Live from the Maasdam - May 1 – 16, 2015 The Atlantic Coast

[judynorth]

We did this itinerary on the Maasdam in 2012. It was a great cruise except for the fact that I was sick for a good bit of the time. It wasn't NORO although it was making its rounds on the ship. It wound up being a drug reaction which went away when I stopped the medication. The cruise visits several ports that other C/NE cruises don't. I look forward to reading your posts so that I can relive this great itinerary through your eyes and experiences.

Edited May 1, 2015 by judynorth

[LorGraCr]

Alberta Quilter:

 

Wishing you and your mom a great trip. I look forward to your updates also. My husband and I were on the Maasdam last fall as she repositioned from Montreal to Fort Lauderdale. We really enjoyed the ship and the trip. Happy Sailing

[POA1]

Have a great trip!

[Alberta Quilter]

Finally have free wifi! We're now at the port. We got a letter upon entering - apparently the same info was sent via email. It says basically that we can check in, leave our carry one in a secured area and take a free shuttle to the Galleria mall. We elected to wait it out.

[Alberta Quilter]

Fantastic - will be looking forward to following your trip, particularly hearing about the menus, state of the ship, shows etc if you will be including in your Life from thread...

 

We will be on the following sailing and looking forward to seeing the Maasdam..

 

Have a great cruise!!!

 

:):):)

 

I'll definitely advise what we and our tablemates eat for dinner. I'll try to get copies of the menus but I doubt that I'll spend the time and re type the menus will on the cruise. Hopefully, I can scan them after I'm home.

[Alberta Quilter]

Happy sailing to you and Mum, Clipper! Thrilled to be following along on your journey. Will be looking for you both at sailaway. Welcome to the east coast. Kick some butt in "Name that Tune" so that our tradition lives on;)!

 

Thanks, AIP! Your friend Sue is joining us, too! I'll try to kick butt in Name that Tune! You know how terrible I was at the Neil Diamond one!:D

[Alberta Quilter]

I'm happy to see you are doing a live from thread. I've enjoyed your threads in the past and the fact that you actually come back to it every day. Thx so much and have a great time. I hope your delay isn't too long today.

 

Thanks for the kind words. I hope I continue to live up to them!

[Alberta Quilter]

Hi Alberta Q. Its Pat here (from last May's 14 day to Alaska on the Amsterdam). Will be following your posts and will tune in for your wave. We are still dreaming of Alaska and will probably do the Maasdam next June.

Have fun!!!!!!!!!!!

Pat/Jim

 

Hi Pat! I hope you'll choose to do a slightly different itinerary, and go from Vancouver. It really is prettier up the Canadian inside passage. But if you don't, you'll still have a great time! I'd love to cruise with you and AIP and the others again!

[Alberta Quilter]

Have a great trip!

 

Thanks! I'm sorry to read that you'll miss our sailaway!

[Alberta Quilter]

April 30, 2015. Enroute to Fort Lauderdale (via Toronto)

 

We had a fairly quick trip to the airport at 6 am! And, thank the good Lord, we didn't have a snow storm! We're somewhat prone to spring snowstorms so I used some reverse psychology by telling everyone that I predicted that it was going to snow on April 29th and 30th; it worked!! By 7 am we were through security and at the gate.

 

We upgraded our seats on the first flight, for a cost, of course. You can imagine DM's reaction to that. However, it was quite nice. It was a fairly new plane, we were told, but it had no televisions! Oh my, how some people reacted. You'd have thought the world came to an end. (Okay, that's an exaggeration. But there was a fair bit of grumbling.) However, the airline had a solution, they rent out tablets for your watching pleasure - for a cost, of course. Being that we paid for the upgrade, we got the tablets for "free". We also received "free" food and beverages. But they don't serve alcohol until after 10 am! Not a big deal; we're not big drinkers, and we're saving ourselves for the free drink cards on the ship!

 

I had arranged for assistance for DM, to make the flight transfers more easily. Frankly, they help me more than her because, in unfamiliar airports, the staff get us to where we need to go and I don't have to figure it out. It's not fast; there's a lot of "hurry up and wait here". But if one has a tight connection, boy, it can work well.

 

I read here on CC, that if one connects in Toronto, one should allow three to four hours between flights, to get through customs and security and allow time in case the flight wasn't on time. We had almost three hours. Fortunately, our flight was prompt. The wheelchair was there (along with three others). But then the hurry up and wait process began. Some people in the wheelchairs would be pushed one or two feet and then left for a few minutes. I'm sure there were valid reasons but when one is the one sitting and waiting, it sure is frustrating (and funny). One certainly needs a sense of humour on travel days! Anyway, we had plenty of time. We were taken to our gate after claiming the luggage, going through security and customs.

 

During the wheelchair parade, which trickled down to two wheelchairs, we discovered that the other couple were also travelling to FLL. It turned out that they're also going on the same cruise! We passed the time most pleasantly chatting with them.

 

And then we were robbed. Okay, not at gunpoint or anything like that. We were robbed at a food counter because, in our opinion, of the exceedingly high prices we paid for two drinks and two sandwiches. No kidding, the price came to C$28 for an egg salad sandwich and a GF turkey sandwich, a bottle of ginger ale and a bottle of water. It's not like we had table service, either. These were take out sandwiches, and not very good ones! Had I known the prices were that high (prices were not indicated anywhere except at the till), I would have checked out other venues. In my home airport, the vendors have the same pricing as elsewhere in the city.

