joekerstef

This is my exact plan. Quarters are already packed.

 

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I brought my own quarters as well, but they also have them at the front desk should you need them. There is an iron in the laundry room too if you really want to go to town with self-service.

Did you get your eggs benedict question answered? My understanding is the regular and one special version are available each day. But remember, only on one (port) side of the Lido. Other side I think has a pancake/waffle/crepe station in the same spot. I stuck with the made-to-order omelets so my time at the far end of the food stations was limited.

I think it's a matter of personal preference. Many will like the convenience of the one-price plan. Another option is the coin laundry available on some ships. It is nice that all these options are available, in my opinion.

I did two loads of laundry myself in the self-service. Total cost, $6 for washing and drying, and maybe 3 hours of time (which of course you could go back to your cabin and do something too). :D

Who is the captain?

Maasdam's captain is Ane Jan Smit.

Just off 14 day AK cruise today. We had amazing weather. Sunny and really warm in most ports except Sitka was overcast but still shorts weather. Only rain we had was a brief shower while cruising just after Icy Strait Point. On deck though while cruising it was pretty cold and it was at the glaciers as well (although I saw one guy in shorts and no shirt having his photo taken in front of Hubbard Glacier). As others have stated, think layers and pack for both extremes (or plan to do some shopping in Ketchikan or Juneau).

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Just off Maasdam 6/20 for the same cruise. I may do a review after I get home (a few days off yet), but I will just reiterate a few points here. Ship is in great shape, no major issues. Great crew. No tendering in any ports. Bow is open all the time during daylight hours except during bad weather, not just for glacier viewing. Gala nights were 2nd night (first Tuesday), Gulf of AK sea day (I think that was first Sunday), and Last full at sea day (second Saturday). We had much better weather than the previous voyage--calm, often glassy seas, even on the ocean and in the gulf; only rain was briefly after departing Icy Straight Point; often sunny and warm (I got a pretty good sunburn in Homer). Great itinerary. We couldn't do Tracy's Arm because too much ice but did Endicott Arm instead and that was really nice. I only went to one show, but my mother saw most of them and really enjoyed them. Saw lots of whales and other sea life along the way. Wonderful cruise, would do same ship and/or same itinerary in a second.

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Eggs Benedict still made to order on Maasdam, as previously reported in this thread, on port side of Lido.

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We had to wait for a porter to become available at Pier 91, but they were certainly there.

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We were on the May 23rd 14 day Alaska sailing on the Maasdam. This was our second cruise on her, the first being a 21 day Fort Lauderdale to Rome in fall of 2013. Based on our experiences we would not hesitate to sail on the Maasdam. We didn't have any plumbing or A/C problems on either sailing. The last cruise was in an oceanview on Main deck aft and the first in a Veranda on Veranda deck midship. The crew was outstanding both times. Food is subjective but we enjoyed in the Lido, Dining Room and specialty restaurants.

 

 

 

The Captain made a comment at the Mariners Lunch in May that there have been rumors of the Maasdam's demise but that she was going to be here for at least 2 more years.

 

 

 

One thing you can do if you are concerned about the temperature in the stateroom is request a fan for your stateroom prior to sailing.

 

 

 

Hope this helps.

Just off Maasdam today, same 14 day Alaska voyage. Would go on Maasdam again in a second. Thought she was in excellent condition with very minor wear and tear. Did not hear of any mechanical issues, although they did come in to our and many other cabins (24 hour notice) to service the toilets. Great crew. Size of the ship was good, embarkation and disembarkation were very smooth, and no major logjams getting on or off in ports. The Sky deck (above Crow's Nest) was also one of my favorite places for the wide open views with no obstructions. I did hear some grousing about the food from more experienced passengers, but for the most part, I thought it was good. Biggest problem I encountered was that the comptrollers did not provide enough six board bingo cards for our voyage and they ran out of those during the second (of five) bingo sessions. That was a bummer but people still showed up for bingo. We even had perfect weather, with a tiny bit of rain only on one sea day and only one overcast port day. At our Mariners lunch, Captain Smit said don't believe the rumors, Maasdam will be around for a few more years. I would not hesitate to book her again and actually have my eye on a couple of Maasdam voyages next year.

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One person's cutback is another's improvement. For example, as someone who does not appreciate Baked Alaska, I am happy not to have that ol' parade, and like the dessert options that are available in its stead just fine. Also, as a lacto-ovo-pesco vegetarian, I am perfectly happy with what I consider to be greatly improved menus, without all the meat-intensive offerings.

