ms Volendam

The 1999-built MS Volendam cruise ship is the 2nd Rotterdam/R-class Holland America liner, with sistership ms Zaandam (fleetmate), and also ms Rotterdam (now Fred Olsen Borealis) and ms Amsterdam (now Fred Olsen Bolette).

The vessel (IMO number 9156515) is currently Netherlands-flagged (MMSI 245968000) and registered in Rotterdam.

History - construction and ownership

Holland America Line (HAL) is a Seattle-based cruise company owned by Carnival Corporation (shipowner). Between 1873-1989, HAL was a Dutch cargo and passenger shipping company operating regular Transatlantic crossings between Holland and the Americas. HAL was founded in 1873 as "Dutch-American Steamship Company" headquartered in Rotterdam Netherlands. In 1989, HAL was acquired by Carnival Corporation for around EUR 530 million. Among the company's assets are the Westmark hotel chain (Alaska-Yukon), Worldwide Shore Services (warehouses-logistics) and Half Moon Cay (Caribbean private island).

When the 1500-passenger ship Volendam (named after the Dutch city Edam-Volendam) debuted in 1999, she had the fleet's highest capacity and the first to have a dedicated Internet center (with 8x satellite-connected computer stations). Going back on the Colonial past of its Dutch roots, HAL has made it a practice during the years to hire Indonesian crew, touting their amiability and efficiency. There had been some solicitude about visa renewals for the Indonesians, but those problems seem to have straightened themselves out. Service staff are mainly Indonesian and Filipino. Most of the officers are European, mainly from Holland. There is one notable difference aboard Volendam, and this is the manner in which the crew members welcome and accommodate cruisers with physical challenges. Careful and genuinely caring, crew members help the passengers in wheelchairs and those with predicament walking when required, and there is never a sense of impatience or rushing. There are thirty wheelchairs onboard for passenger use.

Decks and Cabins

MS Volendam staterooms (716 total, in 26 grades) include 197 Suites, no Balconies, 383 Oceanviews, 21 Lanai, 136 Inside cabins. Most staterooms are sized 175-255 ft2 / 16-24 m2). Around 30% of all accommodations have step-out balconies. Wheelchair-accessible rooms are 23. The largest accommodations are the Pinnacle Suites (940 ft2 / 87 m2, with terrace sized 190 ft2 / 18 m2).

The boat has 10 passenger decks, of which 5 are with cabins.

Implemented fleetwide in 2019, "Club Orange" program provides exclusive amenities to Suite passengers booked in categories Neptune and Pinnacle. Bonus perks by this program include:

• priority services (check-in, disembarkation, tendering, dining reservations)
• 24-hour concierge service (assistance, information, reservations)
• exclusive dining venue (serving complimentary Pinnacle Grill breakfast and Dining Room dinner, plus exclusive dishes)
• dedicated Concierge Desk (Guest Services and Tours)
• room service (a la carte breakfast menu with complimentary gourmet dishes - including smoked salmon, steak and eggs)
• sparkling wine (embarkation day), Club Orange tote bag, premium bathrobes (cabin use, available for monogramming and purchasing).
• Club Orange Restaurant is part of the Main Dining Room (designed as separate VIP dining section).

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Dining options on ms Volendam are plentiful and range from early morning continental breakfast to Indonesian-themed midnight buffet. Apart from regular restaurant service, hungry guests will also find afternoon tea, 24-hour room service and a pizza/hot dog/hamburger/taco/fajita station near the Lido pool (it's self-serve, from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Special diets, from diabetic to Kosher and low-carb, are easily accommodated, but advance notice is required. The 2-story Rotterdam Restaurant (ship's Main Dining Room), is located aft and surrounded with windows. It serves open-seating breakfast and lunch and features plenty of small tables for passengers who prefer to dine a deux. MS Rotterdam also provides a 22-dish, vegetarian menu for lunch and dinner, consisting of salads, soups, entrees and appetizers. Options include dishes like Vietnamese vegetable spring rolls, portobello mushroom and chipotle quesadillas, spicy lentil and garbanzo salad.

Follows the complete list of ms Volendam restaurants and food bars.

• Pinnacle Grill (84-seat reservations-only seafood/steakhouse restaurant with fine wines selection; free for passengers under 12 yo). The venue transforms into “An Evening at le Cirque” once per cruise via a partnership with NYC “Le Cirque” French restaurant.
• Rotterdam Restaurant (792-seat, aft Dining Room; features open seating Breakfast and Lunch, two Dinner options – 2 fixed seatings or “Any Time” dining between 5:15 p.m. - 9 p.m. 
• King’s Room (Rotterdam restaurant annexe, reservations-only; for private dining)
• Terrace Grill (fast food pool bar; complimentary)
• Lido Restaurant (394-seat complimentary buffet restaurant; offers self-service Breakfast 6:00 a.m. -11 a.m., Lunch 11:30 p.m. - 2 p.m., Afternoon Tea, and Dinner 5:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.)
• Canaletto Restaurant (Lido Restaurant annexe; operates as an Italian restaurant for Dinner, reservations required).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The entertainment on ms Volendam is quite diverse, with nightly shows in the 574-seat, 2-tiered Frans Hals lounge (featuring HAL's Dancing With the Stars at Sea - guests volunteer to be partnered with dancers from ship's production staff and perform during the final show on the last night of sailing). Frans Hals is also the setting for the Marriage Game and a magician show. Instead of Broadway-style production shows, Volendam's dancers and singers put together a series of country and pop song revues. A perennial favourite of Holland America Line is the crew show, featuring folkloric presentations from the countries of these hard workers. Other amenities include: complimentary 24-Hour Room-Service, Supervised Kids Program ("Club Hal"), cruise ship weddings, Internet/WiFi Access, Laundry/Self-Serve Laundromats.

Follows the complete list of ms Volendam lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• Atrium (3-deck high midship open-floor area with live performances)
• Promenade Deck, Walking Track (jogging is not permitted)
• Frans Hals Lounge (574-seat theatre/main show lounge; also serves Holland America’s enrichment program (via a partnership with BBC Earth)
• Queen’s Room (34-seat meeting room; hosts digital workshops via Microsoft partnership, computer classes, social networks, blogging, photo editing)
• Photo Gallery & Shop; Art Gallery
• Wine Tasting Bar, Gourmet Shops (bottles available for purchasing, wine sampling)
• Wajang Theatre & Culinary Arts Centre (124-seat cinema; offers culinary classes and cooking shows presented in demonstration kitchens)
• Atrium Terrace with boutiques; Atrium Shops (boutiques for duty-free tobaccos and liquor, perfumes, watches, clothing, HAL logo merchandise, souvenirs); Marabella Luxury Shop
• Ocean Bar (104-seat Atrium bar and lounge, with dance floor and stage for live performances)
• Casino (served by Casino Bar)
• Piano bar (84-seat)
• Hudson Room (50-seat meeting room; used as Cards Room)
• Explorations Cafe (65-seat speciality coffee bar and patisserie; also serves as ship’s Library and Online Centre/Internet computers room)
• Explorer’s Lounge & Bar (94-seat lounge with bar; classical concert performances)
• Neptune Lounge (22-seat club venue for Deluxe Suite and Pinnacle guests only)
• Fitness Center (gym with separate Aerobics Room); 2 jacuzzis
• Greenhouse Spa & Salon; Lido Pool area, served by Lido Bar and Terrace Grill; Sea View Pool area served by Sea View Bar
• Crow’s Nest (220-seat observation lounge; bar and dance floor; becomes disco at night)
• Tennis Court; Basketball Court; Shuffleboard
• Club HAL (kids lounge, complimentary youth programming)
• The Loft (teens club lounge area, with Video Games Arcade, computers, PlayStations; teen disco)
• The Oasis (40-seat teen-only outdoor area)

Since 2023, all HAL ships have pickleball courts (installed on the top deck) operated via an exclusive partnership with PPA-Professional Pickleball Association. HAL also offers complimentary beginner lessons (led by onboard instructors), sells branded pickleball starter kits (at the ship's retail shops) and Play Pickleball tutorial videos are included in the cabin TV programming.

Itineraries

MS Volendam itinerary program is based on Caribbean voyages out of homeport Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) Florida USA.

Holland America is among the few companies that offer partial Panama Canal cruises that combine popular Caribbean islands with Panama's Gatun Lake. The itinerary's "Panama Canal" segment includes passing through the Gatun Locks and scenic cruising in the Gatun Lake.

Next table shows HAL's "Panama Canal Sunfarer" itinerary (11-day roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale).

Volendam's schedule 2022 was planned to restart in January with the 74-day World Cruise (Grand South America and Antarctica Voyage) leaving roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale. The program also included European itineraries (Baltic and Mediterranean) leaving, respectively, from homeports Rotterdam (Holland) and Venice (Italy).

However, due to the Coronavirus crisis, the ship was initially paused for 2+ years (March 2020 thru May 2022) and "World Cruise 2022" was canceled. Operations were scheduled to restart on May 15, 2022, with Europe-Baltic itineraries (from Rotterdam Holland), followed by a mini-Mediterranean season from Venice Italy (fall), Caribbean and South America (from Fort Lauderdale) and in 2023 - Alaska (7-day from Vancouver BC Canada). However, after HAL chartered Volendam for 5 months (May thru September 2022) to serve as a hotel ship for Ukrainian refugees, the ship's restart was postponed for Sept 24th (Holy Land roundtrip from Venice).

For 2025 HAL scheduled its ever-first "Pole-to-Pole" Grand World Voyage (on Volendam) leaving roundtrip from Port Everglades on January 25th. The 133-day itinerary visits 68 ports in 28 countries (5 continents). Destinations include a full Panama Canal transit, South America/Amazon River, Iceland and Greenland, the European Arctic (North Cape), Antarctica, Australia.

Named after Volendam Holland (small town in North Holland), Volendam is HAL-Holland America's 2nd R-class liner, with sisterships Amsterdam (Fred Olsen Bolette), Rotterdam (Fred Olsen Borealis), Zaandam. Volendam's Inaugural Cruise/Maiden Voyage was on November 12, 1999. The boat's Godmother was Christine Marie Evert (aka Chris Evert Lloyd ) - 1954-born pro tennis player.

The liner's interior design theme is flowers - fresh flowers and all kinds of floral motifs can be found throughout its public areas (fabrics, tapestries, huge vases) and also in staterooms. In its Atrium area, HAL cruise ship Volendam has a 3-story high multicolored glass sculpture (by L.Vistosi). This HAL ship's art collection includes pre-Columbian artifacts and also authentic Renaissance fountains from Italy.

2013 was when the Volendam ship for the first time included in its itinerary program Kangaroo Island, Australia - the country's 3rd largest island (after Tasmania and Melville).

In late-January 2021, HAL opened for booking three World Cruises leaving roundtrip from Florida USA - two on Zaandam (Africa Voyage 2022 and World Voyage 2022) and one on Volendam (South America and Antarctica 2023).

Early-booking promo bonuses include prepaid gratuities, unlimited luggage delivery (to/from Fort Lauderdale only, Suites-only), welcome gifts (1x bottle of sparkling wine), 1x complimentary shore excursion, Signature Internet Package (4000 minutes pp), in-cabin minibar drinks (4x bottles/suites-only), complimentary laundry-dry cleaning-pressing (Suites-only). Guests who paid in full by June 1st (the voyage's year) also received 3% discount pricing on the fare.

Grand World Voyage 2025 (Pole-to-Pole)

In April 2023 was announced HAL's first "Pole-to-Pole" World Voyage (on Volendam) leaving roundtrip from Port Everglades on January 25th (2025).

Curiously, the pole-to-pole voyage runs simultaneously with MS Zuiderdam's "Grand World Voyage 2025" (124-day itinerary), both are roundtrips from Florida USA (Port Everglades/Fort Lauderdale) and both depart in January 2025.

Volendam's 133-day "Pole-to-Pole Grand Voyage 2025" visits 68 ports (28 countries/5 continents). The south-north-south route features a Panama Canal transit, navigation along South America's west coast to Antarctica and the Falklands, then up and along South America's east coast (Argentina and Brazil/including cruising on Amazon River). Follows a Transatlantic crossing to Africa, northbound to Europe and up to Norway's Nordkapp/North Cape and the Norwegian Fjords, then westbound (crossing again the Atlantic Ocean) and via Iceland and Greenland back to North America/USA.

To book the unique itineraries customers were required to contact HAL's World Cruise Reservations Desk or a travel agent, starting from April 20th (2023). Customers with a deposited Future Cruise Request got priority booking confirmation before these voyages which were officially open to the public on May 24th (2023).

Grand Voyage 2024 (Australia and New Zealand)

In Sept 2022 HAL announced the 94-day "Grand Australia and New Zealand Voyage 2024" (San Diego CA USA roundtrip on MS Volendam) departing on January 3, 2024.

The 3-month-long Australian expedition features 43x total call ports, two Transpacific crossings (via Hawaii), visiting Indonesia's Komodo Island, cruising the Great Barrier Reef (2x days), 4x overnight port stays (Fremantle-Perth, Sydney NSW, Auckland NZ, Papeete Tahiti), 2x late-evening departures (Brisbane QLD, Honolulu Hawaii), cruising NZ's Fiordland NP (Milford Sound), 16x South Pacific island visits.

GRAND VOYAGE 2024 includes two shorter itinerary segments available for booking - 58-day San Diego to Sydney NSW (USA-Australia), and the return 36-day Sydney to San Diego (Australia-USA).

All full 94-day itinerary bookings made by June 1, 2023, receive 3% savings (off the cruise-only fare) and amenities valued at up to US$4770 per person.

Grand Voyage 2023 (South America and Antarctica)

MS Volendam's 74-day Around South America cruise departs on January 3, 2023, roundtrip from Florida USA (Fort Lauderdale). The itinerary visits 16 countries (a total of 34 ports) including in the Caribbean (Caymans, Costa Rica, Panama, Barbados, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Bahamas). Special destinations include the Galapagos Islands, Antarctica, Falklands UK, Chilean Fjords-Patagonia, Magellan Strait (passage).

The voyage offers 5 overnight port stays - in Panama City (Port Fuerte Amador), Manaus, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires (2-nights) and Callao-Lima (2-nights).

Full "Grand South America and Antarctica" early bookings (made by June 1st/2021 or 2022) received up to USD 4070 pp in OBC (onboard credit) ranging from $500 (oceanview cabins) to $1000 (Pinnacle Suite).

Grand Voyage 2022 (South America and Antarctica/canceled)

The next table shows the planned for 2021 "Around South America and Antarctica" itinerary (74 days) leaving roundtrip from Florida USA. However, this voyage was canceled as the ship's pause was extended thru May 2022.

Prices started from USD 9600 per person with double occupancy.