cruiseapril Posted December 12, 2013 #1 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Hi- We have been on the Noordam Wayfarer and are considering the Seafarer for 2015. (We enjoyed the Noordam very much.) The itinerary is: Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, Samana, Bonaire, Curacao, & Aruba. We have been to all ports by ship except for Samana and Bonaire. However, the Maasdam has a very appealing itinerary also: St. Thomas, St. Barts, St. Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, Bonaire, Curacao, and Half Moon Cay. We have been to all by ship except St. Barts, Grenada, and Bonaire. The big question for us is the age of the Maasdam, as compared to the Noordam and whether that matters? We are HAL fans, so either will be fine- but which is better in your opinion? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innlady1 Posted December 12, 2013 #2 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Hi- We have been on the Noordam Wayfarer and are considering the Seafarer for 2015. (We enjoyed the Noordam very much.) The itinerary is:Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, Samana, Bonaire, Curacao, & Aruba. We have been to all ports by ship except for Samana and Bonaire. However, the Maasdam has a very appealing itinerary also: St. Thomas, St. Barts, St. Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, Bonaire, Curacao, and Half Moon Cay. We have been to all by ship except St. Barts, Grenada, and Bonaire. The big question for us is the age of the Maasdam, as compared to the Noordam and whether that matters? We are HAL fans, so either will be fine- but which is better in your opinion? Thanks. We've been on the Noordam numerous times in the Caribbean...and also on Maasdam with a very similar itinerary. I would absolutely go for the Maasdam itinerary....hands down. That's a winner! We love both ships...in fact, this winter, we are doing back to backs with both ships instead of one or the other. Maasdam for 11 days and then going to the Noordam for the next 10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthC Posted December 12, 2013 #3 Share Posted December 12, 2013 I don't think the age of the ships matters so much as the difference in size, and to a lesser extent, the amenities. I was on the Maasdam last June, and she was in fine shape. The Maasdam is at the smaller end of the HAL fleet, while the Noordam is one of the larger ships. They both have many public rooms in common, but the Noordam has a dedicated nightclub, and the extra venue of the Queen's Lounge. Other than that, the food, service, and atmosphere are very similar. Cabins on the Maasdam are larger than Noordam in the same category. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaofami Posted December 12, 2013 #4 Share Posted December 12, 2013 We've done lots of cruising on Maasdam and I love her size and crew. I think she's perfect. That said, this year we're doing 21 days on Noordam. We've sailed her twice and I love her too, even though she's a bigger ship. We've been to all the above mentioned islands and usually don't do sightseeing any more. We grab a taxi and head for the beach. You can't go wrong with either ship, so pick the itinerary that appeals to you, or do what Innlady is doing and sail them both.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtl513 Posted December 12, 2013 #5 Share Posted December 12, 2013 (edited) I like both ships and both itineraries. I suggest you try the Maasdam simply to see if you like the smaller size better. My DW prefer the smaller ships better while I lean toward the larger. :) Edited December 12, 2013 by jtl513 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuolumne couple Posted December 12, 2013 #6 Share Posted December 12, 2013 believe it or not, i am looking at that cruise too, on the Maasdam. good luck with your choice. i stick with the itinerary over the ship. have sailed the Noordam, though. looking forward to trying out the Maasdam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobpell Posted December 12, 2013 #7 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Having been on both I tend to lean towards the Noordam. One reason is her floor to rail glass panels both on the balconies and the perimeter of the upper decks. Maasdam has solid steel extending from the deck upwards for approximately 16-18 inches giving a more claustrophobic feel while relaxing on your veranda or up on an open deck. Any passages with seas larger than 6-8 feet will produce some challenging walks on board the Maasdam and we found an eye opening amount (while sleeping) of scraping and groaning in the ceiling of our cabin during such an event. Because the Noordam was our first experience with HAL many moons ago I, if given a choice, would choose her in a heart beat over HAL's smaller and older ships. Just got off the Nieuw Amsterdam which did a leg on an outside run from Fort Lauderdale to San Juan where the seas were closer to 10-12 ft. and we had a quartering wind of 50-60 knots for a day and a night. What a ride. Shows were cancelled, promenade deck was cordoned off and high heels were relegated to back of the closet Bobpell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted December 12, 2013 #8 Share Posted December 12, 2013 We have been on both ships. And we have been to all the ports except St Barts -- our itinerary was changed a couple of months before the cruise and St Barts was removed. We prefer to choose a cruise by itinerary. And the Maasdam's itinerary is a good one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candiaccruiser Posted December 12, 2013 #9 Share Posted December 12, 2013 We have sailed on both the Maasdam and the Nordam twice and are currently booked on a Collector's cruise on the Noordam for February. We love both these ships and happily sail on either of them. The Maasdam, being smaller, feels a tad friendlier and cozier. Choosing the itinerary that you most prefer sounds like a good way to go! Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaofami Posted December 12, 2013 #10 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Looking at the itinerary again, I see one of the ports on Noordam is Samana. That port is also on my upcoming Noordam cruise, and on my roll call, many people are talking about staying on the ship because the island is dirty. Has anyone been there recently? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catl331 Posted December 12, 2013 #11 Share Posted December 12, 2013 They both have the same chocolates on your pillow! Right Ruth?:) Try the Maasdam to see if you like a smaller ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candiaccruiser Posted December 12, 2013 #12 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Mamaofami, I saw that too and have been wondering whether it was worth actually leaving the ship in Samana or not. This is the only port on our cruise that we haven't visited before, so it was a bit disappointing to read what people had to say. Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peaches from georgia Posted December 12, 2013 #13 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Going by itinerary I would definitely go on Maasdam. Great ports! St. Barts, St. Lucia, Barbados, and Curacao- favorites all!! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthC Posted December 12, 2013 #14 Share Posted December 12, 2013 They both have the same chocolates on your pillow! Right Ruth?:) :D :D :D Somehow, those chocolates taste bigger on a smaller ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innlady1 Posted December 12, 2013 #15 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Looking at the itinerary again, I see one of the ports on Noordam is Samana. That port is also on my upcoming Noordam cruise, and on my roll call, many people are talking about staying on the ship because the island is dirty. Has anyone been there recently? We went to Samana on the Noordam in '10. We stayed on the ship as that was just prior to my hip surgery and it's a tender port...I didn't want to deal with that. Several people we met got off the ship...and came back almost immediately. From their reports, the people hanging out at the docks selling stuff were just way too pushy. So, I doubt we'll get off this time...unless I find an interesting ship excursion to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiseapril Posted December 12, 2013 Author #16 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Thanks so much for your replies. We were also wondering about Samana. I've been to Santo Domingo and the surrounding countryside, but only in that part of the country. Some of the "new" Maasdam ports are very appealing to us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rain_bowbrite Posted December 12, 2013 #17 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Based on itinerary, I'd go with the Maasdam!! I'd love to visit those ports... ah one day when I'm able to take that many days off in a row Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlennG Posted December 12, 2013 #18 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Having sailed on both of these ships, I have found both the Massdam and Noordam to be more than satisfactory. For me, finances play and important part in my decision making. Generally speaking, a smaller ship, like the Massdam, will be more expensive. I've also learned that the larger ships, like the Noordam, are more family friendly. In making your decision, it really depends on your personal circumstances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retdon Posted December 12, 2013 #19 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Just off the Noordam for the second time and we love the ship BUT...... I booked on the Maasdam for 4/2015 based on the ports (see ticker below). It is going places we have never been. I was concerned about sailing on a ship that old but after checking it out sure seems like a lot of folks love the ship. QUESTION: Those of you who have sail on Maasdam what are the cabins like under the Lido, noisy, I booked BB038?????? I am also concerned that this is call a Veranda Suite but diagram does not look like a suite.... My advise to poster, you will love the Noordam. Samana: we did not get off the ship and those that did said they had never seen such a dirty place. We have never seen so much trash in the water. Seems like all the garbage is swept into the gutters and then rain washes it into the bay. We anchored so far out we could not even see where the tenders were docking. I think HAL continues to go there for the whale watching in Jan. , Feb. and March. Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare kazu Posted December 12, 2013 #20 Share Posted December 12, 2013 I'd take the Maasdam :) We like the ship and the itinerary is nicer IMO. Have been on both ships, but do definitely prefer the Maasdam - if you don't believe me, check out my signature ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gigianne Posted December 12, 2013 #21 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Another vote for the itinerary on the Maasdam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Typhoon1 Posted December 12, 2013 #22 Share Posted December 12, 2013 You won't go wrong with either choice. It's a matter of choosing the intimate and elegant Maasdam or the sprawling Vista class Noordam. Only you know your preference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'The Bear' Posted December 13, 2013 #23 Share Posted December 13, 2013 We have sailed 84 days on the Noordam and an equal or greater amount of time on the Maasdam ---- they are our two favourite ships!! Like the others, I would choose based on the itinerary. Both ships have a friendly, hard working staff --- you will have no problem with either ship!! As an aside, on our trips to Samana we simply went to Caya Leventado, not a great beach, but the property is neat and the vendors are not aggressive; but I concur with the others that no one that I met was satisfied with the town of Samana, for all the previously mentioned reasons . Have a great cruise, no matter which you choose!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiseapril Posted December 13, 2013 Author #24 Share Posted December 13, 2013 The Maasdam seems to have the best itinerary and it seems the age of the ship is not a big factor. About Samana- don't understand why HAL doesn't find a substitute port. How about Tortola? Any other ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelly Posted December 13, 2013 #25 Share Posted December 13, 2013 While I am a fan of Vista class, I'd do the Massdam for the itinerary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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