Maasdam Review - 12/17 to 12/27 Christmas Cruise

[jeffyd]

This review is a bit long so bear with me. The bottom-line was we had a great time and loved the Maasdam (this was our second trip on her). If you have any questions, feel free to post them here or email me directly at jdemaria@carolina.rr.com.

 

For background, my wife and I are in our mid-40's and this is our 8th cruise (5 on HAL, 1 on RCL, 1 on Disney and 1 on Celebrity). We have 3 children (16, 13, 10) who also were on the cruise with us. We also cruised with my In-laws and Aunt and Uncle, so there were 9 of us on this family Christmas cruise.

 

Pre-Cruise - We drove to Norfolk the day before and stayed at the Radisson. We were very pleased with their cruise and stay program which included free parking and a free hot breakfast buffet the next morning (we were getting in training for the Lido buffets!). They were very efficient at getting all 9 people's luggage loaded and dropped us off right in front of the terminal about 11:30 AM.

 

Embarkation - Very smooth. It took less than 30 minutes and we were in line at the Lido around Noon. They had our rooms ready by about 1:30. One thing to note, if you've never left out of Norfolk, which we hadn't before. You have to stand in line outside for a little while and in the winter time it can be a bit chilly, so bring a jacket. Most cruise terminals we've left from are indoors but this is different.

 

Food - We were very satisfied with the food and have always been on HAL. We ate in the dining room each night and had a great waiter. My filet mignon was cooked to perfection, had a Caribbean Pot Roast one night that was great, had Crab Legs, some good Mahi Mahi, Salmon, Prime Rib and a really good Honey Mustard chicken that I've had before and really liked. The soups and appetizers were aso good and the desserts each night were heavenly. We ate breakfast in the Lido each morning and enjoyed that. Great made to order omelettes, french toast, pancakes, etc. Also ate Lunch in the Lido and liked both the made to order pasta station and stir frys.

 

Ports - Half Moon Cay - has to be the best of any cruise lines private islands. This time we just hung out and enjoyed the beautiful weather but in the past have done the horse back riding in the water, the snorkeling at sea and the para-sailing.

 

St. Thomas - did the tour with Sunny Liston. This is a great deal since it's only $20 per person and he met us at the ship, took us into town to shop for several hours, took us on a 2 hour tour of the island and dropped us off at Saphire Beach for several hours and picked us back up and took us back to the ship. In essence, an all day excursion for $20, can't beat it. Here's his website if you're interested - http://www.sunnylistontours.com/index.html

 

Antigua - this was our favorite port mostly due to the excursion we took and the fact that we'd never been to this island before. We went on Eli's Eco Tour through Adventure Antigua. They were about a 2 minute walk from where we docked and we started at 10 AM and went until 4 PM. Their boat took us practically around the entire island while they explained the history of the island and discussed the various landmarks. We stopped severla times to snorkel, climb up to the top of Bird Island for a terrific view, climb through some caves at Hell's gate (very cool) and they also provided a great lunch and unlimited fresh fruit juice drinks, water and some rum punch on the way home. All for $90 per person. This was the highlight of our cruise. Here is their website - http://www.adventureantigua.com/tour.html#EcoTour

 

St. Maarten - we took a tour with Joyce Prince. As you may have read on this site, she comes highly recommended and we were very pleased with her tour. She picked us up at the ship and took us on a 3 hour tour of both the Dutch and French sides of the islands letting us stop to shop and sightsee and all the time answering questions and explaining the history of the island. She also took several of our group back to the ship while dropping some of us off at Orient Beach for the afternoon. That beach is beautiful with amy kind of water activity you would want. She then came back and picked us up and brought us back to the ship. Here is her website - http://joyceprince.com/

 

San Juan - We were only docked from 7 Am to 1 PM so we didn't have a lot of time (we also slept in a little since we were so tired from the other tours), however we did enjoy just walking through Old San Juan and doing some shopping and sightseeing.

