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What You Like & Don't Like About Maasdam


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We are looking at the Mexican Riviera 12 night cruise April 2020 . :)

 

First will the Maasdam be dry docked before our cruise in April 2020 ?

 

Please tell us what you liked sailing on Maasdam & if any thing what you did not like . Please do not leave any thing out .

 

We are trying to be sure this cruise is one we would enjoy . We have been to The Mexican riviera many times in the past & even going Dec 9.2018 on Eurodam 7 night cruise:D

 

The 12 night cruise takes in several ports in the Sea of cortez & that makes the itinerary more interesting :D

 

Your input will be very much appreciated:D

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Currently the Maasdam is running as an "InDepth" cruise option which has changed some of the more traditional cruise offerings to a more intensive enrichment option with a variety of talented speakers on topics of local interest.

 

Whether this program continues through 2020 remains to be seen, but heads up. We are currently on the very first InDepth offering which is a very high enrichment experience with emphasis on a local immersion experience. Sea of Cortez ports are wonderful and this would be a great area to explore in this InDepth fashion.

 

Not too many ships got to the Sea of Cortez so if this area interests you, I would grab both the ship and the itinerary. We like the Maasdam a lot with no drawbacks for us - size , layout, full library space and now the newly refurbished decor is just lovely. Food in the main dining room and lido buffet has been very good. Service always wonderful.

 

It you want high glitz and everything up to date modern, then this ship would not be a good choice - it is older and traditional. But we love her, she was our first she has taken us to so many marvelous places - we have another long cruise booked on her next year after this long one - and looking forward to more of these delicious InDepth cruise offerings.

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This will probably not be a popular response because a lot of people on here do like the Maasdam. We have had some great cruises on her but the last two times I got very ill with the same symptoms both times. And both times our cabin was in the same area. We had dinner nightly with a doctor who also said she felt something was “off” with the ship. Even though we love the itineraries the Maasdam does, I have some lasting health issues (respiratory related) now that will probably be with me all of my life and won’t sail on her again.

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This will probably not be a popular response because a lot of people on here do like the Maasdam. We have had some great cruises on her but the last two times I got very ill with the same symptoms both times. And both times our cabin was in the same area. We had dinner nightly with a doctor who also said she felt something was “off” with the ship. Even though we love the itineraries the Maasdam does, I have some lasting health issues (respiratory related) now that will probably be with me all of my life and won’t sail on her again.

 

Was your respiratory problems before or after the recent dry dock ? Reason I ask is because I get bronchitis ;but ,now I take a 50 mg zinc pill daily to increase my immune system ;)

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I'm sure you will get a lot of post from folks that love the ship. Negative comments tend to draw fast a furious responses in many of the threads on this board. We've been on the Maasdam a couple of times over the years. Once when us and her were young and recently when we both are getting older. We had problems on the last cruise, and while many now tell these boards that all is ok, we will pass on a cruise on her unless the ports are worth the chance of encountering any problems.

 

I will admit a lot of the experiences folks have on the older HAL ships are hit and miss. For example, we were on the Zaamdam this past May for two weeks in Alaska and had a great time. The Zaandam is about the same age as the Maasdam. Yet others here on this board complained that the ship had issues on the following cruise.

 

Older ships bring issues that the newer ones don't have. From dining venues to activities that older ships can't match, to maintenance problems that newer ships haven't experienced yet. We try and spend our cruise dollars wisely, there are many fish in the cruising sea. We decided a while ago, based upon comments on this board, to branch out to try other lines and were pleasantly surprised at the offerings. So we aren't exclusive HAL customers anymore. YMMV.

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We like the Maasdam for her size (easy to get around due to the mid-ship elevator bank) and great crew. We have sailed on her 3 times.

 

We did experience a major virus outbreak on our last cruise on her, but that was about 3 years ago.

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Was your respiratory problems before or after the recent dry dock ? Reason I ask is because I get bronchitis ;but ,now I take a 50 mg zinc pill daily to increase my immune system ;)

 

Not sure when drydock was. Our last cruise was early 2017. Have you had luck with the zinc? The doctor at Mayo Clinic said there was nothing I could do to increase the immune system so I’m curious.

