beaniele

38 minutes ago, Sea girl 23 said:

Like I said:disssonance.

 

Sooo..everyone who has trouble with their toilets must have put something they shouldn’t have in them? Not. Likely.

Every cruise ship I have been on when there was a toilet problem, it was from someone putting stuff in toilet they should not put in. That has just been my experience. 

I am so looking for our 21 day cruise to Alaska on the Maasdam.  I had a few doubts because of some of the negative reviews.  But as was said, why take those reviews over the many positive ones.  I have sailed Crystal, Regent, Silver Seas and sometimes there were problems on those ships, like getting into the jacuzzi on Silver Seas and black water came out of the jets.  YUCK.  But, with anything you say something to someone in the know and problems get solved.  Problems are not on just one cruise line or ship.  Well, now I can not wait to board the Maasdam  on May 28th.   We live in the San Francisco Bay Area and sailing out of San Francisco is always special.  Counting the days when I can start packing!!!!!

A happy and unexpected upsell put me in this beautiful suite. https://frenchletters.wordpress.com/2018/10/03/halfway-there/

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

We were on a Boston to Montreal trip in July on the Maasdam.I will be honest I was a little worried after reading various comments abouther age, plumbing, air conditioning etc. My wife and I could not have a nicertime. Our room was fine. Yes, the décor was a bit dated but the room was wonderful.The TV however was pretty darn small. Theroom temp was too our liking as well and we had no plumbing issues. The areas around the ship were also fine. Idid not see or experience any negative things while on this ship. We did not eat in the lido very much but whatfew things I tried were fine. Breakfast in the Pinnacle was quite good. We enjoyed lunch there once too and it wasoutstanding. We enjoyed the Rudi dinner too. Service in the main dining roomfor dinner was also top notch. There was plenty to choose from. One night Ijust could not make up my mind and they brought me both! The musicians on boardwere also pretty good. One show was pooras I think they were lip syncing and it was just lousy. We did leave early. They had a pretty good comedian. The casino staff were also very good. I did have to move a couple times because ofthe cigarette smoke but that really was not a deal breaker for me. My wife lovedthe cooking classes as well as the free kitchen tour. She also loved the flowerarrangement class. We did all shore excursions this time through HollandAmerica. I pre-purchased them and had noproblems. All times and locations were waiting for me when we boarded. I am sure we could have saved a buck or twoby looking elsewhere, but one stop shopping made it much easier. Our lastcouple cruises we did our own and it was more stressful. No matter where wewent on the ship we were greeted with a smile and a “can do” attitude by allthe employees. The beauty of thissmaller ship is that it was never crowded anywhere we went. There were many places we could go to findsome quiet time. I would wholeheartedly recommendthis ship.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Has anyone stayed in the above suite on the Maasdam?? Any pictures of the newly refreshed Neptune suites? Thank you.

Thank for the link. Great pictures.

We were on the 14 day Maasdam Alaska cruise in August of 2016. What a fantastic experience that was. It was our first cruise on Holland America. The ship and itinerary exceeded our expectations for the entire experience.

 

Pictures can tell you more than my words. If you have time, you might want to visit my wife's website where she has posted pictures of the ship and each port call excursion that we went on. I'll insert a link below for your convenience.

 

August 1-15,2016 14 Day Alaska Cruise on Holland America Maasdam

 

Alaska is amazing! Have a great cruise!

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Thank you for the information. I think either sailing will be great. Leaning toward the Maasdam.

Maasdam was our first small ship, and when DH and I first walked through the ship, we kept remarking how it had everything a bigger ship did, only in a smaller footprint. And everything was just beautiful, even the Lido, with its lime green pots with orchids on every table. And I thought the MDR was prettier than any of the other ships we've cruised on. Our whole cruise (Canada/New England) was spectacular, which may have colored our opinion of the ship (but I don't think so). So far, Maasdam is my favorite HAL ship. That may change after our June 3, 2019 Amsterdam cruise.

