May 13 Maasdam/HAL Newbie Review

[NapTown Jim]

I have just returned home from my first ever cruise and for the Cliff Notes version of the cruise let me just say it in 3 words...Ahh-May-Zing!

 

Ahh...because it was just the relaxing honeymoon the wife and I were wanting.

 

May...because it was in the magic month of May

 

Zing...because it was so much fun it went by too fast!

-----------------------------------------------------

Now for the meat and potatoes of the review.

 

About us.

I'm 36, the wife is 36+ a couple years. We are college educated professionals who like vacations that are at the same time relaxing and culturally enriching. When I called my travel agent and informed her of our desire to take this cruise she told us that HAL caters to a more older crowd. I told her that didn't bother us because we were not interested in a party atmosphere and told her to book us anyway.

 

Pre-cruise.

I LOVE the city of Montreal. This was my second visit to the city, the wife's first. We arrived 3 days beforehand and stayed at a bed & breakfast on Sherbrooke street. During our stay there we visited the Basilica de Notre Dame, Montreal Botanical Gardens, Chateau Ramezey, Notre Dame de Bon Secours, Margarite de Bourgouis Museum, Bon Secours Market and the Pointe a Calliere Archeology Museum.

 

Embarkation

Since this was my first cruise I had nothing to compare it to, but it seemed a disorganized mess to me. There were two doors to the waiting room and only one of them had a person handing out embarkation numbers. Guess which one we entered? It was several minutes before I realized that there were a bunch of people with these little red tags with numbers on them that we didn't have. Finally someone came by to check on us and gave us a number. When they started calling out numbers, everyone was mobbing the entrance and the room was too noisy to cleary hear the numbers being called out. After our number was called and a few minutes of being herded through the cattle pens our embarkation photo was finally taken and we were on the gangway.

 

The Ship.

I thought the Maasdam was marvelous. The wife thought it was a bit small. She had sailed twice before, once on the Carnival Triumph and the second time on the Pride of Aloha. Still, she was most impressed when we got to our cabin. She told me it was the largest she's ever had. We were in cabin 174, a Verandah cabin. I must say that my most favorite part of the ship was by far the Explorations Cafe.

 

The Food.

I was most impressed by the food. The presentation and taste in the main dinging room was fantastic. We never tried out the Pinnacle Grill so I can't comment about that. We had early upper dining seating and our waiter, Amil was friendly and gave us first rate service. I ran into him at the Lido during lunch a couple days into the cruise and asked him about the legendary 'Shy' I read so much about here. He told me that Shy got off the boat during the refit and was taking a couple months off before returning to work. Can't say I blame him. These guys bust their tails for us every day and I reckon they deserve a AT LEAST a few months straight off work. I've read that some people have complaied about the portion sizes but I found them to be just right. I never walked away from the dinner table hungry. If I were to make a suggestion about the food it would be to allow the guys at the Asian stir fry station in the lido to have hot pepper sauce to add to dishes for those of us who like spicy food, or a bottle of Frank's Red Hot on the condiment tray. The desert extraviganza was awesome I must say.

 

The Ports.

Quebec City was my favorite followed closely by Halifax, Bar Harbor and Charlottetown with Sydney being a distant last. We signed up for only two excursions. The walking tour with tea at Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City was fabulous and the Peggy's Cove excursion at Halifax was good and would have been great had it not been so foggy. We decided to wing it at Charlottetown and Bar Harbor. We nearly took the Cadillac Mountain excursion but ended up glad we didn't because it was so foggy in Bar Harbor we wouldn't have been able to see anything.

 

Entertainment.

The two production shows we went to were great. We went to the movies at the Wajang theater 3 times. That was neat and the popcorn was good. It would be great if we could order that stuff for room service for those who decide to take in an in cabin movie. I never got to play blackjack in the casino like I wanted to so I can't comment about that.

 

Overall thoughts and impressions.

1. Why, oh why do some of my fellow passengers feel they need to treat the service staff like slaves? When you snap your fingers to summon someone to take the stack of empty plates away from you is it too much to ask to thank them when they do so with a smile?

 

2. The service was fantastic. Our cabin steward Alus was great and always kept the ice bucket full. The bar staff was freindly and un-obtrusive. You only need to tell them no once and they'll leave you alone. The wife tells me that on Carnival and NCL they prowl the decks like sharks trying to sell you a drink every 5 minutes.

 

3. We were invited to a VIP reception the day after the Captain's reception. Turned out it was because we were there for our honeymoon. Anyway, I was chatting with the first officer of the Maasdam and I learned some interesting things. First...Holland America is the only major cruiseline to sail to Montreal because the Maasdam and her sisters are the only ships small enough to turn around in Montreal's harbor. Second....HAL's Canada-New England itenerary is very popular. He tells me they always sell out and that the company is looking at deploying larger ships in the area. This will mean that Montreal may be dropped from the schedule in '08 if they deploy the S class ships elsewhere.

 

4. The last day of the cruise was a sad day for me because it meant that I had to go home. I'm already planning the next one now. We're looking at doing Alaska sometime in '08 and Holland America is at the top of the list. After showing my photos of the Maasdam and the Canada New England cruise I think I've got a few of my friends who are now interested in joining me. The more the merrier!

 

So, not only would I love to sail Holland America again, I would most certainly do the Canadian cruise again in a heartbeat!

[Jemima]

Jim,

Glad you really enjoyed your cruise! Think you had the same waiter, Amil, as we had on the 4/28 cruise. We were also early upper and were at table 69. He was excellent.

[Southbound]

Thanks for taking the time to write a review. Very interesting and informative. Glad to hear you enjoyed the Maasdam and all she has to offer. Congratulations on your marriage; may you share many happy years together.

[sail7seas]

Thanks for your nice review, Jim.

 

Makes me even more eager to return to the 'beautiful and elegant' ms Maasdam for our cruises on her in August. We love that ship and itinerary.

 

Congratulations and Best Wishes to you and your Bride.

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Glad to read that you enjoyed your honeymoon cruise and are now looking forward to booking another cruise.

[mrskmirolla]

Jim thank you for the review and congratulations!! We will be on the Maasdam the 27th and can hardly wait, we took her to the Panama Canal a couple of years ago and fell in love with her.

 

Kathy

[Old As Dirt Mom]

:) Ditto all of the above. Thanks for taking the time to post a thorough review! Congrats on your marriage!

[Bodger]

IThe Ports.

Quebec City was my favorite followed closely by Halifax, Bar Harbor and Charlottetown with Sydney being a distant last.

 

If you make it back to Sydney, do yourself a favour and visit the Fortress of Louisbourg.

http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/louisbourg/index_e.asp

 

The fortress is "the largest reconstructed 18th century French fortified town in North America."

 

We were there last summer, my fourth time, and I am continually in awe of this place. It is a real treat.

 

Bodger

[NapTown Jim]

Ft. Louisburg would be neat to see, 'tis true, but the excursions to that fort were unavailable for my cruise. Though the fort itself may be open, they're not yet geared up for the tourists until June 1 when the shops & reenactors show up, yes?

[lougee1043]

 

Embarkation

Since this was my first cruise I had nothing to compare it to, but it seemed a disorganized mess to me. There were two doors to the waiting room and only one of them had a person handing out embarkation numbers. Guess which one we entered? It was several minutes before I realized that there were a bunch of people with these little red tags with numbers on them that we didn't have. Finally someone came by to check on us and gave us a number. When they started calling out numbers, everyone was mobbing the entrance and the room was too noisy to cleary hear the numbers being called out. After our number was called and a few minutes of being herded through the cattle pens our embarkation photo was finally taken and we were on the gangway.

 

it usually that way --people are so anxious to get on board -- afraid they will miss something --or they just want to start their cruise 30 seconds earlier---or they want to make sure they get a table in the lido for lunch

 

all that aside im so glad you liked hal and the maasdam --my 2nd most favorite ship

[RuthC]

It was a delight to read such an upbeat report. I could hear the enthusiasm jumping right off your keyboard!

Next time remember---you don't have to stay to watch the movie to take the popcorn. Bring a bag (or two ;) ) back to your cabin.

Now that the bride has completed the cruise, does she like the smaller size ship at all?

Best wishes for a long and happy life together.

[NapTown Jim]

Ruth,

Yes, actually she liked the small size alot better. She tells me that it was much easier to find your way around the ship than on the Triumph. Where the small size was really noticible to her was the show lounge and the dinning room. Though those rooms may be smaller they never seemed crowded and that to me is all the diference. The Maasdam was fantastic, though she said she could feel alot more movement on it at sea than the others she'd been on.

[fhmoore]

We went to the Fortress at Louisbourg on the May 13 Maasdam cruise. even though we knew it was not fully "open", I didn't want to miss it in case we never got back on this itinerary. It was less than a 30 minute drive and there were 3 or 4 buildings that were open to the public. It was well worth the trip!! The admission price was only around $5 Canadian. I can't wait to go back to get the full experience.

[Glory2Him]

The Maasdam was fantastic, though she said she could feel alot more movement on it at sea than the others she'd been on.

 

First of all, congrats on your marriage!

 

We are going on the Maasdam this Saturday and are used to bigger ships. I am a little concerned about the movement. Did you feel seasick at all? Weren't you up there when all the rain was happening? It sounds like you skirted it somehow!

 

Thanks again for your review, very helpful.

 

~Jill

[lougee1043]

concerned about ships movement -- you might want to take a bonine or meclizine --over the counter drugs-- on a daily basis to help ward off any seasickness

[Glory2Him]

Thanks Lougee... We plan on doing that (taking Bonine). It has helped us in the past, but I still get a little bit nervous, can't help it! :D

[NapTown Jim]

We are going on the Maasdam this Saturday and are used to bigger ships. I am a little concerned about the movement. Did you feel seasick at all?

 

~Jill

 

Jill

No, I did not get seasick at all. Then again, I've never had a problem with motion sickness. All that movement made it a challenge to walk a straight line in the hallways but thats about it for me.

[Mack704]

Mazel Tov on your marriage! It was great to read good things about the Maasdam. DW and I are cruising on her this coming October. Our last cruise was on the Carnival Valor, which is twice the size of the Maasdam. We're looking forward to the smaller ship. And it will be our first on HAL. Thanks again for the review.

 

Harvey

[Seacucumber]

Great review and thanks for sharing with everyone on this thread. We did similar cruise from NYC to Montreal few years ago on Regal Princess. We also sailed on Masdam which is a great ship.

[countdephotos]

It sounds like you had a wonderful cruise -- my DH and I will be celebrating our 32nd while on board -- maybe you should start to plan your anniversary cruise!:)

Anyhow, could you tell us a little about the cabins and about the spa -- for example, were the room furnishings and linens new, or did they appear old? Also, were there culinary classes?

The Maasdam was supposed to have undergone updating, and I'm curious as to what your impression was, as I took a cruise on Celebrity Zenith in February, and although I enjoyed it tremendously, I did notice that the ship was showing its age.

Renee