LIVE: 14-Day Asian Holiday Cruise on Holland America's Volendam

[travelinjones]

I see on the news that the Malaysia area is experiencing heavy flooding; even with being used to monsoons, this is very heavy. Is it impacting you at all? Hope all is well.

 

LC

 

Apparently the heavy flooding is on the East Coast of Malaysia - we haven't experienced any flooding (or even really heavy rains) on the west coast Malaysia ports.

[travelinjones]

 

A couple questions: What is the weather? Did you need local currency for tour and for admission to Fort Cornwallis? (Assuming it's hot and muggy and that, yes, local currency is required, but just want to verify :).)

 

LC

 

The weather started off very overcast, with high humidity and daily light rains. As we've headed north it has improved to be mostly sunny -- but still very hot and humid. Sunscreen is essential, and light clothing that keeps you modestly covered.

 

In Malaysia we found ATMs plentiful and withdrew riggits. We didn't try to pay in US dollars but you probably could.

[erewhon]

Captain: James Russel-Dunford (we've sailed with him on the Veendam and the Prinsendam before)

 

Hotel Manager: James Deering (who we remember from years ago on the Oosterdam - he gave one of the best wine-tasting presentations we've ever seen at sea.) He's not doing those anymore, but he did mention that he holds saki-tasting events on some cruises as he now lives in Japan.

 

Guest Relations Manager: Frances Totentino

 

Cruise Director: Linda Minnikin (we've previously sailed with her on the Prinsendam) If you've sailed with her before you will recall the "To-da-loo"

 

Peter Kofler is the Executive Chef

 

The Staff Captain: Nicholas Abraham Sanderland

 

Chief Engineer: Marcel Enthofen

 

Safety, Environmental and Health Officer: Peter Tukker

 

Thank you for listing these staff members.

 

Enjoying your reports.

[erewhon]

The Pinnacle Grill Manager, Jakay embarked in Perth Western Australia during our Australian Circumnavigation cruise, as you stated, a charming and gracious host.

[travelinjones]

Day 4, Phuket, Thailand and Christmas Day

 

We have visited Phuket earlier this year via a Seabourn cruise, and spent a terrific day at the Blue Elephant Cooking School (see this link for more details on the Thai cooking school: http://www.travelingwiththejones.com/2014/04/18/thai-gastronomy-at-the-blue-elephant-cooking-schoolin-phuket-part-1/ )

 

Phuket is known for its beautiful beaches and active nightlight. You can view a map of the island and check out fun facts about it in this post: http://www.travelingwiththejones.com/2014/02/25/18-fun-facts-about-phuket-thailand/

 

Today we had thought we’d just enjoy a relaxing Christmas Day on the ship. But when the sun came out of the clouds during breakfast, we decided we should at least make a short visit ashore. The port call was a short one – from 8 am until 3:30 pm – but since large local tenders were used, the crowd waiting for tenders had cleared by 10 am and we grabbed spots on an open tender with our friends James and Rick.

 

While tendering in to Putong Bay we remembered the 10th anniversary of the deadly tsunami resulting from an Indian Ocean earthquake on of the December 26, 2004, from which Phuket suffered extensive damage, as much of Southeast Asia. Little tsunami damage can be seen on the island of Phuket today.

 

Once on shore, we found a nearby ATM to withdraw some Thai Bhat. U.S. dollars were also widely accepted. There were many drivers around the pier, and we finally decided to hire one with an open-sided vehicle that comfortably seated the 4 of us. He agreed to drive us around the West side of the island for $50 for two hours, and to take us to the Tiger Kingdom, which is about a 10 minute ride from the tender port dock.

Tiger Kingdom is a somewhat controversial attraction in Phuket where tigers are raised by their trainers since young, bonding with it throughout the development process. According to the website, "the trainers employ a combination of repetition, trust and encouragement to train their big cats and over time the Big Cat are use to human and often see us as one of the family.

In Tiger Kingdom,our well-trained and experience staffs will ensure your duty, but these Big Cats are still wild animal that you need to treat with respect.

