Volendam and Zaandam - are there any positive reviews?

[spleenstomper]

I have major sleep issues so I do suspect I would do very well in an inside cabin. 
 

We do use our balconies a TON though. Definitely get our money’s worth, 

[R'man]

20 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

I always wonder if that is what people claim is so offensive about these beloved older HAL ships - or what they claim are 'signs of wear".  Be prepared to see it - it comes with the terrirtory.

 

I suppose that means be prepared for human waste spilling in the hallway from a plumbing blowout with repairs taking days.  Or, a burst water pipe flooding yours and a dozen other cabins in the middle of the night.  These and other such events happened on Volendam during its recent South America Grand Voyage - I was there.  All are related to the age of the vessels.  In both cases full repairs were delayed by not having repair parts on board.  As the chief engineer explained, there is no store of these obsolete parts.  They require fabrication. 

 

Among the more mundane, newly installed drink dispensers in the Lido go unused for reasons unknown.  But, the carpets have just been refreshed, protected by numerous buckets catching the drips from the ceiling.  I say these things after 74 days aboard Volendam, and a week aboard Zuiderdam that was so bad the CD apologized from the stage.  These ships are each over 20 years old and their mechanical conditions show every year of it.

 

People come here looking for honest answers to their questions, not "It's all great" when it's not.  Right now, based on my very recent 81 days of combined HAL cruising, I say it's not.  That said, if the itinerary is what the poster is drawn to, ignore the ship's shortcomings and spend time enjoying the places one will visit.  (BTW: We will be aboard for this voyage out of Boston in '24.  We have our eyes open and expectations set accordingly.)

[weeislayman]

It all depends on what floats your boat.

New, big, glitzy, they are not, that's for sure.  They don't have many balconies, and their short supply pushes up the prices.

That said, having just spent 35 days on the Volendam, I am reminded of how much I enjoy being on that class of ship.  My wife and I enjoy the unique itineraries that HAL offers...and these have often been on the wee boats.

Having a proper walking deck is great, unlike the maze that is on the likes of the K-dam.

The wee community that  grows among the lanai people, and of course, that ability to go to places that don't allow big ships.

When HAL does finally get rid of these 2 ships, I'm not sure that we will hang around.  Maybe look to Azamara or the like...

So, it depends on what your priorities are.......

[Cruisin Kay D]

6 of our 12 cruises on HAL have been on the smaller ships (Veendam, Maasdam, old Statendam, Volendam) for over 80 days.    The other 6 cruises on larger ships, 7 weeks, 50 days.    For us, great disappointment that Veendam, Maasdam, & old Statendam were sold!   What's left is Zaandam & Volendam....so nice to sail on!   We especially like the Oceanview cabins on Lower Promenade, where you can take just a few steps and be outside on the exterior walking deck.....not private but a wonderful community balcony!!  On these smaller ships, sometimes we try to get an Upgrade or Upsell, but this time we took the Have It All  (We like to drink - haha)....

(Every other cruise on HA, Princess, Celebrity or RC, we only book Balcony cabins.)

Edited April 7, 2023 by Cruisin Kay D

[OlsSalt]

Yes, you can run into cranky plumbing, balky A/C, and occasional drip buckets in the Lido when allegedly high humidity condensation starts coming down from the retractable glass roof. 

 

Yes, that too comes with the territory - had them all happened, but always felt these were part of the bargain being on board any ship. Since we mainly sail the older ones.  They do works as best they can to correct things and yes sometimes this does ask for an accommodation on our part temporarily..

 

Passengers continue to stuff things down toilets thet do not belong.  Outside high temperatures, particularly in the tropics, do stress more modern room chill demands.

 

If this will ruin your trip, then by all means stay away from these ships. They never ruined ours. Thanks for the reminder of what must be our higher tolerance level,  when ship happens. Our biggest concern has always been the itinerary, so we just let that other stuff go.

[Gsel]

I also love the smaller ships.  Our first HAL cruise was on the Madam and I fell in love! They seem "friendly" and more relaxed. Yes, they can go into ports that cannot accept large ships.  Give me peace and quiet over crowds of thousands any day.

