Volendam Review
Rating by category
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We took a 14 day Singapore to Singapore on the Volendam in March. Overall, we enjoyed ourselves. Other than the shuttle bus to town on Langkawi Island, we didn't take any ship's shore excursions. However, in Phuket, Yangon and Kuala Lumpur we took excursions arranged by ourselves online before the cruise.
We had an outside cabin on the Lower Promenade deck and were happy with both the cabin and our room steward. Had fixed dining in the main dining room and lunch once in the Pinnacle Grill. Food was good, service was great.
One thing that surprised me was how hot and humid it was in all the ports. We visited the beautiful temples in Yangon in the middle of the day when it was about 95 degrees Fahrenheit. In Myanmar, not only do you have to take off your shoes but also your socks to even walk up to the temples. Imagine walking in the sun on stone surfaces and how hot the black marble can get. Might have been better early morning or evening.
Cabin Review
Large Ocean-View Stateroom
Cabin was fine, just what we expected. Everything worked and the air conditioning controls were fine. We have almost 500 days on Holland America, and this was a typical outside cabin. We paid for an outside guarantee and were upgraded to this.
Port Reviews
Singapore
We have spent several days in Singapore on previous cruises and consider it a World Class city. The only negative is their sin tax on alcohol. A beer on most Asian cities will cost you roughly $2. In Singapore, expect to pay $10.
Penang
We just walked around the city, exploring China Town and India Town. Only negative was the "sidewalk" area just off the landing. There and concrete pavers about 2 feet by four feet with about a five inch grass strip between them. I stepped on the grass and my foot went down about four inches and I fell flat on my face. Luckily I landed on my hands and knees and just got a bruised hands and bloody knees. Was able to get up and continue to town.