Most visitors came and spend a relatively short time in Tiger Kingdom, more than often they would encounter that these tigers are always sleeping. But cats are cats and they sleep up to 18 hours a day, just like kitty at home.Please do not assume our cats are drugged. To make the most of your visit, our staffs will play with the tigers during the day. And our cats are also trained to sleep and rest at night.

 

James and Rick agreed to go into the tiger cages with me, while Mr. Jones choose to stay in the cafe and enjoy a Tiger beer.

 

Tiger Kingdom offers 4 different sizes of tigers that you can interact with:

• Spend 10 minutes up close with the baby tiger cubs (2-4 months)
  
• Spend 10 minutes up close with the small tigers (5-10 months)
  
• Spend 10 minutes up close with the medium tigers (11-15 months)
  
• Spend 10 minutes up close with the big tigers (16-36 months)
  

We choose the 2-tiger experience which included the small (8 month old tigers) and the medium tigers who were about 13 months old. After purchasing our tickets and signing a in-depth release, we viewed Tiger visiting instructions and rules. Basically, you are instructed to approach the Tigers from behind, and to stroke their backs with firm petting, including pulling their tail. (You are to stay away from their faces, as to not confuse them that you want to play.)

 

Then, we entered the compound with a number of enclosures. When it is your group's turn, a guide escorts you to each group of tigers where you can get up close, pet them, pull their tails, and take pictures with them. The guide is always close by with a tiny stick that he uses to distract the tiger if it turns its head back toward the person rubbing its back.

 

It is truly a unique experience, and if you are a cat lover, you can't help but love the chance to get near these magnificent animals.

 

Our take-away advice -- if you are hurried for time, just purchase time with one size of Tiger -- the experience is not that different between the small and the medium tigers.

 

After Tiger Kingdom, our driver took us back to the beach. We enjoyed a long beach walk, stopping a couple of times to enjoy a cold Tiger beer, and to acquire a nice Starbuck's mug to add to our collection.

 

3:30 came too soon, and we joined many other passengers in the tender line who waited until the last minute to leave.

Edited December 28, 2014 by travelinjones

[travelinjones]

Day 4, Phuket, Thailand and Christmas Day, Continued

 

Back on board, we were ready for a shower and a nap.

 

This cruise is intense with a port for 12 of the 14 days, and a 14-hour time difference for us from US Central time. (We did gain 1 hour last night, so the time change is 13 hours in Thailand, and then will be 12.5 hours when we reach Myanmar (Burma) after a day at sea tomorrow.

 

The heat and humidity also make one sleepy, but we've found an ice cold Tiger beer (from Singapore, which they have on the ship to be a refreshing cure.

 

Tonight was another festive menu in the dining room.

 

Once we get to a better/faster internet connection, we will share photos or links to photos on this thread.

[Mtn2Sea]

Thanks for the update. Really enjoying your reports!

[LandlockedColorado]

I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. I really admire your knowledge on the area and am thoroughly enjoying your posts. The tiger interaction sounded fun. Thanks, again.

 

LC

[SilvertoGold]

Captain: James Russel-Dunford (we've sailed with him on the Veendam and the Prinsendam before)

 

Hotel Manager: James Deering (who we remember from years ago on the Oosterdam - he gave one of the best wine-tasting presentations we've ever seen at sea.) He's not doing those anymore, but he did mention that he holds saki-tasting events on some cruises as he now lives in Japan.

 

Guest Relations Manager: Frances Totentino

 

Cruise Director: Linda Minnikin (we've previously sailed with her on the Prinsendam) If you've sailed with her before you will recall the "To-da-loo"

 

Peter Kofler is the Executive Chef

 

The Staff Captain: Nicholas Abraham Sanderland

 

Chief Engineer: Marcel Enthofen

 

Safety, Environmental and Health Officer: Peter Tukker

 

 

Thanks a lot!

What a great bunch of officers you ahve.

