Holland America Volendam Review (Worst Cruise Ever)

[Ken the cruiser]

17 minutes ago, Nodakboiler said:

No, shore excursions cannot be canceled on the app.

Good to know. Thanks!

[shadow 123]

24 minutes ago, Cruiser Sean said:

Not sure I can answer everything, but it seems like many of you expect different service than we did for a cruise.

 

- For those who asked about our party size. It was 4. Not a large party at all.

- Someone mentioned about signing for Spa services. We didn't sign for everything because we had prepaid for much of it. That was one of the issues, as they then charged us AGAIN. Some of the issues involved services for the children. Upon review, even the Spa manager admitted that it looked like staff were attempting to take advantage of teenagers. The spa was clearly at fault (as admitted by the manager), which is why they took so long to resolve all of the issues.

- For the dining issues. Clearly the "classy" nights we expected not to eat in the dining room. That should have been only 2 nights. Instead the wait caused us to miss multiple nights. Dealing with HAL issues caused us to miss another. We are not new cruisers. We had taken 6 prior. The entire point of "anytime" dining is so you have flexibility. With anytime, we have never had to make a reservation with any other cruise line. Which includes: Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Norwegian. We also switched our times up. There seemed to be this wait issue, whether we went at at 5:30, 6 or 6:30. 

-For the rest of the commenters that said we only dealt with MINOR issues. We had a HAL issue with the Spa, the Casino, Excursions and Guest Services. In the SAME trip and in our FIRST cruise with HAL. That is probably 90% of the services we could have dealt with. We spent 6 HOURS of our cruise having uncommunicative staff and departments, resolve issues, all the fault of the cruise line. Hours we should have been spending enjoying our vacation, relaxing and just enjoying time with my family. That is not MINOR to me. Its especially not minor when you spent a great deal of money on the cruise. It is also not something that happened with any of 4 other cruise lines.

I have experienced problems with canceling excursions. You are right. It's very difficult to cancel 24 hours in advance when you don't know how you are gonna feel  24 hours in advance. I had the experience where I had to go to customer service to cancel an excursion for the   the next day because the excursions desk was closed And they never sent the sent the message over. I just checked it up as a loss. But it is very frustrating, I get it.  IMO They need to have voicemail at the excursion desk.

[Guinness1000]

Different cruise lines appeal to different people. Research is important. HAL is our go-to cruise line. I go on RCCL when I go with my kids and grandkids because they love all the things to do. We have a long cruise booked in 2025 on the Volendam. Can't wait! I also just got off Harmony of Thr Seas last Sunday, and although we had an awesome trip - three generations - we also tested positive for Covid when we got back. Not RCCL's fault, but I have a sneaky suspicion we caught it in one of the elevators where people packed in tight. On HAL, people tend to be a little more courteous and politely say they'll catch the next one if it's already "full".

 

When it comes to Alaska, I believe HAL and Princess have the longest history there, and the most experience, along with being allowed to go to certain areas other cruise lines are not. 

 

Sorry you had an awful trip. I believe most cruise lines are pretty good. You just have to find the right fit for you. HAL is that line for us.  Maybe RCCL will be the one for you. 🙂

[C 2 C]

9 hours ago, Cruiser Sean said:

My family and I recently completed the Holland America (Volendam) cruise from Montreal to Boston. This was our 7th cruise, but first with Holland America (HAL). Never again. This was the worst cruise we have ever taken. 

We cruised on Volendam from Montreal to Boston and back.

We had only two issues, a cold ship in public areas and a music group that did not want to play danceable music.

We loved the ship.

We were assigned anytime dining but on day one we were able to get the same table assigned every night.

The food was great.  The service was fantastic.

We missed a port due to rough seas.  I can't imagine any other ship with any cruise line that has as much public space for people to hang out on a sea day.

 

Why would you not know that there is no formal attire nor a suit nor even a tie is required for dining?

Sometimes it seems that once one problem occurs, others soon follow.

I'm sorry to hear you had so many problems.

We liked the Volendam cruise so much we are going again in September.

[Roz]

@C 2 C, HAL corporate dictates the playlist.

[terrydtx]

6 hours ago, Cruiser Sean said:

Day 3 - Day at sea. No real issues. We have many, many spa appointments including: massages, facial and hair appointments for wife and daughters. Dining was "classy" night requiring a full suit and tie or a tuxedo. So we ate in the Lido marketplace.

For me this is where you lost any creditability with your complaints and review. On HAL there are no "classy nights" that requires a full suit or Tuxedo. They have 1 or 2 dressy nights where the standard dress code of the rest of cruise is 100% OK, but you can dress up if you wish and a "full Suit" or "tuxedo" are not mandatory.

Edited July 3 by terrydtx

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

1 minute ago, terrydtx said:

For me this is where you lost any creditability with your complaints and review. On HAL there are no "classy nights" that requires a full suit or Tuxedo. They have a dressy night where the standard dress code of the rest of cruise is 100% OK, but you can dress up if you wish and a "full Suit" or tuxedo is no mandatory.

I agree with you ...

[Cruising-along]

Wow.  I'm really sorry to hear you had such a terrible cruise.  We disembarked the Volendam in April after 94 wonderful days.  Really -- absolutely no problems with billing or rude crew in all that time.  We will be sailing the Volendam again for the '26 World Cruise too. 

There must have been a huge turnover in staff or you just have the worst luck. 😞 

[ColonyGirl2]

I guess I am just a "thrifty" cruiser, as the most amazing thing I got out of this post, was that you spent $6,000 on stuff on a 7 day cruise.  

[Cruiser Sean]

12 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

For me this is where you lost any creditability with your complaints and review. On HAL there are no "classy nights" that requires a full suit or Tuxedo. They have 1 or 2 dressy nights where the standard dress code of the rest of cruise is 100% OK, but you can dress up if you wish and a "full Suit" or "tuxedo" are not mandatory.

I'm a retired Army 1SG. I can assure you that integrity is extremely important to me. Its probably why I value good customer service so much. Nothing in my review or the details is made up or exaggerated. I absolutely asked the dress code on Day 1. I asked the Dining Room greeter directly. He stated flatly. Suit w/ tie or Tuxedo. While waiting for a table on Day 1, I saw the greeter turn away guests for wearing shorts. So I had no reason to doubt that they would also turn away someone not in a suit or a tuxedo on the dressy days. Its absolutely insulting to tell me I lost creditability for something you were not there for and didn't observe. Would you like me to upload a signed affidavit by myself, my wife and my children? All 4 of us were there and all 4 of us were told the same thing.

[Ileneilene123]

Our first HAL cruise is next week. I learn as much from reading poor reviews as I do from reading positive reviews. It’s too bad that your experience was so disappointing but thank you for taking the time to post about it in detail.

Edited July 3 by Ileneilene123

[Cruiser Sean]

1 minute ago, ColonyGirl2 said:

I guess I am just a "thrifty" cruiser, as the most amazing thing I got out of this post, was that you spent $6,000 on stuff on a 7 day cruise.  

It adds up quick, but that alone shows you we went in to this cruise to enjoy ourselves. We did a lot of spa services. Casino adds up. My wife and daughters shopped in the stores. I bought booze to return with. 

[Cruiser Sean]

3 minutes ago, Ileneilene123 said:

Our first HAL cruise is next week. I learn as much from reading poor reviews as I do from reading positive reviews. It’s too bad that your experience was so disappointing but thank you for taking the time to post about it in detail.

Thank You for a thoughtful response. Some of these responses just blow my mind. I've shared our experience. Just because you've had great experiences doesn't negate that we did not. 

[terrydtx]

24 minutes ago, Cruiser Sean said:

I absolutely asked the dress code on Day 1. I asked the Dining Room greeter directly. He stated flatly. Suit w/ tie or Tuxedo. While waiting for a table on Day 1, I saw the greeter turn away guests for wearing shorts

Again you lost your credibility, I seriously doubt you were told this as it has not been required in over 10 years by HAL, maybe you should have done some pre cruise research on dressing for dinner. Did you ever go into battle without doing some research as an Army 1SG? BTW wearing shorts are never allowed in the MDR at night and not in the smart casual dress code. 

 

Here is the very simple dress code from HAL website and nothing about suits and Tuxedos.

Is there a dress code?

Answer: Yes, some refinements were made to improve consistency and the policy now reads: 

Most evenings smart casual attire is appropriate. Shorts, pool/beachwear, distressed jeans and men’s tank tops are best left to the daytime and are not permitted in fine dining restaurants. 

Dressy Nights evoke the grand traditions of cruising as guests dress to impress for special events on board, including our five-course gourmet dinner in the Dining Room. For gentlemen, collared shirts and slacks are required in all fine dining restaurants. 

Edited July 3 by terrydtx

[Laminator]

1 minute ago, Cruiser Sean said:

I'm a retired Army 1SG. I can assure you that integrity is extremely important to me. Its probably why I value good customer service so much. Nothing in my review or the details is made up or exaggerated. I absolutely asked the dress code on Day 1. I asked the Dining Room greeter directly. He stated flatly. Suit w/ tie or Tuxedo. While waiting for a table on Day 1, I saw the greeter turn away guests for wearing shorts. So I had no reason to doubt that they would also turn away someone not in a suit or a tuxedo on the dressy days. Its absolutely insulting to tell me I lost creditability for something you were not there for and didn't observe. Would you like me to upload a signed affidavit by myself, my wife and my children? All 4 of us were there and all 4 of us were told the same thing.

I wish you would have come to Cruise Critic prior to your cruise. You would have learned that embarkation day in the MDR is a ****show quite often. You would have also learned dressy night is nothing more than a collared shirt and dockers for men and a nice outfit for women. Once you hit 1500 points in the casino you receive free drinks while playing. That is handled by a sticker being put on your card by a host, slot manager, table supervisor, asst casino manager or casino manager. There is nothing guest services can do for you. It's all about that sticker. When ordering your drink you must make the server aware that you have free drinks from the casino. As for the overcharges by the SPA I would have been fuming also. 
Did you receive a Come Back and Sail offer from the casino? If you hit 4000 to 5000 points you should have received an offer. If you didn't had you known you could have asked for one. Hopefully you make the casino email list as that is the gift that keeps on giving. 
I know you are upset and have every right to be. Honestly though if you are going to do Alaska I would give HAL one more shot. IMO no one does Alaska better than HAL. 

[Cruiser Sean]

1 minute ago, Laminator said:

I wish you would have come to Cruise Critic prior to your cruise. You would have learned that embarkation day in the MDR is a ****show quite often. You would have also learned dressy night is nothing more than a collared shirt and dockers for men and a nice outfit for women. Once you hit 1500 points in the casino you receive free drinks while playing. That is handled by a sticker being put on your card by a host, slot manager, table supervisor, asst casino manager or casino manager. There is nothing guest services can do for you. It's all about that sticker. When ordering your drink you must make the server aware that you have free drinks from the casino. As for the overcharges by the SPA I would have been fuming also. 
Did you receive a Come Back and Sail offer from the casino? If you hit 4000 to 5000 points you should have received an offer. If you didn't had you known you could have asked for one. Hopefully you make the casino email list as that is the gift that keeps on giving. 
I know you are upset and have every right to be. Honestly though if you are going to do Alaska I would give HAL one more shot. IMO no one does Alaska better than HAL. 

I detailed as much as possible. It seems that some of the commentors are taking our experience as a personal attack because they love HAL so much. This was OUR experience. My wife and I both hit the 1500 points technically late on Day 1 (it was about 2 a.m.). We both got stickers. We still got charged for drinks, which was the problem I detailed. I ended with a little less than 4000 points. My wife stopped gambling after Day 4 because she was extremely upset about the 4 1/2 hours it took to resolve issues on Day 4. I've received no come back and sail offer. I can't imagine a scenario where we would ever cruise with HAL again. The shear lack of communication between departments. The number of issues we had. The hours it took to resolve these issues. Maybe that could be overcome. But I want to assert again. I filed an official complaint/detail of our experience directly with HAL customer service. Its been 10 days and they haven't contacted me as I requested. That isn't the kind of service I'd expect for a family that spent 14k with your cruise line.

[wombatKY]

FYI, we are veteran cruisers having started way back in the late 1970s. We do have stars enough to get free laundry and we have had issues that prevented us from cruising for a long while. Now, we are looking to cruise HAL again in the near future and this thread along with a few others is a little concerning and making me reconsider. That being said, I can't help but think that some of the angst was brought on by not understanding how cruising works in 2024. It has changed considerably. 

 

From where I sit, staffing appears to have decreased in every scenario. The customer is always right has been abandoned to be replaced by make every cent you can, which means packing every cabin and venue to the gills. Some customers have determined that nothing less than perfection can be tolerated.

 

Not doing research for a moving vacation where you are essentially unable to pivot can be a recipe for disaster.

 

HAL has room for improvement in all areas but I'm fairly confident this isn't a just them issue. I haven't read any other cruise line boards but I believe I would read complaints there also.

 

Vacation should be relaxing. If not, don't go that route in the future and I have to say, we are rethinking our plans. Not only because of HAL, but some of our fellow passengers as well.

 

My take on this particular situation is that you aren't out any more money than you started with. You had to use vacation time to take care of matters. Things didn't go as you hoped, wished or expected. You've learned a valuable lesson.

 

[powlan]

12 minutes ago, Laminator said:

I wish you would have come to Cruise Critic prior to your cruise. You would have learned that embarkation day in the MDR is a ****show quite often. You would have also learned dressy night is nothing more than a collared shirt and dockers for men and a nice outfit for women. Once you hit 1500 points in the casino you receive free drinks while playing. That is handled by a sticker being put on your card by a host, slot manager, table supervisor, asst casino manager or casino manager. There is nothing guest services can do for you. It's all about that sticker. When ordering your drink you must make the server aware that you have free drinks from the casino. As for the overcharges by the SPA I would have been fuming also. 
Did you receive a Come Back and Sail offer from the casino? If you hit 4000 to 5000 points you should have received an offer. If you didn't had you known you could have asked for one. Hopefully you make the casino email list as that is the gift that keeps on giving. 
I know you are upset and have every right to be. Honestly though if you are going to do Alaska I would give HAL one more shot. IMO no one does Alaska better than HAL. 

Just took a 7 day cruise on the Zaandam to Alaska. (Volendam sister ship)

HAL "had to" cancel a dog sledding ride because of  weather, Wife fell and she had to use a wheel chair throughout the trip.  Seemed that Medical Center was only open a few hours a day. But they took x-rays, gave wrapped her, gave her the chair, etc. Service wasn't up to par in the dining room, staff didn't clean the room once. Food so-so. Always a long line at customer service  but not really  anyone's fault. Other people were taking a long time. S**t happens in life. Have taken 8 cruises on HAL with 6 on the Volendam. Signed up for 4 more on the Volandam. One for 14 days, one for 42 days, one for 25 days and one for 30 days.

I have cancer, my wife has cancer and are spending all the money we've ever earned on cruises. Just glad to be  alive and to travel. Also, I never expect to be comped anything in life. Restaurants or cruises. Sometimes I am but usually not. A call back?  Life's to short to spend time with someone to rehash a bad experience.

BTW. Always have HIA, and if it's ever offered we upgrade to a Neptune. Only has been offered once. But very cool. Don't gamble much(never lost more than $100.00) so never have and most likely never will get a free cruise.

Please go and have fun either on HAL or RCCL. Life's too short to be so frustrated. 

[C 2 C]

2 hours ago, Roz said:

@C 2 C, HAL corporate dictates the playlist.

They told me that the songs I requested were on their playlist.  Didn't play them though.

[Roz]

I never discuss with other passengers what I paid for my cruise. 

[Ileneilene123]

46 minutes ago, powlan said:

Just took a 7 day cruise on the Zaandam to Alaska. (Volendam sister ship)

HAL "had to" cancel a dog sledding ride because of  weather, Wife fell and she had to use a wheel chair throughout the trip.  Seemed that Medical Center was only open a few hours a day. But they took x-rays, gave wrapped her, gave her the chair, etc. Service wasn't up to par in the dining room, staff didn't clean the room once. Food so-so. Always a long line at customer service  but not really  anyone's fault. Other people were taking a long time. S**t happens in life. Have taken 8 cruises on HAL with 6 on the Volendam. Signed up for 4 more on the Volandam. One for 14 days, one for 42 days, one for 25 days and one for 30 days.

You have an excellent attitude! 
 

However, reading your post makes me nervous for our Zaandam cruise next week. Poor service, so so food, unclean MDR, long lines — definitely not good. 

 

I’ll be really sad if our Dog Sledding on Mendenhall Glacier excursion is cancelled. I can’t control the weather, but it doesn’t stop me from worrying this will happen to us too. 

Any cruise tips or positives to share about your trip on the Zaandam to Alaska? Thx. 

[C 2 C]

21 minutes ago, Ileneilene123 said:

You have an excellent attitude! 
 

However, reading your post makes me nervous for our Zaandam cruise next week. Poor service, so so food, unclean MDR, long lines — definitely not good. 

 

We were on Zaandam last year for the Quebec Boston and return cruise and we had no problems whatsoever, great food great service, never had to deal with long lines or a dirty MDR.  No glaciers for the last 10,000 years and no dog sleds though.

[Shire12]

Thank you for sharing your experience. I would have been mad and frustrated if I experienced your same issues. 

 

It sounds like the staff in some areas is not properly trained.  This is not your fault. It appears to be happening more and more on cruise ships.  

 

I don't understand why some folks doubt your credibility.👎  You were asked to provide more details and you did.  Simple as that.  This is cruise CRITIC, and you are allowed to give negative feedback as you see fit. 

[happytotravel]

Hello All,

I was on the Volendam for a b2b from June 01 to June 15 (Montreal to Boston and back) and I had a wonderful time.   I found the staff to be cheerful and helpful.  I enjoyed the food immensley

and ate supper a few times in the MDR at open sitting and never had to wait more than 5 minutes.

I also enjoyed the ship itself very much.  Beautiful flower arrangements throughout.  Just the right size.

This was my first time on a HAL ship and I plan on taking another cruise next year on the Volendam.    I like the idea that it begins or ends in Montreal.

Enjoy life!   happytotravel

[coolbluegreenseas]

If you want HAL management to hear your complaints, it is imperative to remain completely objective while recounting the experience. Long winded, emotion laden emails do not get fully read and are generally ignored. The best thing you can do is distill the dissatisfaction into bullet points along with time stamps and names. After that, google the CEO’s email address and other C-Suite people. Send your executive summary to them. It is likely the C-Suite people will not read it, but the Executive Assistant will and they will escalate as needed. But, with all that is said here, you cannot send what you wrote on CC as that will not taken seriously. Step back, stay objective and make your point.

 

Now, as far as the lousy service (I believe you, by the way), is there any chance you were not as polite as you could have been? Anytime I work with CS, I go out of my way to be sweet, nice and funny. Why? Because the CS rep will try doubly hard to resolve the issues and perhaps get you a little extra. If you were aggressive with CS, they will perform bare minimum. It always behooves you to be nice to CS.

 

By the way, unless you are getting on a luxury line, service is the same on all the mass market/premium ships.

 

Good luck.