Maasdam recent passengers - questions

[imae39]

We are looking at the April sailings on Maasdam. I know an older ship but want to know if all is fine with it yet. Also - what kind of music and musical group was in the Explorers Lounge. How is the library?

Would appreciate hearing positives of this ship.

Will be celebrating an upcoming 55th wedding anniversary. So far our very favorite ship is the Noordam which we sailed on five times out of our 17 HAL cruises.

[kazu]

We were on this ship last March - perhaps not recent enough for what you need BUT what I can tell you is that now I know why this ship has so many fans:)

 

This is a great ship with a fabulous crew:) this ship has a LOT of fans and deservedly so. We are now one of them:)

 

and the library on her is great:)

[mamaofami]

We haven't been on Maasdam since last January, but we just booked our fourth cruise on her for April. She's a great ship, great crew, great library. I love her.

[paganwoman]

We were on her last summer. My husband can tell you the library was great (it was where he spent his time whenever he could) The ship is very well maintained and we loved spending time on her. Our cruise before this one was on the Nieuw Amsterdam so we went from one size ship to another. Each one has advantages. I personally enjoy being on all sizes. You will have a great time. The Maasdam is a gem in the HAL fleet :)

[DFD1]

Maasdam is one of HAL's best loved shps. She's a favorite of scores of repeat cruisers, including us.

 

She's the perfect size for us; elegant, beautiful and a superb crew.

 

I don't think you'll make a mistake celebrating your anniversary on Maasdam.

[dr.dawg]

to the OP, i like the maasdam, been on her many, many times. last time march, '12. she is well-maintained, or was then. lots and lots of positives. but, i'm interested in why you are only interested in 'positive' comments.' no ship, no line is perfect. i have had plumbing, ac/heating problems on maasdam in the past. i suppose 'ship happens.' and crew change all of the time; because someone lauds the crew does not necessarily mean that will be valid in the future; cruise directors, captains, hotel managers also change. no ship is forever. that said, i'm doing maasdam in may, and i hope, like you, that it is a good experience. maasdam is my favorite s-class ship; i love amsterdam and rotterdam and zaandam more. you will have a very good cruise, i am sure, depending on what you expect.

[sail7seas]

We have sailed Maasdam since she was brand new from the boat yard and were on for her Inaugural Parties. She is a wonderful ship... beautiful and has a large fan club.

Yes, she has signs of some wear and tear here and there but she has been lovingly maintained. She has one of the best crews in the fleet and we can't wait to board her again. We've sailed her over 30 cruises and have two more booked.

 

One of our two favorite ships........ :)

[Krazy Kruizers]

We sailed on here (again) Feb 2012 for 25 days and did not have any issues.

She is in fine shape.

Happy 55th Anniversary!!

[cruiserzoid]

Hello: Not all of the rooms are in fine shape. I was in an inside that was pretty beat up:door handle on closet 3/4 off,dingy half curtains that were loose in the wall,quarter sized tarnish spot on vanity mirror and rug pretty worn. Was not supplied either: No Do Not Disturb sign,no postcards,pen,paper or envelopes.

No robes either. Just 2 hangers and a sign to buy a robe at $65. I complained to the front desk so I wouldn;t get charged for robes missing. They did not charge me; but,did not provide any robes either.

On the positive side:food was excellent in Lido and MDR.

I was on Jan 4 th 2013 Caribbean cruise.

[kazu]

Hello: Not all of the rooms are in fine shape. I was in an inside that was pretty beat up:door handle on closet 3/4 off,dingy half curtains that were loose in the wall,quarter sized tarnish spot on vanity mirror and rug pretty worn. Was not supplied either: No Do Not Disturb sign,no postcards,pen,paper or envelopes.

No robes either. Just 2 hangers and a sign to buy a robe at $65. I complained to the front desk so I wouldn;t get charged for robes missing. They did not charge me; but,did not provide any robes either.

On the positive side:food was excellent in Lido and MDR.

I was on Jan 4 th 2013 Caribbean cruise.

 

just wondering? what happened when you asked for the stuff that was missing?

 

what happened when you asked for stuff to be fixed?

 

we had a door on our closet that wasn't working right - the carpenter was there lickety split along with the supervisor - ship happens - I have no issues as long as it is attended to - and it was:)

[cruiserzoid]

They fixed the door handle the day after I told them about it. They put in a burned out lightbulb in the bathroom late one evening about half way through the cruise.They supplied the items,except for robes. Nothing was done about the tarnish on the mirror or the plate that was falling off the outlet/lightswich above the vanity. Closet doors never closed flush - were a quarter inch open all the time. That was not fixed

I never got an answer about the robes. I just got dumbfounded looks. I believe you now must be at least a 4 star to get a robe in your room.

 

Just a bunch of minor things. It did make a bad situation in that I had to ask for things I normally got before. It was like someone never got the word that that room would be occupied. Plus the robes were a secret they would not reveal why I did not get them; yet,I could purchase them.

[Jazmyn49]

We did the 43 day double Transatlantic in November. The ship was in very good condition, the library was excellent and the bread pudding still amazing. Our cabin was immaculate, the bed super, no worries at all about this ship!

[kazu]

They fixed the door handle the day after I told them about it. They put in a burned out lightbulb in the bathroom late one evening about half way through the cruise.They supplied the items,except for robes. Nothing was done about the tarnish on the mirror or the plate that was falling off the outlet/lightswich above the vanity. Closet doors never closed flush - were a quarter inch open all the time. That was not fixed

I never got an answer about the robes. I just got dumbfounded looks. I believe you now must be at least a 4 star to get a robe in your room.

