Maasdam-just back

[PZetz]

Just returned from 5/31 Canada/NE cruise on the Maasdam. Had a wonderful trip.A few random thoughts/observations:

 

Condition of ship was impressive given her age. Everything was really clean and in good shape....much better than the Celebrity Millenium that I had been on in March. We went in to Code Red about halfway through the trip due to some crew/pax illness. Hot tubs/Thermal Suite closed...had to be served all food/condiments by a gloved crewmember...lots of scrubbing of everything with bleach. Crew did a good job with this and everyone took it in stride. Friendliest crew I've ever encountered!

 

Food was among the best we've experienced in over 20 cruises. Lido had great choices and dining room food was always good. Ate in Pinnacle one night...worth the $20 charge for excellent beef. I had always thought Celebrity had the best overall food, but this cruise changed my mind.

 

There were plenty of activities....nothing too crazy. This cruise was an older crowd (I'm mid 40's and was a baby on this one). Mixology class in the Crow's Nest was fun ($10 for 3 drinks) and the bartenders there were the best on the ship! Only attended one show...typical Broadway review...nothing special.

Had the Mariner's party at 11:30am on sea day...lots of people there. This is a port intensive itinerary so most went to bed early.

 

Had good weather most of the week. Quebec City was cool and rainy...walked around. PEI was beautiful...arranged private tour from internet and had 3 hour overview of island...loved it! Rented a car in Sydney and did tour to Puffin Island thru Donelda's Puffin Tours...saw all kinds of birds and wildlife. Walked around waterfront in Halifax. Had a private tour of Acadia NP in Bar Harbor thru "At Your Service" Taxi...wonderful tourguide (Mary) took the four of us in minivan thru the park highlights...also had lobster roll at West Street Cafe...yum.

 

That's about it...I'd be happy to answer any questions!

[PZetz]

Forgot to mention AYW dining. We had it and were a party of four. Most nights we walked up between 6:30 and 6:45 and got our desired four-top table. No waiting. You were only allowed to "pre-reserve" either 5:45 or 7:45 so we took our chances. We ate in the Pinnacle on Master Chef night (leaving sydney)...they had two set times (5:30 and 8:00) for AYW due to the "show" in the dining room. Lido had same menu as dining room at night as well.

[Harry1954]

Thanks for the fine post ... your experience exemplifies why we like the Maasdam in particular ..

harry

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome home. Glad you had a wonderful cruise.

[meterman2]

Excellent review. Thanks!

 

We were supposed to take a tour Saturday of the Maasdam but it was cancelled (due to the "code red" you mentioned). Makes sense.

[TMWeddle]

We and another couple are taking this cruise August - September. I hope things remain this high quality! Thanks again!

[many cruises]

Thanks for taking the time to write your review. We will be on the Maasdam in August for our Canada/New England cruise. In the AYW Dining, were people requesting tables for two? If I understand you correctly, reservations could be made for an early or later dining time in AYW Dining. How was the entertainment?

[PZetz]

Yes, the only way to pre-reserve a specific type of table was to choose early (5:45) or later (7:45 and on). We were a party of four and had no trouble walking in at 6:45ish to get a four-top. There are fewer tables for two, so they might be a little harder to snag at a prime time.

As for entertainment, we only attended the one show: "Gold". Typical cruise review...not bad, not great. Other offerings included a comedian, instrumentalist, and another production show. We spent time in the piano bar, casino and Crow's Nest most evenings...all fun.

[airlink diva]

I'm glad that you had a great time on the Maasdam! I fell in love with her last year on my sailing and can't wait until October 24th to board her again!!

I pray that we have no "Code Red" on my sailing since I love the thermal spa and can't wait to enjoy it in the afternoon!

Happy sailing!!

[cruisin' the carribean]

Just returned from 5/31 Canada/NE cruise on the Maasdam. Had a wonderful trip.A few random thoughts/observations:

 

Condition of ship was impressive given her age. Everything was really clean and in good shape....much better than the Celebrity Millenium that I had been on in March. We went in to Code Red about halfway through the trip due to some crew/pax illness. Hot tubs/Thermal Suite closed...had to be served all food/condiments by a gloved crewmember...lots of scrubbing of everything with bleach. Crew did a good job with this and everyone took it in stride. Friendliest crew I've ever encountered!

 

Food was among the best we've experienced in over 20 cruises. Lido had great choices and dining room food was always good. Ate in Pinnacle one night...worth the $20 charge for excellent beef. I had always thought Celebrity had the best overall food, but this cruise changed my mind.

