Maasdam 3/20/05 review/general info

[auntdeedee]

 

First, I want to say that we had an absolutely WONDERFUL cruise, so even though this may come across to some of you as totally negative, it was not. My expectations were extremely low after reading the bad reviews on this, and other boards, so my enjoyment factor was much higher than many of my fellow passengers.

 

So, I'll start with the really negative and then move on to happy things. I met several people who had to move due to sewer and air conditioning problems. Luckily, we experienced no A/C problems.... those that did mention having to be moved (three times for one couple in particular) were very angry at the "lip service" they received and feeling there was no real caring at all about good service. Thus, the same problems that have been talked about for years on here are still going on, with no improvement.

 

My mom uses a motorized scooter, and because of Holland America's stringent disabilities policy, had to buy a smaller scooter to fit through the cabin doors (because they would not allow scooters to be parked in hallways, and had to fit through cabin doorway). Surprise, surprise.... after all that extra expense, she was told to park it by the elevator, not in the cabin as there was no room to move! Someone removed the basket, and stole the recharging cord from the scooter!! Guest services was of absolutely no help, but I finally found a nice crew member who was willing to let me borrow a cord I thought was similar enough to work (yay---it did!!)

 

I was highly disappointed in the service. At best, I would rate Holland America one-star, not five-stars. Literally only one time did I ever see anyone cleaning brass, whereas on other ships I constantly see people cleaning and polishing public areas. At dinner *every* night, water glasses were chipped, plates/bowls were chipped, and the tablecloth was not changed for three nights that I know of as the same exact spot was on the tablecloth where my mom dropped gravy next to me. We all stopped ordering cakes of any kind as they all seemed to have the texture and taste of being freezer-burned in sections. My understanding is that everything was supposed to be made fresh, but we all had the exact same feeling that could not be true based on the taste and appearance. The most disgusting was when my mom said yes to coffee.... the first cup had a whole lipstick ring on the side that had obviously not been washed.... she pointed out to waiter, who brought another cup that had sticky, yellow dried stuff on the side. Needless to say, she decided to skip coffee that night :)

 

Conor at Club Hal was great. They had fun activities for the kids, were very friendly, and I recommend highly. My complaint about the kids stuff, though, is that there seemed to be no coordination at all with the other departments on board. For example, bingo would start at a time that wouldn't finish before the kids had to be picked up... so we couldn't finish a session. Kids couldn't eat dinner in the kids club, so they had to come to dinner every night instead of parents having option for a nice dinner out alone (other cruise lines I've been on--especially Disney--allow the kids to stay and eat with their friends at the buffet, which they ADORE). You couldn't go to see a movie as started at 8, and you couldn't drop off kids before then (and had to be picked up at 10, and many of the movies ran over that, too). Just seemed like there was no coordination between any of the departments.

 

Also, the movies in the theatre offered two PG while in port days---but none on the sea days! Good old common sense would say to offer PG movies in the theatre while at sea with nothing else to do for the kids. The only other kid thing that was a problem was the "Treasure Hunt and Ice Cream Party" advertised as shore excursion at Half Moon Cay. We had the kids excited for six months about this---only to find out it's no longer offered! That was a big disappointment for our excited pirates-to-be. Again, though, Conor and his ladies were very enthusiastic, the kids enjoyed going to the club.

 

Great advice on the helpful hints thread regarding slapping a cabin tag on cases of water at the pier and having sent directly to the cabin. I brought on three cases, delivered with no problems, and we drank all but four bottles (so we saved ~$200 by bringing our own water). Having experienced extremely watery/flat sodas, I would also recommend bringing your own sodas, too (I was told the reason for the watery/flat sodas is that the bartenders make nothing off the soda cards... by serving lousy drinks, they hope you'll buy canned sodas, or at minimum, stop ordering sodas).

