AtlFolks

"Cruise Director Staff - friendly but low energy."

Very tactful comment that expresses my observation as well. Apart from the trivia sessions, there seemed to be very little evidence of planned activities on board.

That said, we enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere on the ship, and the small number of fellow passengers (in relation to the mega-ship trend) was a plus.

I agree. I don’t expect my cruise staff to dance their tails off at the sail away, but being more visible and engaging more with guests would be welcome. I do also appreciate the laid back vibe of the Maasdam.

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Hi Atl Folks - Did you mean to say that Maasdam is 25, not 35, years old? I believe she was launched in 1993. Thanks for your one-minute review!

Yup - it’s the community that keeps us all honest. ;)

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Did you all enjoy the ports? I remember you asking for suggestions. :)

Yes, we did enjoy the ports. The kids were a bit bored on PEI and Sydney, but I appreciated the history. Everyone loved Quebec City and Bar Harbor. We decided to freestyle rather than have planned excursions in each port, which for the most part, worked out fine.

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Just got off Maasdam with two teens (18 & 15), and DW and I are 50.

Maasdam had only 1,300, so a small ship.

Cruise director staff was not doing well with the teens, but they all linked-up anyway and organized their own stuff. Younger teens who are shy may get lost.

On Maasdam, I felt the age gap. Lots of retirees, with a speckle of young families. Entertainment definitely geared for 50+.

Food service was slow and a bit bland without much variety. If you’ve sailed before, your notice the difference.

Decor is classic. I appreciated the artwork, but younger folks may not notice or care.

I hoped this helped you.

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Fresh off Maasdam, so here we go...

Fast and efficient embarkation/debarkation. Only 1,300 folks, so it’s a bit easier than a mega ship.

Ship is 35 years old and well cared for. Everything is clean and everything works.

Decor is traditional; lots of cool port plaques in the stairwells and interesting art all over the ship.

Staterooms are spacious for a small ship. Desk, table, and ocean views have a sofa. First ship I’ve been on where I had a real tub in the bathroom which was not a suite.

It’s low tech...if you’re looking for fast WiFi, apps, and electronic interface, this is not your ride. They do have a pretty good website once you’re on board to check your account and reserve excursions. Need to be better than average tech savvy.

Dining service comes up short. If you’ve cruised before, you’ll find the choices and level of service don’t measure up. Their serving process in both MDR and buffet is crazy slow. Great burgers at the pool though, but only until 5pm.

Lots of music around the ship to keep the silver set entertained. As a 50, I appreciated the quality of singers, dancers, and orchestra. Classical duo was good too. Other musicians were talented, yet campy.

Cruise Director Staff - friendly but low energy. They don’t cater to or do well with young people, but HAL is not known for appealing to younger travelers (teens through 30’s).

So, if your considering or already booked on Maaadam, I hope this helped you.

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Greetings Fellow Cruisers -

Looking for recommendations for highlights in each port. Trying to piece together a self-guided touring plan that does not include any bookings through the cruise line.

We are late 40's travelling with older teen boys.

Thank you for your thoughts and ideas.

I will be crusing on the Miracle in August and like to know the ship layout in advance as my directionally challenged spouse often needs help getting acclimated. What deck and where (mid? forward?) do the tenders pick you up? Thanks!

If you are in a tendering port (like Belize or Grand Cayman), you’ll go down to A Deck, which is one below Deck 1. This site, and the Carnival site, has all the deck plans.

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To the OP

 

“Carpet was wet and had an odor.”

 

Did you bring this to anyone’s attention - steward, head of housekeeping or anyone at the passengers’ service desk ?

 

Seems unacceptable to me.

I guess I probably should have. I’ll mention it on my survey. They used that powder that supposedly masks the carpet odors, but it just smelled liked ocean fresh scented smelly carpet.

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It looks like you are cruising in July, so I suspect you will be on a New England and Canada cruise. That is a port intensive trip. I did it once, and enjoyed it, but it also seemed like people socialized a bit less and spent more time and energy (on average) going ashore and doing excursions than on longer cruises or ones with more sea days.

 

 

 

Oh, one correction to the above, there are two pools on the Maasdam, one midship on the Lido deck and one on the aft of Navigation deck.

 

 

 

Do your teens like to hang out with you all day, or look for other teens? Being a summer trip, there will probably be several other teens, but still not huge numbers. In my experience, teens tend to find each other and then hang out together: in the lido buffet, by the pool, in the showroom at night, etc. There could be some organized activities for them, but the teens seem to often like doing their own thing.

 

 

 

Just in case, I would look into and ask on embarkation day, for your younger son, to visit Club HAL and ask for a daily program. I believe HAL still distributes a separate daily schedule containing Club HAL activities to families that have registered for that. The "kids" schedule is not otherwise posted or included in the regular daily schedule delivered to cabins that way; it's just for them. (Every now and then I have seen one in the mail slot outside a cabin.)

 

 

 

There is some Club HAL space reserved for younger cruisers, but it might be more geared towards pre-teen ages. (I've never actually checked it out or cruised with a teen, so I don't have first hand knowledge.)

 

 

 

HAL doesn't lend itself to the wild and crazy demographic, at any age. But it's good for people who like to socialize, or watch the world go by, or focus on the ports of call, or like all the food options, etc.

 

 

 

Your questions were rather open ended, so it is hard to know what else to suggest. Do you have any particular questions?

Thanks for the nice info, very helpful. I see that HAL has both a National Geographic type activity and a cooking activity; have you done those, and if so, what are your impressions?

