Should we be cancelling our trip on Masdaam

[carolandphil]

Having just signed up to this link this weekend, we posted a couple of questions and received courteous and informative replies. We then looked on some of the 'threads' and we are now beginning to feel concerned that we might have booked the wrong holiday.

 

We have had a tough year, hard work, family bereavements and the kind of stuff that families have to deal with. Our idea of a vacation is to have calm, NO STRESS, and convivial surroundings shared with like-minded people.

 

I have looked at threads that are critical of the food, service, ambience and have read some very heated debate around children’s DVD's in the dining room at night.

 

Having raised three children, we can think of nothing worse than having to endure an evening of other people's children, screaming around me. The kind of things I want to know about are: the facilities on board ship (ie: spa treatments etc), places we are going to visit and recommended trips.

Should we be looking to cancel ?.

 

We chose HAL as it seemed to offer understated elegance and comfort.

Has anyone got any positive input to help us decide whether we spend the holiday season at home in the cold UK or on the HAL ? :)

[sthrnbelle]

Please do not be discouraged by the posts that you may read here. You will learn after spending some time reading the contrasting reviews that your cruise will be exactly what you make of it. I feel that if someone allows the fact that the vinyl cusions on some of the onboard seating was cracked to affect their cruise experience, that they went aboard looking to find problems. My parents returned from their first cruise aboard the Masdaam yesterday and have been talking non-stop about it ever since. They found the food to be delicious, the service excellent and the overall experience to be just what they needed. They said that there were probably less than ten children on the whole boat (HAL is a traditionally an older crowd). If you experience problems during your stay, the staff will do whatever they can to accomadate you. Please continue to look forward to your trip and make the most of this amazing opportunity.

[jtl513]

We chose HAL as it seemed to offer understated elegance and comfort.

Has anyone got any positive input to help us decide whether we spend the holiday season at home in the cold UK or on the HAL ? :)

 

Reading reviews should be done like ice skating scoring used to be done: throw out the high and the low and average the rest. In fact maybe you should throw out the two lowest, because people in general tend to be much more prone to write a long complaint review than one of praise! :)

 

We've been on 3 HAL cruises, and while none have been perfect, they have all been great because we don't let the other people spoil our fun! :)

 

Cruise, and enjoy it! :D

[madhouseinc]

I have to agree! Researching my cruise has told me that NO cruiseline is perfect. Just go with an attitude that is open and friendly to both ship staff and fellow cruisers and I am sure you will have a wonderful time.

[tomc]

Take the cruise,

Ignore the reviews.

 

* * *

 

Our idea of a vacation is to have calm, NO STRESS, and convivial surroundings shared with like-minded people.

This is what you will find on the Maasdam. Lovely ship, lovely crew and a mature (in the best sense) passenger list.

I have looked at threads that are critical of the food, service and ambience.

I watched The History Channel's program on the Mayflower and they were saying the same; some things never change. These opinions are very subjective and, even when objective, change from cruise to cruise. I wouldn't worry about them.

Have read some very heated debate around children’s DVD's in the dining room at night.

As I recall, it was one kid on one cruise. I don't think there was any noise, just a spoiled brat watching a DVD at suppertime.

Should we be looking to cancel?

Definitely not; Just go and have a fine time. The kids' place is removed from where you will be, with the exception of the sports area, which is above the Lido Restaurant. You may hear basketballs or volleyballs hitting the deck. Spend your vacation on HAL.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Having just signed up to this link this weekend, we posted a couple of questions and received courteous and informative replies. We then looked on some of the 'threads' and we are now beginning to feel concerned that we might have booked the wrong holiday.........

 

 

:)

 

Dear Carol and Phil:

 

Another Cruise Critic member, sk8teacher, is currently onboard Maasdam, and it is his intention to report live from the ship. You might be interested to follow along with him.....

 

Look here for his thread.

 

A cruise line is just as susceptible to imperfection as any other human organization. It is ultimately your attitude and your response that will determine your enjoyment of, or disappointment in, your cruising experience. Bon Voyage:)

 

Karin

[SandyMc]

If you are looking for quiet relaxation and wonderful service, do not cancel your Maasdam cruise! It is an elegant ship with a crew that will remember your name after your first meeting - they will make you feel special and very welcome!

