Third day we docked at Roatan and I did the tour of the west side of the island. We went to beach and shops, butterfly farm and botanic gardens. The people speak English and Spanish and eat the local iguanas (although they are protected. Tonight was black/white attire and cabin crawl with the singles. I went to about 8 cabins and had a drink with them. It was a good way to see what other cabin classes were like. Seas were a little rough tonight. Roatan is 2 hours behind ship time.
On fourth day we docked at Costa Maya and I took the Mayan Tour. The ruins were very interesting bit it was very hote and humid there. I came back to the shops and spent the afternoon in the pool bar with a frozen marguerta and with other singles from the group. This was just lovely and relaxing and such beautiful surroundings. It was formal night again tonight and we all had pre dinner drinks in the Winston Bar. There was a big Vegas style show in the theatre that night and dancing afterwards.
We docked at Cozumel on the fifth day. I had no excursins today so went shopping all day. Went with another cruiser downtown and walked the long street of shops along the coastline. Very pretty town. After shopping we went to Carlos and Charlies and had margaritas and joined in the conga line and danced a bit. Alot of people didnt turn up for dinner tonight and I went to bed early with my head still spinning a bit.
The last day was at sea so I relaxed for awhile on deck in the sun. I had fish and chips for lunch. The morning games were cancelled as everyone had overpartied the night before in Cozumel and were still recovering. By afternoon though we had a salsa lession in the One Step Lounge which was quite fun. The theme tonight was Caribbean and karioke in the Paris Hot Bar where everyone was taking pictures of the groups we had spent time with during our cruise.
Debarkation day. Went down to breakfast and made my goodbyes to friends I had met and prepared to debark the ship. This took about an hour and then got a taxi to the Mariott where I was staying after the cruise.
I really enjoyed this trip and it was a lot different being on a singles cruise. This cruise is quite port intensive but I liked it a lot. I would recommend it to anyone traveling alone. You can join in as much or as little as you want. The Valor is a beautiful ship and I hope to travel on her again.
Holland America Volendam
Alaska Cruise - early September
Vancouver return
I did this cruise with a solo group from Australia. We flew from Sydney to Narika (Japan) and stayed the night before flying on to Vancouver. The stopover was necessary because of flights and it made a nice break for the long trip. The group stayed at the Chateau Granville (see separate review).
The next day we got to the dock by bus chartered for us and got in a long time to board the ship. I was sharing an outside cabin (2591) with another lady from the group which was very nice and had enough room for the two of us. The ship sailed at 5 pm and went under the Lions Gate Bridge. I was on the top deck as we sailed out of the harbor.
We had a five course dinner in the Rotterdam Restaurant of fruit, salad, baked salmon and chocolate cake. The restaurant is in two levels with a beautiful gold staircase. I went up to the Crows Nest for a night cap. Its very nice up there and they have dancing and sometimes other entertainment.
First day at sea. The ship was rocking and rolling during the night. This is my first cruise and I was feeling queezy. There was a nature talk in the Frans Hals Lounge so I went to that to distract myself and then had a lie down and thankfully the seas settled. There was a shopping talk also and I went to that. We had to turn back our clocks 1 hour that night.
On the second day we arrived at Juneau about noon. I went on a Gold Panning trip which was about 15 minutes up a hill and behind the town. I had a salmon bake which was nice but not great but I did see a porcupine and the falls nearby were lovely. I did not see the Northern Lights which were supposed to be seen that night. I had dinner in the Lido as I missed dinner tonight.
Third day. Woke to find we were anchored in dock at Scagway. Had early breakfast and set off for White Pass Rail trip for 3.5 hours up the mountains. The scenery was spectacular all the way. I saw wild goats on the hillside while on the train. I came back to the ship for lunch then set off again for some shopping near the dock. When I got back to the ship I got dressed for dinner and sat in the Ocean Bar and had pre dinner dinks and nibblies and watched some couples dancing. It was a nice atmosphere there.
