Just back from Volendam

[AmberTeka]

I will write a complete review when my thoughts are sorted. This message board has been a great help to me....money wise, ship wise, port wise, motel and hotel wise, so I will try to be very honest about the Volendam.

 

Off the cuff -- my impressions are:

1. Great Food. Tasty. Well Prepared. Well served. Innovative things like the Dutch High Tea and other theme teas. The late night snack was better than a huge buffet, I thought. They had burgers off the grill, pizza, hot dogs, cold cuts, breads, small cakes and cookies, ice cream...all very good. Pineapple pizza that was actually good...a feat. The Dinners were innovative and well cooked. Sometimes I ordered the alternative steak and it was always cooked just right. The starters were good, I liked being able to have the pasta as an entree if one wished, I only tried the chicken noodle soup and it was excellent, the deserts were very good. Creme Brule, Baked Alaska, a chocolate confection in a parfait glass that was delicious. They also had cookies on the buffet on the Lido. Very good cookies. They had a seperate line for salads. The salad fixings were good...but no ice berg lettuce. I still like iceberg. And the dressings were strong. The Blue Cheese was excellent, I thought. Breads tasted fresh baked and could have made a meal alone. They were that good. I have to say the Omlet served in the Lido deck was perfect. Cooked just right. Big. That and toast made a perfect breakfast. And they do have grits on the Lido. But you have to ask...in the Dining room...I don't think they know what grits are. We found out on the last day and acted like fools I know in our delight at finding we could get bowls of grits for breakfast. We are southern and I admit, love our grits.

FLASH----The deletable goodies in the case in The Explorations Cafe on the Deck Five are complimentary. The coffe is NOT. But those delcious breakfast rolls, then those afternoon cookies and the evening appetizers and fruit is at no additional charge.

2. No crowds. Ever. Lots of places to read and just sit and think. Beautiful surroundings. The view from the Crow's Nest is always breathtaking.

 

3. Great Library. One cloddish passenger sits her pretty self down and started talking, loudly, on her cell phone to someone. Why do they allow cell phones on cruise chips? Do I care what Aunt Mirta is doing wherever she is? How do they call when we are docked in the Bahamas?

 

4. On most days, CNN International was the only news available. Ugh. My personal opinion. UGH. UGH. I missed Wolf Blitzer. I missed Headline News. I missed FoxNews and MSNBC. I would rather have those than some of the channels they carried.

 

5.And :( our cabin was hot. We had the temperature gauge down as low as possible and it was just plain hot. We called the desk twice. They Sort of brushed us off. Then it went out completely. We live in Florida and tolerate heat better than most. But that took me to the office. The person at the desk said they would go to the cabin and inspect it. As my husband was napping on the bed, shirt off, sweating a lot......I hope she got a true reading. He said she did come. Cabin 2520----Avoid unless you have the temperature checked.The morning we got off..today..it was still hot. Not warm. Hot.

 

And I think of the sweet staff ,who were so pleasant and efficient, and the flowers, that were lovely and usually real, and the passengers who were for the most part pleasant and courteous and I know it was an excellent cruise in all areas except the room and the lack of activities. One game of trivia each day. Two days of Name that Tune. Two days of scatter gories. No TriBon. No Pictionary. No Sports Quiz. They did the values clarification rip off sheets like things you take in a ship wreck and such. And that passenger group was well educated and very competitive. One Trivia Quiz session must have had fifty people there...and that was the biggest crowd, outside of Bingo and the Shows that I saw anywhere.

 

So how do I say I loved the cruise, the ship was lovely as was the staff and crew, the food the best ever, I could recommend the cruise to anyone....but I won't go again. On Carnival once, we had a stopped up toilet. Within thirty minutes, I had three people there to fix it. And they did. HAL needs to pay more attention to real problems in those cabins.

[CPMichael]

Welcome home! Thanks for the review.

[prescottbob]

Ahoy!

 

I hope you (and others that have posted similar mechanical / plumbing problems recently) have left your comments regarding the AC/ventillation and other problems on your 'commment cards'. Doubtlessly he was aware of the problem.

 

To bad they didn't for PR purposes, at the very least, give you an 'inconvience' OBC. Wouldn't hurt to let Seattle know your concerns (although the chief engineer has doubtlessly done so.)

 

May your future cruise, regardless of line, be a GREAT CRUISE!

