might be worth checking into for future ideas.

The Veendam was our second trip on a HAL ship. Our cabin was an A verandah on the Navigation deck. It seemed a little small compared to the outside cabin we had a couple of years ago on the Zaandam but still very nice. Our cabin steward keep it very neat and well supplied with ice, fruit and anything else we asked for.

Service on board was exemplary whether it was in the dining room, bars, front office or shops. Every crew member we spoke with or met was very friendly and made us feel welcome. The photographers could get a little pushy when you didn't want your picture taken but even they would back off after a couple of "no thanks".

Food on board was excellent for the most part, especially in the Pinnacle Grill. The hamburger/hotdog/pizza area by the pool was just average, not bad, just average.

The entertainment was your normal cruise stuff, a singer, a Juggler/comic, a magician/comedian and the ships singers/dancers. All were quite good but we could swear we've seen them before.

The ship itself seemed to be in good condition overall and very clean. There were hand sanitizing stations located throughout the ship to help keep down any spreading of possible sickness.

We will certainly use HAL again should the occasion present itself.