Maasdam Mechanical Problems

[elmorejj]

Couldn`t agree more, Peaches, thank you...jean :cool:

[gizmo]

Like Jean I have to agree. Peaches, you have the right idea. :)

[sail7seas]

[quote name='peaches from georgia']Having no desire to 'push the envelope' while on vacation in order to show I could win in court using the fine points of maritime law, I think I'll just stick with the fact that the Captain rules the roost on his ship and follow his wishes.[/QUOTE][b]For me, this is an intellectual exercise. It is of interest to me to learn more about. I am not a 'push the envelope' sort of person. Most folks who have hung around here and read a few thousand of my posts probably got the impression someplace along the way I am of the cautious and law-abiding ilk. [/b]

[b]Sometimes a particular subject is more interesting to a person. This interests me. It does not interest me to 'push the envelope'. [/b]

[b]So, Peaches, Gizmo and Jean...... it seems we agree. :)[/b]

[lknick]

I for one am happy when others try to enhance their knowledge base as is Sail.

IMO, there's just too much shooting from the hip on this board and in the world. Oh yes, I know the power of opinions, but again imo opinions just don't trump fact.

So go to it, Sail.

[peaches from georgia]

I obviously was speaking only for myself. I have lots of intellectual pursuits, too, none of which have a thing to do with Maritime Law, as I think we all can count on the fact that the Captain is still going to run the show on his ship. But, let us know what you find out.

[Cinder]

For what it is worth, I was in suite 11 on the same cruise, and had no problems at all with my A/C, so book that cabin!

[waltl]

AS infro I was in Cabin 04 on that same cruise; we had no a/c problem. In fact from our point of view the cruise was among the best of the 18 we have taken.

 

We did not use many of the suite "extras" beyond an occassional cup of coffee and some pleasant conversation with DJ.

[ShipsAreTheBest]

Sorry for joining this thread late, but here's my two cents...

 

As for the drugs/laws on ship question - as was pointed out, people on board ships must follow the laws of the country in which the ship is registered (in this case, the Netherlands) when at sea. A shipowner can certainly enforce additional regulations (drinking age comes to mind), they just can't reduce or eliminate laws.

 

As for the A/C problems... We sailed the Maasdam this past July. Enjoyed the ship and trip immensely. However, we experienced two distinct A/C problems on board. The first was sailing day. All was well when we first entered our cabin on embarkation day (529, inside Main Deck forward). But when we returned to our room before dinner after sailing to change it was noticably warm and stuffy. Others in the area (across the hall) were also complaining. A trip to the Front Office confirmed there was a problem and that the engineering department was working on it. Sure enough, after dinner, all was fixed, and the A/C was fine the rest of the trip in our cabin.

 

The second problem occurred late in the cruise - arrived for dinner in the lower level of the dining room at 6PM, and it was noticably warm and stuffy. It remained that way for the entire meal. Although I could feel the cooler air begin to blow later in the meal, it had a lot of catching-up to do with a full room at the dinner hour! Didn't notice any more problems after that.

 

The Maasdam is hardly "old" or "falling apart" at 11 years of age. I sailed twice on the old Pacific Princess in 2000 and 2002. In 2002, she was 31 years old. As a maritime academy graduate, I pay attention to the workings of the ship I'm traveling on. What impressed me about the PP was how well the A/C worked (almost too well!). Because of her small size and layout, I observed the refrigeration and air conditioning engineer (yes, they had a such a position) frequently making the rounds on the top decks (above the Sun Deck, where the ventilation machine rooms were located). He would also go the bridge wing and check the temperature and the wet-bulb (for humidity). Presumably, this was so that he could ensure things were adjusted properly. Point is, I noticed him and what he was doing every day, and it was clear his efforts were paying off. I'm not saying they don't do this on the Maasdam - a bigger, more modern ship, with more hidden "behind-the-scenes" areas, so I probably didn't notice. However, given the problems with the A/C on the Maasdam over the last year, they probably need to give the whole system a good going over, and assign an engineer to stay on top of it...

 

Sorry for the long post - just another view...

[Me & Him]

For what it is worth, I was in suite 11 on the same cruise, and had no problems at all with my A/C, so book that cabin!

 

Thanks so very much for the information on suite 11. We have it booked for the cruise departing on 30 Nov 2004. It will be our second time in this suite.

[lknick]

ShipsAreTheBest--Nice to have a Kings Point graduate on the board. Maritime issues often come up on this board and it will be nice to have a factual take.

[ShipsAreTheBest]

lknick - Thanks for the kind sentiments - but I didn't go to Kings Point - I went to New York Maritime at Fort Schuyler - across LI Sound from KP!