 

The first night was absolutely wonderful in our A cabin on Navigation deck... slept ever so peacefully on just the absolutely most wonderful mattress ever made! Unfortunately, in the morning, we were told by other friends/family that it had been a night from hell for them and they had very little sleep down on deck 5. From their descriptions, it sounded like they were scraping bottom and hitting whales all night long, as it was varying loud boom noises and shaking (I assume must have been hitting waves/rudder). We were told this was "normal" for those cabins, but honestly, they were terrified--and they had been on a cruise before, so it wasn't first time jitters <note to self to always pay for a room high up on the ship!>

 

We arrived at Half Moon Cay. I had smartly read on these boards about the late tenders and had booked my son and I for the first stingray swim of the day since tours go over first. The cost was $19 AND included a free photograph! The $19 was the best I've ever spent! The ride to get there was terribly bumpy <a few of us ladies were discreetly holding our chests because the bouncing was actually hurting>, but the swim itself was just absolutely awesome! I would recommend this excursion for all ages, and for all physical limitations as it was super convenient. You basically walk down a flight of steps, put your mask/snorkel on, and then just float out in the water. No long distance walk or wading into the water. It was "scarier" getting on/off the tender than it was going on the stingray swim.

 

As others had previously mentioned, the latest tenders didn't drop off until almost 2 pm and had to board the ship two hours later (with no lunch as that stopped at 1:30), so I was even happier I had scheduled this first tour of the day. When we were done with the excursion, we pretty much had a lovely deserted beach to ourselves while waiting for all the other tenders to get over. Also, we completely avoided any of the hell endured by those fighting for tender tickets... the descriptions I heard was that the lounge was full, and then they told everyone to line up... people were all so rude/eager that the table was actually shoved into the guy giving out tickets and he had to yell at people to back off. Whew, thanks for the advice so I avoided that mess!

 

Half Moon Cay was by far the best beach I've visited, and the kids play area was really phenomenal, although very dangerous, so definite changes are needed there... kids (and adults) were slipping and falling off/hitting heads on the cute animals in the water. Great fun until the first lawsuits begin, though :) The funniest thing we saw was two lizards mating as none of us had seen that before (even have pictures to prove it LOL), and a live rooster on the island, too.

 

We next arrived in St. Thomas and did the Atlantis Submarine excursion. That was really awesome time, too, as we saw many sharks... that was a thrill! Most of the kids actually loved even more what we saw afterwards---a huge iguana in the parking lot!! The only scary thing about St. Thomas was security... I realized while we were on shore that somehow we ended up with grandma's ship card instead of my son's.... I decided to err on not saying anything rather than being honest in case we had problems with customs.... scary thing is that we just scanned right in, no passports compared to IDs at all.... so my 8 year old son got on the ship using a 64 year old woman's card. So much for feeling secure!!!!! I found out the next day while on a shore excursion with crew members that some people WERE left behind in St. Thomas because they had lost their ship cards, and that the larger ships do have photo-check when people reboard as the pictures pop up on a computer... but the older Maasdam does not have that security in place. Scary!

 

Loved the Crows Nest, and I even participated in a hula hoop contest (and I can't hula!) and won a free coffee mug. The cruise directors were very generous with giving out champagne and coffee mugs, and lots of fun <except Candisse did a bad job on a scavenger hunt game one day and left a lot of angry people in her wake, but that's the only "bad" experience with cruise director staff--the rest were awesome experiences, especially Penny Pinching Pete and Bingo Boy Troy>

 

Onward bound to Dominica, we did the Wacky Rollers Dominica by Jeep tour. My son and I really enjoyed this adventure, but we had one woman who became sick (not sure if mentally afraid of heights, or if it really was altitude sickness as it just didn't seem that high), and the ship's crew members on the tour with us did not enjoy it very much as they felt the description had been misleading. My son and I did enjoy, though, very much. Dominica was much more beautiful than what you see from the ship...the lush rainforest is just breathtaking! The description of the Gorge is not at all what is described, though... basically a small place you walk down a flight of steps, and then swim in a small area to see a waterfall. Even though we really enjoyed this, from talking to people, I believe the Dominica's Favorites tour would be a much better choice---although the Dominica's Favorites tour description does not say swimming is available, the tour tickets/tour DO actually allow time for swimming at the Emerald Pool. I do have to laugh and say that it was on this tour I realized just how bad we thought the sodas were on the ship.... when the guide pulled out a 2-liter of Coke, my son and I both gushed "wow, real Coke!" and they all chuckled at us about where we were from that we were so thrilled to see "real" Coke... we do get out once in awhile LOL Dominica is now one of my favorite islands as it was truly a beautiful place, and every single person I interacted with was extremely nice---didn't experience the "pretty lady, pretty lady" pushiness AT ALL. Well mannered, sweet, friendly people!