 

Bon Voyage and Good Health!

Bob:)

[JimVrhovac]

Welcome Home

 

Glad you had a good cruise

 

Thank you for the review

 

Ruth & Jim

[sail7seas]

Thanks for your review. Enjoyable.

 

Sorry about the a/c problems. I have to think there is nothing the 'fix-it guys' would have liked more than to get the a/c fixed. Maybe they needed parts they had to have flown in? Couldn't exactly go down the street to Home Depot. :D

 

 

It's miserable when the mechanical problems are your cabin and I understand that. But I also think they do their best to get things fixed ASAP.

 

Welcome back and thanks for your review. It was good to read.

 

 

 

[hammybee]

 

One cloddish passenger sits her pretty self down and started talking, loudly, on her cell phone to someone. Why do they allow cell phones on cruise chips? Do I care what Aunt Mirta is doing wherever she is? How do they call when we are docked in the Bahamas?

 

Passenger demand is why they allow cell phones on all cruise ships, now. And like almost everywhere we go nowdays, we have to move on when the inconsiderate have the urge to call Aunty Mirta and loudly discuss apricots.

 

There was a great moment on a recent episode of "Curb your Enthusiasm" whereby Larry was dining next to a non stop cell talker. Larry started talking to himself at equal volume. I may have to try this one.

 

Anyway.....thanks for sharing your perspective. Darn shame about the AC. I would have created tent city in the LIDO or perhaps at the front desk.

[Arizona Cruisin]

The ship can only carry on TV what a satellite is directing at them. When the ship is in the Caribbean they can only broadcast what a satellite is directing to the Caribbean area. Therefore you will get Central/South American sports and International news. When you are in the middle of the Atlantic you get "nothing" because no one is directing a signal to the middle of the Atlantic. Know that because we were there. No satellite company wants to broadcast a signal where there is no one or very few people. We had a lot of people complaining that there was no TV so the captain had to explain it.

 

Hope this clears up the confusion.

 

Trudy

[Robin7]

Anyway.....thanks for sharing your perspective. Darn shame about the AC. I would have created tent city in the LIDO or perhaps at the front desk.

 

I'm with you, Hammy. I just can't sleep when I'm hot. On the Nieuw Amsterdam in 1992, we had a hot cabin. It was AWFUL. I escalated my complaint from the Front Office to the Hotel Manager, which resulted in my receiving a fan which helped. It also reeked of diesel fuel. The combination kept us out of our cabin as much as possible.

 

I'm a little scared about this review as we board the Volendam on 23 November. I'm older and hotter now (heh) so I hope they get it fixed by then!

 

Thanks for the review, AmberTeka. I'm sorry your room was so uncomfortable.

 

Robin

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome home.

 

Sorry to hear that your cabin was hot.

 

[flapr]

Just off Volendam - our cabin was cool, but no tiles - the inhumanity!

[richwmn]

The tiles were presented at the Mariners luncheon. Your steward should have been able to get you one if you didn't attend.

 

Rich

[AmberTeka]

Just off Volendam - our cabin was cool, but no tiles - the inhumanity!

We did get a Tile at the Mariner's Brunch. Which I like much, much better than the Past Passenger Reception. The wine was complimentary, which my husband enjoyed, the food was smart and innovative again.....salmon, another fish dish, I think Steak was also offered and a Quiche. My husband ordered the quiche and enjoyed it. I had finished one of the large omlets on the Lido a few hours before so I only had the shrimp cocktail...good, the Mango Banana Strudel----not their best I thought,and their cookies and bit of chocolate---good as always.

 

That bruch, luncheon was lovely, The tables were lovely with flowers--real orchids, and yes, I know how difficult it is to grow orchids. We sat by the window and shared a conversation with missionaries who had just been in Hawaii. They were charming and dedicated.

 

I hope Holland America continues this innovative way of greeting past passengers. I would wish they would add an entree salad entry...such as a Chef's salad or a lighter meat entree.

 

But it was great. Everything they did with food was just very good except the Chef's Choice Diner. I did not care for that dinner but one out of many meals....who could beat that record for excellence?

 

I heard several people remark on how good the food was on that cruise.

[AmberTeka]

Thanks for your review. Enjoyable.

