We sailed on the Volendam, first time cruising on Holland America. Generally cruise on Princess, however the itinerary worked for us and we thought we would give it a try. It definitely does not compare to Princess. We found the food not great, the Lido Restaurant was awkward and not a very good selection. The food in the Rotterdam Dining Room was not the best, dry meat and over cooked vegetables. The staff were not very engaging with the passengers, the cruise director was scripted and the DJ/Show Host seemed almost bored being onboard. We had issues with our stateroom, and they finally offered to move us on day 5 at sea, which was unacceptable as we started commenting on the noise from Day 2. There was a constant sewer smell starting on Day 5, with a lot of overflowing urinals on the main passenger decks. Drinks were very reasonably priced. They offered an LGBT event that was unhosted, and in undated with regular passengers, so basically it was like any other bar/lounge. The scenery was well worth the trip, however will definitely not be sailing on Holland America again anytime soon!
The room was nice. Large bathroom with a deep tub, although it definitely needs updating, there were chipped tiles and the bathtub panel was loose and rattled. As we were above the crew quarters, there was unknown noises as early as 5 am waking us up, which was very annoying.