Maasdam rooms

[tortigabby]

Our recent cruise on the Maasdam was great except for the room and the facilities. Our first room on deck 9 cabin 802 was a disaster! With the beds in twin configuration, we couldn't open the door. Our steward moved the beds and put the night stand next to the wall so we could get in! The room was so small, that our neighbor across the hall thought we were "crew!" We had three drawers and 2 half size closets! After a few days our cabin was changed to a lower deck. MUCH MUCH better room, however the toilet didn't work!!! Several calls were answered and the toilet fixed multiple times. Others on our deck experienced the same problem...it is an older ship!!! On the last morning, we found that our bathroom floor was soaked because "gray" water was sloshing up through our shower drain...yes, I counted...up seven tiles on the wall...that's a big slosh factor!

I wrote to HAL and haven't heard a word...guess they figured a bottle of wine was good enough to keep us quiet!!! We were NOT happy campers....

LOVED the food, shows were acceptable. and the staff most accomodating. The desk clerks did everything to get us into another room. Our biggest gripe was that other people, who'd paid less than we, actually had rooms much larger and with bathtubs!!! They understood. Some had actually seen our cabin and knew what a dog it was...should never have sold it!!!

Can't understand why HAL has ignored my letter!!

[Sundagger]

According to the deck plans, there are no cabins on Deck 9. Cabin 802 is on A deck - the lowest one. I don't know how you could have been changed to a "lower deck", since you were already on the lowest passenger deck. Essentially all of the outside cabins are the same size.

[O2B@C]

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. At least they moved you, and tried to fix the plumbing issues. I wouldn't assume that they've ignored your letter - reports are that it often takes 6 to 8 weeks for them to respond.

 

Your experience is a good lesson about why it's a good idea to do your homework before booking, or find a really knowledgeable TA to do it for you. Inevitably, because of the exigencies of ship design, some cabins are better or worse than others. The information necessary to make the assessment as to the relative value of a specific cabin, vis a vis one's own preferences and priorities, is available via the deck plans on HAL's website; this forum; and other resources. Now that you know you enjoy many aspects of HAL's service, you will be better prepared, if you decide to cruise again, to make sure you have a better experience by picking a suitable cabin when you book.

 

I must say, I have to disagree with your comment that they should not have sold your initial cabin. They have to try to sell all the cabins in order to make money. The less desirable cabins usually are sold at lower rates. If people with better cabins paid less, this is probably because they did a lot of research in order to pick the right cabin, and booked through a TA who could offer a competitive rate.

 

I hope this didn't permanently sour you on HAL. Better luck next time!

[tortigabby]

Both replies are gratefully accepted. You're right the room was on deck 6 and #102 NOT 802...guess my fingers aren't as nimble as they used to be.

We have been on 18 or 19 cruises and often rely on the ta's knowledge of the rooms. The picture that showed up was identical to others for rooms of the same catagory. I was happy to have the cabin changed, but there were other problems in the cabin that I didn't go into because I didn't want to belabor the problems...suffice to say even the staff knew it was a horrible room. It would have been suitable for a single person.

Thanks for replying...no I'm not soured on HAL, but this is our third HAL cruise and each time we've had a problem...not always their doing. I'd list them, but then I'd sound like a grump! I'm not! but leaking overhead pipes was just one!

We LOVE cruising, have been many GREAT places and made some lifelong friends. We'll continue to cruise...looking forward to the DooWop cruise in Nov.

[Sundagger]

Ah, yes, that makes a difference. There are hardly any of those "sideways" NN cabins. Bad luck on your part to get one. I'm glad to hear that you're not permanently turned off by the situation.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Why not try one of the R class or Vista class ships -- and pick an outside category room.

[Two if by Sea]

IMHO it is not fair of HAL not to have any indication on their websites about just how small those NN cabins are. They show up on all the information pages as just another inside cabin whose "average" size is 182 sq. feet. There is no way to know that those cabins are really really tiny unless you've read this board thoroughly, or unless your TA is very knowledgeable.