 

We didn't get to Glacier Bay until our third Alaska cruise. We saw Tracy Arm Fjord and Hubbard on our first two cruises. Then we went to Glacier Bay three times in a row. I still remember how impressed I was as we approached Hubbard Glacier, which is huge. Also, historically, Hubbard is advancing, despite warmer temperatures, whereas most are retreating.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

I am booked on the Maasdam 21 day Alaska May 29th and the Amsterdam 14 day June 3. We did Amsterdam last year, and really loved the ship. When you say Maasdam is really special may I ask what you mean. I am trying to decide which one to do. We live in Bay Area but flying to Seattle is very easy.

We are booked on one of the 14-night Amsterdam cruises, but we originally booked the 21-night cruise out of SF. Here's how we decided on the Amsterdam.

 

We, too, live close to the SF pier, and our local airporter service also serves the SF piers, so it would have been so easy. However, when we compared the itineraries of the two cruises, we found that the ports we were most interested in were also on the Amsterdam itinerary. We have been to Glacier Bay a few times, but we've only seen Hubbard Glacier once, and it's the one we prefer. Also, we are not particularly interested in sea days, so with the 14-night itinerary, we eliminated four of those.

 

And it's only a 2-hour flight to Seattle from SFO. :D

 

We have been on the Noordam and Maasdam. Both are wonderful ships (but Maasdam is something really special). We haven't yet cruised on the Amsterdam, but I have read so many awesome reviews of the Amsterdam lately that I can hardly wait to get aboard her.

 

I don't think you can go wrong with any of your three choices.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

But on the Amsterdam and not some other HAL ship?

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

We were in a Neptune suite last year and there was a nice new flat screen tv. At that time there was a dvd player.

This was quoted by Julie from HAL:

"...the bathrooms were refurbished with new wall tile, floor, vanityunits and new bathtubs. However, they are not yet dual-sink. Six Neptune suiteshave a shower stall only, the rest of them all are with whirlpools only. Thesuites received new carpet, new furniture and new softgoods. However, the TVsare not flatscreen yet. That will be done during the next drydock."

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Currently on the Maasdam - and our verandah cabin and most of the public indoor spaces have been refreshed decor wise -very lovely.

 

However, we still have the regular TV and DVD set up. No docking outlets for electronics, just one 110 outlet at the desk area, and a long reach under the desk to plug in the cabin's 220 hairdryer. The bathroom has been refurbished, but still has a tub and there is the small shaver only outlet high above the sink.

 

Carpets pretty much throughout the ship have been replaced and are very lovely and coordinated. Lighter toned carpets in our cabin - again very lovely ,but still the brown leather sofa and orange and brown hibiscus pillows and bed cover.

 

Elevator bank and foyers very lovely - copper-toned metal work, soft tone suede upper wall covering, very nice glass fan shaped chandeliers and a nice fun marble panels inside the elevators and the day of the week mats. Most welcome are ship direction (forward -aft) mats on each floor in the main corridors when you enter from the stairwell- elevator foyers.

 

Food has been very good, including the Pinnacle. New InDepth format is very rich and almost too busy as several are in competition with each other time wise - it is blending into a nicely coordinated whole experience as we learn to sort out the topics and speakers. Santa Marta, Columbia and San Blas. Panama both very enjoyable port stops so far. Panama Canal surprisingly very un-busy and we saw no ships using the new wider canal during our transit on Sat - Sept 15.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Maybe I missed something but from what I can find on here, it looks like the Neptune Suites (and likely all staterooms) on the Maasdam were not updated in this recent drydock and still have the older furniture, carpet, and soft goods, tiny televisions (and therefore not the vastly improved interactive large-screen TVs we just had in a Neptune Suite on the Zuidie), old bathrooms, verandah furniture, lighting, etc. - true or false? And if they have not been upgraded, is there another upcoming drydock scheduled to bring the staterooms to be more in line with the other recent HAL ship refurbs?

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Holland America doesn't make the rules.....................

