Maasdam 11/20-11/30: A newbie review

[CDRMark]

Let me recap: My DW and I took our first ever cruise (except for my 10 years with the Big Grey Fleet) on the November 20th inst. Maasdam voyage, primarily for her (DW not Maasdam) big five oh birthday. We are not in the travel business nor is any of our family (out to 2nd cousin anyway). We booked back in May through an Internet agency which will remain nameless. They did a great job and we believe, after research, that we got a great price. The benefit of leaving from our hometown goes without saying. We’ll discuss baggage issues later. We (mostly me) spent the next 6 months over-analyzing, over-researching and over packing (not just me). While looking for info on the Internet, I ran across these boards, and after lurking for a while, joined in. I asked some questions but primarily just sponged up info.

Info on seasickness (DW is susceptible), info on packing (much of this ignored), info on dress codes and alcohol; the list goes on. One of the things which most puzzled me was how different reviews of the same cruise could be. Well, as we all know opinions vary. What is your favorite wine?

I thought that bringing a ‘newbie’ perspective to this review would be a good thing, especially for other new cruisers. So here goes:

First, the non-opinions:

(1) Norfolk is further from the Caribbean than Florida. Well, DUH you say. This is not unimportant. In a 10-day cruise, 4 full days are sea days. Some of this time is spent in an area known by the jolly name of "Graveyard of the Atlantic", or the more harmonious "Bermuda Triangle". When you combine the distance factor with the ship’s top speed and the vagaries of the ocean area you have a really neat potential for some problems. On the trip down, vibration was noticeable. To keep schedule the ship was ‘pedal to the metal’. It did not bother me, but I could see how some would find it annoying. Off Hatteras, one knew one was not on land. I’ll leave it at that. This underscores a difference between a hotel and a cruise. The ship is a semi-closed environment. If something breaks, one does not call out for a repair person. One fixes it with resources available or does without. The distance factor means that there is little to no ‘cushion’ in the timetable.

(2) Maasdam is not a brand new ship. She is older than the bulk of the cruise ships around. This is not a bad thing, but it is a factor. Newer ships have newer technology and less wear and tear. Newer is generally more efficient and reliable.

(3) Maasdam is not a big ship in the cruise world. As a result she will react more noticeably in heavy weather than newer, bigger ships. If one does not want to be reminded that one is at sea, book bigger.

(4) HAL demographics do skew older. While there were young honeymooners onboard, the average passenger on this cruise was more mature. This is probably the norm. Work it into the equation.

(5) We had an absolutely fabulous time! (No this is not an opinion)

Next: Highlights and lowlights (opinions yes)

[slineberry528]

We are waiting Mark for more.
Susan

[CaptData]

Good so far, please continue. Thank you.

[Krazy Kruizers]

You are keeping us in suspense.

[CDRMark]

As I said, over researching is a habit.

Pre embarkation: (in no particular order)

Logged in on sailing roll call thread. (Highly recommend this!) Made some new friends.
Became semi-addicted to CC, checking in frequently.
Checked expiration dates, and existence of all required documentation. Renewed passport and requested replacement diving cert card.
Checked fit of formal wear and ordered replacements as required.
Bought way too many books and maps.
Ordered alcohol, flowers, and treats, from ships services, to be in cabin when we arrived.
Questioned TA about cruise promo for onboard credit. Received promo credit. ($100pp)
Reserved Pinnacle dinner for first night.
Reserved a cabana and dive trip for Half Moon Cay.
Booked "Swim with the Dolphins" excursion for Antigua, and "Americas Cup Yacht Race" for St Maarten. (through HAL).
Arranged for cat sitters, put a hold on mail and bought a new digital camera.
Arranged for a ride to the ship from a really good friend with a really big car.
Checked over luggage for sufficiency and repair.
Packed a power strip and nite light.
Packed everything else (I do mean everything).

Much of the above, while common sense (and therefore easy to overlook), was info from various posters here. Thanks again.

Embarkation:

was a snap. I had scoped out the facility on October 30th when Orcrone’s posse sailed and had a good idea on how to proceed., and what the times of least resistance were. I passed this info on the roll call too. NOTE: Norfolk’s cruise facility is a temporary one while the permanent structure is under construction. It is not pretty but it works. We had all documentation readily available. The personnel are helpful and efficient. Norfolk is really trying to make this cruise terminus idea work. Good economic incentive. Arriving at 3:30PM ensured a small (zero) wait. We were helped with our case of sparkling wine by a HAL embark guide who procured a wheelchair for the package. (Before anyone takes umbrage, there were many available wheelchairs and no one waiting for one.) We were onboard almost too quickly and in our S suite by 4:00. Well, at the door anyway. There was a muddle here as the door was locked and no key was to be found. It was produced and we were inside and dumped our stuff, grabbed our lifejackets and made our way to drill just in time. (or not depending on to whom you spoke; we received a letter from the captain that evening requesting our presence at a make-up drill, as we were marked absent. There goes my perfect attendance star. Thank heaven for those photographers, huh?). This drill seemed to be more than a formality and was monitored by senior staff (first mate I believe). Drill broke up and we repaired to our cabin where all our bags now were. Color us overwhelmed. DW grabbed her camera and we went topside for ‘sailaway’.

Sheew; I’m exhausted.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

grabbed our lifejackets and made our way to drill just in time. (or not depending on to whom you spoke; we received a letter from the captain that evening requesting our presence at a make-up drill, as we were marked absent. There goes my perfect attendance star. Thank heaven for those photographers, huh?). This drill seemed to be more than a formality and was monitored by senior staff (first mate I believe). Drill broke up and we repaired to our cabin where all our bags now were.

Mark, I guess this answers the questions for amny that I don't think has ever been asked. "What happens if you do not go to the Life Boat Drill" I have never missed but some friends that have only sailed Carival claim they never go:confused: I just have always felt it was part of the cruising ritual.

I really like your review so far, anxious to read the rest:p

[dakrewser]

Good, gripping reporting Mark. Keep it up, I'm enthralled!


