We're Back from our Maasdam cruise!

[lkmamom]

I am so tired right now from spending the day in airports, but just wanted to write a quick thanks to everyone on the board for being so patient with my questions. Our cruise was just wonderful and we had a wonderful time. I will write a review tomorrow after I have a little sleep:o Thanks again for all of the help. And now, if anyone has any questions about the Maasdam, I can help!

Linda

[Crusing Bob]

Linda, what type cabin did you book and did you hear any problems on the ship with toilets and A/C.

Bob

[fcorey]

welcome home, we'll look forward to hearing more about your trip :)

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Welcome home, Linda, and get some rest! I'm looking forward to your review, and I'm glad to hear you had a great time:)

 

Karin

[Susie51]

I was on the Maasdam 3 years ago. I'm looking forward to your review.

[luvcruisn']

We've booked the Maasdam for the Panama Canal in January, as that was the best time for all 6 of us to travel. Worried about plumbing problems especially, that would really impact our cruise experience. Thanks in advance for your comments.

[dchip]

Looking forward to your review!! I will be taking my first HAL cruise and first solo cruise on the Maasdam the end of October.

 

Cheers, Denise

[Charliesmom]

Hi Linda,

 

I hope you had a grand time. We are scheduled for the Sept. 1st sailing.

 

Do you know who the Cruise Director was on your cruise? Do you know if he/she will be on the ship for our cruise?

 

Anything we should know about before we board? Please let me know.

 

Anxiously awaiting your review.

 

Roberta

[lkmamom]

Hi everyone, thanks so much for the well wishes home. Being "home" is a sure hit of reality.

 

To start, please know that I agree with those that say that food tastes are personal, so if someone out there does not agree, I hope that we can agree to disagree. I also may diverse a bit only because some of this may help someone that has not traveled this cruise before, so if things sound repetetive, please just bear with me. This was our second HAL cruise. The first was last summer onboard the Zuiderdam to Alaska. We had previoulsy always sailed with Princess and had many Princess cruises under our belts. We really wanted to try another line, there were some things about Princess that we just did not care for anymore. This Maasdam cruise was truly one of our favorites, everything was just wonderful.

 

Our trip began in Boston. We had not visited the city of Boston before and we loved the city. The city is very walkable, and the T system (subway/bus system) very easy to get through. We stayed in the Back Bay area at the Sheraton Boston. A very nice and convenient hotel to everything including Black Falcon Pier. Oh, hint....if you want a terrific bowl of clam chowder, try Joe's American Restaurant. It was served piping hot in a bread bowl and just delicious.

 

Embarkation was fairly painless. It was mentioned before that online checkin was not worth the time and effort. I would agree with that. We did the online checkin with everything except putting in our credit card information and the line for this was longer that the line with no online checkin. Nevertheless, the lines went fairly quickly and I thought that the people had the situation very organized.

 

We really wanted a suite on the Navigation floor but unfortunatly they were gone very fast. I talked with the lady in concierge on that floor and she just smiled and said that people generally book those a year in advance. Maybe next time:D . We had a veranda suite on Deck 9. It was very roomy and fine for our family of three. DH and I shared a heavenly:) queen size bed and our son had a very nice sofa single bed. The veranda was nicely furnished with one chaise lounge chair and a single chair and small table. For the person that has sailed with Princess, to give you an idea, the veranda is longer that those on Princess but not as wide (I hope that makes sense) and that goes for the room too. There are three sets of three drawers at the desk area with a very nice LG tv and dvd player. There is adequate shelving above as well and a nice lighted makeup mirror. As noted by others, it would be a very good idea to bring a power strip. There are not enough outlets IMHO. There are also two drawers on each side of the bed.

 

We did have some issues with the toilet in the beginning. We decided that our potty was a "ghostly" potty as it would not flush when we wanted it to at first but then would flush after a while. This lasted about a day and we did not have another problem. To be honest, there were times that the AC was spotty. During the day, it could get warm at times and then at night sometimes very chilly. Things do work best if you keep your veranda door closed. I wonder if not everyone follows that suggestion.

