The ship was looking great & wonderful service which Holland America is noted for.
Loved the itinerary we sailed. Wish they allowed more time in Cambodia to make it worth the Visa fees while in Cambodia. Considering it was just a "stop" to pick up guests who went to Angkor Wat days before. Everyone on the ship had to pay for the Cambodian Visa regardless if staying on the ship or getting off. ...
Cruise companies must recognise that the world has changed and even grey cruisers are used to unrestricted free internet access. The issues concerning internet access spoils what ought to be a relaxing experience.
First cruise, so impossible to compare to other ships or companies.
Ship was about two-thirds full, so no queues and easy access to all facilities. Very relaxed.
Most people go ...
HAL is one of my favorite lines. . I like long cruises of 30 day and have already booked next year's HAL Cruise to S. AMERICA why?
1.dining room service w/ yudi was as good as the pinnacle and i tipped xtra. my roomie was gluten free and i am vegetarian.and diebetic yudi was told once and after that always asked what i wanted for my evening snack
when a table became available he moved us ...
We were drawn to the Holland America Volendam cruise because of the itinerary. We did not take the entire 35 days, but opted for the 16 days from Hong Kong to Tokyo. The ship itself is smaller than many these days but just right for us. It holds approximately 1240 passengers plus crew of course.
We enjoyed a pre-cruise stay in Hong Kong for several nights at the InterContinental Hotel over ...
This was our 3rd cruise with HAL. The first 2 were on Amsterdam,which immediatly set a high standard, which Volendam couldn't quite attain. More on that later.
We had booked this itinerary a couple of years ago, but unfortunately it was chartered away from under us.We ended up doing a 37 day Grand Voyage sector on Amsterdam from Fort Lauderdale to Sydney, which was absolutely magnificent.
We ...
We boarded the Volendam in Hong Kong. Embarkation was a breeze and we were happy to hear that our cabins were ready even before noon.
Our cabin had lots of storage space. The newly installed lanai cabins had great new showers and we enjoyed the amenities like lotions and soaps. It was nice to have the shelves on the bathroom wall and the shelf under the sink. We did find that the ...
I write this review to be helpful - if you really want to go to the places this cruise goes to, my comment's won't really matter, but as a fairly experienced cruise passenger I hope that my comments will at least forewarn!
My overall impression was one of being a walking ATM for HAL to tap into with every opportunity. Even after you've paid for the cruise, you're still expected to pay for every ...
Took a 28 day cruise on the Volendam from Hong Kong to Singapore. Countries visited included Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia and Singapore. The overall cruise was good. The food was good, not great. Variety was limited. My favorite meals were off the ship in the ports of call.
The entertainment on board was mixed. The house band, the HAL Cats, tried to make up for lack of talent by ...
Itinerary: Hong Kong - Vietnam - Cambodia - Thailand - Singapore
The Volendam ship carries about 1,400 passengers and was built in 1999 so it is considered a medium-sized, older ship. We boarded the ship in Hong Kong, but since it stays overnight in Hong Kong, we were able to come and go which was very convenient.
While the ship was docked in Hong overnight, we got to visit some of Hong Kong's ...
I have been on 60 + cruises to include many Holland America. I also did the first half Hong Kong to Singapore on the Volendam last year and this year decided to do the entire 30 days to include 14 days Indonesia.
Without going into great detail suffice it to say the Volendam is a nice size ship and is overall in good repair and well maintained. The Indonesian/Fillipino staff is generally always ...