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They'll have trivia and games at the Fountainhead across from the coffee bar, also right in that same area is the Joker's card room, and they have 2 cabinets full of board games, DH and I got milkshakes and played a couple games of battleship after coming back from spending a couple hours in Cozumel. My MIL stayed on the ship while the rest of us went to the ruins, and she enjoyed hanging out on an uncrowded Lido deck.

This is good advice - if I do Belize again, I’ll stay on the ship. Tender ride is long and ride to other activities is always 1 hour.

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This was our first Carnival cruise and as repayment of all the answers I got from my questions, here’s my quick review for new cruisers to the Miracle. Enjoy, and Happy Cruising!

Ship Overall: East to navigate, showing her age, needs dry dock to make minor preventive maintenance, fix balcony doors, replace carpet, etc.

Crew: Helpful and accommodating. Very international. Some speak little English, but can converse at a very basic level.

Cabins: Spacious for a ship this size. TVs work well, balcony doors need work to close, we had new shower curtains (yay!), sprayers work well. Our sink was chipped in a few places. Carpet was wet and had an odor.

Food: Not as “upscale” as other lines, but good quality and very good variety. Pleasantly surprised at the pizza and hot sandwich bar. MDR, decor is dark purple with a grape theme, like you accidentally fell into a bottle of wine and can’t get out.

Bars: Most bars serve good drinks at around $8 - $10, but their Alchemy Bar is probably the best on any line for premium handcrafted drinks. Too bad the Alchemy is loud and with live music, it’s even louder, which means it’s hard to socialize. Bar servers friendly - find Kathy in the Serenity and Comedy Club, she will take care of you!

Pools: Two small main pools mid-ship, and a small adult only pool aft. Very crowded on sea days. I like how deck staff are patrolling for chair hogs - a pet peeve of mine. Good for Carnival!

Entertainment: Production shows are campy - talented kids made to sing and dance to pre-recorded cheese. Big draw is the comedy club, 2 - 3 shows a night and always crowded. Several live musicians aboard of varying quality, very subjective but available.

Hope this helps - happy cruising.

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Greetings HAL Cruisers:

We are active cruisers on RCI and Disney, and our teen boys (15 and 18) are experienced cruisers as well. This will be our first HAL experience - any tips for teens on the Maasdam.

Also, any tips on a few must see/do on that ship, and anything to be aware of?

Thanks folks!

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10 years of cruising RCI, Princess, and Disney, we take our very first Carnival cruise on the Miracle this summer. Pics look great!

What are the top must see/do’s on the Miracle?

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Sitting home reading this, makes we want some cruising bliss. So, I look forward to reading your posts, ‘cause where

you are, is what I love most.

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Costa Maya is a “fake port” manufactured by the cruise industry to revitalize the area following a devastating storm some years ago. That said, they have done a nice job with it if you like beach/pool/drinking activities and don’t mind paying for it. Grand Cayman does get crowded if you stay close to the port - best excursions take you away from the port for water activities like diving, snorkeling, and Stingray City. Just depends on what you want to do.

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ALWAYS, lock your passports in the cabin safe. Make a photocopy of your passport to take into ports with you if you want, along with your government issued photo ID. You never need your passport after Day 1 until you get back into the states to debark.

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So, we are back! For anyone new who checks this thread, here is a quick synopsis, which I hope is helpful.

The Star Princess

It's a nice ship, although she seems ready for a good dry dock as improvements are needed in carpet, seating for the cafe, stateroom TV's, and overall stateroom technology. Although dinner in the MDR was really good, we found other meals, along with the Horizons buffet, substandard regarding both selection and quality - also worth mentioning in contrast is a superb dining experience in Sabatini's. Entertainment in the evenings was plentiful in various venues around the ship with quality musicians. My wife and I are 50, and we were amongst the youngest pair save for a few honeymooners and families with kids.

Princess Lodges

Princess has this part down to a science. Baggage services and transportation is solid and efficient - our luggage preceded us to every lodge and venue post cruise. Lodges are very comfortable and have many quality food options. Activities, although a bit pricey so everyone gets their cut, are varied and usually available.

For those who like comfort and services, Princess will deliver. I can see some folks wanting a smaller and more personalized experience, and thus might want to book smaller independent lodges with the understanding that there are not restaurants, services, or other conveniences that are associated with a higher level of service.

Happy cruising and enjoy Alaska A it's a magical place!

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Alaska Dining - 5:30, 6:00, or 8:15? Or Anytime Dining? Any advantage considering deck viewing hours, entertainment, etc?

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We went to Alaska in the month of August. It was 80 to 85 everyday in the afternoon. I would go out in the morning with jogging pants and a thin jacket. By the afternoon I had to go back to the ship just to change it was so hot. Maybe we were just lucky with the weather being so hot. Good Luck!! I hope you get the same weather as we did. Alaska is beautiful!! Have a time.

 

Tony

Thanks - sounds like it's a possible layering kind of thing?

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Let's talk attire. I say it's going to be chilly in August an DW says of should be warm. I'm thinking this is not a shorts and tee shirt trip, and hiking shoes and a jacket should probably be packed. What do you veterans say?

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Princess gave us a dinner so we are gonna try the Italian place. Is there one night that is better than others to skip the MDR?

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Okay then, I will locate Harv and Marv. Sounds fun!

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Hey - Tony! If we strike it rich, I'll think of you! :)

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Okay guys - now the best part, excursions!

What was your favorite excursion in: Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Princess Wilderness, and Mt. McKinley. Anything to avoid?

Thanks, and as always, happy cruising!

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The TWT slot we were assigned is 2pm. All of the morning slots were taken. Since nighttime in Alaska is really daytime, does tour time really matter? I'm thinking we will have time in the AM to explore the general area around the lodge and have a relaxing breakfast?

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