Maasdam YES!

[mysticsailor]

Our first cruise on the Maasdam was the 50 day Atlantic Adventurer last October and looking forward to many more. There were hundreds of 4 and 5 Star Mariners aboard which tells you that a lot of cruisers are HAL fans, me being one of them.

 

We found the service to be outstanding in every single venue. Were there ever disappointments in the food, yes. Did this leave us with sour grapes, no. Were there any a/c issues, yes, but such a short duration easily forgotten. Was disembarkation lousy, no.

 

What seems likely is that the 'Maasdam No' poster was possibly nothing more than he/she long time Oceana cruisers, who missed the personal recognition family ambiance naturally not experienced as a new passenger on a new line.

 

You can bet we will be sailing HAL's older, smaller ships in the future and happily appreciate every bit of patina she proudly displays.

[KirkNC]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise, I suspect on every sailing there are both happy and unhappy sailors.

[EbayCruiser]

Thanks for your review. We are looking forward to our upcoming 14 day Alaska Cruise on the Maasdam.

[Pia1913]

No matter what line or which ship, there's always somebody who likes to b****.

 

We're boarding the Oosterdam on Monday for a transatlantic to Rome. Have I seen negativity? Yes. Will this bother me? Never!

[gigianne]

We were on the Riviera last fall and the ship was docked in front of the Maasdam in Barcelona. The dark blue hulled ships of HAL are IMO the most beautiful - and the Maasdam is my most favourite of the HAL ships that we have cruised on.

Edited March 17, 2016 by gigianne

[SetAnOpenCourse]

We were on the Riviera last fall and the ship was docked in front of the Maasdam in Barcelona. The dark blue hulled ships of HAL are IMO the most beautiful - and the Maasdam is my most favourite of the HAL ships that we have cruised on.

 

I also prefer the look of HAL's fleet. I do not find the ships of other lines that I see while docked to be attractive.

[RuthC]

We were on the Riviera last fall and the ship was docked in front of the Maasdam in Barcelona. The dark blue hulled ships of HAL are IMO the most beautiful - and the Maasdam is my most favourite of the HAL ships that we have cruised on.

 

I also prefer the look of HAL's fleet. I do not find the ships of other lines that I see while docked to be attractive.

I'm going to go ahead and disagree with you both as far as how attractive the Riviera is. I found her to be gorgeous inside. She's every bit as elegant (leaving out the strange artwork) as the seven remaining older HAL ships.

 

But that's as far as it goes. Service on Oceania wasn't any where near as good as it is on HAL. Food (except for the equivalent of the Dive-In) wasn't so much better than HAL as to be worth the difference in price. With the exception of Jacques and Privée (at $250 for up to 10 people), the specialty restaurants were worth the "free" price.

 

The Maasdam is a comfortable size, and not one of those huge ships sailing the seas these days. She's attractive, easy to get around, and offers a relaxing vacation with things to do---including sitting and watching the sea.

I hope she's around for many more years.

[chefestelle]

When reading the no post I thought of my fabulous yes trip aboard the Veendam at Xmas and know that the people midship on my deck were probably very unhappy with the sewage smell that came and went. I would have been. I'm not sure it would have dampened my enthusiasm for the ship but I sure would have asked for a far different stateroom the next time. I do understand the naysayers, though. It's not unlike my flightease experience. So many people have reported excellent experiences with it and I believe every word they say. But my experience was truly awful and time consuming and stressful at a time when I really, really needed a stress free holiday. So I am confident I will not use it again, but I do not question the wisdom of those who choose to try it or continue to use it. Normally, I would have been able to roll with the issues and take charge but I wasn't in that place at that time. So I think these Maasdam experiences are about time and place not just for the ship or the itinerary but also for each person and their needs and expectations in the moment.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Fouremco]

The title says it all!

[erewhon]

Our first cruise on the Maasdam was the 50 day Atlantic Adventurer last October and looking forward to many more. There were hundreds of 4 and 5 Star Mariners aboard which tells you that a lot of cruisers are HAL fans, me being one of them.

 

We found the service to be outstanding in every single venue. Were there ever disappointments in the food, yes. Did this leave us with sour grapes, no. Were there any a/c issues, yes, but such a short duration easily forgotten. Was disembarkation lousy, no.

 

What seems likely is that the 'Maasdam No' poster was possibly nothing more than he/she long time Oceana cruisers, who missed the personal recognition family ambiance naturally not experienced as a new passenger on a new line.

 

You can bet we will be sailing HAL's older, smaller ships in the future and happily appreciate every bit of patina she proudly displays.

 

Thank you for your comments.

We are looking forward to sailing on her, while she is "down under".

Edited March 18, 2016 by erewhon