Volendam questions

[Jim A.]

DH and I took our first cruise last month (Celebrity) and loved it so much, we're are already booked for the second next Feb. (Royal Caribbean) We're now talking about maybe expanding that to a back to back and about the only choice would be on the Volendam. I've been reading reviews on this ship and a couple complaints have me a little comcerned. One is that the toilets don't always flush and the water in the shower doesn't get hot enough. The other is that there's a sewage odor in the Atrium area and portions of the Promenade. Can anyone tell me if they noticed these things? If you've cruised on this ship, would you do so again? I'd love some opinions from people who've been on this ship. Thanks for any help :)

[sungoddess]

Hi there,

I have worked for HAL for the past five years, onboard the ships, spending most of my contracts on the Volendam. Let me answer your questions:

Toilets not flushing: This can happen on any ship and is caused by someone flushing something down the toilet that they shouldn't have. It can affect hundreds of toilets on many decks.

Hot water: The Volendam did have a problem with hot water late in 2004; when I left the ship, the problem had been resolved, although it took our Engineers quite a while to pinpoint where the problem was and determine how to fix it. For the last few weeks of my contract I spent hours checking cabins to see if they had hot water. The cabins that were affected would get lukewarm but not hot water. I could totally sympathize with the guests that had no hot water, that is not something that is expected on a vacation. But, to my knowledge, it should be fixed.

Sewage Smell: This has been a hot topic for the Volendam, but any of the R class ships could have a similar problem. It is something HAL is trying hard to resolve and it comes and goes. Sorry I don't have more info on this, but it is not a steady problem, but one that does occur.

The Volendam is my favorite ship and I would highly recommend it. If you have any other questions, please let me know.

[LOVE CRUISING]

The Volendam is my favorite ship and I would highly recommend it. If you have any other questions, please let me know.

Hi Sungoddess,
We booked the Volendam just yesterday. This will be our very first HAL cruise. I would like to know as much as possible about Volendam. We will on the 11/15 - 11/25 Thanksgiving cruise. I have cruised other lines, but not HAL. Anything you can share will be greatly appreciated! :) :) :)

[gizmo]

Toilets not flushing: This can happen on any ship and is caused by someone flushing something down the toilet that they shouldn't have. It can affect hundreds of toilets on many decks.



Hi sungoddess.

I do buy into this explaination, however, sometime ago I asked about plumbing problems on all the boards. What I found strange was the only board that reported plumbing problems was Princess. The responses I received from the other boards were few, but indicated there are isolated problems but nothing like the things I read on this board. Not only have I read about the toilets not flushing, but also flooding in the cabins. Some of the problems seem to persist from cruise to cruise.

Jim,

I have sailed on the Volendam 3 times and think this is a great ship.

[The Talented Mr Limpit]

We were on the Volendam in January of this year. We also had the same concerns after reading some of the reviews prior to our departure. I am happy to say that we never encountered any of those problems. It's a great ship, and we had a wonderful time!

[allen.crawford]

We were on the Volendam in December and never encounter any of the problems. She is a beautifully designed ship - very quiet too!

[swannie]

My first and only cruise was on the Volendam last August and I felt extremely fortunate to be on her. And so did my boyfriend and my brother who went with me. We experienced none of the above problems. To add a little perspective, I read a post at one point last year, I don't remember who it was, who had been cruising for something like 30 years, had been on nearly every cruiseline and dozens of ships, who considered the Volendam her "home away from home" the most special ship of them all. When I read that, I knew I'd picked the right cruise.

[dogsdogs]

I was on the Volendam 1/04 and 1/05. She is a great ship. No problems with toilet flushing, stinky odors or shower water temp. I did post a cabin number (6117) because it has a problem with deck wash draining onto the balcony. I wasn't in that cabin, but a woman I met on tour was. She said they cleaned it every day, but that it was still annoying.

[Gunzee]

I have a question for the people cruised on Volendam this year. Is the DVD players installed in all the cabins?

Thanks.

[weluvcruisin']

We were on the Volendam in January, it is our favourite ship. You'll have a great time

[dogsdogs]

We were in cabin 6209 in January/05--there was only a VCR in the cabin.

[HDBoy]

We will be in Volendam on 04/19. Can someone give some information about the entertainment. Often I heard that it's dull overall. Any one differ?


HDBoy

[emsachs]

I was on the Volendam 1/04 and 1/05. She is a great ship. No problems with toilet flushing, stinky odors or shower water temp. I did post a cabin number (6117) because it has a problem with deck wash draining onto the balcony. I wasn't in that cabin, but a woman I met on tour was. She said they cleaned it every day, but that it was still annoying.

dogsdogs...
I got all worked up because I thought we were in cabin 6117 on Volendam in June.
However, I checked and we are in 6171.
Whew.......and no, I'm not dyslexic.

[Pilot70D]

The War Department and I cruised on the Volendam last December. We had been on Princess 'Grand' Class ships for our three previous cruises. HAL is now our favorite cruise line and the Volendam our favorite ship. She is a beautiful vessel.

I posted a daily report from the Volendam while we were aboard. You may want to look at this thread even though it is reasonably long (assuming it's still around. It is titled "Live From The Volendam Dialy Report" (yes, I usually know how to spell daily but not on that first day).

Enjoy your cruise and have no worries about lack of hot water, air conditioning or sewage smells. We encountered none of these problems except for a small problem with the temp in the main dining room during the first formal night (see that thread for details).

Everyone have a great day out there.

[arzz]

Thanks for the info -- we love the Zaandam and a group of us are seriously considering the Volendam for October. All information helps.

[Mark&MaryAnn]

We just got off the Volendam this morning and can not report any major plumbing or HVAC problems during the 10 days onboard. Did notice a slight sewer gas odor in our bathroom at check in and took care of it with a glass of water down the floor drain under the sink. The "P" traps in the plumbing dry out over time and allow the odor to get out.

As far as the entertainment...our cruise was about 80% Senior citizens (>75 years old) so the entertainment was geared toward their likes. Definitely not the cruise for big shows, rowdy comedians, Reggae by the pool, etc.

Mark and Mary Ann

[the2ofus]

We sailed on the Volendam for 10 days in Nov. 2000 and enjoyed every minute of that cruise. Will be sailing on her again on October 26, 2005 with our son and daughter-in-law. Did not hesitate to recommend her for our kids' first cruise.

The Volendam is a great ship. She seems a bit more spacious than the S class ships. We really liked the addition of the mid-ship staircase and elevators. The one thing we did not care for was the way the walkway bisects the piano bar area. (What a minor complaint that is!!)

Arzz, maybe we'll see you onboard? There are some good prices for this cruise out there. By the way, it is a Big Band cruise with the Harry James orchestra. Won't impact daily activities in any way, except that there will be more music to listen to and more opportunities for those who like to dance.

[Dutchman]

Tha Volendam was our second HAL cruise ship and thouroghly enjoyed the ten days we spent on her. We are hopeing that she will be plowing the inside passage to Alaska next june so we can book her again!