Maasdam Voyage of the Vikings

[sk8teacher]

Who we are:

 

Bill and Sharon, with three previous HAL cruises, a Mississippi River Cruise on the Mississippi Queen, and a Netherlands cruise on the Viking Spirit. Both are in our mid-60’s, Sharon is retired and I am still working to pay for all of this!

 

We spent a couple of days prior to the cruise in Boston, and had purchased a two day Go Boston card. With that you had unlimited travel on the Bean Town Trolley, and many other free tours which we tried to take advantage of.

 

For anyone interested in the Go Boston card fair warning. When we purchased ours online, the email we received said to go to the Grey Line tours in the Mass. Transportation Building on Charles St. which opened at 9am to get the actual cards. So off we went getting there shortly after 9, only to find out they no longer provide the cards there, and had to walk to Macy’s Department store which was about a 15 minute walk away.

 

Upon arriving at Macy’s we saw that they didn’t open until 10am. Needless to say we were quite upset that we not only had to walk there and back to the Grey Line company to get our Bean Town Trolley tickets, but they were not open. When the doors finally opened we found the desk to pick up our cards, but there was no one there. By the time all was said and done, we had wasted almost 1.5 hours.

 

But in the end Boston was wonderful, we did the Bean Town Trolley, spent some time at the aquarium, had a guided tour of the Freedom Trail, a whale watching cruise and saw humpbacks, fin whales, and minke whales, and generally walked about on our own.

 

Our stay in Boston was at the Doubletree Guest Suites, which is located right on the Charles River, about 3 miles out of down town. We were very pleased with the accommodations, but noted that there is nothing close for eating etc., and the food there was very expensive. They do offer a shuttle service into down town, but you must have reservations as it only holds about 25 people. And the same to get back. The bottom line is plan on spending $15-20 for cab fare one way because the shuttle is hard to get.

 

Embarkation was excellent. We pulled up to the building, got our luggage out of the cab right onto a porters hand truck which was taken away towards the ship. Entering the building we were issued a number, and sat down to wait. Surprise! From that point to boarding the ship was about 20 minutes max.

 

It’s been a couple of years since our last cruise on the Maasdam, and there have been some minor changes but overall she is still as beautiful as ever. Our steward (Wanni) is a delight and I am sure that we will enjoy him. He greeted us by name as we entered our cabin and ensured we had everything that we needed.

 

Today is our first sea day, which we need to come down from the drive from VA to Boston, and two intensive days there. Tomorrow we will be in Sydney Nova Scotia and I will try to post a note about the port in the evening.

 

Cheers!

[Atomica]

Thanks for starting this thread! You're on an absolutely fantastic itinerary, one that I've looked at a million times (longingly!). I'm looking forward to reading more about your trip!

 

Are you on the full Boston-Boston cruise, or are you doing the Boston-Rotterdam segment?

[MightyQuinn]

Bill & Sharon - We look forward to your postings. We're considering the 35-day Voyage of the Vikings on the Maasdam next July & would love to have your first-hand impressions of the ship/ports. Many thanks! Have a wonderful trip!

[sail7seas]

So happy you are aboard the beautiful Maasdam. She's such a wonderful ship with an awesome crew!

 

Enjoy your adventure. It's a great cruise. Many folks have done it before and love it so much they have returned to do it again. I think you'll meet lots of folks aboard who are repeating the 35 day cruise.

That sure says tons about the ship and crew, I would think.

 

 

[sk8teacher]

We are doing the full 35 days, as we simply could not see the sense of fighting the airlines, nor sitting in an airplane for 9 + hours. Besides, we are on the Maasdam!

 

S7S, we have already met so many wonderful people that have not only done this cruise before but many other long cruises. It's been a pleasure to listen to their tales.

 

A report of Sydney will be posted tomorrow night.

 

Cheers,

[Two if by Sea]

Any children onboard?

[DFD1]

Thank you for your reports. I'm looking very much forward to each and every one. Best, DFD1

[sk8teacher]

Any children onboard?

 

I have seen at least a dozen or so, ranging from 5-6 years old to mid teens. All seem well behaved and a delight to speak with.

 

More tonight in Day 2!

 

Cheers,

[dalton]

:) We're looking forward to hearing about the voyage. We're booked on the 35 day next July.

[sk8teacher]

So during our research prior to the cruise, I took a good look at the average temperatures for the various ports we were going to, thinking it would help us in packing. Worked wonders for Boston as we had our shorts and short sleeve tops and did well. When I checked Sydney, everything said the average temperature was low to mid 60’s, and that was pretty much the way it would be most of the cruise.

 

Arriving in Sydney at 7:30 this morning the sun was shinning brightly and the temperature was all ready in the mid 60’s, and predicted to hit 79-80 degrees. Fortunately, I had one short sleeved shirt left that was clean, so was good to go.

