Home from our Much Loved MAASDAM........

[GmaPajama]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="4"]I'm curious, Sail, to know if the Suite Indonesian Dinner was done on this cruise - instead of the usual Suite Luncheon. It was such a highlight for us in November, we are really hoping it becomes something regular there.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[sail7seas]

[quote name='sapper1']Sail---Glad you had a great cruise on the Maasdam. We love her as well.

Just a question for you. You mentioned that you had spent time at the Hyatt Pier 66 prior to your cruise. We will be there for two nights in March before we sail on the Eurodam. We plan to return to the Bimini Boatyard to have dinner one of the nights but I was wondering if you had a recommendation for a good place to eat on the second night. We can always fall back on Outback but I think it would be nice to try something nice on the water. We really enjoyed the food and the terrace at Bimini Boatyard so someplace along that line would be great. Alfresco dining in winter is such a treat for those of us who live in the snow belt-----I am sure you know the feeling.;)

And by the way---Merry Christmas!!![/quote]


[B]Sapper,[/B]
[B]You may not know that Bimini Boat Yard was sold...the whole strip mall. We ate there in June when we spent a week in FLL and were very disappointed. It was not good (in our opinion) and we would not return.[/B]

[B]The prices are on the high side but for views, service and wonderful dinner, I highly recommend Grille 66 at Hyatt Pier 66 Hotel. We have dined there a number of times through the years and always enjoy it. You can eat on the patio or inside. Patio views are right on the intercoastal or of the Hyatt's Marina. Both are delightful.[/B]

[B]Here is a link to their menu: [URL="http://www.Grille66andbar.com/pdf/Grille%20Menu%202009.pdf"]www.Grille66andbar.com/pdf/Grille%20Menu%202009.pdf[/URL][/B]

[B]Some folks may mention 15th Street Fisheries but, again, we found they have gone very touristy and we have stopped dining there.[/B]

[B]Very near Hyatt Pier 66 is a newly named restaurant run by the same people who own/manage Jackson's Steakhouse. It is called Jackson's Bistro. [/B]

[sail7seas]

[quote name='GmaPajama'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4]I'm curious, Sail, to know if the Suite Indonesian Dinner was done on this cruise - instead of the usual Suite Luncheon. It was such a highlight for us in November, we are really hoping it becomes something regular there.[/SIZE][/FONT][/quote]


[B]YES, :) They held Indonesian Lunch for Suite guests but, as usual, we didn't attend. I heard it was wonderful.[/B]

[sapper1]

[quote name='sail7seas'][B]Sapper,[/B]
[B]You may not know that Bimini Boat Yard was sold...the whole strip mall. We ate there in June when we spent a week in FLL and were very disappointed. It was not good (in our opinion) and we would not return.[/B]

[B]The prices are on the high side but for views, service and wonderful dinner, I highly recommend Grille 66 at Hyatt Pier 66 Hotel. We have dined there a number of times through the years and always enjoy it. You can eat on the patio or inside. Patio views are right on the intercoastal or of the Hyatt's Marina. Both are delightful.[/B]

[B]Here is a link to their menu: [URL="http://www.Grille66andbar.com/pdf/Grille%20Menu%202009.pdf"]www.Grille66andbar.com/pdf/Grille%20Menu%202009.pdf[/URL][/B]

[B]Some folks may mention 15th Street Fisheries but, again, we found they have gone very touristy and we have stopped dining there.[/B]

[B]Very near Hyatt Pier 66 is a newly named restaurant run by the same people who own/manage Jackson's Steakhouse. It is called Jackson's Bistro. [/B][/quote]
Thank you so much for the heads up on Bimini Boat Yard. The Grille 66 sounds like a good plan for the first night when we will be tired from travelling. Our flight leaves Moncton, NB at 6AM so you can guess what time we will be up.
We will investigate Jackson's Bistro for the second night.
I see there is a Seasons 52 at the Galleria Mall. We ate at one in Orlando a few years ago and were greatly impressed. Since I know we will be at the mall over lunch time, I think that might be a place to consider. (My husband doesn't know we will be at the mall but I do.) :) I chose the Hyatt Pier 66 because it is right by the water taxi which will take me to the mall-----planning is everything.

Thanks for your suggestions.

[sail7seas]

[B]The water taxi at Hyatt is very convenient. It boards at the rear of Grille 66....the dock just behind the restaurant. You will love walking down at the Marina.

When you check in, ask if it is possible to have a room facing Port Everglades. The view from the balcony is wonderful. (We much prefer rooms in the Tower than Lanai. It is personal preference and some like the Lanai rooms but they are not to my taste.)