 

As KK has mentioned in her posts about the cruise that she is presently on, there were a lot of kids with their families. This was the same on our cruise. To be honest, I did not notice one child being unruly. In fact, we had a family of four next to us (two very small children) and we never heard a peep. I do though have a concern in the area of children and I am eventually going to write a letter to Mr. Stein. I really think that there is a misunderstanding amongst some cruisers that HAL is a childless cruise line. I talked with about three cruisers that were very upset because their travel agents told them that there would be not children. This had been their first cruise and they were very upset about the kids onboard. Our first evening at dinner, as we went to our table, one of the ladies at the table peeked out from her menu and said, "I don't like kids". Of course, we felt kind of taken aback by this, our son had not even said a word. He was nicely dressed in khakis and a golf shirt. For the rest of the evening, they did not speak a word to us, it was very uncomfortable. They also did not return the rest of the week. Of course our servers felt really bad thinking that they had done something wrong. We had lovely conversations with a couple sitting next to us at a table for two, so it all worked out fine in the end.

 

The food throughout the week was terrific and I have the waistline to prove it!:eek: Everything that should have been hot was hot and vice versa. We tried to think of something that we did not care for and there was not a thing. In fact, we had made reservations for the Pinnacle Grill and cancelled them because we felt that the food was great in the Rembrandt. The staff was very professional and kind.We did not care for the food so much on our Zuiderdam cruise last summer. There was a definate difference this Maasdam cruise.

 

As far as dress code (that dreaded subject:o ), I noticed mostly everyone dressing according to what was suggested in the cruise book. On formal nights we only saw two couples that wore jeans and another couple wore sweat pants. For the ladies, most ladies wore short cocktail dresses or pantsuits. I always struggle a bit with this when packing because the long gowns are sometimes cumbersome to pack. There were a few tuxes but most of the guys wore nice suits or sportcoats and ties.

 

I admit it, I love to play the penny and nickel slots. It is so much fun to hear the sounds of all of those nickels hitting your bucket. I did have a lot of luck in the casino. try the Golden Monkey slots, really fun! A lady and her daughter won $1000.00 the first night of the cruise. I did not have anything near that kind of luck:rolleyes:

 

One thing that our family used were the laundry facilities. What can I say, my guys think they are still home changing clothes multiple times a day:rolleyes: It was $2.00 to wash and then $1.00 to dry and the soap was provided. You may want to take dryer sheets if you like that. I am not so sure if having the ship do your laundry might not be a better deal than doing it yourself!

 

The cruise staff were very helpful and nice. The cruise director was always very friendly and very visible walking about the ship. We absolutely loved the captain. He has a great sense of humor but you can also tell that he does not go for any monkey business, he was not very happy one day when 300 people were not back in time for sailaway and we were late leaving port.

 

I will not talk about the individual ports unless someone has a particular question. We did enjoy Bar Harbor so much and I would encourage the shore exc. offered by HAL for Acadia National Park tour. The tour guide was terrific and all of us truly enjoyed that day. We also enjoyed Newport Rhode Island a lot and we heard that HAL was doing away with that port in the future and will replace it with Sydney Nova Scotia instead.

 

Disembarkation was very organized and no a problem. We found our bags and walked outside to a huge line of taxis and shuttle buses ready to take you away. We stayed one more night in Boston and this time at the Hilton Boston Logan airport. We really loved this hotel and the shuttle services that they provide make it very easy to take the T into the city.

 

Well, that's it. If anyone has questions, I have saved all of the daily planners that were given to us and the port of call sheets. I asked so many questions before we left, the least that I can do is to return the favor.

 

I know that things were not so great for those cruising on the Maasdam a few months ago. To be honest, I was really a little nervous. Though I do not doubt that things can happen like that, this cruise for us could not have been more perfect. We loved our cruise, every minute of it including our doubting Thomas son who thought that this would be the most boring cruise, he had a blast!

 

Thanks again to those that helped me with my many questions.

Linda

[RuthC]

Thank you for such a nice review. I haven't been on the Maasdam for a couple of years now, but remember having a great time on her.

