Questions on the Volendam

[tigger54]

My husband and I found a great itinerary on the Volendam in fall of 2025. This will be our second time on a Holland ship although we have cruised many other cruise lines. I just have some questions since this is Hollands oldest ship.

1. Do any of the interior rooms have couches?
2. Are the cabins larger than on the newer ships?
3. Do the cabins have refrigerators? I thought I had seen on utube that they do not.

4. Other than the MDR and buffet, what other free places are there to eat?
5. Overall, how does the ship look being so old?
This is a 14 day cruise going from Canada to Ft. Lauderdale so I really want to hear the thoughts of others that have been on this ship recently,

Thank you

 

[Moriah]

1. Yes

2. Yes

3. No, but if you act fast, you can usually rent one.  Bear in mind that if you are in any cabin except a neptune suite(which does have a fridge, anyway), the fridge you rent takes up valuable "real estate" - there aren't really any great places to put it, although it can work, if you really want one.

4. the other "free" place to eat on Volendam is the Dive-In next to the Lido pool.  It has a great menu of "All American" fare -- burgers, hot dogs, fries... and most people agree it's excellent.  Also, room service is free, 24 hours. 

5. Volendam is in "ship shape" - I think you'll find her a really gorgeous and meticulously kept-up vessel. 

Do remember to bring enough multi-outlet plugs, and whatever adapters you need to charge your devices.  Volendam has but one American, and one European outlet in each non-Neptune cabin.  You can bring a power strip but be sure it's of the allowed type.  I always just bring a multi-outlet plug - they make them with 3 or 4 outlets in them, and I find that very convenient.

Edited January 30 by Moriah

[kazu]

 

1 hour ago, tigger54 said:

3. Do the cabins have refrigerators? I thought I had seen on utube that they do not.

 

Just a correction to a previous post.  All suite cabins have refrigerators.  So Vista Suite (Verandahs), Neptune & Pinnacle Suites have them.

 

Cabin categories below that do not and require renting one.

 

[Moriah]

2 hours ago, kazu said:

 

 

Just a correction to a previous post.  All suite cabins have refrigerators.  So Vista Suite (Verandahs), Neptune & Pinnacle Suites have them.

 

Cabin categories below that do not and require renting one.

 

 

Thanks for that correction Kazu,  I didn't realize the Vista suites had them.  That's good to know. (I guess I should have mentioned the Pinnacle - I think there is just one on the V? Obviously it has a fridge - actually more than one :)!

[crystalspin]

6 hours ago, tigger54 said:

1. Do any of the interior rooms have couches?
2. Are the cabins larger than on the newer ships?
3. Do the cabins have refrigerators? I thought I had seen on utube that they do not.

1. Most if not all do. HC rooms may have a chair instead of sofa for wheelchair/scooter access.

2. Yes in general. We have stayed, for example, in Vista Suites on Zaandam (sister to Volendam) and Koningsdam. Older ship much larger room with more storage, comfortable for three adults. Three banks of three drawers each, instead of one stack of three drawers for clothes plus three small ones in desk.

 

We sailed on the Volendam in 2016 to Alaska and bunked on the Lower Promenade. Those partially obstructed OVs were a bit smaller (probably similar to new ships', tho!) because they share the deck with the large walkaround promenade! The insides on Deck 3 are actually larger than the OV's across from them.

 

3. Any room with a balcony will have a fridge. OVs and insides can rent one; the obvious place for it is the knee-bay of the desk -- a problem only if you wanted to work at the desk or use it for a vanity (makeup and/or hair).

 

You didn't ask, but I thought to mention -- the entire HAL fleet is equipped with StarLink internet so if you get a WiFi plan you will have good to very good coverage with few drops.

 

Edited January 30 by crystalspin

[tigger54]

Thank you everyone for the responses. Will have to think about this cruise.

[islandwoman]

On 1/30/2024 at 8:25 AM, kazu said:

 

 

Just a correction to a previous post.  All suite cabins have refrigerators.  So Vista Suite (Verandahs), Neptune & Pinnacle Suites have them.

 

Cabin categories below that do not and require renting one.

 

Are there enough refrigerators available for everyone who wants to rent one? 

I would like to sail in a Lanai cabin, but need a refrigerator. 

Could I reserve a refrigerator in advance?

[kazu]

1 minute ago, islandwoman said:

Are there enough refrigerators available for everyone who wants to rent one? 

I would like to sail in a Lanai cabin, but need a refrigerator. 

Could I reserve a refrigerator in advance?

 

It is recommended you book in advance.

 

I can’t comment on the number of fridges available.  I know the people on my roll call had them that wanted them but they all requested in advance.

[coachmouchet]

The Volendam is my all-time favorite cruise ship!!!!🚢 

[ArgoNereus]

On 2/27/2024 at 8:48 PM, coachmouchet said:

The Volendam is my all-time favorite cruise ship!!!!🚢 

Could you please tell me why.

We have sailed on the "old" Rotterdam, Ryndam, Westerdam, Zuiderdam, Zaandam, Maasdam, N. Statendam.  How is Volendam different?  (We just booked her for September B2B.)

[OlsSalt]

1 hour ago, ArgoNereus said:

Could you please tell me why.

We have sailed on the "old" Rotterdam, Ryndam, Westerdam, Zuiderdam, Zaandam, Maasdam, N. Statendam.  How is Volendam different?  (We just booked her for September B2B.)

 

Did you like the Zaandam? Volendam is her sister ship. 

Bigger than the Maasdam, smaller  than the Vistas. She is just right.