-dave

[CDRMark]

DW loves ships and boats and will drive out of her way to take a ferryboat instead of a bridge (life in Seattle was a daily thrill). She was now beside herself. As she is susceptible to mal de mer this has always been one more piece of the puzzle. It was a minor worry, but we had Bonine if she needed it. Right now Godzilla advancing on us wouldn’t have diminished her excitement at being on a ship underway. We were underway 5 minutes early and proceeded out of the harbor smartly. The weather was perfect. Maybe a little chilly (hello: Norfolk; November) but clear, and the sunset was great. We had posted an invitation to our fellow Ccers on the roll call for a sailaway drink in our cabin (open house 5:30-6:30), so after taking 3 zillion pictures (and we live here, remember) we went below to our cabin. All requested ‘treats’ were there as requested. Sparkling wine (and one from the Capt & Hotel Manager), bouquets and chocolate strawberries added to the ambience. We were happy as clams. About 10 people from our roll call dropped by for a ‘howdy’ and/or drink, and we went to one of their cabins as well. A ‘floating’ sailaway party in more ways than one.

We hated to excuse ourselves but we had a 7:00 PM reservation at the Pinnacle and we needed to get ourselves ready for it, and find it.

Pinnacle. Followed the signs and found it. Lovely room. We were expected and shown to our table. Waiter and wine steward introduced themselves, produced menus and lists and disappeared. There were maybe a dozen people in the restaurant all night, and the reservation book was nearly blank. Aside from the standard menu, there is a regular ‘wine tasting menu’ available. This is $49pp and includes a fixed menu with wine pairings. We did not do that, but it sounded good. Wines featured are from the Northwest and some of them are known to us as being very good. An amuse bouche was offered (present from the chef). Appetizers were wonderful (crabcakes and duck breast). I had the Porterhouse steak and it was one of the best steaks I have had: done perfectly and melt in your mouth. And, yes, I have dined well around the country and world (my taste buds are in calibration). DW had the Halibut and was not excited by it. I spoke to the head chef later in the week and while he expressed regret that she did not love it, he did say, in essence "it’s a grill. Stay with the meat dishes" or words to that effect. So, don’t challenge the kitchen? Her chocolate volcano ("how do you know all about this stuff?") was perfectly done; firm outside, lava inside; yummy throughout. Service was excellent, but the staff was not overworked. Wine was great (Willamette Valley Pinot Noir). We finished up a little after 9, and went to the dining room to introduce ourselves to our table. We had requested a table for 6 at the 8:00 seating, and were at a table for 8. We sat and talked with our tablemates, 2 of whom were CC roll call compadres, until we were all asked politely to vacate the premises. This set a trend for the cruise. We could not have asked for a better group of diners. Aside: the whole table was composed of suite dwellers. I did not think this was a rule.
Off to a great start.
Next: we rest.

[obriendan]

Wonderful reports! Keep 'em coming.

[CDRMark]

I honestly do not remember too many specifics about the first evening after leaving the dining room. We wandered around, getting lost twice (OK thrice) and visiting roll call friends. Drinks were involved. One cruiser remarked "This is the first cruise I’ve taken when there weren’t palm trees near the port!" It was nice seeing our shore from seaward, and a great, tho dark, tour of the world’s greatest Naval Base. When we got back to our cabin, bed was turned down, chocolates provided, and room service breakfast menu was there as well. We had discussed having breakfast on the verandah, so we filled out the card and put it out. Not having unpacked, we stumbled around a lot. And slept. Engine vibration was noticeable. We were moving smartly.

Waking up first day at sea was exciting. Not only are you on vacation, but you are moving at a dignified pace toward a destination. Beats flying for comfort. What was dirigible travel like?

Breakfast arrived: on time, hot, and exactly as ordered. Call us drawn offside, cuz that was the only time it was all three. Every other day it was either early (catching us in jammies), or not as ordered. Never WAY off, but missing something. This was perfect. I tipped the room service delivery guy, just as I would tip a pizza delivery guy, and we sat on the verandah wondering how this could be better. We reviewed the daily program (we retained these if there are specific questions) and discussed what we might do. There was a roll call meeting scheduled for 11:00 AM at the Dolphin bar. If you hadn’t noticed, we had an ACTIVE roll call. Followed some advice gleaned here as to scheduling a roll call meet, and arranged a recognition signal. Someone would wear a fez. Well, this snowballed into a full-blown fez blast. Anyhoo…

Went to the Pinnacle and galley tour, I think @0930. Standing in line in the lower dining room with the ship doing a little dance, well this was the only time that DW excused herself to a more comfortable location. The Pinnacle tour appeared geared toward making its presence known in order to up the bookings. The galley tour, as reported, was disappointing. They merely paraded us through the whole galley. No one was available to answer questions. I have seen ship galleys before (and have cooked as a guest chef in the Navy to see what its like). It was very clean. If I had to guess (and it is a guess) I think they were trying to get us to realize what they had to work with to cook 6000 meals a day. I recommend the tour, but lower your expectations as to info provided.

After the tour, there was a cooking demo in the lower dining room, and they handed out recipes for the Dungeness crabcakes. Very Yum.

Next: Roll call meeting, or "The Fez Strikes Back!"
(taking a little break)

[CDRMark]

Sound off!

DW and I made our way up to the Dolphin Bar at about 1045 and ‘occupied’ an appropriate corner. We had made nametags for the group, and proceeded to unlimber them. I put my fez on to identify myself and immediately attracted attention: from fellow passengers who wanted to know what was up, and from staff wondering if security should be notified. Great group of Ccers that we are, people started arriving at 1100 on the dot. I love promptness. We had Slineberry528, BajaFred, ivygems, mickysminnie, dewhit6959, SHEMCSP, CPRayVa, Brendagard2, and Amyehoff (apologies for memory lapses). We attracted attention. We laughed we drank we generally disrupted the pool area. But the bartenders appeared to love us. It was great putting faces to names and having pre-arranged friends. Go CC! Don Whittaker (dewhit6959, already posting in ‘Amtrak, Maasdam & Jerk Chicken’) had sprung for fezzes to go around, so I am sure we offended some Shriner with no sense of humor… Oh well. We mingled through 1PM and took some pix that are here somewhere. Throughout the cruise it was very nice to greet and be greeted by friendly faces that were known to you. All of us are intending to (or have already) post reviews of some kind, to ensure a varied sampling of opinions. This aspect of the CC boards is what separates it from a stark ‘ask and answer’ format. Personalities develop, and bonds form (for good or ill). As a recovering AOL-caholic, I am still amazed how much personality (or lack thereof) comes across an Internet connection.