Could you say something about the entertainment on board? Who was playing in the various lounges? And what did you think of them (if you made it to the lounges, that is).

[RuthC]

Trying to reveal my reply. :eek:

[Jackie52]

Dear Linda, after reading so many good and bad things about the Maasdam in numerous boards it is nice to get an up to date report. Thank you! We are sailing next week, oh so sooooon! If you have time it would be great to see some of your daily planners posted. Perhaps you could answer these few questions.

 

1) is the soda pop card still available for adults? cost? quantity?

 

2) on formal night were any men without a jacket? My husband takes his off the minute we sit down as he is too hot, and he is thinking about not taking it at all. As the evening progresses, he rolls up his sleeves (yuck) I would rather see him in a nice short sleeve white shirt and tie. What do you think? We will not be needing any photos!

 

3) How was the entertainment?

[luvcruisn']

Linda, thanks so much for your review. It makes me a little less nervous about our upcoming Maasdam trip in January.

[gizmo]

Thanks for taking the time to write your review. I enjoyed reading it. Glad you enjoyed your cruise. :)

[lkmamom]

Sorry that it took me a while to reply. I am still unpacking, we took way too much (as usual):rolleyes: .

 

Roberta, the cruise director was David Martin. As I said, he was a very nice and visible CD. He seems very laid back not really "energetic" as some CD's we have had. His bio says that he is from Pittsburgh and has worked on the Maasdam in the Eastern Carribean, Alaska, and the ms Statendam. He did not mention when he would be leaving so I would assume he will be with you on your cruise.

 

Ruth C, first of all I really enjoyed my virtual cruise with you. It sounds like you had a great time and if you ever want a cruise buddy let me know, I think that you would be so much fun to cruise with! After I posted the first part of the review I remembered that I had forgotten the entertainment. The entertainment was okay on the Maasdam. We felt that the HAL band was really really good but some of the singers were okay. There was one soloist Jaycee (I think that was her name) that had a beautiful voice. There was Peter Mezoian, a banjo player extraordinare! He told us that he had grown up in Portland Maine. Our favorite was Garin Bader, a fabulous piano player and magician. He was amazing. There was also Jim Labriola, a comedian that was also on the TV show Home Improvement. He was okay IMHO. We loved the DJ "Jazzy". He is a very lively fellow and lots of fun.

 

Oh and Jackie52, you will have a wonderful cruise on the ms Maasdam! Can I come along?? Your hubby will be fine with his jacket off he he gets too warm in the dining room. One formal night got a little warm and most of the guys took off their jackets. As I mentioned before, most people do adhere to the recommended dress codes. I think that it is great that HAL offers many venues for comfortable dining. I noticed that most of the cruisers on our cruise followed the dress code to the tee. Even the tiniest were dressed to the nines!

 

I apologize, I cannot find anything about the cost of soda cards. We did not buy one this trip and I was a little sorry because by about the third day I did miss my Diet Coke;) . It was nice to have one in port. We actually drank a lot of good old ice water onboard. We did not feel the need for bottled water at all. Another hint.....there is very cold ice water and iced tea in the Queen's lounge on Deck 8 during the day.

 

I also wanted to add some other observations......check out the library That was truly the best library on a ship that I have ever seen. It was just beautiful and there were so many books there to keep one occupied for days! The computer room was also nice. There is a drawing the first night for free hours to be given away so sign up and good luck!

 

I thought that i would post the hours of the Food offerings for those new to HAL.

Breakfast

lido:

continental 6:30am-10:30am

full 7:00am-10:00am Another hint.....you gotta have a waffle yum!!!

Rotterdam Dining Room

7:30am-9:00am One more hint.....we used the dining room many many times for both breakfast and lunch because the lido can get very crowded!!

Lunch

Lido (deck 11)

entrees 11:30am-4:00pm

salads 11:30am-4:00pm

sandwiches 11:30am-4:00pm

ice cream 11:30am-4:00pm

coffee and tea available 24 hrs.

