Maasdam out of Norfolk

[CoJo]

:) We've booked this cruise for January 16, 2005. Would appreciate any reviews/advice/comments from those who have cruised on the Maasdam (especially out of Norfolk) in the past. Thanks for you help. Happy cruising.

Colleen and Joe

[Orcrone]

:) We've booked this cruise for January 16, 2005. Would appreciate any reviews/advice/comments from those who have cruised on the Maasdam (especially out of Norfolk) in the past. Thanks for you help. Happy cruising.

Colleen and JoeCoJo,

There has been a lot written about it lately, both positive and negative. Just search on threads with Maasdam in their title.

Marc

[CDRMark]

....

[Krazy Kruizers]

And keep watching and reading as there are quite a few more cc'ers taking cruises on the Maasdam over the next few weeks.

[Charlie2na]

Cojo, we're on that cruise too. Watch this coming sat as a whole new batch of reviews will be coming

[driftwood]

We took the 10-day EC cruise on the Maasdam from Norfolk in April with a whole lot of Cruise Critics, and we have ZERO complaints. The ship is smaller than the S-class ships by the length of a bank of elevators, but that is the only noticeable difference. Boarding in Norfolk is easier by far--and by hours--than any other port we have left from--partly, no doubt, because they have no place to stick you--there is no terminal!

The bad news is the run down from Norfolk--you are dealing with the Atlantic for two days before you get to the Caribbean, and on our cruise there was MUCH illness before we got to HMC. The crew is assiduous and sympathetic, and for us, at least, they stayed ahead of the cleanup, but HAL could have saved a good deal on groceries for the first two days, as most of them were going to the floor or over the side. If your doctor is willing to prescribe something on the order of Transderm-Scop 1.5MG patches for you, and you have EVER felt light in the tummy, you may want to take him up on it--they worked quite well for my wife. I myself appear to be blessed with a goat's stomach, so I had no problem--but I would estimate that a majority of the passengers did, and an interesting number of the crew as well.

The run down is quite a reach, and it is good if you are fond of sea days. For us the cruise was handy--we had only to get over to Norfolk from Newport News, and step aboard--no filthy tight-seated security-paranoid wiseacre airline to deal with.

Eventually--when everyone aboard could actually face solid food again--we reached Half Moon Cay, and from then on everything was just as everyone would have it--the turquoise Caribbean level as a sheet of glass, glorious sunrises, glorious sunsets, excellent food on board and ashore. We hit St. Maarten on Easter Sunday, so no one was able to spend as much money as quickly as they wanted, but Talk of the Town II was open for dinner and we had more fun and better food than any I can remember in many a stuffier environment.

The return home was much of an improvement--evidently we had come down from Virginia in a "following gale," which gave us impressive cross-beam swells--I was looking out at them from the Ocean Bar and remarked to one of the cocktail waitresses that they looked like "great holes in the ocean"--then she got sick--after that I kept my observations to myself. But the way home was much better, no gale and everyone had his seven-to-ten day sea legs and his three-or-four day suntans, and everyone was happy again.

The Maasdam is a yare little ship: if you have been on the Zaandam you should feel right at home, and you won't have to walk quite so far to get where you are going.

If there are any particular details you want, let me know and I will try to help. I will check back on this string, or you may write me directly at dreynolds@aol.com. Don't forget to mention Cruise Critic in your header, especially if you are also trying to sell ******.

Love, Doug

[armweak410]

Hey!
I also went on the Maasdam with driftwood, my fellow cruise critic haha! I got sea sick going out of norfolk and unfortunatly didn't notice that the pills they gave us were chewable until after I swallowed them. But when you get to the islands it is well worth every minute of sea sickness. The cruise critics made it soooooooo much fun.
-Jen