Volendam Cruise Reviews - Reviews

It was an OK cruise. The weather was foggy/rainy most of the time so we didn't enjoy the outdoors of Alaska as much as we expected. The ship itself is old and in dire need of refurbishment. Carpet was old and smells of mold. The decoration style looks very dated. The spa and fitness room were excellent though. The good: Buffet food, spa, fitness room. The bad: Entertainment, Main dining room food, on board activities + they nickel and dime you to death.

Loved this cruise. I would certainly go again, wish it was cheaper. I would have loved to be able to sleep on the deck one night but this is not allowed. Make it possible and I will be back.

Overall a great ship and cruise itinerary . Glacier Bay was awesome as we saw glaciers shearing off. We saw many whales and other wildlife. Ships crew were very good. Our cabin was quiet

Our multi-generational family had a fantastic time celebrating Grandma's 75th birthday with her bucket list trip! The staff was cheerful and polite! There were a variety of activities to keep the five of us as busy as we cared to be! Of course, there was an abundance of good food choices, for which cruises are famous! Our cabin was clean and comfortable! The entertainment was varied and appealing! The experience met our expectation in every way!

Would definitely sail on Holland America again. Staff become like family. Everyone tries to be accommodating. The crews entertainment high on our list of favourites

Great and helpful staff from cabin stewards, dining room, guest desk and shops. Food and service was outstanding. Lots of activities available on board. Clean and  comfortabe ship. Lots of music of all kinds in different venues aroound the ship.Perfect end after the land portion of the Alaska/Yukon tour. The evening entertainment could be improved - magician and comic good, however, the staff entertainers left much to be desired.

The ship itself was nice. Accommodations were nice. The room Steward did a great job!  However, the food service at the buffet was crappy, and the food quality was not good! Upon boarding the ship we found that they were not ready for us at the buffet! Very unorganized! All the food was not out yet. Only one side of the buffet was open so we had to stand in long lines. You had to enter and exit the same entrance which made it very congested. People were bumping into each other. Food got spilled. Worst pizza ever tasted! No 24 hour pizza bar or ice cream bar. The upstairs Grill was good! They serve fajitas burgers and chicken. But they were not open for breakfast or dinner! Each morning you stood in a long line to get an omelet and there was only one person on each side cooking omelets for 3,000 people! By the time you got your omelette your wife were friends were done eating! Be water and juice and coffee servers were nowhere to be found! So it was Serve Yourself, Or don't drink a liquid with your meal.

It was a wonderful trans pacific crossing, very calm seas & nice weather....BUT

the food was the worst I have had on Holland America. You would think the with the ship leaving from Japan, good food items would be loaded. The only "good" items were the eggs.....wonderful golden yellow yolk color. The rest of the food was just bland, except that somehow they managed to put cilantro into almost everything. Every meal 2 or 3 items had it in it & also coconut milk. The food was just bland, nothing stood out & the deserts were awful, they all tasted like they were made from a package with "just add water".Imagine 16 days with less than desirable food.

Service on board was A+, as usual. Cabin service top notch, ship is easy to get around.The shows at night we hit or miss. The dancers were great, but the singers were off key & out of tune.      

This was a wonderful itinerary at a very reasonable price. We covered 7 countries in 28 days and were able to walk on the Great Wall of China which was the original objective.  I was continually amazed by the beauty of  these countries and the large population of most of the ports. We made a lot of new friends from all over the world.

I ENJOYED WALKING ON DECK 3.FOOD WAS DONE RIGHT BUT BLASE.DININGROOM SERVICE WAS TERRIBLE.SHIP NEEDS DRY DOCK.MOVIES FOR LIVE SHOWS IS TERRIBLE.SINGERS WERE TOO LOUD.TOURS WERE EXPENSIVE & NOBODY TO HELP YOU..

This was a super fun cruise itinerary for anyone who loves Indonesia or wants to explore Indonesia. Highlights were Bogor, Komodo and Lombok. But we also had a lot of fun in Bali and eating all the wonderful food and experienceing the different large and bustling cities of Java. Singapore was icing on the cake. Loved all the festive activities they had onboard. 

Holland America is not for those that want a hyped up Disney experience and it's not child friendly in the sense that others service families on cruises. But they do provide a top notch ship with on shore excursions that concentrate on the culture of the port being visited. Food is very good (especially in the buffet). 

We planed this cruise year ago. We wanted spend time all holiday in the cruise ship.    Ship were very old. Nothing fancy, elegant in the reception area. There is no lobby. Usually I take a lot of pictures, but was not this time. Not so many people are dress up for the gala night. Quality of food was better than Princess. They make fresh pancake or serve you salad, but getting food in buffe there is long line everyday. I do not believe it. Getting omulets takes 10 Minuit, getting Salad 7 minuit everyday. I could not do this ever day for 28 days. They have small swimming poor that was everyday occupied by kids. Price of tour seemed to be expensive to me, because it's cost you only 3 hour tour over $ 100. There are some complimentary Shuttle by Holland America in some city, but they do not tell you in advance.

Only thing I miss a lot is dinning staff. They are working very hard, very friendly and nice. Do I take another cruise with Holland America?

Even thought I liked dinning, I probably not. Proses to getting bord, I had bad customer service, too.

I was impressed with the ship and helpful staff in all departments. The four tender ports in a row was a bit of a pain and could be split up. Food was good and I enjoyed the Windows lectures. The excursion prices were very high for all stops and not worth the money when not much of interest was offered.  A provided shuttle bus from the port was excellent to the local mall from where you could pay for a taxi to visit any sights in the centre.

We booked this cruise for its exciting, but challenging itinerary through not one, not two, but six countries. Most stops, though, were in Indonesia and Vietnam.

Unfortunately not all ports could accommodate the Volendam and we had to use tenders, sometimes with long lines and discomfort.

The crew was excellent, food was great, so was entertainment. Negatives were the excessive cost of some Shore Excursions (US$220 pp) even for simple bus tours, partly due to distance and added security (police escort), but some simply overprices (e.g., Komodo Island).

all foods in restaurants were just wonderful.

juggling and magic shows were great!

 crews and staffs were so kind.

i still remember some of the friends' names who served our table.

folding towel animals in the stateroom were a nice surprise!

we took three shore excursions.they were awesome!

(mendenhall glacier explorer, ak rainforest sanctuary,raptors&totems,           yukon expedition&white pass railway)

i am going to use Holland america line for my next cruse .

loved this cruise. Great food, service, other travelers, and sites!  Only 2 areas not very good:  Internet access and entertainment.  My only complaint is that I ordered a birthday package from cruise.com for my husband and it never happened...very disappointed!

All of our family had a great time at this cruis. My daughters (8 and 10) loved the club HAL, lots of kids to play with and many activities to keep them entertained. 

Food was delicious, different options everyday and everything tasted amazing. 

The amount of time at the ports was more than enough to do shore excursions and walk around town. 

3 satisfied cruisers.  My 6 year old daughter loved the Club HAL, and we were all very pleased with the ladies that staffed the club.  We all enjoyed the meals and shows.  The shore excursions were all exceptional adventures, though I think the helicopter ride in Skagway was our favorite.  Breathing the clean air around and seeing the glacier was also a highlight.  Vancouver was a great city to visit too.  We loved the excursions we did there too.

My favorite part of the cruise was when I asked my group if everyone had fun and their statement was a loud YES. Few weeks later, they have asked me again to organize our next cruise. My second time as an organizer on cruising, really made me think that in this particular skill I can make a difference in peoples  happiness. Thank you very much for your excellent amusement enterprise. Keep up the good work.