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We were on Maasdam last winter for 39 nights from Sydney to San Diego. We really loved the ship. Only things we didn't care for were the tiny old TVs in the cabins, and the fact that it doesn't have a Tamarind restaurant or the BB King bands.

We really loved the size of the ship, as well as the lack of crowding. The crew was just awesome, and the itinerary was pretty spectacular. :)

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Not sure when drydock was. Our last cruise was early 2017. Have you had luck with the zinc? The doctor at Mayo Clinic said there was nothing I could do to increase the immune system so I’m curious.

 

Yes I do not get sick since using the 50 mg zinc pill one daily :D

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We were on Maasdam last winter for 39 nights from Sydney to San Diego. We really loved the ship. Only things we didn't care for were the tiny old TVs in the cabins, and the fact that it doesn't have a Tamarind restaurant or the BB King bands.

We really loved the size of the ship, as well as the lack of crowding. The crew was just awesome, and the itinerary was pretty spectacular. :)

 

I completely agree with you!!

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I'm sure you will get a lot of post from folks that love the ship. Negative comments tend to draw fast a furious responses in many of the threads on this board. We've been on the Maasdam a couple of times over the years. Once when us and her were young and recently when we both are getting older. We had problems on the last cruise, and while many now tell these boards that all is ok, we will pass on a cruise on her unless the ports are worth the chance of encountering any problems.

 

I will admit a lot of the experiences folks have on the older HAL ships are hit and miss. For example, we were on the Zaamdam this past May for two weeks in Alaska and had a great time. The Zaandam is about the same age as the Maasdam. Yet others here on this board complained that the ship had issues on the following cruise.

 

Older ships bring issues that the newer ones don't have. From dining venues to activities that older ships can't match, to maintenance problems that newer ships haven't experienced yet. We try and spend our cruise dollars wisely, there are many fish in the cruising sea. We decided a while ago, based upon comments on this board, to branch out to try other lines and were pleasantly surprised at the offerings. So we aren't exclusive HAL customers anymore. YMMV.

 

We agree with your sentiments . We have done 80 past cruises & we have also found that some of the older ships can have plumbing & kitchen problems .even some of the newer ships have kitchen help problems with food delays MDR in the evening . It all boils down to management good or bad .:rolleyes:

 

From my perspective the Maasdam definitely is a smaller vessel & less pax & that is good in embarcation & the debarkation in ports . She doesn't have the bells & whistles of the newer HAL ships so we would do other things like more gym , pool time ,trivia ie ;)

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We agree with your sentiments . We have done 80 past cruises & we have also found that some of the older ships can have plumbing & kitchen problems .even some of the newer ships have kitchen help problems with food delays MDR in the evening . It all boils down to management good or bad .:rolleyes:

 

From my perspective the Maasdam definitely is a smaller vessel & less pax & that is good in embarcation & the debarkation in ports . She doesn't have the bells & whistles of the newer HAL ships so we would do other things like more gym , pool time ,trivia ie ;)

 

Good luck with whatever you choose.

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Hi Everyone,

 

My wife and I have cruised the Maasdam three times. Great, smaller ship, good food, with excellent service. The only down side, was two of our three cruises we experienced A/C issues. I don't sleep well in a warm cabin and had to go head to head with Customer Service to get the problem fixed.

We have two HAL cruises coming up in the next 14 months, both on newer, larger ships. I think we are done with HAL's older fleet.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:D

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I paricularly like he art on Maasdam. I frfeally like he large chest out side gthe the upper level of mDR and enjoy viewing all the Delft pieces the chest holds and displays. . T he Stephen Card paintings on Masdam are wonderful, imo

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We enjoyed our cruise on the Maasdam in June. Our ocean view cabin on deck 6 provided quick access to the lower promenade, and was quite comfortable. I would echo what others have said about the TV, though. It's small, with poor reception, and does not have the movie channels that are available on some of the other HAL ships.

 

Apart from the theater productions there is a very good entertainer in the piano bar and live classical music as well. In my humble opinion there is way too much space allotted for the jewelry and perfume shops, and very little of interest in the general merchandise shop, Browsing was not very satisfying and some of the evenings seemed to drag on, which is why a proper sized TV would have been welcome.

