Volendam -April 2-18, Review

[Logoladytcs]

This is my first review that I've ever atempted, so please bear with me. Also my first time on a HAL ship -

We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday, April 1st, the day before we were due to sail. As we were coming from the west coast we didn't want to take any chances with late planes, etc. Stayed at the Renaissance Plantation - had arranged with HAL for this along with the transfer to the ship. I would highly recommend this - it worked out perfectly. Also we didn't have to mess with our luggage - as we had arranged with Cruise Shippers to pick it up and that also turned out to be a plus. I had a hip replacement last year and really have to be careful with lifting anything heavy.
I was traveling with a friend from high school and as I am now a grandmother you can get a general idea of how long we've known each other - and to top everything off, we were both celebrating milestone birthdays so this was going to be special indeed.

Our shuttle left the hotel at 12:30 and we were at the pier about an half hour later. Was it ever crowded with other liners! Went right thru security - as usual my new hip set off alarms, but I noticed others did too - so I was in good company. We had filled out our immigration forms online, so we were thru with all that in no time.

Having been a devoted reader of CC, I thought I would know what to expect on the Volendam, but the real thing really blew me away - the staff was so warm and welcoming, our cabin very nice. We were on Main deck - 2569. Best of all our luggage was there waiting for us - thank you Cruise Shippers! The ship itself could best be described as exquisite - so tastefully decorated - the paintings and fresh flowers lovely.

The Crew:

I can honestly say we did not encounter one person who wasn't warm and friendly. I would love to send some of my employees to their training campus!. Our room steward, Sly, was a love. He had been with HAL for 30 years - how's that for company loyalty. Of course the fact that he called my friend and I "girls" didn't hurt a bit! Our waiter, Ruslan, was very sweet and I would've loved to have kidnapped his helper, he was a doll. We enjoyed Firmin, the Hotel Manager - who was kind enough to send us champagne for our birthdays and enjoyed meeting, Mike, the Security Officer, who took such good care of us all.

Our life boat drill was at 4:15 then sailaway. We had planned our CC group meeting at 5pm at the Dolphin Bar on the Lido deck - and were delighted to meet (again) SeaGypsy and her husband and Travel-Kat and her family. Actually to be perfectly honest I had met both of them before, as they each came out to my office a few weeks before we left. Unfortunately the other folks didn't show up, not even the couple who had started the Roll Call. Not that we lacked for new friends. At the Renaissance we had met another group of folks that we really enjoyed. The funny thing was that out of the 10 of us, 4 of us were named Barbara - guess our mothers were all reading the same book!

The Tours:

We booked all of our tours, with one exception, thru HAL. And generally there were fine. Our first stop was La Romana, Dominician Republic. Wish I had the motorscooter concession there - seems like we mostly saw lots of churches, but we liked our tour guide.Cartengia, Columbia was interesting to say the least - once you got used to the soldiers with machine guns on every corner, I managed to deal with it, enough to go shopping and buy some beautiful emeralds. Of course the most anticipated event was the Panama Canal crossing - wow!!! We got up early, and went to the bow, where they were serving Panama rolls (.yummy) and coffee as we went thru the locks. It really was an incredible experience, and doubly so as my children were able to watch it on the internet. The next day was a sea day as we were cruising the Golfo Dulce - so I happily got to spen some time in the wonderful library. That nite they had a barbecue on the Lido Deck with the best salmon I think I've ever had. Costa Rica was next and my very favorite tour - we took the aerial tramway thru the Rainforest - not to be missed - a naturalist guide goes with you and points out all the beautiful vegetation and birds - we didn't get to see any monkeys as they are ususally out in the morning and it was around noon. I would go back again in a heartbeat. Nicauragua was my least favorite on the tour - the poverty and desolation just broke my heart. But I loved Guatemela - this is the tour that was arranged independently and it was great. We used Elizabeth Bell, an American who had been living there for 37 years as her father was with Sunset Magazine and was transfered there when she was 14. I would highly recommend her - it was a 3 hour tour for $18 - well worth it!!! It was Holy Week so we got to see the preparations for the processions - fascinating! And of course I managed to leave some American dollars at the Jade Museum. After that we went in sucession to the Mexican ports, Hualco, Puerta Vallarta (my favorite) and Cabo San Lucas.

