osiebosie Posted July 4, 2007 #1 Share Posted July 4, 2007 Well, DH and I have decided on the Maasdam for our anniversary cruise this fall. We'll be departing Ft. Lauderdale on Oct 20 for a 10-day cruise. Three of the ports are new for us: Half Moon Cay, Roseau, and Curacao. Cannot wait!! We are new to HAL, but not new to cruising. So, I have a few questions. 1. How do you pronounce Maasdam? Do the a's rhyme with cat, or bar, or mom, or something else? :rolleyes: 2. We will book a BB guarantee. Can we get a full breakfast room service menu? Or is it abbreviated? 3. We've never sailed HAL. Has anyone had an upgrade with their first cruise on HAL? 4. How old is the ship? Has she been refurbished lately? We've sailed Celebrity, Carnival, Norwegian, and Commodore (remember them?) Anything we need to know pertaining to HAL? Thanks for your help and answers. Shay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osiebosie Posted July 4, 2007 Author #2 Share Posted July 4, 2007 Also, How is the air conditioning and sanitation system on the ship? Thanks, Shay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercedMike Posted July 4, 2007 #3 Share Posted July 4, 2007 MAHZ-DAHM! We loved her. She is an older ship but is in good condition, the air conditioning and sanitation worked fine, and the crew was wonderful. On all HAL ships, the full dining room menu is available during dining room hours. However the little card to hang out side the door worked well too and had a lot of choices on it. Really, though, I prefer the buffet for breakfast. Check out our trip report here http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/maasdam.html Have a GREAT cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseBumm Posted July 4, 2007 #4 Share Posted July 4, 2007 My DW and I spent our 25th aniversery on the Massdam. I pronounce it like MA's dam. The service was great and the ship was in great shape. If Randal is in the piano bar. He is a lot of fun.:D Have a great time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinbad37 Posted July 4, 2007 #5 Share Posted July 4, 2007 WELCOME ABOARD! Shey, You have just found the place for all of your questions to be answered and the help to make this the Cruise you are looking forward to for such a special celebration! We will be on the same cruise. I started a roll call thread to contact fellow cruisers for this particular cruise. Go to ROLL CALL - SELECT MASSDAM - SCROLL DOWN TO MASSDAM - 10-20-07. I know of two other couples also going, so we can chat. Every thing has been excellent on all of our HAL cruises! Massdam is very special to us as she was our "first" cruise together on HAL and we have been going with HAL since then. Air fully functional at all times, and sanitation has been # 1 priority. Roseau, Dominica, is a first for us on this itinerary. We are looking forward to that as a new port. Our TA says - DOM-IN-E-CAH is the pronounciation. Being an Indiana gal myself, some of these are a little difficult with a mid-west twang. :D Half of the fun is in the anticipation. The other half is the continuing friends you make! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted July 4, 2007 #6 Share Posted July 4, 2007 Cabin breakfast: Cabin Breakfast Menu Preferred Time Frame 6 AM - 6:30 AM 7 AM - 7:30 AM 8 AM - 8:30 AM 9 AM - 9:30 AM 6:30 AM - 7 AM 7:30 AM - 8 AM 8:30 AM - 9 AM 9:30 AM - 10 AM Juices Grapefruit; Orange:; Cranberry; V-8; Prune, Tomato Fresh Fruit Half Grapefruit; Sliced Bananas; Diced Oranges; Mixed Fruit; Seasonal Melons; Stewed Prunes Low Fat Yogurt Plain; Fruit Breads English Muffin; White Toast; Wheat Toast; Rye Toast; Danish; Croissant; Blueberry Muffin; Bran Muffin; Bagel Preserves Assorted Jams; Marmalade; Honey; Butter; Margarine; Cream Cheese Cereals Corn Flakes; Special K; Mueslix; Raisin Bran; Granola; Fruit Loops; Frosted Flakes; Rice Krispies; Shredded Wheat With: Milk; 2% Milk; Skim Milk Eggs & Meats Two Eggs: Scrambled or sunnyside up or over easy Omelet: With Cheese or With Ham and Cheese Eggbeaters: Scrambled or Omelet with Cheese or Omelet with Ham and Cheese Meat: Ham or Sausage or Bacon Beverages Regular Coffee; Decaf Coffee; Tea; Hot Chocolate; Milk; 2% Milk; Skim