 

The crew were all lovely, the captain approachable, but the activities usually organized by the cruise director and his staff were rather limited. I would definitely recommend the Maasdam for someone who likes the feel and atmosphere of a smaller ship.

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We enjoyed our cruise on the Maasdam in June. Our ocean view cabin on deck 6 provided quick access to the lower promenade, and was quite comfortable. I would echo what others have said about the TV, though. It's small, with poor reception, and does not have the movie channels that are available on some of the other HAL ships.

 

Apart from the theater productions there is a very good entertainer in the piano bar and live classical music as well. In my humble opinion there is way too much space allotted for the jewelry and perfume shops, and very little of interest in the general merchandise shop, Browsing was not very satisfying and some of the evenings seemed to drag on, which is why a proper sized TV would have been welcome.

 

The crew were all lovely, the captain approachable, but the activities usually organized by the cruise director and his staff were rather limited. I would definitely recommend the Maasdam for someone who likes the feel and atmosphere of a smaller ship.

 

Maasdam has converted to a high-enrichment "InDepth format - there are far more activities now in the evening, but they are often enrichment talks, seminars and even lectures in the showroom.

 

Put Sept 2018 as the watershed mark when considering activities now on the Madam. This is no longer your traditional HAL cruise ship - it is now new niche offering. So depending on where you intend to cruise on the Maasdam, you will have a variety of high enrichment onboard offerings besides the regular bars and music venues in the evening..

 

Same older regular size TV's however with DVD player in the very pleasantly refurbished cabins. 30 inch diagonal? Internet is now much better than in the past, so that is an additional option - surcharge internet fee packages available.

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OlSalt: Are they broadcasting the special speakers?

 

Not that I know of - noticed that most of the speakers "copyright" their material so they are not available for reproduction without their permission. Over-lapping times of various presentations has been a problem - not major but we find ourselves wanting to be two places at once sometimes.

 

Here are the InDepth topic areas - which are color coded with EXC logos on the daily schedule to pick out in a quick glance if you have some favorites:

 

1. Science and Nature - blue

2. History and Perspective - red

3. Food, Wine and Spirits - yellow

4. Photography - purple

5. Art and Culture - pale gray

6. Active Exploration - dark gray - port talks and EXC desk hours inc;used in this one

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Not that I know of - noticed that most of the speakers "copyright" their material so they are not available for reproduction without their permission. Over-lapping times of various presentations has been a problem - not major but we find ourselves wanting to be two places at once sometimes.

 

Here are the InDepth topic areas - which are color coded with EXC logos on the daily schedule to pick out in a quick glance if you have some favorites:

 

1. Science and Nature - blue

2. History and Perspective - red

3. Food, Wine and Spirits - yellow

4. Photography - purple

5. Art and Culture - pale gray

6. Active Exploration - dark gray - port talks and EXC desk hours inc;used in this one

 

This is certainly of interest to me.

 

It's too bad that so many of Maasdam's upcoming itineraries (for 2019 and early 2020) are not to areas of interest for me...... I will keep a hopeful eye on later 2020.

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We were on a Boston to Montreal trip in July on the Maasdam.I will be honest I was a little worried after reading various comments abouther age, plumbing, air conditioning etc. My wife and I could not have a nicertime. Our room was fine. Yes, the décor was a bit dated but the room was wonderful.The TV however was pretty darn small. Theroom temp was too our liking as well and we had no plumbing issues. The areas around the ship were also fine. Idid not see or experience any negative things while on this ship. We did not eat in the lido very much but whatfew things I tried were fine. Breakfast in the Pinnacle was quite good. We enjoyed lunch there once too and it wasoutstanding. We enjoyed the Rudi dinner too. Service in the main dining roomfor dinner was also top notch. There was plenty to choose from. One night Ijust could not make up my mind and they brought me both! The musicians on boardwere also pretty good. One show was pooras I think they were lip syncing and it was just lousy. We did leave early. They had a pretty good comedian. The casino staff were also very good. I did have to move a couple times because ofthe cigarette smoke but that really was not a deal breaker for me. My wife lovedthe cooking classes as well as the free kitchen tour. She also loved the flowerarrangement class. We did all shore excursions this time through HollandAmerica. I pre-purchased them and had noproblems. All times and locations were waiting for me when we boarded. I am sure we could have saved a buck or twoby looking elsewhere, but one stop shopping made it much easier. Our lastcouple cruises we did our own and it was more stressful. No matter where wewent on the ship we were greeted with a smile and a “can do” attitude by allthe employees. The beauty of thissmaller ship is that it was never crowded anywhere we went. There were many places we could go to findsome quiet time. I would wholeheartedly recommendthis ship.

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We were on a Boston to Montreal trip in July on the Maasdam.I will be honest I was a little worried after reading various comments abouther age, plumbing, air conditioning etc. My wife and I could not have a nicertime. Our room was fine. Yes, the décor was a bit dated but the room was wonderful.The TV however was pretty darn small. Theroom temp was too our liking as well and we had no plumbing issues. The areas around the ship were also fine. Idid not see or experience any negative things while on this ship. We did not eat in the lido very much but whatfew things I tried were fine. Breakfast in the Pinnacle was quite good. We enjoyed lunch there once too and it wasoutstanding. We enjoyed the Rudi dinner too. Service in the main dining roomfor dinner was also top notch. There was plenty to choose from. One night Ijust could not make up my mind and they brought me both! The musicians on boardwere also pretty good. One show was pooras I think they were lip syncing and it was just lousy. We did leave early. They had a pretty good comedian. The casino staff were also very good. I did have to move a couple times because ofthe cigarette smoke but that really was not a deal breaker for me. My wife lovedthe cooking classes as well as the free kitchen tour. She also loved the flowerarrangement class. We did all shore excursions this time through HollandAmerica. I pre-purchased them and had noproblems. All times and locations were waiting for me when we boarded. I am sure we could have saved a buck or twoby looking elsewhere, but one stop shopping made it much easier. Our lastcouple cruises we did our own and it was more stressful. No matter where wewent on the ship we were greeted with a smile and a “can do” attitude by allthe employees. The beauty of thissmaller ship is that it was never crowded anywhere we went. There were many places we could go to findsome quiet time. I would wholeheartedly recommendthis ship.
Thank you for this review..

 

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

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We were on a Boston to Montreal trip in July on the Maasdam.I will be honest I was a little worried after reading various comments abouther age, plumbing, air conditioning etc. My wife and I could not have a nicertime. Our room was fine. Yes, the décor was a bit dated but the room was wonderful.The TV however was pretty darn small. Theroom temp was too our liking as well and we had no plumbing issues. The areas around the ship were also fine. Idid not see or experience any negative things while on this ship. We did not eat in the lido very much but whatfew things I tried were fine. Breakfast in the Pinnacle was quite good. We enjoyed lunch there once too and it wasoutstanding. We enjoyed the Rudi dinner too. Service in the main dining roomfor dinner was also top notch. There was plenty to choose from. One night Ijust could not make up my mind and they brought me both! The musicians on boardwere also pretty good. One show was pooras I think they were lip syncing and it was just lousy. We did leave early. They had a pretty good comedian. The casino staff were also very good. I did have to move a couple times because ofthe cigarette smoke but that really was not a deal breaker for me. My wife lovedthe cooking classes as well as the free kitchen tour. She also loved the flowerarrangement class. We did all shore excursions this time through HollandAmerica. I pre-purchased them and had noproblems. All times and locations were waiting for me when we boarded. I am sure we could have saved a buck or twoby looking elsewhere, but one stop shopping made it much easier. Our lastcouple cruises we did our own and it was more stressful. No matter where wewent on the ship we were greeted with a smile and a “can do” attitude by allthe employees. The beauty of thissmaller ship is that it was never crowded anywhere we went. There were many places we could go to findsome quiet time. I would wholeheartedly recommendthis ship.

 

Nice review and thank you for all the details. But just a reminder, after Sept 2018 the Maasdam is now cruising under the new "In Depth" format for both onboard activities and itineraries. The decor was very nicely upgraded after the Sept 2018 drydock.

 

No more cast shows in the evening. No ATK. More immersion and emphasis on local entertainment and culinary offerings. Agree, the main dining room has been very good and we are out well under and hour for late-fixed dining. Casino has had only one smoking night so far and that was the only night it was busy - the rest of the time day and night it has been virtually empty.

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