Sidney24

Can anyone advise if we can check our future cruise deposits without having to phone Holland America ?

On 11/17/2019 at 7:22 AM, darstamp said:

I'm really sorry to hear that.  Is there any dancing?  disco?  if not, not sure my group would want to go.

The itineraries of the Maasdam are great HOWEVER its a holiday and I agree we do not need to many lectures. Many go to the same places often and therefore lectures are of little interest to them. At least its good to see HA trying something different although I cannot see it lasting long.

On 6/22/2018 at 11:43 PM, Hill260 said:

Sailing on Amsterdam in September and have booked a lanai room. Just wondering if anyone has pictures of this and new showers.

Thank you

Unless one has mobility issues a Lanai room would be lower on my scale than an Ocean View and therefore we look at pricing and for our next cruise justified Vista Suite though if pricing had not been reasonable would have booked either Ocean view or Inside rather than Lanai.

However would be interested to know the reasons that one uses to justify the price of a Lanai.

On 11/13/2019 at 9:58 AM, VK3DQ said:

Hi Folks

 

Have just had an upsell offer for our 3-23 December cruise on Maasdam

 

Offer is upgrade from ocean view  to vista suite -- $650 per person   so that $2600 in total

 

We have 2 x ocean views booked with 2 persons in one and a single occupant in the other ,....cabins are next door to each other offer is for best available. 

Having a good think about this we have decided to decline the offer... what do you think?? 

 

Regards

 

John

On 11/13/2019 at 9:58 AM, VK3DQ said:

Hi Folks

 

Have just had an upsell offer for our 3-23 December cruise on Maasdam

 

Offer is upgrade from ocean view  to vista suite -- $650 per person   so that $2600 in total

 

We have 2 x ocean views booked with 2 persons in one and a single occupant in the other ,....cabins are next door to each other offer is for best available. 

Having a good think about this we have decided to decline the offer... what do you think?? 

 

Regards

 

John

Hi John,

Interesting as to how/why they make these offers.

If your not a 4 or 5 star they may need 2 cabins next door to each other and I would have phoned HA if there was no need for your cabins to be next to each other saying interested but at say $1,600. 

17 hours ago, Floridiana said:

 

The cruise director of the Koningsdam will join the Maasdam in Sydney in 2 weeks as the new CD. He left the Koningsdam in Fort Lauderdale 2 days ago. He is excellent.

Good to hear that the CD joining Maasdam is excellent however must admit confused as to earlier comment that both CD and deputy CD report directly to newly created position of Production mgr.

Any update on this appreciated

That's a great positive for HA against my last cruise on Azamara.

On 10/23/2019 at 8:24 AM, AncientWanderer said:

I just have to ask, or else I better find the recipe myself...

Does anyone have a recent experience to report about escargot being served in the MDR?  In August, on the Amsterdam, they were not on the menu at all in MDR.  We are just off the Oosterdam, and they were offered, but were not the traditional buttery, cheesy, garlicy wonderfulness that we're used to.

Has anyone had old school HAL escargot recently?   

NO   however Azamara on cruise this year had them on offer nightly 🙂

On 10/23/2019 at 8:24 AM, AncientWanderer said:

I just have to ask, or else I better find the recipe myself...

Does anyone have a recent experience to report about escargot being served in the MDR?  In August, on the Amsterdam, they were not on the menu at all in MDR.  We are just off the Oosterdam, and they were offered, but were not the traditional buttery, cheesy, garlicy wonderfulness that we're used to.

Has anyone had old school HAL escargot recently?   

NO   however Azamara on cruise this year had them on offer nightly 🙂

On 10/17/2019 at 1:04 AM, mj_holiday said:

We have done one Azamara cruise and 3 HAL cruises.  The HAL cruises were awhile ago.  Our preferred cuise is Regents.

 

While time on Zuiderdam was nice, we only cruised on it because of a special group that cruised on HAL.

 

This past year was our first cruise on Azamara, and yes there were some things that were not as great as our preferred cruise line, but the itinerary was something you could not get other places.  Yes, Azamara is smaller than Zuiderdam which also impacts the cruise in a positive way for us.

 

Buffet (Breakfast and Lunch)

HAL the buffet seemed chaotic, having to get water, juice etc not good.

AZ the buffet was delightful, food was good and table service of drinks appreciated.  They helped people getting to their table by carrying their plates, etc.

