Best place for glacier viewing on the Volendam

My husband and I are going on a cruisetour with HAL and will be joining the Volendam at Skagway, midway through the cruise. Because we will only be on the ship four nights, we booked an inside cabin (7071) on the Navigation deck.

We will not have a chance to scope out the ship before Glacier Bay, the next day, and we want the best view, since it is our only glacier day.

So, where is the best viewing for glaciers on Volendam? We will have a deck on the aft of Navigation, but is the aft the best place, since you cannot see all around? What about the sky deck? It is on the tip top, but would it be so cold that you would regret it?

We will be there in the first few days of July.

IMHO the best place is the forward deck of the Verandah Deck. My second choice would be down on the bow, Lower Promenade forward where you can get the pea soup, but there you will be more likely to have heads in front of your camera angles. :)

Agree w/catl331 and would rotate between all three (including the secret aft deck on Navigation). For nice warm inside viewing there is also the Crows Nest, but it gets quite crowded. You could also park yourself for a time by the indoor Lido pool, lots of windows all the way around. We bundle up and brave the elements on the upper decks though, just because the panoramic views are so outstanding. Hat, hood or headband, lots of layers topped w/waterproof jacked which helps w/the wind and gloves are always a good idea. Enjoy the magic:D.

Your aft Navigation Deck is a good start. There should be some sheltered spots there, which could come in handy.

Two other places I highly recommend are aft Lido Deck, especially if you have a picture-pretty day, and Lower Promenade Deck.

On Lower Promenade you get a different perspective than higher decks give. It's also sheltered from rain (possible) and there are spots where you can be sheltered from the wind (also possible). There's a lot of railing space, so people are spread out. And it's easy to dash to the other side of the ship when it turns. :D

I'm with Ruth, I like the Lower Promenade and the aft Lido. I don't think you can go wrong with these areas for viewing. Have a great cruise...:)

Thank you. Since our room is right below the Lido, that might be a good choice for us. We can snag a few deck chairs early, and then if we need something from the room, it's just right below us.

Is there a certain side of the ship that we should be on for better viewing or will we see both sides from the Lido aft deck?

Going in and out of G.B. you can see both sides from the aft Lido deck, but when you're stopped at Margerie or Johns Hopkins glaciers, the aft is not the place to be IMHO. Usually the Capt will keep the glacier at about the 10:00 position most of the time at Margerie and 12:00 at Johns Hopkins, and the view from the aft will be poor.

Try and get to the bow of the ship - best viewing.

Try and get to the bow of the ship - best viewing.

My choice too!!

If it's a sunny day, go up to sports deck.

From there, take the stairs to Sky Deck above the Crows Nest.

At the front, there is a set of steps,(3 or 4 steps) to take unobstructed photos.

You may have to wait your turn to climb the steps for your photos:D

Going in and out of G.B. you can see both sides from the aft Lido deck, but when you're stopped at Margerie or Johns Hopkins glaciers, the aft is not the place to be IMHO. Usually the Capt will keep the glacier at about the 10:00 position most of the time at Margerie and 12:00 at Johns Hopkins, and the view from the aft will be poor.

In July you will not be going to johns Hopkins. You will stop and pause at jaw point, which is spectacular.

If you need a sheltered spot, try the gym! Floor to ceiling windows and a very small deck adjacent. There are few, if any, pax using it in GB. But my personal preference is the bow, ( and I stake a claim early).

Is it possible to sit on the bow, or do you have to stand? From the photos, it doesn't look like there are seats.

Sorry for these seemingly silly questions, I travel a lot, but this is my first cruise.

Is it possible to sit on the bow, or do you have to stand? From the photos, it doesn't look like there are seats.

 

Sorry for these seemingly silly questions, I travel a lot, but this is my first cruise.

There's no real place to sit when out on the bow. Sometimes there's a portion of the ship that sticks up, and one can squat down on that, but it's not at all comfortable.

It also gets very crowded and tight out there, and can be hard to see over the heads of others.

That's why I much prefer someplace like outside the gym (because you can go inside and sit), or Lower Promenade or aft on Lido. There's chairs there! :)

There's no real place to sit when out on the bow.

Aren't there two wooden benches out on the bow? I know: not the most comfortable seating. :)

It is cold in the glacier areas! Luckily HAL sent servers out to the aft deck with piping hot Dutch pea soup. Did I say it was cold? We ended up in the Crow's Nest for the rest of the day, the view was gorgeous. I might add that on our cruise (Zuiderdam) the Captain turned the ship around to go back and see 7 bears eating off a dead whale carcass on shore. Unbelievable, but cold on deck) day in Glacier Bay.

[/color][/size][/font]Aren't there two wooden benches out on the bow? I know: not the most comfortable seating. :)

Not that I recall on the ships where I have gone out to the bow. Had there been benches on the Rotterdam I think I would remember, as I spent hours out there sailing the Stockholm Archepeligo, and when in Antarctica. I did find some place to sit down, and it wasn't a bench.

I do recall benches on forward decks on Vista/Signature ships. But I never went to the bow on those ships.

Maybe that's the difference? Our experiences on different ships?

What about the little deck that is forward on the Verandah deck (Deck 6)? That looks good, too.

We've got an aft corner suite. I was wondering if it would be best (and without crowds) to view from our room balcony. Or should we wonder up for the pea soup and hot coco?

What about the little deck that is forward on the Verandah deck (Deck 6)? That looks good, too.

That's another really good place. :)

We've got an aft corner suite. I was wondering if it would be best (and without crowds) to view from our room balcony. Or should we wonder up for the pea soup and hot coco?

I'd recommend wandering forward, either to the bow or the top deck if you are sufficiently mobile. You get a much better " big picture" of the area.

I would start off the morning at the Crows Nest. Make sure you get your passport stamped by the ranger with the Glacier Bay Stamp. Also when you start into Glacier Bay and exit it is some of the best whale watching of the entire cruise. When you get closer into the start of the bay the rangers will be looking for bears on the beaches. Ask the rangers to mark up the map the stewards will leave in your stateroom the night before for areas where to look for sea otters, seals, puffins, eagles. Walk around the ship throughout the day and take in the beauty of Glacier Bay from the different decks. Also, on Glacier Bay besides the pea soup, we had a great buffet for lunch on the Lido Deck. It was all types of Alaskan sea food.Also, take time to attend one of the rangers talks in the theater. They are worth the time and they schedule them so you don't miss the main sites ofGlacier Bay. If your primarily interested in seeing wildlife like I was, ask them where and what times and be on the outside decks because when they spot widlife they will point them out.

What about the little deck that is forward on the Verandah deck (Deck 6)? That looks good, too.

It is cold in the glacier areas! Luckily HAL sent servers out to the aft deck with piping hot Dutch pea soup.

They also served it around the Promenade deck on the Amsterdam. I think also on the bow but can't recall 100%.

Not that I recall on the ships where I have gone out to the bow. Had there been benches on the Rotterdam I think I would remember, as I spent hours out there sailing the Stockholm Archepeligo, and when in Antarctica. I did find some place to sit down, and it wasn't a bench.

 

I do recall benches on forward decks on Vista/Signature ships. But I never went to the bow on those ships.

Maybe that's the difference? Our experiences on different ships?

I have only sailed on the Amsterdam and bigger.

The Amsterdam didn;t have benches on our 2007 cruise:

This shows benches on the Veendam:

I know the topic of this thread is the Volendam, but benches on other ships have come up. When we were on Oosterdam last year, there were only a few places to sit on the bow. I recall one bench by the door where we got onto the bow, but it was wet, so I don't remember anyone sitting out there. I found a hatch/compartment up near the bell where we sat for a while entering Glacier Bay.