Before we knew it, we had pulled into Long Beach, CA and it was time to disembark!!! The time just flew by -

For me, this was really the trip of a lifetime, and I can find very little if any fault of it.

Now that I have the bug - I am going to starting planning the next one!

Barbara

Hope this wasn't too long

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for taking the time and writing your review.

I do have a question or I should say a request.

Please tell me about Cruise Shippers. When did they pick up your luggage from your home? Did it go directly to the ship? How did you arrange for them to pick up your luggage at the end of the cruise?

Thanks

[Logoladytcs]

We chose the ground service but they also have other quicker services available - so they picked up our luggage at our homes the Monday before our Sunday sailaway. They shipped it Fed Ex and gave us the tracking numbers so we could keep an eye on it. That's helpful and so we were able to see that it was delivered on the Friday before we left. The charge was $1.35 lb. I had 2 bags that totaled 80 lbs.And best of all it was in our stateroom when we got there. Now if they'd just unpack it too!

As we disembarked in Long Beach, CA and we live in Orange County, it wasn't necessary to ship it home - but they got their wires crossed and there was some one from Cruise Shippers waiting for us when we got there.

I think they did a great job and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. Try http://www.cruiseshippers.com for more info.

Barbara

[shipcafe]

Barbara, in case you didn't get a photo of this yourself on board I took a photo of the route you followed. It was still displayed on board today when I was aboard. Hopefully it brings back wonderful memories.

http://www.shipcafe.net/new/vo042206a.jpg

[Logoladytcs]

Thank you so much - I didn't get this picture - that's great!!'

Of course I did buy the video - couldn't resist and I never did know how to turn down that kind of stuff anyway!
Barbara

[shipcafe]

Thank you so much - I didn't get this picture - that's great!!'

Of course I did buy the video - couldn't resist and I never did know how to turn down that kind of stuff anyway!
Barbara

Barbara, I can send you a larger version without the site name on it if you'd like if you specify your e-mail address. I can then e-mail it to you.

[Logoladytcs]

That would be great - that's very thoughtful of you

It's bdail@tcsolutions.com.

Thanx again -
Barbara

[shipcafe]

That would be great - that's very thoughtful of you

It's bdail@tcsolutions.com.

Thanx again -
Barbara

Sent!

[Crazy]

Thank you for the review. I am going on this ship in February 2007 thu the Panama Canal. Also, thanks for the link on shipping your luggage, I am going to check into this.

My next cruise in June 11 to Alaska on the Westerdam -- I am getting so excited. Going to the beach next week but it is not like being on a 'DAM" ship.


Emily

[Himself]

I have been on this ship on three different ocassions and loved it each time.
It is one of my favorite HAL ships. Glad you had a great cruise on this great ship.

[Travelbug 2]

Barbara, thanks for the review it sounds as though you had a wonderful time.

We are booked for the Panama in Sept' from Vancouver to Ft Lauderdale and will also be calling at Columbia before we arrive at Half Moon Cay. Did you have to have yellow fever shots?

I have heard so many good things about the Volendam it just adds comfort to the "waiting experience" we have to go though before Sept'. Excuse my ignorance but what are Panama rolls?

We are booked in a cabin with a window facing aft and a small deck outside (also facing aft). Would this be a good spot to be during the canal transit or is up front on deck a better choice? How was the humidity? Hope you don't mind all the questions, it is our first Panama trip, and a first on the Volendam, however we have travelled HAL before and are great fans of the cruise line.

So glad you enjoyed the trip.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for the information. I have written down their web site. You never know when you will need them.

Right now we can handle everything but who knows what the future holds.

[Logoladytcs]

Hi travelbug 2 -

Yes - we did have to have our yellow fever shots - altho some folks managed to get a waiver, we went to the Travel Clinic attached to our local hospital and got them there - found out later that I managed to pay more than alot of others, so if you shop around you might get a better deal.

Panama rolls were a sweet roll type of pastry that had custard inside - yummy!