 

Especially adore Peter Kofler: great food and he gives the best interview, if you have a "Good Morning, Volendam" program.

 

Appreciate your time and efforts in posting from this favorite itinerary of ours.

[cruz chic]

Thx for the update.

[erewhon]

Thanks for the update.

 

During our Volendam cruise each day a list of the Fleet Locations was sited in the Neptune Lounge, and at the Front Desk.

Is this available?

[travelinjones]

 

Just a quick hello from the Strand Hotel in Yangon, Myanmar

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[ozcruizer]

Day 1, Continued - Warm Cabins and Missing Passports

 

Back on board once more, we headed to our stateroom to unpack. When we first had arrived on the ship (about 1:30 pm) we had noticed that it was extremely warm in our ocean view cabin, but we figured the room just needed a chance to cool off after we moved the thermostat all the way to the coolest position.

 

We did a cruise on the Volendam from Sydney to Hong Kong in 2012 and had an oceanview cabin. The air conditioning was an issue back then so perhaps it is an ongoing problem. We were also late in leaving Singapore for the reasons you recounted. We think it was one of our best cruises and I'd love to do another Volendam cruise.

 

Ozcruizer

[DonahCBrown]

Great live! We're doing this one in March so are hanging on your every word! Hope they'll have the post-drydock issues resolved by then.

[travelinjones]

Thanks for the update.

 

During our Volendam cruise each day a list of the Fleet Locations was sited in the Neptune Lounge, and at the Front Desk.

Is this available?

 

Yes, there is the list on the Front Desk, updated each day.

[hmorrow]

So enjoying your report, as we will be boarding her in April for 31 days. Unless the upgrade fairy visits, we will also have an ocean view,and therefore are very curious and concerned about the cabin number with the lack of airconditioning, if you would share......

 

Thanks for the detailed reports and continue to enjoy.....

 

Helaine

[travelinjones]

Day 5, At Sea, Boxing Day

 

The first day at sea after 3 ports in a row was a frenzy of shipboard activities.

 

First off, I was up early to try to beat the crowds to the laundry room. Even at 7:30 am, the laundry room was full. One of the changes during the recent Dry Dock was to eliminate the laundry rooms on decks 2 and 10, so there is only 1 on Deck 3 with 4 washers and 4 dryers.

 

NOTE: You can purchase laundry packages at $20 per bag, or an unlimited laundry and pressing for your entire 14-Day cruise for $98 per stateroom or $198 for the 28 day itinerary.

 

As 4-Star Mariners we have free laundry and pressing privileges, and that service has been superb, but we have some cold wash, line-dry-only clothes that I don’t trust to the laundry. I finally located an open washing machine, inserted my 8 quarters and the soap, and hit the cold/delicate cycle. 28 minutes later, I removed the clothes which dried on the clothesline in our shower. (It’s the dryers that seem to take forever in the laundry.)

 

Laundry done, we headed to the Rotterdam Dining Room for breakfast. More passengers onboard are beginning to discover the advantages of breakfast in the Rotterdam Dining Room, but the service and food continue to be terrific.

 

At 10 am we attended the Myanmar Highlights presentation by location guide Ian. He gave an informative and entertaining presentation. He also has desk hours each day to answer individual questions.

 

The Mariner Society Reception was at 11 am (Mr. Jones received his silver medallion, which surprised us, because he exceeded the 300 days several cruises ago); it was a nice event with the captain and hotel manager.

 

Before we knew this was the day for the Mariners Brunch, we had made plans to dine in the Pinnacle Grill with friends for lunch. Just like dinner, the food and service were terrific. Between our group, favorite lunch dishes were the bruschetta prawns, the scallop Brulee, the five onion soup, the halibut sandwich and the crab and shrimp cakes. No room for dessert.

 

Later, we headed to the Wine Tasting with Cellar Master Sam. He’s from Vancouver and quite knowledgeable about wine. It was nice to try some of the new wines from both the Navigator’s and the Admiral’s wine packages.

