Maasdam and Veendam

[cruzisme]

Please tell me how these ships look now ( good condition or?)

Thinking of booking with HAL but not sure on which ship.

Any info would be appreciated.

[TxnAquarian]

I'm on Maasdam now, and there is no mistaking - this is an old ship. We have had issues all week with backed up plumbing and the ship being waaay too hot. However, visibly it seems as if the ship is very well-maintained. The rooms are lovely. The ship is very clean and no obvious signs of wear and tear. Would I come on this ship again? No. But if you like smaller ships, this might be a good option at this price point. I like the ship's size, but it just feels too old and claustrophobic in the public spaces.

 

 

 

Michael

[cruzisme]

Appreciate your info!

How is the entertainment during the day and pm?:)

[TxnAquarian]

There are plenty of activities. My mom, who comes on ships strictly for the entertainment, has been busy. All the usual activities, like trivia and Bingo, Dancing with the Stars, OnLocation activities in the daytime. At night there is always a production show or comedian or local entertainment (we had Cape Breton fiddlers) and lots of live music. The public spaces on Deck 8 are clustered close together, so there is a lot of competing music, as well as noise from the casino, which is a little irritating. I don't know if you have sailed HAL before. This was my first time. I would definitely consider HAL again - just not this ship.

 

 

Michael

[George C]

I took Massdam last month and Veendam last year, they were both fine, I would not sail Veendam again since I really dislike that it has just one pool which may be taken over my children. Like the Sea View pool on Maasdam (this pool was on Veendam but was removed)

[shrimp56]

Just came off the Veendam. Yes she's older and has a few wrinkles, but she's a lovely and clean ship. We had no plumbing problems. I'm not a fan of The Retreat or the added aft cabins. The retreat spoils the view off the stern and the cabins caused her to lose her girlish figure.

 

Having said that I find the Veendam and the Volendam very comfortable and pleasant ships. Everyone is working hard to make you happy. I like the color palette (blue, dark teal, red, dark red) on Veendam very much as it's softer and more elegant than Volendam. Food had its ups and downs, but 2 dinners in Canaletto and a Pinnacle lunch kept us happy:) The MDR service was fine for us.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I'm on Maasdam now, and there is no mistaking - this is an old ship. We have had issues all week with backed up plumbing and the ship being waaay too hot. However, visibly it seems as if the ship is very well-maintained. The rooms are lovely. The ship is very clean and no obvious signs of wear and tear. Would I come on this ship again? No. But if you like smaller ships, this might be a good option at this price point. I like the ship's size, but it just feels too old and claustrophobic in the public spaces.

 

 

 

Michael

 

Thank you for this live report.

[Infi]

Sailed the Maasdam in March and the Veendam two weeks ago. Both are old ships, of course, but the Maasdam, for whatever reason, was just in better condition. The furniture and public spaces felt fresher, and the decks better cared for. Neither ship is falling apart, but if you looked closely enough, you could see spots where the Veendam needed maintenance: promenade deck, rust spots here and there, peeling paint, etc. Our neighbors across the hall had issues with their AC going out, and we heard from crew that occasionally there are issues with leakage in the cabins below the Retreat.

 

HAL certainly does the best they can and we always saw workers cleaning and doing maintenance, but the Veendam was just a bit rougher than the Maasdam IMHO.

[CaveDiving]

Please tell me how these ships look now ( good condition or?)

Thinking of booking with HAL but not sure on which ship.

Any info would be appreciated.

 

Last fall, while docking in some rather high winds, the Maasdam had an argument with the pier in Montreal. The result was a gash about 30 feet long in the forward starboard outer hull. A plate was welded on the hull to seal the scratch as is shown in the picture below.

 

The patch can be seen just under the upper set of portholes. I think it would have been cute to have painted the plate white like a BandAid and writted "OUCH" under the patch.

 

 

 

Scott & Karen

[GregnChris]

We were on the Veendam for 31 days in April. The condition of the ship is fine. It is older, so things are not quite as shiny and fresh as a new ship, but still very clean and in good shape.

 

A few folks had toilet problems, and one couple was moved to a new cabin due to toilet overflow. There was a pipe leak outside our room and fresh water soaked the carpet in our entry way. The crew cleaned it up and we were not particularly inconvenienced. All things considered, it seemed like expected types of problems that can happen on any ship. Our AC worked just fine in both the cold and wet of Patagonia and the heat and humidity of the Caribbean.

 

The one thing that did annoyed us was the decided roll of the ship, even on a calm sea. It acted like the stabilizers were not working. The first officer and cruise director swore the stabilizers were being used, but for whatever reason, they were not effective. When we docked in Fort Lauderdale, we noticed they had a diver working on the starboard side, midships, where the stabilizer is. We heard from some folks who took the next cruise, that in fact they did have to repair the stabilizers. I just wish they would have told us the truth.

 

Greg

[sail7seas]

delete

sorry

[RuthC]

I sailed the Veendam for 20 days this past January, and sailed for 7 days on the Maasdam in early June. Both ships were fine, in that they were clean, well-maintained, and ran well. There were limited plumbing problems, in that once in a while a public restroom would be out of order. A/C was good for the most part; it can never get cool enough for me, but others complained it was too cold in areas of the Maasdam.

Personally, I prefer the Maasdam because it still has the comfortable aft deck area on Navigation Deck; I hate the Retreat area on the Veendam Lido Deck.

But I also have to say that the service and food seemed about the same on both ships, with the exception of the Pinnacle. Dinners in the Pinnacle Grill on the Veendam far surpassed the dinner I had in the Maasdam Pinnacle. Both the food and the service were superior on the Veendam.

[innlady1]

Love the "S" class ships....Maasdam, Veendam, and Ryndam...they're perfect for us.

[sail7seas]

We used to love Veendam but have not sailed her in years..... certainly not since Retreat Version 1.0, 2.0 etc

 

We are booked to sail her soon and I'm unhappy about not having aft pool. :(

[seapointer]

We just are off Veendam from 1 week cruise. As indicated, this is an older ship, smaller and a different experience from what the larger ships offer. The ship is in generally good condition and kept very clean. The cabins are well designed and maintained. Nevertheless, we did have a minor plumbing issue with a water leakage but it was immediately taken care of. I guess this is a hazard of being on a ship built in 1998.

 

The cabin is getting a little worn and new furnishings and carpets and bath fixtures should be provided in the next dry dock.

 

The entertainment varied from terrible to very good. A nice touch was having local musicians from Nova Scotia perform one evening.

 

Shops are basically a watch/jewelry setup with a small amount of clothing available. The casino is small but has all the basics.

 

The ship was very smooth sailing, even when the water was a bit choppy.

 

So, there are more good points than bad and you should not hesitate taking a cruise on this ship if the itinerary and price are appealing.

[cruzisme]

Appreciate all the replies-- will keep the itinerary in mind and if the timing and price are right, might book.

Which ship is going into dry dock and when?

[SpokaneDan]

Just returned from a week on Veendam. Wonderful mid-size ship. I do not feel it old or dated, but rather classy. Would travel on it again.

 

 

[Bluwater7]

Maasdam is in dry dock Jan 3,2014 to 16 Jan , 2014 - sails out of Fort Lauderdale on the 17th ... we will be on board.:):):)