 

We had booked the Bras D’Or sailing tour and had to be on the bus by 8:15. While it is a somewhat expense tour through HAL, in my opinion it is worth it. Especially if you like to see bald eagles up close and I mean up close. Like, within 50 feet or so sometimes closer. There are two nesting pairs on the lake near where the boat takes off from that have been there for some time. When the boat gets near to their nest, the skipper calls out to them to get their attention then throws a fish out into the water near the boat. And then here they come, swooping in the grab the fish and then flying back to their tree. What a magnificent sight to behold to see our national symbol so close.

 

In addition while there you also sail by Alexander Graham Bell’s island and home which stands today. A beautiful 37 room structure out in the middle of the lake, and totally owned by the Bell estate.

 

Tomorrow is Corner Brook where we plan on walking around on our own. Well I need to sign off now and go wash to short sleeved shirts. It seems Corner Brook is also having a mid summer heat wave, and the temperatures tomorrow are supposed to be in the mid 80’s!

 

Cheers all until tomorrow night!

[crazy4cruisn]

Thanks for the post, Bill. I am missing the usual notes on the Roll Call board. Keep us posted on the weather...it still looks like the low 60's in Europe. Belfast is having lots of rain, unlike Texas!

I want to see your pics of the eagles! Tell Liz and Margretha, "Hi."

See you soon!

Nancy

[grannynurse]

I so envy you both. We did a similar cruise on Rotterdam in 2004 and a one way TA from Boston in 2003. It was really the highlight of our cruise experiences.

I'm sure you'll visit ports we haven't been to yet but I'd like to mention one thing we regret not doing is the "Giant's Causeway" tour from Belfast.

We really loved seeing the Zaanse Schans area outside of Amsterdam, also loved Greenland and Iceland. Oh, what the heck, we loved it all!

35 days seems like such a long time but it was over too soon for us. Enjoy every minute of it, and thanks for taking us along.

GN

[sail7seas]

Thanks for 'taking us along' with you. Today Boston is hot with high humidity. I was wondering how far north this heat spell reached.

 

Sounds like you had a great tour in Syney. We don't usually do much there.

 

[sk8teacher]

Corner Brook Newfoundland

 

It’s summertime in Corner Brook. Temperatures are into the 80’s today, and bright and sunny. We did not book any tours here, so we took our time leaving and didn’t get off the ship until 9:30am. As we left the security area on the dock, there were several ladies from town offering free pieces of candy, and brochures of Corner Brook. They greeted us and asked the usual questions, and finding out our interests, told us how to find a local walking trail.

 

While we were told it was about a 10 minute walk into town, in reality it’s closer to 20 minutes, with a couple of hills to climb before descending into the central town area. We found the Corner Brook Stream Trail, and started off. It’s a nice trail paved with gravel and dirt. It’s rated as easy but personally if you have mobility issues I would not recommend it. There are a couple of hills on the trail, and there are steps available on most but they are steep and can be hard to climb.

 

The trail leads out of town along the stream to the Glynmill Inn Pond. Just before the pond is a dam and a salmon ladder so that the salmon can get back up river to spawn. Directly above the pond itself is the Glynmill Inn.

 

All and all a nice walking trail if the weather was just a bit cooler. There really isn’t much else to see in the town and as we are not shoppers, we headed back to the ship and were aboard around 12:30pm. Time for the thermal spa before dinner!

 

Dinners have been good overall, with some minor issues with service but nothing to whine about as they appear to be getting better and it certainly does not interfere with our enjoyment of the cruise.

 

The rampant rumor is that iceburgs and whales are between here and St Anthony. Will let you know tomorrow!

 

Cheers,

[esther e]

Hi Bill, thanks for the news! I'm enjoying reading this as we were supposed to be with you!!! Corner Brook...I remember it well. We walked up and down the hills to the "mall," only to find closed stores. What's with that? Enjoy the cruise and I look forward to your daily reports.

 

Esther

[sk8teacher]

St Anthony July 9

 

Well dang, yesterday 80’s, today low 60’s, with off and on rain. We arrived around 9:30am and anchored just outside St Anthony bay, about a 10 minute tender ride. A very small town located in a very rugged looking area, and surrounded by water there really isn’t much here. If you are thinking of strolling around town forget about it. There really isn’t anything to look at. Ride the tender a couple of times and take your pictures from there and you have seen it all.

 

We had booked the Northland Discovery Whale watching tour at 1:30 so we took it easy in the morning and read a book. For personal reasons we had only booked one for the tour, and as Sharon was not in tip top shape we decided that I would go.

 

The boat was small, about 40-50 feet, and we had around 37 people on board. The good news is that the rain had stopped by the time we left the dock, but it was cold and most of the group gathered in the cabin or on the stern, while I and 3 other hardy souls went up to the bow.

 

After a ride of around 20 minutes we ran into a school of Atlantic White Beak Dolphins which decided that our boat would make a nice play toy. I got a couple of pictures of one actually out of the water during a jump. We unfortunately did not see any whales while out, but while disappointing you never know for sure. I had gotten a couple of nice tails waves while in Boston, and we have a couple more opportunities later in the cruise so my fingers are crossed.

