iflyrc5

I don't take a laptop anymore.

If I want to read some more news other than the condensed NYTimes, I use the ship's computer.

I forget where you click onto the computer and you have a couple of choices of free reading -- HAL's site and the New York Times. It is free.

We were on the Maasdam for 42 days in Oct/Nov/Dec and the condensed NYTimes was delivered the cabins about 8am each morning. We were in an ocean view and noticed that it looked like all cabins got the delivery.

We had our email survey sitting in our inbox when we got home - filled it out with some positives and negatives. Today (10 days after filling it out) I got a nice response from Christopher Hayes, Special Advisor, Office of the President thanking me for filling out the survey and stating that my areas of concern have been forwarded to the appropriate departments on the ship. I know this was not a form response since it mentioned the items I discussed in the survey. Nice personal touch:). We will be back on the Maasdam in 3 weeks so it will be interesting to see if anything has changed.

You should have been given luggage tags with the letter that gave you the information about which group you were for disembarkation. The designations are normally a color and number like pink 2 or green 3. The letter you should have gotten would tell you you can wait in your cabin or any public area. We usually wait out by the Lido pool area and have a second or third cup of tea while waiting.

As for the customs line at Port Everglades it is normal for the porters with their luggage carts to just wait in line with passengers. 2 weeks ago getting off the Maasdam they only had 2 customs people checking out US citizens - the line for non-US was much shorter. We didn't get off until 1030 and still had to wait in line for 30 minutes for customs:mad:

The Vista class ships are great but we really enjoy the smaller ships like the Maasdam or Ryndam even more. Starting Jan 17 we are doing 3 weeks on the Maasdam then 3 weeks on the Noordam:D

On the longer cruises and voyages the Dam Dollar program is still going especially if you have sea days. I always seem to amuse myself with movies, reading and tea and even cooking although I have never made anything when I get home. I sure hope these don't disappear. I would think other cruise lines are tightening belts also. With the coming of these huge ships, competition will be vigorous.

We just got off the 42 day Atlantic Adventure on the Maasdam and there were no DAM Dollar activities.

In wanted to add that we really enjoyed this cruise and found the crew members to be very friendly and helpful. We have 150+ days currently booked with HAL and looking forward to a great time.:D

Cruise Critic and Holland America

 

We had a large group with our Roll Call (130+ pages), with more than 70 people. HAL is not hosting a Facebook get together that had many CC people attending on the morning of our first sea day. CC had our own thing that afternoon. We had let HAL events folks know about it and they had beverages and cookies available. That was great.

 

Since our cruise was 42-days, most of the passengers were there the entire time. However, it could also be booked as a 21-day cruise FLL to Rome or Rome to FLL. The Maasdam staff had a second get-together after we left Rome and their special events coordinator (I forget her name and that is probably not the official name of the position) asked for cabin numbers then. Anyone who responded (many did not) got the invite to the special cocktail party. Not a huge selection of beverages, but there were three bar servers there. Appetizers were offered and the CD offered a short thank-you and they had a very rich chocolate cake to offer (along with the standard superior HAL coffee).

 

I enjoyed my time with this. It was one of the nicer things that I have seen from HAL and their relationships with Cruise Critic.

 

Jim

We gave them our cabin number at the M&G, only problem was that we got our nice invitation the day AFTER the party.

They also ran out of HAL tea bags on day 36 and the area around the drink stations in the Lido always had towels on the floor soaking up water that was leaking out from somewhere. Also the coffee machines on the starboard side never worked.

We are on board for 3 weeks immediately after the drydock in Jan so will see if any of this was fixed.

Please do not feed fish Cheerios (or anything else for that matter). It is a leading cause of the loss of diversity in many snorkeling spots. The more aggressive fish just out compete those that are less aggressive leaving the area with one or two types of fish.

Feeding of wildlife is seldom a good idea. Aim for observations not interaction!

Off my soapbox now....

You need to tell the HAL folks that work on HMC - they were the one's that were feeding them.

Like CruiserBruce we have snorkeled all over. The only time we saw a shark was in Bora Bora and we did that on purpose - the sharks stayed at a long distance away - I was first in the water and got to see them and take some photos but the last people in the water didn't even get to see them. Have fun snorkeling - BTW - not much to see snorkeling at HMC. There are lots of Angel fish there that will come around you if you bring a box of Chereois from the ship.

iflyrc5

I build and fly radio controlled aircraft but I have many more than 5 - the smallest is a 12 inch wing span - foam electric that weighs less than 2 ounces and the largest is a 96 inch wing span balsa plane I call BIG BIRD since it is Yellow.