 

Just a bunch of minor things. It did make a bad situation in that I had to ask for things I normally got before. It was like someone never got the word that that room would be occupied. Plus the robes were a secret they would not reveal why I did not get them; yet,I could purchase them.

 

Seriously, you do NOT need to be a 4* to get the robes:)

 

Thanks for answering the question,

 

sounds like you had some issues - too bad - I hope you had a good cruise despite the issues:)

[sail7seas]

Kazu is right.

Every guests is supposed to have a robe to use during their cruise. It has nothing to do with Four Star. Front Office is not the best place to speak with if you want issues in your cabin addressed IMO

 

Speak with your steward and if that doesn't work, speak with their supervisor. If that doesn't work, speak with Chief Housekeeper.

 

If you have trouble contacting him, write a note. The front office will deliver the sealed envelope.

 

[imae39]

Cruiserzoid - Yikes! Interesting about how things were not up to snuff in your inside cabin. What was your cabin number? I might want to avoid that cabin. But, hopefully everything has been taken care of.

[cruiserzoid]

It was stateroom 685.

 

I am 3 star and never had a room I could complain about before.

 

The robe mystery is strange. I could not get an explanation why I could not get a robe and did not want to purchase one.

 

Maybe that room was usually used for a crewmember and was not stocked with ammenities and not in great shape. Was pressed into service for me.

 

The TV reception was good for broadcasted signals; but,the reception for the HAL channels was really snowy and blurry. I have not since reception like that for years now with HDTV and cable

[cruiserzoid]

As far as the music in the Explorers Lounge , as you asked, it was all strings group.

[TraelorMex]

Hi. Regarding music in explorers lounge. We were on a 42 day t/a very recently and the adagio strings were perfroming several times a day. They were EXCELLENT! Unfortunately, the adagio strings (as they were arranged) will be kaput, according to the musicians. Do not know what they will replace them with, or even if they will replace them. IMHO, it is a tragic loss as we LOVED these talented musicians....:(

[JennysUncle]

We were on the Jan 4 sailing too. There were no robes when we arrived but they appeared the next day. I suspect that was because of cutting the room steward staffing while speeding up the ship turn-around; just not enough time to fully prep the rooms. Otherwise the room was fine; fully cleaned, which is the most important thing.

[cruiserzoid]

I did show the cabin attendant and wrote a note and a man with a clipboard came the next night and I showed him all the defects.

Some of the things got fixed within the 2 week cruise,some didn't.

These people either have limited skill in understanding English or they pretend they do not understand. I never got an answer about the robes why I would not get one. I just got assurance I would not have to pay. Was not worth playing charades with them to get one.

[kazu]

I did show the cabin attendant and wrote a note and a man with a clipboard came the next night and I showed him all the defects.

Some of the things got fixed within the 2 week cruise,some didn't.

These people either have limited skill in understanding English or they pretend they do not understand. I never got an answer about the robes why I would not get one. I just got assurance I would not have to pay. Was not worth playing charades with them to get one.

 

not to cause a thread drift but you are kinder than I. I've never had a problem being understood but that is irrelevant. I like having my robe - it's an amenity I expect, advertised and I want it. So I would have gone up the ladder. A 7 day cruise I might say why bother - a two week cruise - it's a requirement. a 31 day - a necessity:D

[Krazy Kruizers]

Hello: Not all of the rooms are in fine shape. I was in an inside that was pretty beat up:door handle on closet 3/4 off,dingy half curtains that were loose in the wall,quarter sized tarnish spot on vanity mirror and rug pretty worn. Was not supplied either: No Do Not Disturb sign,no postcards,pen,paper or envelopes.

No robes either. Just 2 hangers and a sign to buy a robe at $65. I complained to the front desk so I wouldn;t get charged for robes missing. They did not charge me; but,did not provide any robes either.

On the positive side:food was excellent in Lido and MDR.

I was on Jan 4 th 2013 Caribbean cruise.

 

It was stateroom 685.

 

I am 3 star and never had a room I could complain about before.

 

The robe mystery is strange. I could not get an explanation why I could not get a robe and did not want to purchase one.

 

Maybe that room was usually used for a crewmember and was not stocked with ammenities and not in great shape. Was pressed into service for me.

 

The TV reception was good for broadcasted signals; but,the reception for the HAL channels was really snowy and blurry. I have not since reception like that for years now with HDTV and cable

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

I just read about all your problems.

So sorry that this happened to you.

That cabin is not a crew cabin.

I think you should have written everything down and asked to speak to the Guest Relations manager after the first day.

JMO

[George C]

I have had issues on Hal with waiters ( in bar areas) not understanding english, had to send drink back several times since they kept getting order wrong. But looking forward for our next cruise which is on Maasdam.

[cruiserzoid]

I did write a lenghty description of the lack of amenities and the

deficiencies of the room and turned it in to the front desk. The next night the man with the clipboard came and things started happening.

Things don't always happen like one would think or hope. About every trip I have no shareholders onboard credit and they say I have to call the travel agent because she did not send the paperwork in. The truth is,the travel agent always sends the paperwork in and it gets fouled up. I have to get Seattle to straighten it out when I return home. The proxy states the travel agent has to send it in and I cannot or it will not be accepted. I know the travel agent sends it in and I have to play this game each cruise.

Things do not always go as smooth as you would think. I have talked to guest relations and I get the same Abbott and Costello routine from them.

About everything has to be straightened out when you return home.

I wrote to Seattle when I got home and told them about this room. I also asked for a reason why I could not get a robe. I have not received a reply yet.

[DFD1]

My travel agent never sends in my stock ownership information. For many years, I have sent it in personally. I follow up about 10 days later to be sure the credit has been posted to my shipboard account.

 

I've never had any problems getting the credit using this method.