[gregma60]

4 minutes ago, Gsel said:

Give me peace and quiet over crowds of thousands any day.

This is why we chose the Volendam for our 1st ever cruise.  Smaller ship, more peace and quiet (hopefully.)

 

-gregma

[Seaspartan]

I posted a review of the Volendam in the cruise review section. We just finished a 14 day cruise on the Volendam. We have been on dozens of cruises over the past 30 years and this is our impression of this particular cruise. Some of the review is good, some not so good- it’s just our honest opinion. Hope this helps other cruisers make an informed decision.  

[Mary229]

10 minutes ago, Seaspartan said:

I posted a review of the Volendam in the cruise review section. We just finished a 14 day cruise on the Volendam. We have been on dozens of cruises over the past 30 years and this is our impression of this particular cruise. Some of the review is good, some not so good- it’s just our honest opinion. Hope this helps other cruisers make an informed decision.  

Could you give a link?  Cruise Critic has changed the search features where it makes it difficult to find a member’s reviews specifically 

[Seaspartan]

when I went to look for it I couldn’t find it either. Here is the review. 
 

The Cruisers:  we are a retired professional couple around age 70, having cruised for more than 30 years on Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Viking, and Princess (Elite status).  We felt we were aging out of Princess and thought this would be a good time to try HAL.  We sailed on a 14 day Caribbean cruise (10 ports)on the Volendam 3/18/23 to 4/1/23.

 

The Ship: the Volendam is an older ship that was updated in 2019 and is beautiful.  The carpets, furniture, and draperies appear new and were all lovely. It is a small ship which makes it easy to navigate. A pleasant surprise was that we rarely waited for an elevator and they were not crowded. We also were always able to find sun loungers and they were not crowded together. The Crow’s Nest providing panoramic views was a favorite location for pre-dinner drinks.

 

Stateroom 2530:  we have always sailed in a balcony cabin or a suite. We found a great deal on an inside cabin and decided to try it since this cruise had 10 ports in 14 days. The cabin was very clean and actually quite spacious with a queen bed, full-size sofa, desk and chair as pictured on the HAL website. There was plenty of storage. It was a bit dreary though as the carpet and sofa are dark brown, the walls a beige color, and the light bulbs a yellow glow. The mattress was very hard and the pillows were lumpy, spongey things. This was not the  “Signature Mariners Dream bed with a plush Euro-Top mattress” as described on the website. The bathroom shower was tiny and enclosed by a shower curtain that wrapped around you while showering.  We did notice the ocean view rooms across the hall had glass enclosed showers. The curtains pictured are decorative only and could not be drawn to close off the bed from the sitting room.  We were pleased to find that we did not at all mind the location of the inside cabin since it was large and we spent most days in port.

 

The Dining Experience: we ate in the main dining room, the Lido buffet, and the burger/nacho bar; we did not try the specialty restaurants. The burger/nacho bar had tasty food with a good assortment of toppings.  We usually waited 20 to 30 minutes for a hamburger or hot dog; you’re given a pager to let you know when your food is ready.

The Lido buffet was always very busy. It was well staffed at breakfast and there were many selections for food - much of it cooked to order. Lunch and dinner had fewer staff, longer wait times, a significant number of dirty tables, and drinks (coffee, tea, & water) were pretty much self serve. Food was served to you by friendly staff, however much of it was in beat up looking pots and pans sitting on hot plates- not very appealing. The food was OK but not great.  The pizza looked like what I would find in my fridge on Sunday morning, the salad bar was the highlight with lots of choices. My husband enjoyed the hand-dipped ice cream as an afternoon snack.

 

We ate in the main dining room only for dinner. It was an unmitigated disaster. We had anytime dining. The second night was dressy night and at 6:15 we waited 30 minutes in line, were handed a pager and waited another 35 minutes to be seated at a shared table. The center section of the dining room was empty with the lights turned off. When the waiter came to the table he introduced himself and asked for our orders - including dessert. He did not take a drink order. When salads were delivered we had to ask for drinks. Dinner took about an hour and 20, we were not offered additional drinks nor were we offered coffee with dessert.

