Live from Volendam! May 9-16 Alaska Inside Passage from Vancouver

[puppycanducruise]

Welcome back to the real world.

Hope you're already planning another cruise.

Thanks for taking us along - it's been wonderful cruising with you.

[madera1]

Just finished reading all of your reports and sounds like you had a wonderful vacation. Hope things settle down for you at work.

[bellebaby]

Thanks for your live report. The Volendam was our first HAL sailing in Alaska. Many fond memories.

 

Just wondering... how did it work out having everyone in a Neptune Suite vs. two OV cabins? Pros and cons, I assume. Would you make the same choice again?

 

B

[dmsll]

Following!

 

 

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[jodaytona]

getting excited leaving on the Volendam June 13 cant wait to meet some you cruisers

[jodaytona]

Hi since you live in Vancouver what are the must do's for vacationers? do you have uber there? how much is transportation to cruise line? Thanks

[jodaytona]

so looking forward to your excursions and Alaska info!

[Kesstral]

Thanks for your live report. The Volendam was our first HAL sailing in Alaska. Many fond memories.

 

Just wondering... how did it work out having everyone in a Neptune Suite vs. two OV cabins? Pros and cons, I assume. Would you make the same choice again?

 

B

Here's a photo of the room with the sofa bed made up. I used some magnets and command hooks (only the ceiling is magnetic fyi) to hang a fabric shower curtain between the two beds and it worked well to give some privacy. (I thought I took a picture but can't seem to find it)

 

I've had connecting cabins before when we sailed with my mom and brother (on Zaandam) so I already had an idea how those rooms were going to work. My only concern originally was what if my daughter woke up at night and would we have to leave the connecting door open, etc.

 

By having us all in the same room I was able to tend to my daughter when she woke up. This really only happened on the first night because my mom complained about the quality of the sofa bed and that my daughter flops around a lot so she was woken up often. We were able to have a memory foam topper added to the bed which helped my mom's hips tremendously. For the remaining 6 nights of the cruise we had our daughter sleep in between my husband and I as the bed in the Neptune suite is king sized rather than queen (she was spoiled as we never let her spend the night in our bed at home although I've spent many hours in hers). While sleeping with us she actually slept through the night so I got a better sleep.

 

I found the room itself big enough to allow everyone space to move around and be comfortable. There was a dressing room between the bathroom and the cabin so we could get changed privately.

 

I think it worked out for us to accept the suite. A standard balcony room would have been too small and I would not have wanted to combine "families" in that little space. The extra amenities that came along with the suite definitely helped as well. I will admit my husband was not pleased with the idea of sharing a room with my mother although he says now that it was fine.

 

If the 4 of us were to travel again I would not go out of my way to book a Neptune suite (would still opt for 2 OV/balcony rooms) unless it was cheaper than 2 rooms for 4 people.

That being said my mom and husband say they are both spoiled now having experienced a suite. My husband loved the Neptune lounge and spent many hours reading in there. I've never had a balcony on an Alaskan cruise before and really appreciated the space to enjoy the scenery.

 

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[Kesstral]

Hi since you live in Vancouver what are the must do's for vacationers? do you have uber there? how much is transportation to cruise line? Thanks

There is no Uber in Vancouver yet.

I am not sure I can help with the cost question. I drove into town and paid to park at the terminal. Check out the West Coast Departures board, there is lots of info there on skytrain or taxi rates.

As for must do's that will probably depend on what you are interested in and how much time you have pre or post cruise.

 

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