What You Like & Don't Like About Maasdam

[cruzn single]

Have sailed on Maasdam, but in her younger years. Was one of my favorite ships. Have done Sea of Cortez (Ryndam/sister ship of Maasdam), and it truly was one of my favorite cruises. Loved the ports best of all of the several Mexican cruises that I have done.

[betonic]

We sailed 22 nights on the Maasdam in December and really enjoyed it. We liked the smaller size and lack of crowds. Our balcony cabin was comfortable, we had no A/C or plumbing problems.

 

 

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[mcrcruiser]

Have sailed on Maasdam, but in her younger years. Was one of my favorite ships. Have done Sea of Cortez (Ryndam/sister ship of Maasdam), and it truly was one of my favorite cruises. Loved the ports best of all of the several Mexican cruises that I have done.

 

We too have sailed with the Ryndam when she was in the HAL fleet & enjoyed that cruise quite a lot .

 

We are looking at Maasdam for the Mexican riviera up the Sea of Cortez as well . From what I see with these posts are mostly favorable comments . We do realize that Maasdam is quite old & things can go wrong on a ship of her age ;but ,we still would sail on her :)

[OlsSalt]

We too have sailed with the Ryndam when she was in the HAL fleet & enjoyed that cruise quite a lot .

 

We are looking at Maasdam for the Mexican riviera up the Sea of Cortez as well . From what I see with these posts are mostly favorable comments . We do realize that Maasdam is quite old & things can go wrong on a ship of her age ;but ,we still would sail on her :)

 

The only way we notice the Maasdam "shows her age" are the multiple layers of paint that have accumulated over time, and the relentless attack of rust spots that come from being out at sea which in turn creates the ongoing need to keep adding more layers of paint. Beyond that, she is in lovely condition today.

[puli]

On 9/27/2018 at 6:10 AM, mcrcruiser said:

 

We too have sailed with the Ryndam when she was in the HAL fleet & enjoyed that cruise quite a lot .

 

We are looking at Maasdam for the Mexican riviera up the Sea of Cortez as well . From what I see with these posts are mostly favorable comments . We do realize that Maasdam is quite old & things can go wrong on a ship of her age ;but ,we still would sail on her 🙂

we   are  also booked  on the Sea of Cortez  April 2020 cruise. ,We enjoyed it years ago and jumped at the chance to do a repeat with an additional day/port. My one concern is the possibility of "sewer odors"" which we have unfortunately experienced on some of the older HAL ships over the years. So far I have found no mention of this happening on the Maasdam so we remain good to go!

[OlsSalt]

13 hours ago, puli said:

we   are  also booked  on the Sea of Cortez  April 2020 cruise. ,We enjoyed it years ago and jumped at the chance to do a repeat with an additional day/port. My one concern is the possibility of "sewer odors"" which we have unfortunately experienced on some of the older HAL ships over the years. So far I have found no mention of this happening on the Maasdam so we remain good to go!

 

After her recent dry dock there were definitely pungent odors temporarily on the Maasdam while walking the outside Promenade deck. Some sort of function as I understood it of needing to clear some  tanks after dry dock, as explained during the talk with the captain - they resolved in short order, though there is a member review complaining this smell lasted for "weeks". Not according to our own experience. But they were present at the start of the cruise. 

 

That recent Maasdam drydock was subject to rain every single day in Freeport, so a number of projected outdoor projects could not be completed so we had to accept the compromises this created.  Stricter environmental regulations also control when certain ship tasks can be completed, which can also mean a narrow window of time that may get missed too.

 

We even smelled funky odors in certain places on the Crystal Symphony, so these events can be reported on almost every ship but are also part of life onboard any ship. We had some terrible scupper odors on the Amsterdam on one cruise that made our verandah unusable for the majority of the voyage. Again, something about cleaning out the systems and they did try to flush them frequently to cut this down. Inconvenience and disappointment yes; deal killer no. 

 

So will you get some unpleasant whiffs from time to time on any ship? Most likely. 

Edited November 5, 2018 by OlsSalt

[puli]

17 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

 

After her recent dry dock there were definitely pungent odors temporarily on the Maasdam while walking the outside Promenade deck. Some sort of function as I understood it of needing to clear some  tanks after dry dock, as explained during the talk with the captain - they resolved in short order, though there is a member review complaining this smell lasted for "weeks". Not according to our own experience. But they were present at the start of the cruise. 

 

That recent Maasdam drydock was subject to rain every single day in Freeport, so a number of projected outdoor projects could not be completed so we had to accept the compromises this created.  Stricter environmental regulations also control when certain ship tasks can be completed, which can also mean a narrow window of time that may get missed too.

 

We even smelled funky odors in certain places on the Crystal Symphony, so these events can be reported on almost every ship but are also part of life onboard any ship. We had some terrible scupper odors on the Amsterdam on one cruise that made our verandah unusable for the majority of the voyage. Again, something about cleaning out the systems and they did try to flush them frequently to cut this down. Inconvenience and disappointment yes; deal killer no. 

 

So will you get some unpleasant whiffs from time to time on any ship? Most likely. 

 Time to time unpleasantness is one thing  but 14 straight days with having to leave the veranda door open as much as possible (directed to do so by the NL concierge) was a bit much ...so this is one aspect of cruising I always research.

[OlsSalt]

11 minutes ago, puli said:

 Time to time unpleasantness is one thing  but 14 straight days with having to leave the veranda door open as much as possible (directed to do so by the NL concierge) was a bit much ...so this is one aspect of cruising I always research.

