Volendam 8 million dollar docking period October 2024

[whogo]

6 hours ago, beachbum6264 said:

We are booked on the first cruise after the dry dock (42 days to Mediterranean) and have been wondering what was going tone done. Thanks for posting this info. 

Here is hoping that the work is completed and that we have a wonderful 42 night cruise.

[iflyrc5]

9 hours ago, Petronillus said:

Do three weeks out of service and an $8 million budget represent more than a usual interim drydock? I'd appreciate hearing from some of the veterans/experts.

Most "normal dry docks" are 7 to 10 days.

[HappyInVan]

10 hours ago, SJSULIBRARIAN said:

The Volendam is doing the Pole to Pole Grand Voyage in 2025 and the Grand World Voyage in 2026. Perhaps, that is why they are doing such a large investment in an older ship. 

 

Not for me. The Volendam has few balconies. Pricey ones priced as Vista suites. Just checked the 133-day itinerary in 2025. The insides (for singles) start at CA$51,556 and Vista at CA$137,381.

 

For that price, I might as well go with a $$$$ brand (all inclusive) with a decent single supplement. That's why I'm waiting for a new HAL ships with cheaper balconies.

 

Anyway, got to wonder if the refit includes new efficient engines. The old engines must be costing them an arm or leg every year. I was on the Hx Roald Amundsen recently. Now, that was a quiet ship.

 

BTW, hope that they have a makeover of the public areas. I was on the V last year. Comfortable ship but the mismatch of the interior decoration was a reflection of piecemeal refits.

 

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

12 hours ago, beachbum6264 said:

We are booked on the first cruise after the dry dock (42 days to Mediterranean) and have been wondering what was going tone done. Thanks for posting this info. 

Please share what you see..

[Alphen]

18 hours ago, Ready2go11 said:

@Alphen i am on just before dry dock.
 

Who is the C&TD on board now?  

 

Navigator app still has old Pinnacle lunch and dinner menus so I am hoping I will get at least one more Pinnacle burger and brownie dessert for lunch. Figuring they will not change to the new menus til after dry dock. Has there been any discussion from Florin about that change to Pinnacle?

 

Thanks!

 

 

Nothing heard about that.

[beachbum6264]

11 hours ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

Please share what you see..

Will do, I'm a notorious photo taker!

[CNSJ]

On 9/17/2024 at 12:40 PM, happytotravel said:

I'm not interested in the larger ships that are being built these days.

So agree!

 

It would be great to see a few updates to the Vista Class and remaining R Class like the Grand Dutch Cafe, nicer verandah furniture, and other little things to bring up the standard a notch.  Im willing to pay a bit more for better.

 

I look at the impressive changes Fred Olsen Cruise Lines made to the R class ships they bought.  They obviously have many nautical miles left on them!!

 

Here is an example:

https://www.fredolsencruises.com/our-ships/bolette

[HappyInVan]

24 minutes ago, CNSJ said:

So agree!

 

It would be great to see a few updates to the Vista Class and remaining R Class like the Grand Dutch Cafe, nicer verandah furniture, and other little things to bring up the standard a notch.  Im willing to pay a bit more for better.

 

I look at the impressive changes Fred Olsen Cruise Lines made to the R class ships they bought.  They obviously have many nautical miles left on them!!

 

Here is an example:

https://www.fredolsencruises.com/our-ships/bolette

 

Well, there we are! Look no further. Enjoy your favourite ships at Fred Olsen! 😃

[rodndonna]

On 9/17/2024 at 8:02 PM, BermudaBound2014 said:

Not an expert but comparing the Volendam dry dock to celebrity Constellation dry dock, 8M is a very minor investment.

 

The Constellation scheduled to get a 50 million dollar renovation.

 

“ Celebrity Constellation cruise ship is scheduled for a $50 million renovation that is set to begin in November 2024. The ship's original renovation plans were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and were then postponed again from mid-2021 to Spring 2024.”

 

Keep in mind, the Celebrity  Constellation just got all new carpeting and soft furnishing in 2021 but the

entire renovation was postponed due to covid so the 50 Million dollar investment is in addition to that pretty recent update (I sailed her in 23 and the public areas looked very new and fresh).
 

For comparison the Connie was built in 2002 and Volendam in 1999. The Connie is slightly bigger at 91k GY (compared to 61k GT) but I’d consider her pretty small by todays standards 

 

My plane is about to land so I can’t dig deeper right now, but this is what I found in a quick search.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's good news for us ... we're booked on the Constellation Jan 2025. 😀

[chengkp75]

On 9/18/2024 at 12:02 AM, HappyInVan said:

Anyway, got to wonder if the refit includes new efficient engines. The old engines must be costing them an arm or leg every year. I was on the Hx Roald Amundsen recently. Now, that was a quiet ship.

