Volendam Review

4.0 / 5.0
591 reviews

Wonderful multi-family experience in Alaska

Review for Alaska Cruise on Volendam
User Avatar
mrgoetz
2-5 Cruises • Age 50s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service

Additional details

Sail Date: Aug 2017
Cabin: Large Ocean-View Stateroom
Traveled with children

The cruise industry is trending towards larger ships, but the applause during the "Meet the Captain" session for the smaller size of HAL's venerable 1500-person Volendam shows that there's much to be said for this class of ship. And this vessel is perfect for visiting Alaska, winding through the narrow straits of the inside passage and especially navigating the spectacular Glacier Bay.

We were a group of 10 (our family of four with two teens, my brother's family of four with two children, and my parents) and shared three adjacent staterooms on Deck 2. The ship is now 18 years old, but it has been well-maintained and is about to go in for another dry dock refurb later in 2017. Even with four in a room, our ocean-view room had plenty of storage space and we had enough room, not that we spent a great deal of time in our stateroom.

The ship doesn't have a lot of the extras that newer, larger ships have. But while it lacks in some features, thankfully it also lacks in line-ups and waiting. Even though the cruise was fully-booked, we hardly had to wait for anything, and the ship never felt crowded.

Cabin Review

Large Ocean-View Stateroom

Cabin D

Our four-person room had the main bed under the window, with a pullman bunk over one side of the bed, and a convertible sofa bed. The layout would be better if the pullman was over the sofa bed, but this layout was manageable, even with our teenaged children. Lots of storage space; more than all four of us needed. A fridge would have been nice, but not a necessity. Only two power outlets -- our trick is to bring a multi-out usb charger with a European plug to charge all of our devices.

Port Reviews

Glacier Bay

Amazing experience. Only two cruise ships are allowed in Glacier Bay each day, and it's definitely worth considering which cruise you select based on whether or not Glacier Bay is on the itinerary. Park Rangers board in the morning and provide commentary, history, cultural context, and help spot wildlife. The ship cruises slowly past the glaciers and stops at the north end of Glacier Bay next to the constantly-calving Marjerie glacier for about an hour

Ketchikan

We just enjoyed walking around the town and enjoying the free things to do. The visitor's center has a map with a guided walking tour -- there's one steep section but the rest is a pretty easy walk

Skagway

Skagway is a quaint town that is mostly a National Park. We enjoyed just walking around the town and exploring the park visitor's center and museum. The park offers free guided walking tours which are a good way to hear more about the history of the Klondike gold rush

Vancouver

I read other reviews about problems with embarkation in Vancouver. Our experience was excellent, with the caveat that it's best to arrive early. Our ship (HAL Volendam) was due to start boarding at noon; we arrived at 9:30 and there were several staff stationed around Canada Place to instruct you where to go to drop off your bags. With three ships in port that day, the Port of Vancouver used one of the convention center halls as a makeshift check-in area. Check-in started at around 10, and we were then sent to US customs & immigration. One member of our party was told that we should go out and have a coffee, because customs won't be open until 1pm. But this was not true -- customs was already open and we were through in minutes. We then waited for about 45 minutes until 11:30 when our ship was cleared for boarding. We had the obligatory photograph and then we were on board having lunch by noon

10 Helpful Votes
previous reviewnext review

Find a Volendam Cruise from $521

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.