Current Condition of the Maasdam

We sailed on the Maasdam in June, 2017. The weather was great -- no rain. I love the S class ships and the Maasdam is closest to the original configuration unlike the Veendam which, in my opinion as been mutilated with the changes to the pool and the additional cabins.

I have been reading recent (Feb., 2018) reviews in which many people complained about toilets, vents,cc leakage etc.. Usually I take poor reviews with a grain of salt. I will not cancel our August cruise, but I would like some unbiased input into what to expect.

We cruise on the Maasdam in 3 weeks so I’ll report back. I thought I had read some of those reviews but others did not have issues so we’ll see.

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We cruise on the Maasdam in 3 weeks so I’ll report back. I thought I had read some of those reviews but others did not have issues so we’ll see.

 

 

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We sail on her in July, so I will look forward to your report.

We sailed on the Maasdam in June, 2017. The weather was great -- no rain. I love the S class ships and the Maasdam is closest to the original configuration unlike the Veendam which, in my opinion as been mutilated with the changes to the pool and the additional cabins.

 

 

I have been reading recent (Feb., 2018) reviews in which many people complained about toilets, vents,cc leakage etc.. Usually I take poor reviews with a grain of salt. I will not cancel our August cruise, but I would like some unbiased input into what to expect.

We just got off the Maasdam on 5-19-18 after 27 days on board from San Diego thru the Canal to Boston. We stayed on board in Boston for another 7 days up the coast of New England and Canada and back to Boston. We had a great cruise. We had an Ocean View cabin on the 6th deck starboard side toward the stern. We had no issues with our cabin. At the Captions Q&A there were a number of cruisers who complained of their cabins being too cold or too hot. To our knowledge these issues were addressed. We experienced outside temps in the low 90's with very high high humidity going thru the Canal & Cartagena Columbia to low temps coming into Boston and the 7 days up the coast. We never heard any complaints about plumbing issues while on the cruise nor smelled any odors while walking around the inside hallways. The Maasdam is not a new ship but she is in very good condition for her age.

The Maasdam staff were the best with smiles and good service provided during the whole cruise. The Maasdam is scheduled for dry-dock the end of August 2018 where there will be changes to the ship with it being set up as an EXC excursion ship. We were told that based on the complaints about the libraries being eliminated from other HAL ships that they do not plan on removing the library from the Maasdam in Aug. during the dry-dock. We will be back on the Maasdam in March 2019 after the dry-dock so will be interested in the changes that will occur.

We just got off the Maasdam on 5-19-18 after 27 days on board from San Diego thru the Canal to Boston. We stayed on board in Boston for another 7 days up the coast of New England and Canada and back to Boston. We had a great cruise. We had an Ocean View cabin on the 6th deck starboard side toward the stern. We had no issues with our cabin. At the Captions Q&A there were a number of cruisers who complained of their cabins being too cold or too hot. To our knowledge these issues were addressed. We experienced outside temps in the low 90's with very high high humidity going thru the Canal & Cartagena Columbia to low temps coming into Boston and the 7 days up the coast. We never heard any complaints about plumbing issues while on the cruise nor smelled any odors while walking around the inside hallways. The Maasdam is not a new ship but she is in very good condition for her age.

The Maasdam staff were the best with smiles and good service provided during the whole cruise. The Maasdam is scheduled for dry-dock the end of August 2018 where there will be changes to the ship with it being set up as an EXC excursion ship. We were told that based on the complaints about the libraries being eliminated from other HAL ships that they do not plan on removing the library from the Maasdam in Aug. during the dry-dock. We will be back on the Maasdam in March 2019 after the dry-dock so will be interested in the changes that will occur.

Thank you for this information, pleased to know that the library will remain.

We just got off the Maasdam on 5-19-18 after 27 days on board from San Diego thru the Canal to Boston. We stayed on board in Boston for another 7 days up the coast of New England and Canada and back to Boston. We had a great cruise. We had an Ocean View cabin on the 6th deck starboard side toward the stern. We had no issues with our cabin. At the Captions Q&A there were a number of cruisers who complained of their cabins being too cold or too hot. To our knowledge these issues were addressed. We experienced outside temps in the low 90's with very high high humidity going thru the Canal & Cartagena Columbia to low temps coming into Boston and the 7 days up the coast. We never heard any complaints about plumbing issues while on the cruise nor smelled any odors while walking around the inside hallways. The Maasdam is not a new ship but she is in very good condition for her age.