 

Entertainment/ship activities - We had never been on a Christmas cruise before and wondered whether we'd enjoy being away during that holiday. It helped that some of our relatives were with us but it also helped that the friendly staff of the Maasdam really made us feel like we were part of their family. We did Christmas caroling/strolling though the ship with the staff, we had a Christmas carol sing a long one day, we really enjoyed their International Christmas choir on Christmas eve where the various Filipino, Indonesian and American Christmas carols were sung so beautifully by the staff and crew, Santa of course was there on Christmas day and gave presents to all the kids. Randall Powell was in the piano bar and was excellent. We enjoyed his Broadway show sing alongs several nights as well as his name that tune songs. He told us next week is his last week on the Maasdam and he'll be starting to tour with the Broadway play Hairspray in Chicago. He'll be a real loss to the Maasdam but hopefully he'll be back someday. Their nightly shows were OK, nothing great. They had several comedians, some singers, a ventriloquist and the Maasdam singers/dancers. The one show we liked the nost was called "Katzenjammer" and they were two dueling piano players that threw in some humor (sort of like a Victor Borge routine). Very good. I also enjoyed an Exploration Series of talks that were given by a former ship captain about ancient explorers, navigation, etc. Very interesting and informative.

 

Disembarkation - a breeze. We docked at around 8 AM. They started calling people at 8:30 and we were off and back at the hotel with our car loaded and on the road by 9:30 AM.

 

All in all it was a great cruise and we would definitely do it again. While I truly believe the Maasdam is a very elegant and beautiful ship and I like the low number of passengers on it, there were several people who had some issues in their rooms. We were very lucky and had no problems, but my In-laws had their power out in their room and most of the rooms on their hallway for about 6 hours on a sea day. Some of the public rooms (especially the Rembrandt Lounge where all the main shows were) seemed warm at times like the air conditioning may not have been working properly. I'm sure all of those things will be taken care of during it's dry dock in the Spring. Again, if you have any questions, I'd glad to try to answer them.

[VABeach]

Jeffyd,

 

What a great review!! It was a really great cruise. :)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Excellent Review!!

 

Loved the idea that you also supplied the websites of the companies that you used on your cruise.

[arzz]

Thank you for the review -- we were on board also and have not much to add, really -- we, too, had a great time and think that Norfolk is a great port to cruise from.

 

We had no issues at all with our room -- our cabin steward Aji was fantastic and our dining room stewards Toto and Ilham did very well also. Service in the dining room was a bit slow at times -- hard to tell why -- whether the stewards, as I suspect, are required to serve too many tables at once, or because we had someone at our table who made special requests every night. I always felt that Toto and Ilham were doing all that they could, but that the problem came from elsewhere.

 

We noticed and missed the large trays of hand dipped chocolate truffles that were missing from the Explorers lounge. If you asked, they brought out a small tray of chocolate (definitely not the hand dipped truffles of the past) and they put the tray away as soon as you were done helping yourself. This is definitely a change there!

 

We also missed the wreaths that usually decorate the doors at Christmas time. The ship itself, however, was decorated in a manner fitting its status as the "beautiful and elegant" Maasdam.

 

We were treated to excellent, personal service in the Ocean Bar by Myra and the rest of the Ocean Bar staff who remembered our names and drink preferences after the first night. Still very much up to Holland America standards there.

 

We very much loved the ship. We had not been on an "S" class ship for several years, (cruising "R" class instead -- not by design but by accident of itinerary and dates). Though we very much enjoy the "R" class ships we really did appreciate the intimacy of the Maasdam.

[iceman93]

Speaking of San Juan, when I booked my March Maasdam cruise it looked like San Juan was an overnight stay (they even had an evening shore excursion for a racy dance show), but now the website shows the same 7AM-1PM that you mentioned. Is this a permanent change? Did it in fact give you an extra sea day at the end?

[arzz]

It was my impression that the Maasdam can only make it back to Norfolk in time if they leave that early. Unlike other HAL ships we have been on the Maasdam appears to be at top speed at about 19.6 knots. And then, of course, there is the open Atlantic to deal with on the return -- we experienced "very high seas" (translates to waves as high as 30-40 feet) and winds of force 10 on the beaufort scale (translates as 55-60 knots) that were hitting the ship broadside -- made for an interesting day at sea to say the least. All this must be considered.

 

I, however, like San Juan as a port and was very disappointed at our short stay. One time I would like to be there long enough to tour El Junque and to wander the streets of Old San Juan without feeling pressure to get back to the ship on time!

[VABeach]

Speaking of San Juan, when I booked my March Maasdam cruise it looked like San Juan was an overnight stay (they even had an evening shore excursion for a racy dance show), but now the website shows the same 7AM-1PM that you mentioned. Is this a permanent change? Did it in fact give you an extra sea day at the end?