For $8 million total?  You'd have to carve out the entire side of the ship to get the old engines out and then the new ones in.  Not gonna happen at that price point.  And, what type of "engines" are you talking about?  Diesels to charge batteries, or fuel cells?  No fuel cells around today are large enough to replace the power plant of a cruise ship larger than something like the Amundsen.  And, no real magical improvement in efficiency in diesels since the Volendam was built.  And, to my knowledge, hybrid power on ships is no more "efficient" than diesel electric, as you either have to run diesels to charge the batteries (so using fuel), or plug in in port to charge (limited infrastructure for that, and you have to pay for the electricity).

[chengkp75]

On 9/17/2024 at 11:10 PM, iflyrc5 said:

Most "normal dry docks" are 7 to 10 days.

Most "normal" dry docks are 14 days.  But with a ship like the Volendam at 25 years old, a three week dry dock is pretty typical, for just the statutory inspections and normal maintenance.

[Wehwalt]

DW and I are also on the 42 days. Reading through all of this, I'm not expecting much. The USB ports would be nice. Not sure I care that much about the carpeting.

[HappyInVan]

8 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

For $8 million total?  You'd have to carve out the entire side of the ship to get the old engines out and then the new ones in.  Not gonna happen at that price point.  

 

Ahha! As I suspected. The $8m is just a drop in the bucket. Most of it goes to hull maintenance, and the rest to interiors. Will this be sufficient until 2029?

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

On 9/18/2024 at 8:10 PM, beachbum6264 said:

Will do, I'm a notorious photo taker!

Thanks.

[chengkp75]

2 hours ago, HappyInVan said:

 

Ahha! As I suspected. The $8m is just a drop in the bucket. Most of it goes to hull maintenance, and the rest to interiors. Will this be sufficient until 2029?

Sufficient for what?  Technical maintenance or hotel refurbishment?  And, her next dry dock will be in 2026-2027, not 2029.

[CruiserBruce]

5 hours ago, HappyInVan said:

 

Ahha! As I suspected. The $8m is just a drop in the bucket. Most of it goes to hull maintenance, and the rest to interiors. Will this be sufficient until 2029?

Its a drop in the bucket for total power plant replacement, yes. But it doesn't mean a lot of other stuff can't be done.

[HappyInVan]

7 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Sufficient for what?  Technical maintenance or hotel refurbishment?  And, her next dry dock will be in 2026-2027, not 2029.

 

For operational survival. After all, smaller 25-year ships can't be as fuel efficient or attractive as new ships. Whilst, HAL may hope to sustain 2x (or 3x) the fares on long itineraries as on 7-day itineraries. The question is whether pax are willing to pay up.

 

For example, the Pole-Pole departing Jan 25, 2025 is facing FP on Sept 27. Vacancies still available from Inside to Neptune. Lots of vacancies for Inside from aft to midship to forward.

 

I doubt that HAL is willing to invest big in the V in 2026, if they're not willing to redo the ship when its just 25-years.

 

Here's some feedback from me to HAL. You've got to be kidding!!!

[mwj]

On 9/17/2024 at 7:49 AM, Alphen said:

 

Volendam will undergo a 21 days docking period this October with an investment of

8 million dollars. Work will include:

All cabins on deck 1,2 and 3 will get new carpets, as well as all the corridors and hallways. New drapes throughout, all cabins to be fitted with USB outlets 

Major Spa refit , Library relocation, Lido pool midship refit as well as a big Technical refit including work on steam and piping. Also ADA accessibility adjustments throughout the ship will be done, all according to the current HM on board, Florin.

The Volendam is in dire need of a drydock before the World, Grand and Legendary cruises upcoming.

We were the ship on a year ago, and experience multiple plumbing issues that took days to remedy.

It's is wonderful ship, and I hope it sails for many more years.

[CruiserBruce]

4 minutes ago, HappyInVan said:

For example, the Pole-Pole departing Jan 25, 2025 is facing FP on Sept 27. Vacancies still available from Inside to Neptune. Lots of vacancies for Inside from aft to midship to forward.

 

You base this on what...the website? You know the website only tells you unassigned cabins, because you can't see GTY bookings? Literally, one additional booking can close out at least one (and possibly more) cabin categories, depending on the type and number of GTY bookings.

[HappyInVan]

1 minute ago, mwj said:

The Volendam is in dire need of a drydock before the World, Grand and Legendary cruises upcoming.

We were the ship on a year ago, and experience multiple plumbing issues that took days to remedy.

It's is wonderful ship, and I hope it sails for many more years.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

I sailed the V just once last year. The ship was comfortable, but my Vista suite's roof creaked annoyingly. Hope that it can be fixed.

[Cruising Is Bliss]

On 9/19/2024 at 8:24 AM, CNSJ said:

So agree!

 

It would be great to see a few updates to the Vista Class and remaining R Class like the Grand Dutch Cafe, nicer verandah furniture, and other little things to bring up the standard a notch.  Im willing to pay a bit more for better.

