volendam worry

[lindleyjulie]

after reading a lot of negative comments on the volendam has anybody anything good to say :confused: we are going on the 17th of october i am ready to cancel.

[doone]

No, don't cancel. Before my first Volendam cruise, I heard so many negative things about it I was ready to just stay home. I didn't, I went and I have to say all the negatives I heard were totally unfounded. Every persons cruise expectations are different. What I like, you may not, what you like, I may not. Go with an open mind. We enjoyed the Volendam so much that we booked her again for March 2005 and are hoping to book her again for February 2006.

[sail7seas]

A group of very experienced, well-traveled cruisers who are active at C@ were recently on a Volendam cruise and they posted many comments and photos from their cruise. They had a fabulous time and raved about the ship. As a matter of fact, one lady (who always books the Penthouse) has cruised since she was a little girl with her parents to middle aged today and has been on well over 500 cruises says this is her favorite ship.

Sometimes you need to read between the lines and see if there is a "motive" or explanation as to why some folks post so very negatively about their cruise. While it most assuredly is not Always the case, sometimes there is a private agenda going on.

One person complained their cruise was the worst, they hated the ship, the food was awful etc......when you got to the end of the diatribe, it all boiled down to the fact the weather was horrid. Blame the cruise line for lots of things but they cannot control the weather or the "motion of the ocean".

[Sue's Mom]

We have sailed on the Volendam once before, September 2002 and we have booked again for November 2004 as we liked it so much.

[Himself]

Some people can be negative just about anything. I have been on the Volendam twice and I find it to be a very nice ship. Would I travel on this ship again?---YES!!!!!!!!!

I rate this ship, the ROTTERDAM and the RYNDAM to be my three favorite ships on the line.
HIMSELF

[iowacruiser]

We sailed her over New Years this past January with three other couples.
We had a great time.
The food was above average
The staff was curtious and prompt
The ship was clean (although it looked worn in some areas)
We read complaints about occasional sewage smell but only noticed it one morning taking a stroll outside on the promenade deck.
The ship is the perfect size IMHO.
Book it,,cruise it...enjoy it

[Peter D]

We were on the Volendam June 2-9 and our experience on board this ship was absolutely positive. Unfortunately,there will always be somebody on any ship and on any cruise line who will have a terrible time, but life is not always perfect. Our own personalities can often determine the enjoyment of any of life's experiences. Our enjoyment of HAL persuaded us to book our next cruise, a 2 week voyage on the Maasdam, Oct.16 ( Montreal to Norfolk) . We also plan on definitely returning to the Volendam again next June.

[RevNeal]

I have been on the Volendam three times; each cruise has been an absolute joy. The ship is lovely, the crew charming and very good workers. Of all the HAL ships I've been on, the Volendam rates near the top on my list.

If you'd like to see my reviews of the Volendam, and photos from the ship, click the link below.

[DFD1]

We are sailing on the Volendam for the first time on 11/26. About two weeks ago I posted a thread here asking for opinions about the ship from other fourm members. The response from those who have sailed on her was almost l00% positive. Everyone had something good to say about the ship. Many called her their favorite HAL ship. That thread is still posted two or three pages back from the current page. The title is "Tell me about the Volendam" We are now really excited about our sailing on 11/26. Have fun DFD1

[BLStokes23]

Don't cancel your cruise. We were on this ship in January this year and had a great time. Just booked again for January 2005. October is such a wonderful time of year to cruise. We were scheduled to be on your cruise, but decided to switch to January. Go and have a super time.

[Krazy Kruizers]

:)

We have read the various reviews of the Volendam and don't intend to cancel our back-to-back cruises on her in 2005.

We prefer to make up our own minds after we have sailed on her rather than before we set sail.

:)

[lindleyjulie]

thanks everybody feel much better now am looking forward to it. we are a family of seven from england ages 75, 49, 47, 43, 19, 18, 11 will there be lots for us to do?will we get sea sick? will there be many children on board for my 11 year old daughter? we are booked in k inside cabins but am thinking of upgrading to a balcony is it cheaper to do this with the ta or when we board. This site is wonderful:)

[Nasmas]

We did the 10 day Southern last year on the Volendam. It was great. We left on 03/19, which was the day the war started. We were a little concerned but everything was fine. The ship is very nice. Don't cancel. It was a very good experience except for our wait at the airport, but that didn't dampen our feelings for the cruise. We loved it. Very relaxing and the crew was great. Look for Edrick who works around the Lido pool area. He was very attentive.

[gizmo]

thanks everybody feel much better now am looking forward to it. we are a family of seven from england ages 75, 49, 47, 43, 19, 18, 11 will there be lots for us to do?will we get sea sick? will there be many children on board for my 11 year old daughter? we are booked in k inside cabins but am thinking of upgrading to a balcony is it cheaper to do this with the ta or when we board. This site is wonderful:)
There probably won't be many kids on board Oct 17 and it is a 10 day cruise. Seven day cruises draw more kids. Hal has a children's program so if she goes she might make some friends close to her age. I am sure your daughter will find things to do. There is always the pool and movies in the afternoon on sea days.

Hopefully no one gets sea sick. Most people don't in the Caribbean. There are plenty of remedies you can buy and I believe you can go to the front desk on the ship and they have free pills available if you feel ill.

If you want to upgrade do it now. When you board, the verandahs will probably be gone.

I hope you and your family have a nice cruise. :)

[lindleyjulie]

:) :) :) :) thanks everybody looking forward to it now ;)

[akeka]

Lindleyjulie,

My family group of 9 (all my siblings, their spouses and our parents) are getting off the Volendam the day you board.

I promise we'll take good care of her and leave her in great shape for you and your family!:D

Don't worry; I loved my first HAL cruise/ship and I'm sure you'll love it.

[the2ofus]

We sailed on the Volendam in Nov. 2000 and loved it! If you want to upgrade from an inside to an outside do it now, or there may not be any of the type of cabin you want available. If the verandah cabins are outside your budget, consider an outside cabin anywhere on the ship and then use the lower promenade deck as your verandah.

To guard against seasickness, you might want to take a Bonine or generic Meclizine each evening at bedtime until you think you have your sea legs. Meclizine is available at the Front Desk on each HAL ship. Do NOT wait until you are feeling nauseous as then it will be too late for the pill to effectively do it's job.

[Tatka]

I read dreadfull reviews about just any of vacations I went to! I had a blast just about every time.

4 years ago we went to beautiful resort Iberostar Punta Cana in Dominican Rep. Food there was to die for. Even in buffets there were so much ov choices of fine European meats and cheeses, suckling pig on some nites, 5-10 choices of seafood every night,wonderful selection of main dishes etc. For American tourists there was special corner with pizza , hamburgers, fry.

Then I read review of one woman how her kids went there for honeymoon and almost starved!!!:eek: When I asked her why, she said that they are beef and rice kind of people! Some people complained that service wasn't friendly, when I remember they had waiters even in buffets carrying your plates and drinks and moving chairs for you. Some people complained about topless sunbathers on the beach...Hello it's European resort, etc.

Some people are BORN TO COMPLAIN! Take everything with a grain of salt.

And yes...last year I read how service on Celebrity declined, food being awfull and such ...I felt completely pampered during 7 days on Century.;)