How about HAL's Maasdam?

[Oceanwench]

DH and I have sailed on three Vista ships and have had very few problems with the HC rooms.

Now we are looking at the Maasdam, which is a much smaller ship. There are only 6 HC cabins.

Has anyone stayed in one, and what did you think about the cabins and the ship in general?

DH is in a power wheelchair.

Thanks!

[Splinter]

We have not been on the Maasdam, but we have been on her sister ships the Statendam and Ryndam a number of times. We have been in both cabin G704 and G709, and for 3 of us it was quite spacious...with enough room for a roll-away bed for me. The best bed configuration was for the two twins to be separated and put against the walls in the little L area....if they are together it is hard to get a wheelchair on either side. There is a grab bar over one bed this way too. We put the bedside stands together in between.

 

The bathroom is a little small (not a full wheelchair turning radius) and when using the manual wheelchair my mother cannot sit at the sink without keeping the door open, but otherwise it met our needs and we were able to use the roll-in shower and toilet (using our own travel rolling shower/commode chair) with no problems. There is plenty of closet and drawer space, and the vanity is wheelchair accessible.

 

These cabins are in the lowest, most forward section of the ship, so you have port-holes instead of a window, but there is a wide shelf under both the port-holes, which gives us additional storage space that we like. You will get waves washing up on the windows in rougher seas, and they may even cover them with a porthole cover it it gets really rough (as it did when we were going around Cape Horn), but that didn't bother us.

 

As on other HAL ships, they don't use room service carts, so except for the last night we never have any problems with blocked hallways in getting to the elevator. The very top deck is the only one that is not accessible by an elevator. We have used the tender lifts on both. They work well (manual chairs of 18" seat width maximum only) but you will have to fight them to get off at a reasonable time, as they want to get everyone else off first before bringing out the tender that works with the lift. Keep fighting!

 

We actually don't spend much time in the cabin. My mother likes to sit in the Crow's Nest when at sea and in port as you have such good views there, and she also likes it as a place to people watch. Trivia is often held there too. The movie theater is also accessible, and the showroom is one of the few that allows you to get a wheelchair to just about any part of the room (including the front row) as all areas are ramped. We like the buffet too as the set up is more wheelchair friendly, and we never have any problems getting someone to carry my mother's tray for her. The free ice cream nearly all day long, and the fresh squeezed OJ in the buffet are are extra bonuses, although we do tend to eat most meals in the dining room.

[dkathi]

We just came back from Westerdam 1/21 sailing, had 4089 HC and found it to be a BIG problem because it is soo... small and difficult to get around in. I use an electric scooter and they had my scooter measurements when I booked. However, even with removing all extra furniture we could have removed from the cabin, it wasn't safe to keep the scooter in the cabin. It blocked the doorway, the closet and the bathroom. We had to turn it over every night on deck 1 to housekeeping and they managed to break my tiller, somehow. I came aboard with a scooter in top form and left with one barely making electrical contacts and leaning very much to the right, very crooked. When I reported same to HAL, they said "Don't you have insurance?". We were on the Maasdam last Feb 2006 and our HC cabin was huge and very comfortable and workable. It was on Main deck, port side forward, had 4 port holes, almost a double size cabin, no complaints. The Westerdam HC was the smallest I have ever had on any ship including NCL, Carnival. I think I'm done with HAL.

[Splinter]

As mentioned here before, HAL has two different classes of "accessible" cabins. One just has a wider doorway and grab-bars in the bathroom without a roll-in shower, and is suitable for those who are semi-ambulatory. The other has a roll-in shower, and is needed for anyone who needs to use a wheelchair or scooter full time. These are larger. You can get a list from the HAL special needs department, and also see this on their website. 4089 on the Westerdam is of the only semi-accessible category.

 

The first time we went on HAL, the special needs department arranged for us to get an e-mail of digital photos of the cabin we were considering. This helped a lot in making our decision. I would suggest that others do this as well.

 

The Westerdam also has a different deck and cabin layout than the Maasdam (or the Ryndam or Statendam). We hope to travel HAL again...right now it is our favorite cruise line.