 

The next day I went to the dining room at the end of lunch service, explained that I was new to HAL, couldn’t get the HAL App to work, and wanted to make dinner reservations for the remainder of the cruise. The hostess told me there were no reservations available for that night and directed me to the telephone reservation system. She had no interest in helping me or answering my questions - I was the only person standing in front of her. When I called the reservation line I was told any future reservations would have to be at 5:00 or 8:30. The remainder of the cruise we arrived about 7:00,  requested a table for two and experienced:

-we had to wait every night but one, often given a pager with about a 20 minute wait; this would not be a big deal but the dining room was never more than 2/3rds full with plenty of vacant tables for 2

-we were never seated in the section of the waiter we requested, even though there were tables available in his section

-only twice were we not seated right next to a waiter’s service station, even though there were tables for 2 available throughout the dining room (When you arrive the hostess asks for your cabin number. We joked that our inside cabin and 0*Mariner status was working against us.)

-the waiter poured the first glass of wine & we poured any refills, frequently the white wine bottle was left on the table rather than put in a cooler

-coffee with dessert was rarely offered and sometimes not delivered when requested

-the soups were very good, the salads creative, and the desserts worth the calories, the entrees were just OK

 

The Entertainment: the EXC Talks were offered on afternoons of sea days and were interesting (think TED Talks), trivia was offered multiple times a day but we did not attend, we enjoyed listening to the dance band and the piano player in the bars.  The World Stage entertainment included 2 comedians (1 funny & 1 not), Cantare singers- 4 guys singing to a recorded sound track (they were enjoyable but it was basically karaoke on steroids), Susan O. Davis played piano along with a recorded sound track and sang Carol King songs (she was the best of the entertainers), and the Step One Dance Company. There was no live music on deck, not at sail away from Ft. Lauderdale nor on sea days. We felt the entertainment was low budget compared to other cruise lines.

 

To Sum It Up: HAL won’t be our new go-to cruise line. We loved the Volendam ship; small, beautiful, easy to navigate.  The itinerary was very enjoyable 10 ports in 14 days. Although we love the concept of anytime dining, it doesn’t seem to work here and recommend choosing early or late seating. The dining room service issues appear to be a staffing problem.  Maybe a cost cutting measure by HAL? We were on a 14 day cruise on a different line in September and experienced great service in both the buffet and dining room. The stores were stocked with desirable items and the walk around promenade deck was a plus.

[Mary229]

19 minutes ago, Seaspartan said:

Although we love the concept of anytime dining, it doesn’t seem to work here and recommend choosing early or late seating. The dining room service issues appear to be a staffing problem. 

I don’t think staffing is the issue, it is your fellow cruisers.  They are having a lot of people signing up for fixed dining and not showing up - ever. Still the wait staff has to be assigned as if they were to show up.  I have experienced this on other HAL ships.  I don’t know the solution but I agree until it is fixed I will be using fixed dining.  Fixed dining is still an excellent experience if you can abide with the set times.   Thanks for your review.  Yuk on the shower curtain 

[OlsSalt]

Fixed dining is always the best option for us. Not sure what the advantage is over as you wish dining, when it appears it is never as you wish. Two fixed dining times - take them or leave them, but a least you know your table will be staffed properly, with no waits.

 

Two hours fixed dining time are part of old HAL mythology from years past. Easily in and out in an hour and yes, it does not include making a desert selection up front. Think of the increased efficiencies of this. 

 

You want to dine at 7pm, but if you need to wait an hour anyway (half hour in line and half hour on the pager),  what is the net gain of exactly what over 8pm fixed dining. 

 

There must be stats now to see if there is any overall advantage between fixed and "as you will wait anyway" dining.

 

The ldea was immensely popular when introduced, but the execution and effective passenger participation in this "freedom" may well be lacking after its lengthy trial run (As reported above - when too many make AYW reservations and then ignore them?)

 

Complaints about fixed dining vs complaints about As You Wish  Dining. What is corporate ever to do when you can't win and you always lose.