 

Next stop was Barbados, and what gorgeous beaches!!!! This was our favorite excursion of the entire trip---swimming with sea turtles, and then unlimited banana boat rides! The sea turtles were so close you literally touched them and were so much fun--when my brother stuck his head out of the water, one even stuck his head up right in front of him as if to say "hi"... scared the heck out of my brother and we all laughed :) We then docked on a beach and enjoyed the water---including kayaking and unlimited banana boat rides. This, by far, was the absolute best time for all of us. I can't recommend this tour too much as the personnel on the boat were outstanding and offered superb service (even continuously walking around the boat for the full four hours asking to bring us free drinks---when does that ever happen!?!?) We did not go, but I heard from many others that going to the Boat Yard was well worth the time---it was only about $12 each and included chair and umbrella--and apparently had swings into the water!

 

Next was St. Kitts, which unfortunately was mostly closed up as it was Easter Sunday. We had a nice time snorkeling, and were surprised to find out that tour operators only receive $20-$25 per head for the tours---the rest of the money is kept by Holland America to cover "marketing costs"... well, that was a shocker. We paid $64 for the tour, of which they received only $25. Ouch. They did a great job and the shipwreck site was awesome as we saw octopus, sea turtle, cannon, and lots and lots of sea urchins.

 

Next was San Juan for about 5 hours in port. We had decided we wanted one last day at the beach even if it wouldn't be the beautiful Caribbean water....but couldn't find any good leads from the crew we talked to. So, we took a taxi to the hotel district (specifically, the Wyndam El San Juan since that had been recommended to try). We enjoyed walking around the lobby, but we couldn't cut through to the beach as they had a guard stationed checking for room keys. So, we walked a bit down the street and found access. It was safe, clean, and easy to catch a taxi back to the port after a few hours. Great way to end the port stops! FYI, the cost was only $16 for full taxi each way.... so for $8 each, we had a great time at the beach (and very enjoyable breakfast at that Burger King---fast food was surprisingly tasty after 9 days of cruise food!)

 

The ride back to Norfolk was horrible, and I luckily had anticipated/warned our group that I had read this on the boards. Whoever made the decision to have the Maasdam do the San Juan/Norfolk route in 2 1/2 days was very irresponsible. We saw numerous people (including me!) fall down steps, with one woman really bloodied. When you looked out at the sea, there were no white caps---just irresponsible, pedal-to-the-metal going too fast speed. If this happened just once, you could sea "ocean swells" or "bad weather pattern", but I haven't read a post yet that the pools were able to be open on the last day back! <Okay, technically they didn't close one of the pools on our way back, but no one was stupid enough to try to be in the wave-pool! ha> As mentioned on the first night out of Norfolk, some in our group were terrified as the noise/movement was so bad. My niece was too afraid to sleep in her own cabin and had to come up to ours <which was okay, but our balcony door would not lock so we had to listen to it clang open and shut all night long whenever the ship rocked out/in... ugh!> After such a relaxing cruise, it was sad way to end it---especially the insulting loudspeaker message from the captain that we were in a hurry as there were passengers waiting to board when we got off..... thanks, dude, just what we all want to hear.. people can't walk, many are seasick, all because you want to rush to pick up the next cruise?!?!?!?!?!

 

All in all, we had a great time, but most of us were very disappointed in the service compared to Holland America's advertising and video. We expected 5 star and the best description I heard was "Holland America is the Kmart of cruising" It sounds like Maasdam used to be a good ship, and our cabin was mostly well maintained except for the balcony door I mentioned, and badly chipped furniture.

 

So, it was my first---and last---cruise with Holland America.... I'm sticking with my beloved Disney and Norwegian. I really wish Holland America had lived up anywhere near the advertisements because I would have enjoyed taking MANY more cruises out of Norfolk...so here's hoping another cruise line will try using Norfolk, too. My brother-in-law over $5000 in the snowball bingo game, though, so his opinion is probably that the Maasdam totally rocks ;o)

[rocks]

Thanks Auntdeedee..

For posting your review! I glad that the disappointing things didn't spoil your whole cruise.

