Straitaway

I loved Lyft until this last trip. I took a Lyft from my home to the airport. No problem. Flew to Ft. Lauderdale and was instructed where to wait for a pick up car. Called Lyft and was assigned a driver to arrive in 6 minutes. Sat down and waited 20, 30, minutes. Tried to text, got a response that she couldn't text as she was driving. Tried to call her twice, no answer. Tried to cancel and order an Uber car. The app had advanced to the pay section and would not let me cancel. Frustrated, I walked over to the cab stand and took a cab. The cab driver told me that Uber drivers didn't like to make such a short trip, but it isn't true. I saw dozens of folks getting picked up by Uber while I was waiting for my Lyft.

A week later, when I got home, I saw that Lyft had charged my credit card. I put in a claim, explaining what happened and in less than five minutes I received a response from Lyft that since "the driver had started and ended the trip without you in the car", I was due a refund. Within an hour my credit card had been refunded. Great customer service!

Hope we get one on our upcoming Eurodam sailing! :)

We got a nice "voyage log" on the Eurodam, ending Jan 21. It lists the captain and main officers, interesting stats, such as 25, 200 eggs consumed and crew nationality. On the other side there is a map of where we cruised, the distance traveled that day and the average speed of the ship. The gold lettering is a nice touch.

Can we use the usb ports to view photos from our devices on the big screens?

Oh, no! Please tell me that they have not taken away the special teas in the afternoon! That was one of my selling points to get 9 first time cruisers to accompany me on our January Eurodam cruise.

I love this ship. Thanks for sharing the photos.

I really hate when people post about how great their TA's are and are not allowed to share with us who they are. I need a good TA!

If I ever have to be air evacuated, I hope everyone takes as many pictures as possible and figures out how to get them to me or posts them on the internet. If I live, I would want to see probably the most exciting thing that ever happened to me. If I died, my kids/grandkids would want to see everything that happened. If the ropes break, my lawyer will want to see it. Take lots of pictures.

You don't say which Fitbit you have, but most of the units will store 8 to 10 days worth of data, so unless you want to carry a laptop with you, just enjoy your cruise and see how you did when you get home. Most of your activities are available on the screen, but don't be surprised if walking on a rocking boat earns you many flights of stairs.

I love the Maasdam and so appreciate your posting the pictures and video.

Thanks so much for all the useful tips. Can you tell me where the electrical outlets are located in the cabins? I need to plug in my CPAP and don't want to carry a heavy extension cord, if I don't have to.

Leaving in 18 days and so excited.

I'm looking forward to the photos of the Nordnorge. We'll be on board in 3 weeks!!!

We are taking the Hurtigruten In Norway to go up the coast, past the Artic circle, and hopefully see the Norhtern Lights this year. I'll bet there won't be many children on board.;)

I've been wondering the same thing, so thanks for asking. SarniaLo, thanks to your blog, I have enjoyed all of your trips and can't wait to hear about this one coming up. I sail in December on the Nordnorge.

This is fabulous! Thanks so much.

I was also on the Dec 6, 2013, 14 day Caribbean cruise. The ice cream was firm enough to eat from a cone and the chilled fruit soups were perfectly chilled. There were a few bathrooms that were out of order, but not for long. One of the coffee machines in the lido was out for the whole cruise. Other than those things, I saw nothing amiss on the Maasdam. Early dining (5:45) was prompt and efficient.

The Windows 8 lady was rude and talked down to passengers as though they were in kindergarten. I had to walk out of two of her classes because I was so disgusted, and I did mention her on my survey.

I couldn't believe it was about to go into drydock. It was just as beautiful as my first time on the Maasdam, except for the lanai cabins which ruin the promenade deck experience. I really don't want to see people in their bathrobes sitting on the deck. Isn't that what balcony rooms are for?

I found that there was very little in the way of low carb deserts. The "no sugar added" vanilla ice cream was also no fat and it tasted nasty. I couldn't bring myself to try another flavor. All of the "no sugar added" pastries and deserts were loaded with other carbs. The wait staff have no idea what a carbohydrate is, so no point in trying to explain. Next time I go I'm going to put in a standing order for fresh berries with heavy whipping cream. I think that is something that they will be able to do and it would be nice to be able to eat desert with the rest of the table.

Clearly not an accident, as he took his shoes off before he went over. Very sad.

Another idiot "falls" overboard.

They have cork glued to the underside. They make great coasters for my coffee cup. I'll bet some people have enought to do a backsplash.

I faxed mine in and had confirmation within 8 hours.

I did get a red raised rash about 5 days into our 14 day on the Maasdam. It never occured to me that it might be the shower gel. It was the first time I had shower gel and I know I'm not allergic to the bar soap that we always had before. I still have the rash and it's been 4 days since we got home. I also picked up a nasy cold, despite the constant use of the hand sanitizers.

Just off the Maasdam where we did not receive the tiles at the Mariner's Brunch. I mentioned this to our dinner companions who were also at the brunch but not sitting with us. They hadn't gotten tiles, either, so they went to the front desk and got them delivered to the cabin the same day. I went to the front desk twice, three days apart, and finally got mine delivered to the room on our last day.

As soon as the Maasdam gets back in port, I will get on it. Can't wait to be back on my favorite ship.

I sent my shareholder request in at 9 this am and got a confirmation that the $250 credit was applied at 3:15 same day! Doesn't get any better than that.