Maasdam Transpacific

We re considering the Maasdam for a Transpacific as it has a really intriguing itinerary which includes both the Aleutian Islands as well as Siberia. We have some concerns about the age of the ship, what refurbishments have or have not been done and when. We are also concerned about the quality of amenities and service for a long journey. I would appreciate any tips and info. We have not been on HA since 2002, most recently we have been using Celebrity Aqua Class.

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The condition of Maasdam (and Veendam) is discussed seemingly endlessly on this forum, so if you do a search for Maasdam, you should find plenty of info (see in particular RetiredMustang's extensive review of the ship with pix). I love the ship, just off of her three weeks ago and will be back for three more weeks next year. She is scheduled for drydock for refurbishment in late August before she begins her EXC program. After that, it remains to be seen what exactly that will mean for shipboard activities. What are your specific concerns?

What is an exc program? We would like to do the San Fran to Yokohama trip. I am concerned by the number of reviews that mention plumbing problems. I am accustomed to the Aqua Class on Celebrity ships and am used to their nice barhrooms, spa access and private dining room with tables for two and no formal night requirements. The lanai rooms don’t have balconies I think just a door to the lower promenade (not a place to sit)-‘d the next cabin up is $160 more per night. I guess those are my concerns and what I will have to deal with if I want to do that itinerary.

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We were on the same cruise as Joekerstef. Did not notice and plumbing problems nor did we hear of any. We were in the tropics and had a problem with the A/C in the Suites area. The main cause was several suites that left their balcony doors open 24 hours a day. This overloaded the A/C for all others in the area. Yes I had several brag to me they were enjoying the sea air! This should not be a problem on your proposed cruise. We did experience the vibration mentioned in several threads. This bothered the wife more than me. Not sure of the cause as it also occurred when we were in port and worse in specific areas. My guess would be one of the engines. The crew was fantastic and made this a very enjoyable cruise.

That does look like a very interesting cruise and I cannot think of a ship I would rather do it on!!. .

Okay, here's a link to info about the EXC program:

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/cruise-ships/ms-maasdam/exc-in-depth-voyages1.html

We have only ever sailed in ocean views so I can't help you with suites, nor with a comparison to X. Maasdam is an older and smaller ship; she does show a bit of wear on some of the furniture but nothing major and (mostly) not super-noticeable. I don't know how swanky the suites are as compared to what I'm used to, but they do have a private balcony. The balcony cabins on Maasdam go for a premium because as compared to the newer, bigger ships, there aren't that many of them (I don't think she even has Vista suites). There is nothing particularly modern about our cabin of choice (things like USB ports, high def wall mounted tvs, etc.) but that doesn't bother us. The lanai cabins have a door that opens out onto the promenade deck. Each of those cabins has two deck chairs outside their door reserved for their use. Those cabins are pretty popular. Our cabin was towards the bow (basically just ahead of the first lifeboat) on the main deck (one below the lanai cabins) and we did not experience vibrations. We've spent five weeks total on Maasdam in the past two years and have not had a plumbing or a/c problem (I heard one person on last cruise complain about no a/c and could have very well been someone in the affected area mentioned by Trapper44). Keep in mind that toilets can clog on any ship of any age--all it takes is one thoughtless person flushing something that shouldn't be flushed, and that has nothing to do with the age of a ship. Maasdam lacks many of the features that HAL likes to brag about on the bigger, newer ships--no Tamarind, BB King, music walk, etc. She has a big beautiful promenade, a nice Crow's Nest that isn't supposed to be changed (that's been a complaint on the board recently with the newer ships), a wide-open sky deck, two pools and nice views from many areas both indoors and outside. Also the staff and crew are generally great. There are lots of tables for two in the MDR; you can request that when you book if you opt for fixed dining. HAL does not have formal night on any ship; they do "gala" night which pretty much means dress fancy **if you want** and the photographers will try to take your photo, but you don't HAVE to dress any nicer than you would on any other night, and if you want to wear your shorts or jeans, there's always the lido.

I agree that your proposed itinerary looks good. Please do see RetiredMustang's review. He was on the 28 day cruise right before mine, so it's a very thorough, very recent assessment with many pix from around the ship. Maasdam is a favorite among many HAL cruisers, myself included; however, there are definitely quite a few people on this board who will not sail on anything older than the Vista class ships. Do you have dealbreakers? Are there things you'd prefer but can do without for a good itinerary? You're definitely wise to be doing this kind of evaluation if you have your doubts. I have no hesitation in recommending Maasdam right now, and if my perception of how the EXC program will change the cruise experience is correct, she is going to be even better for what I would like for a cruise, but I'm an itinerary person who can and does spend endless hours staring at the water looking for wildlife so my requirements for what I need a ship to do and have for me is pretty minimal. YMMV

We were also on the same cruise as joekerstef from 4-22-18 thru 5-19-18. We did an additional 7 days from Boston up the New England and Canadian coast and back to Boston. We enjoyed the Maasdam and had 2 great cruise on her. We experienced no mechanical problems in our cabin. We had a great Meet & Greet and heard no problems from other cruisers. We also did not smell any obnoxious odors while walking the hall ways. Did hear some passengers at the Captains talk complain about cold and hot rooms. The captain said he would have the engineers address the issue. We did not here any more comments about this issue on the cruise. The staff was excellent, friendly and accommodating. We really could not find much to complaint about and really enjoyed the cruises. The Maasdam is one of the oldest ships in the HAL fleet but still has a good feel and presence. We would not hesitate to cruise on her again.

Now, the ship goes into dry dock the end of Aug. 2018 and there will be some changes on the Maasdam as it changes to a EXC ship. Destination, exploration cruising, oriented with emphasis on where the cruise is going to. From what we heard there will be no more "Singers & Dancers" but will have entertainment from local venues. More emphasis on local photography instuction, local people coming onboard teaching local cuisine. America's Test Kitchen for this ship might not be there. We were informed that the Library would be left on the ship, they listened to the many comments about some ships loosing the libraries. We also heard there would be zodiacs placed on the bow to do excursions to local destinations with emphasis towards hands on local experiences. We met four HAL employees who were on ship evaluating the ship for implementation of the EXC programs. We felt more comfortable about this EXC transition after talking to them. This is still a program that is in transition. We did learn from them that they monitor Cruise Critic for ideas and opinions from posters, they do listen to the threads that we post, i.e. "Cruise Logs". We did get Cruise Logs for both the cruises we were on.

We will back on the Maasdam in March 2019 from Brisbane to San Francisco for 41 days. Looking forward to what new things are coming on the Maasdam.

If it is true about the zodiacs, I foresee a problem. Having been on an expedition cruise before, the number of passengers on those cruises range around the 100 mark and zodiac landings/tours are inclusive. Maasdam accomodates at least a thousand passengers. A full zodiac takes about 10 occupants. No way every passenger can get a zodiac tour on one day. So either it will cost you a lot to do one or they are limited for instance to one tour per passenger per journey . And that defeats the whole expedition experience. I think the Maasdam is too big to be a proper expedition cruise ship.

DW and I are pretty adventurous travelers and cruisers. so quickly booked a 41 EXC cruise on the Maasdam soon after HAL announced the program. But when it comes to Zodiacs and HAL passengers we foresee many issues. Personally it is doubtful we would take one of HAL's Zodiac tours because they are likely to be very expensive and have physical issues with more then a few HAL cruisers. Just watching HAL passengers getting on and off luxury tour buses can be painful and its hard to imagine many of these folks trying to deal with Zodiacs. But we salute HAL for at least offering the option :).

We have lots of 2nd thoughts about the EXC cruise but figure its worth a try :). HAL has never been a line known for innovation and the entire EXC concept is taking them out of their normal comfort zone. We expect it to be a lot of fun :). Substituting lectures and local entertainment for typical HAL shows is not much of a loss (to us) since we have found most of the recent HAL productions to be like High School musical shows with Karaoke. At least the Maasdam will be keeping its piano bar (for now).

Hank

For the first 88 days of EXC itineraries aboard the Massdam, there is only 1 zodiac excursion listed, that being in Dravuni Island. I was hoping for more zodiac opportunities. I think their new concept could be a work in progress!

For the first 88 days of EXC itineraries aboard the Massdam, there is only 1 zodiac excursion listed, that being in Dravuni Island. I was hoping for more zodiac opportunities. I think their new concept could be a work in progress!

No doubt. But I'm really happy to see HAL trying a new direction, and I love the idea of more enrichment activities in most of the specialty areas that they have listed. I won't particularly miss the evening shows much. Of course it remains to be seen how expectation meets reality. We're not cruising until late May so hopefully by then they will have had more than a half a year of the EXC program to work out some of the kinks and make improvements based on the suggestions of pax on the earlier voyages.

OP, here is the link for RetiredMustang's recent review:

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

Perhaps this is a good place for me to share my big concern with the EXP cruise. DW and I are very weird HAL cruisers because we actually dare to eat dinner after the sun goes down. But seriously, we prefer to dine sometime after 7:30 (we use the open dining concept) and take our time. This means we normally attend the shows intended for the late diners...which has the advantage of not being crowded (half the ship is often in bed). But on the EXP cruises we wonder if they will still offer 2 "cultural events" when they involve lectures or a local cultural show. If not, it means we would either miss the activity or be forced to dine early (when things are crowded and rushed). The truth is that HAL schedules much of their evening activities to favor those who dine early (which we would call tea or cocktail time).

And if anyone from HAL is monitoring this thread...please please please put a great piano bar player on the ship :).

Hank

I am the OP and appreciate all the input. I have been wanting to do a Bering Strait Cruise for a long time and HA seems to have the most extensive itinerary for one... I was hesitant about Maasdam but am less so now. Will the 2019 westbound to Yokohama be an EXP cruise? Just what does that mean? I r ad the lanai cabins that open onto the promenade are popular but I am hesitant to give up a private balcony. On the other hand the Balcony appears to be $160 per night more... a pricey amenity on a 21 night cruise...

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I am the OP and appreciate all the input. I have been wanting to do a Bering Strait Cruise for a long time and HA seems to have the most extensive itinerary for one... I was hesitant about Maasdam but am less so now. Will the 2019 westbound to Yokohama be an EXP cruise? Just what does that mean? I r ad the lanai cabins that open onto the promenade are popular but I am hesitant to give up a private balcony. On the other hand the Balcony appears to be $160 per night more... a pricey amenity on a 21 night cruise...

Understandable, that's a hefty jump in price. You could reserve (if it's available for the cruise) a guarantee cabin and roll the dice to see if you get an upgrade to a suite.

Looking on HAL's new website, Maasdam's scheduled voyages beginning in September 2018 after her drydock running into August 2019 look to be advertised as EXC voyages (this does not cover all of her currently announced itineraries; she has cruises available departing through April 2020 at the moment). When they first announced the concept, they only advertised the EXC program through the beginning of May 2019 (the last cruise before the first of the three three-week Alaska voyages; we're booked on the second one) but now our cruise is indeed advertised as EXC. I think your contemplated voyage is the one after the third Alaska three week (so July 2019?); if so, then yes, it should be an EXC voyage. I think HAL wants to see how well they're selling and then what the feedback is once they get going before they go too crazy with it. It's a question that might be best taken up with your PCC at HAL.

We are booked on the Seattle to Sydney EXC 2019 cruise and couldn't be more excited about doing it with the new format which we are really looking forward to. We are also booked on the inaugural 2018 EXC cruise from FLL to Papeete and the 2019 20 day Indian Explorer out of Singapore. And we sailed for 2 months the Maasdam's traditional 2016 TransPacific from Seattle to Sydney and the circumnavigation of Australia . Other the Volendam, we will not have spent more time on a single HAL ship than the Maasdam and would board it tomorrow if there was an opportunity that didn't conflict with our other travel schedules. The EXC itineraries really fall into our wheelhouse of destination likes and we like the ship.

To the OP.

There are a lot of cruisers signed up for Maasdam EXC cruises. Since it is a new program most (if not all) of us have not experienced the HAL "new way of cruising". There are several Maasdam Roll Calls in process where cruisers discuss plans. There seem to be no "deal breaking" concerns. Everyone decides their own comfort level then decides whether to cruise or not. HAL is somewhere near the middle of the road when it comes to cruising experience. Below is HAL description of HAL EXC In-Depth Voyages.

We did a photography excursion with Princess ( Alaska) on a Zodiac and it was AMAZING! Up close to the whales and Glazier Park, and the guidance of a pro photog giving tips the whole time. PLEASE, PLease do a photog on Polynesia Idyll, with the zodiac.