Do you know which cabins were having problems with air conditioning & plumbing problems? What cabins were the others in your group having noise problems in?

How was the food in the dining room? (other then the stale cake) Did you use room service at all?

Did they have a live band in the Crows Nest or DJ? Any Bartenders or Bar Servers that you remember?

I liked the tip about Half Moon...going to have to use that also!

THANKS again for taking the time to tell us about your cruise!

rocks

[Scrumpy]

You must have been very disappointed, but I'm glad you still had a good time. It's a shame that things weren't better on your cruise. We were on the Maasdam in 2002 and thoroughly enjoyed it. The ship was showing her age, but there didn't seem to be any serious problems. We went to Alaska and I don't remember any real rough seas. We had a P & O crossing from England to Spain with seas so rough the cutlery flew off the table, 2/3 of the people didn't come to dinner and even the waitstaff were staggering, BUT we loved it. I was actually disappointed that we didn't get much motion, so I guess we should have taken your cruise route instead! I'm glad no one was seriously injured on your trip and I don't mean to make light of it. I do not understand the problem with the scooter. They should have secured it for you safely if it couldn't be kept in the cabin. It sounds like an unnecessary expense for your family and to have things stolen off it like that is extremely disturbing to me. Did you report that to HAL hq when you got back home? Did you fill out a comment card? I am sorry that you weren't treated better by guest services.

 

Yes, please tell us about the entertainment in the Crow's Nest, if you know. We went there every night and there was a band. They were just okay, but we enjoyed it so much. The man would sing "What a Wonderful World" every night and we loved the effect his accent had on the song.

 

Did they repair your balcony door? It sounds like, in some respects, you got a "lemon" this time around. I'm glad you made lemonade and didn't let it spoil your trip. I believe I read that the Maasdam is being refurbished in 2006, btw.

Thanks for sharing,

Scrumpy

[Gypsea]

I have yet to travel on HAL but I am an NCL lover. I have had so many good times on NCL that I have not tried some others. My fear about HAL and Princess is that there are less planned diversions during the day (and night). I had that impression from your review, is that true? I am asking about adults not just children.

 

My concern also is the dining experience that you described. Other than dessert you did not mention the food much. What are your thoughts?

 

I am curious as to whether you could have booked that shore excursion yourself and saved quite alot of money that went to HAL for "marketing". I always try to do that but I know it is not always possible.

 

Being an east coast resident (NH) it is a bummer that the ships they sail from our areas are not always the pick of the litter. We are a captive market since it saves us the money and energy of flying. We are willing to sail the ships they send us and are eager thus giving the cruiselines an advantage.

 

I trust the Maasdam experience will be vastly imroved after the drydock but that may not mean the dishes will be cleaner!! I hope yours was an isolated incident and another ship comes to Norfolk that intrigues you.

 

Thanks for your review.

 

Rita

[getaway101]

Gee..........I leave on the 21st and am still hoping to go with an open mind. This is the first time we will be low in the ship and now I am regretting it, since it looks like the only thing available is the penthouse :eek:

 

I have traveled HA once before on an older ship and absolutely loved it. We have also traveled twice on Princess and no complaints.

[Lisa63]

Sorry you did not enjoy the ship, yet I'm glad to hear you made the most of it. I'm also glad to hear you had a great time at HMC. Many passengers might let the bad things ruin their cruise, and it's great you were able to rise above that. Thanks for sharing your comments.

[stanford's girl]

I enjoyed reading your review. It was informative and honest. Thanks for the info on HMC. I'll give the stingray thing a try when we go in 06. Sounds like a good bang for the buck. Glad to see that you could still have a good time with all the upsets.

[dakrewser]

Sorry to hear about your problems, especially in the dining room. And the petty thieves who were sailing with you. Fortunately there appears to have been enough good things to overcome these problems. THanks for sharing.

[auntdeedee]

Thanks--it was very enjoyable, and I realized that I forgot to mention a couple of things. One, for those of you that like Troy, he got engaged on our cruise! Also, the photography staff was superb. They took awesome pictures, were very friendly, and just overall great group!

 

I don't know the specific cabins having problems, but I have the feeling that the problems tend to "move" around the ship... ie, they fix one cabin and another has problems. All the ones I heard about were in the 500-700 series, but older reviews have specificially mentioned the suites as having problems... so it's just luck of the draw. Our A/C was fine, although I had brought a fan just in case. Oh, I forgot to mention that the old engine problems discussed on the boards also happened on our cruise.... we were delayed in one port, and had no communications, because of a part failure that could not be fixed that day. Captain said a part had to be flown in, and we weren't able to run at full speed nor have internet access (obviously that was fixed by the ride home! ha)

 

The noise problems were pretty much anything on deck 8 and below, but they were in 308, 310, and 513 <mostly 513 really loud>. On the 10th night, the noises were heard even during the cast show, so I had good feeling for what they were experiencing down below.... luckily, you couldn't hear the banging and groaning sounds up on the 10th, but a whole lot of wood squeaking somewhat sounding like the whole ship was being pulled apart. The thing that saved me there was having read all these old posts and knowing that the ship had survived much worse, and we'd make it through (and a good friend had just gotten off the 3/10 cruise and told me how bad the rocking was, too).

 

The food was okay. I'm vegetarian, and most of those dishes were good, but not "spectacular"... again, difference between expected 5 star, and receiving 1 star... it was edible, they sometimes looked pretty, but definitely not "5-star" quality. I enjoyed the lido restaurant as it seemed "fresher" food (maybe just wasn't sitting out as long) and they have a nice salad bar that they are constantly restocking.

 

Yes, we LIVE on room service.... just be sure to tip them for their trouble as I heard of others who didn't realize you should tip them. We order room service every single day for breakfast, and a few nights we just watched a video and had room service for dinner <great fun!>

 

Just a warning, though, although we placed literally probably about 25 room service orders over the course of the 11 days, it was never completely right even once. The biggest joke was croissants in the morning... every day we would order 4 orders (total of 8 croissants)... the number varied from 3 to 7, but we never received 8. We started keeping butter and jellies in our fridge because some days we'd get tons of butter, other days we'd get none, or maybe 1 butter and 1 jelly for all those croissants. Again, I was thankful for reading the bad posts, because it was comical to me rather than really "angering." On the one hand, I had hated reading all the bad posts and was a bit "down" before going on our cruise... on the other hand, I was really grateful because I had "expected" the disappointment so I was able to "go with the flow" instead of getting really angry. Those people who went on expecting 5 star (especially repeat cruisers I met) were the most disappointed--supposedly a delegation of 72 Pennsylvania people wrote complaint letters while on our cruise, but that might just be an urban legend! :)

 

They use both band and DJ in the Crows Nest. Seabreeze (the band by the pool) plays up there some times. I only went up for those time periods where activities were going on (11:15-midnight), so I can't speak to the rest of the night as I like to spend my time making donations in the casino :) There was a 50's/60's Sock Hop, Country Night, Disco Night, and I can't remember the others at the moment...

 

No bartenders stood out, but there were two wonderful ladies in the Rembrandt Lounge who always made my son feel very special by paying lots of attention to him (one was a mom with two boys---can't imagine having to be away from my son in order to provide financial support). They were always very smiling even when we just ordered sodas. Most of the bartenders and wait staff were a bit rude once we asked for sodas.... super friendly, smiling, while asking for your order....until you pulled out the soda card and ordered a soda.... then suddenly the smiles disappear, and most of the time just handed a soda without comment--I would always make sure to twinkle with a "thank you" anyway LOL

 

Scrumpy, you would love that cruise if you like the rocking and rolling..... I don't mind some motion to lull to sleep, but even knowing all the prior cruises made it successfully, I had a really hard time falling asleep and keeping the panic in check while listening to all the wood creaking. If it had been hurricane conditions, I know I would have needed to drink heavily to get to sleep! ha However, I should have clarified that almost all the nights were really SMOOTH sailing, basically felt like just drifting from island to island... the only rocking/rolling was in the Atlantic on the way back home from San Juan.

 

Yes, we filled out comment cards--which looked funny because the ratings were either 9 (great) or 1 (poor).... probably not used to seeing such bizarre cards! Our travel agent is contacting HAL, but the damage is already done, and from what I've read on these boards, HQ doesn't care anyway... I'm guessing at best they might say, here's 10% off your next cruise... but we never plan to cruise HAL again. If it hadn't been me asking a certain department head for help, mom would have been pretty much stuck in the cabin. Basically, based on my experience, and others I'd overhear in the elevator, people mentioned on excursions, and complaints I'd overhear while I was at the front desk, I would say that Paula is a completely ineffective guest relations manager.... and I, personally, was further shocked at her lack of professionalism while seeing her participate in a Battle of the Cocktails while still in uniform. Maybe that's actually standard for cruises, but it was a shock to me to see someone drinking while in uniform.

 

Rita, you are correct--there were very few planned activities on the Maasdam compared to other ships I've been on. There were a number of activities such as board games and trivia contests (which were cool), but it was a very low-key cruise.... if I get motivated, I'll scan the daily schedules for you... but the vast majority of the "activities" centered solely around getting you to spend money (bingo, shopping, casino, drinking)---luckily, I like all of those! ha

 

One thing I really missed were the sail-aways.. I'm used to pumped up, exciting sail away parties with the dancers dancing and up beat, exciting music playing.... but they were very calm, low-key sailaways. I guess that you could say that, in my opinion, HAL is really failing all it's demographics now... the standard older population is not happy that families are being pushed (blatant reason I was told for switch in demographics---families bring on more disposable income and spend more freely on shore excursions, drinks, casino, and souvenirs than elderly people!) HAL doesn't have family service down yet, so it's not succeeding with families, either. So you're left with no one completely satisfied, and no real "target audience."

 

RE: shore excursions, I did not see anywhere that we could have booked the tour on our own (unlike some cities where they had people standing around, but that's probably because it was Easter Sunday). You could definitely book on your own, but I'd be very careful about making sure you allow yourself a couple hours leeway to get back. Traffic was bad in some places, accidents happen, and if you're not on the ships tour, you would be required to pay your own way to get back on ship. I had heard of some people almost left in Barbados because the tour never came back to get them on the golf course, and cost them $50 to get back to the ship.... the ship had waited because they were on tour . There were also other tours that we were literally waiting for them to return so the ship could raise the gangway.... if you weren't on a shore excursion, they would not have waited. That said, we did go on our own in San Juan, but I allowed 1 1/2 hours "extra" time to get back so there was no stress on making it back.

 

Three other things that were disappointing so others may be "ready" .... a) although we should have received personalized stationery because we were in an A cabin, we did not receive ANY stationery even after asking. b) Even though we had three people in our cabin, we were only given two totebags for the beaches... I asked our cabin steward (who directed me to the front desk), and was told if I wanted a bag for my son, I would have to pay for it <even though the full third person rate had been paid!> and c) I really missed the towel animals on the bed as that's one of my favorite things about cruising... I love coming back from dinner every night to see what "surprise" is on the bed..... I heard of no one getting 'animals' on their beds this cruise!

 

Well, I'll stay on here a few more days in case anyone has more questions, but after that, I'll be checking out of here...

[dakrewser]

If you really need high energy sailaway parties and towel animals, then HAL is definitely not for you. Never had them, so there's no change there.

 

 

THat's not a criticism, by the way, but simply an acknowledgement that different folks care about different things. You made the best of your experience, as I said earlier, but there's no need to have to "make do" if something else is preferable.

 

One more idea, though: if the rougher seas (noise, bangs, groans, rolling, etc.) are a problem - don't sail out of Norfolk but stick to Caribbean sailings where the seas (except during hurricane season!) are almost always calm.

 

Happy Sails!

[dbullsfn]

Who did Troy propose to? I think Peter is engaged to Candace if i rememebr correctly. Also did you meet skippy?

[caribbean girl]

Aunt Deedee; Whatever happenend with using the pools? I'm curious to know whether or not you and the children got to use and enjoy them. It's good to know you managed to enjoy your trip, even though things were not perfect. I feel for the people in your party who were lower down in the ship. It is really intimidating and scary. I wasn't able to sleep at all because of the loud crashing and bumping, either. Yes, the N. Atlantic can be unpredictable. Anyway, welcome home!;)

[Linda&Vern]

. . . . .One more idea, though: if the rougher seas (noise, bangs, groans, rolling, etc.) are a problem - don't sail out of Norfolk but stick to Caribbean sailings where the seas (except during hurricane season!) are almost always calm. . . . .