 

I have never seen a photo or true plan of those NN cabins, so I don't even still have a good picture of what we're talking about -- only that they must be pretty tiny from what I've heard over the past year on this board.

 

Even the paid sites that show deck plans and stateroom photos don't have any differentiation listed for the NN ("standard inside") cabins as for all the "large inside" ones.

 

I have no qualms about HAL selling those cabins for whatever they can get for them -- but they should let you know what you are getting!

 

In a better, more reasonable world, those would be sold as single cabins for a 0% single supplement -- or sold only to families with extra children. If they want to sell them as regular double cabins, fine, but first they need to tell you the actual square feet and show you a floor plan.

 

[willowoodf]

Torti -

 

Tell me about the DooWop cruise - my DH is really into DooWop!

 

Mary

[SueCruz]

...however the toilet didn't work!!! Several calls were answered and the toilet fixed multiple times. Others on our deck experienced the same problem...it is an older ship!!! On the last morning, we found that our bathroom floor was soaked because "gray" water was sloshing up through our shower drain...yes, I counted...up seven tiles on the wall...that's a big slosh

 

We had the same toilet issue on our Maasdam cruise in December. We had to call everyday to have the toilet fixed, sometimes it was 2-3 times per day. The rest of the cruise was great, so I went ahead and booked the Maasdam again for November.

 

Hopefully the plumbing will be fixed!!!!

[O2B@C]

Both replies are gratefully accepted. You're right the room was on deck 6 and #102 NOT 802...guess my fingers aren't as nimble as they used to be.

We have been on 18 or 19 cruises and often rely on the ta's knowledge of the rooms. The picture that showed up was identical to others for rooms of the same catagory. I was happy to have the cabin changed, but there were other problems in the cabin that I didn't go into because I didn't want to belabor the problems...suffice to say even the staff knew it was a horrible room. It would have been suitable for a single person.

Thanks for replying...no I'm not soured on HAL, but this is our third HAL cruise and each time we've had a problem...not always their doing. I'd list them, but then I'd sound like a grump! I'm not! but leaking overhead pipes was just one!

We LOVE cruising, have been many GREAT places and made some lifelong friends. We'll continue to cruise...looking forward to the DooWop cruise in Nov.

 

I really appreciate your positive attitude! It seems to me that although it is HAL that owes you an apology for the plumbing problems in the second cabin, the person who is at fault for booking you into the first cabin is not HAL but your TA. I don't fault you for relying on your TA - it's their job to take care of this sort of thing - but by the same token, s/he should have known better! It's really obvious from just looking at the deck plans - and the "NN" being the lowest category of all - that those cabins are NOT the same as the normal inside cabins. They might be worth booking even so, if you got a really good deal on them for a cruise you couldn't otherwise afford, but it doesn't sound to me from your posts like this was your situation. Your TA should NOT have booked you into this cabin without warning you about what you were getting into. If s/he didn't know, then s/he was not doing his/her job; if s/he DID know, and didn't tell you, then that's really reprehensible!

 

Also, for future reference, the picture shown on HAL's website for any given cabin category is clearly labelled as being only a typical example, not a picture of any specific cabin. Your experience shows that this label needs to be taken seriously! If there is any indication on the deck plan that the cabin may deviate from the norm, further investigation is warranted before booking!

 

But you know that now. Once again, I am really impressed by your positive attitude, and I wish you nothing but smooth sailing - in lovely cabins - from now on!

[gillianrose]

We have been on 18 or 19 cruises and often rely on the ta's knowledge of the rooms.

 

While there are some frequent-cruising TA's (many post here on Cruise Critic), after 18 or 19 cruises, you probably already have more knowledge than many TA's out there. And what you don't know, you are more likely to learn here on Cruise Critic than with the average TA. ;)

[gillianrose]

In addition to searching Cruise Critic for information about cabins, another great source is Google, and a Google search works especially well for cabins that exist on several ships in a fleet. More than likely, someone even has photos posted of either the actual cabin you want to learn more about, or they have been in the same cabin on a fleet mate (e.g. for Maasdam that would be the Statendam, Ryndam or Veendam), or if you can see from a deck plan that the cabin has an identical on the other side of the ship, then that will work, too.