 

Returning to the boat around 4pm, I was pretty chilled (even though I really was dressed for the weather) and tired, so we decided to go to the Lido for dinner and then hit the Thermal Spa which we had purchased for the cruise (well, first half as we can’t purchase the second half until we reach Rotterdam).

 

And that was a perfect ending to the day.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Great -- A Live Report!!

 

I shall bve looking forward to your daily report!! (When you are able to post!!)

[crazy4cruisn]

Thanks for the report, Bill. How have the seas been? I have to wear patches so will be interested in hearing. Is Sharon bothered by the seas?

I am looking forward to the cooler weather and can't wait to join you. Just keep the rain away or better yet, send some to Texas!!

Thanks for the great eagle picture. We have a friend who would die to have taken that one.

Nancy

[MightyQuinn]

Bill - thanks for taking time out of your cruise to write your continuing travelogue. I’m reading your adventures with interest since we’re planning to do this trip next year. Are you doing Shorex or sightseeing independently? These are wonderful ports, so I’m sure there are many choices for excursions. Has anything surprised you so far, either in the ports or on the ship? Best wishes for calm seas as you cross into Greenland & Iceland. Looking forward to more…..

[many cruises]

Thank you for posting live from the Maasdam. We will be on the ship in August & we are enjoying your postings. Any information/tips you can give us about the ship would be greatly appreciated! We will be on the the Canada/New England cruise. :)

[sk8teacher]

Today was a quiet day at sea, and a good day for relaxing. While we have booked 4-5 HAL shore excursions, we also have booked a couple of private tours, and plan on using Hop on Hop off busses in Oslo, Dublin, Belfast, and Liverpool. In Rotterdam we are doing a self guided walking tour that I found that takes us by all of the major tourist attractions. According to the site I downloaded it from it takes about 2.5 - 3 hours and can start right at the pier.

 

I will post more tomorrow as I tell you all about the exciting town of Qaqortoq Greenland!

 

Cheers,

[cruise cook]

sounds like your having a good time I know another couple on this cruise and enjoy keeping track of what they may be seeing and doing through your posts. Hoping you have sunny days and calm seas.

[Ichiban Nekko]

We have been enjoying your postings so much. Thank you for taking the time to keep us up to date.:)

 

Please pass on our very best to Joni (JD in MD) & Steve from Millersville, MD! We had the pleasure of being with them five years ago on the Summit.:D Since tomorrow is Friday, we know it is "date night!" Perhaps they will have a chocolate martini for us.;)

 

Wish we were with you all.

-Cat (& Dave too!!)

[sail7seas]

Can you share more with us about your shipboard experience?

Is the dining room running smoothly? Are you enjoying the food? How is Lido?

 

Do you have a lounge you enjoy for a pre/post dinner drink? Good service?

I love to hear about shipboard life as much as what goes on in port.

 

Thanks so much for any info you share with us. It is very generous of you to take us along and spend your vacation time and dollars doing so.

 

Continue to enjoy.

[sk8teacher]

July 11 Qaqartoq Greenland

 

The forecast for today was rain and around 50 degrees. Getting into port we went through an ice flow, and approaching the bay saw quite a few small icebergs. After having breakfast in our cabin, we went topside to take some pictures until we dropped the anchor. After that, it was wake up time in the Thermal Spa.

 

We went off around 10am to catch a tender to shore. There really isn’t much to see in the village. It’s very small, and consists mostly of homes and one hotel. There are a couple of grocery stores, and a couple of restaurants in the town. There is also a post office where you can purchase Danish stamps if you need them. It’s a little hard to find but as you come off the dock where the tender pulls in, to your left is the local tourist center. If you take the high road off to the right and up the hill, bear left and the post office is the first red building on the left side. Just past the post office is one of the two grocery stores available.

 

Nothing is cheap here, and US citizens must be careful what the purchase as we are not allowed to bring back items made from seals or ivory.

 

Went back to the ship around 12:30 had lunch and caught a matinee in the theater.

 

Some thoughts on the ship.

 

There still seems to be some growing pains with AYW dining, and it appears to affect the fixed seating. We were able to change to fixed early seating at 5:45 which is our personal preference. We are at an 8 top with other delightful couples, and are normally all seated by 5:50 – 5:55. So far, it has taken another 10-15 minutes before our orders are taken.

 

I’m not sure why as we have never had the problem before, but there seems to be a communication problem between us and the dining stewards. They seem to have a problem understanding our orders on occasion. And service is slow. We have not been able to leave the dining room before 7:15 at the earliest, and have gotten our deserts as late as 7:30. Considering the first show starts at 7:30 I feel that is a bit too much.

 

I can’t tell you much about the various bars or the entertainment as we really don’t go to them. For those of you who remember the big screen TV and the chairs near the casino bar, they are gone and replaced with slot machines. I guess they make more money for the ship then the bar did.

 

All of that said, while by looking closely you will see some stains here and there on rugs, the crew is as friendly as ever, several have learned our names even though we don’t go out much, our room steward is to die for!! (I really would love to take him home!!).

 

At sea the next two days so you most likely won’t hear from me.

 

Cheers all!