Buffet (dinner)

HAL didn't even look to consider considering lunch and breakfast experience.

AZ had different types of food on different nights (Italian, German etc)

Main Dining Room

HAL this was when there were 2 sittings, not sure if that is still the case.  The tables seemed very close together.  Service and food were good.

AZ there were plenty of tables for 2 and the tables themselves were a nice size, but we were pretty close to other tables, but didn't feel closed in.  Included wines - we were offered a choice - two reds and two whites.  Food and service were very good.

AZ Main Dining for breakfast and lunch - were very nice.   Breakfast has a small buffet or order from a menu.  There were a couple of special lunch buffets in the main dining room which were very nice.

Azamazing night was very nice. 

We are booked another AZ cruise for next year and for their white night we will be eating in the Main Dining room,  The white night is also very chaotic and hard to tell what line to get in to get something to eat.

Entertainment - we usually don't make it.

Ship's crew - I don't remember the officer's on HAL being as visible as on AZ.

Stateroom - we had smaller cabins on both ships but like the refrigerator on AZ.

We have booked another cruise on AZ, solely because of the itinerary, and I am sure we will enjoy it.

We normally would book based on itinerary on either HA, Azamara, Princess, Oceania or Celebrity.

Must disagree with your comment in regards to Azamara refrigerator, staff agreed its just a cooler. 

On 10/14/2019 at 10:04 PM, Floridiana said:

 

I think your friend hit on the main issue. Azamara is too expensive for what it offers. At least it was on our itinerary.

 

The itineraries pull me back to HAL ships. I bet HAL has somebody in headquarters who can read my mind. 

 

 

 

Agree the itineraries are what pulls me back and also the crew. 

We are in full agreement with your comments.

HA have advised that a Bridge Director will be on our 20 day cruise however I know some now book other cruise lines

such as Oceania and Azamara to ensure they have a Bridge Director. 

On 9/24/2019 at 6:50 AM, mcrcruiser said:

SWe were thinking of doing the 30 day cruise from San Diego to Sydney  on Maasdam until we saw the lack of the shows  ie  for entertainment . This did not sir well with us  .We like the itinerary ;but ,there is more to a cruise than ports .

 

 Why doesn't HSL use other  ships like they did on 2015  when we sailed 21says  ,on Nordam  to Sydney from SD ?  That was a very pleasant cruise   .We would love to see  Koningsdam or Nieuw Statendam do this same voyage that is scheduled for Maasdam  in 2020 

 

 

5 hours ago, dillpickle48 said:

We love the Maasdam In-Depth approach.  More interested in learning about nature and culture than singers and dancers. Last cruise on the Maasdam, the showroom was used for expert lecturers, culture performances by local ambassadors and the occasional entertainer.  Music in Mix bar, Ocean bar and Explorers lounge.  Enough entertainment for us.

Appreciate your comments maybe HA believe that this will set them apart from other Cruise Lines although it appears to be a cost saving measure.

We would be happy with hearing about nature and culture in the morning or afternoons but its nice to relax in the evening with a decent show in the showroom therefore as others we have no choice but to look elsewhere when making our next booking.   

14 hours ago, freestyling said:

You might want to review the Maasdam Seattle to Sydney almost live thread posted. You will see lots of Maasdam info and VERY current !

Manty thanks 

Many thanks for reply.

Must admit sounds rather boring compared to the production shows.

14 hours ago, kira5 said:

On the Maasdam in August.   No production shows.   A violinist, a vocalist, a pianist each gave two separate concerts each.  A strings duo played almost each evening.  Trivia twice a day usually.   One or two lectures each day, if you consider that entertainment.

Would appreciate comments on entertainment during your cruise as had always enjoyed the production shows which

I have just found out no longer are on Maasdam.

We are not into lectures and now wonder that booking on Maasdam a ship previously enjoyed along with many other HA ships would be a mistake.

I had been advised that bridge directors would be on all the longer cruises and therefore would appreciate your advising if

there has been one on your cruise.

On 9/11/2019 at 5:31 PM, Btimmer said:

Here's the planner for the last section of our voyage.

Appreciate comments on the recent entertainment on Maasdam.

Hi all, My wife Marion & I are booked on this cruise.

We cruised with Azamara earlier this year and were very impressed and are looking forward to Nov 2020.

We have just returned from a land tour to South Africa which although interesting in our case did not compare to East Africa as far as far as Game Drives and seeing the Big 5.