 

There were plenty of activities....nothing too crazy. This cruise was an older crowd (I'm mid 40's and was a baby on this one). Mixology class in the Crow's Nest was fun ($10 for 3 drinks) and the bartenders there were the best on the ship! Only attended one show...typical Broadway review...nothing special.

Had the Mariner's party at 11:30am on sea day...lots of people there. This is a port intensive itinerary so most went to bed early.

 

Had good weather most of the week. Quebec City was cool and rainy...walked around. PEI was beautiful...arranged private tour from internet and had 3 hour overview of island...loved it! Rented a car in Sydney and did tour to Puffin Island thru Donelda's Puffin Tours...saw all kinds of birds and wildlife. Walked around waterfront in Halifax. Had a private tour of Acadia NP in Bar Harbor thru "At Your Service" Taxi...wonderful tourguide (Mary) took the four of us in minivan thru the park highlights...also had lobster roll at West Street Cafe...yum.

 

That's about it...I'd be happy to answer any questions!

 

Hello PZezt!!

I was on the same cruise... We were a party of 9 with 4 handsome teenage boys. WOW!!! It definitely was an older croud so they kept busy eating Pizza, Burgers and of course....soft serve ice cream. They also played a lot of Ping Pong until the "Code Red" was in order. My Brother, (father of 3 of the boy's), talked to them about letting the boy's continue to play and we would wipe everything down really well....They said OK!!!!

Well....the crew wiped everything down and were so nice!!!

 

I agree, everything was super clean and the crew was awesome :)

I loved Quebec City....so quaint and comfortable. My other favorite place was Bar Harbor.

I aslo agree with your comment about the Pinnacle. I'ts a great deal for $20.00.

The Crow's nest is a great place to hang out for disembarcation (leaving port)

I missed the Mixology class :(

My mother went to one of the food demo's and was extremely disapointed......can you say applesauce LOL.

 

All & All this was a great time and I would take this cruise again if I had the chance.

[raetime]

You said you spent some time in the casino. We are taking this cruise aug 23-30 and I love the slots. Did they have many new slots, (nickels, 20 liners) or are they the older ones? Also do they have a craps table? What is there to do during the sea day? Thanks for your help.

[PZetz]

Casino had lots of the "newer" type slots...everything from pennies on up. There is also one craps table that seemed pretty active most nights. There were lots of activities on the sea day....cooking demos, casino tourneys, mixology classes, game shows, trivia, galley tour, wine tastings...just to name a few!

[sail7seas]

So happy you had such a great cruise on "My" :) Maasdam. She's a fabulous ship with a great crew.

 

We can't wait to sail her again in August.

Welcome back. Thanks for your review....enjoyed reading it.

 

 

Could you share a little more about your tour in PEI? How long was it? What did you see? Thanks.

[sail7seas]

Oops....sorry. Meant to also ask if Code Red was still in effect when you left the ship or had it been lifted?

 

Thanks.

[maninmontreal]

Glad you had a nice cruise and survived Code Red. I was on the Maasdam first week of May from Ft. Lauderdale to Montreal and agree with your observations about that lovely ship. Staff,service, food were all tops. And yes the bar staff in the Crow's Nest were A-1. especially Archie who kept us entertained with his tricks.:)

[lemonaid]

PZetz,

My husband, my parents and I are going on the Maasdam (Montreal-Boston) in 2 weeks. After reading your review I'm even more excited but concerned about the Code Red. I hope things are good by the time we go. This is my parent's first cruise (our 3rd) and it would be nice if everything went smoothy. :o

 

 

 

 

I am interested in hearing how you arranged your taxi in Bar Harbor.

"Had a private tour of Acadia NP in Bar Harbor thru "At Your Service" Taxi...wonderful tourguide (Mary) took the four of us in minivan thru the park highlights"

I tried to book an excursion for all 4 of us but there were only 2 places available. It might be better to cancel the excursion and arrange a tour with a taxi! Did you pre-book or just take what you could find when you got there?

[takemewithyou]

Would love to hear more about Montreal. Assume that's where you left from...

How was embarkation?

Did you spend any extra time in Montreal pre-cruise?

If so, where did you stay?

Thanks

 

I would also like to hear about the private tour you booked in PEI. :)

[PZetz]

We stayed one pre-cruise night in Montreal at the Hotel Nelligan in Old Montreal...great botique hotel just steps from cruise terminal. We boarded the ship at 11:45 and had no lines. They started letting people onboard at noon and directed everyone to the Lido deck for lunch since the cabins would not be ready until approx. 1:30. You could make spa appointments, Pinnacle reservations, buy drink cards, etc while waiting.