I think you'll be fine in your cabin if that's where you choose to view the locks - we were alll over the place - first on the bow where they had chairs and coffee and those famous rolls and then on different decks. This is an all day process. We entered the Gatun Locks at 7:30 in the morning and were out of the Miraflores Locks at around 6:30 that nite.

It was nice tho - just before we disembarked they gave us all the Cruise Log which was the itinerary for the previous 17 days. It also showed the names of all the officers and that we sailed 5118 nautical miles.

All in all quite a trip - am sure you'll enjoy yours just as much as we did.

Barbara

[Logoladytcs]

Travelbug2 - I see I didn't answer all your questions - sorry

As far as the weather goes - couldn't have been much better - the only time we did notice the humidity was the day we went thru the Panama Canal - it was high then and of course rained a bit, but not enough to keep up from going outside. I took a nylon windbreaker with a hood and that worked fine. The day we were in the Rainforest in Costa Rica was perfect - we had been told to expect rain, but it didn't happen while we were there.

If you have any more questions, just holler.
Barbara

[Copper10-8]

Morning Barbara; thank you very much for your excellent review! Sounds like you girls;) had a great time on Volendam. The Panama canal crossings are one of our favorites. Thanks you also for the info on Cruise Shippers; first time I've heard about that outfit and they sound very interesting!

[Travelbug 2]

Hi Barbara,
Thanks a lot for the info. I don't think I made myself clear when asking about the view from aft on the ship. we will not be spending all day there but will probably be in various areas on other decks. As our cabin is right there I just wondered if it would be a good place to relax in between activities without missing anything.

Those Panama rolls sound delightful, looking forward to that.

Were there any after effects from the Y F shot? we are told we can get a waiver but that the authorities do not always accept them. We are waiting to hear from HAL about vaccination requirements.

Question about dining-------were you upper or lower, early or late? We are booked early upper ( I can not eat late due to a medical condition). We chose upper because it appears you can walk straight from the lounges to the dining room on the same level, quite convenient. In your opinion is there any advantage between upper or lower?

The days are "slowly" coming down-----still seems like a long way off though.

[Logoladytcs]

Hi

I had no after effects after my yellow fever shot - maybe the requirements will change by the time your cruise comes around. I have a friend who had taken a similar cruise about a month earlier and she wasn't required to get the shots - go figure!

We had the late seating upper deck - table 28. If I had it to do over I would have tried to change, but we made the best of it. It was a rectangular shape table that sat six. I really would have preferred a round table but the major drawback was that it was right next to the service area. And it could be noisy. But we liked our tablemates so well, we didn't try for a change. The upper deck is right off the fifth floor - but the lower dining room is accessible from the 4th floor elevators as well.

I really need to plan another cruise ASAP - it's much better than working!
Barbara

[Copper10-8]

Travelbug; I know this was directed at Barbara and not at me so sorry for bugging in, but I just wanted to give you my two cents and/or a loonie;) !

You will have easy access to the upper dining room via the Explorer's Lounge on starboard or the Explorations Cafe on the port-side. If you were to have the lower seating in the dining room, the main galley/kitchen is right behind it and in the way and you would have to use the stairs and/or elevator to "go places"

IMHO, the best places to see the transit in the canal is from a balcony on the port or starboard side, from any of the outside decks (including the bow but it will get crowded there) or from the Crow's Nest. Your aft cabin will give you a view also but it's a "passing" view if you know what I mean. It can get very hot and humid in Panama, make sure you have sunscreen on, a hat, and a bottle of water handy. Have an awseome cruise in SEP, you will most definitly remember it!:)

Like Barbara said, in Cartagena, you will see lots of military in camo and with automatic rifles (it starts outside the gangplank but you'll get used to them and they are there for your protection. Also, the street vendors are/can be a bit on the aggressive side

[Logoladytcs]

Also - I meant to say that another reason we liked the upper dining room was that it was on the same floor as the Oceans Bar - where we met every nite before dinner with our new group of friends. How I miss that.

Glad you jumped in, John,
Barbara

[Travelbug 2]

Thank you Barabara and John for the usefull info' I just know we are going to enjoy the Panama experience.

Roll on Sept 27th when we will board the beautiful Volendam.