As I can’t really give a day-by-day play-by-play, I’ll sum up the broad areas of food, entertainment, customer service, and general ship ‘feel’, giving each an individual post. There were negatives, one big one still unresolved. But I give this whole evolution a 92%. No curve as this is a single data point. So what is that, an A-? Not shabby. Almost Deans list.

‘til tomorrow

Cheers

MarkB

[HeatherInFlorida]

You have the most amazing writing style: gripping, really fun to read. I'm on the edge of my seat. You add that wonderful sense of humor to your story. Take your time ... take as long as you wish. I am so enjoying your review ... particularly from the perspective that you had not cruised before!

And I can so well recall what your DW was feeling as you began your journey. There is nothing as invigorating as that first time on the open sea ... well, maybe something, but it's awfully close;) .

[elmorejj]

I am really enjoying these postings. Great writing style and wonderful sense of humor....something I am really big on....keep them coming.....jean :cool:

[slineberry528]

I am enjoying reading the posts and I was there!! Two weeks ago tonight we were sailing out of Norfolk.

[RuthC]

I've never sailed the Maasdam, but will correct that little oversite when I sail her for 35 days. In the meantime I'm soaking up everything I can about her.
Please continue with this report! It's not only informative it's delightful to read, too. :)

[cheric]

I made my final payment today for our 2/27 Maasdam cruise and I am getting so excited reading this review. I haven't found anyone in roll call going on our cruise but it would be so much fun to get a group together as you did. Keep the review coming. I am soaking up every word like a sponge!

[Murphey]

Holy cow...dropped in from the Princess board and decided I could marry yee!!!

[CDRMark]

How about food.

I mentioned the Pinnacle. Over the course of the cruise, I think every one of our dining room tablemates ate there at least once, with all very positive reviews. But I’ll speak for myself (actually, I did; see above). Don Whittaker (dewhit6959) will undoubtedly mention his experience sometime during his very thorough review.

Dinner in the Rotterdam dining room: We were at a table for 8 at the 8:00 seating. We had requested a table for 6 when we booked, and it was confirmed as such, but I would not want to choose which couple to eliminate! Food variety was outstanding. There was never any problem getting more than one (or 2; oink) dish if you could not narrow it down. On more than one occasion waiters would prompt you to "go ahead and get it to try" if you looked interested in a second appetizer or soup. Every night the menu had a chilled soup (e.g. vichyssoise) or cold fruit soup. These were uniformly excellent. One cold squash soup was so good, my DW asked jokingly for the recipe. It was presented to her on our last night! As has been reported variously, each night there are Pasta dishes, vegetarian selections, and ‘comfort food’, to accompany the main entrée choices. The staff never ‘pushed’ any particular item, and no one was forced to eat meatloaf (although it was tasty). Frequently when someone would say to another at the table "Gee your (whatever) looked great!" this also prompted waitstaff to bring out a dish "for you to try". Entrée portions appeared ‘managed’. Not small, exactly, but portion controlled as if to limit waste. Some commented negatively on this (not at our table; overheard elsewhere) but there was never any problem getting a second serving, even on lobster night, if one desired. Meat dishes were served to requested doneness (med. rare, etc.), except for second serving requests, which usually consisted of more well-done portions. The Prime rib entrée when served was a very large portion. I left enough uneaten that the waiter asked if it was not good. I assured him it was great, but too much. I am not a dessert person, so I had cheese plate one night (so-so) and another bowl of cold blackberry soup as dessert on another occasion. It was heavenly. Wine: the list is very complete and organized such that pairing with foods and ones particular tastes would be easy. ‘By the glass’ offerings were good and more than adequate in variety and quality. These were poured from the bottle at the table and were large pours. Prices are fair. Corkage: At our table it worked this way; if you brought a bottle to the table already open, no corkage fee was charged. If the wine waiter had to open it, a corkage fee was applied (or a ‘poppage’ fee in our case, as we had a large stash of bubbles along for the ride). This seems uneven to me, as well as causing the humorous sight of people in formal wear just outside the dining room popping champagne corks. Wait staff: seemed busy but not overwhelmed. They did not have enough free time to shmooze with the passengers. If this is a change, I do not know. If establishing a relationship with the waitstaff is important to you, you may be disappointed. They were there when needed, and elsewhere when not. It is possible that the wine waiters may be overextended, as they were the only ones that we ever needed to inquire as to their whereabouts. Our table was generally the last on to leave the dining room, simultaneously making us popular and accursed by the staff, some of whom could be heard muttering ‘breakfast, breakfast’ while smilingly trying to clear around us.

Any questions?

Next installment: Attack of the Lido!

[HeatherInFlorida]

All I know is you and Dewhit at the same table had to be hysterical! Thoroughly enjoying your entire review having been on the Maasdam a couple of years ago and only recently on the Oosterdam. Have to say I personally did miss having a comraderie with the DR stewards, but it sure didn't ruin the cruise ... just something I always enjoyed on other cruises.

[slineberry528]

Mark,
I have checked the boards 3 times today to see if you had posted again. Not yet! Reading about the trip makes me think I am still there. I wish I were!
Susan

[BrendaGard]

Hello all -- back at work and missing the cruise. Everything was wonderful. Our dining room wait staff "Demi" was wonderful. Talked to us about his life, family, etc. We were seated at a table for 6 with the 2 other couples we were "cruising" with. Can't think of ONE bad experience. We used "Air Force One" taxi service in St Thomas for a tour and had a wonderful time.

[Bowgard2]

Just wanted to chime in and give another opinion on the Maasdam cruise Nov. 20th. This is just our second cruise, so we're still in the learning phase. The other was a Celebrity 10 day on the Galaxy out of Baltimore. Overall, we had a great time. Of course the fact that we sailed with two other couples with whom we have been long term best friends may have something to do with that (we have fun in a snow storm). It was also great that we had talked to and met a bunch of nice folks through cruise critics.

We drove from Smith Mountain Lake outside Roanoke, VA to Fairfax, VA the day before and left with our friends "fully loaded van" around dawn on Sat the 20th. For those concerned with traffic, a Nov. Saturday before 7:00 AM on I-95 south was a breeze. We stopped for breakfast and arrived in Norfolk before 11:30 AM. Dropping the baggage off and parking was simple even though we had some concern about the fact that a parade was scheduled downtown later that day. I'm going to either directly compare a little between Celebrity and Holland America from time to time or indirectly compare, since they are the only ones I'm familiar with so far. Embarkation was quick and easy on the Maasdam, perhaps a little better than Celebrity, but that may be due to the fact that the Galaxy was runnning late due to rough seas. Lack of a permanent terminal in Norfolk presented no problem and even though parking was further away, shuttling was acceptable.

We opted for outside rooms on the Main deck midship starboard. Seems that all three of our wives tend to suffer from mal de mer. This was probably a good idea since we did see several folks that were a little green the last day and a half coming up the coast. We had moderate to rough seas with some pretty good winds and up to 12 to 13 foot seas. Not too bad, but enough to move you around up front or up high. Last year, we encountered much worse conditions coming up the coast, but the ship was larger (77K vs 55K tonnage). Ride was not as bad as I thought it might get, but the vibration from the props was somewhat irritating, especially in the dining area by the rear windows. While we didn't have any problems with the size of the ship (it's a lot bigger than mine) I may try a larger one on our next cruise. The rooms were nice though not new looking, and the square footage was not only more than ample, it was more than on the Celebrity line. The couch was also a nice touch. However, I don't believe there are any refrigerators in the rooms until you get to the mini-suites. There is a nice safe though. While, I was happy as a clam, as I was with Celebrity, with our new urethane mattress, I understand that a number of folks operated with old ones that are scheduled for replacemant soon. There is plenty of storage space and the TV has your normal several channels. Of course, we didn't stay in the room long enough to watch anything. By the way, they had several good movies available through-out the day both in the room and in the movie theatre (popcorn was excellent). The ship was clean and we had no trouble with anything mechanical. You may want to bring a power strip if you need more than one outlet.

Food was excellent and plentiful though the portions at dinner were similar to most expensive restaurants (they brought more of anything you wanted). There was also a midnight feeding for anyone capable of bringing themselves to the trough. Celebrity did not offer this on our last cruise. Ice cream was available anytime we wanted it and more than we needed it (I picked up 7 pounds even though I walked 3 to 5 fast miles every morning). That brings to mind something else. The Maasdam has a covered deck area the length of the ship for those who wish to walk off the food, in addition to a short jogging track and gym. A plus for the older style ship. The majority of the dining room and room attendant staff are Indonesian which may account for them being a little slower to adjust to those of us who tend to be less formal (stuff shirted), but within a couple of days we had them laughing and joking and letting their hair down (guess they just have to size you up to see how to react to your personality). They were a real plus for the ship giving excellent service to everyone. You'll enjoy their performance in the show lounge also. Let me add that we were also extremely happy last year with the staff onboard the Galaxy though they tended to be more European or Phillipino and probably adjusted a little quicker to our sense of humor. Bar attendants were a little stiffer than onboard the Galaxy, but gave excellent service. We were in the 8:00 dining group which was followed by the 10:15 show seating. We had requested the 6:00, but were fine with the thought that there would be nights when we would be ashore since we had intentially booked this trip due to the longer port times. I'll get into that later. Anyway, turned out we wish we had been able to get early seating. While we aren't that old (early, and fairly young 50's) and we still enjoy a good party, we found that by the time the shows were over (11:15-11:30) our little full tummy's were creating yawning problems. Actually, I don't think there was a lot of late activity in the crow's nest on most nights anyway.

We were initially afraid that the atmosphere would be a little stiff since we had heard that Holland America tended to cater to an older, more sophisticated group, but we really didn't get that feeling. While the cruisers tended to be somewhat older, there was a fairly good cross sectional representation. Perhaps, this was due to the Thanksgiving sailing date. I will say that, as my wife wrote in another thread, the activities could have been better and those that existed tended to be bunched together. Show entertainment was, however, in my opinion, quite good. The Captain and his staff were excellent and I was pleased that he made a much better effort to keep the passengers informed than on our Galaxy cruise. This was probably as much due to his commandment of the English language as it was to his outgoing personality.

Ports of call were good and we enjoyed them all. We opted for setting up our own trips and were pleased with the results. Air Force One did an excellent job for us at St. Thomas and we were lucky to find a local autorized driver in Antigua that was great (lost his name, if I find it I'll post it). We were able to get a good look at all of the islands we visited and still have time to spend too much money. We chose to take the Orient Beach trip at St. Martin. Don't bother to bring your glasses, at least not if you sit where we did. Those who chose the buff look, shouldn't have. I also enjoyed my usual bargaining challenge, though the Western Caribbean merchants were more apt to participate than the Eastern Caribbean.

Now for a couple of items that disappointed me a little. I did not find the front office to be particularly interested or helpful and I was not pleased, though it didn't affect our plans, to find that the times in a couple of ports had been shortened 2 days before sailing and no one had been notified. We also found that a couple of the cruise directors staff were not up to the standards of what we had seen on the Celebrity line and several of the passengers, including ourselves, were put into the position of organizing lines for tendering when staff refused to show up early or make pre-arrangements to organize early shows for tickets. Since out cruise director was brand new to the ship, I'm sure this will probably not be a problem after he has a chance to make corrections. Additionally, a confrontation between a passenger and the shopping director could and should have been handled differently.

All in all, an enjoyable cruise that I would take again. I would certainly sail with Holland America again, but I believe that our total experience was probably slightly better with the Celebrity Galaxy. Close call. We'll check out a couple more lines, hopefully in the next few years, before we swear allegiance.

[dakrewser]

Just wanted to chime in and give another opinion on the Maasdam cruise Nov. 20th.
Thanks for confirming what lots of others are saying - even veteran cruisers - that there seems to be some slacking off in terms of staffing and staff training.

-dave

[CDRMark]

We ate in the Lido buffet twice for breakfast and twice for lunch; never for dinner, but often availed ourselves of the quite good taco/nacho/fajita bar as well as the burger grill. All get thumbs up for quantity and variety. The taco bar is an especially nice touch. Again, initial portions dished out in the line were adequate/small, but if one wanted more, it was only necessary to ask. There was an omelet station at breakfast and it was quite popular, causing a backlog on occasion. Same was true of the stir-fry and pasta stations at lunch when they were offered. Stir fry was offered in bland, spicy or eye-watering. Greens were plentiful and crisp/fresh. There was always some unusual item available which was excellent (seafood pate, and prosciutto-wrapped asparagus come to mind). Turkey bacon was available at breakfast. There was a meat dish (or 2) and a fish dish, starch and veggie selections. There was also a sandwich station (regular or grilled/panini) as well as a pizza bar. I have to say there was plenty to choose from. Here is my one quibble, foodwise: coffee. The U.S. Navy runs on both fuel oil and coffee (occasionally mixed; don’t ask), and fresh brewed coffee was always available all over every Navy ship (yes it was often those gigantic percolators which turn out average brew at best; better than instant). The coffee I had on Maasdam appeared to be good quality instant (except for the espresso, which always had a perfect crema, and the Neptune coffees, which were self-made as required). As much coffee as I drink, I never saw a single errant ground. A very unusual event, pointing toward my belief that the bulk coffee is some type of instant. ‘nuff said. Tea variety was amazing. DW found several she loved, and one waiter tracked down a decaf green tea that she had heard was available. Iced tea was excellent, and in contrast to the coffee, seemed to be brewed vice instant. Go figger. Lots of fresh lemon was available, so scurvy was never an issue.

