Volendam Cruise Reviews - Reviews

This was the 2nd leg of a b2b which we had never done before. Everything about these voyages was extraordinary. The Captain set the tone, and the crew were obviously happy to be there. I'd follow the crew - not the ship!

The Panama Canal was the highlight of the cruise for me! Very nice excursions at each port of call.

It is a cruise I will remember forever and would like to do again someday. Holland America will have my patronage again and again because of the amazing experience we had. Don't forget to have the Canal rolls during the morning of the transit. They are AMAZING!

Seeing the Panama Canal was wonderful. There were some ports and excursions that didn’t measure up but overall we had a great cruise.

life time experience. loved it and the people of the V. impressed with the Priest Bill Gold - simple message and took little from our day - totally loyal to HA, Justin - huge energy and great vision - world class interviewer and Jude - extremely brilliant, knowledgeable and hot!

Cruise was OK. Not totally impressed with Holland America. Best for elderly passengers. No real fun activities onboard. Most staff was very polite and friendly. Elevators were very quick. Some areas of the ship are FREEZING COLD. Bring a sweater!! Trying to enjoy a drink in a freezing cold bar (Crow's Nest) or enjoy the show on the Main Stage and feeling sooooo chilly is very annoying.

It was our first trip to the Panama Canal in 70 plus cruises. What a great adventure the ports of call were very enjoyable but the canal was the real star of the show! 100 plus years old and still going strong.

Most ports boring. Great hard working staff. Friendly people

FABULOUS CRUISE. AMAZING STAFF, STEWARDS. RESTFUL. Huatulco best port for me. Recommended to everyone.

We did our own tours. Easy to walk out the pier and get a cab or a tour.

As first time cruisers my husband mainly agreed because I really wanted to go. Plus the Panama Canal and Central America were a draw. But almost from the start, we both were enjoying ourselves. The smaller ship was important to us, not wanting to be stuck on a crowded city ship. We anticipated some down time to kill and took some movies to watch and lots of e-books. Turns out there was plenty to pick from, activities on board and excursions in ports of call. We almost never turned on the TV and didn’t need any movies. They have an extensive library of DVD’s to borrow, but we always found something else we wanted to do. The evening show included two different comedians, both hysterically funny, a magician, singers, dancers, a gymnast, a pianist, etc. The food on the Volendam was exceptional, and we are picky. The servers in the dining room, as well as ALL the crew and officers with whom we had contact, were very friendly and eager to please. We found we were able to order double entrees (if we were hungry enough), more green beans, or whatever. Our “fixed” seating was flexible also. After an initial few days of over-eating, we started making some healthier choices so when we got home, neither one of us had gained weight! That after a 15 day cruise. We did usually take the stairs and we walked the Promenade deck around the ship somewhat regularly. Our cabin had plenty of storage room for us; two drawers under the bed we didn’t even use. We found other cruisers so friendly that we socialized more than we do at home and we even made new friends. We danced for the first time in years! It was so much fun that we booked our next cruise to Alaska for six months hence, on Holland America, of course!

Cruise was great. Some ports of call in Mexico could be elimated because there were only few excursion choices. Lived Puerto Vallarta, Aruba and Curaçao.

Great cruise, perfect weather, and met lots of fun people onboard!

Weather was great the 99.99 % of the time. The Captain took us into the original Inside Passage (Grenville Channel). Most cruise ships don't go this route but stay in the easier to navigate Hecate Strait. Kudos to the Captain! Had a great time, already booked another trip (out of Seattle this time) for next May.

A truly once in a lifetime experience. Would recommend Holland America cruise in particular Volendam.

This is a once in a lifetime event for many people. The scenery was magnificent and there is plenty of time at each port to do trips away from town. HAL was just the icing on the cake, excellent service. I honestly think that anyone who complained about service, food, entertainment etc needs to reassess their life because iVolendam crew are outstanding and really it is the scenery we have all come to see. I was waiting for a tour to start at Ketchikan when I saw the executive chef jump onto the back of a truck to inspect fresh fish, every last detail is seen to. I can’t speak highly enough of HAL. We had an excellent time.