 

Not sure why the NL concierge gave you that poor advice. Probably out of frustration - you should have taken this directly to the Hotel Manager.  We walked all over that ship for over 30 days - we only noticed the main odor complaint for the first few days.  And it was a stinker - no question about that. 

Edited November 5, 2018 by OlsSalt

[puli]

2 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

 

Not sure why the NL concierge gave you that poor advice. Probably out of frustration - you should have taken this directly to the Hotel Manager.  We walked all over that ship for over 30 days - we only noticed the main odor complaint for the first few days.  And it was a stinker - no question about that. 

we did complain...we were on a b2b cruise and the H M admitted finally that the previous passengers in that  same suite had also made the same complaint. they chose not to say anything at the time  but later we received a check from the home office.

[Sea girl 23]

Oh lord..if I had smells in my room that could be alleviated by opening the balcony door,I would.

[OlsSalt]

35 minutes ago, Sea girl 23 said:

Oh lord..if I had smells in my room that could be alleviated by opening the balcony door,I would.

 

How about working cooperatively with everyone else on your HACV circuit and come up with a mutually beneficial solution with ship's personnel, rather than a unilateral act of defiance that punishes others for your own personal gain?

Edited November 5, 2018 by OlsSalt

[Sea girl 23]

Yes yes this and your “information” about noro  have been said again and again.

 

Not defiance..wanting to get rid of a smell in my cabin.🙄

[erewhon]

3 hours ago, puli said:

we did complain...we were on a b2b cruise and the H M admitted finally that the previous passengers in that  same suite had also made the same complaint. they chose not to say anything at the time  but later we received a check from the home office.

What was the number of your stateroom?

[puli]

24 minutes ago, erewhon said:

What was the number of your stateroom?

SA7068

[erewhon]

4 minutes ago, puli said:

SA7068

Was that on Maasdam? or another ship.

[JimnKaren]

Not trying to be a snot! But, are you cruising for the ports of call or the ship?

We have been on Maasdam for more than 70 days. We would not return except that the size and the layout fit our lifestyles. We have also been on Ryndam and Statendam (sister ships). Really, really like the Crow's Nest and the Library (coffee bar).

Think about what you want from a cruise. Getting into the Sea of Cortez is wonderful. You should fall in love with Loreto. La Paz is so different from the other ports in the Baja area.

Just do it!

Jim

[OlsSalt]

26 minutes ago, puli said:

SA7068

 

Maasdam Neptune  SA cabins go from 03-45, there is no SA 7068 on the Maasdam: https://www.hollandamerica.com/content/dam/hal/inventory-assets/ships/pdf-files/ma_2.pdf

Edited November 6, 2018 by OlsSalt

[puli]

20 minutes ago, erewhon said:

Was that on Maasdam? or another ship.

not  the Maasdam...it was the Noordam...a  B2B holiday  cruise out of Florida...off the top of my head not sure of the year but it was a horrid early winter here in the Pacific Northwest  and we almost missed our flight connections...

[erewhon]

Just now, puli said:

not  the Maasdam...it was the Noordam...a  B2B holiday  cruise out of Florida...off the top of my head not sure of the year but it was a horrid early winter here in the Pacific Northwest  and we almost missed our flight connections...

Thanks for your reply.

Thought you were referring to the Maasdam.

[erewhon]

9 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

 

Maasdam Neptune  SA cabins go from 03-45, there is no SA 7068 on the Maasdam: https://www.hollandamerica.com/content/dam/hal/inventory-assets/ships/pdf-files/ma_2.pdf

Yes, the Maasdam SA staterooms begin with a 0.

[OlsSalt]

1 minute ago, erewhon said:

Yes, the Maasdam SA staterooms begin with a 0.

 

There are 7000 series numbered Neptune suites on the Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam. 

[puli]

3 minutes ago, erewhon said:

Thanks for your reply.

Thought you were referring to the Maasdam.

oh no,  as I said in a previous post the Maasdam is one of our favorite ships...we are looking forward to cruising the Sea of Cortez on her in April 2020. HAL had added 6 hours in the Bahia  Magdalena  during  which I am hoping they will get out the Zodiacs and we can get up  close and personal with the whales and their babies.

[erewhon]

11 minutes ago, puli said:

oh no,  as I said in a previous post the Maasdam is one of our favorite ships...we are looking forward to cruising the Sea of Cortez on her in April 2020. HAL had added 6 hours in the Bahia  Magdalena  during  which I am hoping they will get out the Zodiacs and we can get up  close and personal with the whales and their babies.

Hope you can get up close and personal with the whales in 2020.

 

[Djptcp]

DH and I had a Neptune Suite on the Maasdam a few years ago and loved it and all the special extras that come with a Neptune. The ship was in good condition and the crew very friendly. The only thing we did not like about the Maasdam was the tiny casino that was so crowded every night.  We are gamblers and the size was very disappointing. If you are not gamblers, you should like the ship. 

[puli]

On 9/27/2018 at 6:30 AM, OlsSalt said:

 

The only way we notice the Maasdam "shows her age" are the multiple layers of paint that have accumulated over time, and the relentless attack of rust spots that come from being out at sea which in turn creates the ongoing need to keep adding more layers of paint. Beyond that, she is in lovely condition today.

 Do you know if during this past dry dock the A/C and  the leaks were repaired? Have you noticed either problems during this current cruise? you have not  mentioned these issues  so I am hoping  those types of comments  found in the recent CC reviews are now just history!