 

Wines tasted included:

*Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand (Admiral’s Choice Wine Package – was previously on the Navigator’s Package)

*Greystone Sauvignon Blanc, California (Navigator’s Package)

*Estancia Pinot Noir, California (Admiral’s Package – one of our 2 favorites on the list)

*Deakin Estate Shiraz, Australia (Navigator’s Package)

*Chateau des Trois Tours, Bordeaux, France (Navigator’s Package)

Best of all, we met interesting fellow cruisers (that always seems to be the case at shipboard wine events.)

 

Wi-Fi Service

We had great intentions of catching up on emails, blog posts, Facebook and posts on Cruise Critic on this day at sea. Unfortunately, the Wi-Fi service (which has previously been fairly normal for shipboard connections) was extremely slow to non-existent. The manager said it was a combination of too many people on the system and not enough satellites in the area we were. Apple devices and Gmail did not seem to work at all. And yet, when we reached Myanmar, with it supposedly extremely slow internet, the service was back to its very slow but working mode.

 

This is a new Wi-Fi provider. If United Airlines can provide relatively fast internet during an 11-hour flight to Asia for $20, why it is so tough for Holland America’s Wi-Fi providers to deiver a basic level of reliable service for simple text emails when you buy a 250 package for 1,000 minutes?

 

Since that day, we’ve tried to focus on internet usage to lower demand periods: early in the morning, late at night or when most people are off the ship.

 

Tonight the ship’s clocks go back 30 minutes to match Myanmar/Burma local time.

Tomorrow we plan an early morning on deck to watch our sail up the Yangon River from the Andaman sea into the port of Thilawa, Myanmar.

[erewhon]

Yes, there is the list on the Front Desk, updated each day.

 

Thank you for your reply.

 

Sad to read that the laundrettes on Verandah and Main Decks have been removed.

Are the 2 Irons and boards still available in the Laundrette?

[lightgeezer]

Thanks for your Blog. Extremely interesting. We are looking forward to the rest of it as and when you are able.

We are joining the Volendam on 2nd Feb. for the 28 day cruise and really looking forward to it.

Regards from the UK.

[travelinjones]

Thank you for your reply.

 

Sad to read that the laundrettes on Verandah and Main Decks have been removed.

Are the 2 Irons and boards still available in the Laundrette?

 

Yes, irons and boards are still available in the deck 3 laundrette.

[erewhon]

Yes, irons and boards are still available in the deck 3 laundrette.

 

That's good, Thanks for your reply.

I suppose the other laundrettes have been converted into cabins.

[cruz chic]

Thx for the update. Interesting about the launderette. I guess they are trying to force people to buy packages.

[travelinjones]

Day 6, Sailing into Myanmar

 

Myanmar (pronounced MEE’-an-mar) is a country in Southeast Asia that shares borders with China, India, Laos, Bangladesh and Thailand. It was formerly known as Burma.

 

If you are curious, here is a link to our 15 “Fun Facts” research in advance of our visit: http://www.travelingwiththejones.com/2014/12/18/15-fun-facts-about-myanmar-burma/

 

This morning we got up early to view the countryside as the ship sailed up the Yangon River from the Andaman Sea into the port of Thilawa, Myanmar. The captain advised that the river was very shallow (about 3 meters deep) in some spots with the Volendam needing at least 2 meters of water to sail.

(For those who are metric challenged like I am, Jeff (Mr. Jones) is 6 feet 6 inches tall which is just about 2 meters. So I pictured the water as 1.5 Jeff’s deep.)

 

Because of the shallowness of the river and the strong tides, the captain advised that we needed to sail in slower than planned and would be arriving late into Myanmar.

 

We headed to the bow (which was open for viewing, but not many guests had discovered it.) Sailing up the river was similar to sailing on the Missouri River or the Mississippi River or Germany’s Kiel Canal in the fall – the view was of agricultural fields, brown after harvest, -- with one major difference: golden pagodas dot the landscape at the edge of rice or other fields. Most Temples and pagodas found throughout Myanmar were built during the 12th and 13th centuries under the Pagan Empire as Theravada Buddhism spread throughout the country. While thousands of them are concentrated further north in Bagan, there were plenty to see as we sailed up the muddy, wide river with small fishing boats.

 

For our first of three days in Myanmar, we decided to book two shore excursions through the ship, to get an overview of Yangon and a feel for the country before venturing out on our own the next two days.

 

First, we booked the 5-hour Introduction to Yangon, which included the trip from the cruise port terminal in Thilawa, Myanmar (there is nothing there – no shops, no facilities.) You can take a shore excursion, or have a pre-arranged independent tour that meets you at the port, or take the shuttle out of the port to the gate, where you can pick up a taxi. It is a 1.5 to 2 hour ride into Yangon, depending on the traffic, and much of the drive is on rough bumpy roads.

 

Our ship arrived and cleared about 9:45 am (rather than 7 am as scheduled, but it did not interrupt the tours too much, they were just started a little later. By 10:15 we were on our bus to Yangon, with a very friendly and informative young guide who said to call her “Mo – Mo.” The buses were very comfortable and had good air conditioning. The biggest bonus of taking the ship’s shore excursions and/or transfers to Yangon was that they had police escorts. Two police on motorbikes cleared the traffic all the way into the heart of the city – making the ride about 90 minutes rather than 2 hours by taxi.

 

We headed Shwedagon Pagoda, the huge golden gleaming pagoda in Yangon with a 326 feet tall stupa (spire) that is topped with more than 6,500 diamonds, rubies and other precious stones. It is considered the most sacred of all Buddhist sites in all of Myanmar.

 

To enter, you must take off your shoes and socks and walk with bare feet. You also have to have your shoulders and knees covered. I had on a below-the –knee dress, but they still insisted that I have a longyi, a wraparound skirt to cover my legs. In Myanmar, both men and women wear the longyi -- men tie theirs in the front and women fold the cloth over and secure it at the side.

 

The pagoda marble stones were warm, but not burning hot on your bare feet as I had feared. (You do want to avoid the black-colored tiles or stones).

 

Our group headed upstairs at the Pagoda, where the guide gave us a map and a meeting time. You could either explore on your own or stay with the guide. Most of us stayed with her. The Pagoda’s Stupa is being recovered, so it wasn’t really gleaming in bright gold like usual. (The renovation is supposed to be complete in March, 2015.) One note if you are visiting the Pagoda – use the calendar in your smartphone to figure out the day of the week that you were born on, such as Tuesday or Friday or Sunday. Each day of the week has a different blessing area.

 

One of the most interesting things at the Pagoda was watching young boys and girls, dressed in fancy costumes, being paraded through the Pagoda with their families. Our guide explained it was the ceremony before the child is given to the Monk’s for 30 days – to have their head shaved, be dressed in monk’s robes, and be educated about the rituals of being a monk. All boys go through the process, and many girls do it as well although it is optional.

 

Next we headed to a brief photo stop in the center of Yangon by the City Hall. Finally, we headed to the 70-year-old Bogyoke Aung San Market (better known as Scott Market) with more than 2,000 shopping stalls. We had about 40 minutes there – you could spend much longer. It’s filled with stalls selling jewelry, longyis, art, linens, silver, lacquer ware, everything – with haggling on price expected, unless the stall had a clear “fixed prices” sign. In between the narrow aisles, streams of young monk-trainee girls visited each stall, chanting something until the people put some money in their “bowls” (that are traditionally used to gather food.)

 

Best of this tour was our guide Mo-Mo who made the 3 hours of bus time to and from the cruise pier informative and fun as she shared much detail about life in Myanmar, and how it has changed in the last 5 years, (and how it hasn’t in many ways.)

[travelinjones]

Day 6, Myanmar, Continued

 

We returned from our first tour excited and informed about Myanmar, but tired and hungry. Back on the ship we headed to the Dive-In for a late lunch, and then grabbed a quick 30 minute nap before getting ready for our second shore excursion of the day: the Traditional Myanmar Dance & Dinner. (We had realized earlier this was really poor planning on our part – we were in for another 3+ hours of bouncing back and forth between the port of Thilawa and Yangon.

 

This excursion was for dinner at the French Indochina La Planteur Restaurant, one of the top-rated places to eat in all of Yangon. The restaurant is set in one of the former embassy’s (before Myanmar moved its capital from Yangon). Our multi-course dinner was served on the lawn overlooking the lake with only moonlight and candlelight. While dining, we were treated to a traditional Myanmar dance performance, and the wine flowed with each course. The food was fantastic!

 

Then, we got back on the bus – a very nice bus – and bounced our way back to the ship – except for the guests who were smart enough to book themselves into a nice hotel in downtown Myanmar for the next two nights.

 

For those who didn’t take an evening tour, there was a special Asian barbecue on the ship.

[travelinjones]

Day 7 & 8, Myanmar

On Day 2 in Myanmar we intended to hire a taxi to explore on our own, but we were tired and sore from 6+ hours of bumpy bus riding the day before. We decided to sleep in, and then enjoy the relatively quiet ship on Sunday.

This is an intensive cruise itinerary, so you do need to pace yourself.

 

One note for shore excursions – the police escorts are not available on Sundays, but the Scott Market is open (it is closed on Mondays.)

 

The ship had local Myanmar dancers and musicians onboard for the entertainment show; we did not attend, but thought it was a nice touch for those who didn’t get to see the local dances elsewhere.

 

For those of you who enjoy Happy Hour on your cruises – today was only the 2nd happy hour offered during the entire cruise. (The other was on the first day.)

 

Our friends James and Rick returned to the ship late from their overnight shore excursion to Bagan, saying it was the best trip of their lives. After their flight arrived by to Yangon, they took the night tour of the Shwedagon Pagoda. (I will get them to share more details later on this thread.)

 

For Day 3 in Myanmar, we were originally scheduled to leave at 7 pm, but due to issues with the tides, water depths and currents /local pilots, our all aboard was changed to 4:30 pm.

 

At the last minute, we decided to join the “Transfer to Yangon” shore excursion – they hang wrote us a ticket just before they were about to board the bus. With the early departure of the ship, we didn’t want to worry about getting back to the terminal in time with a taxi.

 

A nice surprise, our transfer guide was our same favorite guide from the Introduction tour on day 1 – Mo-Mo.

 

Once in Yangon, we were dropped at the center of the city by the city hall. We explored the local streets as we walked from there to the famous Strand Hotel, built in 1901. We arrived about 10:15 am and the hotel was quiet. It has some art galleries and a souvenir shop on the first floor. We headed to The Strand Bar, which opens at 10 am but was still very quiet. It’s an elegant bar from another era. We ordered the local beer – it’s called Myanmar beer, and also ordered some appetizers. The bar will give you a Wi-Fi code if you buy a drink, and it was the fastest internet we had experienced in days. By 11:30, the bar was packed and overflowing with tourists. Go early!

 

Next we took a taxi to check out the Shangri-La hotel – very different from the historic Strand. The Shangri-La was formerly a Traders and was recently upgraded to a Shangri-La 5-star hotel after a major renovation. It’s all beautiful gleaming marble. If we were visiting again, we’d book an overnight stay at the Shangri-La.

 

As we walked back to our meeting place (the streets are crowded for walking, but its faster than a taxi can work through the traffic) we stopped in various little shops. The local people in Yangon are very friendly and welcoming to tourists, and are often a little curious about you – especially when you are 2 meters tall like Mr. Jones.

 

We were glad we made this trip again on our last day and got in a little exploration on Yangon on our own.

 

Back at the ship, just as we were about to depart, there was a medical emergency and we needed to wait for the ambulance to make its way to the ship. After it arrived, the captain departed the dock, but then waited at anchor mid-river, until the tide rose enough for our safe sailing.

 

Myanmar is a fascinating place. Visit soon if you can, before it becomes overrun with tourists.