 

Sorry about the a/c problems. I have to think there is nothing the 'fix-it guys' would have liked more than to get the a/c fixed. Maybe they needed parts they had to have flown in? Couldn't exactly go down the street to Home Depot. :D

 

 

It's miserable when the mechanical problems are your cabin and I understand that. But I also think they do their best to get things fixed ASAP.

 

Welcome back and thanks for your review. It was good to read.

 

 

 

You may be right. I know they tested the emergency generator twice. Once in port and once at sea. The shower did run brown for a few moments one night, but it quickly cleared and did not happen again. That was the night of the day the emergency generator was tested.

 

They did do a rescue at sea and for that they stopped and turned the ship around for a while. I do not yet know who was involved. Someone said it was a fishing boat and others said they picked up Cubans trying to make it to Florida. No one was hurt, I understand, and there was no delay in anything that I noticed.

 

The squawkbox was used sparingly, I thought. And I for one, appreciated that. And when It came on, I listened. I am a bit of a Newbie, and for others like me, channel 5 on your cabin radio gets those messages to you in cabin. You don't have to run to open the door to hear---just flick on your radio above your table between beds.

 

And they said they hand dipped chocolates in the Explorer's Lounge after dinner.....but I never caught them doing it. Perhaps after the Late Seatings? We ate at 5:45 which is too early but then 8:30 is too late. And we managed to show up every night, enjoy a delicious dinner, enjoy our pleasant dining companions and appreciated wonderful service....so who is gripping?

[AmberTeka]

I'm with you, Hammy. I just can't sleep when I'm hot. On the Nieuw Amsterdam in 1992, we had a hot cabin. It was AWFUL. I escalated my complaint from the Front Office to the Hotel Manager, which resulted in my receiving a fan which helped. It also reeked of diesel fuel. The combination kept us out of our cabin as much as possible.

 

I'm a little scared about this review as we board the Volendam on 23 November. I'm older and hotter now (heh) so I hope they get it fixed by then!

 

Thanks for the review, AmberTeka. I'm sorry your room was so uncomfortable.

 

Robin

Fuss the first night if it is hot. And keep fussing.

 

I should mention.....If the Piano Man Kenn is doing 'Name That Tune"....get theyself to the Piano Bar and enjoy his performance. He makes that competition more fun! I have never seen such energy as he hams up the lyrics of the songs in a humorous but still reverant way.......he is a talented performer off the Piano as well as on! He just does a delightful show.

[terrydtx]

I'm with you, Hammy. I just can't sleep when I'm hot. On the Nieuw Amsterdam in 1992, we had a hot cabin. It was AWFUL. I escalated my complaint from the Front Office to the Hotel Manager, which resulted in my receiving a fan which helped. It also reeked of diesel fuel. The combination kept us out of our cabin as much as possible.

 

I'm a little scared about this review as we board the Volendam on 23 November. I'm older and hotter now (heh) so I hope they get it fixed by then!

 

Thanks for the review, AmberTeka. I'm sorry your room was so uncomfortable.

 

Robin

 

Robin, I am on your cruise too, and getting very nervous about the endemic A/C problems that are being reported on CC. The Veendam had a terrible AC problem this week.:eek: It seems that the AC problems have been on ships that cruised Alaska all summer and didn’t need the high demand for AC, but now that they are in the warm weather Caribbean sailings they are having problems. Sounds like a preventative maintenance problem to me. Lets hope they fix the Volendam before the 23rd.:confused:

[terrydtx]

Fuss the first night if it is hot. And keep fussing.

 

We have over $4000 invested in our cruise next month and I will not be pleased one little bit with a $150 shipboard credit if our A/C does not work properly.:mad:

[mafig]

We were on Volendam last November and our cabin was hot.

We weren't surprised, because the cruises before ours had reports of hot cabins and a hot dining room (which we did not experience).

 

Fortunately, for us, James Deering was Hotel Manager and was at our Cruise Critic party. He got it fixed for us within an hour, but that first night was miserable.:(

 

The rest of the cruise was great.:D

 

[RevNeal]

Sounds like my Volendam is doing very well!

And ... imagine ... I get to board her again in just one week from THIS Saturday!

 

Regarding cabins being too hot ... if I discover such to be the case when I first get into my cabin I IMMEDIATELY report it to the front desk. If it's not taken care of before bed time -- and such was the case, once -- I take a blanket and a pillow and go to the Atrium, go up to the promenade deck, and stretch out on one of the couches across from the Front Desk (after telling them WHY I'm there). The one time I had to do this, my cabin's AC was fixed and working again before I had a chance to actually fall asleep (about 40 minutes).