[Scrumpy]

We thoroughly enjoyed Maasdam several years ago. I especially enjoyed the spa, although it is a little over-priced compared to one on land. Some reviews will have negatives; that's the nature of the beast. I've made negative comments myself, but that doesn't mean that I've regretted our decision to cruise or that our trips were ruined. Overall, I have always come out happy that we went and had plenty of good memories. If you have issues, the staff will normally do everything they can to correct them and it will usually take only one phone call. If you go with realistic expectations, you shouldn't be disappointed. The food will not be the best you've ever had, the service may sometimes be slow, and there might be a few other glitches. Overall, it should be relaxing and pleasant. The staff are usually very friendly and helpful. We've met some very nice people among our fellow passengers and seen very, very few obnoxious ones; also, the ships do not seem to have a lot of children. The ones that are there are mostly well-behaved. You have to see it for yourself because what one person raves about may disappoint another. I hope you go and that you have a wonderful cruise!

[May4]

I really do think you will feel at home on the Maasdam. I don't know why so many passengers look for something to get touchy about when they cruise. It's their loss, I think.

 

You will most certainly be able to relax and refresh on board. The ship is lovely, and the entire crew will astound you with their kindness and attention to detail.

 

May your days on the ocean be just what you need after what you've told us was a tough year.

 

I am wishing all the best for you in the holiday season.

:)

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Dear Carol and Phil:

 

After reading all your posts, I've just put two and two together, and found out that you are travelling on Maasdam on December, 24th, correct? There is already a Cruise Critic group over on the roll call forum for this cruise. You may wish to join them; it's a lovely way to get acquainted with other passengers on your cruise. It's also a great way to share information, get some questions answered, and just generally share in the excitement of preparing for your trip!

 

Look here for the December 24 Maasdam roll call

 

Have a lovely holiday:)

 

Karin

[BumperII]

I have looked at threads that are critical of the food, service, ambience and have read some very heated debate around children’s DVD's in the dining room at night.

 

We chose HAL as it seemed to offer understated elegance and comfort.

Has anyone got any positive input to help us decide whether we spend the holiday season at home in the cold UK or on the HAL ? :)

 

"Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?" Groucho Marx

One can only hope that you go on your cruise and enjoy every minute of it. We have never been on a cruise we didn't enjoy, but one must admit that some cruises have been a little more enjoyable than others. And so far, by a slight margin, the Maasdam is our favorite ship. We have taken two cruises with her, and we will be back to see her again.

The negative remarks I see posted are for the most part anecdotel, they are the exception, not the rule. As in the case of the DVD, they made the proverbial mountain out of a molehill. Yes there are some children on Maasdam cruises, but we are hardly aware of them, as they seem to be well parented and they enjoy Club HAL. I have no doubt that somewhere along the line, some child misbehaved, but it just isn't a problem on the Maasdam.

As soon as we get aboard, we lock the cell phones in the safe. We enjoy the formal dinners and the traditional ambiance of the ship. We like the float planes, the submarines, the trams, the glass bottom boats and the narrow guage old time trains. We really enjoy the input from all the folks who post here, and we have learned quite a bit to help us further enjoy the cruise experience. I regret that some folks have had bad experiences, but it is our own overwhelmingly enjoyable experiences that keep us cruising.

Please, don't let someone else's dissatisfaction rain on your parade. (I've cleaned that statement up some.)

[sail7seas]

You can never please all of the people all of the time. You will read good reports and bad reports from different cruisers on the same ship at the same time. Some people have a wonderful time; some have complaints. That is not to say that when someone states they didn't have air conditioning, that it didn't happen. Of course it is possible they had a/c problems. But that is one person's report out of a passenger load of about 1,200.

 

One person may not have enjoyed the food in the dining room as much as they might have. Perhaps the other 1,199 people thought it was great. Or someplace between great and not all they hoped it would be.

 

 

We have cruised Maasdam at least 15 cruises and have four more booked for her next summer.....two sets of back-to-backs. It is impossible for me to imagine a better crew than Maasdam's. We have had fabulous crews on all of HAL ships but I don't think any were better.

 

No one wants to risk their vacation time or money. We all want the best experience possible.

 

No one can make a guarantee all will be perfect anywhere you go....be it land or sea. We checked into a favorite hotel last year and found the pool totally shut for three days; one of the restaurants closed for renovations and 2 of 3 elevators out of service etc etc It was a very slow booking time so they took the opportunity to do this work. GREAT but what about those of us who were staying there? The hotel made it up to us as best they could. We were disappointed at that hotel stay.

 

Go with a reasonable expectation to enjoy yourself; have nice dinners; enjoy wonderful, friendly, genuine service on a very beautiful, comfortable ship that stops at fun ports......outside of good weather and pleasant travelmates.....what more can anyone want or need?