We will be visiting Madeira the end of Nov on the Maasdam. What are the normal temperatures that time our year?

We were in Santo Tomas on the Ryndam on Feb 14, 2013 and did an outstanding tour with "Go with Gus". We had booked ahead online but he also had a booth in the terminal. This was a great tour. 45 minute boat ride to Livingston with a stop at his Hotel for a bathroom stop and fresh local fruit. Our group was then split up - 2 people went fishing on the river, 2 people went to a beach and the rest of us (about 12 people) got back on the boat and up the river. We stopped at a 2 room school, then a local family home for some local snacks and shopping, cruising the river, hot springs then back to Livingston. Gus then took us on a walking tour of the town, stopped a local resturant for lunch then back on the boat for the return to the ship - great 6 hour trip. Gus is very good about supporting the schools and kids - really a great guy.

Just off the Noordam for 21 days and 21 days on the Ryndam. Priest on board both ships. Mass is offered every day. Normally at 8am or 5pm depending on ship schedule.

We will be renting from Budget and doing a one way from Ft. Lauderdale to Tampa on I-75 in Feb 2013. Can anyone tell me if this is a toll road. If it is do they have manned toll booths? We will be traveling on a Friday mid-day. Thanks for any help - we don't have many toll roads here in Indiana:).

Anyone of a valid email for "go with Gus" ? I tried the one listed on his website and it does not work.

I keep hearing about how expensive ships' tours are, and some do seem expensive for what you get. But the 100% markup doesn't sound right. When I've been able to find the same tour online, the prices were very close. For example, I think I paid $10 more than internet price for the St Kitts Sugar Train. But the tour provided a bus ride to and from the train, so that $10 difference would have been consumed by taxi fare. In Skagway, the various versions of the train cost about the same to buy directly as from the ship. In Australia, our flightseeing cost exactly what direct booking would have cost. (There was a price list in the seatback pocket) Our day at the Barrier Reef also cost the same through the ship as independent booking. OK, the vendor probably discounts to the ship, and then the ship marks up the price. But in the end, I don't think I've ever paid double what the same tour would have cost independently.

2 years ago in Hawaii we had booked a private snorkel tour many months prior to the cruise for $75 per person. About 2 months before leaving we got an email from the provider that they now had a contract with HAL and be sure not to tell the HAL folks we had booked it privately. I checked the HAL price and it was $125. Turned out that on our boat were 4 people that had booked with HAL - they paid $125 each and we paid $75 each - not 100% markup but very close.

More so than the cost we do private tours so we can do it in a small group. When in St. Petersburg Russia we did a private tour with 6 of us - the guide and driver - we got to take a ride on their subway, the Hydrofoil and had lunch with a Russian family in their apartment - can't do that with a bus full of 50 people and the cost was less than the ship tour (NCL) and we saw twice as much.

With the new process of having the cabins available by around 1130 we usually get to the terminal about 1130 - normally only a short line - last time there was no line - then drop off the carryons in the cabin then off to the MDR for a nice lunch then tour the ship. Since we normally sail on the smaller ships the lines are shorter too.:)

On Trip Advisor I have been reading about the Malecon 2000 boardwalk in Guayaquil, Ecuador. We will be arriving on the Rotterdam in Feb 2012 and wondering if this is within walking distance of the cruise ship pier and is it a safe area for tourists to walk. From what I read the Malecon 2000 is well protected - just not sure about getting there from the cruise ship pier. Any information is appreciated.

Our last cruise on HAL was full to capacity but over the 33 days several people died so a few cabins did open up so people were able to move - this was on the Rotterdam which was having issues following a major drydock and we know of at least 1 couple that was moved to a different cabin 2/3rds of the way through the cruise.

She came on board during our Maasdam cruise this spring - she was excellent - I hate to hear that she has left HAL:(. I know that we gave her excellent ratings on our comment cards.

#1 Susan Woods

#2 JT Waters - he is only in his mid-20s but excellent - was our CD on our Prinsendam Amazon Float - did an excellent job with the older crowd on that cruise:D