[takemewithyou]

I was on the Volendam 10/2-10/17. Our cabin was on the Navigation floor #7. We were comfortable in our cabin and we had the thermostat as cool as it would go. It was quite hot on our sailing (through Mexico and Panama Canal). We had an LLBean alarm clock and the temp registered around 71-72 degrees. If we bumped the thermostat up one setting it was about 75. The hallways and and sometimes the Lido deck restaurant were very warm.

 

We had other problems such as toilets not flushing and flooding (discussed previously in my review). Others didn't have hot water. One night, our water from the tap was brown, also.

 

It is such a lovely ship. It's too bad to have all these problems. The public areas are still in pretty goos shape, other than some spotted and slightly worn carpet in the high traffic areas.

 

Hopefully, those of you sailing on her soon will have a good time. I wish that for you. While things were inconvenient at times, I still enjoyed the trip and thought the Volendam was one of the prettiest ships I have been on.

[RuthC]

Regarding cabins being too hot ... if I discover such to be the case when I first get into my cabin I IMMEDIATELY report it to the front desk. If it's not taken care of before bed time -- and such was the case, once -- I take a blanket and a pillow and go to the Atrium, go up to the promenade deck, and stretch out on one of the couches across from the Front Desk (after telling them WHY I'm there). The one time I had to do this, my cabin's AC was fixed and working again before I had a chance to actually fall asleep (about 40 minutes).

I LOVE it! Next time (if there is a next time) I just might do the same. Wonder how they'd like me, in my cute little red nightgown, decorating the place. :D

[doone]

Ruthc, I hope they don't forget your chocolate on your pillow!!!!!

[flapr]

I noticed brown water coming out of sink tap 2 or 3 times -- rusty water, I hope!

[DFD1]

Zaandam recently had a couple living in a suite they indicated had cost some $4,000 which was hot for the entire cruise. Doors proped (sp) open all times of the day. They were steamed in a big way and I don't blame them.

 

We love HAL's midsized ships, but I always worry when we book one if we will spend the week roasting. I'm one of those who cannot sleep in a warm room and I think the Rev. has a great idea about camping out at the front desk.

 

So far so good, but we did have the problem on the old Noordam some years ago and had to be moved to a cabin which was only slightly cooler.

 

I may be wrong, but it seems there are more than a few incidents of AC problems on the R and S class ships. One would think HAL could get to the bottom of it.

[takemewithyou]

Hopefully they have somone monitoring these boards. It is scary when you have money invested in future cruises, ( I have 2 coming up). I love HAL, but I expect to have adequate air-conditioning and I have to agree that $150 OBC doesn't make up for a week or two spent roasting in your cabin when you spend thousands of dollars for it.

 

Hope they get things fixed and soon!

[terrydtx]

Zaandam recently had a couple living in a suite they indicated had cost some $4,000 which was hot for the entire cruise. Doors proped (sp) open all times of the day. They were steamed in a big way and I don't blame them.

 

We love HAL's midsized ships, but I always worry when we book one if we will spend the week roasting. I'm one of those who cannot sleep in a warm room and I think the Rev. has a great idea about camping out at the front desk.

 

So far so good, but we did have the problem on the old Noordam some years ago and had to be moved to a cabin which was only slightly cooler.

 

I may be wrong, but it seems there are more than a few incidents of AC problems on the R and S class ships. One would think HAL could get to the bottom of it.

 

If it gets like a sauna in our room will HAL charge us for using the spa while onboard? :D

 

We were on an old Royal Viking line ship in the mid 80’s for a cruise in the middle of the summer in the Caribbean and they had ship wide AC problems, like no AC at all most times. The excuse was that ship ( I can not recall the name) had been designed to do Trans Atlantic crossings and the AC couldn’t keep up with the demand and heat of the Caribbean in the summer and it was a very old ship, two weeks after the cruise they sold the ship to some cruise company in Greece, my DW and I still referr to that ship as the "Rust Bucket" cruise from hell. That week on that ship was the most miserable week I ever spent. The point I am making is that I saw no A/C complaints while the HAL ships were doing Alaska and Baltic cruises where the outside temperature are so cold, maybe they do not do enough preventative maintenance prior to departing the north and sailing south for the winter.