Another May 13 Maasdam review!

[fhmoore]

After coming off my "patch" detox I'm ready to give my thoughts on our great Montreal to Boston cruise.

 

We arrived a day early in Montreal to drizzle and the thrill of a Quebecoise cabbie understanding my butchered high school French. The Marriott Residence Inn-Downtown was in a great location and was staffed by some very friendly and helpful people. Due to the rain we ditched the idea of exploring on our own and took a Grayline city tour. The highlight of which was the stunning Basilica of Notre Dame...a true must-see!

 

Embarkation was very disorganized but we noticed that 11:00 was noted as an early embarkation time in some info but the cruise docs stated 1:00. We gambled that 12:00 or 12:30 might work for hitting an in between time. We only had to wait about 45 minutes before or "number" was called. I was pleasantly surprised that the cabins were available immediately.

 

The cabins were very spacious and had way more storage space than I've ever had on any previous ship. We had a inside guarantee (NN) and got a category L on the Main (5) deck aft. The temperature was a bit erratic but a lot of that could be my tendency to hot flashes!! The shower size was terrific..you could lean over to pick up dropped soap without your butt hitting the tile or sticking out of the shower curtain! Bedding was fabulous. We had a few nights of very rough seas that woke me up but went right back to sleep on that great mattress. Our cabin location really felt the stern thrusters. Early in the morning of their first use...I woke up yelling at my husband....ICEBERG!!! Too much reading up on the Halifax/Titanic connection!

 

The impression of everything being new permeated the ship. The only problem with that was if you suffer from that "new carpet" syndrome, you'll be a little itchy-eyed and sneezy. After a few more sailings I don't think it will be noticeable!

 

Food-fabulous. The servings may be considered small...but they were actually the serving sizes you're supposed to eat. I never was hungry even if I skipped one of the courses. The chocolate souffle on the second or third night was the best thing that ever crossed these lips. I dream of it still!

 

Service -great. I do wish HAL would provide envelopes like Royal Caribbean that have a receipt for the pre-charged gratuity. It just felt funny not giving the waiters and steward something.

 

Quebec- Oh my God...Old Quebec was beautiful! I had no idea what to expect. We took a very reasonable priced country and city tour (http://www.quebeccitytours.com) that include Montmorency Falls, Ste. Anne de Bupre' (sp.?) and Vieux Quebec. A lot of fun with a very eccentric guide that filled us in on Quebec politics!

 

Charlottetown- Since I wasn't into the Anne of Green Gables stuff we just walked around and then stumbled onto a caleche (horse-drawn carriage) that really turned out to be a great ride. A very charming town with the friendliest people!

 

Sydney-Not expecting too much from this port but it ended up being one of the best. We shared a car rental with two other couples (I will mention them again later). We made up our own Cape Breton Trail tour! We drove to Baddeck to the Alexander Graham Bell Museum. We passed some of the most stunning scenery I've ever seen. I come from Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley is hard to beat..but, although a bit different topography, Nova Scotia is at the top of the list. We circled back to Sydney and ate lunch on the ship. We continued south to Louisbourg to see the restored fortress there. After June 1st, it will be fully open....It is sort of like Williamsburg with reenactors and taverns. We were only able to see a few of the building but it was amazing.

 

Halifax-We took a tour through http://www.molegatours.ca. We went to Peggy's Cove, the cemetery with Titanic victims and a brief tour of the city. We were dropped off at the Maritime Museum to see the Titanic exhibit and the 3-d film of the wreck (Awesome!). Peggy's Cove was foggy but it just added the the spookiness of the craggy location.

 

Bar Harbor- More wind and drizzle but it was just barely good enough conditions for us to take our much anticipated lobster boat tour (http://www.lululobsterboat.com). Even the rain and wind couldn't make this adventure not the highlight of the cruise. We learned everything you'd ever want to know about the crustacean but were afraid to ask! We pulled lobster traps, saw how they were baited, learned how lobsters are measured and how rules have been put in place to protect the future of good lobstering in Maine. We saw eagles nests, two types of seals, cormorands and other birds.

In the afternoon we took the ship's Acadia National Park tour which did not include Cadillac Mountain due to the weather conditions but we did see the Thunder Hole.

 

Entertainment- What I saw was good but from some reason I couldn't seem to stay awake. Very unusual for this night owl. Casino staff was very friendly and there were quite a few $3 minimum gaming tables. My only real complaint on the cruise was the scheduling of the the other fun stuff..Bingo, trivia, Name That Tune....was not well though out. If you had either of the late dinner seatings you were late (or missed entirely) getting to what I consider some of my favorite things on the cruise.

 

Debarkation-fastest, most efficient I've ever experienced!!

 

I noticed on another thread a question of when were the formal nights. The third night, Monday (sea day cruising the Saguenay fjord) and the sixth night, Thursday (Halifax) were the formal nights.

 

Going on the Maasdam reinforces my preference for smaller ships. I know they are few and far between nowadays but I wish for a miracle to happen and make them prevalent again. We usually travel with a group who didn't want to go on a "cold" itinerary! Since we'd never gone "solo" we wondered how much fun it would be. With the coziness of a small ship and some terrific fellow passengers we had a ball. Thanks to Neil, "Toronto Lynn", Alan and "N'awlins Lynn" we felt like we were travelling with old friends!!!

 

A great itinerary and ship! Bring on any questions!!!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for a lovely review. Loved the part about the "Titantic" thrusters.

[purplenorway]

Great review! In Quebec City, did you visit the Chateau Frontenac? Was it very far from the ship?

[mrskmirolla]

Great review, thank you. We are boarding on the 27th and can hardly wait. When was your informal night as we are packing and trying to figure out everything?? Did you use the laundry service?? Bags or unlimited?? Price of both and clothes returned when????

 

Thank you

 

Kathy

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Thanks, FHMoore, for a very entertaining and comprehensive review. I like your sense of humor:) Thanks for the excursion info, too.

[fhmoore]

The Chateau Frontenac was amazing...reminded me of a more "Europeanized" Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego. It was not far from the terminal but I'm not much of a walker and our van tour brought us back to ship.

 

The informal night was either Tuesday or Wednesday..can't remember! I didn't see much difference in the attire choice from casual by fellow cruisers. I wore a dressy top only because while packing I couldn't decide between it and the other one I brought for one of the formal nights!!! My husband did wear his navy suit coat over a shirt but no tie on that informal night.

 

We did not use the unlimited laundry service so not sure of it's price. The "all you can put in the bag" service was $12. Our steward picked it up around 9AM on Monday and it was in our cabin Wednesday when we returned from port. I think the order form said plan on 48 hour turnaround. We stuffed around 8 undies, 3-4 t-shirts, 3-4 pairs of socks, a couple of my cotton knit tops, a pair of white denim jeans and a pair of cotton knit pants. They came back nicely folded...no ironing included in this deal. I was impressed...

We never used the washer and dryers that were on our deck. Why waste the time when we could use the "bag" deal!

[lougee1043]

Service -great. I do wish HAL would provide envelopes like Royal Caribbean that have a receipt for the pre-charged gratuity. It just felt funny not giving the waiters and steward something.quote]

 

as i understand it the stewards and waiters are told that you have pre-tips in place for them ----

envelopes are available at the front desk and many pax bring their own as i do to give the staff an extra cash tip which they get to keep at long as the pre tip is still in place on the account

[RuthC]

There's plenty of envelopes available at the Front Desk---as is writing paper. Even if you don't want to give an extra tip, a thank-you note is a nice touch. As is mentioning a person by name on the Comment Card.