Most of the food complaints I heard in the Lido revolved around waiting time and quantity, never quality or flavor. One woman complained that the table she had chosen had not been cleaned. I witnessed her sitting as the prior occupant was just getting up. I often saw waitstaff assisting passengers with trays, but primarily when the passenger was older or had mobility issues..

Which reminds me of a sea story… Once upon a time while making my way from engineering main control to the wardroom for lunch aboard the USS John F. Kennedy, I passed through the crews mess and overheard the following conversation:

SAILOR ONE: "What’s for dinner?"

SAILOR TWO (perusing the posted menu) "Steak and lobster."

SAILOR ONE (whining nasally): "AGAIN!!??"

This while I was on my way to gruel and cream of cornstarch soup. Which just goes to show you…

BTW re: the bread pudding OMG yumm-a-roo. Thanks to all you Ccers who insisted that we try it. Dun died and gone to heaven.

Thanks to all who have commented favorably on my postings. I feel that I owe a payback for all the advice I got from you.

Next: Entertainment/how we kept occupied; OR: "I’m the man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo" (Not really, but does anyone remember that tune?) I will combine shipboard entertainment and shore excursions.

Cheers

MarkB

[dakrewser]

I do believe the cofee in the Lido is made with "essence", a liquid paste which - when added to hot (but not boiling) water yields a beverage which resembles Postum. It's passible for your first caffeine of the day, but not much more....

Now, one of the things that may have sunk the dear old Renaissance line was the fact that self-serv Espresso machines where available in the Lido 24 hours a day.....

-dave

[slineberry528]

Good posts,
Brenda, Bill and Mark.
Good to hear from you. Wish you were still there?
Susan

[debjo]

For CDRmark...
My face is beginning to hurt from the constant grin I have while reading your most entertaining posts from your recent MAASDAM journey! :D

My husband and I are researching this ship (along with Royal Caribbean's ENCHANTMENT OF THE SEAS) for a Canada/New England cruise in 2005 for his parents and their elder siblings. He and I have been on five cruises (see list below), his parents on two, and the elder siblings will be the "newbies". Basically, our decisions are resting on the "elder" factors. His mother is confined to a wheelchair and all of the "elders" have one special need or another when it comes to food. So...my question is this...if you have any insight(s) you could add to your "review" regarding the wheelchair accessibility of the public & deck areas of the ship and the healthy eating menu selections (heart healthy/lactose intolerance/diabetic offerings), we'd appreciate your insights.

I look forward, with anticipation, to the rest of your "story" even if you don't have any sage advice in these particular areas. Many thanks, in advance. ;)

[Murphey]

Just wanted to chime in and give another opinion on the Maasdam cruise Nov. 20th. This is just our second cruise, so we're still in the learning phase. The other was a Celebrity 10 day on the Galaxy out of Baltimore. Overall, we had a great time. Of course the fact that we sailed with two other couples with whom we have been long term best friends may have something to do with that (we have fun in a snow storm). It was also great that we had talked to and met a bunch of nice folks through cruise critics.

We drove from Smith Mountain Lake outside Roanoke, VA to Fairfax, VA the day before and left with our friends "fully loaded van" around dawn on Sat the 20th. For those concerned with traffic, a Nov. Saturday before 7:00 AM on I-95 south was a breeze. We stopped for breakfast and arrived in Norfolk before 11:30 AM. Dropping the baggage off and parking was simple even though we had some concern about the fact that a parade was scheduled downtown later that day. I'm going to either directly compare a little between Celebrity and Holland America from time to time or indirectly compare, since they are the only ones I'm familiar with so far. Embarkation was quick and easy on the Maasdam, perhaps a little better than Celebrity, but that may be due to the fact that the Galaxy was runnning late due to rough seas. Lack of a permanent terminal in Norfolk presented no problem and even though parking was further away, shuttling was acceptable.

We opted for outside rooms on the Main deck midship starboard. Seems that all three of our wives tend to suffer from mal de mer. This was probably a good idea since we did see several folks that were a little green the last day and a half coming up the coast. We had moderate to rough seas with some pretty good winds and up to 12 to 13 foot seas. Not too bad, but enough to move you around up front or up high. Last year, we encountered much worse conditions coming up the coast, but the ship was larger (77K vs 55K tonnage). Ride was not as bad as I thought it might get, but the vibration from the props was somewhat irritating, especially in the dining area by the rear windows. While we didn't have any problems with the size of the ship (it's a lot bigger than mine) I may try a larger one on our next cruise. The rooms were nice though not new looking, and the square footage was not only more than ample, it was more than on the Celebrity line. The couch was also a nice touch. However, I don't believe there are any refrigerators in the rooms until you get to the mini-suites. There is a nice safe though. While, I was happy as a clam, as I was with Celebrity, with our new urethane mattress, I understand that a number of folks operated with old ones that are scheduled for replacemant soon. There is plenty of storage space and the TV has your normal several channels. Of course, we didn't stay in the room long enough to watch anything. By the way, they had several good movies available through-out the day both in the room and in the movie theatre (popcorn was excellent). The ship was clean and we had no trouble with anything mechanical. You may want to bring a power strip if you need more than one outlet.

