Opinions on Volendam

[trickylibrarian]

Thinking of booking a last minute cruise to New England Boston to Montreal in May.  We are platinum Mariners 

but never sailed on the Volendam.  Read a few reviews here on CC and some say the ship is "tired". 

Would appreciate a few recent opinions. Thank you.  

[RuthC]

I would sail her with no hesitation. Category for category, her cabins are larger than each successive newer class of ship. I can comfortably stay in an inside on the R-class ships, while needing to go to a Vista to get decent room on a Pinnacle class. 
The ship, being smaller, is easier to get around easily; there's no need to pack a snack to go back to your cabin for something you forgot. 
You will meet the same people over again, as there are fewer passengers than the larger ships, and can get to know them better than on larger ships. 
The crew gets to know you, what you like and how you like it. No need to keep saying the same thing over and over again just to get your drink the way you like it. Service is excellent. 
There is plenty of outdoor deck space from which to enjoy the sea. 
Lots of port days on that itinerary, with fewer people to get off and on the ship. MUCH easier than the larger ships. 

Just because the Volendam is older than some of the other ships in the fleet does not mean she can't offer a good cruise. 

[AV8rix]

In addition to EVERYTHING @RuthC said (with which I wholly agree), yet another thing I like about the two remaining R-class ships is that the Explorations Cafe is centrally-located on the Upper Prom deck (deck 4) rather than way up there in the Crow's Nest.  If I am hankering for a mid-morning or -afternoon chai latte all I do is go up or down a couple of staircases from wherever else I am rather than make the trek all the way up to the top of the ship.  But that's just me. May not be important to you. 

Edited April 7 by AV8rix

[trickylibrarian]

Thank you both for your replies.  No concerns after reading your opinions.  

Looking forward to boarding.  

[Mary229]

I do not like her as much as I do like her sister the Zaandam. She is tired in someways but I would not hesitate to book her for a short cruise.  I would not book her for a long cruise again.  

[AV8rix]

9 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

I do not like her as much as I do like her sister the Zaandam. She is tired in someways but I would not hesitate to book her for a short cruise.  I would not book her for a long cruise again.  

deleted.  Wrong thread.

 

Edited April 7 by AV8rix

[Suncoastsailors]

6 hours ago, trickylibrarian said:

Thinking of booking a last minute cruise to New England Boston to Montreal in May.  We are platinum Mariners 

but never sailed on the Volendam.  Read a few reviews here on CC and some say the ship is "tired". 

Would appreciate a few recent opinions. Thank you.  

Don't stay in rooms 3392-3382 or the same rooms on the other side of the ship. These rooms are under the kitchen and are very, very noisy at all hours of the night. 

[kelliebiz]

One thing about Volendam is that there are no verandah cabins. The ship does have lanai cabins where your back door opens right onto the lower promenade deck where the public is walking their laps. I’ve not stayed in one of these cabins but it would feel like a loss of privacy to me. 
 

I really enjoy everything about the smaller size of this ship and it is older but nothing that relates to the age is an obvious deterrent for me. Others may have different opinions of course. 

[BobbiSox]

No need to fret about privacy in a lanai. No one can see in due to the special glass which is like a mirror so no one can see in. I love these rooms and get them whenever they are available. I suggest that you try one on a short cruise to try it out. You just may love it as much as I do. And two deck chairs are assigned to each cabin so you don't have to worry about finding a place to enjoy the sea view because it's right outside your door. I going to New England in two weeks, then 42 days to Europe this September, both in a lanai, and can't hardly wait!

[kazu]

Rich @richwmn has been.on the Volendam since January and reports are very favourable.  You can check his LIVE thread.

 

I will be on in less than 2 weeks and also reporting.

 

I am looking forward to being back on her.

[shippmates]

Volendam is going in dry dock in October and will be back in service for the November 9 sailing.

[Ellencruise]

I’ll be on Volendam in June for New England and Canada. I’m excited to try the small ship. I’ll report back.

[TMJplus1]

Took her to Alaska a few years back and I loved that it's a smaller ship and easy to make friends and get to know the staff and crew. I do prefer the additional dining options in the larger ships, but would not hesitate to sail on Volendam again if the itinerary was right. 

[richwmn]

21 hours ago, trickylibrarian said:

Thinking of booking a last minute cruise to New England Boston to Montreal in May.  We are platinum Mariners 

but never sailed on the Volendam.  Read a few reviews here on CC and some say the ship is "tired". 

Would appreciate a few recent opinions. Thank you.  

For background, I have sailed on every current HAL ship, most of them more than once, and several in their first year.

 

At this point, I have been on Volendam for a little over 100 days, sailing from San Diego to Mexico, the South Pacific, and now back to Mexico. I have seen the term 'tired' applied to many HAL ships, and also to older ships from several other lines and I don't quite understand the very vague term.

 

Is Volendam old? By cruise ship standards yes she is. Volendam is 25 years old. Her decor is what was current in the late 1990's so she is not as bright as some newer ships.

 

Is Volendam in good repair? Yes she is. You will constantly see the HAL crew taking care of the ship with pride. Like any 25 year old ship, things will happen but for the most part they are taken care of quickly. Sometimes parts have to be ordered just like repairs to your home or car, and they have to be shipped to an upcoming port, so the repair might not be immediate.

 

Dining Options - true there are not as many dining options as the larger ships but what are available are very good. At times HAL has been known to feature one of the other specialty restaurants in either the Pinnacle Grill or Caneletto space as a pop up so those options can exist as well.

 

Music Options - like dining, not as many options but the ones that exist are good. What happens on each cruise is more dependent on the actual performers HAL is able to get for any particular sailing. The current artists, most of which joined the ship in San Diego, are very good.

 

The nice things, as others have mentioned, are that on the smaller ships it is easy to get around and you quickly get to know passengers and crew. You don't have to walk far to get to anything on the ship.

 

Volendam in not new, but she is comfortable.

 

 

[trickylibrarian]

Thank you for all your replies.  Booked this morning.  We cruised on the Prinsendam twice and loved it's size and since it is no longer with HAL this ship will be great.

[Tampa Girl]

13 hours ago, kelliebiz said:

One thing about Volendam is that there are no verandah cabins. The ship does have lanai cabins where your back door opens right onto the lower promenade deck where the public is walking their laps. I’ve not stayed in one of these cabins but it would feel like a loss of privacy to me. 
 

I really enjoy everything about the smaller size of this ship and it is older but nothing that relates to the age is an obvious deterrent for me. Others may have different opinions of course. 

 

Correction:  There are verandah cabins on the Volendam.  They are called Vista Suites, and they are somewhat larger than the verandahs on the later classes of Hal ships, such as the Vista class.  

[Ellencruise]

Yes I booked a vista suite, can’t wait

[seacruise9]

Hi, 

 

I am booked on the Volendam for the seven-day cruise departing on May 11, 2024. After cruising aboard many larger ships, I am looking forward to sailing on this classic smaller ship for a change. I am glad to read that the ship is well-maintained.

 

Chuck

[kelliebiz]

3 hours ago, Tampa Girl said:

 

Correction:  There are verandah cabins on the Volendam.  They are called Vista Suites, and they are somewhat larger than the verandahs on the later classes of Hal ships, such as the Vista class.  

 
Well of course you are correct, there are suites with verandahs. In my head those are not cabins with verandahs, but rather suites with verandahs. 

[Kathyrd]

Are there stand alone showers in the Neptune suites?

[mcrcruiser]

Personally when we need a veranda on this size ship ,we must buy into a suite where as on the larger ships we can just buy a veranda & not a suite . Additionally , the older ships do not have all the bells & whistles og the newer larger built ships . Both Volendam & Zaandam  were buily in 1999 , That makes them 25 years in service  ,Ships max out at 30 years  ,JMVHO

[Cruising Is Bliss]

On 4/9/2024 at 8:24 AM, mcrcruiser said:

Personally when we need a veranda on this size ship ,we must buy into a suite where as on the larger ships we can just buy a veranda & not a suite . Additionally , the older ships do not have all the bells & whistles og the newer larger built ships . Both Volendam & Zaandam  were buily in 1999 , That makes them 25 years in service  ,Ships max out at 30 years  ,JMVHO

 

30 years is pretty pessimistic. The Prinsendam is still sailing at 36.  The old Song of America (my 1st cruise was on her in the 90s) went to scrap in December 2023 at 40 years old.

I'm very happily doing the world cruise on Zaandam in 2026.

Edited April 11 by Cruising Is Bliss

[Cruising Is Bliss]

LOL wow Ruth you're fast 🙂

[RuthC]

2 minutes ago, Cruising Is Bliss said:

LOL wow Ruth you're fast 🙂

Right place at the right time?

[mcrcruiser]

40 minutes ago, Cruising Is Bliss said:

 

30 years is pretty pessimistic. The Prinsendam is still sailing at 36.  The old Song of America (my 1st cruise was on her in the 90s) went to scrap in December 2023 at 40 years old.

I'm very happily doing the world cruise on Zaandam in 2026.

We are not saying the ship would not perform ;however ,it is a older less amenity vessel by shear size alone . Additionally  .holland is still a mass market ,Carnival brand company .  most likely if CCL coup adds ships to Holland ,at some timje in the future ,they will not be the size of volendam cor Zaandam . These smaller vessels simply cost too much to  operate in this crusing . Should some small brand buy one or both of these ships ,possibly yes . 

 

 While I can empathize with folks that go back decades & into smaller ships with Holland it is now nostalgia  . I also like to think of what I once could buy for my $1.00 in the 1950s but that is gone forever . Seaborn  has those smaller ships & much higher prices . So yes a person can stay in smaller ships but the cost  of cruising   will be  much higher