[dkathi]

The special needs department is the one who secured cabin 4089 for me. They knew my needs, they knew the dimensions of my scooter and the bathroom of 4089 has a roll in shower. I had no problem with the bathroom, just the entire rest of the cabin. Kathi

[Splinter]

I don't expect that any special needs department knows what we need. We know what we need, and we ask the questions of the department that tell us if they offer it or not. At best, they are clueless about disability, esp. for severe disability. Calling them is just one tool in finding the right cabin. Looking on the ship's cabin layout and seeing that certain accessible cabins are clearly larger than others is the first clue on HAL about what you are going to get.

[CarolZaga]

My husband and I are considering booking a cruise on the Maasdam. We are considering HC accessible cabins C389 or C390 on the lower promenade deck. Although my husband is ambulatory after having a stroke, he has a difficult time stepping up/down into the bathroom; hence the need for a HC cabin. Can anyone comment on the accessibility of the cabin. Also, since the dining room is on the deck above, can anyone comment on the noise level? Any assistance would be very much appreciated. Thanks! By the way, I'm not sure I've done this the correct way as this is the first time I have posted. Perhaps I should have done this somewhere else, if so - I apologize.:)

[Oskie]

We are booked on the Maasdam for May 24th in C390. I have been told it has a roll in shower and is one of their fully accessible cabins. Some of the others on their ship are only partially handicapped.....I think there is a step up to get into the bathroom in those. I will report back after our cruise as to what we encountered.

 

I am curious about Maasdam as far as how accessible it is for disabilities. The other ship we have cruised on since his stroke is the Vision of the Seas and we were very happy with the automatic doors on all the decks. We have cruised twice on the Vision, once in a HC Junior Suite and another time in the Owner's Suite. The Owner's Suite was not handicapped, but my husband can walk a little and can do steps so was able to get into the bathroom. We LOVED the Owner's suite! The bathroom had a whirlpool bathtub and a glass enclosed shower.......also two sinks all in marble and a bidet. I'm afraid we are spoiled now. And this suite cost us less than C390 on the Maasdam.......who would have thought!

[leoandhugh]

We have found that on the S-class ships that not all the doors out on to the Promenade Deck are automatic, making it difficult for someone in a wheelie or scooter to open them and in other areas, where there are double sets of doors, one set may be automatic with electric eye and the other may not.

The S-class have one suite designated as Handicapped on their deck plans. However, when I questioned Seattle, they told me that it was "modified" Handicapped - meaning there is a lip or step up in to the bathroom and out on to the verandah, so it does not work for anyone who must use a scooter or wheelie to get around.

The Handicapped verandah cabins on the Vista ships are smaller and require some difficulty in moving around the cabin in a wheelchair. With the extra thick European type mattresses, there is barely room between the bottom end of the beds and the wall to propel a wheelchair without either skinning your knuckles or scraping the wall. We left a few scratches on our handicapped verandah on Westerdam when she was brand new!!

[montgomeryfamily]

The problem we had with the Maasdam was the air conditioning. It seems this is a continuing problem and affects some staterooms but not others. But it is difficult to find out which staterooms are affected. Then when people make complaints, they go in and make adjustments and it can affect your stateroom when before you were getting air conditioning just fine. We have been on all of the other S class HAL ships and the Maasdam is the only one that has this problem--something about the way the airconditioning system and vents are designed on this ship that is different about the others. Since air conditioning is important to us, we have decided to just stay clear of the Maasdam. Although it is possible that there would be no problem, we already know from experience what it is like when it is a problem. It is not worth the risk to us, especially since the other S class ships don't seem to have the problem. So this is just a warning about booking the Maasdam if air conditioning is an important consideration to you.

[Splinter]

As I remember, on the S class ships those "modified" cabins also have a tub and not a roll-in shower as the fully wheelchair accessible cabins do. We have not been on the Maasdam, but on the Statendam or the Ryndam we always get one of the fully accessible cabins which will sleep 3 (with a roll-away) and these are numbered G704 and G709 all the way forward on A deck.

[CarolZaga]

Hi everyone. Thanks so much for all of your responses regarding the handicap accessible cabins on the Maasdam -- very much appreciated!

Dear Oskie, looking forward to your assessment of cabin C389 on your May 24 cruise. Happy sailing!:)

[Oskie]

Just checking back in after our cruise on the Maasdam May 24-31. The Handicapped cabin C-390 worked out very well for us. We had to move the beds to a different configuration so that the wheelchair could move about freely.