Breakfast is well done in the Hyatt, we think. They built a new room open only for breakfast and they serve buffet as well as waiter service. I like egg white omelettes so get the buffet for fruit and berries etc and have the wait person bring my egg white omellette.

If you want lunch at Galleria, you might want to look at Capitol Grill's menu. They have a Boston location that is highly rated and opened a while ago in FLL. Saks Fifth Avenue closed due to lack of business. :( DH got stuck on a shopping trip to Galleria with me in June but I gave him a break this time.

Merry Christmas to you and yours, as well.
[/B]

[sapper1]

The water taxi at Hyatt is very convenient. It boards at the rear of Grille 66....the dock just behind the restaurant. You will love walking down at the Marina.

 

When you check in, ask if it is possible to have a room facing Port Everglades. The view from the balcony is wonderful. (We much prefer rooms in the Tower than Lanai. It is personal preference and some like the Lanai rooms but they are not to my taste.)

 

Breakfast is well done in the Hyatt, we think. They built a new room open only for breakfast and they serve buffet as well as waiter service. I like egg white omelettes so get the buffet for fruit and berries etc and have the wait person bring my egg white omellette.

 

If you want lunch at Galleria, you might want to look at Capitol Grill's menu. They have a Boston location that is highly rated and opened a while ago in FLL. Saks Fifth Avenue closed due to lack of business. :( DH got stuck on a shopping trip to Galleria with me in June but I gave him a break this time.

 

Merry Christmas to you and yours, as well.

So many choices and so little time!!!--I will write down all these names--appreciate you taking the time to advise me.

Too bad about Saks-----hope they still have Macy's and Dillards.

[Bobed1927]

Yeah, I sure would have. I'd have given him the "tip" to drive carefully in that snow up to Maine!

 

As you said, you didn't ask for that "service," so I wouldn't have cared how good it was, I wouldn't have tipped or paid a cent. It's not your problem that he worked all night. He has to take that up with his employer, not you.

Kyros said,

"... I was literally dancing with joy. All I had in that luggage was casual clothes ... jeans and tee-shirts. I was in California to take the "baby bar" exam ... a requirement when you attend a non-ABA-approved law school (I was studying online with Concord University). I got home and quickly prepared a "list" of what I "lost" ... figured the airline service was crap, so now they could compensate me."

 

All day the next day I kept checking my front porch ... no luggage. Yipee! I kept saying as I worked on my "list." That night I went to work figuring I'd file the claim in the morning. Don't you know it? I open my front porch door and there's my suitcase. Boy, was I disappointed as I tore up my list. :(

 

I figured you'd get your luggage fine ... just as I did. The airlines don't make money paying out claims. :(

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

Kyros--Let me get this straight. You would have stiffed the poor guy who slogged through the snow to deliver the luggage that was lost through no fault of his and you had planned on cheating the airline by preparing an embellished list of lost items in a lost luggage claim. In other words you wanted to get money for something you didn't deserve but you wouldn't give a couple of bucks to a guy who did deserve them. Not something, in my book, that I would have bragged about. Maybe you should have attended an ABA approved law school where they had a course on ethics.

[sail7seas]

There has been much conversation about show times on the ships and though DH and I rarely attend shows, I made note they were at 7 and 9 P.M. most nights. Whenever we do go, we like to slip into the upper level of the lounge, take a seat for a bit and slip out. Seems we never got to do that at all this cruise so cannot comment about the shows.

 

About mid-cruise, I remembered I needed to purchase us some future cruise credits. I went after dinner, saw Alan, Maasdam's Future Cruise Consultant, and challenged him to accomplish this purchase in five minutes or less. :) I had no desire to book any specific cruise but it seems silly to not buy at least a few future credits in order to be able to place the low deposit and get the shipboard credit if one knows they intend to cruise again within the next four years. He almost accomplished the time window and probably would have had I known our Mariners numbers but I did not have them with me and he had to look them up.

 

We always enjoy Barbados and it was great this time as unlike on most previous visits, we had the great dock. We are usually the ship docked far down but Captain Draper had us tied up within easy, fast walk to the terminal. SilverSea cruise line was embarking/disembarking as was Maasdam. This was one of the cruises where guests had the option to sail 14 days round trip from FLL or from Barbados. It was expected Europeans (Brits) might like the ability to fly non-stop to Barbados, board the ship and then fly straight home. It didn't seem to be as popular as some thought it would be. I actually thought it a good idea. Few folks signed up for that as far as I could see. There was barely any embarkation/disembarkation. A good idea that didn't seem to work out.

 

Because of the anticipation of 'new boards', the itinerary called for a late departure. We watcjed as Statendam sailed away (and failed to 'toot' farewell to us :( ) and the Silvercloud and we stayed tied up.

 

It was very hot and humid with gorgeous bright sun and the weather got me a little. We caught a taxi to town where normally we would walk. Did an errand and got a ride back. It had been our intention to visit the Concorde and then spend the day at the beach. We changed our plans in order for me to be more comfortable on the ship. Most days the heat and humidity were welcome but in Barbados I found it a bit too steamy. For those who complain about Maasdam's a/c, it was most welcome and certainly sufficient to make me comfortable that day!! :)

 

On the flip side, most days we walked Maasdam's wonderful teak deck on Lower Promenade. I decided to take along my old, handy, tiny Sony Walkman Radio. Remember those? In the days of I-Pods etc , I thought it might be fun to use my little radio and pick up local stations when in port. Ever hear Reggae Christmas Carols? Wild!!! Absolutely loved in St. Maarten I had my radio and earphones and marched around the deck to Deck the Halls being sung Reggae. Fantastic. That'll sure bring Christmas spirit when in the tropics!

 

In St. Maarten, we were docked with a few other ships. P&O Ventura was there......ugly IMO. Didn't like the look at all.

 

Got a kick out of seeing "X's" former ship, Horizon. She is now Island Star. We sailed her sister, Zenith, a number of times and prior to RCI purchasing her, had some fun cruises on that ship. Her Royal Suite was fabulous though lacking a veranda. Seranade of the Seas was also there.

 

In St. Lucia, we were the big ship if you can believe that. :D We were in with "Royal Princess"..... the former Renaissance ship R7. Also was a Silversea ship. Both smaller than Maasdam's hefty 55,000 tons. Because of it, we got the good dock, Royal Princess beside us and Silversea had to tender her guests ashore.

 

We walked the cute, tourist, shopping area and got caught in a torrential downpour. DH was thrilled to find a new pair of tuxedo shoes..... for some reason, the ones he always wears started to hurt him. He was a good sport and wore them the first two formal nights but when he found new ones in St. Lucia, we happily discarded the old ones.

 

Speaking of that.......

 

DH chose to discard the tux shoes I just mentioned (which were in excellent condition but why lug home shoes that hurt?) and a tuxedo shirt he no longer liked. I neatly placed each on the top of our wastebasket and the steward removed them and placed them on the floor beside the basket. I put them back into the wastebasket and again, steward did not remove them. It occured to me, he might think he knew someone who could use these things. I was rushed and didn't see him until the last day so put these items in the empty laundry basket and told the concierge to please mention the steward should feel free to take them if he wanted. I found it so professional and polite of him to not assume he could have them without my expressly saying so.

 

Then it occured to me, who knows what possible mess some innocent steward may have found himself with some other guest who was messy or sloppy and accidentally put something in a wastebasket they didn't mean to discard. These poor fellows have to fold themselves in half to avoid any appearance they have done something wrong so innocently. That really made me feel bad but, sadly, there is always one jerk out there ready to get these fellows in a mess.

 

So...... If they can have whatever you are discarding, I suggest putting a quick note on it. :)

 

I love those stewards and always marvel at how they take such good care of us. The smallest praise or thank you lights their faces with joy. They are magnificent IMO

 

 

 

 

 

[GmaPajama]

I just keep soaking it all in, Sail. Thanks so much for sharing your cruise with us this way. I'm glad FCC Alan accomplished the task you set out for him. Those Future Cruise Deposits are wonderful. DH says we can't afford not to use ours, so I guess that means a few more cruises for sure. :)

[kryos]

Kyros--Let me get this straight. You would have stiffed the poor guy who slogged through the snow to deliver the luggage that was lost through no fault of his and you had planned on cheating the airline by preparing an embellished list of lost items in a lost luggage claim. In other words you wanted to get money for something you didn't deserve but you wouldn't give a couple of bucks to a guy who did deserve them. Not something, in my book, that I would have bragged about. Maybe you should have attended an ABA approved law school where they had a course on ethics.

I don't care whose fault it was ... as for the guy slogging through the ice and snow ... he's getting paid for his trouble. Care to have me tell you how many times I slogged through ice and snow to come in to work? And I don't drive, but have to take the bus. Think anyone bothered to tip me? Heck no, and I don't blame them. It was my JOB, so I did it and expected my boss to remember my loyalty in doing so when others didn't. Same with him. Since Sail didn't request his "services," I don't blame her. I wouldn't have tipped him a nickle either.

 

Now as for ethics ... let me tell you something. I was inconvenienced by the airline's stupidity in losing my bag. You betcha that if they had permanently lost my bag, I would have filed a nice claim. Yes, the things I had in there were not of that much value, but to me they were. I had lots of bar prep materials and whatnot ... things I had carefully outlined. If that bag had been lost, those things ... to me ... would have easily been worth $2,500 ... though I would have had to "doctor up" a claim to get that value back. Do you realize how many hours it would have taken me to reoutline all that stuff for the regular bar exam? Do you know what the value to me was of the stuff I collected while on that trip for a baby bar review and then to take the actual exam? Things I got from my fellow students ... and my school ... various bar prep stuff, novelties like a pencil in the shape of a gavel, another pencil with RTFQ on it (Q stands for question, you figure out the rest), a bobble head of one of our professors, and the list goes on and on. You can't place a monetary value on that stuff ... and if you listed it on a claim form, you would merely get pennies for it. Yet it would take you a long time to "re-collect" it.

 

And as for a course in ethics, I did have one. It is called Professional Responsibility and it's an extra section of the bar ... totally removed from the normal three-day bar exam required in the state of California.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[sail7seas]

St. Maarten....... A beautiful day with a few showers.

We walked to town and were amazed how many stores have been added along the route. When we first started walking from the dock, years ago, there was a store here and there, now one after another. We got a shower and ducked into one for a few minutes until it passed. Within a few minutes, we were out walking again.

 

We made it a point to glance in jewelry stores specifically to see how many cruise passengers were taking out their wallets. Nada, Zip, Nil.......business stunk, in plain English. People were not spending any more freely on their Caribbean cruises any more freely than they are spending at home.

There were probably about 7,000 cruise passengers in port and many stores had not a single customer inside.

 

We enjoyed the walk, window shopped, and for the first time ever we did not spend a cent either except for a cold drink. It wasn't that we are pinching pennies but more that it almost seemed uncomfortable to shop when everyone else was not. When everyone is scurrying around the shops, smiling and enjoying their shopping and purchases it is fun to join in and also join in the shopping. For me, it was a turnoff to enter quiet, empty stores.... nothing interested us. Which was wonderful...... DH will not receive a horrid Am Ex Bill. :D We chose to take the water taxi back from downtown as showers threatened. Interesting they charge the same fee whether you go one way or round trip. It is a moderate charge but that surprised me. (I think it is about $4 pp). We have always liked St. Maarten and still do but there are now many, many times more shops there than even a few short years ago. I will say they are not (yet) quite as bad about the barkers trying to pull you into every store as they are in St. Thomas but there is some of that. There are stores with decent quality merchandise....not just trinkets and junk.

 

When we returned to the ship, we were in time for lunch. We very much enjoyed all the lunches we had in Lido. The salad bar was delicious though the same things everyday. I wish once in while they would change from the standard. They had nice mixed greens or romaine to choose from daily, then always broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, onions, chopped cucumber and tomatoes. I like all of those things and enjoy them so that made a nice salad. They always had croutons, black olives, bean sprouts, seeds, a variety of dressings and then a variety (changed daily) of mayonaise mixed pasta /seafood/different combinations that look delicious but scream fat and calories. :) Nice they are offered and I am sure they were tasty. There was a nice selection of dressings to choose from and everything was refreshed often and kept clean and tidy when some messy folks dribbled or spilled whatever.

 

A few things I found particularly beautiful and very, very enjoyable to partake of from our veranda on Maasdam:

 

When we sailed from Castires, St. Lucia, I settled onto our veranda to really enjoy the scenery. It was a beautiful afternoon, not too hot, sunny and we sailed so quietly and smoothly it was a delight. This was truly a treat to watch the pretty shoreside as we glided by..... I think I saw a few sea turtles, undistubed hillsides... it was lovely.

Then we approached the twin peaks of the pitons. Maasdam dropped two tenders to bring back the guests from the excursions who ended their tours in Soufriere. We watched as one tender returned with about 30 or so guests. The view of the Pitons was magnificent, breathtaking and then we saw the sailing ship formerly Windstar now Majestic Cruise Line (I think) come into view. I snapped a photo I treasure of that gorgeous ship just in front of the twin peaks. As soon as I figure out how to get the photo out of my camera, into my computer so I can post it here, I certainly will share as it is gorgeous. I was lucky in the composition to have the twin peaks and Windstar just in front of both. And then I noticed the sun was just at the horizon and snapped a shot of the prettiest sunset. Precious, beautiful memories of a lovely few hours of perfect 'at sea' time aboard our much loved Maasdam.

 

I also happen to think it very pretty when we sail out from St. Thomas. About the only thing I really like about docking at Crown Bay is the sailaway. There are a few tiny beaches, perhaps private ??, that we sail by as we leave and they look so pretty with white sand and beautiful palms. There are occassionally a few people there but I always look to enjoy their beauty.

 

Ahh......as I look out my window at the snow in my yard (though it is now melting fast), I can sigh and remember white sand beaches and Caribbean waters.

[Bobed1927]

Kyros, you said "Now as for ethics ... let me tell you something. I was inconvenienced by the airline's stupidity in losing my bag. You betcha that if they had permanently lost my bag, I would have filed a nice claim. Yes, the things I had in there were not of that much value, but to me they were. I had lots of bar prep materials and whatnot ... things I had carefully outlined. If that bag had been lost, those things ... to me ... would have easily been worth $2,500 ... though I would have had to "doctor up" a claim to get that value back. Do you realize how many hours it would have taken me to reoutline all that stuff for the regular bar exam? Do you know what the value to me was of the stuff I collected while on that trip for a baby bar review and then to take the actual exam? Things I got from my fellow students ... and my school ... various bar prep stuff, novelties like a pencil in the shape of a gavel, another pencil with RTFQ on it (Q stands for question, you figure out the rest), a bobble head of one of our professors, and the list goes on and on. You can't place a monetary value on that stuff ... and if you listed it on a claim form, you would merely get pennies for it. Yet it would take you a long time to "re-collect" it."

 

You have the makings of a great defense lawyer since you're so good at hypocrisy and rationalization.

[sail7seas]

Shall I continue here or end it now? :confused:

 

[GmaPajama]

Shall I continue here or end it now? :confused:

 

 

All too often I see a perfectly wonderful thread ruined by those who choose to rant and rave about one thing or another. Don't let it stop you from updating this wonderful travelog, Sail.

[sail7seas]

The argument is exhausting me.

I've lost interest.

 

[Bobed1927]

OK, I've got it off my chest. Back to our regularly scheduled program.

[ViolaSwamp]

All too often I see a perfectly wonderful thread ruined by those who choose to rant and rave about one thing or another. Don't let it stop you from updating this wonderful travelog, Sail.

 

Yes, PLEASE continue!

 

We will be visiting your Maasdam in less than a week so I appreciate hearing as much about her as I can before we go!

[ON cruiser]

My wife and I were on the Maasdam's Dec. 5 sailing, and enjoyed ourselves very much. While I will try, after the hurly-burly of the holidays, to post a full review, sufice it to say that the service and food in our opinion were excellent. While the dining room may be doing more with less, to us it was not noticeable that they were cutting back--we found the food on board, whether dining room, lido or room service to be excellent. In fact, too much so--come Jan. 2 its diet-time!

 

While the ship is well maintained, she is showing her age, as some OP's have noted. The pending dry-dock will likely refurbish as needed. But, the staff were superb--well led by strong, eagle-eyed management.

 

It was also a pleasure to have met Sail and her husband at the last formal dinner. I hope, Sail, you continue with your detailed commentary--it makes it almost like we are back on board.

 

For flying home, yes, Toronto also was hit on Dec. 19 with lots of snow. Happily, we overnighted in Palm Beach, at the Hilton Singer Island, and on Saturday, Dec. 20 flew out of West Palm Beach airport non-stop to Toronto, only 20 minutes late leaving and made up time on the way. PBI is a great, consumer-friendly airport. Once you check in with the airline, your bags are gone--the TSA screening is done "back-office" and the passengers need not line up with their bags in a second line for TSA. On Dec. 20--5 days pre-Xmas--PBI was not crowded. If your airline goes there, I suggest you consider the drive to Palm Beach for one of the easiest airport experiences we've had in years!

 

All best to all for 2009.

[sail7seas]

We enjoyed meeting you and your DW as well. I wish we had met sooner. :) That was a lovely evening!

 

Happy you had a good cruise, enjoyed Maasdam and had an easy trip home.

 

Happy New Year!

(I sent a brief e-mail.)

 

[kryos]

OK, I've got it off my chest. Back to our regularly scheduled program.

Glad you feel better.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita