Volendam vs. Noordam?

[optimista]

Hi all,

 

We are looking at booking our very first cruise in 2015, a much-anticipated trip to Alaska. I've read through the forums ad nauseum for about two days, and have managed to at least figure out that we want to do a round-trip Vancouver cruise. We are locked into HAL because my parents (who are joining us) have some HAL credit they need to use (they actually have some cruise experience, but not in Alaska and not with either of the ships we have to choose from for this cruise).

 

I'm torn between the Volendam and the Noordam. The itineraries are identical - only difference being that the Volendam does mid-week departures, which is not a problem for us.

 

About us:

I'm in my mid-40s, hubby is in his early 50s. My parents are in their early-to-mid 70s. Nobody has any mobility issues. All of us are into food. None of us are at all into a "party" scene and would just as soon have a more quieter/relaxing experience, though some activities to make sure my dad is sufficiently entertained would be helpful.

 

For those of you in the know, would you recommend booking the Noordam or the Volendam?

 

Thank you so much for any advice you can provide!

Edited May 21, 2014 by optimista

[Fog123]

We are going on the Volendam. The big decision was how many other ships will be in the excursion ports at the same time. You might want to check that out. I don't see the Nordam listed in the 2014 itineraries, but I know that with the Zuiderdam the number of passengers in port was sometimes double.

 

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[Krazy Kruizers]

We have sailed on both ships.

Volendam's mid-week departure is a plus as you will have fewer people in the ports on the weekends.

Noordam on the other hand is newer.

The cabins on the Noordam are slightly smaller than those on the Volendam.

There will be fewer people on the Volendam.

Don't know what type of cabins you are looking at, but for us the Neptune Suites are great as the bathroom has both a tub/shower combination as well as a separate shower. And there are 2 sinks in those bathrooms. Just for those reasons we would choose the Noordam.

[Nanner]

If your cruise has a fair number of sea days, or this would matter to any of you, the Noordam has the hydro pool, which is large and has jets and overhead "showers" of nice warm water. On longer cruises I really appreciate having that available. There are also steam rooms as well as a sauna that can host both sexes at once.

 

There is also a room with the nice heated tile loungers you can relax/read on for a while.

 

The older ships have been retrofitted to offer the loungers and steam, but just have a hot tub. Not the same, and to my mind not worth it.

 

I really enjoy the Vista class ships hydropool when on a voyage with a fair number of sea days. An Alaskan itinerary might not offer you many, so you might not care for the option.

[Fog123]

I found a link to the Juneau cruise schedule for July 2015. It doesn't look like Holland has been added yet, and possibly a few others, but you can add them in yourself.

 

Actually if you click on the link below and then go to the top of the page you can see all of the ports and dates that you might be interested in.

 

http://ports.cruisett.com/schedule/Alaska_USA/326-Juneau/July_2015/

 

Good luck with your decision. We can let you know about the Volendam in 42 days. We have a Vista Suite booked and I think it's called an aft wrap.

[POA1]

We did the Volendam to Alaska - Inside Passage, and we just did the Noordam, albeit in the Caribbean. I think either would be an excellent choice. I would choose the midweek departure so that you will have less port congestion.

[RuthC]

I've sailed both ships extensively, and would be pleased with either one for this itinerary. However, I booked the Volendam (for this year).

For the most part, the Volendam has larger cabins in comparable categories; I like that. The Volendam feels like it has a lot more sheltered outdoor deck space, which is handy during all the scenic cruising Alaska offers (liquid sunshine is a fact of life). And last, the Volendam shares the ports with fewer passengers, due to the day it sails. That makes it a lot nicer to see the sights, which is what you go there for.

 

In any case, you will have a great time in The Great Land.

[VioletHorse]

We took the 4/30/14 sailing of the Volendam, and it was a wonderful cruise. The mid week sailing was great as there were no other ships in any of the ports so we had Alaska to ourselves. Depending on the date that you choose, you may have other ships in port, but it should be significantly less than a weekend departure.

 

Volendam is one of our favorite HAL ships. On the other hand, I like the Noordam a lot, and it would be my #2 pick for this itinerary.

 

The 2 factors that you should consider are the departure dates, and the size of the ship. Either ship would be an an excellent choice.

[optimista]

Thanks so much to all of you for your very helpful input! It astounds me that I can post that rather specific question and have so many knowledgeable responses in a matter of hours. :) I so appreciate everyone's thoughts.