 

Zut alors!

[FreesiaE]

Human waste? Ugh, I’m so sorry it was so gross. That’s really unacceptable. 

[DaveOKC]

I think that part of the OP's dining problem is trying to be seated at 7 PM, a peak time.  We generally go at 5:30 and never had a wait over the past 10 cruises (using OPEN dining).  While Foxed time is nice, we go several times per cruise to the Specialty options and hate to cause an open seat at the Fixed table, whereas others could be using it.  

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, DaveOKC said:

I think that part of the OP's dining problem is trying to be seated at 7 PM, a peak time.  We generally go at 5:30 and never had a wait over the past 10 cruises (using OPEN dining).  While Foxed time is nice, we go several times per cruise to the Specialty options and hate to cause an open seat at the Fixed table, whereas others could be using it.  

I simply let my waitstaff know 24 hours in advance then they can use my table for anytime diners. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

8 hours ago, Mary229 said:

I don’t think staffing is the issue, it is your fellow cruisers.  They are having a lot of people signing up for fixed dining and not showing up - ever. Still the wait staff has to be assigned as if they were to show up.  I have experienced this on other HAL ships.  I don’t know the solution but I agree until it is fixed I will be using fixed dining.  Fixed dining is still an excellent experience if you can abide with the set times.   Thanks for your review.  Yuk on the shower curtain 

 

One couple at our early, fixed dining table for 8, were missing for a few nights. When they came back, they said that they had "wanted to eat a little later" for a few nights, so they did open dining. I was surprised they could do that, as I thought HAL didn't let allow it since it stresses the system to have people essentially taking two tables. 

[OlsSalt]

4 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

I think that part of the OP's dining problem is trying to be seated at 7 PM, a peak time.  We generally go at 5:30 and never had a wait over the past 10 cruises (using OPEN dining).  While Foxed time is nice, we go several times per cruise to the Specialty options and hate to cause an open seat at the Fixed table, whereas others could be using it.  

 

The MDR managers seem to know if you have a competing speciality reservation at the same  time and will not be using your fixed dining table.  (Linked reservation online?)

 

Then do make some of the upper fixed dining tables available to the "as you wish diners" -the two tops,  or other larger tables that may end up being empty anyway.  After a respectable waiting time to make sure you are not showing up. 

 

The late fixed dining thins out after the first few nights, as people do find other venues if the late fixed does to suit them as a permanent arrangement. It is nice to hear you care about any fixed dining vacancies you might leave, particularly if you have tablemates.

 

We always tell our waiter if we will not be there the following night. But sometime, we just don't show up anyway - too full from port, or whatever. 

[RuthC]

35 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

One couple at our early, fixed dining table for 8, were missing for a few nights. When they came back, they said that they had "wanted to eat a little later" for a few nights, so they did open dining.

I would have had a hard time being very welcoming to them. The very least they could have done was stopped by the table, or sent a message to those waiting for them, that they would not be coming and please don't wait for them. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

7 minutes ago, RuthC said:

I would have had a hard time being very welcoming to them. The very least they could have done was stopped by the table, or sent a message to those waiting for them, that they would not be coming and please don't wait for them. 

 

Because they weren't there every night, they didn't mesh well. You know how conversations begin one night and get picked up later? They weren't good at jumping in when the rest of us had already found things in common. 

[RuthC]

14 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Because they weren't there every night, they didn't mesh well. You know how conversations begin one night and get picked up later? They weren't good at jumping in when the rest of us had already found things in common. 

I understand that. 

One cruise on the Prinsendam, table set for 7, one couple didn't come the first night, but the Dining Room Manager brought another couple who had a problem with their being assigned correctly. He asked if they could sit there tonight and he would fix everything the next day. 
I knew these people! We had shared a table on the Prinsendam on a previous cruise, and had gotten along famously! So, I suggested that they just be assigned to our table and the people who didn't appear be reassigned. 
After all, as a group we would already be one day ahead of them in the bonding process. Everyone agreed and our table was all set for the next three weeks. 

Moral of the story: You snooze, you lose!