 

If you want a low key, more intimate feeling cruise experience on ship that is easy to get around, but with fewer bells and whistles now standard on the larger ships. If you are a more self-contained traveler, the Volendam can be your sweet spot.  

[coachmouchet]

Well…there is just something about its perfect size, it’s quaintness, it’s just feels right.  It was recently renovated with new carpets and some new furniture.   It never feels crowded.   Also, last July we booked a last minute Alaska cruise on the Volendam.  I got a ridiculous great deal for an ocean view.  Anyway we arrived at the Volendam to find out they automatically upgraded us to a Vista Suite at no extra charge!  It was so awesome!   So when you ask why, it’s just because it feels so right to me.  

[TroubleT]

I will just comment on the ship in general. The ship is old. And I get it. But the ship has major issues with plumbing system and Heating/AC system. And I mean - MAJOR! On my Alaska cruise last June lots of rooms had horrible sewage smell, including my room. I couldn't be in the washroom for more than 3 minutes. It was so hot in half of the rooms that people had to keep the balcony door open all the time. Another half of the rooms was awfully cold. It got to the point that I requested to move me to another room because the temperature of the room was below 60 F. It was my only experience sailing on the old ship. Never again. 

[crystalspin]

2 minutes ago, TroubleT said:

It was so hot in half of the rooms that people had to keep the balcony door open all the time. Another half of the rooms was awfully cold.

These are not unrelated: Keeping just one balcony door open affects a whole sector of the ship's HVAC.

[TroubleT]

9 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

These are not unrelated: Keeping just one balcony door open affects a whole sector of the ship's HVAC.

Their whole system was messed up. I didn't complain about the heat in the stateroom. My stateroom was an iglu.

[islandwoman]

1 hour ago, TroubleT said:

 the ship has major issues with plumbing system and Heating/AC system. And I mean - MAJOR! On my Alaska cruise last June lots of rooms had horrible sewage smell, including my room. I couldn't be in the washroom for more than 3 minutes. It was so hot in half of the rooms that people had to keep the balcony door open all the time. Another half of the rooms was awfully cold.

Has the Volendam been in dry dock since last June?  Has anyone sailed her since then who could tell us whether these plumbing and heating issues have been fixed?

[Nodakboiler]

I believe a Volendam dry dock is scheduled for late fall 2024

[islandwoman]

10 minutes ago, Nodakboiler said:

I believe a Volendam dry dock is scheduled for late fall 2024

I am booked on the Volendam 42 day Ultimate Mediterranean and Atlantic Passage beginning November 9, 2024.  I certainly hope that the dry dock has been completed by then and that it included plumbing and heating repairs.

[Nodakboiler]

You are the first cruise after the dry dock- Enjoy!

[OlsSalt]

The older ships do struggle for a few days particularly  when traveling near the equator. So some of this can depend on where the cruise is going. I suppose they were built for passengers who accepted when they went into the tropics, it would be warmer. Or into the most northern climes it would not always be an instant 75 degrees in the all cabins at all the times. One does get more cabin temperature control on the newer ships. 

 

Underscoring yet again,  anyone leaving their balcony door open on these older ships will materially affect all the other cabins on their same ventilation circuits - and not necessarily next door or on the same deck.  It was part of their intentional design at the time -for fire suppression

 

Best thing to do is immediately report too hot, or too cold so the engineers can check to see if there are open cabin doors open before it sets off a chain reaction among other cabins.

 

 They go around with a device that checks to see if air is strongly sucking out under the door in the hallway. that means a balcony door is open. This is all part of the forced air pressure fire suppression system. So when the balcony door says keep it closed, there is a very important reason why. 

[shippmates]

The Volendam is going into drydock in October and will return to service on November 9 2024.  Hope the A/C issues will be solved along with the sewage smell.  

[OlsSalt]

2 hours ago, shippmates said:

The Volendam is going into drydock in October and will return to service on November 9 2024.  Hope the A/C issues will be solved along with the sewage smell.  

 

We had that happen once on the sister ship Amsterdam - the smell came up from the balcony scuppers. They would douse it with some chemical flushes from time to time,  to keep the smell down. Something coming up from the "bilges " I gather. It is a ship. 

[terrydtx]

On 1/30/2024 at 8:22 AM, Moriah said:

No, but if you act fast, you can usually rent one.  Bear in mind that if you are in any cabin except a neptune suite(which does have a fridge, anyway), the fridge you rent takes up valuable "real estate" - there aren't really any great places to put it, although it can work, if you really want one.

Vista Suites also have a mini fridge on Volendam, we are in one in August.

[farjar]

Am I correct in assuming inside cabins on the Zaandam won't have a mini frig either since it is a sister ship to the Volendam?  What is the daily rental fee and how would we prebook one?

[Desert Cruisers]

On 3/1/2024 at 1:41 PM, TroubleT said:

I will just comment on the ship in general. The ship is old. And I get it. But the ship has major issues with plumbing system and Heating/AC system. And I mean - MAJOR! On my Alaska cruise last June lots of rooms had horrible sewage smell, including my room. I couldn't be in the washroom for more than 3 minutes. It was so hot in half of the rooms that people had to keep the balcony door open all the time. Another half of the rooms was awfully cold. It got to the point that I requested to move me to another room because the temperature of the room was below 60 F. It was my only experience sailing on the old ship. Never again. 

We sailed to South America on the Volendam in 2019.  Same problems back then.  Add in major flooding on our deck, missing tiles in public restrooms, etc.  Volendam's issues have nothing to do with leaving balcony doors open, repositioning to a new climate, etc.  Bottomline is that HAL doesn't want to spend the $ needed to upgrade this ship.