We joined the Volendam at Singapore ( a lovely city by the way) and found the process easy and pretty quick. The cabin was larger than expected and included a small bath which was a bonus! The carpet in the cabin was a bit 'suspect' in places however, overall it was a typical layout of any cruise line and spotless. The cabin stewards were extremely friendly and did a great job during the cruise.

However ........ unlike other cruise lines there was no sail away parties from any port and speaking of ports ....... we berthed at industrial shipping container ports which were awful to look at and in one case over 30 miles from the major town. Yes, you read that right - over 30 miles from town which necessitated an expensive cab ride thus negating any 'bargain shopping' opportunities. Believe me, you will get fed up of seeing containers on this cruise. At this port there were no staff around the gangway on the dockside and we were left to find our way out of the port to the main gates. Shame on you Holland America for not caring about independent travellers. By independent travellers I mean those passengers who do not buy the very expensive shore excursions but prefer to do their own thing. We 'did our own' excursions and saved well over half the price and enjoyed experiences denied the Holland America shore excursion passengers (for example a lovely rowing boat ride in Halong Bay - you won't get this opportunity if you book the Holland America shore excursion. Overall, the Holland America shore excursions are VERY expensive and at least double the price of independently arranged excursions. And yes, I am comparing apples to apples here. My advice - do your own thing and save a small fortune (we saved over $90 US on just one trip alone). Highlights include the Marble Mountain and Hoi Ann from the Da Nang port - both not to be missed. Just step ashore and arrange your own taxi (around $60 US for the car and driver and you can halve this if you share with others). Or you can book the Holland America tour of the same sights and pay $70 US EACH! Get the picture?

You will have to pay for visas for Cambodia and Vietnam even if you don't get off the ship you still have to pay for visas. As an example the visa for Cambodia (with just one port in this country) is $63 US EACH. The actual cost is $38 US and Holland America add a $25 US 'arrangement fee' on top. Getting the picture? Read more