 

Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but I have been searching through cruise iteneraries to find one that stays in San Juan all day, and there doesn't seem to be any! All ships either come in in the morning and leave by 1:00 or 2:00, or they arrive at 3:00 and stay until 10:00pm. I have yet to find a cruise that docked in the morning and stayed all day. I wonder if it is a "San Juan" thing.

 

arzz, It was really nice meeting you and your DH. Maybe we'll see you again on the next Christmas cruise. :)

[arzz]

I agree with VABeach -- I just looked up our cruise in the brochure that I used when I boked (HAL's 4/05-4/07 Caribbean, Mexico and Panama Canal Cruises) and they clearly state 1:00 pm for San Juan on the 12/17 Maasdam -- but it is too bad we were not there longer

 

Enjoyed meeting you too -- the Cruise Critic friends that I met added a new dimension to my cruise -- have fun next Christmas! We will be cruising next Christmas on the Rotterdam (South America and Antarctica).

[BM64]

Sounds like a great cruise. Did you have chilly weather on your way down to Half Moon Cay or were you able to swim? Also, how did the kids enjoy the trip and was there enough to keep them busy on the ship? My kids loved the Zuiderdam. We would like to consider a trip out of Norfolk. Thanks for the info.

[jeffyd]

Hi BM64,

 

The weather was a little chilly the first day leaving Norfolk, but by the following day it was in the 80's from then on. We swam at Half Moon Cay and had a beautiful, warm day on the beach. My kids loved the cruise, but they too are big HAL fans (it's their 4th cruise on HAL). I had heard there were about 130 or so kids on board and mine each found several friends to hang out with and enjoy the cruise. We also do a lot of family things together playing ship sponsored game activities like Team Trivia, Scategories, Outburst, etc. I would also mention that the last day back coming into Norfolk was very chilly and had very rough seas. Several folks in our group got a little "green" if you know what I mean. This was the first time we sailed out of Norfolk and while I liked the shorter drive (we're in Charlotte, NC), the seas were a little rougher than we've ever experienced. I think I prefer sailing out of Port Canaveral, however HAL, my favorite cruise line, I believe has pulled the Zaandam out of there and does not have any other boats leaving from there. While the drive for us to Port Canaveral is longer than Norfolk, it was nice to always start off warmer and with calmer seas. Driving to Ft. Lauderdale or Miami is a bit much and to fly all 5 of us gets cost prohibitive. There's also the option to sail out of Charleston, SC but I don't believe many ships sail from there either. Hope that helps and happy cruising!

[geoherb]

We were on the 12/17 cruise too. I loved driving to Norfolk. It's a lot better than flying to Florida. The ship's channel was reporting seas at 12-18 feet. Were they really 30-40 feet? I tried to take a good photo of the spray coming up to the Lower Promenade Deck. This was the best I was able to capture. A lot of times, the wall of white spray was a lot higher--as evidenced by the wetness of the floor.

 

After eating breakfast, I felt a lot better. I kept it light just in case. I saw a lot of green looking people around the ship that day. I found being out on the Lower Promenade Deck to be exhilarating.

[arzz]

The ship's channel reported rough seas in the early am , then very rough seas a little later, then high seas (by afternoon - dinner time), then very high seas (30-40 feet) as we went to bed on monday night.

 

My guess is that they were at their highest around lunch time and early afternoon -- we have been on ships before with 20 plus foot seas, and it seemed to us that we were at least that high -- we were puzzled most of the day because the TV was not reporting them as high as they seemed. Sometimes I think they withhold information because it gets people upset.

[arzz]

Great photo Geoherb -- my DH went out on the sports deck in the morning and after he was hit by a flying garbage can he came in for the rest of the day. I have to hand it to you for actually going outside to get that photo! It is a great picture.

 

For Jeffyd -- the time we had 20 foot plus waves we were on the Zaandam (last day of our '04 Christmas cuise) sailing back into Port Canaveral. The ocean is the ocean, and as such is unpredictable. I do admit, however, that you are much less likely to endure such seas if you go in and out of south Florida and avoid hurricane season. Leaving from Norfolk you are susceptible to significant seas at all times of year because the ship's course is necessarily out in the open Atlantic.

