Good weather made up for average cruise trip on Holland America Line

Volendam Cruise Review to Canada, New England, New York

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 22

Overall rating:

3.7 out of 5
Verified Review
Volendam

7 Night Canada & New England Discovery (Montreal To Boston)

Sail date: July 13, 2024

Ship: Volendam

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: 2544

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 months ago

Review summary

Don't expect an overwhelming experience on HAL for this standard cruise itinerary. The stops are good for a first time visit. The ship was understaffed and that showed in the wait service in the dining room. But the ship was clean and the fitness center and spa helped to pass the time while sailing.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
speedy, due to check-in online before actual embarkation date

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
only one specialty restaurant separate from buffet and dining room! Buffets were adequate, though short staffed, as was the main dining room. Long waits for service there.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
fitness center was good. other activities were available, but mostly not organized for group play

Entertainment

2 out of 5
sparse, short in time, and humdrum for a ship with over 1500 passengers.

Service and Staff

4 out of 5
ship was short-staffed, but those there worked hard to meet the needs of the passengers.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5
all areas were clean and well-maintained. Layout was okay, except for the paucity of specialty restaurants. Lido buffet was often full at breakfast and lunch times, with only minimal outdoor seating

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
oceanview, with tight space. bathroom was fairly spacious, though. lots of closet space. no fridge!

Ship tip

don't count on having drinks in your room: you are charged for room water and there is no fridge and ice needs to be arranged well in advance

Ports of call

Montreal, Quebec

4 out of 5
Good. Lots to see and do downtown prior to boarding, and before the ship disembarked (later than originally scheduled, as it turned out)

Cruise St. Lawrence River

3 out of 5
was only in transit between Montreal and Quebec City overnight

Quebec City, Quebec

5 out of 5
very nice old town to visit and walk around

Cruise Gulf Of St. Lawrence

4 out of 5
typical at sea cruise day, with some activities onboard

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

4 out of 5
Beaconsfield house is a must visit

Sydney, Nova Scotia

2 out of 5
not much to see here, but the historic walking tour with old houses and churches was fairly interesting

Halifax, Nova Scotia

4 out of 5
Citadel is very good sight to visit

Portland, Maine

3 out of 5
took inordinately long time to clear US immigration at port (over 2 hours), and extra time if you are not a US citizen!

Boston, Massachusetts Did not visit port

Disembarkation only

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
fast, as we did not need to have our luggage transferred. We could just walk off the ship with all our luggage
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