 

 

 

This said, one cut I abhor is the reported removal of my beloved Eggs Benedict station on the Lido. The Eggs Benedict options are a serious quality-of-life issue for me. I can't say that I won't cruise HAL anymore if they are truly gone, but I will be horribly disappointed. I have heard that two options are still available, but no one has told me whether they are freshly made, or come out on a giant pre-made heat-lamped tray as other (previously lesser) cruise lines tend to do. I will find out for myself in 14 days -- and my excitement for my upcoming cruise on Maasdam is diminished by this worry.

Just off the Maasdam. I didn't have the eggs Benedict, but my mother did and it was fresh and with Canadian bacon available. Only on one side of the Lido though.

Did hear grumbling about the food from some people with higher expectations from previous cruises. It was my first HAL cruise and I thought the food to be pretty good with the exception of the Dive In, which people had talked up on the CC boards as being amazing. I thought the burger was over-cooked and full of sodium products, and the hot dogs weren't great either.

One thing I thought really weird--I swear the shampoo provided in the showers is watered down to conserve product. I had to use what I normally would consider to be a ton of shampoo and I still wasn't able to completely lather my hair. Weird.

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On the Maasdam right now, main deck cabin 531. AC works great! And beautiful weather in Alaska! [emoji3]

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Live from Maasdam. Hope we looked good on the cam with Volendam!

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Hi everyone! Zaandam on the move!

Hope the weather holds; I'm on the next sailing of this itinerary!

I have waited so long for this post; thank you everyone! I've benefited greatly from your collected wisdom by going through many of the old posts on the HAL CC board over the past few months so I think I'm pretty well prepared for my first HAL experience (and first cruise in a long time). I should probably start packing now. Very excited! Happy cruising to all! :)

The idea of striking a whale is my cruise nightmare. I've seen way too many whales with horrible scars from ship strikes (usually the propellers) and a few that didn't survive the encounter. This though, OMG. This would be pretty traumatic to see as a passenger. I hope the poor whale was already deceased when it was skewered. :(

I like the tray idea. Looks really nice! I was thinking small table (saw that done on the HAL blog a while back), but the tray might be more practical. Of course I need more tiles. Picked up a couple off of ebay (was looking to get a specific one for my mother), but of course would rather cruise my way to a stack of tiles. :D

I was able to tune in on my cell phone this morning just in time to see Maasdam dock. Now I know where to hang out to wave at the camera in two weeks. I love this new Juneau webcam! If I'm still up at 2am and I remember, I'll check in for sailaway. Leaving in a week--so much to do!!!

Thank you luvtwotrvl! I like knowing where all those dam ships are without having to go to a separate website. And the webcam links are handy to have too. I really enjoy watching the ships sailing away or going through the Panama Canal and such.:D

This is all new to me, and sounds wonderful! I just called HAL and used the phone instructions to talk to a person, and that person was great, but when I called back about something there was no way to "get her back" - I just got the CC person who happened to answer. They were great, don't get me wrong, but this sounds much better! How does one get a "HAL cruise consultant"? :confused:

I was assigned one when requesting information from the website. Not sure if my mother's was assigned to her before or after she booked her previous cruise. Pretty sure before because I think she reserved with him. I haven't used my own PCC for anything but my mother's is very nice and helpful.

Thank you for the daily updates. Just a note--the webcams currently listed for Maasdam are for yesterday's stop in Vancouver. She'll be in Seattle today.

Webcam:http://www.spaceneedle.com/webcam/

Webcam: http://74.92.225.161:32610/advanced.web?s=0;#BZ4Z0Z11ODLZ0Z11OKWZ-1Z-1Z0Z11OS8Z7Z2U

I thought it was just me. I've tried several times to find a more recent version of that calendar and came up empty. Too bad really, it's a nice way to get a general snapshot of where all the dam ships are if the ship is as important or more than important than itinerary to you. Or you just want to see the big picture.

I am watching. Westerdam is underway. Less than a month and I'm there too. :)

Thank you, Elizabeth Windsor! Great information!! I'm less than a month from Alaska now; can't wait!

Glorious day to enjoy a sailaway! Must get back to work. Have a great day everyone!

Smooth sailing to those on the Maasdam. We had several delightful cruises aboard her - sorry she is leaving the fleet.

Is that official yet? I've been crazy with end of semester school so i haven't read that whole thread yet.