 

We were taken for a ride (literally) again in FLL after the completion of our second flight. This time it was the taxi driver. I had done some research on taxis in FLL. Go to the taxi stand, expect to pay about $15 - 20, for a ride to the Embassy Suites hotel on 17th Street. The driver didn't know where the hotel was. He looked it up on his phone - while he was driving! I knew I should have asked on CC about the route one should take but even I thought that was way too anal a question. I wish I had done it. It was dark at this point so I didn't have a clue where he was taking us. I told him it was near the Harbor Shops. That seemed to help. To be fair, there was a great deal of traffic leaving the airport and getting out took a wee bit of time, but we still took a very roundabout route. The total fare came to $25.70 plus the $3 airport surcharge. I was not impressed.

 

We met someone else on our cruise in the lineup to check in at the hotel. I found out later that they were on the same flight from Toronto as U.S., and their taxi ride to Embassy Suites was $18!!!! Incidentally, neither couple were on the CC roll call but both of them knew about CC.

 

This is our first time at ES. It's quite nice but we haven't seen much of the hotel yet. Once we got to our room, we pretty much stayed there and went to bed. Travel days are long days, at least, they seem so to me. But, we're here in FLL and tomorrow, we board the beautiful and elegant Maasdam for the first time.

[cruz chic]

I got totally taken in taxi fare too in March. I really like the plus seats on westjet. I liked being able to pick anything off their menu not just the crappy sandwich. I ended up eating the humous and pita chips on one flight, cheese plate on another. The last time I stayed at the embassy suites the taxi driver didn't want to take me and didn't turn on the meter. He took me down side streets. I thought that was how I was going to die.

[POA1]

I'm sorry to hear about your taxi experience. Sadly, it's not uncommon. If people are coming to visit us, and we can't pick them up at the airport, I actually send them written directions and a map. Otherwise, the taxis just drive around on your dime. Technically, you're not responsible for the extra miles and $ they get when they take the incorrect route, but good luck ever getting a refund.

[summersigh]

Be sure to buy a bag of oh-so-southern "Benne Wafers" in Charleston ... they're heavenly thin, crispy, little sesame seed cookies. The Pralines found in Charleston are to die for as well.

 

Both can be found anywhere tourists are found.:D

[Diver2014]

It's beautiful in FLL today! Perfect weather right now but I suspect it will get too warm for me later. I'm already seeing the effects of the humidity here. My skin is moistening up and my hair is getting frizzier with every passing minute! We've checked out of the hotel and are sitting outside, in the shade. Quite enjoyable!

 

You picked a great day to come here, it's been raining all week! Beautiful today, not a cloud in the sky but a bit cool.

If there is any way possible to get from the airport to the cruise terminal other than taxi, take it! Taxis here in south Florida are the worst thing that ever happened! They are smelly, the drivers don't speak English and they take you as far away from your destination as possible to bump up the fare.

Jus' sayin'. If there is limo or car service or a bus, take it!

Maasdam looks all alone on the outside pier at Pt Everglades today. Sharing port with a Silversea cruises ship.

Edited May 1, 2015 by Diver2014

[Cruising-along]

Oh boy, I can't wait to follow along. :) As you know, I loved this cruise so much 3 years ago that I want to go again. Wish I could be there now!

 

If at all possible, could you ask around onboard to get a feel for if this will be offered again next year? (as you know I heard rumors it would not be). There are several of us who will jump on it if offered.

 

Thank you so much, and have a wonderful cruise!!

[judynorth]

Be sure to buy a bag of oh-so-southern "Benne Wafers" in Charleston ... they're heavenly thin, crispy, little sesame seed cookies. The Pralines found in Charleston are to die for as well.

 

Both can be found anywhere tourists are found.:D

 

Yes, try River Street Sweets for pralines. Yummy! And benne wafers are addictive.

[Diver2014]

Gosh, it's 5:45pm and Maasdam is still at the dock......CruiseCal said they were supposed to leave at 4pm. Late arrivals? Cleaning? Ah, just saw the other thread about deep cleaning. At least it's still a gorgeous day here in south Florida.

Edited May 1, 2015 by Diver2014

[Alberta Quilter]

Now expected to depart at 7 pm. Hope some at home can watch now.

[Seabreez]

Got to see you leave port. One happy bunch of cruisers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have an awesome time!!!!!!!!!!

Almost 7:30 now.

[ger_77]

We saw you and waved like crazy!

 

Smooth Sailing ! :) :) :)

[qsuzi]

Saw you too! Hope you are having a beverage, have a great view, and are just relaxing.

[luvcruisn']

I saw you waving, Alberta Quilter. I met you and your mom on a cruise a few years ago. The itinerary sounds great - I hope it's not too cold when you get farther north. Have a wonderful cruise!

[PathfinderEss]

We wave back at you as the Maasdam sailed out of PE.

Here is a snip I got of you.

[slabeaume]

Just got off the Maasdam today. We went into Code Red a week ago and stayed in code red. Saw on the news tonight that 60 passengers and 11 crew members got sick. My hands have never been so clean!!!! The poor crew had the added work of cleaning every thing---walls, chairs, carpets, tables, ... . I understand this cruise will start in Code Red until they see if anyone gets sick. Fortunately we didn't get sick. They also close the self serve laundry and hot tub while in Code Red. All in all, we had a great time! Will write my blog with pictures in the next week.

[65 Gator]

Have a great trip and wash your hands... Love your postings.