Ship should have stayed in drydock until repairs were completed!!!

Volendam Cruise Review to Other (Asia/Africa/Middle East)

FrankMul

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 55

Overall rating:

3.2 out of 5

14 Night Far East Discovery (Singapore To Hong Kong)

Sail date: December 06, 2017

Ship: Volendam

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 3333

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

The cabin could have been 5*. However the A\C did not work and we had to keep the cabin door open so that cooled air in the corridor could get in. Our door on to the lanai deck was broken so we could get no fresh air from that source. Many cabins on our deck, although not ours, had major water leaks which left a disgusting smell in the corridors. Not a great experience when we had to keep the inner door open for cool air. For the first few days aboard there was a strong smell of burnt metal and sawdust. This seemed to disappear after 3 or 4 days but perhaps we just got used to it. My wife, and many other passengers, suffered from a chest complaint shortly after boarding but fortunately she recovered after 5 days. Coincidentally the same time as the A/C was repaired and the smelly dampness was dried up. The ship was just out of dry dock and the repairs had obviously not been completed. There was work going on in many parts of the ship. The wooden rail on the aft pool deck had a 3ft gap which was bridged by a plank of wood screwed in place!!!

Embarkation

2 out of 5

We are cruise novices co we have no idea if queuing for 2 1/2 hours to board the ship is normal. it was certainly not enjoyable.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

All dining rooms and food and service were excellent. We thoroughly enjoyed the main dining room for dinner and the lido restaurant at other times. Room service managed to get an order wrong 3 times in a row. Eventually I went to the lido restaurant to bring food to my wife who was ill. A simple bottle of wine at $40 and a bottle of Bud at $9 seemed excessive as did $4 for a bottle of water in our cabin.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

We enjoyed a number of evening shows.

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Room stewards excellent, dining room staff excellent, other staff excellent. The only blot was room service which could not cope with simple orders.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

We loved the layout of the ship. After a few days we lost track of time and appreciated the mats in the lifts which told us what day it was. Public areas, bars, etc were well kept.

Cabin / Stateroom

1 out of 5

The cabin could have been 5* if the A/C worked and the outside door to the lanai deck was working!! Unfortunately these issues spoiled our enjoyment for much of the cruise. Cabin steward excellent.

Ports of call

Singapore

4 out of 5

Wish we could have spent more time.

Thumbs Up 0

Ko Samui, Thailand

3 out of 5

Enjoyed this short excursion but very much a 3rd world country.

Thumbs Up 0

Sihanoukville, Cambodia

3 out of 5

Enjoyed this short excursion but very much a 3rd world country.

Thumbs Up 0

Phu My (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam

4 out of 5

Love to have spent more time here. Excursion worthwhile

Thumbs Up 2

Nha Trang, Vietnam

4 out of 5

Excursion enjoyable.

Thumbs Up 0

Hue (Da Nang), Vietnam

4 out of 5

Excursion enjoyable.

Thumbs Up 0

Ha Long Bay City (Hanoi), Vietnam

3 out of 5

A 2 hour boat ride around the islands was an hour too long. The excursion included a visit to the caves inside one island and involved climbing hundreds of stairs. I would not recommend for those less mobile passengers.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

4 out of 5

Seemed much more organised than embarkation.

Traveler Photos

4 Comments

Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

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cruisellama 5 years ago

Thanks

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mendoza1152 6 years ago

I am sorry your wife had to suffer through days of uncomfortable situations. I hope your cruise was months ago when it was just back from dry dock and maybe it was some minor repair that was overlooked during the repair period. I will be on her in March and hope all is fixed by then.

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JusMe 6 years ago

Booking a ship rite after dry dock is like booking a first cruise on a new ship, the bugs are not worked out yet and a new crew that is not fully trained and accustomed to the ship and parts of the rehab not finished in dry dock being finished up during your cruise. Best to give a ship a couple months after launch and dry dock to cruise on her.

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