A Review: Maasdam Repositioning Cruise 10 Oct

[aliaschief]

This will be in consecutive posts:

We have spent 28 days on the MS Maasdam this year and are very pleased to announce that they both have been wonderful cruising experiences. Two big nines! We completed the May repositioning cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Montreal in May and decided what goes up must come down. Also saved 70,000 air miles by making our flights round trip. Not a great financial decision but a great excuse to go cruising with Holland America.

 

We are 63 and 58 and this was our fifth straight cruise with Holland America in a little over two years.

 

So far our line of choice is Holland America as we feel like we are at our home away from home and the line has always exceeded our expectations.

 

Like our May cruise a significant part of our cruise was the wonderful Roll Call we have had on both Maasdam cruises. I believe with over 20,000 visits and over 1,250 posts we were the largest online Cruise Critic, Roll Call for the Maasdam in Cruise Critic history. We had over 50 people for our Meet & Greet.

 

About fourteen Roll Callers met at the Marriott Champlain Chateau on a rainy cool Montreal evening prior to our cruise for cocktails and dinner afterwards. We stayed at the Marriott Champlain. From our room on the 17th floor we arose to find the beautiful Maasdam docking. We left for the cruise terminal at 10:45 AM and were on board by 11:30. We had arranged with the concierge for a van to pick us and another couples plus baggage for the price of $ 20 CAD (plus tip).

 

Check in at port was a breeze. We were met by a red cap plus cruise personnel who were handing out Maasdam luggage tags that could easily be filled out (in pen) with name and cabin number. Bags sent on their way we headed for the lines, filled out the necessary health questionnaire, pictures taken, IDs provided (they had the correct Mariner status, indicated by the number of stars we had earned). Although the Rembrandt was open for the Mariners, no one said anything about it upon embarkation. We headed to the Lido, but went downstairs to find the dining room was open. Confirmed our reservations for the Pinnacle Grill, made the Sommelier dinner reservations also. Cabins were ready right on the dot at 1330 and luggage arrived shortly thereafter.

[aliaschief]

This cruise was commanded by Henk Draper. Others of interest were: Firmin Van Walle, Hotel Manager, Mark Maeling, Beverage Manager, Cruise Director, Mike Conachan, Head Chef, Joch Barelmann (he was frequently seen in the food areas checking things out) and one of the best crews we have ever experienced. It was great to reunite with familiar faces and friends that were still on board from our May repositioning cruise. Oh yes, it didn’t take long to hear “Mr. Bruce & Mrs. Sue from Antonio, Nick, Abdul and Fritage and a bunch of others who still remembered our names. In lieu of the recent typhoons and earthquakes in the Philippines and Indonesia it was amazing the high spirits shown by the crew. Several crewmembers had been sent home to assist their families in their respected areas.

 

The food on our May cruise was the best we have ever had, the quality of food on this cruise IMO even exceeded the May cruise. We had upper fixed dining at table 30 (same table and wait staff as May) and wonderful tablemates from England. A Mom, Dad, daughter and son-in-law made for great dining companions. Daughter and son-in-law now live on a 40-foot sailboat in Greece. Interesting conversations. We did notice that there were quite a few vacant tables on the late fixed dining as the cruise progressed. I attribute this to a very busy early cruise port/excursions and the fact that the make up of the passengers were retired and older and like us just got wore out after the vigorous port schedules and elected to dine in the Lido on some evenings. There were four formal nights and by the fourth formal evening you could definitely see many vacant tables. The third formal night was called the “Black and White” dinner and the fourth held the “Black and White’ ball.

 

On our first morning arrival into Quebec City we arose early in our Verandah Deck cabin 130 to coffee being delivered with the usual cheerful “Good Morning” and after a cup I headed for the shower. Noticed that the water pressure was really low and getting close to a trickle. DW tried the shower and it was just drops seeping out. It was at this time she called me and asked if she was doing something wrong. We have cruised enough to know how the water faucets work! Put our robes on and stuck our heads out the door to find a notice that there had been a break in the main water line and subsequently the water had to be turned off. A water pressure valve had malfunctioned causing the main water line to rupture in three different places. After brushing my teeth with my remaining coffee (which I had not done since being in a combat zone) there was a tap on the door and stewards were busy delivering bottled water to all cabins. Water was returned to some areas of the ship later in the afternoon but it was reported by some Roll Call members that they had no water for showers for over 24 hours. It was rumored that some cabins were damaged and someone had to be sent home but I cannot verify that. Amazingly, that evening we had an excellent meal and very good top vintage red/white wines/champagne and beer were poured on the house as compensation from the ship’s management. Everyone went with the flow and generally seemed pleased by the way the crew had handled the situation.

[aliaschief]

Again due to the heavy port/excursion schedule we did not get to all the entertainment shows but we finally got to enjoy Paul Pappas on the piano and now we know why we have read so many kudos about his performances. What a great entertainer! Next to last night we attended the final crew’s singer and dancer performances and it was great. Someone had spent a lot of money for this show, as the costumes were something you would expect in a lavish show in Las Vegas. Two great shows that received rave reviews from some of our RC members who were sailing with Holland America for the first time.

 

We did enjoy attending the Black & White ball on the last formal night. It was held in the Crow’s Nest and it was fun to meet more of the officers and staff who attended. The staff looked like they were having a great time despite the very few passengers who attended. We both got the feeling that people were pretty burned out on formal nights on the fourth evening it was held.

 

Okay, for anyone who reads this review and is contemplating taking this cruise in the future. It was cold. We saw sleet, rain, snow, howling winds accompanied with bitter wind chills. We brought the same winter clothing that we had used on our Volendam Alaska cruise in June 07. It was colder and we were really thankful we had prepared for the worse. Let it be noted that we also needed the same winter clothing on several days during our May repositioning cruise. We were in the North Easterner that we heard wrecked havoc on some other cruise ships. Our location must have helped as Captain Draper pointed out that it was not as bad as he expected. The ship rocked us to sleep with waves reported around fifteen feet. They did have the “burp” bags out that evening and Captain Draper indicated that the stabilizers would be used.

 

The Wine Sommelier Dinner held in the Pinnacle was so good in May that we definitely wanted to attend another. Again it was a wonderful evening paired by great wines and to us was well worth the extra cost. Ingo Jagnow-Polonis the ship’s Cellar Master was extremely knowledgeable on wines and liqueurs and I might add one of the best humorists onboard. Pinnacle Grill Chef Vijaya Prakash and Pinnacle Grill Manager Peter Allan are to be commended. In addition to the Wine Sommelier Dinner, Ingo planned other alcohol related events. We attended a Champagne tasting (tried four different champagnes) and a single malt Scotch tasting (five accompanied by to-die-for chocolates).

 

One problem with our Meet & Greet was that with port days being continuous from day one, when would we have it? We solved that by having a quick mini greet at sail away so we could put faces with screen names. As prior arranged we met in the Crow’s Nest and those of us who attended the pre cruise party and dinner wore our “Cruise Of The Foliagers” nametags for others to identify. We didn’t want to wait until our sea days to have the main M&G so we had it after gangplank up in Gaspe, Quebec. Due to the time and other activities we had to have our M&G in the Piano Bar. The ship was gracious enough to provide champagne and Mimosa’s as well as the usual cookies, tea and coffee. Some Roll Calls just won’t click but ours did and really added to the excitement of the cruise. A great bonding amongst all before the cruise and the comradeship continued throughout the cruise.

[aliaschief]

Excursions:

 

In Quebec City we just walked around, saw some sites we missed on our two-night stay in May. Had a nice lunch at L’Echaude

 

Saguenay-We took a Hal sponsored excursion. “Best of Saguenay by Land & Sea. There was a nice ride through the countryside looking at some color and snow on the roofs from the previous night. The boat ride was nice and briskly invigorating but gave a different perspective of the Fjords compared to what we saw from the Maasdam’s passage at night. On our May cruise we sailed through the Saguenay Fjords early morning. On the October cruise the sailing is mostly in the dark.

 

Gaspe-- We took the Hal excursion Best of Gaspe and Forillon National Park. Forillon Shore line was just beautiful. The tour included a nice lunch and it was a very enjoyable 6.5-hour tour.

 

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island we took the HAL Panoramic Island Drive. Pretty drive, good narrative and we followed up with a nice lunch in town at the Water Prince Corner Shop and Lobster Pound. We devoured the so tasty buckets of mussels.

 

Sydney-Eight members of our Roll Call hired Macleod’s private tour on the Keltic Lodge Tour. A very scenic drive from Sydney to Ingonish taking in the spectacular views from Kelly’s mountain as well as Cape Smokey. We visited the beautiful Keltic Lodge and had lunch on our own at a restaurant recommended by our guide. Macleod’s is usually a shuttle service in the area but he does tours as well. He was knowledgeable but needs to get a microphone so those in the back can hear. He also should have washed the windows. I believe he got the message when we all jumped out at a scenic vista and before taking pictures cleaned the windows.

 

Halifax—we booked another private tour. Why are Roll Calls so good? Instead of $ 150.00 per person sharing the van with six other members brought the cost down to $50:00 per person. We toured Halifax, Lunenburg, Mahone Bay, Oak Island, Chester and Peggy’s Cove. Mahone Bay was really great and the town was having its decorated Scarecrow Festival. Some of the scarecrows were almost life like including one of President Obama. Lunenburg is one beautiful village. Guide was very interesting and took us to a great local place for lunch – we thought it had the best seafood chowder on the trip. Wrapped up with a stop at Fairview Lawn Cemetery and saw the RMS Titanic victims’ grave sites.

 

Saint John, New Brunswick-Took a HAL tour of St. Martins and the Bay of Fundy. This was a nice tour with rides through the countryside but the highlight was seeing the great tides and the reversing river and rapids – the tour timed it so that we saw the falls at both high and low tides. Lunch was provided in the fishing village of St. Martins.

 

Bar Harbor-We splurged on this one. HAL’s The Ultimate Island Experience. We had a limo luxury van with our tuxedo clad driver throughout Acadia National Park. The nice thing about the size of the van it allowed us to go to places on Acadia that the large tour buses can’t reach. Even though renting a car would work it is a nice having someone tell you the history of the homes and who is currently residing in them. After our tour they took us to the Bar Harbor Yacht Club for a full lobster dinner. A note of interest. For those who like taking pictures from the vehicle the windows are heavily tinted. We said wow we finally have some spectacular foliage only to find out after exiting the vibrant red leaves were actually yellow! You can never forecast this but we were probably a week behind for peak foliage in most places.

 

Well, that is what we did. It would be nice if the sun had shined instead of the dark looking clouds that looked like it was going to start snowing any minute!

[aliaschief]

Finally, we were through the excursions and I was looking forward to three consecutive sea days. I love sea days and usually can be found out on deck scanning for whales and marine life. Only saw three whales, a school of dolphins, a seal and one flying fish the entire cruise. As we sailed further south the days started warming and people were out enjoying the sunny days and relaxing poolside. Yes, some did use the Sea View Pool.

 

With traveling 28 days on the MS Maasdam this year and almost 6,000 nautical miles I can attest that this grand lady of the seas is still looking good and its crew is providing service far above the “Standard of Excellence” that they strive for. I just wish they would not replace the pool with that curbside gutter called the “Retreat.”

 

Okay I have one gripe. The pizza at the Terrace Grill could be improved. Not only in taste but many times it stays out to long under the heat lamps and dries up. There were several comments from our group that this could be improved. For quite a few on our Roll Call this was their first cruise with Holland America. For the majority they seemed quite impressed and I have heard from several that they would sail with Holland America again.

 

Our waiter Abdul, Frietag and Sudi were as in May just fantastic. Just ask and you shall receive. Going to have a Rijsttafel dinner this cruise? Not on the menu – however next night we enjoyed and very much appreciated the delicious Rijsttafel dinner. I might add that on one of the sea days the Chef had a Curry Buffet in the Lido pool area. Great food and would love it if they would have a chef’s table in the crew kitchen!

 

Our cabin steward Andri and Yadi were responsible for 32 cabins and they were a fantastic team and were two of the best stewards ever.

 

We love cruising with Holland America and for now they have our loyalty. Mariner lunches were held on two separate sea days. There was 1,009 Mariners on-board!! Next up is the MS Eurodam in December. We have been off the MS Maasdam for less than a week and we can hardly wait for the next one.

 

A special thanks goes to all the Roll Call Members on “The Cruise of the Foliagers” whom made this cruise so very special. Will attempt to answer any questions

[rkacruiser]

Many thanks for posting your review! I am booked for this cruise next October on the Maasdam and have been wondering already what outer wear to take. From your description of the weather, something more than a windbreaker is going to be needed.

 

This will be my first cruise on the Maasdam and am glad that I will be able to experience her before the Retreat and the Lanai cabins are added.

 

Thanks again for your interesting comments.

[aliaschief]

Many thanks for posting your review! I am booked for this cruise next October on the Maasdam and have been wondering already what outer wear to take. From your description of the weather, something more than a windbreaker is going to be needed.

 

This will be my first cruise on the Maasdam and am glad that I will be able to experience her before the Retreat and the Lanai cabins are added.

 

Thanks again for your interesting comments.

 

We had two Eddie Bauer jackets with waterproof outer coats with detachable felt liner. Do not forget to bring gloves. Great cruise hope you enjoy yours as much as we did.

[IRL_Joanie]

Wow! What a wonderful and amazing review. I thoroughly enjoyed every word of it!

 

Thank yo so very much!!

 

Is there any way I can get some photos of stateroom(s) for the Maasdam page?

 

Joanie

[aliaschief]

I'm aware of the nice project you have started but sorry I did not take any pictures of our cabin. I left off on the main heading that this post was a review and have requested our CC Host to add Review to the heading. Thanks for the nice comments.

[IRL_Joanie]

I'm aware of the nice project you have started but sorry I did not take any pictures of our cabin. I left off on the main heading that this post was a review and have requested our CC Host to add Review to the heading. Thanks for the nice comments.

 

 

That's ok. I still am wowed by your review!!

 

Joanie

[aliaschief]

Thanks for changing the headline on the post to "A Review." It will be a lot easier on those that want to search this spot for their future cruises on the MS Maasdam repositioning cruise from Montreal to Fort Lauderdale; as of now it's a 13 day cruise. We have absored everything that we could get out of this cruise site. Cruise Critic's rocks and is a wealth of information.

 

We only do reviews so we can add to the base of information that this cruise topic page provides. Thanks to all of you behind the scenes whether parent company or our Cruise Critic site could be so successufl without our host/administrators. Without planning through this site; I'm not sure that all our cruises would be outstanding.

 

Thanks to all.... and especially to all of the members of Cruise Critics who make this web site so fantastic.

 

B

[aliaschief]

Thanks for changing the headline on the post to "A Review." It will be a lot easier on those that want to search this spot for their future cruises on the MS Maasdam repositioning cruise from Montreal to Fort Lauderdale; as of now it's a 13 day cruise. We have absored everything that we could get out of this cruise site. Cruise Critic's rocks and is a wealth of information.

 

We only do reviews so we can add to the base of information that this cruise topic page provides. Thanks to all of you behind the scenes whether parent company or our Cruise Critic site could be so successufl without our host/administrators. Without planning through this site; I'm not sure that all our cruises would be outstanding.

 

Thanks to all.... and especially to all of the members of Cruise Critics who make this web site so fantastic.

 

B

 

 

Well that was a debacle of grammatical errors and typos.....I think you got the message. In Our Opinion Cruise Critic's Is the Best Cruise Site.

[sail7seas]

Great review. So happy you and the Roll Call group all had such a fabulous time on the very beautiful Maasdam. Thanks for sharing about your fabulous cruise with us.

 

:) I understand your great love for Maasdam and her crew. :)

 

[aliaschief]

Thanks sail. You know when some of our Roll Call members who had sailed mainly RCI or NCL were asked what they thought of the ship the answer was...."We love the size but there is a warmth about this ship that just makes it right"

When Paul Pappas played in the Rembrandt Lounge they had a TV screen in the background that projected a close up of the keyboard and his amazing finger speed while playing. Had not seen that before on our past cruises. Nice touch.

At the Mariners luncheon in addition to the usual tiles they gave all of us the small picture framed menu's with Maasdam embossed on the top and bottom. They were going to be discontinued so they gave them to us Mariners. Nice gesture.

One feature I missed on this trip was the regular ships log on the TV. Toward the end we were getting some readings but it was said that they were waiting for a part in Fort Lauderdale.

Lido ran very smoothly. Staff was always there to assist those in need. Plus if you wanted more coffee, juice, etc. they were always happy to accomadate.

The ship was stocked fully in Boston because there was no more supplies until Florida. Twenty days. Asked the Cellar Master how many bottles of champagne? "Six thousand!" Amazing, and add 6,000 meals a day!! That's one huge shopping list!

The Neptunes were a good band but I do wish they had a singer now and than. Just a personal preferance. Hellcats were the best we have heard in a long time.

We used the laundry bag three times for washing clothes. Turned them in around 3-5 and they were back in the room the next day. Good service and for the dollars well worth it in our opinion.

....and that's enough for now.

[martinimadam]

for his great review, but, more so, for his organization of the CC M&G. A job very well done. Firmin and Christianna (the Guest Relations Manager) were both there - a real feat!

 

Not much to add to Alias Chief's thorough review. My cruise experience was a little different as I only got off the ship twice - in Saguenay and in Halifax, and that just to check out the crafts in the terminals for earrings! Been on this cruise a number of times, and was mostly going just to be on the ship. Saguenay, Baie Commeau, and Gaspe were new ports. The former and latter looked to be very nice. B.C. was pretty industrial looking, but, I didn't get off, so can't tell you anything more.

 

On the ship - it was all I could wish for. Relaxing, pampering, aaahhh. There were more daytime activities than I had expected during the port days. So lots to do for those who were interested and hadn't gone ashore. No "Jackpot" bingo - i.e., there were full payouts each day, no hold backs for a final game. Something I've hoped they'd do for a loooong time.

 

Know this may cause flames, but, I was very glad they still had a small smoking section in the Crows Nest. It was unseasonably cold, and smoking out doors was an absolute impossiblity until the last few days. No more smoking in the cozy Ocean Bar, which I missed terribly but understand completely. Actually wish they'd made the Ocean Bar the smoking area and the Crows Nest non-smoking, but the bar staff told me they had "beefed up" the ventilation system in one part of the Crows Nest to allow for the small smoking area. It did seem to do a pretty good job.

 

As Alias Chief said, the food was wonderful, service outstanding. Silent disembarkation was amazing. No annoying announcements after the first "all clear".

 

I'm still wandering the halls at work looking for the latte bar, and wondering why my bed wasn't turned down last night ;) Can't wait for the next trip!

[aliaschief]

Two others have provided a review on the home page. However, one stated that the Rembrandt was not open for lunch on embarkation. It was - I was there. However, this individual also stated that they arrived just as the rooms were ready - that was at 1330 and the DR was open from 1200 to 1300. This is just to provide clarification between the two reviews.

S

[airlink diva]

Thanks for the great review on your recent Maasdam sailing!!

I've sailed on her two times and have another cruise for 2010 on her!

She is a great ship and the perfect size for sailing!!

[moi]

The reason for the confusion is that most of the crew thought that the MDR was NOT open for lunch - I found this out when I asked about lunch just after boarding around noon.

 

Although we were able to have lunch in the MDR we couldn't have beer with our lunch because there was no wine steward assigned to the MDR!

 

 

 

Two others have provided a review on the home page. However, one stated that the Rembrandt was not open for lunch on embarkation. It was - I was there. However, this individual also stated that they arrived just as the rooms were ready - that was at 1330 and the DR was open from 1200 to 1300. This is just to provide clarification between the two reviews.

S

[G&G]

Two others have provided a review on the home page. However, one stated that the Rembrandt was not open for lunch on embarkation. It was - I was there. However, this individual also stated that they arrived just as the rooms were ready - that was at 1330 and the DR was open from 1200 to 1300. This is just to provide clarification between the two reviews.

S

 

Thanks for the great review and all your time & effort in planning and organizing a wonderful M&G on board the Maasdam. We gave the cruise 9 out of 9 !

 

We dined in the MDR upon embarkation in Montreal after we asked someone if the MDR was opened. We were told yes and upon our arrival at the MDR at 12:05 PM we were the only two people in the MDR. Another couple joined us. Though we were given a lunch menu we were told that the kitchen in the MDR was not ready and we could order from the Lido menu and the staff would bring us our order from the Lido. After placing our order we were then informed at 12:45 PM that the kitchen was ready in the MDR. We finished lunch at 1:30 PM. Only 8 people had dined for lunch.

[Bridge_Master]

Thanks Bruce, for a great review. We don't have a lot to add to that, except

to agree whole-heartedly. We're used to the larger (2100) ships and we found

the Maasdam to be a fresh and rewarding change. We can't come up with one

major complaint, and even the nit-picks are petty, like the pizza. I'm pretty

sure if that's the extent of the gripes, it's a world class operation!

 

The silent disembark was icing on the cake - why can't everything go that

smoothly? We'll be back again soon!

 

Carl and Rita (mscallieco)

[ekerr19]

Thanks for taking the time to share your cruise with us!!! Sounds like a lovely time and a great CC group - always a plus!

 

Can't wait to be back onboard Maasdam next year. :)

[SwissMyst]

I had the same experience reading member reviews on the Maasdam cruise I took in January 2009. Two different posters having the same trip coming back with two very different impressions. The ship had just come off a red alert so there were hang-ups with boarding and food handling restrictions the first days that were very cumbersome, but understandable. There were constant requests for hand sanitation which again to me represented superior management of health concerns for all or our well-being. Others found this a detriment whereas most of us found it to be an appropriate risk management when traveling by ship these days.

 

There have been consistent reports of some bad cabins where it was impossible to regulate the temperature and some smelly areas on the Massdam along with some chronic plumbing issues, but all seemed to be in top working order in the verandah cabins so from where one is reporting their trip could have a huge difference in satisfaction with a ship. This is unfortunate because superior service and accommodations should be the standard for all cabins no matter their location or ambiance.

 

The Maasdam was heading into drydock after our trip last January and hopefully those cabin inconsistencies end up being resolved. And there were some carpet choice horrors that could have been resolved more graciously too but that is a matter of personal taste not a cruise necessity.

 

But over all, there was so much to like about the Maasdam that we will now follow it anywhere. Oh yes, the entertainment on the Maasdam was pretty awful, but that is so far down on my list of necessaries that I forget to mention it. I hate seeing a lot of money wasted on lavish entertainment to the detriment of other cruising amenities, like better food. Maasdam certainly wins the food derby so far between it and the HAL Flagship Rotterdam. It will be interesting to see how the Vista ship Oosterdam compares in a few more weeks.

[aliaschief]

I forgot to mention that the crew of the MS Maasdam did have a Thanksgiving meal on the menu to help celebrate Canada's Thanksgiving. Several of our Canadian passengers were very grateful.

 

Thanks for the comments. It was a great Roll Call group. Wish I could get the Roll Call for our December 12 Eurodam Roll Call going as well as our Maasdam group.

 

I did read the other reviews of the Maasdam for this cruise. Even though the OP sounded like we were on two different ships....they did give a four star rating. Never once did we have any problems on the elevators and maybe that was because we usually walked up the stairs for exercise.

 

Yes on our May cruise we did have some AC/Heating issues on our VA cabin on Navigation deck. I asked some passengers who were near our previous cabin and they reported all was working fine.

[Copper10-8]

Thanks for taking the time and effort to write a review! Enjoyed reading it! Ingo Jagnow-Polonis, aka 007, is a very funny man, isn't he?:D Something mischieveous about that guy but he knows his stuff. Firmin van Walle, the Belgian, is one of the best hotel managers on the seas and also very funny!

[MNGrammyG]

Great review and a worthy follow-up to your managing the Roll Call, M&G etc

Many thanks to you and Sue and also Rita and Carl - (Thanks for posting the picture, Rita.) You all certainly enhanced our cruise experience.

 

This was our first time on the Maasdam (and we hadn't sailed with HAL in a number of years). Had such a good time, that we'll probably book next year along with my two brothers and their wives.

 

For those who haven't experienced it - as we had not - we tried "as you like dining" and we liked it! We typically would choose to dine late and found that we could either call for a 7:45 time or simply appear and we generally would be seated at a table for 6 almost immediately. Sometimes four of us would go together and also could be seated at a table for 6 right away. We agree that the food was excellent.

 

Re formal nights: We find that renting HAL's $85 tux package simplifies packing and dressing. Lightens the suitcase and with 4 formal nights, it was 4 nights, Ray didn't have to wonder what to wear. No laundry or cleaning either.

 

Finally, we didn't mind the cold cruise since it ended in sunny FL and we've stayed on soaking up some heat before returning to cold MN.

Thanks again, Bruce

Peege