Volendam to Get Lanai Cabins and Mix Specialty Bars
When Holland America Line’s ms Volendam completes dry-dock in December 2014, guests will be wowed by the addition of 21 lanai staterooms that will make it more exciting to enjoy all of the ship’s scenic itineraries.
The ship also will be fitted with the open-concept Mix lounge and its three specialty bars: Martinis, Champagne or Spirits & Ales.
The 21 exclusive lanai staterooms will feature large sliding-glass doors and direct access to the Lower Promenade wrap-around walking deck. Each lanai stateroom will include reserved deck chairs, and the sliding-glass doors will feature a one-way mirrored coating to ensure privacy. Guests who have sailed on Maasdam, Rotterdam and Veendam may already have enjoyed the lanai expereince.
Richard Meadows, Holland America Line’s executive vice president of sales, marketing and guest relations, says lanai staterooms are an added bonus for a ship with such beautiful itineraries.
“Volendam’s itineraries in Alaska and other scenic parts of the world are ideal for direct promenade deck access and the enhanced views of the popular lanai layout. We’re also making other exciting enhancements to the ship, and adding Mix presents a stylish multi-themed venue for our guests to mingle and enjoy themselves.”
The Mix lounge will incorporate three specialty theme bars, and the hardest part will be deciding which one to try first.
Martinis is a perfect spot for enjoying a classic martini or a specialty concoction.
Guests who frequent Martinis can enjoy Holland America Line’s signature martini, the Yellow Tulip, a mixture of Grey Goose vodka, lychee juice, pineapple juice, guava juice, coconut cream and fresh lime juice. This bar will serve 19 special Grey Goose martinis elegantly offered in individual shakers as well as a full range of cocktails.
Toast to a special occasion at Champagne.
Or if you prefer bubbly, head to Champagne where you will have your choice of 20 champagnes and sparkling wines from around the world. Stop by for events such as champagne breakfast, pre-lunch Mimosa and Bellini hour, champagne tea time and pre-dinner champagne hour with caviar canapés.
The Spirits and Ales section of Mix.
If spirits and ales are more to your taste, head to the bar of the same name. With an international selection of beers and premium whiskeys and brandies, you will find exactly what you want at Spirits & Ales while enjoying a sporting event on the bar’s televisions.
Mix is currently found onboard Maasdam, Rotterdam, Ryndam, Statendam and Veendam.
Aside from the stateroom updates and addition of Mix, after dry-dock the ship also will feature updated bathrooms in all suites and select other stateroom categories.
Have you sailed in a lanai stateroom before? What did you like best about the deck access?
As part of the Volendam’s refit can you please ensure that the telephone system includes caller Identification on all stateroom telephones? The last night of our fantastic voyage was disrupted by the delivery of scrambled eggs, toast and orange juice at 12.58am. We were in a really deep sleep, having gone to bed early to ensure we were ready for the 14 hour flight home to Australia the following night. So this very wrong delivery was most unwelcome to say the least. I just keep repeating “it’s 12.58” to the poor steward who finally agreed with me most politely that it was indeed 12.58 and left us the meal. We were confused and just woken with my husband dashing for the bathroom to have a shower thinking it was our ordered early coffee when I finally established that the whole thing was a mistake and called room service to come and collect the tray. So install caller ID PLEASE so this doesn’t happen to any other of your guests. The only explanation we could would out was that the person who ordered the food was drunk and that our stateroom number of 7056 was misunderstood. Other than that our staff were fantastic and we had the most amazing time on the Volendam and would love to do it again. Regards Anne Robbie and Bruce Robbie sailed Vancouver 7th May 2014
I’ve traveled on the Veendam with the Lanai cabins and I think it’s horrible that the deck chairs are assigned to the cabins in front of the Lanai doors. Even though they weren’t used, the sign says “reserved.” It’s definitely not fair to the remaining passengers without verandahs. Unless I was desparate, I will sail on HAL ships without Lanai cabins!
I would certainly LOVE to give it a try.
I think it is a mixed blessing. At least those cabins (staterooms) with reserved deck chairs wont have people leaning on their windows smoking which is what happened to us when we went to see the midnight sun last year. Horrible.
We sailed on the Volendam Inaugural Alaska Cruise in 2000 my wife and I had adjoining rooms with my sister and her daughter with sundeck and we had an Amazing , Fantastic journey and loved every minute of it . The crews and service was the Best . We have always said that we would LOVE to do it again to Alaska and or do a Panama Canal Repositioning Cruise back to Vancouver .” HAL YOU ARE THE BEST” to me and our Family .
I like the lanais private as they once were.
I have sailed on several of your DAM ships with my husband, my daughters and sometimes my whole family. I find the Holland American ships the best in comfort and hospitality. We enjoyed the Westerdam most cruise. I am hoping to sail again sometime this year or early next year.
We usually book a verandah but I don’t know if I would like a Lanai cabin where you wouldn’t have your private deck…..people would be walking by all the time too. Each to their own, I guess.
We have had wonderful experiences on all of our Holland America Cruises! Sometimes people let one unusual occurrence spoil their vacation! Bring joy with you and enjoy life! Thanks for all the fun and great memories with our family! Looking forward to enjoying these new rooms!
Regret we haven’t yet had a lanai stateroom. We hope when we sale on THE 27 sept with the Rotterdam from Rotterdam to get. One.
Not sure how phone caller ID has anything to do with room service knocking on your door.
These cabins look very small and I wouldn’t want all those walkers and runners going by my door at 5AM
I prefer a mini-suite in a quiet area.