 

For us, we were envigorated by the high seas but we felt very bad for the staff who were often as ill as many of the passengers -- not only did they have to do their jobs, but they had the constant clean up from the messes created by things, food trays, etc. going over in the unpredictable seas. Have to hand it to the HAL employees who just continue to shine under all circumstances.

[arzz]

In the morning, around the time that my DH was dumb enough to go out on the sports deck, the spray from the waves was not only occasionally going over the sports deck, but one wave, as we watched, even wet the port side windows of the crow's nest.

[arzz]

Sorry, double post

[jeffyd]

I agree- great picture Geoherb! I think I remember feeling that one!

 

Arzz, I agree with you, the ocean can do crazy things and we've just been lucky going out of Port Canaveral and never feeling anything like that. We've done the Easter cruise on the Zaandam the last 3 years and have had great weather each year.

 

VABeach, I meant to ask you, you didn't happen to have a 5th grade daughter in the Tweens activities did you? My daughter met a very nice friend who is in 5th grade and was from VA Beach and I just wondered if it happened to be your family.

 

I think we were all very fortunate to share our Christmas aboard the beautiful and elegant ms Maasdam!

[BM64]

Thanks Jeffyd,

 

We are trying to plan a cruise to take my mother on as a surprise. She refuses to fly which is our problem and we are from New Jersey. I know several ships now sail roundtrip out of NY all year but IMO, way to big a chance for rough seas. Norfolk would not be a bad drive, we are considering March 2007.

[geoherb]

Any cruise can have bad weather. Leaving Norfolk on Dec. 17 wasn't too bad. The worst seas we've experienced were on the Seaward, sailing back from Cozumel to Miami. That was December 1989. A massive cold front came down and made the seas pretty rough. I just checked and confirmed that Miami had a record low for Christmas Eve--the day we disembarked--33 degrees. We had seen all week long how cold it was back home, which made us glad we were on a cruise.

[VABeach]

VABeach, I meant to ask you, you didn't happen to have a 5th grade daughter in the Tweens activities did you? My daughter met a very nice friend who is in 5th grade and was from VA Beach and I just wondered if it happened to be your family.

 

I don't have any children. :)

[houseman89]

I appreciate your post a lot. We are booked on the Maasdam Jan 7th sailing out of Norfolk. (Live in Coastal N.C.) This will be our 3rd cruise (1st on HAL) and we decided to splurge for the Penthouse Suite since the cruise is 11 days. You only live once right? I've read many reviews, some very negative, some extremely positive. We are extremely excited, thanks all.

[Bubbacribb]

Houseman89

We're also ***** the Jan. 7th sailing. In cabin 16. It should be a fun trip. We live in Virginia Beach, so we don't have to drive more than 25 minutes.

Hope to see you there.

Frank

[SHERGIB]

Bubbacribb

Houseman89

 

We Are Also On 1/7 Maasdam. Driving To Norfolk From Statesville. Jeffyd, How Long Did It Take You From Charlotte ? We Have Sailed Three Times On Maasdam And Mnay Times On Hal. It's Our Favorite.

[jeffyd]

SHERGIB,

 

It took us about 5 to 6 hours, but that's with several stops, one of which was to sit down and eat. We ate at a cute little place called Arnold's Diner which I think was right where I-85 turns into Route 58 a little past the Raleigh area. It ended up being a good stopping point for us being just a little more than half way. Enjoy your cruise and say hi to Shy from Jeff and Linda (He's one of the guys who gives you your tray in the Lido for breakfast). We miss the Maasdam already!

[VABeach]

You guys are going to have a great trip!! Enjoy. :)

[WISCruiser]

Thanks Jeffyd,

 

We are trying to plan a cruise to take my mother on as a surprise. She refuses to fly which is our problem and we are from New Jersey. I know several ships now sail roundtrip out of NY all year but IMO, way to big a chance for rough seas. Norfolk would not be a bad drive, we are considering March 2007.

 

I hate to tell you this, but Holland America Line is leaving Norfolk on the 22nd of december 2006 for good;as having a ship leaving out of New York City now (the NEW Noordam), they felt Norfolk was to close to New York to have a ship leaving out of there too. (just like when HAL left Port Canaveral a year ago with the same thinking; Ft. Lauderdale being to close to Post Canaveral). The MS Noordam should be a fine ship to sail on anyways for you.

 

Happy Sailing!