Great trip
Volendam Cruise Review to Canada, New England, New York
Contributor Level:
Second Mate
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 5
Helpful Votes: 202
Review summary
This was a fantastic cruise. The itinerary was very good. The captain was funny as he made announcements and walked around the ship. All staff and crew were very good at their jobs.Embarkation
Easy and fast
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Food was excellent in the dining rooms and buffet.
Onboard Activities
Lots of arts and craft activities, bridge, puzzles
Entertainment
Stage shows were very good, but the sound was too loud, drowning out singers
Children's Programs
I had no children.
Service and Staff
Really good waiters and cabin stewards. Our cabin was cleaned while we were at breakfast; bed turned down while we were at dinner
Ship Quality
Easy to maneuver around the ship. Deck 5 goes the length of the ship.
Cabin / Stateroom
Very comfortable cabin with sofa and upholstered chair and large desk
Ports of call
Took excursion of Cabot Trail. Our guide was full of info about Canada. We had a nice buffet sandwich lunch, stopped at a favorite beach.
Thumbs Up
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Red Bay, Newfoundland
Cruise Prins Christian Sund, Greenland
Fabulous. We saw glaciers and lots of icebergs. The sound had been opened only 10 day before we got there.
Hiked part way up to a beautiful waterfall. At the church someone had posted the pronunciation of the town informing us that D is pronounced as th.
Took AA a very interesting tour of geysers, waterfall and the National Park where there is a walkway between the tectonic plates of North America and Europe.
This town in a beautiful setting had very plentiful street signs in English as well as Icelandic.
Quaint village with 2 grocery stores, but no bar or cafe that we could see. The people were out and about, entertaining in the senior center and little girls were selling things near the port.
Good Wi-Fi at the Visitor Center and a gift shop with a variety of souvenirs and knitted goods, along with quilting fabric, thread and notions. I bought knitting needles as my souvenir.
Walked up stairs and steep hills to the Anglican Cathedral and the Catholic Basilica, the largest in Canada. The docents were very friendly and helpful.
I never knew that France owned islands off Newfoundland until this trip. We walked the town, shopped and had a drink in a bar where 2 men were singing and playing guitars. The ship had gotten special permission to dock instead of anchor so that a sailboat race could take place.
Took tour to Peggy's Cove and the Public Garden. Our guide was very informative, making sure we saw the impressive 100-foot long stone carvings by William deGarthe known as Fisherman's Monument. He also gave strong warnings not to walk on the dangerous rocks surrounding the town and famous lighthouse. The guide gave us a tour of the Public Garden while describing the attributes of a Victorian garden. On the way back to the ship we drove around the Citadel which wasn't listed as part of the tour.
The day we were there it was so foggy that our tenders had to convoy back and forth with a local boat leading. Our tour of Acadia National Park was limited because of the fog. However, we saw a large pond created by beavers who live there. Thunder Hole was exciting with high water due to Hurricane Ernesto far south. We had a good driver/guide who made the tour interesting even though we couldn't see anything from Cadillac Mountain.
Disembarkation
Fast and easy to get out and take a taxi to the airport.