Question for Dave (and other experienced cruisers): Aunt Deedee mentioned she hopes other cruise lines start sailing out of Norfolk for the convenience. IYO would the "rocking and rolling" still be felt on other ships - is it the size of the ship that controls that, or all cold Atlantic water trips? Also - no one has ever explained (from what I read) what all that noise and banging is about. Any clue? We never found out on our Holiday Maasdam cruise. After the first couple times it didn't bother me, but I think I would feel better if I knew exactly what it is. THANKS!

Linda & Vern

Maasdam 2004 Holiday Cruise - loved it so much we booked 2005 Thanksgiving!:D

[palmgirl]

I really missed the towel animals on the bed as that's one of my favorite things about cruising... I love coming back from dinner every night to see what "surprise" is on the bed..... I heard of no one getting 'animals' on their beds this cruise!

 

I have never seen a towel animal on a HAL ship.

Carnivor, RCCL, NCL, Princess, yes, but never on HAL.

 

Sorry you and your son were disappointed.

[dakrewser]

IYO would the "rocking and rolling" still be felt on other ships - is it the size of the ship that controls that, or all cold Atlantic water trips? Also - no one has ever explained (from what I read) what all that noise and banging is about.

 

THe noise is mostly just water slapping against the hull, and the motion in the ocean will be there for all ships. Obviously the smaller the ship the more it's affected, but I think even the Atlantic carrier fleet feels the movement when they leave their home port...

[Linda&Vern]

THe noise is mostly just water slapping against the hull, and the motion in the ocean will be there for all ships. Obviously the smaller the ship the more it's affected, but I think even the Atlantic carrier fleet feels the movement when they leave their home port...

Thanks Dave. That is exactly what DH said the noise was. Guess I have to believe him now. ;)

[auntdeedee]

Troy proposed to one of the dancers in the cast, but I forgot her name. I don't know about Pete and Candisse.... Conor in Club Hal mentioned he was engaged to one of the asst cruise directors, but I never had a chance to ask which girl it was...

 

We never used the pool on deck 10 after all although I saw plenty of children AND the only sign said 13 and under needed parental supervision... the club hal itinerary asked that children only use the Lido pool, but other than that, there was no mention at all.... so I would have to presume that it's only on the bigger ships that "adult only" is an issue because anyone who did not sign up for Club Hal would never know anyway. It was such a relatively small ship that it was no big deal to go to Lido, and I was surprised how much we kept running out of time. The thought of 11 nights at sea, I figured we'd be totally bored out of our minds at times... nope, never enough time in the day :)

 

As far as the towel animals/sailaway party.... it's not that they were "needed", just been on every single one of the other many cruises I've been on and really fun memories... so it was surprising to me that they *were not* part of the cruise and that the sailaways were such non-events.

 

Anyway, I'm enjoying looking at our pictures I picked up tonight... especially those Barbados sea turtles :)

[beachjeweler]

We sailed on the Maasdam and had similar sea experiences in the mid- north atlantic. 30 foot seas are not very comfortable even on an aircraft carrier. We had lost the use of one engine, so it was very crunchy sounding when we came off the top of a wave, and it was very bumpy. This is not the fault of the Maasdam. This is the power of the sea. Going faster would not have helped. It might be slightly less annoying on a larger ship, but not much. Although I have been in the Southern Atlantic many times on Sailboat races, generally 30 foot seas are something to be respectful of. It's too bad when it makes people uncomfortable --- I've sailed all of my life and this type of sea makes me very uncomfortable, but the ocean is not always a playground. I live on the coast in a beach community, and October thru May is Nor'Easter Season. That means when heading BACK to Norfolk, you are probably heading right in to one. That is why it gets so bumpy.

[wwinfl91]

We sailed on the Maasdam last spring, Ft Lauderdale to Montreal, and luckily did NOT see any of the problems, bad food, dirty china, bad seamanship (that's what I would call having the ship at so high a speed people are falling down), badly managed tender lines, no A/C or sewer problems, nothing we had was stolen, didn't notice any chipped or damaged furniture and really enjoyed our cruise. I will agree with the watered down soda but I have seen that on all the ship lines we have sailed on.

