Volendam

Orginally posted by : Jeanna Gouse

It was our 16th cruise and one of the very best. The Volendam is a beautiful mid-sized ship(about 1400 passengers). We love this size because you get to know the other passengers and don’t feel like a bunch of cattle. Our itinerary started in Ft. Lauderdale took us down to Grand Turk(great beach day) then to Cartagena(beautiful interesting city) then through the Panama Canal. Everyone should go there at least once. The ship provided a lecture series about the Canal which made it all the more interesting. The remaining ports we stopped at were along the Pacific coast of Central America & Mexico. All were differnet and very interesting, so the itinerary was wonderful.
The ship offers bigger than normal staterooms. Our oceanview room had a wonderful bed, a long sofa and a bathtub plus loads of closet space. It also had a flat screen TV. Entertainment was above average and the food was outstanding. Service was terrific without being intrusive. The only thing we has trouble with was room service for breakfast when everyone wanted their breakfast all at the same time. We never got ours & ended up going to the Lido to eat real quick before touring.
We’ll definitely go back to Holland America for cruising as they offer some of the best bargains at sea, plus real teak walking decks and a nice touch of elegance.
Jeanne Gouse