I do not like the Lania staterooms and will not request one. First is the privacy element. Second, the reserved deck chairs cause problems with people looking for seats on the deck. Even with the reserved signs, people have disregarded the signs when the seats on that side of the ship are needed. Third, it is certainly not as convenient as a verandah or balcony stateroom.
3 years ago, my wife and I sailed on the Rotterdam round the Baltic – we found the Lanai cabins much preferable to a Veranda cabin – with a veranda cabin you have tunnel vision when you stand up to the window, however it is the total opposite in a Lanai cabin – MUCH wider view. Plus it was much more friendlier when you stepped out onto the Promenade Deck with the other passengers exercising.
Champagne is good for me♡♡.
I, too, try to avoid ships with Lanai cabins. We enjoy sitting on the promenade deck even when we have a verandah, so do not appreciate the “reserved” chairs. And I surely do not want a cabin with a “public” verandah! I like to go out very early in my robe with coffee to enjoy the sunrise, but would never be comfortable doing that on the promenade deck. And for those of you who do have lanai cabins–be aware that at night, with lights on in the cabin you MUST close your drapes or you can be seen.
My husband and I just returned from a Ryndam cruise to the Norwegian Fjords. Our friends and we had adjacent staterooms on Lower Promenade deck. The one way glass is so effective that when our friends were knocking on their window to get our attention when we were on the deck, we could hear them but could not see into their cabin. The entertainment, service, food and itinerary were wonderful and we are looking forward to cruising in a Lanai cabin on our next cruise with reserved deck chairs. I liked being able to have access to photograph from both sides of the ship during the long sunrises and long sunsets in beautiful scenery and am looking forward to our next voyage.
Am
Am 81 years old and have cruised with HA Lines all my life. Am very partial as I worked in New York office when I was 20 years old. Attended many Maiden voyage parties, and I lo Ed working for HL. Those new balconies are really wonderful. Oh what I would give to be chosen. My boss was Mr Molenaar. What a lovely man.
What a disappointment on the Lanai Room refit!
Why ruin such a great ship with these. We have travelled so often having staterooms on the Lwr Prom and having to search for deck chairs that are not assigned/reserved for Lanai cabins.
You have done it with the Rotterdam, and look what has happened to the re fit there plus others. Go forward not back HAL
i would love to sail on your cruise ship.count me in………………lavance.
Sorry, posted a comment of the Veendam as a mistake should have been Volendam with it poor refit.
Why does Holland America continue to ruin what regular passengers like about it? One of the hallmarks of HAL was the traditional wrap-around Promenade Deck, an oasis of quiet solitude and commune with the sea. Now you’ve taken to blaring the same horrible “music” you have around the pools on the promenade deck, too, spoiling any chance of relaxation.. why should we be forced to listen to someone’s idea of “music” and now… you continue with the awful “Lanai” concept spoiling the deck for everyone. I honestly have just about given up on Holland America which is fast morphing into who owns it in the first place… Carnival Cruise Lines.
I sailed on the Volendam for the first time earlier this year from Japan to Canada. She is a beautiful ship, with a wonderful full Promenade Deck. I don’t mind the idea of some exisitng outside cabins being given “Lanai” doors to access the Promenade, however I don’t think that the deck chairs either side of the Lanai door should be reserved. This is another example of public space (the Promenade Deck) being turned into private space.
The Ocean Bar was one of our favourite spaces; I hope this Mix concept does not alter the Ocean Bar.
We’re booked again on Volendam next March, so we’ll see whether the changes are an improvement.
We traveled in July on Maasdam with a very large group of 20 plus cabins. 4 couples including my husband and I booked Lanai cabins. Three were in a row and one just a few doors down. Absolutely the best cruise I have ever been on. We loved the ability to be in our cozy padded deck chairs and still be able to share time with friends. We would order a room service tray to share and a bottle of wine or carafe of coffee. Wonderful times. In fact others from the larger group used our promenade deck as a gathering place. And yes, early mornings I would wear my bathrobe outside…no worse than people who used their bathrobe as a pool cover up! Planning a July cruise to Alaska on Volendam and hope all four couples will again be able to have Lanai cabins.
I will never again sail on a HAL ship with lanai cabins!! It can be difficult at the best of times to find a vacant deck chair on the promenade deck…but to have half of them reserved is an insult! It opens opportunities for even more conflicts in a tighly populated venue. Where are passengers with inside cabins supposed to sit?
Disgusting that HAL has done this to their passengers!
My wife and I just completed a 18 day cruise and liked our Lanai Stateroom. I enjoyed watching people walk by in the mornings while we had our room-serviced breakfast.
The one big draw back was when we propped our Lanai door open people do look in. They also used our reserved deck chairs. ( I remedied this by laying towels and mags on our deck chair and had no problems afterwards.)
My wife and I love the Lower Promenade deck on the S-class Dam HALs whatever it’s inside or outside cabin, so easy to get to the action decks (7&8) from their without having to use the DAM elevators. The Lido and Crows Nest is a different story.
We are looking forward for our next adventure on a HAL S-Class ship. The only way to go.
I also like to mention for the most part the food was very good in all the food spots on the Veendam but for one bad lunch in the Rotterdam Restaurant. The Veendam chiefs must of been out sick the day the cooking school was teaching how to prepare corned beef.
I am about to upgrade to a Lanai stateroom for myself and my husband. Not being a cruiser, but an indépendant traveller, is this a good idea or not?