 

Don't cancel. Maasdam is a beautiful ship with a terrific crew that provides a wonderful cruise vacation. Hope you enjoy Maasdam as much as we always do.

[Copper10-8]

It's been said in many ways already - here's another one: "Opinions are like rear ends (the pg version), everyone has one". What passenger A likes and enjoys on a ship like Maasdam, passenger B absolutely hates. It's all subjective as to what you experience, like and/or dislike. Maasdam, like her sisters of the "S" class, is a beautiful ship. Her crew will aim to please and the food is pretty darn good (again, subjective;)). Please don't cancel your reservation but instead go out and enjoy yourselves! Make the most out of it that you can and do as much or as little as you want.

 

Do one thing though; if you encounter something that bugs you so much that it has to potential to ruin your cruise, bring it to the atention of a staff member onboard, preferably, the Guest Relations Manager. Don't wait until you come home because it's too late to do anything about it then except for the proverbial "ah shucks" letter to Mr. Kruse.

The thing with the kids at the dinner table is really not that bad. OK, if Mr. Murphy is one of your tablemates and brings a little darling along that screams and yells every nite at dinner, it's time to go to plan B and a.) move with the assistance of the culinary ops mngr/maitre 'd, b.) have dinner elsewhere, c.) give the kid a DVD player:rolleyes: , or d.) all of the above.

Have a great cruise and relax! That's what cruising is all about!:)

[Copper10-8]

#@&@%* White screen gremlins:mad:

[grannynurse]

Most likely everyone on this board has noticed that the unfavorable comments and reviews get more attention that the favorable ones. In fact when alot of us counter a bad report with something positive we are branded as HAL applogists. When I see something that might poorly impact my next cruise, like something I saw this morning, I start to look for similar themes over a period of time. If poster after poster over a period of weeks or months brings up the same sore points I'll start to wonder too if I've made a mistake.

If something(s) is/are negatively commented on, I have to decide what that means to me and it's impact on my vacation.

 

Sail7 reported that while she was on Maasdam this summer HAL stopped serving hot and cold hors d'ourves before dinner. I always enjoyed that service and responded with "phooey" or something stronger. I knew I would miss it but it wasn't a deal-breaker. Lo and behold, when we boarded Westerdam in September we were served the "missing" hors d'ourves. Westerdam's schedule was a bit behind Maasdam's. I've never been on "the perfect cruise", some come pretty darn close though.

I know that some people honestly experience nightmare events, and we probably hear more about them on this type of forum, but truthfully, I believe that the true cruise from HELL is rare.

Most of us are pretty well blessed being able to cruise at all. Maybe some of us place our expectations too high or we create mountains of despair for ourselves, or choose to pay high dollar to stay angry over something unworthy of our efforts to raise our own blood pressures.

Ship happens but it doesn't have to become our legacy to keep harping on it. I've been guilty of over-dramatizing too, but I'm learning to "get over me".

Hope this helps,

GN

[arzz]

We have been on many cruises -- our last "many" cruises have been on HAL as this is the cruise line of our choice. Until this year we were limited to traveling during school vacations as we were teachers. While we were teaching it was especially important to us to just "relax and get away from it all" during our cruise. HAL always fits that criteria.

 

We have taken many Christmas and Easter cruises. We were on the Maasdam last Christmas. Yes there were children on board. But as always, on HAL, the children are well taken care of by attentive parents and excellent on board programs. The larger Vista ships attract more kids than do the smaller Maasdam. As with anything else in life, there are exceptions with the occasional outrageous child or inattentive parent. These, however are the exceptions and not the rule in our experience with HAL.

 

Our Maasdam Christmas cruise was wonderful, restful and quiet. The Maasdam is one of my favorite HAL ships because of its size and its elegance. It has an incredible collection of art work on board. Lots of good spaces to curl up with a book, or sit on the promenade and quietly meld with the ocean. There are also lots of on board adult activities. Though there are kids on board HAL at holiday time, in our many holiday cruises, we have never found them disruptive on HAL. There were no issues that I recall even in the dining room during dinner on last Christmas' cruise. We do not, as a rule, lay out in the sun around the pool and I do imagine that the kids gather there with their families so I cannot speak to pool issues -- but, then again, isn't the aft poor adults only?

 

If you are cruising at a non-holiday time, and non-school vacation time you will probably have almost no children on board at all. On the Volendam in October, I do believe that DH and I can only recall seeing two children (pre-school age) being well watched and cared for by their parents.