 

I look at the impressive changes Fred Olsen Cruise Lines made to the R class ships they bought.  They obviously have many nautical miles left on them!!

 

Here is an example:

https://www.fredolsencruises.com/our-ships/bolette

 

The R-class ships are by far my favorite ships. Would like a Grand Dutch Cafe but there's no room for it. I love what Fred Olsen did to Amsterdam and Rotterdam but removing the casinos opened up a lot of common space for improvements.

 

 

[Tampa Girl]

On 9/17/2024 at 11:59 AM, HappyInVan said:

Frankly, I'm surprised that HAL is putting money into a 25-year ship. I wonder if they'll do the same for the sister ship Zaandam?

 

Does not look life HAL is expecting new ships? 

 

 

HAL uses the R class, smaller ships for their Grand Voyages, with good reason.  These ships get into ports that are difficult for even the Vista class, let alone the Signature or Pinnacle ships.  Kudos to HAL for spending the money to upgrade the R class ship.  I hope that they will do the same for the Zaandam.

[*Miss G*]

And such is the difference between the throwaway society and the classic enthusiasts.  I don’t understand all the angst about ditching the old and buying the new.  On a miniature comparison scale, Ontario cottagers just love their classic wooden boats.  They are gorgeous, and nothing new can come close to compare.  I hate to think what a great loss it would be if previous owners had decided that they weren’t new enough, or weren’t worthy enough, to maintain and keep.

 

HAL ships have a 25 year life span, after which a decision is made to either keep them or replace them.  Obviously, this decision is based on many factors.  I trust that HAL knows, better than us, what those factors are.  It is nice that they have decided that the Volendam is worth refurbishing.  New doesn’t always mean better.

[TRLD]

On 9/20/2024 at 5:32 PM, HappyInVan said:

 

For operational survival. After all, smaller 25-year ships can't be as fuel efficient or attractive as new ships. Whilst, HAL may hope to sustain 2x (or 3x) the fares on long itineraries as on 7-day itineraries. The question is whether pax are willing to pay up.

 

For example, the Pole-Pole departing Jan 25, 2025 is facing FP on Sept 27. Vacancies still available from Inside to Neptune. Lots of vacancies for Inside from aft to midship to forward.

 

I doubt that HAL is willing to invest big in the V in 2026, if they're not willing to redo the ship when its just 25-years.

 

Here's some feedback from me to HAL. You've got to be kidding!!!

It seems that you are starting at an end point, that HAL is doomed to fail, then try and find any point you can find to try and twist to that conclusion. Earlier it was the ships were getting too old, then people pointed out that other lines were running much older ships, some of which were purchased from HAL. Now pretty clear that HAL is investing in its older ships past the 25 year point.  So now you seem to be on they must replace the power/drive systems, even though a former cruise line chief engineer says that there is no reason to do so.

[HappyInVan]

9 hours ago, Tampa Girl said:

 

HAL uses the R class, smaller ships for their Grand Voyages, with good reason.  These ships get into ports that are difficult for even the Vista class, let alone the Signature or Pinnacle ships.  Kudos to HAL for spending the money to upgrade the R class ship.  I hope that they will do the same for the Zaandam.

 

I am aware that size is important in many ports. It makes the difference between docking and tendering (pain). I'm not suggesting that HAL replace the V with a Pinnacle ship for remote regions. The pax demand isn't there for a ship that large.

 

Is it possible for HAL to build the latest and greatest mid-size ship at the current cruise fare?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Nova

 

I am aware that by 2030, Oceania's Oceania Class ships will be 20 years old. Possibly HAL could make a good offer. Viking ocean Cruises will be adding 10 ships by 2030. Doubling its fleet. So, purchasing the Viking Star (2015) would replace the V and Zaandam with ship that have 10-15 years of useful life.

 

Why do first tier companies hand off their old ships to second tier companies with less discerning pax? As parts age, the likelihood of failure increases dramatically. That's why car manufacturers have recommended replacement intervals.

 

Would you drive a vintage car long distance every day, without rebuilding the engine and transmission? And, replacing the brake calipers. Adding seat-belts if the original had none.

 

HAL ships are hard working ocean-going vessels. They are not pleasure boats that you sail on the weekends in good weather. That's why HAL is spending a lot of money on x-rays on the hull. Even a 3-year ship can suffer a catastrophic episode because of heavy seas.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Viking_Sky

 

You don't want to have a catastrophic failure of the engines or hull in the Straits of Magellan.

 

At the moment, HAL is opting to keep the old ships sailing with routine maintenance and refits. This is not an upgrade. The plumbing will still be spotty and the ceilings creak. The engines will still be inefficient by today's standards. Emissions will not meet today's standards. At some time in the next few years, it will have to commit to replacement ships. Or, make a drastic change to its itineraries.

 

 

Edited September 22 by HappyInVan