Milk; Half & Half Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted July 4, 2007 #7 Share Posted July 4, 2007 Maasdam was buit in 1993. We first sailed on her in 1996 and have since sailed on her many times. We just did the 10 day (Feb/Mar) cruise you will be doing. Loved it. Have been to all those ports many times. HMC is HAL's private island - you will love it and won't want to leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osiebosie Posted July 4, 2007 Author #8 Share Posted July 4, 2007 Thank you all (ya'll) for your replies. I'll be calling my TA first thing Thursday morning and getting it set up. We'll fly in a day early. Our anniversary is the 21st, so we'll actually be cruising for the celebration. So, the Maasdam, (ma's dam) it is! Thanks for the breakfast menu. We already know what we are going to order. I need to lose weight so I can gain weight... Roseau: Is that Rose-0 or Rose-ow? Thanks for the invite to the roll call. I always join in on them before cruising. See you soon over there! Shay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercedMike Posted July 4, 2007 #9 Share Posted July 4, 2007 Roseau: Is that Rose-0 or Rose-ow? Shucks, ah thanks y'all sez it: Roo-sew lak theyuns wood in N'awlins. ;o) And Dom'-in-eek-a is one of our favorite ports! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebeljohn Posted July 4, 2007 #10 Share Posted July 4, 2007 Shay.............You will LOVE the Maasdam. Good Choice! A wonderful ship with an excellent crew. I agree with Cruisebumm.........if Randal is in the piano bar, you'll go there every night! Here are some pictures we took in Nov. 2005, sailing out of Norfolk, for my wife's birthday.......... http://travel.webshots.com/album/515193880uJXZBL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sail7seas Posted July 4, 2007 #11 Share Posted July 4, 2007 We are currently on the second leg of a back-to-back on Maasdam and have sailed her a great many times in the past. IMO.....she keeps getting better and better. A fantastic crew who lovingly maintains this ship in beautiful condition. We will hate to leave after two weeks and the only thing that will get me calmly down the gangway is that we are booked to return for two more weeks in August. That must tell it all as to how much we love her. We'll be aboard a full month this summer and are looking to more future cruises on her. You're going to love her! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osiebosie Posted July 4, 2007 Author #12 Share Posted July 4, 2007 Great pics, but I didn't like looking at them because they made me want to be cruising NOW :D !!!! Shay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtl513 Posted July 4, 2007 #13 Share Posted July 4, 2007 Since nobody else has answered #3 - yes, we got an upgrade on our first HAL cruise! :) And on #4: all HAL ships recently went through a Signature of Excellence program to upgrade bedding, TVs, and many public areas. I can't give you the date it was done on the Maasdam, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker1 Posted July 4, 2007 #14 Share Posted July 4, 2007 Cabin breakfast: Cabin Breakfast Menu Preferred Time Frame 6 AM - 6:30 AM 7 AM - 7:30 AM 8 AM - 8:30 AM 9 AM - 9:30 AM 6:30 AM - 7 AM 7:30 AM - 8 AM 8:30 AM - 9 AM 9:30 AM - 10 AM We were on the Maasdam in May, Boston to Montreal. The only glitch was whatever time frame we chose for breakfast room service, they were 20 to 30 minutes early . . .which is far better than 20 to 30 minutes late. It's a beautiful ship and in very good condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osiebosie Posted July 4, 2007 Author #15 Share Posted July 4, 2007 It all sounds good! I just can't wait to eat breakfast out on the balcony. We took a cruise last fall on Celebrity and had concierge service. We had breakfast brought up to eat in the cabin, since we were doing a Canada/New England cruise and it was too cold to eat outside on the balcony. So on this one, it's b'fast on the balcony with great scenery!!! Jtl513, maybe we'll get an upgrade, too. How many categories was your upgrade? Shay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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