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Upper Promenade Deck |
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Upper Promenade Deck |
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| Upper Promenade Deck is home to most of the entertainment, shopping, and bars aboard Veendam. | ) |
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| Completely forward is the Rubens Lounge which accommodates six hundred guests, typically in two independent show times. Other activities take place here such as bingo, shore excursion talks, and large cocktail parties. | ) |
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| Located outside of the Ocean Bar is a nineteenth century Belgium bronze fountain of a young boy and fish with a turtle afoot. | ) |
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The Ocean Bar is a traditional staple aboard all Holland America Line ships. Guests have come to enjoy this venue for evening cocktails, live music entertainment, and hors d'oeuvres. |
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Gift shops line the virtual avenue that is the Upper Promenade Deck offers a varying line of products. Logo items, essential sundries, and luxurious evening wear are just some of the items found along the promenade. |
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Often misinterpreted as a fabergé egg, this item just outside of the Casino is an eighteenth century metal barbecue named, 'Trionfi'. This type of barbecue was fashionable in the 17th and 18th centuries at prominent Spanish palaces. Steel ribs end in individual candlestick faces and coal is places inside the ribs. The hot air escapes through the top. |
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| Just adjacent is the Casino and hosts five blackjack tables, a roulette table, a dice table, stud poker, three card poker, and 97 slot machines. Guests may break from the gambling excitement nearby at the Casino Bar. | ) |
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| The Piano Bar is popular for evening cocktails complemented by sing-a-longs and request hours. It is also a prime venue for small gatherings. | ) |
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| The Art Gallery is filled with antiques from the 17th through 20th centuries and is detailed on a placard nearby for guests who enjoy such exploration. | ) |
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| Welcoming guests to the Art Gallery is a pair of onyx marble busts from 19th century Italy and depicts Nubian servants. Both are made from marble and have detailed facial expressions. | ) |
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| Another famous hallmark among Holland America Line ships is the Explorer's Lounge. The primary eye catcher is an oil on canvas depicting the Dutch yacht 'Mary' under English colours with other yachts in a breeze of Amsterdam. The background depicts the waterfront of Amsterdam. | ) |
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| Located within the Explorer's Lounge is an impressive display cabinet to house porcelain from the Netherlands in the second half of the 18th century. Within the cabinet is a variety of items including ornate Delft pottery, Chinese porcelain dinner service, a Delft pottery vase, and a Chinese porcelain salt cellar from the K'ang Hsi period. | ) |
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Parallel to the
Explorer's Lounge on the port side of Veendam is the Explorations
Café powered by the New York Times. This has become to be known as the ship's 'living room'. It contains an impressive inventory of books and magazines. Guests may browse the Internet, check out DVDs for their stateroom, listen to music at individual stations, play board games, and enjoy a premium coffee beverage with a pastry. Located in the aft, port side corner of the Explorations Café is a mahogany pond yacht hull from the late 19th century, England. |
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| Located just across from the Explorations Café coffee bar is an alabaster sculpture of a child reading a book. The origin of this sculpture is that of Italy from 1880. |  |
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| The Pinnacle Grill is a reservations only, premium dining experience where guests can dine by candle light in an elegant atmosphere. | ) |
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The Pinnacle Grill
features Pacific Northwest specialties including select cuts of Sterling
Silver beef and superb seafood items.
Wine
connoisseurs will appreciate the extensive wine list featuring many
selections rates as 'excellent' in Wine Spectator. |
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| Proceeding aft from the Explorer's Lounge toward the Rotterdam Dining Room, guests will happen upon an elaborate ornamental mirror of George III from the 20th century. It is accented with a mid 19th century mantel clock and six pewter plates all on a 19th century Belgium side table made of 'royal rouge' marble. | ) |
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| The Rotterdam Dining Room is Veendam's main dining venue and seats 696 in split sittings. Punctuating the dining room's elegant atmosphere are six reproductions of 17th century Venetian lanterns. | ) |
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| The Rotterdam Dining Room offers regional favorites, vegetarian, healthy lifestyle options, and innovative categories such as Comfort Food. Daily alternatives can be ordered as well such as fresh fish, chicken, or a sirloin steak. Guests also can enjoy fresh baked goods and an extensive global wine selection presented by sommeliers. | ) |
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| Located outside of the lower level of the Rotterdam Dining Room on Promenade Deck are marble lions that guard the entrance. They are from England in the 19th century. |  |
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Photos and Text Copyright © Steve J. Garrod and ShipCafé |
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