Volendam review November 13-23 part 2

[cigarman]

Cruise Review November 13-23 2006 Volendam part II

 

Day Two - At sea

Tuesday morning was an early day as breakfast arrived at the cabin while it was still dark out; the overnight time change really knocked me for a loop. The coffee was very good. NOTE; if you want or need more then two cups or your partner drinks decaf then you better write on the room service card "2 pots of coffee please" or you will still be half asleep when you get to the lido. The orange juice as noted by another poster was NOT fresh juice. The tray arrived on time with 2 glasses of water, the coffee and juice and some fresh fruit. Order the fresh fruit early on the cruise because it tends to get softer as the days go by.

Oh, the beds are GREAT. HAL did a really good job with this selection because they are firm but not hard and the linens are so soft and comfortable. As is typical the blanket rests between a top and bottom sheet so blanket fuzz does not get on you overnight. The pillows as well are terrific; one is a soft Dupont type filling while the other is a feather type and so soft it just surrounds you with comfort. Of course the robes are perfect for having your morning coffee in a relaxing way.

We were dressed and ready for a day in the sun, but an early morning rain put a damper on that for a few hours. Anyway we went to the Lido for a real breakfast and discovered that the OJ at the Lido is being squeezed as you watch, so good. I got in line and among other items took some fresh LOX, (smoked salmon) and diced it up on a plate and took that to the omelet station. I asked the cook to saute the lox with some onions and then add the eggs. Otherwise, they will add everything at once and the omelet does not cook the way it should. My way was much better and more to my liking. The cook did this for me more then once withot a complaint, and a smile. Man, it was good. Also in spite of some comments I read on this and other boards, the coffee does not start out as a concentrated liquid. Each coffee urn brews the coffee from real ground beans. And I must tell you that the coffee on board is excellent. Although the Lido is crowded in the mornings you can still get a seat and the line moves at a good pace. Some people do cut in line but this was not a very big deal to us.

After eating we went up to the Crows Nest for the CC meet and greet, and finally got to put faces with the names from this board. It was very nice meeting them all and sharing stories from our past cruises. DW left for some sun; it finally peaked out from the clouds, and I stayed to chat some more. The Crows Nest is high on the ship with a commanding view out to sea, with very comfortable seating. Of course it is used for dancing at night.

I too spent part of the day in the sun working on the tan. Let me talk about the deck chairs for a bit. They are nice enough and are made from heavy duty plastic with nice seating areas, they have the teak ones too but not at the pool, and are sturdy. However even though the signs say not to reserve any chairs, people were out very early covering a chair with a blue towel and a bag or a book. Then they would disappear for some food and come back hours later. Yes, wrong I say, but what can you do?

 

Tonight was the first Formal night along with the Captains Party. Sorry to say we have been to enough of those and decided to just have a few drinks at the Ocean Bar as we did each and every night. The smoking tables are tucked in the corner near the bar and do not afford a view of the dance floor.

The waiters are good and do still bring the little jar of nuts to you. After a short while they also bring a small plate of finger food, nothing hot is served that I ever saw. Along with the regular "normal" drinks they also serve the daily special drinks such as colored martinis, funky sounding rum drinks etc. Sorry, but I stick to the old faithful, Johnny Walker Black or a good dry Martini. My DW had the house Chablis each night.

This evening the selection we chose was; DW shrimp cocktail (nice size shrimp) and a Wahoo cake for me. DW had the onion soup, which was a very nice dark broth with ample onions and melted cheese on top and I opted for the bisque that was very nicely prepared, my notes suggest that it was in fact excellent. A very important part of a "good" meal was that both soups were served piping hot. Our dinner choice was the rack of lamb. Served with some mint and again fresh veggies done to perfection. The presentation, also a hallmark of "fine dinning" was first class. After dinner I had my Earl Grey and the creme boulet with a scoop of coffee ice cream, what can I say it was great. DW was off to the Casino and I went to the Lido deck pool for my port and cigar.

Second day at sea and room service came with only one pot of coffee even though I wrote two pots please, so that was an error that did not reoccur. To day is the kitchen tour, which I suggest you take if you want to see where your food is prepared, it is an eye opener.

DW had juice and eggs in the Lido while I went with the waffle, juice and sliced bananas.

 

Afterward I went for the kitchen tour which was more crowded then I had expected. I took some good pictures…... Each station was smaller then I thought they would be but they are designed for full efficiency. The sign that really got me was for the Marco Polo Room service area.

Day three

Casual night tonight. (From my notes) Tonight’s dinner did not impress me but the overall presentation was excellent. Service was also excellent. The choices were not really to my tastes, but the food was good. DW chose the roasted game hen while had the steak which was a tad overdone for me, but still good. Cake for desert and my Earl Grey. DW casino and me cigar.

This ends part two, Next Aruba and Curacao. With pictures for

 

 

 

NONONanette. Roy

[thomasale]

Very nice review so far...did you have a waiter and assistant assigned to your table of 2?

[Krazy Kruizers]

Since we sailed on the Volendam for 20 days before your cruise (you got on when we got off), am enjoying reading your review.

[jsocpa]

We also just returned from the Nov 13 sailing. It was our first HAL experience and we were rather impressed. We have sailed on a number of other lines before and found the experience to be very enjoyable. I don't want to step on the toes of this series of reviews but would be happy to answer any questions anyone has.

 

Also, we are a married couple in our early 30's. If anyone would like our perspective on the experience, we would be happy to share.

 

Thanks everyone for all the valuable info on this wonderful site.

 

I am a frequent reader, rare poster, but would be happy to help.

 

James

[Spot]

Cigarman

 

You are doing a very good job on your review and DH and I are enjoying every word. We anxiously await the next installment :D

 

Did you find the cabin and verandah themselves to be to your liking? Any problems with the layout or space to hang/put away clothing and the like? What about the bathroom? Plumbing working, space, etc?

 

What about your DW's casino experience :eek:

 

Keep it going, you are doing great!!!

We will be arriving in Fort Lauderdale about this time next Saturday for our turn on the Volendam a week from tomorrow!!!

[jsocpa]

We were in cabin 7042. The cabin layout is very comfortable with plenty of storage space. We did have an issue with our cabin that the staff did not resolve. There was a plumbing issue that caused excessive noise in the cabin that they were eventually able to resolve. However, there was excessive noise and vibration that existed for the duration of the cruise that the staff seemed unable to resolve. It was the one serious complaint we had about our experience. Also, repeated requests to speak to the Hotel Manager were ignored.

 

Our toilet did not flush one morning but it was functioning again that afternoon.

[mafig]

We were almost beneath you in 6190 and had noise in our cabin. We were told that a fan runs up to the funnel and it's located near our cabin. They said it was a design of the ship and there was nothing that could be done. They gave us ear plugs, which worked great.

 

We didn't hear the noise all the time, just when the ship was going really fast.

[Roz]

Cigarman,

 

Enjoying your review. I'm busy writing up one of my own. Enjoyed meeting you and your DW.

 

I had a great time, but this cruise was unique in a lot of respects from others I've been on. Loved the unusual itinerary, and Curacao and Dominica were wonderful surprises. Don't care if I never go back to Aruba.

 

Anxious to read the rest of your review.

 

Roz

[mafig]

...to a cruise experience..

 

We had beautiful weather in Aruba (11/3 - 11/13 Volendam).

 

I'm looking at Emerald Princess for November 2007 or January 2008, just so we can go back!.