Volendam Review
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Review of Volendam’s 7-night R/T Vancouver Alaskan cruise during the week of June 25 – July 2, 2014: Inside Passage, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, Inside Passage. Captain James Russell Dunford and Cruise Director Mark Brignone. During this cruise we saw bald eagles, a bald eagle’s nest, whales, bears, sea lions, and deer.
WEATHER: Sunny skies, pleasantly warm weather, and no rain. We brought way too many different weather clothes not knowing what to expect. So we kept sending the same items to the laundry. The retractable dome was over the Lido Deck all week except during the transit of Glacier Bay. To us the greenhouse effect felt excessively hot and uncomfortable as we walked through several times, but others were happily sunning in shorts and bathing suits.
There’s a quiet peacefulness about Alaska, with the sounds of nature gently settling upon the heart and soul to overtake the senses. Sometimes we’d just sit on our balcony and let ourselves be carried away. We took this cruise to see, experience, and feel what Alaska had to offer. This remarkable cruise encourages a return because there’s so very much there in terms of beauty and history.
Cabin Review
Our portside Neptune Suite (previously Deluxe Veranda Suite) 7020 was directly across from the Neptune Lounge. We expected a noise issue with the Lido Deck directly above, but heard only an occasional chair scrapping while on the balcony. This suite is somewhere between the pool and pool bar above. Plenty of room to spread out and relax with generous storage areas to keep everything out of sight, but easy to find. The bathroom had one full-sized sink, a small whirlpool tub/shower combination, wall units, counter top and under-counter space. Adjoining the bathroom is a 6 inch step-down to the dressing area with vanity, mirror, more storage space and a small sink. A king bed, large angled sofa, coffee table, two chairs, small fridge, safe, bar, umbrella and binoculars completed the interior space. The gigantic balcony had a dining table, four chairs, two loungers, and a small drink table. 11 ft. wide and double the length of a balcony stateroom. We took of advantage of the complimentary laundry several times and received same day service before dinner.