The Maasdam staff were the best with smiles and good service provided during the whole cruise. The Maasdam is scheduled for dry-dock the end of August 2018 where there will be changes to the ship with it being set up as an EXC excursion ship. We were told that based on the complaints about the libraries being eliminated from other HAL ships that they do not plan on removing the library from the Maasdam in Aug. during the dry-dock. We will be back on the Maasdam in March 2019 after the dry-dock so will be interested in the changes that will occur.

I got off Maasdam in Boston on 5/12, so I was also on the Panama Canal cruise described here. I agree with pretty much everything stated here (except I do not recall complaints at the Captain's Q&A about room temps; maybe that was on the Canada part). In 20 days I heard exactly one passenger complain that her a/c was out (it was pretty hot from Puerto Vallarta to at least Cartagena). I heard of zero plumbing issues. There were no unpleasant aromas other than the cigarette smell of the casino, which is mostly easy to avoid. No buckets or fans in the hallways that I saw. There is definitely some wear and tear, most noticeable I thought on the seats in the ATK/Wajang Theater and a couple scratches on our cabin walls. Some of the furniture in the Crow's Nest has been replaced since I was on Maasdam previously in June 2016. The cabins (we were in a regular ocean view on the main deck) do not have the most modern amenities (no interactive TV, no USB ports, no fridge--well we had one but it's not standard like on other ship classes) but this isn't a big deal to me. The ship doesn't have many of the public areas of the bigger ships either--no BB King, Tamarind, Billboard, New York Pizza for example. It does have a wide open unobstructed sky deck (the one above the Crow's Nest), a beautiful Crow's Nest if you prefer your forward views less windy/sunny, a wonderful wide promenade deck, great views from the aft pool area, a large library, and of course a great crew.

Neither Maasdam nor her sister Veendam are the decrepit hulls that some people's reviews (particularly from a couple years ago) would have you believe. Yet the condition question still comes up fairly frequently on this board. I've sailed 34 glorious days on Maasdam in two years and have 21 more days scheduled for next year. I'd go again tomorrow if I could get away. Personally I'm really looking forward to the changes coming to Maasdam with the new EXC expedition sailings. She's a great size both physically and in number of pax, neither the library nor the Crow's Nest are supposed to be butchered during her upcoming drydock, and there will (hopefully) be great new additions in her activities programming as well as interesting new itineraries. Despite her age, I hope she stays in the fleet for a while yet. Very much looking forward to May 28 2019 when we will be boarding her again. If you desire new and modern with the latest bells and whistles for your cruise ship, then Maasdam is probably not for you. If a more classic cruise experience on a smaller ship with an interesting itinerary is more your cup of tea, then you may well find Maasdam to your liking.

You might read Retired Mustangs recent review of a South Pacific cruise from March 25 to April 22. The photos of the Maasdam are fabulous. Cherie

Thanks for the positive reviews. I am excited to go!

I second rajkr's and joekerstef's reviews. We were on the San Diego-to-Boston cruise ending 5/12, and thought the ship was in excellent condition. We had a problem with our cabin thermostat, but, within 20 minutes of our call to the front desk, had a nice lady from the front desk come and measure the temp, followed shortly by an engineer who promptly replaced it and fixed the problem.

Staff was invariably pleasant and helpful, and, without exception, always answered "you're welcome" to a "thank you", a rarity these days.

We're already booked for a 21-day Alaska cruise next year.

We were on for the Historic Coasts part. The Captain's Q&A was on this leg. We had an extra sea day when we could not dock at Sidney and the captain graciously answered questions and entertained those of us who attended. There were a few comments about temperature. The Maasdam is a lovely ship that shows a bit of wear and tear but one we would cruise on again.

I will be on in a month. I'll report back from that cruise on this thread.

Maasdam was my first large ship since a smaller-sized Costa back in 1975. It helped me try something other than a riverboat. B2B on Zuidy for a partial Panama Canal didn't hurt either. Now I'm a 4-star. But Maasdam started it all - I love that ship. Too bad it's usually too far from the US SE coast.