 

It had a roll in shower and was very comfortable for us. We found everyone on the ship very courteous and would always go out of their way to let us go first on the elevators, hold doors for us, etc. This was much better than on Royal Caribbean where it was "Everyone for themselves" I think it was an older crowd on the Maasdam which would account for better manners.

 

The ports were great. We took private tours in most of the ports. There were always quite a few vans waiting by the ship when we got off. We just talked to them and arranged what we wanted to do.

 

Some of the ports we just rented a car. All in all it was a wonderful vacation. I just hate having to cook again! I thought the food was delicious and it was presented very well.

 

If anyone has any specific questions, I will be happy to answer them.

[CarolZaga]

Dear Oskie, Welcome back! So glad you had a delightful cruise. Thanks for the update on cabin C-390 on the Maasdam. Sounds like this cabin will work just fine for my husband and me. How did you find it with the window looking out on the promenade deck? I'm assuming that you had to keep the drapes closed for privacy especially in the evening -- yes? Again, thanks for the report back. :)

[Sundagger]

Dear Oskie, Welcome back! So glad you had a delightful cruise. Thanks for the update on cabin C-390 on the Maasdam. Sounds like this cabin will work just fine for my husband and me. How did you find it with the window looking out on the promenade deck? I'm assuming that you had to keep the drapes closed for privacy especially in the evening -- yes? Again, thanks for the report back. :)

 

I've had cabins on the Lower Promenade deck (the name of the deck that has cabins looking out at the Promenade). During the day, no one can see in the windows at all, but at night it would be best to close the curtains. With the lights on in the cabin at night, there is a *little* visibility from the outside.

[Oskie]

I agree with Sundagger regarding the windows........they are actually coated so it's similar to a mirror on the outside. No one can see in. However, at night we closed the drapes.

 

We had no problem with the temperature. There was a temperature adjustment in out cabin and it could get down right cold if we wanted. That was cabin C390 on the Maasdam.

 

The doors out to the Promenade deck were not automated and that was a little hard.........but we still managed. The theater was quite accessible and we used the new As You Wish dining. It worked very well. We would just go down to the dining room around 6:15 and ask to be seated. We didn't care what size table because we were with friends and not traveling alone. I can't speak for table for two, however there were quite a few of those around and tables for four. There was a little confusion on the first day and we had to wait, but the other days it was very smooth.

 

The lido Cafe had the exact same menu as the formal dining room. In the buffet line you picked up your bread and appetizer and then put in your order for main dish with the waiter and then go to your table. They would then bring you your main dish and offer drinks. Dessert was at the buffet line.

[Rusty B]

Hi, Oskie, And Others! We have booked Maasdam/C390 for a 2-week Caribbean Cruise. My husband is "wheelchair". Looked into renting an electric scooter and when we saw the cost, decided to buy one. Bought a Pride/Go-Go. Hope we made the right choice. Now, for my MANY questions & concerns... What is the best way to have the beds in this room arranged? We prefer "queen" but can do "twin" if it really makes a difference on "move-around space"!!! Would also like to keep the "window area" free to look out & see something...???... If we don't like our bed "choice" once we are onboard, will they be able/willing to change it for us? Is my husband going to be able to ride his "Go-Go" to embark & disembark the ship? And, in getting on/off in the ports? Is it pretty easy to "navigate" around the ship on this kind of a scooter? We have heard good things about HAL, but we have not been on one of their ships before... We like the idea of it being a "smaller" ship than others... We were on The Crown Princess last winter and it was VERY well equipped for handicap! We were disappointed that HAL did not have a balcony-room for handicapped, but we are smitten with this itinerary. ANY help you or others can give us (or even any photos!!!) would be GREATLY appreciated!!! HAL sent us a couple of photos of C390, and I freaked at first, over how small the room is!!! But, we need the fully handicap... All of your postings have been very helpful! I just need more to help me feel more secure!!! MANY THANKS to ALL!!! Judy (Rusty's wife)

[Rusty B]

Hi, ALL! Just wondering if anybody is reading our post and can answer???

Thanks, in advance!!!