Volendam Review

Not bad, great ports, needs work

Review for Asia Cruise on Volendam
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WarrenPaulHarris
10+ Cruises • Age 70s

Rating by category

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Additional details

Sail Date: Mar 2017
Cabin: Large Ocean-View Stateroom
Barry from Boston in the Mix Lounge
Hong Kong Skyline
Silly lamps in the Lido deck buffet.
Pajama Party in the Mix Lounge with Barry from Boston
Shanghai Skyline
Taipei 101
Taroko Gorge bridges and temple
The ship in port
Tour bus and Volendam
Our cabin critter.  A towel squid

The itinerary and timing were perfect. We have been wanting to visit Asia (specifically Japan) for a long time. Having this cruise end in Hong Kong was also a factor, as HK is one of our all-time favorite cities. The timing was important as we were celebrating our 15 year anniversary.

Rather than having a specific room booked, my wife chose to book a Category in the hopes we would be upgraded at the last minute. We were. We were put in a handicapped room. She hated it. If was larger, but had an institutional feel, had not been remodeled, had nasty looking wall tile in the shower that had been repaired and was uneven - and the entire bathroom floor was tiled with a drain in the middle. It felt like a junior high locker room shower. The counter / makeup table had numerous gouged around the edges that had been badly patched and not even sanded, let alone sealed. The room overall looked pretty beat.

We spoke with the front desk and they found us another room that was a conventional style on the 2nd floor, which was fine. They both had windows and that's all we cared about. The new room had a recently remodeled bath, but the rest of the room looked a little ragged.

Cabin Review

Large Ocean-View Stateroom

Cabin E

The size was fine and we had an unobstructed view. There was plenty of storage, good lighting and the bathroom was more than adequate.

Port Reviews

Shanghai

We loved the museum. The ship tour guide left a lot of us waiting in the rain while trying to resolve issues with mobility challenged passengers. They need a PLAN B for bad weather.

Taipei (Keelung)

We booked a taxi with some other travelers and had an excellent day.

Hong Kong

We took a taxi to photograph the skyline and find a restaurant for dinner. This is one of our favorite cities.

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