 

Even if a photo is likely to be located within a particular photo website or even here on Cruise Critic, I find the cabin much quicker by starting the search from within Google. Once located in Google, then a click takes me straight to the photo I want.

[kittiecat]

In addition to searching Cruise Critic for information about cabins, another great source is Google, and a Google search works especially well for cabins that exist on several ships in a fleet. More than likely, someone even has photos posted of either the actual cabin you want to learn more about, or they have been in the same cabin on a fleet mate (e.g. for Maasdam that would be the Statendam, Ryndam or Veendam), or if you can see from a deck plan that the cabin has an identical on the other side of the ship, then that will work, too.

 

Can you give an example of what sort of search terms to use? I'm normally really good at Google, but this has me a little stumped. FYI, we're going to be in cabin 673 on the Maasdam. How would I do a search for a picture?

[schoolinmy3]

Can you give an example of what sort of search terms to use? I'm normally really good at Google, but this has me a little stumped. FYI, we're going to be in cabin 673 on the Maasdam. How would I do a search for a picture?

 

Near the top of the web page there would be a choice to search for "images". Click on that. See below.

diane:)

 

 

Web Images Maps News Shopping Gmail more ▼ Video Groups Books

[kittiecat]

Thanks Diane -- I wasn't clear about what I was asking for. I get how to use Google image search, but I don't know what terms to type in. For example, I tried (all in Image search):

 

Maasdam cabin 673 (also all the other s-class ships for all of these)

Maasdam Stateroom 673

Maasdam room 673

 

Then I tried the above with E673, and then I tried it with room numbers that looked similar in configuration. I didn't get anything that was a picture of a room similar to ours. Maybe no one has posted one? Maybe it's so crowded no one can get a picture:rolleyes:?

 

I think I'm missing some way to phrase the search so that I will get some meaningful hits, and if anyone can throw a hint my way, I'd certainly appreciate it!

[schoolinmy3]

I'm sorry, I re read your post and saw that you wanted ideas for the search terms. I seemed to get the most relevant images by typing "Maasdam cabin" (without the room number). I don't know if you'll find the exact room number but I found the most cabins this way.

 

diane

[gillianrose]

Thanks Diane -- I wasn't clear about what I was asking for. I get how to use Google image search, but I don't know what terms to type in. For example, I tried (all in Image search):

 

Maasdam cabin 673 (also all the other s-class ships for all of these)

Maasdam Stateroom 673

Maasdam room 673

 

Then I tried the above with E673, and then I tried it with room numbers that looked similar in configuration. I didn't get anything that was a picture of a room similar to ours. Maybe no one has posted one? Maybe it's so crowded no one can get a picture:rolleyes:?

 

I think I'm missing some way to phrase the search so that I will get some meaningful hits, and if anyone can throw a hint my way, I'd certainly appreciate it!

 

Hi. I just looked for your cabin and didn't find it my usual way, and I think that's because E763 is such a standard cabin. That is, there is nothing remarkable about it at all. It is a Category E Large oceanview room on A Deck. So any photos you find of cabins like that, and surely there are MANY photos of similar cabins you can find, will be all you need. One HAL large oceanview cabin is pretty much identical with any other large oceanview HAL cabin. Even the HAL website probably has what you are looking for, except not precisely E763. I have the Maasdam deck plans in front of me and E763 couldn't be more standard.

 

Here's a good site for locating lots of pictures of Maasdam cabin photos, however, and you'll see her sister ships listed on the left side, i.e. Statendam, Ryndam and Veendam and can check out those photos, too:

 

http://cruiseclues.com/shipstips/maasdam.htm

 

People tend to make a point of posting pictures (with cabin numbers) of unusually-shaped or highly-coveted cabins, and though there are lots of pictures in photo albums that will look just like the cabin about which you inquire, they may not have the cabin number posted.

 

As for ways to search, I suggest you read Google's "advanced search" option.

[kittiecat]

Oh - I'm just making a hash of this left and right. What a way to join a new board!!! :o

 

The reason I want to see this room is that it's a quad. I don't think those are so standard, are they? I would LOVE to see what it looks like when all the beds are "deployed", so to speak. Will there be any floor space at all? How about headspace on the double berth?

 

And how big IS that sofa bed, anyway? That's the kind of stuff I'm looking for.

 

I can live without it, it would just be nice to have it, that's all.

 

And honestly -- I'm REALLY good with google. People hire me to research things for them. That's why this specific search is befuddling me so.

 

Anyway, I've hijacked this thread, and I apologize. Thanks to everyone for trying to help -- I appreciate it.

[cferro514]

Our recent cruise on the Maasdam was great except for the room and the facilities. Our first room on deck 9 cabin 802 was a disaster! With the beds in twin configuration, we couldn't open the door. Our steward moved the beds and put the night stand next to the wall so we could get in! The room was so small, that our neighbor across the hall thought we were "crew!" We had three drawers and 2 half size closets! After a few days our cabin was changed to a lower deck. MUCH MUCH better room, however the toilet didn't work!!! Several calls were answered and the toilet fixed multiple times. Others on our deck experienced the same problem...it is an older ship!!! On the last morning, we found that our bathroom floor was soaked because "gray" water was sloshing up through our shower drain...yes, I counted...up seven tiles on the wall...that's a big slosh factor!

I wrote to HAL and haven't heard a word...guess they figured a bottle of wine was good enough to keep us quiet!!! We were NOT happy campers....

LOVED the food, shows were acceptable. and the staff most accomodating. The desk clerks did everything to get us into another room. Our biggest gripe was that other people, who'd paid less than we, actually had rooms much larger and with bathtubs!!! They understood. Some had actually seen our cabin and knew what a dog it was...should never have sold it!!!

Can't understand why HAL has ignored my letter!!

It is nice to know this foolishness has not spoiled your love of cruising.

I blame the company. Why not let the customer know the square foot size of a cabin?

I have used different TAS, and they all just give you a diagram in the book to select your cabin.

This diagram does not have numbers.

[Two if by Sea]

Can you give an example of what sort of search terms to use?

 

I consider myself a pretty good Google search expert and I haven't found what you're looking for either.

 

I've also looked on "CruiseStateRoom.Com" and haven't found an E-class quad cabin with beds deployed.

 

Someone needs to compile a REALLY good resource of all the cabin types with layouts and photos.

 

 

In any case, from what I've heard so far, you don't really want to know. Just assume you will have no room to breathe, and don't spend much time in your cabin!

[kittiecat]

In any case, from what I've heard so far, you don't really want to know. Just assume you will have no room to breathe, and don't spend much time in your cabin!

 

:DThat's EXACTLY what I'm expecting! I will be sure to take pictures, however. It's going to be interesting, that's for sure!

[Crusing Bob]

Two if by Sea-I see the Cruisestateroomdotcom is a Member site. Is it pretty broad reaching for the membership cost?

[Two if by Sea]

Two if by Sea-I see the Cruisestateroomdotcom is a Member site. Is it pretty broad reaching for the membership cost?

 

I wish it had more cabin photos! As I said above, I was unable to find any photos of a quad with the bunks down, nor of any NN suite. On the other hand, the one time lifetime cost is a bargain, and I have used the site successfully for some of its other features. You can use the free site (cruisedeckplans.com) for many of the features without paying.

[Crusing Bob]

Thanks for your reply-I will give it a try.

Bob

[gillianrose]

I've seen lots of pictures of quad cabins (with all beds down) on the internet, but I didn't take note of them when I saw them as we are childfree and don't want beds in the ceiling.

 

Did you not find anything searching through Cruiseclues for each of the Statendam-class ships?