Would be interested to hear of any suggestions for tours in the ports along the way.

I believe Sri Lanka is e Visa before arrival (so I suppose technically can be done onboard but I’ve now done ours ahead). I have had it confirmed verbally via the Documentation Officer onboard that the ship does indeed arrange the Myanmar visas. I appreciate folks won’t want to go on what I’ve been told verbally so given this new confusion I hope Azamara authorises our Blogging Officer to post a clarification.

The problem all stems from someone using a boiler plate template, properly Royal Caribbean for a different itinerary that is also out of date and not taking care to check things before issuing it.

Attention to detail, a behaviour we love onboard but sadly lacking shoreside.

 

 

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I am looking forward to comparing Azamara against HA, Princess, Oceania, and Celebrity. They have definitely been slow starting this race. Hopefully as you say they make up for it ONBOARD.

The corrected version of that letter is on its way soon! Below is the text.

Sorry for the first letter's errors. :o

 

Dear Azamara Journey Guest,

We look forward to having yousail with us onboard the Azamara Journey from Singapore to Dubai.

To assist with your check-in experience in Singapore for your Cruise on the 8th of April, 2018, please note the following important information:

We remind all guests to please contact the Embassy (Consular Services) of each country on your sailing or the visa service of your choice for specific visa requirements, information, forms and fees for your nationality. It is the sole responsibility of the guest to identify and obtain all required travel documents for the entire cruise vacation and have them available when necessary. Based on your final disembarkation port, your check in experience in Dubai may vary.

All Guest required to have a valid Indian and SriLankan Visa, please note the following:

· Your passports will be collected in the terminal and held in a safe location at Guest Services onboard.

· Bring a photocopy of your visa for Sri Lanka and keep it with you, if required.

o You can apply for Sri Lankan eVisa here: https://www.eta.gov.lk/slvisa/visainfo/center.jsp?locale=en_US

· Bring two (2) photo copies of your visa for India and keep them with you.

o You can apply for Indian Visa here: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/Registration

INOCULATION/ HEALTH

As detailed in our brochure, all guests must ensure that they are medically and physically fit for travel. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the WorldHealth Organization (WHO) provide guidelines as to which vaccinations are required in each country. In many cases inoculations are recommended but insome circumstances they are required. We recommend that you check with your health care professional or a Travel Medicine Specialist certified by the WHOfor guidance. Other informational resources can be accessed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Traveler's Health website at www.cdc.gov/travel or toll free at 1-877-FYI-TRIP, and the WorldHealth Organization website at www.who.int/vaccines-diseases/.

We look forward to welcoming you onboard Azamara Journey and wish you a pleasant and enjoyable cruise.

 

Yours sincerely,

Azamara Club Cruises

We were under the impression that visas for Sri Lanka and Myanmar could be arranged by front office after boarding ship.

Is this now no longer possible ?

If so does the above website for Sri Lanka visa apply for Australians ?

FYI, We have been to both Sri Lanka and Myanmar previously with Holland America and they arranged visa whilst we were onboard.

I will hold back saying anything about other issues such as India Visa.

Unless its a special day we would find the cost over the top.

Our observation is most of the staff stand around all day waiting, waiting, waiting,

so you should have no trouble booking onboard when they have a so called special.

I was terribly disappointed to learn that there will be no bridge program on our 17 day cruise to Hawaii on the Eurodam. With 11 sea days I was sure I'd be able to enjoy playing bridge. I hope they will reverse this very bad policy as very few of HAL's cruises are 30+ days. Having a bridge director on board costs HAL just the cost of a free cruise and there are many of us folks who enjoy playing competitive bridge who will be very disappointed. Am I the only one who cares? If not, let HAL know!

 

 

 

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Hi all,

I enjoy playing Duplicate bridge on sea days and take this into account when booking cruises. Last cruise was with Oceania with a bridge director and next cruise with HA is 31 days on Maasdam and expecting a cruise director. The cost to cruise line if cabins not fully booked immaterial therefore a policy of over 30 days is in my view 'not smart' and will cost them passengers.

Hi,

Trust you enjoyed your cruise back in 2014.

We also will be visiting this Russian Port and would be interested to hear of your experience there.

We will be on Princess who do not have any tours listed as yet and my understanding is that you either need to take ship tour, book a Russian visa free tour or arrange a visa and DIY.