YOUR OPINIONS NEEDED-Tell the Good & Bad about MS MAASDAM so we can better plan...

[debjo]

GREETINGS TO ALL HOLLAND AMERICA PAST PASSENGERS...especially those from the MS MAASDAM!

I'm planning another family cruise and, since we are limited to ships that sail out of Boston, we find we have more to choose from this year. (Last year, our "only" choice was Norwegian Cruise Line's NORWEGIAN MAJESTY.) Having "choices" always seems to make planning more "fun"!

So, I need your opinions...tell me the "good, bad, and the ugly" about your ENCHANTMENT experiences and what Royal Caribbean has to offer. Here is a brief bio about the "family":

My husband and I (both late 40's) are researching this ship (along with RCI's ENCHANTMENT OF THE SEAS) for a Canada/New England cruise in 2005 for his parents and their elder siblings (ages 78-83). He and I have been on five cruises (see list below), his parents on two (CARNIVAL SENSATION & NORWEGIAN MAJESTY, and the elder siblings will be the cruise "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 in a "review" below, regarding the wheelchair accessibility of the public & deck areas of the MAASDAM and the healthy eating menu selections (heart healthy/lactose intolerance/diabetic offerings), we'd appreciate your insights. Also, if anyone has any experience with the offerings of the designated "handicapped accessible" cabins (pictures & dimensions would be great), that would be most helpful. I'm also curious to wheelchair accessibility to the tender boats as well as getting on and off the ship when it is docked "in port".

I plan to call HOLLAND AMERICA's Special Services department to ask them these questions, but feel that the Cruise Critic Past Passengers have always given me a "real" feel for what to expect from their first hand experiences. It seems that when you talk to a representative of the cruise line, you encounter people that have not "actually" been on the ship and can only give you what their "manuals" say.

Many thanks in advance for all of your sage words of wisdom!

Debjo (family cruise coordinator affectionately known as their "Cruise Director")

[debjo]

How would you rate the wheelchair accessiblity of the main show lounge on the MAASDAM. Do they have a special area for the people in wheelchairs and their families? Are there any steps involved or is the theatre aisle way a long sloping ramp?

Thanks again... :) :)
Debjo

[DFD1]

WE had a great time on the Maasdam two seasons ago. Got a look at the handicapped cabins and they were very spacious with a nice drive-in shower and very wide bathroom door with good handicap equipment bathroom equipment. The cabin we saw was an inside cabin and it seemed very nice. I'm would expect the outside ones to be even larger.

Others may know better, but I believe the cabins on the Maasdam are a bit larger than those on either RCL or NCL. You might call each and ask the square footage of their handicapped cabins.

We experienced no problems with the AC on the Maasdam, had good service, and really enjoyed the traditional beauty of the ship.

We'd sail on her again with no hesitation. Good Luck. Hope you have a great time.

[RuthC]

Needed to start with that disclaimer; but I have sailed extensively on her three sisters, as well as the Amsterdam and Rotterdam cousins. So, based on those ships I'd say:

HAL is excellent dealing with the elderly and disabled. The crew will go out of their way to help and to make accommodations, and are experienced in knowing what to do.
The passageways generally are wide enough for a wheelchair to pass. The worst area is outside the shops when there is a yard sail going on; in that case there is another route, or you can ease on through.
There are comfortable areas in the show lounge on the main floor (Promenade Deck), and there is an accessable area on the Upper Prom level on her sisters/cousins.
In every lounge the chairs can be moved around so someone in a wheelchair can be wheeled up to the table or the window.

There are accessible restrooms on the Upper Promenade and Lido decks.

[slineberry528]

I have just returned from the Nov sailing of the Maasdam out of Norfolk. This is the ship I would go with. They have a large floor area for the wheelchairs. Many people on this cruise were wheelchair bound.
Susan

[mikefang]

We took the Maasdam Canada/New England Oct 16th. There were a number of wheelchairs in use in all areas of the ship. Can't speak to the diet questions. We tendered in Bar Harbor, Maine and Martha's Vineyard, both of which may not be on the shorter cruises-ours was a 14 day repositioning to Norfolk. We did not utilize any wheelchair services but we had always seen the crew working hard to assist wheelchair and/or unsteady passengers. The tenders are a problem directly related to seas, winds, swells, etc. In Bar Harbor it was a lengthier process to load and offload wheelchair passengers. From what I could see Maasdam public areas are accessible.