 

I just can't imagine that the ship and cruise described above are on the same ship that we sailed on last year.

 

I will say that if the problem is trying to get too many days out of a port too far away is the problem then cruise lines and passengers should quit those cruises. Trying to go to the Caribbean and deep into it from Norfork is probably expecting too much and shouldn't be offered. There are plenty of ports in Florida for this kind of cruise to sail from and to try to appease people living in the north by offering them an inferior product is the cruise lines mistake. All it will do is turn people off to cruising.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[sailonH20]

We sailed the Maasdam in February and shared many of the experiences the OP encountered. Hopefully some changes will take place to help improve the conditions and service. Maybe the 75 letters will expedite the process;)

[Linda&Vern]

. . . . . Trying to go to the Caribbean and deep into it from Norfork is probably expecting too much and shouldn't be offered. There are plenty of ports in Florida for this kind of cruise to sail from and to try to appease people living in the north by offering them an inferior product is the cruise lines mistake. All it will do is turn people off to cruising. . . . .

Sorry, I can't agree with the above portion of your post. Some of us didn't mind the 20 footers last Holiday cruise on the Maasdam. Of course it's not what I would prefer ... but I do not fly for vacation time (business is one thing, relaxing vacation another) ... therefore, Norfolk is a great alternative for me ... and I found I could "rock 'n roll" to the Caribbean just fine at sea level compared to my reaction "up in the sky." DH and I did not consider our itinerary an inferior product, but rather an opportunity to take the most relaxing vacation we have ever had - loved it so much we booked another Maasdam Caribbean cruise. However I would agree with what you and many others have said - if you can't take the swells, fly to FL to get on a ship. I also agree with the rest of your post regarding the dining room, furniture, food, china, etc. We did not experience any of that. As the queen of diet-coke, I found my soda card to be the best purchase I made, and didn't consider it any more watered-down than most fountain sodas. Glad you enjoyed your Maasdam cruise too!:p

[cheric]

We were on the Maasdam in February and endured the rocking and rolling of thirty foot seas. I enjoyed everything about this cruise and am going to my TA next week to book again for next March. I love the convenience of driving down to Norfolk from the D.C. Area and not having to fly. We were on the Galaxy out of Baltimore two years ago and had the same rockin' and rollin'. I wasn't afraid ... and I was scared to death to take my first cruise years back. I was fortunate enough not to get sea-sick (taking bonine every morning with breakfast). We didn't experience any dirty or chipped dishes and our room service breakfast each morning was exactly as ordered. I guess it changes from cruise to cruise but I was completely satisfied with ours. Incidentally, did you know that Conor and Ronan are brothers? Skippy wasn't aboard with us but Ronan sure was!

[CrabbyHarper]

When you arrived a HMC, was there food on the island? Was there a BBQ or were you expected to eat on the ship before going to the island?

 

Was Maasdam the only ship there that day?

 

Thanks!

[Shellelynn]

Hi New here,

 

I leave Sunday (4/10/05) for my next cruise on the Maasdam. I am excited. I do appreciate the comments though, so as to not be cranky about things. I knew in advance this was an older ship. I hope they have the new mattresses in my cabin, but I doubt it, I decided that I didn't need as large of a cabin this time, and take the money I saved and use it for excursions. We only sleep there. So I am on the Main Deck.

 

As for the HMC question, they do have a big Barbeque area there. You go through one of a few lines and pick your meat and then serve your self the desert and sides dishes, then they have some type of drink. There are table all around. Follow the crowd when you get there, because it is kind of like a trail to get there. I think this time I will eat before I get off the ship, then I don't have to worry about going to that area, and have more time on the beach!

 

I am so excited, I will be in room 732 I think. Anyone know if I get a new mattress or if this is a sewage smelling area?

[Sweetdreams]

Shellelynn glad to have you on the boards. I'm new too-joined in two weeks ago. We are celebrating our 25th Anniversary on the Maasdam leaving 5/1.

You are so right about the room-it's just a bed. Keep us posted on your cruise & the excursions you planned. What ports are you excited to visit?

I really enjoy sharing others cruise experiences on this board. There are so many helpful tips. Have a wonderful trip!

Sweetdreams (Sharon)