Maasadam:What exactly happens in a dry dock? Sailing on her Oct 28, Polynesia Idyll. We are 1st time cruisers on Holland. This is only our 2nd cruise, so I am excited and nervous. LOL.Thanks everyone , sounds like Massadam is well liked.

Maasadam:What exactly happens in a dry dock? Sailing on her Oct 28, Polynesia Idyll. We are 1st time cruisers on Holland. This is only our 2nd cruise, so I am excited and nervous. LOL.Thanks everyone , sounds like Massadam is well liked.

Dry dock is for a ship to go routine maintenance and updates on the ship.

We were on the maasdam in November for 22 days our first Holland America cruise and it was a great cruise. We visited French Polynesia and you will enjoy the beautiful islands.

me and my partner are debating on taking the October 28 cruise that’s how much we love French Polynesia and the South Pacific And Holland awarded us with a great casino discount. The issue is that we also want to do the Panama Canal Cruise in November on brand new Norwegian Bliss. We can’t decide which cruise to do.

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You might read Retired Mustangs recent review of a South Pacific cruise from March 25 to April 22. The photos of the Maasdam are fabulous. Cherie

Cherie, I have searched for this in the HAL forum and cruise reviews but cannot find it. Any hints? Thanks.

Cherie, I have searched for this in the HAL forum and cruise reviews but cannot find it. Any hints? Thanks.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2632745&highlight=maasdam

We sailed on the Maasdam for 2 months in 2016 and loved it. We're booked for over 120 days on it starting with its first EXC cruise to Papeete and then two more cruises in 2019 including a 74 day one. I'd have no hesitation in rebooking.

We just got off of the Maasdam today. I’ve been on the Zaandam, Veendam, Ryndam and Westerdam before this trip. I felt like the public spaces were comparable to all previous trips. The service was just as great like usual. The only “complaint” that I had was the temperature in our cabin. We had the afternoon/evening sun on our side (starboard from Montreal to Boston) of the ship for majority of the cruise so it became very hot in the afternoon and early evening. We learned to close the shades during the day and usually wasn’t an issue when it was time to sleep. We usually sail on inside cabins and never had this issue. It wasn’t too uncomfortable for us to complain but others might feel different.

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Also just got off the Maasdam today (I’ll write something a bit more detailed soon). She’s a lovely ship with signs of wear here and there, and cruising with 1,200 people instead of 5000 is divine! The ports of Montreal, Quebec City, Charlottetown, Sydney, Halifax, Bar Harbor and Boston are awesome. We were on the port side with a balcony and didn’t have any trouble with our room other than some sticky drawers and a bit of hard water deposits on the faucet in the bathtub. We had KILLER weather (except for Halifax). It was a great trip!

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We also were on the June 9th Montreal to Boston sailing. We had a cabin on Deck 5, starboard side forward. Everything worked just fine, and the room was just big enough for all of our stuff. :DWe had lovely weather except for our day in Halifax, so no complaints there! The stateroom steward was one of the very best we've ever had.

The dining room staff was adequate, but unimpressive. It seemed to me that they were a little short-handed, or something. The food was good, but some nights I didn't like the selection. I know it's me, not them! I am probably the only girl who grew up in New England who doesn't like seafood. But I do appreciate the fact that they serve local specialties on their cruises. A lot of lines don't do that, and I know a lot of people expect it, and are disappointed. On this cruise they served lobster, PEI mussels, and other local specialties. One night they had lobster up at the lido buffet, but a different menu in the dining room, which I thought was unusual.

We went to the show the first night, and it was OK, not great. Then I went the second night and thought the ventriloquist wasn't very good. So I stopped going to the shows. Then on the 6th night, Jeff the Piano Bar entertainer recommended that night's show "Dance" very highly, so I went. It was wonderful! All of the dancers and singers did an excellent job. I was sad to hear that HAL is going to change their entertainment after the dry dock and discontinue the singers and dancers. I think this is a big mistake on HAL's part, but I have no power there. All I could do is put in my comments in the survey they sent that I loved the singers, dancers, and the piano bar entertainer. Also, the sight lines in the balcony are not good. There seemed to be a railing blocking my sight wherever I sat. I was disappointed that there was no karaoke at all! That is one of my favorite things to do on a cruise. I went to the piano bar, and enjoyed Jeff's act very much. He changes his songs to fit the crowd, and is very versatile. He is also very nice, and even let me sing a few songs and played accompaniment for me! I loved the fact that the bar waiters were always there if you wanted them, but never pushed us to buy drinks if we just wanted to sit and listen to the music. My friends really enjoyed the jazz group and the classical group who played on the ship.

One of our favorite things on the ship was the library/coffee bar. We spent WAY too much money in the spa, LOL.

When we booked our cruise, we got the "signature beverage package". I didn't realize that it didn't include the mini-bar. We really didn't use the beverage package except for a couple of glasses of wine and a couple of lattes in the coffee bar. They didn't lose money on us. :D

Anyone with questions, please fire away. I will be glad to try and answer them.

Thanks to all for the recent updates. We will be embarking on the Maasdam on Saturday and are very much looking forward to an "intimate" cruise on one of the smaller ships.

Could one of the recent posters tell me about the tendering in Bar Harbor? As Canadians we will have to go through some type of immigration process which could delay our arrival on shore, so we are reluctant to book a tour. I'm just wondering if it would be better to take one of the island buses instead.

Thanks in advance...

The Maasdam is changing its format entirely after Sept 2018 to an InDepth cruise - these will not be the traditional cruise offerings, and this is a good thing. They are including more varied itineraries, more enrichment and more local offerings instead of the traditional staff shows for entertainment. ATK will be replaced with local chefs and ingredients. Zodiacs will eventually offer more unique and personalized shore excursions. A highly regarded naturalist is leading the enrichment team.

Many of us are very excited about these upcoming Maasdam changes. But best to no longer think of this particular ship as a tradiitional HAL offering, any more than the Prinsendam is a totally traditional HAL offering especially when it comes to itineraries and more flexible route planning..

This is obviously an experimental venture for HAL, but one that has been a successful niche for other cruise lines - take a smaller ship and offer a different more varied adventure/immersion product, and geared more to local exploration, local enrichment and less the tradiitional ship's features. Whether they even have a casino, art auctions, acupuncture, tooth whitening or gala nights remains to be seen too.

The Roll Call for this first Maasdam InDepth cruise is pretty excited about what this new HAL offering will be like. We also join this new adventure in Sept too. We have experience with another cruise ship that offered pretty much what it appears the Maasdam is now attempting to offer - so we will have a special perspective to see how it compares to what HAL traditionally offers after many Maasdam cruises an nearly 500 days onboard HAL ships as well as nearly 100 days on this other former smaller enrichment cruise ship.

To the poster who asked about Bar Harbor:

The immigration officials got onboard very early, and the process went quickly and efficiently for us. However, the line for non-US citizens was much longer than ours was. We went into the lounge a little while later and got tender tickets, and there was a 20-30 minute wait before they called our number. Once we got on the tender, it took a few minutes to get everyone seated. Then our boat broke down about half way to the dock! They sent out another boat with a repair man, and finally got the engine restarted. We ended up taking that tender back in the afternoon (just my luck, LOL) but it was fine on the way back.

We booked the 4 hour tour with Ollie's trolley, and it was great.

Thanks to all for the recent updates. We will be embarking on the Maasdam on Saturday and are very much looking forward to an "intimate" cruise on one of the smaller ships.

 

Could one of the recent posters tell me about the tendering in Bar Harbor? As Canadians we will have to go through some type of immigration process which could delay our arrival on shore, so we are reluctant to book a tour. I'm just wondering if it would be better to take one of the island buses instead.

 

Thanks in advance...

Like ladyarli mentioned, The line for us citizens was very fast but the non US was very long. They separated us on different groups and likely if you book a HAL excursion I would think that you got priority on the earlier groups to see immigration. I got to the tender line at 9am and had to wait almost 45 minutes before my number was called for tender. I think it took us another 30 minutes with waiting in the staircase and the actual tender ride before we got on shore. It was definitely longer than I expected and glad that I left earlier.

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Thanks for the info. I think we will play it safe and forgo making a reservation.

I just got off Maasdam, she is in fine shape a little touchups here and there [and will probably be done in drydock] and she is fine. Lanai stateroom loungers clearly marked. Never heard of any toilet problems - I didn't have any.

Lots of families with children of all ages - even grownup ones.Everyone seemed to be having a good time.

Internet was in a weekly package - 3 tiers to choose from - no counting minutes. There were 24 hour and by the minute - if that was all you needed.