Fourth Day was at sea in Glacier Bay and we arrived there early in the morning. I stood on deck for a long time watching the wonderful scenery and wildlife. The ship went as far as the John Hopkins Glacier and stoped there for an hour. I went to the Crows Nest for a better view and saw about 5 lots of whales through my binoculars. Had an quick lunch today with too much to see to eat. That evening was formal night and we had a very nice meal, melon bowl, gnocci & bombe Alaska with the dessert being paraded by the waiters. There was a showstopper show at 10 pm which was excellent with great singers. The dessert extravaganza was on after that.
We were in Ketchican on the fifth day which was a bit misty with rain. I went ashore after breakfast for some shopping but back on the ship by lunchtime. I asked the person I sat down with if she was Ms Volendam and to my surprise she said she was so I won a lot of goodies which were presented to me later in the trip. I went on a Duck Tour in the afternoon which went through the town and past the totem poles, past the salmon ladder and stream and then down to the harbor. Wow it was fun then as we cruised around the harbor for about 20 minutes. Dinner was in the Marco Polo Italian Restaurant with my group tonight which was very swish and the meal was just lovely. I had Lobster Bisque and Veal Scalapini.
Sixth day was at sea and the weather was overcast. We passed through the Seymour Narrows and it was a little bit rocky in the morning. We had a disembarkation meeting with the group and I was announced the winner for finding Ms Volendam. I got a bag full of goodies some of which were a silver photo frame, umbrella and pen flashlight. This afternoon we had a meeting with the group in the Hudson Room. We went to the early showwhich was the Volendam Orchestra then had dinner of bbq salmon again and my entree was crab dip.
We docked at Vancouver at 8 am and disembarked fairly quickly. I got a taxi with a few others from the group to my hotel, The Victorian Hotel (see separate review).
The Volendam is a lovely ship with five star meals. This Alaskan cruise is just so pretty as you stay so close to the shore but I felt the fellow passengers overall to be a lot older. I enjoyed traveling with the solo group though and my cabin mate and I got on well.
There are a lot of considerations to take into account when choosing your cabin but the two most important are the cost and the location.
What you need to consider:
Price - if you are only going to consider this one item then choose the cheapest fare you can get.
How many people are sharing the cabin - this will impact on the size of the cabin and the layout. Check the deck plans and cabin categories carefully. If you are a large family you might need two cabins.
Location - if you get seasick like I do, then you will want a mid ship location on a lower deck. If you are going with family, you might like to be closer to the public areas of the ship for quick access. Lower decks are cheaper though but you may hear more engine noise. Aft balconies are larger than usual as they wrap around the back of the ship. Ill stick to the mid ship location.
Cabin categories - inside, outside, balcony and suite -Inside cabins give the best value but can be dark.Outside cabins offer more light but are usually the same size as inside (before booking check whether you have a porthole, a window or an obstructed view). Balcony cabins have access to a small balcony where you can sit and watch the sea or when you come into/out of port. Suites have larger cabins and bathrooms usually but are also the most expensive. When you book a guarantee cabinyou book the category but not the specific cabin so its a bit more of alucky dip where you will end up but then again you may be upgraded.
How much time are you going to spend in the cabin - If you spend most of the time out of your cabin then maybe a lower category will be better value. If you like to relax in your cabin then a balcony or suite may be your better choice.
I hope this information helps you make a decision.
disappointed. The best place to eat at lunch was the Montmarte Restaurant as the Yacht Club buffet was just ordinary. 
basket I had order for the room arrived shortly after we got there. The room was a good size and had planty of storage for our clothes and suitcases. We had a balcony cabin for the first time this cruise. The ship is lovely with beautiful dark wood and lovely murals.
tender but the process ran very smoothly. We didnt have a tour booked so we just walked around the main part of town which is also along a harbour water promenade with moored boats (lots of them all line up). We had a nice snack lunch of chicken nachos here with a bucket of beers and a few marguaritas. Hey I didnt drink all of this, just the margueritas. See my picture taken with three iguanas which is my favourite ever picture. We went back to the ship on the tender (which takes about 10 - 12 minutes). That night was the second formal night but a lot of peole missed it as they came back from port too late. We had bombe alaska which was paraded by the waiters.
recent cruises. I traveled from Sydney to Los Angeles and had a nights break there. I then flew to Miamai and had another day there before boarding the ship (I took a tour of the Everglades booked before I left home, see 
hip time.