Food was excellent and plentiful though the portions at dinner were similar to most expensive restaurants (they brought more of anything you wanted). There was also a midnight feeding for anyone capable of bringing themselves to the trough. Celebrity did not offer this on our last cruise. Ice cream was available anytime we wanted it and more than we needed it (I picked up 7 pounds even though I walked 3 to 5 fast miles every morning). That brings to mind something else. The Maasdam has a covered deck area the length of the ship for those who wish to walk off the food, in addition to a short jogging track and gym. A plus for the older style ship. The majority of the dining room and room attendant staff are Indonesian which may account for them being a little slower to adjust to those of us who tend to be less formal (stuff shirted), but within a couple of days we had them laughing and joking and letting their hair down (guess they just have to size you up to see how to react to your personality). They were a real plus for the ship giving excellent service to everyone. You'll enjoy their performance in the show lounge also. Let me add that we were also extremely happy last year with the staff onboard the Galaxy though they tended to be more European or Phillipino and probably adjusted a little quicker to our sense of humor. Bar attendants were a little stiffer than onboard the Galaxy, but gave excellent service. We were in the 8:00 dining group which was followed by the 10:15 show seating. We had requested the 6:00, but were fine with the thought that there would be nights when we would be ashore since we had intentially booked this trip due to the longer port times. I'll get into that later. Anyway, turned out we wish we had been able to get early seating. While we aren't that old (early, and fairly young 50's) and we still enjoy a good party, we found that by the time the shows were over (11:15-11:30) our little full tummy's were creating yawning problems. Actually, I don't think there was a lot of late activity in the crow's nest on most nights anyway.

We were initially afraid that the atmosphere would be a little stiff since we had heard that Holland America tended to cater to an older, more sophisticated group, but we really didn't get that feeling. While the cruisers tended to be somewhat older, there was a fairly good cross sectional representation. Perhaps, this was due to the Thanksgiving sailing date. I will say that, as my wife wrote in another thread, the activities could have been better and those that existed tended to be bunched together. Show entertainment was, however, in my opinion, quite good. The Captain and his staff were excellent and I was pleased that he made a much better effort to keep the passengers informed than on our Galaxy cruise. This was probably as much due to his commandment of the English language as it was to his outgoing personality.

Ports of call were good and we enjoyed them all. We opted for setting up our own trips and were pleased with the results. Air Force One did an excellent job for us at St. Thomas and we were lucky to find a local autorized driver in Antigua that was great (lost his name, if I find it I'll post it). We were able to get a good look at all of the islands we visited and still have time to spend too much money. We chose to take the Orient Beach trip at St. Martin. Don't bother to bring your glasses, at least not if you sit where we did. Those who chose the buff look, shouldn't have. I also enjoyed my usual bargaining challenge, though the Western Caribbean merchants were more apt to participate than the Eastern Caribbean.

Now for a couple of items that disappointed me a little. I did not find the front office to be particularly interested or helpful and I was not pleased, though it didn't affect our plans, to find that the times in a couple of ports had been shortened 2 days before sailing and no one had been notified. We also found that a couple of the cruise directors staff were not up to the standards of what we had seen on the Celebrity line and several of the passengers, including ourselves, were put into the position of organizing lines for tendering when staff refused to show up early or make pre-arrangements to organize early shows for tickets. Since out cruise director was brand new to the ship, I'm sure this will probably not be a problem after he has a chance to make corrections. Additionally, a confrontation between a passenger and the shopping director could and should have been handled differently.

All in all, an enjoyable cruise that I would take again. I would certainly sail with Holland America again, but I believe that our total experience was probably slightly better with the Celebrity Galaxy. Close call. We'll check out a couple more lines, hopefully in the next few years, before we swear allegiance.

Forgive me with an off-topic qeustion...but do you know of a guy, Ralph Brush who runs a sailing school at Smith Mountain Lake??

[Bowgard2]

Sorry Murphey, no I don't know him, but the lake is pretty big and the number of residents on it has grown enormously since we bought here 10 years ago. Actually, it encompasses parts of 5 counties, 550 miles of shoreline, and over 22,000 acres. It's getting more inhabited than we wanted it to get, but hey, it's still pretty and we love it.
P.S.: Hate to admit it, but my idea of sailing is a good battery to start the engine and a strong wind to get you to shore if the battery doesn't work. We have a hobie cat in the yard, but it hasn't seen water in 10 years.

Susan: You betcha. We love it here, but sometimes the salt water just gets back in the system (even though the fresh feels better). A lot warmer in the Caribbean, too. We had a great time, hope everyone else did, too. We'll have to get some pointers on your Alaska cruise and maybe the Southern Caribbean after we get the itch back in a few months. Say hi to Gary.

To all the cruise critics we sailed with: Hope to see you again and may all your cruises be smooth sailing.

Bernie: May the wind be at your back on those long morning deck walks. Got a little rough on the last two days didn't it?

[slineberry528]

Debjo, I think HAL would be a good choice for wheelchair bound folks. There were quite a few on our Nov. 20 cruise. HAL draws an older crowd and this was my second one and I just love HAL.
Bill, Gary says Hi back. We will have to get together again for dinner.
Susan

[mickysminnie]

Hey There!!

Good to see that you are all back, safe, and getting paid to talk online! :)

Mark, I am just loving your review! I think I'm going to nominate it for the Mystic Good-Footers Review of the Year Award!

Susan, thanks for the e-mail/picture! I sent to all of my family. They loved it and have told me what a great looking bunch we are!

Sorry I was not able to mingle with the clan the last 3 days. I was a victim of the small ship/big swells that Mark was describing earlier. So I spend most of the time sleeping and being totally incoherent from Dramamine (only medicine that has any sort of effect on me).

I look forward to the rest of Mark's review and, if my boss will leave the office, will post one of my own for future honeymooners.

P.S. For those of you I talked to while I was losing in the Casino, I ended up doing alright and came out up $323 up! (Hit a REAL nice combo on the quarter slots)

Chow for Now!!

[Bowgard2]

Good work Devon. Glad you won. Just don't say you were on Bren's slot. Brenda lost, but after I took the casino in Antigua I finished $1.00 ahead for the trip. Believe me, that's a winner for me and I had to quit just to be able to say I won. Try the patches next time. Bren swears by them, and I know from past experience in Nova Scotia that they work GREAT for her even in rougher seas than we had. Hope you had a fantastic honeymoon.

