It’s On My List

January 25, 2025

Boarding was delayed until 2:00PM due to “deep cleaning” necessitated by a norovirus outbreak on the previous sailing. Not an auspicious beginning, but no worries. I’ll be washing my hands like it’s 2020.

I got to the port around 3:30 and walked right on. I suspect not everyone heeded the “don’t show up until 2:00” message. But I felt like a VIP with a private boarding experience.

I went directly to my cabin, an interior very near the aft on one of the lower decks. I’ve got enough money to take a 3-month cruise, but not enough to do it in anything other than an interior. For those who haven’t cruised before, cruise ship cabins are tiny. You have to be in a high-level suite before you get anything close to the square footage of a typical room at a Holiday Inn. But they are really well designed, making efficient use of every square inch.

Bed, couch, desk – what more do you need?

I’d had a big lunch in Ft. Lauderdale with my wonderful nephew and his family, so didn’t go to the main dining room for dinner. I got a sandwich at the Lido buffet, then got some steps in wandering around in search of cookies. The sandwich was excellent. The cookies were disappointing, so I will continue my cookie quest tomorrow.

The staff has been exceptionally friendly and helpful, keeping that VIP feeling going. Turns out there are only about 800 people on this segment on the cruise – Ft. Lauderdale to Buenos Aires, on a ship with capacity for over 1400 passengers, so it is delightfully uncrowded.

The Volendam is the oldest and smallest ship in the Holland America Line (HAL) fleet, but that is not a bad thing. The size makes it very easy to get around, and it is in excellent condition for a 25-year-old ship. It was recently refurbished and the only thing in the cabin that makes it feel outdated is the lack of USB ports by the bedside.

BTW, I should clarify that I am referring to this as a Circle South America cruise, which for years has been my dream post-retirement trip, but technically I am on the Holland America 2025 Pole-to-Pole Grand Voyage. I will be departing in Barcelona, before the ship heads toward the North Pole. A large percentage of the 800 folks are on for the full 133-day voyage.