 

In PEI, we used PEI Limo ph (902) 892-5466 for our private tour. The guide/owner, David, was fantastic. We were in a nice, large SUV with more than enough room for the four of us. He will tailor the tour to your desires. We had about a 3 hour tour to the north shore area...saw fishing village, Dalvay by the Sea, PEI Natl Park. We drove through Anne of Green Gables homestead but elected not to stop due to many unloading busses from the ship. We also stopped at PEI Preserve Co and a cheese making farm. We started the tour at 9am and were back in Charlottetown at 12:30 for lunch and walking around. The tour cost was about $300 for the four of us...well worth it!

 

In Bar Harbor, we used At Your Service Taxi ph (207) 288-TAXI. I called and reserved our tour about a month in advance (also the PEI tour and rental car in Sydney). We decided to do an afternoon tour so that we could walk around town and have lunch. You also have to clear customs and get tender tickets in BH so didn't want to be rushed. We were off the ship at around 10am. We had the tourguide meet us at restaurant at 12:30 for a 2 1/2 hour tour of Acadia NP. The tour was in a mini-van and we had a wonderful local guide, Mary. She took us all around the park, including a requested stop at Jordan Pond House for popovers. The cost of the tour was $70 per hour for the four of us...so about $170 total.

 

Code Red was supposed to be lifted after our arrival in Boston. The crew was having to do a super-cleaning after we departed. They said that they were delaying boarding of the next cruisers until 3pm to take care of the cleaning. Hopefully, it worked!

 

Have a wonderful trip...be happy to answer any other queries! PZ

[takemewithyou]

Thanks so much! Love those popovers at Jordan Pond House!

[lannp]

I boarded the Maasdam on June 7th in Boston. Boarding was delayed until 3 pm so the cleaners could finish. We saw them leaving the ship.

We remained in Code Red alert for another 3 days.

You were served everything. Cream & sugar were served to you at the dining tables, rolls & butter were served as asked for. There were no teapots in the dining room and they served some pretty God-awful tea.

In the Lido you could touch nothing. Coffee and tea were poured for you and the you had to ask for them to hand you something.

All the books in the library had been wiped down, they were stuck together. The cases were locked and you had to request a book which would be handed to you. One gentleman asked for a pencil and was told they couldn't give him one since he then couldn't give it back to them.

[sail7seas]

Pzetz..... Thanks for your wonderful info. Very helpful. As many times as we have been on those cruises, we still look for new info, new things to see.

 

 

 

lannp: Sorry you had your whole cruise in Code Red. Were any announcements made about how many cases were reported or if Code Red was continuing for the current cruise?

 

Welcome Back both of you..... Happy you had good time.

 

 

 

[firefly51142]

PZetz - thanks so much for all the great info. I'm on the Maasdam for the first time in October and really looking forward to it. It sounds like a wonderful ship.

 

It was good to hear that you stayed at the Nelligan in Montreal. That's where my friend and I will be staying for 3 nights before we leave on the cruise.

I'm curious - can you walk to the pier from the Nelligan?

 

Judy

[May4]

I rolled my suitcase to the pier to board the Maasdam in October. It was an easy process if you feel up to it.

 

In fact we walked all along the waterfront that morning to welcome the ship to the city. It was fun to stand on the sidewalk where we could hear the CD giving the disembark announcements. It was a treat to go back to the Hotel Nelligan to warm up with another cup of coffee before we checked out.

 

Certainly, it helps to have a spirit of adventure when you travel down the sidewalks and charming brick streets with a suitcase:) I have one of those Samsonite ones with 4 wheels on the bottom. So, it was no problem.

 

It's a relatively short distance, especially if you are really excited about getting there and getting aboard.

[lannp]

We went off Red Alert about mid-week. We heard about 2% had been ill the previous week.

This was my first and last HAL cruise. I found the entertainment poor and service in the dining room was not great until I had a meeting with the Culinary Manager. I had been unable to obtain a hot cup of tea and my entrees were continually cold. The buffet closed at 8 pm and that's the first ship I've been on that doesn't have the dining room open consistently in ports.

[crimsonbird]

hi - we are leaving next saturday on the cruise. due to you, we booked a car with avis to go to the donelda's puffin tour. was it terrific? there is also another tour company -puffin boat tours. they are in the same location. do you think there is any difference?

 

we also booked a tour in halifax - www.molegatours.ca - john furzland anchorage.greenbay@ns.sympatico.ca....it is from 8:30ish to 12:30 and will go to peggy's cove, the titanic cemetery and other stops for $48 per person. they still have some room in the van. other people from cruise critic have toured with this group and gave it good ratings.

 

thanks for all the help and letting us know that the food was great...we were worried as this is our first holland america cruise - we've been on everything else!

 

joyce