Terrace Grill

11:30am-4:00pm

taco bar, hamburgers, hot dogs,veggie burgers, chicken breasts and pizza

Dinner

Lido

6:00pm-7:30pm

6:00pm-7:45pm ice cream

Pinnacle Grill

5:30-9:30pm please make reservations from 8am onwards or in person or by dialing 98 cover charge applies.

Late night snack

Lido

11pm-12:30am asian

11pm-12:30am ice cream

 

Hope that helps! Any other questions ask away, I have all of the daily programs here by my computer!

Linda

[lkmamom]

In the varous lounges for entertainment:

Elena Palmer on the piano Crow's Nest (deck11)

The Basul Quartet (Ocean Bar 8)

The Champagne Strings (Explorer's Lounge 8) Really good!

Charley Rady (Piano Bar 8) great pianist!

DJ Jazzy (Crow's Nest Night Club 12) fun fun guy!

 

Also, there were numerous chances for FREE bingo cards!! Of course, we were always so busy doing things that we did not participate but if someone likes Bingo, there were multiple opportunites for free Bingo cards.

Linda

[Jackie52]

Linda , who just returned from her cruise said "We also enjoyed Newport Rhode Island a lot and we heard that HAL was doing away with that port in the future and will replace it with Sydney Nova Scotia instead."

 

Our cruise, which leaves Sept. 1st, does not stop at Newport RI it stops at Sydney so I guess the future has arrived. This is the one port where we booked a ship shore excursion. The famous "Cabot Trail" is said to be one of the most scenic spots in Canada. It is an 8 hour drive!

 

Linda, thanks again for all the advice and helpful tips!

[RuthC]

Thanks for the info on the entertainers, Linda. I like to keep track of the comings and goings of the various musicians.

And a big thanks for the compliment. :)

Newport, RI, hasn't been on the 7-day NE/Canada cruise that's one-way. It has been on the Boston round-trip, and the 10-day NYC/Montreal. It's a pity the HAL ships don't come here more often; I would hate to see them drop the port even more. :(

[Susie51]

Ikmamom, You have a great attitude towards cruising. I hope we will be on the same ship sometime.

 

Nice review.

[lkmamom]

Thanks so much Susie...I would love to cruise with you sometime!

 

Ruth, I really wish that we would have had a longer day in Newport. We absolutely loved that port and there was so much to do and see. Our son, the tennis nut was in tennis heaven at the Tennis Hall of Fame. He was not at all interested in the Breakers tour but did love the cliff walk.

 

We have really talked about going back to Newport sometime for vacation.

 

It sounds like KK and Sail and DHs are having a wonderful time on their ms Maasdam cruise! I am really missing those meals in the Rembrandt and the chocolates on my pillow:(

Linda

[dchip]

Linda, thanks so much for all your info. I am getting more excited by the day. We have 10 weeks left until our Maasdam cruise.

 

Oh yes, WE....I was going Solo after my friend couldn't make the cruise. My DH surprised me the other day by deciding to take off work and cruise with me. I am one happy woman :D

 

Cheers, Denise

[cathy_kearns]

When we were on the Maasdam New England/Canada cruise two summers ago they went to Sydney, not Newport. I was a bit torn on the Sydney port. On one hand, it was obvious some people in Sydney really, really wanted the cruise ship, there were craft markets and very friendly people. On the other hand, at the time there wasn't much to do in town, nor any shorter excursions. Also, some fisherman chose to use our ship to stage a protest against the Canadian government by blocking us from leaving on time. I got the impression that not that many ships stop there, and they aren't a big tourist destination, so when ships do stop there they may be a target for civil disobedience, a chance to get their governments attention.

[RuthC]

When we were on the Maasdam New England/Canada cruise two summers ago they went to Sydney, not Newport.

Newport isn't a port on the 7-day Boston/Montreal run. :( It's a stop on the 7-day round trip out of Boston and the 10-day one-way NYC/Montreal cruise.

[SummerKruizer]

Linda, thanks for a great review. I was on the Maasdam two summers ago for the NE/Candana cruise and loved it. I'm glad you had a great cruise.