Opinions on Volendam

[terrydtx]

1 hour ago, mcrcruiser said:

True that CO is much quieter  because it is a lot smaller restaurant  than the MDR & the same is true in land based restaurant sizes ,The only problem is the Club Orange sells out rather quickly as experienced people know not just the dining benefit but the cabin upgrade & priority boarding & rendering & a special line at customer relations . Simple answer is " whats not to like " 

We booked our upcoming Volendam cruise with CO for the free upgrade and other nice amenities,  not having the CO dining room was no problem on this cruise.

[mcrcruiser]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

We booked our upcoming Volendam cruise with CO for the free upgrade and other nice amenities,  not having the CO dining room was no problem on this cruise.

Smart move . The upgrade is definitely worth it alone 

[Bostonjetset]

I’ll be on the Volendam in June and can’t wait. I love the smaller ships. My first HAL ship was the Veendam and that size is great. However, looking at the deck plans it says the ocean view staterooms have a smaller square footage than the interior ones!  Is that correct?  Can anyone confirm that? I found it strange. We had an inside on Veendam and thought it was a great size but have an OV on Volendam

and expected it to be at least the same if not bigger. 

[terrydtx]

2 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

Smart move . The upgrade is definitely worth it alone 

We got the midship Vista Suite we would have booked without CO by booking lowest level of VS and the difference in cost paid for the CO add on cost.

[terrydtx]

29 minutes ago, Bostonjetset said:

I’ll be on the Volendam in June and can’t wait. I love the smaller ships. My first HAL ship was the Veendam and that size is great. However, looking at the deck plans it says the ocean view staterooms have a smaller square footage than the interior ones!  Is that correct?  Can anyone confirm that? I found it strange. We had an inside on Veendam and thought it was a great size but have an OV on Volendam

and expected it to be at least the same if not bigger. 

According to the Cruise Deck plans website, on the Volendam Interior cabins have 182 sq ft and the OV cabins have 197 sq ft. 

 

Edited April 14 by terrydtx

[Bostonjetset]

7 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

According to the Cruise Deck plans website, on the Volendam Interior cabins have 182 sq ft and the OV cabins have 197 sq ft. 

 

But the HAL site says 140 for OV. So confusing. 
 

 

[terrydtx]

1 hour ago, Bostonjetset said:

But the HAL site says 140 for OV. So confusing. 
 

 

That actually says 140-319 sqft. If you cruise much you should subscribe to Cruise Deck Plans. Its cheap for lifetime and has much more information on cabins and decks along with actually pictures from past guests who post on the site. I use the site to check out any cabin before we book.

 

Cruise Deck Plans, Ship Layouts & Room Details - Cruise Deck Info

[kazu]

1 hour ago, Bostonjetset said:

But the HAL site says 140 for OV. So confusing. 

 

In actuality, it says 140 - 319 square feet.  It’s like the inside cabins - there are a few very large ones.

 

Key is to look at the deck plans and choose the right OV.  The largest are the HC cabins (which you don’t want if you don’t need them).

 

Looks like 2 of us posted at the same time.  

 

Along with cruise deck plans, halfacts.com (which is a free site with contributions from CC members who have sailed in the cabins) also has pics of different cabins.  the rooms have changed little (except for shower only in inside and OV) so it doesn’t make much difference how far back the pic dates to get an idea of cabin size.

[Bostonjetset]

16 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

In actuality, it says 140 - 319 square feet.  It’s like the inside cabins - there are a few very large ones.

 

Key is to look at the deck plans and choose the right OV.  The largest are the HC cabins (which you don’t want if you don’t need them).

 

Looks like 2 of us posted at the same time.  

 

Along with cruise deck plans, halfacts.com (which is a free site with contributions from CC members who have sailed in the cabins) also has pics of different cabins.  the rooms have changed little (except for shower only in inside and OV) so it doesn’t make much difference how far back the pic dates to get an idea of cabin size.

I know it’s a range but I thought the high end of the range was almost always for handicapped cabins and most of the regular ones were at the lower number. We have a guarantee F and I’m not picky but found it curious that the smallest OV would be smaller than the smallest Inside regardless of what the upper limits are. I’ll be fine with whatever we get but again I found it strange. 

[crystalspin]

29 minutes ago, Bostonjetset said:

I’m not picky but found it curious that the smallest OV would be smaller than the smallest Inside regardless of what the upper limits are.

I believe the smallest OV are the ones on Deck 3, because they have given up a few feet to the Promenade. Others are larger. The Insides are nicely sized, as well.

 

The ready access to the Promenade on Deck 3 makes up for the smaller size. Also we hosted five or six people for a family happy hour regularly (you do have to rent a fridge for any cabin that does not have a balcony, on the Volendam and Zaandam). Obviously, people would sit on the foot of the bed!

[Bostonjetset]

48 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

I believe the smallest OV are the ones on Deck 3, because they have given up a few feet to the Promenade. Others are larger. The Insides are nicely sized, as well.

 

The ready access to the Promenade on Deck 3 makes up for the smaller size. Also we hosted five or six people for a family happy hour regularly (you do have to rent a fridge for any cabin that does not have a balcony, on the Volendam and Zaandam). Obviously, people would sit on the foot of the bed!

Thanks for the clarification.  

[RuthC]

5 hours ago, Bostonjetset said:

I’ll be on the Volendam in June and can’t wait. I love the smaller ships. My first HAL ship was the Veendam and that size is great. However, looking at the deck plans it says the ocean view staterooms have a smaller square footage than the interior ones!  Is that correct?  Can anyone confirm that? I found it strange. We had an inside on Veendam and thought it was a great size but have an OV on Volendam

and expected it to be at least the same if not bigger. 

Cabin sizes on the Veendam and Volendam are the same in comparable categories. Identical. 

There are 'insides' and 'large' insides; the large insides are, well, larger! The large insides are normally 186 sq. ft., while the outsides on the Main and Dolphin Decks on the Volendam are 196 sq. ft. There are a few insides, not handicap accessible, that are larger still, but that isn't pertinent to your inquiry.
On the Lower Promenade Deck, yes, the outside cabins are smaller than the insides across the passageway. 

I've been in many inside cabins on many cruises, and a few outside cabins on all eight S- and R-class ships. I could unpack in any of them blindfolded! (ok, maybe a slight exaggeration)

[AV8rix]

On 4/12/2024 at 8:00 AM, Fred321 said:

Not sure what you meant to say in the last sentence but I agree with your overall opinion of the new builds. We have had multiple trips the Koningsdam and the new Rotterdam and will not be going back to any of them, MDR experience is terrible whether you are in anytime or fixed. The dining room is a madhouse with the waiters running back and forth way too much and the room extremely noisy. No chance to have a quiet conversation.

Staterooms seem to have no soundproofing. Have been in a number of Vista suites and can always hear the TV next door and sometimes even the conversations.

Just got off the Volendam in an Ocean View room for 94 days and it was great. Lots of room to sit and read, they haven't ruined the Crows Nest by trying to turn it into a multipurpose room. Just a nice relaxed feeling around the ship. 

Vista class is the largest HAL ship we would consider but would always opt for the R class if available.

1+!  Yes!  (red accenting mine).

 

And PARTICULARLY agree with the comments about the Pinnacle-class ships.