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Elegant and spacious, Volendam takes her décor cues from the garden. Her grand public spaces are graced with floral fabrics and tapestries, as well as huge vases of fresh floral arrangements. While on board, explore the wonders of nature in BBC Earth Experiences. Enjoy regional cooking demonstrations and food and wine tastings with Port to Table programming. Relax with a spa treatment at the Greenhouse Salon & Spa. Or dine in one of our selection of fine restaurants.
Much like all HAL Cruises'. Very quiet. Almost all senior citizens. Accomodations neat and clean. Still has hydro jet bath tubs in Vista suites. One peculiarity, bars do not serve Pastis- it is a Mediterranean cruise. Food is excellent. You do have to watch schedules there are periods when no food is available anywhere. Have often had to settle for the Dive In. But I do like burgers and Hot dogs. Entertainment is hit or miss. Tends to be top 40's from a decade or so back. But I get a feeling that is not HAL cruisers top priority. The do have a fairly decent library. Do get there early in the cruise, as these folks are readers. Service staff are all top notch. Still find it weird to be addressed as Sir Firstname. Also, for what it is worth, pickleball seems to be a thing. Which I find strange.
We had a great time on this cruise, helped by lovely weather (apart from Charlottetown when it tipped down with rain). This was our fourth cruise, the other three being on Princess and Cunard. I won't do comparisons all the way through, but I'd say the food on the Volendam was better than QM2 but not as good as Regal Princess, and the entertainment was not quite as good as either. We've only been in balcony rooms but decided to economise on this one and went for an ocean view. All that was left were guaranteed rooms, so we ended up on the bottom deck at the very front, in a porthole room. It was actually very comfortable, with extra room as it was a disabled cabin, even though we did not need one. The two single beds were far apart with one in an alcove and one under the two portholes. There was some noise when coming into dock, but we are early risers so it didn't bother us. We did have one night of rough seas and being right at the front meant loud banging from the waves, but we managed to get some sleep that night. We will definitely opt for ocean view in future. Our cabin stewards were wonderful and kept the cabin spotless. They were always smiling and friendly. The ship was just the right size for us, not too big or too small, making it easy to get around. We like to take the stairs but when we did use the lifts there was never a long wait or too much congestion. The ship had a relaxed and calm vibe, unsurprising really as most of the guests were very mature. We are in our 60s and felt like spring chickens! We loved the promenade deck, a classic wooden one that goes all the way round, great for getting your steps in. We tried breakfast in the MDR on the first morning but found it quite slow and not a very wide selection, so for the rest of the cruise we used the Lido buffet for breakfast. It was really good, with friendly staff and lots of food cooked from scratch while you wait. I like the way that HA have staff serve at the buffet, rather than a free for all with guests grabbing the spoons themselves. We used the buffet a few times for lunch too, but found it much too busy in the evenings so we chose to go to the MDR for dinner. Service here was a little slow and not that friendly. I asked to be served an entree as a starter one night and our waiter actually argued with me and said that it would be too big a portion for a starter, which made me feel like a greedy pig. I thought that was pretty unprofessional of him. The food was generally very good. It did tend to be rather bland, however, and could have done with a bit more seasoning. Entertainment was very good. The cruise director, Jaime, gave some interesting talks and Josh was very charming and funny with his port talks. The shows in the main theatre were enjoyable for the most part, especially Breton Thunder and the repertory singers and dancers. We weren't too entertained by the comedian or by the pianist. There was a string trio that gave some good evening concerts. I did miss the on-deck movie screenings that Princess does, and the movie theatre on Volendam did not show many that appealed to us. I went to a few of the art classes, which are free, and some free Tai Chi and stretch classes. The library is wonderful, very well-stocked and easy to browse, and the games room is great too with a big selection of more unusual games as well as all the old favourites. Embarkation and disembarkation was fast and problem free, and the one port that needed a tender was run very efficiently, with not too much of a wait. The onboard immigration checking process before we returned to the US was very slow and not very efficiently managed, but that's not the ship's fault. We enjoyed all the ports, even though we were told there was not a lot to do in a few of them. It was lovely to just stroll around and enjoy the nice weather by the beautiful Canadian and New England coast.
Nice cruise blessed with great weather until disembarking in Boston. Cruised in a large inside cabin that was midship, very quiet, with excellent stewards. MDR food was consistently good with lots of excellent seafood. Shows were entertaining and well attended. Ports varied in size but were places only a few ships visit. No mega ports with 5 megaships in it the same days. Typical older Holland america clientele. Lots of places to enjoy the sea views, unlike some other cruise ships. One highlight was the excursion to see falcon demonstration- truly amazing birds and falconer who enjoyed showing off his working birds. Who knew that walking around with a falcon discourages other birds from hassling people dining outside! Breton Thunder performances were wonderful and maybe you will be lucky and see them on your cruise. Alvin Williams was the comedian and interacted with the audience so no 2 performances were the same.
With refined amenities and Holland America Line signature Mariner’s Dream bed gracing each elegant stateroom, the ship offers six grades of staterooms. Most are ocean-facing, many featuring teak-lined verandas for dining alfresco or private sunbathing.
Holland America Line invites you to dine "As You Wish". To savour Italian cuisine one night and a perfectly grilled porterhouse steak the next. To take your place in the Dining Room at a specific seating time or be spontaneous, following your desires. Onboard, there are restaurants to suit every mood, along with the flexibility to choose the dining style you prefer.
Boasting an expansive range of enrichment facilities and opportunity, Holland America Line's ships are bound to offer something you'll want to know more about. Why not have a go at the Digital Workshop powered by Windows and learn how to enhance your holiday picture or how to easily share them.
Every day aboard a Holland America cruise ship brings a wealth of cruise activities and indulgences, along with the freedom to partake in as many-or as few- as you please. It's an opportunity to try something new that surprises you, every day.
Dabble, discover, daydream- do everything, or do nothing at all.
Whether you want to workout in the Fitness Centre, learn yoga, pamper yourself with a massage and spa treatment, or enjoy a game of basketball, there's a perfect onboard activity for everyone.
Holland America Line's youth activities program, Kids Club, offers an array of entertaining events for kids and teens ages 3-17, supervised by a full-time, professionally trained staff. They'll have an opportunity to join other kids their age for arts and crafts, sports, video game competitions, scavenger hunts, challenging team games and themed parties.
Note: Kids Club is not offered on cruises of 25-days or longer, including all Legendary and Grand Voyages. We will offer a selection of children’s activities throughout these longer voyages for any children who may be onboard.
Safety Comes First
Safety is our primary concern and strict policies are in place for effective supervision. Adult guests are not permitted to remain in Kids Club unless attending to a special-needs child.
Please note: During voyages with a high number of families onboard, we will make all efforts to accommodate interested parties. However, participation in our program cannot be guaranteed. Hours of operation may change to better serve our guests.