[CDRMark]

Disclaimer: We did not book this cruise with shipboard entertainment in mind. That said, I did not mention to DW the generally mixed reviews of the onboard entertainment that I had read on these boards. The entertainment offerings were:

(1) 11/20: Maasdam cast & Richie Minervini (comedian)

(2) 11/21: "Up on the roof" (Maasdam cast)

(3) 11/22: Carla Capps (chanteuse)

(4) 11/23: Doug Mattocks (Banjoist)

(5) 11/24:Woody Pittman (comedian)

(6) 11/25: Party Gras (Maasdam cast)

(7) 11/26: Crew show

(8) 11/27: Mac Frampton (pianist)

(9) 11/28: Romance on Broadway (Maasdam Cast)

(10) 11/29: Ken Lucas/Woody Pittman (comedy)

I attended offerings 4, 6, 7, and 9 and offer the following: the performances are more energetic than talented, with some exceptions, but all were enjoyable. There are probably more bad sight lines in the theater than good ones. Mr. Mattocks was much better than expected, providing a history of the banjo in music. The crew show was a treat, but we had not seen one before. DW attended #8 with great praise (she plays piano also) and had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Frampton post show asking him why he played popular offerings when his program bio stressed his classical background; he said "They ran the wrong bio". Around the ship: Mr. Ian McFarlane held forth in the piano bar very nicely. The ships band YU4 was fair, but not very energetic or amenable to suggestions. The Moonlighters in the Ocean Bar and the Champagne strings in the Explorers lounge were very good and primarily background, though I saw people dancing occasionally in the Ocean bar. Pirate Pete was the usual DJ in the Crows nest and committed to high-energy dance music. I have to echo a much-voiced opinion: why no steel drum band on a Caribbean cruise? This is a puzzler. There must be two thousand unemployed decent bands around. Logistics/cost? All in all, good solid offerings and decent background tunes that never intruded (except midnight in the Crows nest, which was high decibel).

Shore excursions: We had booked prior to embarking (through HAL): a cabana at HMC; Swim with the Dolphins at Antigua for DW; America’s Cup Regatta in St Maarten for the two of us on her birthday. On first sea day the Neptune concierge (Kathleen Benitez, a wonderful apparently overworked young lady) came to our cabin and said "I have to be the bearer of bad news"; and proceeded to tell us that despite a written confirmation, and a verbal from the excursion desk that morning, we would not be getting a cabana. It seems that 2 cabanas had not yet been repaired, but nonetheless sold, so the people who booked were given priority. In essence the cabanas were ‘overbooked’ and we were ‘bumped’. We were comped a clamshell, snorkel gear and 2 floats, but not credited for the cabana. I am disputing the charge with my credit card company and still hashing this out with HAL, but this was the single biggest negative in the whole experience. ‘nuff said here. The day before we arrived in Antigua, we were informed that the "swim with dolphins" excursion had been cancelled due to "weather problems’. Apparently this is not uncommon when there is frequent heavy rain, but still disappointing. We spent a day at a resort (Allegro Pineapple Beach). Very nice. Dewhit6959 (Don Whittaker) had arranged a sailboat charter in St Thomas with Interline (sp?). It was a full day sail with snorkelling off Johnny Depp's private island and lunch includue aboard their 42 ft sailboat. Lovely lovely. A great time was had by all. The America’s cup regatta in St Maarten was a go and absolutely superb. Can’t say enough positive about this excursion.

Other: The casino was fun but very low key. On formal night it was fun to see a miniature Monaco (yes, I’ve been there) with everyone dressed to the nines.

The library: Was more complete than I had been led to believe. Also recent issues of magazines (broad variety). Nice place. Some chairs taken up by snoozers. The librarian was apparently a ‘part-timer’ who was in the show cast and not very ‘bookish’. No problem.

Reindeer games: There was always something going on somewhere. Or nothing if that was ones wish.

The entire trip/voyage was entertainment. As I said earlier, DW was enthralled to be at sea. We went to wine tastings, toured the galley, went to art auctions. DW played bingo (DW never plays bingo).
Movies were off-first run. (recent-ish) I have the list if anyone cares. We never attended, not even to get popcorn.
We had fun. We recommend it. Strongly. Unequivocally.

Thanks for all your suggestions
Cheers!
MarkB

[Linda&Vern]

Thank you for taking the time to reflect upon your trip. I have enjoyed your posts the last few months. We will be there in 11 days and are getting very excited! Unless we get lost driving from NC (we ALWAYS get lost where 58 East goes into Norfolk) we hope to enjoy the afternoon exploring the ship before departure - and hope we don't FREEZE until we get into warmer waters. If you have the time, would love it if you could post a weather report on the Monday or Tuesday before we head there on Wednesday the 22nd. Of course I'll be checking www.weather.com (http://www.weather.com) - but that never seems to give the real picture.

Thanks again for your honest comments - enjoyed them all! (I think your cabanna charge is just a "glitch" in the system and you will get it straightened out soon. I am sure HAL certainly would never really consider charging you for something you didn't get!)

[Orcrone]

Mark,

A quick question about your non-cabana. You say the cost has not been credited. Is HAL saying that the clamshell, snorkel gear and float replaces the cabana, so no refund? Or are they telling you you're entitled to a refund of the cabana, but your CC has not been credited yet?

[CDRMark]

The Maasdam is a lovely and elegant ship. As I said in the very first part of this review, she is not new. That said, she is well tended. There is some visible rust marring her beautiful white paint job, but hello! Ship; salt; water! The crew is often seen painting, cleaning, shampooing (they did the rug in our cabin during this timeframe, after securing our permission) and varnishing the gorgeous woodwork (CAUTION! WET VARNISH; there’s a sign that one does not often see). They make enough fresh water to be able to give the ship a washdown every morning. I am told that Maasdam is going into drydock in the Norfolk area in January. I am sure this is a good thing. The ship does rock and roll more than a larger ship would in similar conditions. (not my opinion; physics) Oh well. The general feel of the ship is understated elegance, worn around the edges but not frumpy. The dining room is beautiful, as is the atrium. Around every other corner is some artsy tidbit that is just right; an old ship model or navigational instrument from the 18th century. Very cool. There is nothing garish in paint schemes or other décor that caught my eye. Normal wear and tear on a cruise ship has to be significantly greater than that of a hotel for the same number of guest-days simply because of the semi-closed environment.

