Background: we had never traveled to Indonesia, and was looking for a land tour when we stumbled across this cruise on HAL It was an easy decision to take the more comfortable option. The itinerary was the main consideration for us in selecting this cruise.

This is our second cruise on the Volendam, and our fifth one on HAL. It is a smaller and older ship so do not expect any surprises. Be prepared to bring only summer clothing for outdoors as it is equatorial climate and always hot, around 90 degrees F. January was supposed be in the midst of the wet monsoon season, but we lucked out and it did not rained much. Umbrellas are still handy to block out the hot sun.

Port and Shore Excursions: we had booked all shore activities with CC members on the roll call for this cruise. We estimated we spent only a third of what we would pay if we had booked all shore excursions with HAL. This is the result of HAL charging their usual prices in a country where costs are really low. Mind you not all HAL excursions were available with independently organized tours or identical in itinerary, and vice versa. Another option is to use the taxis or last minute tours waiting at each port (except for Komodo Island). Not a bad option if you like to keep it flexible, assuming you know the going rates for itineraries you have in mind, select a driver/guide with sufficient English, and round up a few other like-minded passengers to share the costs. Read more