10 night cruise - formal nights and other curious questions

[Peggy Sue]

Hi,

 

We just changed our cruise from Oosterdam b-t-b to the Volendam 10 day in November.

 

10 day - how many formal nights?

 

Volendam - Can you share any experiences? We only have one prior HAL experience, on the Zuiderdam. We've heard so much about Vista class compared to HAL ships prior to Vista.... What are the major differences we will enjoy?

 

Laundry?? Although we are in an S suite, and will have that wonderful perk of laundry/dry cleaning, there are things I would rather not have go through the dryer...any self-service laundry on the Volendam? If so, where is it located?

 

We sail to Dominica .. Never been to this island before .. Anyone? Worth venturing off the ship to see? Beaches, etc??

 

Thanks!

[doone]

Peggy Sue, the Volendam is a beautiful ship. I sailed her in 2003 and we enjoyed her so much, we have booked her again for March 2005.

 

I haven't sailed the Vista style ships yet, I will sail the Zuiderdam in March also so I can't tell you the differences in ships, I am sure someone else here can help you there. But I think you will find the Volendam to be smaller than the Vista Style ships, but very, very nice.

 

There are self-service laundries and an iron and ironing board as well. I know there is one located on the Main Deck and believe there are laundry rooms on just about each floor of the Volendam.

 

On a 10-day cruise, you will have 3 formal evenings.

 

I think you will enjoy the Volendam, I know we did and we will again in March. Any other specific questions, please ask away.

[Nasmas]

We were on a 10-day on the Volendam in March '03. It was wonderful. I didnt' want to leave. The crew is great as are all we've seen on HAL ships. We haven't been on the vista yet but are going on the Zuiderdam 09/04. I'll let you know the differences. We are a little concerned about the size of this ship because all of the others have been so much smaller. You will truly love the Ms. Volendam. There were 3 formal nights and I really can't remember all of the details but it seems to me there were more casual nights than we'd seen on the others. I almost ran out of clothes (a first). ENJOY

[Krazy Kruizers]

:)

 

On a 10 day cruise there will be 3 formal and 2 informal nights.

There are laundries on Dolphn, Main, and Verandah decks. The one on Verandah deck is the closest one for you.

Dominica is not a beach island - very mountainess. The first time we were there we did the rain forest drive and Emerald Pool. Very lovely. Hope you are not there on a Sunday. Very few shops will be open. There are a lot of vendors across from the pier and up and down some of the side streets.

:)

[sail7seas]

If you choose not to do a ship's tour, go down to the end of the pier and visit the small native marketplace the ladies set up. You will find big bars of "green soap"....it is luscious and worth the trip to Dominica to purchase IMO :)

 

I always buy a bunch of this soap the ladies make on the stoves in the homes....very moisturizing, nice light scent. :)

[RevNeal]

Peggy Sue,

 

The Volendam is, currently, my favorite HAL ship. She is lovely and well maintained, with plenty of room. If you'd like to see photos of the ship, inside and out, you're welcome to click on the link a the bottom of my post. I've got photos from two cruises on her. My 10-day Wayfarer Southern Caribbean Cruise photos include a photo-tour of the ship, with shots of cabins, lounges, and other areas of interest. I've also got some video clips that I shot.

 

Have a GREAT cruise on the Volendam. She is a wonderful ship. I'm looking forward to cruising on her sister ship, the Zaandam, in just a month and a half!!!! :D

[Peggy Sue]

Thanks everyone for your responses.

 

Sail .. I'll be sure to look for the green soap..sounds delightful!!

 

KK - thanks for the laudry info. I really missed the opportunity to find a washing maching on the zuiderdam...just my own personal quirk..even though we had the laundry/dry cleaning perk...which we did use and loved!!

 

doon-will be interested to hear how you enjoyed the zuiderdam next year. We really enjoyed our cruise May/03 - Thought the ship was beautiful, and it was our first "suite" experience .. and how "sweet" it was!!

 

RevNeal--Checked out your photo's .. thanks.. they are wonderful. Altough the color scheme is considerably toned down from the zuiderdam, a lot of the bars, lounges, etc. have the same look and feel.

 

Formal nights - I was hoping there was still only 2..but will roll with 3 .. we do enjoy dressing up, but also like the casual nights too. We might just try in-suite dining one evening for dinner too and see how that works out. We loved having breakfast on the deck every morning when we were on the zuiderdam.

 

Again, thanks for the assist, opinions, etc. !!

 

Peggy Sue

[DFD1]

Dominica is one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean....very lush. Also one of the least spoiled by the cruise industry. Don't miss it. Research the shore escursions and pick one that appeals to you, or, at the very least, go ashore and enjoy the area around the pier.

It has been years since we were there, but we're looking forward to seeing it again on the 11/26/04 sailing of the Volendam. Hope you have a great cruise. The Volendam is a fine ship.

[lknick]

On Domenica there is the last group of Carib indians maintaining their traditional life style.

 

Also, there is a Land Leather shop which has great Land men's sport shirts from Columbia which cannot be found in the US. [Got one on right now.] Also, very handsome leather goods...but you can get them here.