coachmouchet

I just read a pretty bad review of the Volendam. I understand, we all have faced usually something negative about a cruise we have taken. Some cruises are perfect, some are not. A lot of times, I see people make comments about a ship being too small, very little to do, kids club not good, food choices not good, etc. I think if people would take the time to research what the cruise line and or ship has to offer, it would help them make a better decision if they should purchase that cruise or not. I took a Volendam cruise knowing exactly what I should expect. I knew it was small with fewer activities and usually caters to a more mature crowd. And for the person who bashed the employees of Volendam who do not speak English well, shame on you. Can that person who bashed them speak two languages fluently? I did not have any language problems with the employees of the Volendam during my cruise.

Just got off the Volendam. Wow! I had an amazing vacation to the Panama Canal! Everything was great! The Volendam utilized TV's for their daily trivia. The first HAL ship I have seen do this! I attached a video of a couple who just recently uploaded a video of the "refreshed" Volendam:

So, what if HAL doesn't have much to do??? I like Holland America because I like to sit back, relax, and enjoy my vacation. If you want to go, go, go, then choose a different cruise line. That is why we have different cruise lines so we can enjoy cruising in different ways!

Thank you so much for the review!!!! I appreciate it!

My family will be traveling on the Volendam for the Panama Canal cruise next week. One excursion that caught my eye is "The Shaping of Panama". It says that you will travel by coach to Panama City and visit the old and the new. Has anyone done this excursion before and if so, is it a good one? Thanks!

I appreciate the response. Usually after dinner later in the evening, our youngest child likes to put on a movie before bed. So, just wondering if I needed to bring movies or not. I do agree from above, HAL has a great selection of movies.

In Port Everglades last week boarding the NA, we were assigned 12:40. When we arrived at 11:30 we noticed everyone was assigned boarding cards, so the times did not matter. When your boarding card number was called, you would board at that time.

Going on a 10-day voyage on the Volendam December 17, 2022. Does the Volendam still have the DVD players or have they converted all of the TV's to interactive similar to the newer ships? Or is both?? Thanks!!!

Call me a slob then. I am on vacation and I love Holland America. I should not be "required" to wear dressy clothes on vacation. So, expect to see me without a tie!

Our family is a huge fan of Holland America. We are taking the Nieuw Amsterdam during Thanksgiving break. I know that some people complain so much about the lack of activities on HAL, however, this is fine with me. I like a relaxing laid-back cruise. If I wanted action 24-7, then I book a different cruise line. As for Celebrity, we had a very bad food experience! Holland is WAY better than Celebrity when it comes to food. (At least with my experience).