Maasdam

[cvillehf]

We are going on the Maasdam in April and I have read some things about them having engine troubles and plumbing problems. Does anyone know if any of these problems have been addressed?

[sail7seas]

Yes. I am quite sure they have been addressed and addressed and addressed. The ship would be floating aimlessly at sea were it not for the constant work all ships require. :)

 

The recent reports were not so unusual. Ships all have one sort of mechanical problem or another. At one time or another. They're machines and, like all machines, there are times they operate less than perfectly. :eek:

 

We're cruised "MY" :) Maasdam soooo many times and adore that ship. We are eagerly looking forward to two more (what we know will be) great cruises on her in June.

 

Don't worry.....you'll have a great time and (I Hope) love that beautiful, elegant ship.

 

Okay......for those who don't love 'my' ship as much as me......I'll concede not everyone agrees with me. ;)

[colada]

The Maasdam is scheduled to go into "Wet Dock" for some more further maintenance (hopefully to address the recent problems) in January.

[Aussie Gal]

We have also cruised on the Maasdam, it was our first HAL ship and we loved her too. We will be on her for the 17 day Transatlantic cruise and I know that she will be in tip top order.

 

As Sail has mentioned there are always small hiccups with ships wherever one travels, on new and old ships, as they need constant maintenance. We always take the good with the bad and enjoy ourselves wherever we are.

 

Jennie

[2552phxcrzr]

On the 11-22 Dec cruise we had no A/C problems in our cabin - although, as usual, the public areas were cooler than I like them to be.

 

As for engine problems. We cruised with 4 of 5 engines for a good part of the cruise. Repairs in Barbados and San Juan just did not work. I'm not sure if they had time to make repairs before the ship went out again on the 22nd. It will be interesting to see what the pax on that sailing have to say when they get back.

[slineberry528]

I too, want to say what a great ship she is. We sailed on her in Nov and had a great time. I just love that ship.

Susan

[Charlie2na]

We sail her two weeks from today..... can't wait. I do hope they address all the little buggers that foul up the timing at ports of call. Three or four days in port will do her good.... just in time for me... !

[CaptData]

Charlie I hope they do catch those little buggers and put them in a cage for extra speed.

[Charlie2na]

Yes Capt , If that'll speed things up a few knots , I'll help catch em up and cage em myself !!

[Linda&Vern]

We sail her two weeks from today..... can't wait. I do hope they address all the little buggers that foul up the timing at ports of call. Three or four days in port will do her good.... just in time for me... !

Just returned today from Maasdam Holiday Cruise. Our departure was delayed from 5:00pm on Dec. 22 until a few minutes after midnight. (Embarkation began at 6:30pm). Engines seemed to be running fine for the entire cruise as far as we could tell. Letter to us on Dec. 24 from Captain Draper quote "our departure from Norfolk was delayed as a result of inclement weather and rough seas during previous sailing, as well as a longer than expected security screening process of our guests and stores (caused by regulations of the U.S. Coast Guard)." Interesting rumor going around before we embarked - some of the waiting passengers insisted that the Maadam only has two engines and one wasn't working so they were very concerned about sailing with only one engine! I wanted to plug my computer in immediately to prove them wrong! Found throughout the whole cruise that "rumors" could certainly affect some people's mindset on whether they were going to have a "good cruise!"

We had a GREAT TIME. More to come when we organize our thoughts!

[CaptData]

Linda do you remember which night would be best for the Alternative restuant? Who was the comedians and when were they doing their thing. I am going on 6 Feb. Thanks for the quick review.

[Linda&Vern]

Linda do you remember which night would be best for the Alternative restuant? Who was the comedians and when were they doing their thing. I am going on 6 Feb. Thanks for the quick review.

Maybe because it was Holiday time, I understand from others it was hard to get a reservation at the Pinnacle. Personally I never saw many people in there, but they may have eaten later than whenever I was walking by because one couple told me they were thrilled the last night to finally get a reservation (because of a cancellation). I never had a bad meal or menu in the Main Dining Rm - so I didn't even try for a reservation.

 

After I get unpacked I'll post all the show entertainment. Maasdam Cast is the best of the entertainment. Other shows were not all that bad. Watch in the next day or so for more info.:D

[cvillehf]

Thanks for all the replies in regard to Maasdam's condition. Hopefully come March 31st all will be running smoothly. We were on the Maasdam last April and we kept hearing complaints about overflowing bathrooms and I had hoped that all that was fixed. We only had a problem one morning and that was because kids on our hall were putting things down the toilet. Since our cruise this year is not over Easter I'm hopeful that there will not be as many children on board. To Linda and Vern I'm glad to hear after a slow start that everything went well. A fellow teacher was on that cruise so I know I'll hear all about it tomorrow. Did you run into an Austrailian named John?

[Charlie2na]

We head for norfolk in twelve days. Probably won't use the internet while on board , but rest assured.... I will give a complete " critique" of EVERYTHING .

I've been reading about the Maasdam since we booked this cruise in July 2004 and the reviews have averaged out to be less than outstanding , however , being an optomist who has cruised Hal before , am going in with an experienced open mind

[CrabbyHarper]

DH and I cruised Maasdam on the Easter cruise in Apr 2004 and were able to keep clear of the unruly kids, although we think HAL -- or their parents -- could have done a better job in keeping them from throwing cushions overboard, running the elevators, and screaming outside the spa. We were in a verandah suite (Cat B) and spent a good bit of time on our verandah.

 

We loved the ship and took another cruise on her in Nov. It was great - I just love the size of the ship, the comfortable food and decor, the attentive room stewards, etc. This time we were with three other family members and had Cat S suites next to each other. Wow! Are we spoiled. The Suite life was "sweet" indeed.

 

We are going again April 21, 2005 - well after Easter! Nine Family members - with MIL in a suite and Dh and I again in a verandah suite. We wouldn't have booked again so soon if we didn't like Maasdam so well - and leaving from Norfolk is just great!

 

I do hope the plumbing, a/c, and engine problems are fixed.

[iluvcruzin]

I was on the Maasdam at the end of October. Some called it the Saunadam due to the problems they experienced. Keep in mind not everyone has the same problems as far as A/C & plumbing. I was one of the lucky. Our ship had engine problems and were late arriving, however it ok as we drove to Norfolk. It would have been fine with me if we had an extra day at sea :D . Seriously though.. I've been on many different cruiselines and different ships and things can and do happen everywhere. I can say my first experience on HAL was a good one (or I wouldn't still be snooping around on this board;) )

[luvs2beachit]

Hi All,

 

First, thanks for all the info on the Maasdam. We are sailing her on the 27th of this month so we are very interested in the details. I have sailed HAL twice years ago, 91 and 92 and had wonderful experiences but my husband had not been on this line. I am a bit concerned about all the plumbing and AC issues that I have been hearing about and am wondering if these problems were confined to specific areas of the ship. We only booked this past weekend and do not have cabin #s yet, however, if the problems were in only in certain cabins we could request a cabin change immediately. We are pretty easy to please, we are not demanding and usually can just go with the flow but the combination of a hot cabin and broken plumbing for 10days would be nothing short of a horror story. Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks, Judie

[slineberry528]

Linda and Vern, glad you had a great time, can't wait to hear more. We were on the Nov. 20 sailing and had a wonderful time. I am thinking about the 11 day one next fall.

Susan