Volendam: Sanitation Record & Health Report

The Volendam is doing something rare in the cruise industry: it's quietly getting on with business while its flashier, larger cousins are busy making headlines for all the wrong reasons. A CDC score of 95 puts it precisely at fleet average — not a brag, exactly, but in a world where plenty of ships can't even hit passing, "solidly average" deserves a slow clap. And then there's the food safety score: a clean, unimpeachable 100. A "Spotless Galley" designation in July 2025 means the inspectors found nothing worth writing home about, which, in galley terms, is the highest possible compliment. Holland America built this ship back when they were still prioritizing the classics over the spectacle, and apparently that ethos extends to the kitchen sanitation crew.

For a mid-size HAL ship that's been sailing since 1999, the Volendam has aged gracefully — not in a "faded glory" way, but in a "still passes health inspections with flying colors" way. No outbreak history to explain away, no embarrassing CDC fail to bury in the fine print. It's the cruise equivalent of that one friend who just consistently shows up and does the thing they said they would do. Boring to gossip about? Sure. Would you trust them with your digestive system? Absolutely.

Who it's for: Older travelers, HAL loyalists, and anyone who genuinely wants a quieter, more traditional cruise experience without sacrificing the assurance that their buffet shrimp was handled with appropriate seriousness. If your vacation metric includes "will I spend any of this trip horizontal and regretting the beef carpaccio," Volendam gives you every reason to relax. Who should skip it: Thrill-seekers who need a waterslide the length of a city block, or cruise newcomers who think "mid-size and meticulous" sounds insufferably boring — which, honestly, it kind of is, and some of us mean that as a compliment.