Volendam Cruise Reviews - Reviews

We were impressed when the cabin steward called us by name when we arrived at our cabin, including our 2 daughters. The entire staff was great. A good variety of activities if interested and terrific information/narration during the day in Glacier Bay National Park. Good entertainment, good food, great cabin.

Holland America Line goes above and beyond in every facet of the journey.

An Alaskann cruise is a fabulous experience and you should go. BUT don't book it through . First, is no cheaper than booking it direct and you HAVE to book your airfare through the cruiseline leaving you at their mercy (they wanted to put us on a red-eye from Vancouver after docking at 7 am). Getting out of it cost us a bundle and was useless, so stay away from them. Anyway, the cruise itself was fabulous; we had a great time. Alaska is unbelievably beautiful. Go! Go now!

Overall, I have a favorable impression of the ship.

We sailed on the Ms Noordam about two years ago. The service on the Noordam was outstanding. The Volendam does not compare. I honestly believe that Holland America has reduced the English-speaking requirements of their staff. There were too many mistakes/misunderstandings by too many staff members for anything else to make sense.

Overall very nice.

Not the newest ship and fewer amenities than Princess and Royal Caribbean but quieter and more laid back. We were disappointed that our "partially obstructed view" was actually fully obstructed by a large bulkhead and we were not able to move to another cabin. Overall the staff were friendly and helpful, the ship was clean and the 4 day trip from Vancouver to Skagway was enjoyable.

Recommend Cruise

We just returned from a 14 night cruise to New Zealand and Australia aboard the Volendam. The ship was very well kept and had a great layout. The decor was warm and inviting and not over the top like some cruise ships. The staff kept the public areas and the rooms very clean and fresh. Embarking and disembarking ran smoothly and fast. The ship had plenty of lounges where you could sit and relax. We never felt crowded on this ship which is 61,000 tons although we have been on smaller ships and larger ones where we have felt some crowding. The ship also has coin operated washers and dryers so you don't have to pack 2 weeks worth of cloth. Overall a wonderful ship that we enjoyed very much.

We only sailed once before for three days about 25 years ago with our two children. That cruise was to the Bahamas. The Volendam is an older ship but the entire crew from the Captain to the stewards were most gracious. Also very witty with plenty of humor. The folks we met on the ship that cruise a lot told us we had made a good choice as this is one of the better cruise lines. We enjoyed it very much.

This ship would have been wonderful if it was still 1955. Very rigid and old-school in their approach.

HAL handled many passengers very efficently, all crew members were friendly.

Volendam is "tired". It's only a few months away from being dry docked...and shows. However, like ALL Holland America Ships the rooms are EXCELLENTLY appointed. We had 3 sharing a room and it never felt too crowded. Food as always, brilliant with HAL. Above all, the Fillipino and Indonesian staff are AWESOME!

We would not recommend the Volendam. This was our 6th cruise (2nd on Holland America). We had problems with our toliet flushing for 3 days and other passengers had the same problem for up to 5 days of the 12 day cruise. Also one passenger reported their ceiling leaked onto their couch. Holland American did nothing to compensate for these major inconveniences. The food was very poor quality and disappointing, even the desserts. The staff was pleasant and the ship was clean. We also liked that most of the passengers were older. We chose this cruise for the itinerary and the best port of call was going thru the Panama Canal.

The Panama Canal was most interesting.

it was good.

This vacation had a rough start. After a 9 hour flight we were told the buses were not there and would be their ASAP. Your ASAP was 2 hours later. When we checked in at the dock we were given a room - 3371 on the Promenade deck (partically blocked). We requested 2nd deck with a window. Promenade deck is noisy, especially with the water running one level up. Never again! The front desk's response was nothing we can do, it's a full ship. Nice attitude after almost 14 hours on the road.

THE SHIP WAS VERY NICE, AND WELL MAINTAINED. HOWEVER, THROUGHOUT THE 10 DAY CRUISE A SEWAGE ODOR WAS NOTICED FROM TIME TO TIME, ESPECIALLY ON THE LOWER PROMENADE DECK. OUR OCEANVIEW CABIN WAS COMFORTABLE. THE INDONESIAN STAFF WERE VERY FRIENDLY AND HELPFUL. DECOR WAS VERY NICE. PUBLIC AREAS WERE CLEAN. SHIP SIZE, 1466 PASSENGERS, WAS JUST RIGHT FOR US, NOT TO BIG.

The condition of the ship's staterooms was poor. There were no announcements to inform passengers to things such as arrival at ports, where to go for disembarkments or when disembarkments could be made.

WE HAD NO AIR-CONDITIONING IN OUR CABIN. THEY BROUGHT US A FAN AFTER TWO DAYS. WE COULDN'T OPEN OUR BALCONY DOOR FOR FRESH AIR AS THERE WAS A PROBLEM AND THE WHOLE SIDE OF THE SHIP SMELLED LIKE RAW SEWERAGE.MY HUSBAND GOT SICK SEVERAL TIMES FROM THE STENCH WHICH MANAGED TO PERMEATE THE ROOM EVEN THOUGH THE TERRACE DOOR WAS CLOSED.