We had a great cruise on the Volendam. So first things first, the Alaskan destination was great, This is clearly why we were on the cruise - to see Alaska. What a fantastic place it was. It was one majestic vista after another. Juneau and Skagway had very little to offer in themselves but the excursions from there were great. We booked a Harv and Marv whale watching tour in Juneau instead of the Holland America excursion and it was a great choice. The small boat and the excellent staff there had us up close with whales in no time. I definitely recommend the excursion. But Juneau itself didn't have a great deal to see. It was interesting to walk around for an hour or so but after that, we just wanted our whale watching tour to start. Skagway seemed to exist only to sell tourist tat. It was OK for a little wander but the value in the destination was in the excursions. We opted for a Glacier Expedition with Alaska Excursions and loved it. Ketchikan was the best of the 3 stops. It was an interesting place to wander about and we ended up hiking the Deer Mountain Trail. Very enjoyable. Back on-board the ship, the service was excellent. Wherever we went the staff were helpful and welcoming. I was surprised how many staff go to know our names personally. We had a Netpune suite and really enjoyed the extra space it offered. But perhaps the best feature was the excellent concierge staff in the Neptune lounge. The food in the main dining room was great as was the Pinnacle Grill. But the food on the lido deck was so-so. It wasn't bad...it just wasn't that great either. Our cabin was great. The location was excellent and it was quiet and comfortable. The thing that let down Holland America was the quality of the on-board activities. Really these were pretty few and far between. The Microsoft computer labs and the cooking lessons were of little interest. If it wasn't for the Explorations Cafe and the games and books there, we would have really struggled. I think it might be more noticeable on an Alaskan cruise as there are more days on the ship. The ship is older but the decorative order was fine. It would have been nice to have a bigger TV in the room and for the ship to offer in-cabin video streaming services rather than a DVD library from the front desk. Maybe this was a feature of the ship rather than Holland America. Overall a great cruise but there are opportunities for Holland America to improve.

As expected a great cruise from Holland america , travelled with my wife and three daughters who had a great time . The ship is a little tired and the cabins are showing their age , but comfortable with great beds . The staff as usual were very hardworking , found there was little waiting time whilst getting lunch or breakfast in the Lido deck . The food was of a good quality , with nice variety . My fellow cruiser s were by and large of the older age range , but pleasant. There was little sunbed hogging or line jumping. Holland america is my favourite cruise line and we sail with them whenever possible . Unfortunately due to them not sailing out of UK ports , I have prior to this cruise travelled mostly with Celebrity , who a great , but lack the effortless feeling of friendliness and calm that every HAL cruise I've been on seem to have .

Great ship, crew and entertainment for a family, nature loving people or anyone who enjoys beauty. Easy way to get to Alaska without too much work and time spent travelling. Amazing staff and lots of options on live music, shows and spots in and out. Great excursions. Just did it on July 2018, and we had a full sunny week all the way up and down! Loved it and will do it again if I can. Much appreciated a Roman Catholic priest onboard and daily mass; for us a blessing.

This was a great cruise to go on for our first one. The staff are very friendly and always greet you with a smile. Our room stewards were great (Silo & Toyo) and looked after us well. It took a while to figure out how to get to some of the places on the ship (e.g. Deck 4 entrance to Main Dining Room can only be accessed by the aft elevator/stairs because of the ship's kitchen between it and the mid-ship elevator/stairs). I wasn't a fan of all the jewelry shops on the ship and at each port. They're all owned by "the company". I guess it's okay if you're into tanzanite or chocolate diamond jewelry and watches (none of which are from Alaska, by the way). The ship was very clean and well-kept. We appreciated the mats in the elevators changed every day to remind us which day of the week it was. Our fellow cruisers were mostly retirees, with some younger vacationers mixed in, which which we didn't mind, and may consider Holland America Line for any future cruises because of that. Even though we're not quite retired, it was nice not to have to put up with children whining and their natural exuberance on this vacation. Glacier Bay was the best "port" of all. It was perfect weather and the scenery was gorgeous. We saw one section of the glacier fall (not sure if it was a proper calving) and heard the "thunder".