 

My advice is "do not cancel your cruise!" Go and enjoy.

[SandRaven]

We just did the 11/8 Maasdam Southern Caribbean from Norfolk, and had a blast! I'm surprised that I read a negative review from the same 11/8 trip. I guess alot depends on what you do with your time, what you order for dinner, and the stateroom that fate deals you. I'll write a review after I get my desk cleared from all this catch-up work. I suppose a cruise is sort of like a wedding; some things will go wrong, but most things will be great. I miss the Maasdam already, and would certainly cruise on this ship again if possible. :cool:

[bdcbbq]

We chose HAL as it seemed to offer understated elegance and comfort.

Has anyone got any positive input to help us decide whether we spend the holiday season at home in the cold UK or on the HAL ? :)

 

Several years ago I was undergoing treatment for a major health issue. The treatment lasted for a year and was very stressful with multiple side effects including flu-like symptoms, aches and pains, depression, irritability, loss of energy, etc. and was quite miserable for me and particularly my wife who had to put up with me.

 

Since we both worked in school systems, we decided and planned a trip to FL over the Christmas and New Year holidays. We booked HAL's Veendam New Year's Holiday Cruise and it was perfect. Many elderly people with their families which ranged down to great-grandchildren. Lots of couples with young adult children and grandchildren. Some kids, enough to get some laughs and be cute, but not too many to cause trouble. A great mix of people of various ages. We were in our very late 40's and had a great time. We came back tired but refreshed. I think you will find HAL to meet your needs.

[senator6]

I would not cancel if I were you- but it's your choice. We have been on the Maasdam several times and have always had an excellent cruise. Have we run into minor difficulties-yes but they truly are small if you don't let it get to you. To us what make the Maasdam special is the crew. They are overall, In my view, the best from the Captain on down.

[sail7seas]

Where is OP?

 

Any specific questions or issues we haven't addressed?

 

[Amber14]

I can't speak for the OP, but you have all helped me out a lot. I, like the OP, read some of the recent negative reviews of the Maasdam and was having second thoughts. Your comments have made me feel much better.

 

I have read so much about the beautiful Maasdam and can't wait to sail in April. I usually don't notice much "wear and tear" unless it is really bad and I find it hard to believe that the Maasdam would be that bad.

 

My dh will probably be thrilled if our AC is stuck on 74 - he is always complaining about how cold he is!!! :D

 

Thanks so much to all of you who posted. I can safely go back to happily counting the days until April and dreaming every minute of what it will be like on board the Maasdam. :)

[biddy belle]

We, too, are booked on Maasdam in @3 weeks, and if we had never cruised with Hal before, today's reviews would have unnerved us, also. Hal far surpassed the service and amenities we have had in years gone by on Chandris(aka Celebrity), and American Hawaiian, and we look forward to another wonderful vacation. Yes, the Atlantic is an ocean and often turbulent...take ginger and bonine as needed. Yes,ac goes out intermittently...our heat is acting finicky here at home right now...go up on deck and socialize. Every meal isn't cooked by Emeril, but I didn't prep the veggies or stack the dishwasher after...have a Spanish coffee in the Crow's Nest after and relax. Have a wonderful trip...I know we will.

[crazy4cruisn]

We cruised Maasdam Montreal to Norfolk last fall before the remodel. We loved it then and would love to see it now. It is our favorite ship so far. The wonderful staff went out of their way to accommodate us. Happy cruising! Enjoy!!

[CruiserNana]

We have been on the Maasdam three times and have enjoyed every trip. (Panama Canal, Baltic Sea, Boston to Montreal via St. Lawrence) Our tenth HAL cruise starts on December 29 (it's our 19th cruise since we retired ten years ago).

The comedians joke that Holland America is the "gray-haired line". If so, we love it.

If you don't like your dinner companions, change tables or get a table for two.

When everyone leaves the ship for shore excursions (water sports, beaches, etc.) stay onboard and book a pedicure, read, lounge in the sun, etc.

Go with the flow. Enjoy your cruise.:) ;) :D

[carolandphil]

Thank you all so much for your positive replies. I am sure that we will enjoy cruise, we are generally ok with minor issues and if we do have any problems would raise them at the time. Will certainly keep reading reviews because there are some interesting tips to be gained but will disregard the negative, and form our own judgement.

Right now am just setting off to work on another cold and very wet morning, the thought of some sunshine and relax time seems wonderful:)