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Port Alberni is an interesting stop. The last time a HAL cruise ship stopped was 5 years ago. In 2019, three HAL cruise ships will stop there.

 

The sail into the town was very beautiful, since you steam through Vancouver Island's longest inlet. The town has about 17,000 people, give or take, and many were out to greet our boat and answer questions.

 

While we were there, it started to rain pretty heavy. The town folk were driving by to see the passengers from the ship and started rolling down there windows and handing out their own umbrellas.

 

We enjoyed it as it was not a usual cruise stop.

 

Where ever you end up stopping, enjoy your cruise :)

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

The same things happens on partial transits of the Panama Canal. All shore excursions are thru the ship...the ship never docks. Tenders approach the ship to load for excursions and then transfer their passengers to onshore facilities.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Our 2019 Alaska cruise has yet another itinerary change. It has removed Kake, Alaska and instead will be "cruising Frederick Sound" . I know nothing about Kake , and who knows why they removed it, or if it was even a worthwhile potential stop,but this is the 2nd itinerary change. Getting a bit frustrated with HAL :(.

Also we are on May 28th cruise which still goes to Victoria.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

It's in the tone of several posts in this thread, not difficult to see at all.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

I have the new site and now I can not log in. Says email and/or password not valid. Tried to sign up again and said could not do at this time???? [emoji848][emoji849]

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Here is a great recent video about the Maasdam by Bellair: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2607321&highlight=bellair

Sent from my SM-T807V using Tapatalk

What tiny separate shower are you talking about on the Maasdam? The shower is part of the bathtub. There is no separate shower on the R & S ships -only on the vistas and above or in the PS. At least, that's been my experience.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

The last 6 cabins of the Neptune Suites have the huge overhang above and can interfere with your view. Seriously interfere.

 

Personally we like being under the Canaletto. No noise from the pool area and a great cabin.

 

We were in 7025 and the pics are on the website already mentioned. Hope this helps.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Surprised you are not reading all the good things about the Maasdam too. Demonstrates the power of the negative voice. Humbling.

 

They are converting a lot of the bathtubs to larger walk-in showers - which I suppose will mean not having the former tub and the tiny separate shower both in the suite bathroom. People have often complained about the height of the HAL Jacuzzi bathtubs being too dangerous to get in and out. But if your idea of a good cruise does include a good hot bath, the all shower units would be a problem.

Anyway just still researching and trying to decide between to incredible itineraries. Holland does do great itineraries [emoji16].

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Here is a link to Navigation Deck cabin photos on the Rotterdam class ships - they will be interchangeable so if you can find your number on one ship, it should be the same except the decor is changing along with in cabin amenities (electrical, TV, reading lights etc). http://halfacts.com/r-class/

 

Are you concerned about being under the Lido (not sure where those cabins are located specifically) - we have been in those cabins and never had any problem with outside noise. Always good to check what is above or below you.

 

The Neptune suites on all ships are wonderful. We personally like the ones closer to the Neptune Lounge so we can make easy trips to pick up any goodies and bring them back to our cabin. We find we spend a lot of time in our cabin when we have a Neptune and far less time being out and about on the ship. I will do both breakfast and lunch just from the Neptune snacks so I often don't even go to the Lido. I use it to graze lightly throughout the day, instead of having larger more formal meals for those first two of the day.

I am trying to decide between 3 weeks in Alaska on the Maasdam, which i keep reading bad things about, and Rotterdam 24 day Boston to Boston all next year.[emoji848]

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Any views in these SA cabins. 7037, 7036 7034 7035. Any particle pros or cons. Thanks in advance

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

That doesn't surprise me a bit - when you 'need' a Dorito, well..... Lol For me I usually 'need' crackers (saltines preferred, or table water, or triscuits), some cheeses for said crackers, plain potato chips, perhaps a chocolate bar..... My first port is Bermuda with 2 sea days before that, and a good number of sea days afterwards.... Let's see if I'm finding a grocery store in Bermuda, or not :)

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk