Anyone Been on the Maasdam Lately?

[SantaAna,CA]

Hi all! I'm considering a 14 day Caribbean cruise at a great price in November of this year, but I've read some disturbing reviews on CC about this ship. The only HAL ship I've sailed on was the Amsterdam, and it seemed very nice. Anyone sail on the Maasdam lately?

 

Just wondering, outside of the CC reviews, if anyone can comment. Thanks!

 

P.S. Oh, you know what.....I couldn't see the search feature at first, now I used it, and have found some great comments. Thanks in advance!

 

Jane

[hal lover]

Hi Jane!

 

I see that you are considering the same cruise that my DH and I booked just a few days ago. Hope that you decide to go. We have not been on the lovely MS Maasdam since 12/08, but from the reviews that I read, she's still great! We have sailed on her many times and have always had a great time. This past April I was on the MS Statendam (solo), her sister ship and did the same itinerary and it was very nice. The MS Statendam had some post drydock issues, however the MS Maasdam is not due for drydock till February (I think). Hopefully sail7seas will reply more directly to your question, as she been on the MS Maasdam most recently.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Book it!!

We have sailed several times on the Maasdam -- great ship.

[Lizzie1213]

Hi all! I'm considering a 14 day Caribbean cruise at a great price in November of this year, but I've read some disturbing reviews on CC about this ship. The only HAL ship I've sailed on was the Amsterdam, and it seemed very nice. Anyone sail on the Maasdam lately?

 

Just wondering, outside of the CC reviews, if anyone can comment. Thanks!

 

P.S. Oh, you know what.....I couldn't see the search feature at first, now I used it, and have found some great comments. Thanks in advance!

 

Jane

 

We were on the Maasdam for two weeks last May. She is a beautiful ship, and we had a wonderful cruise. I would definitely book her again.

[sail7seas]

We were on Maasdam for two weeks in May and she is as great as always. We are looking forward to our upcoming Canada/New England cruises and our December cruise on her. :) She and Noordam are our favorites.

[tomc]

I just got off the ship July 3. It's a gracious and elegant lady, with a wonderful crew. She will be going into drydock next April, so there will be a few things you might notice should be taken care of -- but even then, it's a wonderful place to spend a week or two. I'm already booked for next year's 14-day cruise.

[okspeedy]

We were on the Maasdam June 26-July 3. We thought she was a great ship to sail on. The crew was wonderful. The ship is easy to get around if you remember 7 doesn't go all the way through. The food was better than the Oosterdam or the Westerdam. There were a few rust spots on the balcony, but it's a ship after all. They were painting in every port. My only complaint was the pillows. They had seen better days and needed to be replaced.

[agathasmum]

We were on the July 3rd to 10th Boston to Montreal sailing on the Maasdam.

 

I thought she was in very good shape considering all the negative comments I had read before the cruise. Yes there is the occasional bit of frayed carpet or rust on the window, but overall I thought she looked good.

 

The cabin stewards were excellent, and 4 of the 5 meals we had in the dining room would have had us give our waiters an excellent rating, but night 5, formal night was a bit of a disaster! Food quality was very good. Nothing out of this world, but also nothing we didn't like and felt we should send back, which is a bit of a record for me! Ate at Pinnacle and Canaletto, again both very good.

 

Only drawback for us was a lack of entertainment. We had late seating dinner and the show was before dinner, so not a lot to do after dinner apart from listen to jazz or string quartet.

 

Maasdam has a great library.

 

Hope this helps.

[DFD1]

We sailed the same 14 day itinerary last year. Had a wonderful time on Maasdam.

 

We sail December 6, this year, for the 11 day itinerary on her.

 

Maasdam and Volendam are our favorite HAL ships.

 

Hope you have a great cruise.

[casamariposa]

I, too, was on the Maasdam, the "Gracious Lady," this past May. She is my favorite of all the HAL ships I've sailed (and I've sailed on seven of them through the years). They were all great, but the Maasdam's crew and her manageable size makes her very special. I can't say enough wonderful things about the crew and officers. Enjoy!

[pamsbeagles]

We have a cruise booked for next April 24 to Canada & New England (repositioning cruise from Fort Lauderdale). I keep reading she's going into drydock in April. How can that be? If she has cruises booked in April? Maybe it's during the winter? Anyone know for sure when she's going into drydock? Thanks!

[sail7seas]

I think your April 24 cruise is her first out of drydock.

[skiblu2]

I really have only negative comments to make about the maasdam, aside from the crew, whom are absolutely marvelous. This ship is past ready for drydock. Apparently, some of these people that have posted positvely didn't have the cabin I did with mold and cracked tiles in the bathroom. The food on this sailing was definetly not up to HAL standards. My tablemates on this voyage, all felt as I did.

[Jade13]

I really have only negative comments to make about the maasdam, aside from the crew, whom are absolutely marvelous. This ship is past ready for drydock. Apparently, some of these people that have posted positvely didn't have the cabin I did with mold and cracked tiles in the bathroom. The food on this sailing was definetly not up to HAL standards. My tablemates on this voyage, all felt as I did.

 

Which stateroom?

 

Do they all have flat screen TV's or are they like the ones on the HAL website where the OV's still have the old TV's on the countertop? I do know that we have to rent a cooler because they are not in all staterooms. I am wondering if the Suites are in better shape than some of the other cabins such as the Insides and Ocean Views?

 

Finally, which foods did you have that were not up to HAL standards?

[Himself]

I have only been on the MAASDAM once so far. I am glad to see that TOMC posted for he goes on her every year. He is more faithful to the MAASDAM than I am to the "R" class ships and I do at least a week a year on an R Class ship.

[tomc]

The food on this sailing was definetly not up to HAL standards.

Disagree. Respectully, of course, but disagree. However, the French say, "a chacun a son gout," which means, "I like cats and you prefer English Setters," or possibly, "You say tomayto and I say tomahto."

 

Given all that, as one who prefers other than meat, I'm figuratively a meat-and-potahtos man and don't go for the more delicate forms of gustatorial benevolence (anything that's served with sauce, for instance).