Service was good throughout; often excellent, never bad, but likewise never outstanding. One bartender learned my name: "Ah cabin four!" Seriously; and our dining steward insisted on calling me "Captain" I did not have the heart to correct him. (OK I liked it). This did not bother me in the least. They fawned around my DW at her birthday and she loved it. I believe they did it out of kindness and not for tips. I learned more Indonesian than some of the crew knew English. This did not bother me either, but occasionally some passengers were classic victims of the language barrier, resorting to speaking louder and slower. I can see this coloring some guests’ perception of their cruise. I have read that Carnival Corps burgeoning fleet has put a strain on their employee base, causing training issues and reliance on crew members with less experience. This could be a factor.

I roamed all around the passenger levels, looking, sniffing, and listening. I was always smiled at by crew, who probably were calling security, but I never smelled sewage or garbage. Our cabin a/c worked very well (better at night than during the day). Our toilet never backed up, but ‘stalled’ once or twice (no pun intended). I am very familiar with the vacuum-flush marine sewerage system. It sucks. The captain was prompted to make 2 separate personal pleas for passengers to refrain from putting anything other than the intended items (ahem; that really puts a crimp in the Dutch reserve) into the system. This leads me to believe that there were problems somewhere. Back in the day it went right over the side and the only thing you had to worry about was wind direction….Let us discuss the origin of the nautical term 'head'.
Bedding is outstanding! The only hotel mattress that made me as comfortable as at home. Cabin layout (S suite) was excellent. Would be hard to try less roomy. Cabin was also a little worn around the edges, but barely noticeable.
The cruise was quiet, laid back and restful. If one went hungry, it was ones own fault. Will the ship get a star from Guide Michelin? Nopers. But the food on the whole was very very good, and one could get two steaks, but not in the Pinnacle. If one did not find something to do, well this is a weak point, and I have to echo the fact that HAL does in fact advertise ‘lectures’ on all cruises of 10 days or more in length, and there were none on this voyage. I may or may not have attended them if they had been offered. But there was always something going on, and just wandering around was great. Would it be just as great if this were my umpteenth cruise? Dunno. My first ever cruise review took 12 days to finish and about, what, 2000 words? I see someone just off the Hooverdam summed up their 13th cruise in '25 words or less'. Bloom off the rose, eh?

Ship size: seemed just right to me. In St Maarten we were docked with the Sun Princess, Westerdam, and the Behemoth (sp.?) of the Seas. They all seemed a little super-sized to me, but I liked knowing I was on a ship. I did not miss a rock wall (yes, I climb).

Passenger mix: just about right. Even the people with walkie-talkies (yes I saw some) used them respectfully. The staff is very used to dealing with the difficulties of the more mature demographic, and seem to enjoy it. The culture is much more respectful and tolerant of older persons and it shows. The dress code was self-enforced. I spoke with the Maitre d’ on formal night #1 and he was relieved he did not have to speak with any passengers. Confrontation is also a cultural issue, as well as a service-oriented faux pas. The tux/suit ratio was about 3-1 in favor of suits. We won’t discuss the older gentleman in the crushed velvet outfit, who seemed to be having the time of his life.
Debark was fast and furious. Customs was almost a formality, but serious. They like people with passports, and ready-to-hand paperwork and declarables (liquor, etc).
So, wonderful experience. Not perfect but what is. I do not feel that I ‘settled’ for something less than I should have received. I would do it again in a heartbeat. So would DW, who I believe is checking schedules.

Cheers all and see you around the boards.

MarkB

p.s. After DW reads these posts of mine, she may offer her own commentary. I have assured her you all won’t mind.
-M

[CDRMark]

Orcrone:

I do not believe they meant the 'comped' clamshell et al as replacement items; costs are not equal. We were surprised that they had not credited our ship account with the cabana fee, as they did with the can'x'd dolphin swim. We were confused and miffed, especially as they kept offering up the Neptune concierge (poor thing) as a 'human shield', and we could get no further up the food chain. Letters and e-mail are working their way thru the system. I believe I may be too patient, but I don't need the hassle right now. Visa will get their attention. Thanks for your concern. A smudge on the Mona Lisa.
Cheers
MarkB

[HeatherInFlorida]

Yes, Mark, I would definitely call your Visa because they will give you an immediate temporary credit while they check it out. And have you tried calling HAL directly? I find I often do much better when I talk to a real person, explain the problem and ask them how they can help.

I sincerely believe this is a "glitch" and that they will definitely give you the credit. Let us know!!!

[debsea]

Thanks Mark for your excellent review. I thoroughly enjoyed your writing style - DH asked why I was laughing out loud. Speaking of DH, I am forwarding your review to him as a must read. We are leaving on the Zaandam in 16 days on what will be DH's first cruise. Your review will give him a good idea what to expect.

[slineberry528]

Mark,
Sorry the story is over. I really enjoyed the reading. Hope to see you and Carolyn over the holidays. Tell Carolyn I got Mexican Train Dominoes. Hope to play it with my family during Christmas.
Susan

[zil]

Would you know, if it is possible to use a laptop on Maasdam?

[Orcrone]

I am told that Maasdam is going into drydock in the Norfolk area in January. I am sure this is a good thing.Mark,

I looked at HAL's schedule. The Maasdam returns to Norfolk on January 2 and leaves for its next cruise on January 6. So that really only leaves three days in between. I'm not sure how much is going to be done in that short a period of time.

[dakrewser]

Would you know, if it is possible to use a laptop on Maasdam?
Why, yes it is possible. You can even get connected to the outside world. See http://www.mtnsat.com/ds_kbyg_hal.htm for details.

-dave

[slineberry528]

I was on the Maasdam NOv. 20 and I was talking to staff and they are going into "wetdock". It must be tied at pier, for cleaning? NOt sure, but they called it wetdock and not drydock.
Susan

[CDRMark]

So, is no one from a subsequent voyage doing a review??

[slineberry528]

I don't think any of the other sailings had such an active board!!
I am ready to go where it is warm!
Susan

[Judy S]

Thank you for your great review, Mark. We sailed on the Maasdam a number of years ago and loved it. We're thinking of the Jan. 27 sailing. How far is it from the airport to the ship terminal? Would it be worth it to take a cab rather than pay for transfers? One thing I'd be looking forward to is the Explorers' Lounge for some good coffee, chocolate and music. So far this is all in the "thinking about" stage. January in New England can be loooooong and cooooooold. Even Norfolk, VA sounds warm by comparison. LOL

[BajaFred]

I took a taxi from airport to port on 11/20 (Sat). It took btwn 15- 20 minutes. I think with the tip I paid about $27.00. We also took a taxi on 11/30 (Tue) from port to airport. It was about the same time and price.