Maasdam 01/16/05...just back

[Charlie2na]

Well..... I'm back. My cruise experience has several area's , all of which are separate , but each affecting the total vacation experience. At times it was very difficult to separate each aspect, good from bad and "move on", but here goes. Embarkation...... a nightmare.... the ship was an hour or so late , which ment we were an hour or so late getting on. Checkout at the Marriott is at 11:00 a.m , which put us out in the 40 degree rain until about 1:00 pm , but being from Maine the cold ,wet wait wasn't the end of the world for us although we did see some under dressed, poor soles, freezing their butts off!This process needs some work , a place out of the weather to wait for a ship thats never on time. Anyway we embarked around one but ended up with all our luggage in the lido because nobody knew what the other guy was doing. Got to our rooms around three, cat J on lower prom... we loved it. Didn't know if we could survive without a verandah like we had on our first cruise { veendam 03/27/04}. The room was immaculate and had new mattresses too. Apparently the whole ship got them during the brief rest she got, the first week of Jan.I then set off to find a tv to watch the divisional championship games , but found out that" they were having tech difficulties", but should have it fixed soon. I comented that they didn't need satellite to pick up the game as it was on the local CBS station. The front desks reply was " I'm sorry sir , wer'e doing the best we can to fix it". Oh well, the game I was interested in didn't start until 4:30 lenty of time to fix the "glitch". We set sail around 5:30 and were at our table for eight at 5:45. After dinner , still no game, but a tablemate called her son on her cell and got the score for us. A bunch of us went to the internet cafe to get some more info on the game, but found that we were locked out,do to "technical difficulties". Amazing as it seems the next eight days were spent without ESPN , CNN weather etc. Throughout the whole week we were assured they were doing all they could to fix it . We heard parts would arrive at some of the ports, it wont be long, oops, more problems....sorry! At HMC we were told the barbeque would have to be held at the lido pool because the tender was "broken" an hour later the port was cancelled do to weather. I suspected a fib about the tender, but it was very windy. On to St Thomas, another sea day, but the weather is still bad so no outside pool. We spent the first four days in between 7 to as much as 18 foot seas. Cant bank on the weather so we "moved on" .Get to St Thomas, get a paper to read about the game we missed and found out the shore ex. to St John was cancelled , oh well , all in stride we "moved on". On to the next port to pick up parts tofix the tv but, ... you guessed it ... still no tv... no news ,weather ,sports...just more excuses. Domanica was great as was Barbados where we did our own tour to Crane beach....a breathtaking beach with huge surf and gorgeous blue water... well worth the trip , our cruise highlight.St Kitts was nice too, but I was worring about missing the game again. Well they really did it this time. A miraculous repair of the internet the morning after last weeks game gave us the internet for a whole week, until game time on sunday when it mysteriously went out again ! Locked out of the internet cafe at game time again !!! A coinsidence... I think not! I'm sure HAL didn't want the couple hundred ,rabid and now very angry football fans hovering over the computers , trying to get the scores And yup !!! you guessed it.... the next morning all was well again. Later that day , we even got the tv back for most of the rest of the cruise. Leaving another nice day behind in San Juan we headed for home. Recieved the express disembarkation form I was waitingfor as I had booked an early flight home. These were to be filled out and returned asap. The next evening I recieved luggage tags. Express disembarkation means you lug all your own stuff and get off the ship first. I went to the desk and told them I had filed for express and was told " sorry sir, can't be changed now , customs has the list and there is nothing that can be done ! INCOMPETANCE !!!!! Needless to say , you can guess what happened next.... Yes the ship was two and a half hours late and we missed our plane....... by fifteen minutes
Now I realize **** happens and there is no promises on the weather , but I really felt like a hostage ,and had been at least decieved ,if not out and out lied to.The food was excellant, service in the cabin second to none ,service in the dining room overloaded and slow at times , but they tried hard to be timely. Unfortunately there were enough inexcusable annoyances and an attitude of indifference to the needs of a good many passengers... not just me , that I have spent my last dollar with HAL. Now I know that some of you will just say well he had bad weather and was mad about the games ,so that ruined the cruise. Not true . I know nothing is perfect and I'm a reasonable man , most of the cruise was good ,it's just they way Hal dealt with the things that were'nt good. Thats a deal breaker for me

[getaway101]

Gee......makes me sorry I booked as soon as I did (a week ago). We don't sail until April so maybe they will have thier act together be then.

Sorry about your lousy experience............better cruising next time :rolleyes:

[bplazo]

I really cannot undertand about being upset about missing football. My husband sometimes goes crazy about that game and I just dont know why. Now maybe if it was Judge Judy or Peoples Court that would be a different story.

[bookworm0911]

I really cannot undertand about being upset about missing football.
I can understand being upset about missing something that you want to see. What I can't understand is booking a cruise to begin with where you will be out of the country during the few weeks that there is an event that is that important to you.

Cruise ships sail every week of the year and the NFL schedule is printed several years ahead. Don't book in playoff/Superbowl season and then get mad if the ship can't or won't receive the tv transmission. You made the choice to be in the middle of an ocean. :rolleyes:

[Pete Jackson]

Definitely seems as though you should cruise Celebrity or Princess next time!

[wowzo]

Charlie, I agree with you - it's the WAY things are handled that make a difference. Why don't people get that from your post ?

Don't bother changing to Princess - they are no better.

We have mistakenly booked cruises during some important things - games,elections , etc - and have never been completly happy with the ship having things go smoothly. Shame on the ship and shame on us for not checking the dates more closely.

Good luck - next time.:cool:

[Krazy Kruizers]

I am sure that you read all the reports last year about the Massdam rarely making it back to Norfolk on time so I am wondering why you even booked a flight out on the same date.

Also, even thoug check-out was 11 AM and you knew the Maasdam wasn't in port yet, why didn't you hang around the hotel lobby for awhile before you went down to the pier?

[Linda&Vern]

Our Dec. 22 embarkation was not started until 6:40pm - and it was thankfully not a nightmare, but what we observed seemed very orderly. We waited in the lobby of the Marriott - the hotel didn't seem to mind. You must be aware after reading about Norfolk that HAL is using a "temporary" terminal, waiting construction on a permanent structure. How did all your luggage end up in the Lido - did the luggage porters actually take it from you curbside and put it there? Did they lose your tags with your stateroom number on them? While our luggage didn't arrive until late into the night, it was all there in our room. (Glad you loved the Lower Prom. - we did too! Jealous they did the new mattresses, etc. when we got off!) I think those 18 foot seas must be normal the first few days out. Didn't bother us - but several passengers were not happy about it. They seemed sure it was "someone's fault." We missed HMC - because of leaving Norfolk late. While disappointed, it didn't ruin our cruise. We'll catch it next time around. I am so sorry about the "attitude " you describe of the front desk staff and others. We had the most wonderful time for the Holidays and everyone was so helpful. Every time I was to the desk for anything the staff could not have been any nicer or more helpful. Of course, they aren't TV techs - therefore I'm not sure what more they could say except "I'm sorry sir, we are trying to fix it." Our disembarkation form was in our room either when we arrived or the next day. I forgot to fill it out and they gave us a reminder form a couple days before the end of the cruise asking to return ASAP. It did state that "express" means you take all your luggage off yourself. Sorry this cruise was not what you had hoped for. But based on your disappointment, I don't understand what any other cruise line would have done differently.

[Linda&Vern]

Gee......makes me sorry I booked as soon as I did (a week ago). We don't sail until April so maybe they will have thier act together be then. Sorry about your lousy experience............better cruising next time :rolleyes:
Their act was very together Dec. 22 to Jan. 2. Have a great cruise - we wish we were going again soon!

[iluvcruzin]

Sorry to hear about the issues you had on the Maasdam. HAL really should seriously think about replacing the ship with another that is more reliable and capable of making good time. It's almost a given that the ship is going to be late on that itnerary. I think we arrived 4 hours late if I can remember. It was a bit crazy as people were waiting to get on while others were getting off.

I think it's a good market for ships out of Norfolk - actually the reason why I chose my cruise. I wish after this season they learn from their lessons. Sounds like it's almost like a broken record with the issues with the front desk - cruise after cruise with excuses. Its a shame.

So the rest of your cruise was good? Sounds like you enjoyed some of the experience.

Gateway.. if you are flying, don't book a return flight until the evening. The odds of the ship coming in late is very high.

[Charlie2na]

Yes , we'll look at the "X" next time. Bookworm, when we booked in July the football season hadn't even started, so to assume my favorite team would be in the playoffs would be wishfull thinking. Satellite tv isn't rocket science. It's a reciever and an antenna .A friend of mine got the games at an all inclusive dive in Mexico.Through no fault of my own ,I've been pushed away from Hal by their indifference to my needs. I researched the playoff football situation before boarding and was told OH sure we'll have the playoff games. In the end my biggest problem was with the way they didn't handle the problems. Sports were only one problem. Express disembarkation mixup cost me 5 hrs flying standby...sorry !! Locking out the internet, the only communication aboard was inexcusable. The right thing to do would have been to open one computer , free of charge ,during the game and at least get the scores so as to .appear to be trying to please the patrons...... afterall isn't that their job.
I'm sure that some of you won't understand and thats Ok and even some that wouldn't ever consider going elsewhere for vacations no mater how bad things get, and thats your business. For my dollar they no longer present a top quality product

[Charlie2na]

Krazy , we used up our days off to get there a day early to allow for weather delays. Missing the plane was just the straw that broke the camels back. I might have made the flight if someone had made an effort to fix their mistake. There was no "customs list", just two guys collecting the custom forms at the terminal. Saying "sorry sir " was just easier than trying to fix their mistake. Indifference to my needs will cost them my business. Besides just because they are always late, shouldn't excuse for poor performance. Totally unacceptable and their indifference is a slap in the face.

[mariner]

Where to begin.

First, sattelite TV is a no-brainer when you're on land. It's another story when you're moving on a ship and when the line may, or may not, pay for the feed.

I have no doubt they fed you a line. They likely couldn't buy the feed. But I doubt anyone aboard would even know that. The gang in Seattle might, but no one you would ever talk with aboard ship would. Their idea of football is what we call soccer.

The ship still has difficulty being on time in Norfolk when there's bad weather. San Juan isn't that much closer than St. Thomas. I suspect the change was only made with preventing having to do immigration in Norfolk, with hopes being slightly closer to the homeport would prevent delays. It really needs a major revision in the winter.

Overall, you gave the food and service high marks. But a football fanatic should really reconsider taking vacation during the season. Face it, you know at the beginning of the season whether your team has a shot. But perhaps your significant other thought otherwise.

Unlike you, I take a cruise to get away from TV. But I'm well aware there are those who need to be plugged in. And for them, I just don't think a cruise makes sense.

When I board Maasdam next week, I won't even glance at the TV in the cabiin, sports bar or in the lounge for the Super Bowl. I'll read who won in the NY Times.

[Charlie2na]

This is what I mean ! It amazes me that some will still excuse poor customer service and the lack of a standard convenience and blame the customer for buying their product. If they advertised that "they don't provide at sea news , sports, weather,or current events and oh ya.... were never on time and don't really care how that might affect our customer and by the way we won't give you an honest answer to many of our shortcomings and yes when you buy a HAL cruise we only strive to produce a mediocre product" , then It would be my fault for buying that. How silly of me to think that a 3000.00 dollar vacation from a "PREMIUM" cruiseline would include such extravagances as playoff football,current events , a realistic schedule , an honest answer and dare I be so selfish as to ask for a special disembarkation process that may or maynot be granted.
The only way any of these shortcomings will change, is for the less than satisfied consumers of any given product, voice their opinion in a public forum , appling pressure to the provider of the product for change.
To all the HAL cult like loyalists.... get your heads out of the sand , Hal needs some changes. If their product was on a store shelf and the back of the bottle read like their homepage, and most posts on these boards, I'd return it after tryng it.

[soccerfootballmom]

@ Charlie...


Have you thought of writing HAL a letter? It seems to me they can't fix it, if they don't know it's broken. Perhaps they will try and get your business back as well...:rolleyes:

[sail7seas]

I agree with you that often what is the problem is not always as bad as the way the problem is addressed and the attitude of those involved in the 'public contact'arena. Perhaps the ladies at the Front Office were less responsive than we would all like but I do think they do the best they can. Sometimes they really do not know the answer and for some reason fail to simply admit it. After admitting they do not know, we would like to think they would do their best to find out. Maybe they did try and failed......or maybe they did not 'get the point' that it really was important to some pax to see their favorite team run around a football field.

I honestly think it highly possible there were satellite reception problems. I am so techno challenged, I would have no clue if there is a connection between not being able to get tv reception and not being able to use the internet cafe to get online. If tv is down is it likely internet would also be? Why would Maasdam care if folks bought and used internet packages (think revenue here, folks) to go on line and check scores? Why would they purposely shut them down? Please explain that as I cannot imagine why they would refuse to have pax sit all night on the computer if they wished to burn up a bunch of minutes.

This Norfolk route seems to often (almost always?) involve rough seas and delays. When that itinerary was designed, it seems that whoever figured distance and time between ports made some errors in what the usual/average conditions would be? I am no navigator and don't pretend to be but when a ship consistently fails to complete an itinerary and arrive back at home port on time, it might be a good idea to rethink the route????

Someone with more knowledge.....please fill in my blanks for me. What am I missing?

[hw]

Thanks for posting your review. We were there with you and attest that you are not exaggerating the glitches and head-in-the-sand attitude of Maasdam staff.

This was our second and last HAL cruise. We have sailed many times on Princess, Celebrity, and RCCL. While it is true that not everything is always perfect, we have never experienced this much of a total meltdown.

You didn't mention the "big hit" on the way home that caused china, wine glasses, and people to lurch across the table and dining room. The wait staff looked shocked. No explanation was forthcoming so we don't know what happened.

Gee, how silly of us to expect satellite reception or to have HAL work out a route that allows for ontime departure and return even in rough seas.
Like you, we will vote with our wallet and will return to lines which have performed more consistently.

[Pudgesmom]

Maybe somehow the cruise lines could be required to post on time performance just like the airlines. That might cause a more realisic portrayal of the actual schedule.

Beth

[sail7seas]

Gee, how silly of us to expect satellite reception or to have HAL work out a route that allows for ontime departure and return even in rough seas.
Like you, we will vote with our wallet and will return to lines which have performed more consistently.


While I agree with some of what you wrote, I do not agree that we should have an expectation of satellite reception. I know for sure there have been times when they have paid for the feed for big games and the reception faded in and out. There have been times when they simply could not receive it due to location/weather conditions whatever...... I do not think it reasonable to have an absolute expectation they will do what sometimes is not possible.

JMHO......

[bwelborn]

I live in the immediate area around Norfolk and can catch the Maasdam any time I please, but after one journey out of the port we won't do the route again because of the problems-the Atlantic ocean is rough off the coast of NC and is hard to cross and this causes delays for the rest of the trip. HAL in general with other routes and ports is not this way. So don't rule them out with just the one trip.

[hw]

Regarding satellite reception. We were first told that the satellite was "broken". The satellite was fine; it was their equipment. After some pointed questions, we were ultimately told that they needed a part and it would be flown into Barbados. They were unable to get it working due to a "synchronization" or "encryption" issue. It began working in San Juan, after the Inauguration and playoff games.

Yes, things do malfunction, but nobody likes a runaround.

By the way, they had problems the week before. One would think that there would be some sense of urgency to fix things.

We believe in second chances, which is why we were on this cruise. To be polite and to respect those who are HAL fans and love the Maasdam, we will simply say that HAL is not a good match for us.

[ekerr19]

Charlie-

Sorry to hear about your much anticipated cruise. I do not think it is unreasonable to expect satellite and internet service. Like you, I also understand when problems surface that prevent such things from working properly. I think it is the "sorry sir" attitude that tends to escalate something small into a peeve.

I think what bothers me most is the fact that you requested express disembarkation and the attitude, "well, it's too late to change it now" is unacceptable. I've been on the Maasdam out of Norfolk and know exactly what you are referring to when you speak of the two customs agents standing on the walkway collecting forms. They did not even look at ours.

I think HAL knew there was a strong possiblity the ship would arrive behind schedule and probably processed those with HAL purchased air to disembark first - in order to avoid those folks being further delayed and impacting HAL's pocketbook.

Each person cruises for different reasons - some may wish never to turn on a TV or use email, that is their choice. To claim someone is being "unreasonable" because he wants to see a football game is unfair. HAL has a long way to go with the Maasdam out of Norfolk, imo. It is far too early in the year to cruise from that port - we cruised 4/3/04 and had some weather problems, but nothing near the problems they encountered on the 4-5 cruises before ours.

Charlie, I hope you contact HAL and let them know of your displeasure and the problem with disembarkation. This is the only way they will know pax are unahappy and bailing ship for other lines.

[sail7seas]

Thank you for your courtesy and polite message, HW.


Yes, I do love the Maasdam. I am very sorry to hear of the problems aboard her and do not doubt that what is written here is true.

I, also, would not like a So Sorry, Sir and nothing is done attitude. Frankly, I don't put up with that! I get vocal, which, sadly, is usually not the best approach but nevertheless......


But, I still think some acknowledgement needs to be given that satellite reception is not always possible. I will stop beating this dead horse, I promise. But, I am an immently fair person and I always try very hard to be fair to both sides.

It is not in the least unreasonable you wish to be told the truth and you wish for basic availabilities from a luxury vacation. I'm with you totally on that.

[ekerr19]

I, also, would not like a So Sorry, Sir and nothing is done attitude. Frankly, I don't put up with that! I get vocal, which, sadly, is usually not the best approach but nevertheless......

Sail-

It seems to be more and more prevalent. I remember being more than mildly irritated when the Front Desk paged my 11-yr. old daughter as we disembarked the Maasdam to pay her $10.11 shipboard account - AFTER we had confirmed and settled all the charges for her the day before.

We had to go back upstairs, wait in ridiculously long lines, only to be told, "so sorry, not our fault" ... good thing we weren't in danger of missing our flight, then it wouldn't have been pretty. ;)

[Charlie2na]

Yes EKEER19 and SOCCARFOOTBALLMOM I am planning on contacting Hal regarding this whole matter. Obviously the cruise is over ,damage done and not much can be done to fix what has happened. There are other lines and itineraries there to be explored. For us Norfolk seemed like an ideal starting point. ONLY 1.5 HRS flight from BOS. a bit more time onboard and a ship layout we loved. Hg.... we never did find out what that bump in the night was...hope it wasn't someone else! ANYWAY..... The itinerary needs revision, either the half day at St Kitts or the half day at San Juan should be dropped. Not really enough time to do much at either port and what difference if we arrive at the home port at midnight the night before or the scheduled 8:00 am. I suspect its all about the money , more ports , more attractive ,having to buy the feed from local broadcasters, more cost. I for one would rather pay a little more for what I want. This wasn't a reduced rate sail date or a discount cruiseline.

[sail7seas]

Sail-

It seems to be more and more prevalent. I remember being more than mildly irritated when the Front Desk paged my 11-yr. old daughter as we disembarked the Maasdam to pay her $10.11 shipboard account - AFTER we had confirmed and settled all the charges for her the day before.

We had to go back upstairs, wait in ridiculously long lines, only to be told, "so sorry, not our fault" ... good thing we weren't in danger of missing our flight, then it wouldn't have been pretty. ;)


That's outrageous. I would have kept walking if I Knew I had paid the bill in full.

If not their "fault", than Whose??? Of course it is their fault. They do the bills!!!! Not that the point is whose fault is it!!! It shouldn't happen.

[peaches from georgia]

I certainly agree with you about the itinerary, Charlie. After last year's problems, when they changed the iitinerary and still consistently had trouble making it back on time, I was very surprised HAL did not rethink this whole Norfolk venture and either extend the length of the cruise by a day or 2 or drop a port(s).

It's winter, it's the Atlantic, and it's a particularly rough area of the Atlantic, so to keep doing the same thing, expecting different results, is ridiculous.

[ekerr19]

That's outrageous. I would have kept walking if I Knew I had paid the bill in full.

If not their "fault", than Whose??? Of course it is their fault. They do the bills!!!! Not that the point is whose fault is it!!! It shouldn't happen.

Unfortunately, we did not know the exact reason for her being paged until we talked to the girl at the desk. When she told me - I was upset, we went out of our way to make certain the shipboard accounts for the kids were cleared as they would not be having further activity. At any rate, HAL still had the credit card on file.... She said, "sorry, you did not take care of this yesterday" - when I pulled out the copy I received the day before that was stamped "paid" she apologized.

Also, when I heard the page, I was concerned because they had her as pax #1 (for some unknown reason) and we never could get them to correct the pax order #'s for us. I thought maybe they were actually paging me - and it was some sort of emergency. I was wrong. :)

[mariner]

Here's one way to look at this route.

The Veedam sails the Maasdam's route of last year from Tampa (closer to the Caribbean) and it's 12 days!

Imagine the damage from a storm if the Captain ordered full steam ahead. Norfolk wouldn't have enough ambulances to handle the injured.

I just don't understand why the Volendam/Zaandam aren't sailing the Norfolk route. They're faster and larger (a plus in the winter on the North Atlantic). However, maybe they're too big for Nauticus.

I suspect the delays into Norfolk are why things are not getting repaired. The crew is too busy trying to get pax off and on that there just isn't time to fix certain things.

When I sailed Maasdam last year, the staff ashore and aboard did a great job handling the delays. Had I needed to catch a plane, I would have looked at my disembarkation number on the last day after hearing the captain announce our ETA. If it weren't a 1, I would have gone to the concierge (or Front Office) and got the number changed. If they wouldn't, I'd find the guest relations manager.

As a last resort, I'd become ugly American when the ship tied up and just go to the gangway. As long as my Customs form and landing card are in order, they're not going to stop me.

[zil]

We all can be thankful that Maasdam did not have the virus, that Veendam just experienced.

Yes, we had very rough seas, arrived home late, but the Massdam is lovely ship with(my experience) no complaints.

Weather has nothing to do with HAL and technical problems will happen. The terrible"bump" went unexplained and I would have liked the Capt. to assure us that all was normal>DR was a mess with dishes, food, glassses broken on the floor. It was bad...

[Vic The Parrot]

What exactly did that 'bump' feel like? , besides a bump....


Was it like hitting a rock, or another ship?

[sungoddess]

Okay, I have to jump in here because I think the Front Office is blamed far too often for situations that are out of their control. First, they do not prepare the bills, it is the night manager and the Purser who do. So, if there is a mistake that is made, don't automatically blame the FO, it may not be their fault.

Secondly, there are certain ports, where once a disembarkation list is sent to Customs, there are NO changes permitted. I'm sure many people will not believe this, but it is true and they have gotten stricter over the years. Vancouver is a prime example of this.

[zil]

[QUOTE=Vic The Parrot]What exactly did that 'bump' feel like? , besides a bump....


Was it like hitting a rock, or another ship?[/QUOTE


The "bump" felt like a big thud. It stop right there. I was on Navigation deck in bed( seasick) and was ready to run to lifeboat #8! My husband and rest of our party of eight were in the upper dr. They had food, dishes and glasses all over the place. My husband came up to check on me and mentioned that he had stuff in his shoes! Since our group were all retired submariners., they think that it might have been a wave out of sinc. Some say that they thought we had hit a whale? None of us really know and the Capt. was very wrong in not coming on PA to assure us.

[sungoddess]

What time did the bump happen? The Captain may have been busy with navigational duties and unable to make an announcement.

[mariner]

Yes sungoddess. If the ship was taking a pounding, he was probably holding on for dear life and having someone sound the ship to see if anyone was hurt.

[sail7seas]

Sungoddess.....Hi....Welcome back here. We (I) haven't seen you posting lately.

As pax, it really doesn't matter to us if the GRM overseeing the Front Office or the Purser is ultimately responsible for producing the bills. We know that if we have a question and want to tell them we have been UNDERCHARGED, it is the Front Office (or if appropriate, the Concierge) we go to.

Whether the girl at the front office actually entered the charge into a computer or pushed the print button on the printer really is of little to no interest to us. We know it is the office we have to speak with and try to make understand what it is we are attempting to accomplish.

[Vic The Parrot]

The bump felt like a big thud



Yea, it was definitely a wave.
Had plenty of 40-footers on the Dec crossing last year, and we felt every swell that hit the ship.

I feel bad for the patrons in the dining room during that time.
Having to end up losing thier dinners right before thier eyes.

[sungoddess]

Hi Sail,
Yes, I just returned home from sea! To clarify: I know that to our guests, they do not care where the mistake was made, but it may help them to know that the FO cannot cure everthing; they rely on other departments!

[zil]

What time did the bump happen? The Captain may have been busy with navigational duties and unable to make an announcement.

You`ve we got to be kidding about the Capt. and his navigational duties! One of his Main duties is to the passengers and keeping them informed. No excuse for not coming on the PA system.(unless he did not know what it was or too routine for him?)

[CDRMark]

Charlie: So sorry you had less than an ideal cruise. I know full well how seemingly small things can totally bust an otherwise great experience. My experience with the frontline customer service personnel was similar in trying to resolve my relatively minor (but simple to fix) problems): "yes sir sorry sir we'll look into it". No resolution until I went nearer the top of the foodchain. I still do not understand this completely, but I have a theory I will not go into here. I rate this as a larger problem than the original error. Not indifference exactly, but maybe they are not "empowered" to fix things.

In my review of the Maasdams 11/20-11/30 cruise I wrote about the problems with any itinerary in the winter that has to sail thru this area of ocean which does not have enough "padding" in the timetable. Weather and/or mechanical troubles will cause problems. Since time is money, I am sure they have costed this out. I would (really really) hate to lose the option of sailing from my hometown, but HAL needs to look at the whole situation again. Speed is not the only factor; most cruise ships have a similar top end.

The temporary pier facility in Norfolk can handle larger ships. The Carnival Victory sails from here. Almost twice Maasdams tonnage. None of the other 3 lines which sail from here (even in the warmer months) have as 'aggressive' an itinerary, as to duration or distance.
Cheers
MarkB

[Me & Him]

I find it interesting that all the talk I read is that it was the Maasdam late. I guess that the several thousand flights that were canceled due to the storms from the midwest to the entire east coast did not impact the travel plans of other travelers. I presume that the airlines waved a magic wand to make it go away so none of the customers would be inconvienced and those that were, were only given the correct answers by the front office (ticket and gate agents).

Transit times for ships are planed based on historical weather data. If you have a low front come in and drop three feet of snow and just hang around a produce winds of 70 miles an hour, it shouldn't impact the transit time of a ship becuase the seas should remain calm!!! For those of us who live in this area and in particular that have sailed out of Norfolk with the navy and comerical shipping, we know that the Hatteras area has a great impact on shipping. The movement of storms from west to east during late December through late March have a great impact on conditions of the midatlantic coast. So would bringing a larger and faster ship improve ontime arrival, IHO, I don't think so. The change in the schedule last year seemed to resolve the late arrival departure when mother nature is doing her normal thing. Do we complain when the company steers clear of a hurricane for our safety and comfort?

Should the Captain come on and let the passengers know everything was all right after the big thund!! Yes he should have. They were smart enough to close down the entertainement to ensure the safety of the crew due to the weather and inform those that were present because of the reason.

It would have been nice to have let the front office know that they were having mechnical problems with the reception of satellite signal instead of saying reception problems. This is a public relations thing and trying to keep the guest informed with the best available information so be the foremost in the mind of those providing service to their paying customers.

Can Norfolk handle larger ships than the Maasdam at the berth used for cruise ships, yes it can and does right now. As was mentioned the terminal is temporary and is scheduled to be replaced in late fall 2006 with a modern facility to support the cruise industry, Homeland security and the public.

[oceansdevine]

:eek: My table was 125 at the glass window, directly midship. What an adventure. I was covered with broken glassware, water, wine, soup[ and whatever else was on the table. No explanation at all. First I thought hit by another ship because we were listing but we were still moving, so that wasn't it . It must have been a wave. Captain was asleep. No word even the next day. My 26th cruise it was horrible.Thanks for posting your review. We were there with you and attest that you are not exaggerating the glitches and head-in-the-sand attitude of Maasdam staff.

This was our second and last HAL cruise. We have sailed many times on Princess, Celebrity, and RCCL. While it is true that not everything is always perfect, we have never experienced this much of a total meltdown.

You didn't mention the "big hit" on the way home that caused china, wine glasses, and people to lurch across the table and dining room. The wait staff looked shocked. No explanation was forthcoming so we don't know what happened.

Gee, how silly of us to expect satellite reception or to have HAL work out a route that allows for ontime departure and return even in rough seas.
Like you, we will vote with our wallet and will return to lines which have performed more consistently.

[ekerr19]

As pax, it really doesn't matter to us if the GRM overseeing the Front Office or the Purser is ultimately responsible for producing the bills. We know that if we have a question and want to tell them we have been UNDERCHARGED, it is the Front Office (or if appropriate, the Concierge) we go to.

Whether the girl at the front office actually entered the charge into a computer or pushed the print button on the printer really is of little to no interest to us. We know it is the office we have to speak with and try to make understand what it is we are attempting to accomplish.

Sail-

Thank you for stating this so accurately. :) As pax, do we try and corner the Purser or Controller with problems relating to our shipboard accounts? Of course not. We must go to the Concierge or Front Desk, which ever the case may be. Each and every cruise I've been impressed with the Front Desk and Concierge staff. The Maasdam cruise was the only time I've ever really had a problem that couldn't be readily solved.

[xpcdoojk]

I think bad planning accounted for as many of the problems as the cruiseline having slipped. Early flight bad plan. Leaving the hotel to stand in the rain when you know the ship isn't there yet and will have to disembark first, bad plan. Booking a cruise when there is something on TV you really really want to see live, bad plan.

JMHO, I haven't ever cruised on HAL so I can't possibly be a HAL shill can I?:D ;)

jc

[dakrewser]

This is what I mean ! It amazes me that some will still excuse poor customer service and the lack of a standard convenience and blame the customer for buying their product. If they advertised that "they don't provide at sea news , sports, weather,or current events and oh ya....

We did get the playoffs on the Oosterdam, but the feeds weren't great. Apparently whoever was doing the uplink had trouble focusing on the satellite. Add to that the fact that you were in 18 foot seas (and trying to lock an antenna on a satellite) and I can understand why there was no TV feed for you. The internet connection uses the same satellites, so that's why it wasn't there. HAL doesan't own the satellites, the uplink or the internet connection - they're also at the mercy of the communications people.

THe things that were within the cruise line's control you say were "excellent" so I really can't give your rant too much acceptance. The schedule, the weather, the delays, the express checkout - all of this was known (or knowable) to you long before you left. Thinking that it will all change for your cruise is simply whistling past the graveyard.

By all means blame someone for the problems, just be sure you're blaming the right person.

[CDRMark]

In my satcom experience, uplink is more affected by sea-state, as the transmitting antler must be in a narrow cone with the sattelite inside. For downlink reception one need only be in the footprint. Forgive me if I generalize, but I believe this is correct. My guess would be the problem was more likely the lash-up between the site feed and the transmitter.
Just an edumacated guesstimate.
Cheers
MarkB

[Charlie2na]

Well they don't use the same reciever for tv reception as used for internet. Internet worked the whole time except for game time, whereas tv worked only last 3 days of cruise. But most of you guys are right Its my fault... What a nerve to expect tv or an accurate schedule. If I did my job at 60 or 70 percent of capability I'd be fired. How long would you continue to ride a bus thats never on time ? Sure , I need to be flexible and plan to waste 7 or 8 hrs in an airport because they cant be on time or even close..... you guys kill me .... just drink the koolaide.

[sail7seas]

Least favorite thing I want to hear from people in the hospitality business.....



Not My Fault.

Not My Job.

[dakrewser]

Well they don't use the same reciever for tv reception as used for internet. Internet worked the whole time except for game time, whereas tv worked only last 3 days of cruise.

Not the same "receiver", obviously, but the same bunch o'gear. Still, sincve we had both internet access and the football games on the Oosterdam, it could hardly be the cruise line's policy to block them, could it? Maybe it was the weather, or a part, or whatever they told you. Obnviously you weren't willing to listen to anything except "I'll start it right up for you, sir."

Could guest services have handled it better? Probably. Could you have handled it better? Most likely.

Now, then, let's see who we can blame for the weather.....

-dave

[Linda&Vern]

Well they don't use the same reciever for tv reception as used for internet. Internet worked the whole time except for game time, whereas tv worked only last 3 days of cruise. But most of you guys are right Its my fault... What a nerve to expect tv or an accurate schedule. If I did my job at 60 or 70 percent of capability I'd be fired. How long would you continue to ride a bus thats never on time ? Sure , I need to be flexible and plan to waste 7 or 8 hrs in an airport because they cant be on time or even close..... you guys kill me .... just drink the koolaide.
Charlie2na - You didn't have a "good" cruise - and for that I am sorry. Several others have not had "good" Maasdam cruises. Several others of us had "great" Maasdam cruises. I guess I'm only writing so that "newbies" will understand the ship/route/etc. can not be all goods things to all people. You seemed concerned all along about some issues that you mention (see below). You probably felt about the games on TV the way I felt about my cell phone. My reliable cell phone company told me I would have no trouble calling from St. Thomas. They couldn't guarantee the other islands. Well guess what! Dec. 26 we are in St. Thomas and I am dying to call my adult kids to hear about their Christmas and NO SERVICE. It took me all day to remember my passcode to use my public phone calling card. Dec. 26 was the only communication day I had planned with my family and I was very disappointed! Maybe it would have gone better for you with Express Disembarkation if you went to the desk the first day and asked about it. Our papers (forms) were in our room the first day. I don't understand why yours came so late in the cruise. Better to deal with it first instead of last. Some of your past posts included:

11/27/04 - CDRMARK, have you been offered the "express disembarkation" on your cruise . I hope they keep it . I'm gonna need it!
__________________

11/9/04 Hopefully, we'll be in time. Going to be disembarking on a thursday morning, end of January.... shouldn't be to busy ! Also ,looked @ ontime percentage... 70% on time! That works in my favor!

__________________

11/8/04 Just spoke to an AA rep, and she said there would be a $100.00 change charge, or I could just fly standby on the next two flights home @ no charge!... Sounds like a good emergency plan if we get fouled up timewise...

__________________

11/8/04 Thanks all, I'll call American Airlines to see what the penalties are for changing flights and what the are for missing flights. I didn't want to sit for 5-6 hrs waiting to go home, so thought I would roll the dice and hope everything went well

__________________

11/7/04 I may have made a mistake booking an early flight... 11:00 a.m from Norfolk after a Maasdam cruise in Jan. The other options weren't until 3:30. Is this totally unrealistic ? What happens if I miss it. Airport only 15 minutes from shipport. On paper, if we arrive on time , I should make it. I'm sure there's a charge to change flight as well as one for missing my flight ... six of one half dozen of the other !

__________________

O8/5/04 OOOPPPS! I forgot about football divisional and championship games in mid and late Jan ! Please tell me Maasdam has satelite coverage so I can watch my SUPERBOWL CHAMPION NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS get to the big game again this Feb.

[xpcdoojk]

Well they don't use the same reciever for tv reception as used for internet. Internet worked the whole time except for game time, whereas tv worked only last 3 days of cruise. But most of you guys are right Its my fault... What a nerve to expect tv or an accurate schedule. If I did my job at 60 or 70 percent of capability I'd be fired. How long would you continue to ride a bus thats never on time ? Sure , I need to be flexible and plan to waste 7 or 8 hrs in an airport because they cant be on time or even close..... you guys kill me .... just drink the koolaide.

You know the statement drink the koolaide is pretty pejorative and it seems like you want us to agree with you. In other words that is not a good way to accomplish it.

Did someone force you at gun point to take this cruise. Sure sounds like a bunch of koolaide drinkers held you hostage, and made you make all of the decisions that it appears you knew upfront were a little sketchy....

jc

[CDRMark]

There are several issues at work here IMO.

1. Which expectations are reasonable versus unreasonable? This can be very subjective. I personally expect A/C in the Carib. I could care less about TV reception, esp foosball. The fact that I cannot understand a fans love of the game does not make it any less important to them. Is it reasonable to expect continuous good TV reception on a cruise ship? The fact that one is a (virtual; volunteer) hostage onboard changes the paradigm. One cannot decamp to another bar to see the big game.

2. The problems themselves. Maasdam seems to have had more than her fair share of recurring mechanical problems. It seems reasonable to assume that these are being addressed, but that doesn't alter the perception that nothing (or certainly not enough) is being done in the preventive action vein. Mechanical equipment breaks. Mechanical equipment subjected to pounding seas breaks more frequently.

3. The manner in which problems and complaints are being "managed".

#3 trumps them all (again IMO). Being at the cutting edge of a customer service busimess, where money is involved, I understand full well how the mis-handling of a customer service "issue" can morph a relatively small molehill into a mountain. I personally experienced this when the poor concierge was used as a human shield by the front office in dealing with my (relatively minor; shoulda been an easy 'A+' for them) complaint. Deer in the headlights perfectly described her manner in dealing with us. Unsat.
For heavens sake, acknowledge the problem, communicate honestly, offer some sort of compensation (quickly!). Even the 16 year old Mickey D counter person can offer free fries if a customer seems peeved.
This ain't rocket surgery.
Cheers
MarkB

ps and BTW Linda&Vern: 2005 petard hoisting award goes to you so far.

[sail7seas]

What does this mean?





ps and BTW Linda&Vern: 2005 petard hoisting award goes to you so far.


Thanks.

[dakrewser]

For heavens sake, acknowledge the problem, communicate honestly, offer some sort of compensation (quickly!). Even the 16 year old Mickey D counter person can offer free fries if a customer seems peeved.


Good stuff, Mark. Too often the customer service rep (the face and voice of the line), the concierge or the front desk clerk is as in the dark as the passenger. That should be corrected, as quickly as possible. But the pax also have to realize that the CSR isn't a miracle worker - and neither are the on-board engineers. Some things simply cannot be made whole.

-dave

Now, if you'll excuse me, I just saw a glass of koolaid with my name on it....

[dakrewser]

What does this mean?


That Linda&Vern refuted Charlie's arguments using his own words.......

:) -dave

[Charlie2na]

Well, like a belly ache from norwalk aboard the Veendam... I'm back. I'd like to take a minute to thank everyone who worked so hard over the last few days to convince me that my less than satisfactory trip aboardthe Maasdam was my own fault. I never thought about waiting in the lobby of the Marriott along with the other 40- 50 checked out cruisers with their 4-5 bags each. I'm sure they wouldn't have objected to that. And yes it's true , a schedule is nothing more than obscure referance to an aproximation of time, not an exact moment ,.... unless YOUR late for the ship. I value your patience with me and my on going education regarding the technic to becoming and remaining a Happy Hal crusier.
NOTE TO ALL UNSATISFIED HAL PATRONS:
#1.....If HAL doesn't meet your standards...... lower your standards.
#2... try not to expect to much... that way you'll never be disappointed.
#3...NEVER sail if you have an interest in sports, weather, current events,foreign policy, world news, business , economic trends or the like.
Thanks for the memories and oh ya .... all those posts to keep my review on the first page..... almost 600 readers so far and a few more " less than satified patrons" coming out of the "closet" so to speak

[CDRMark]

Charlie: I am sorry your cruise was unsatisfactory. You have every right to your expectations. Vote with your wallet, which is also your right. I think I have been pretty reasonable here. Perception is reality. I have been told that because I liked the food on my cruise, I have no taste. Is that right? The customer service issue is MAJOR. I do not care for Koolaid of any type. We called it bug juice in the Nav and it had colors instead of flavors. I'll pass.

Dave: Customer service reps are not miracle workers and most people get that. Their attitude in most of these instances has been deplorable. They are not getting guidance from above (and I do not mean Divine). They are left twisting in the wind and the customer with the problem is left stewing. Not sat.

S7S: Dave answered your question to me, I hope satisfactorily.

Cheers all
MarkB

[xpcdoojk]

Thanks for the memories and oh ya .... all those posts to keep my review on the first page..... almost 600 readers so far and a few more " less than satified patrons" coming out of the "closet" so to speak

Therein lies the crux of this entire thread. Attention. Wow 600 viewers, of course each time I open it ... it counts as 1... Since I personally opened it 500 times, that means you actually had about 15 viewers. :p Of which 14 were koolaide fans.....:rolleyes: excepting CdrMark. :D

I remember being on a 16 day cruise right before we went to Iraq in 2003, it was difficult occassionally seeing CNN international and being stuck literally half a world away. Of course, it is easier to predict when the football playoffs are than when a major world event will occur. :p

jc

[spongerob]

What does this mean?

Thanks.

Actually, this is a malapropism. The phrase "hoist by his own petard" as used by Shakespeare quite literally means to have something blow up in your face. In fact, Charlie2na is hoist by his own petard when his foreknowledge of possible travel delays is revealed in the roll call posts. It is Charlie who should receive the award. Sorry, Charlie.

And crying over a football game? Much ado about nothing.

[ExpCruiser]

Charlie2Na This is what I mean ! It amazes me that some will still excuse poor customer service and the lack of a standard convenience and blame the customer for buying their product.

YES, I AGREE WITH YOU WHOLEHEARTEDLY. It IS the way HAL doesn't handle the feedback. Of course things go awry, and we do bring them to the attention of the proper folks, and get a nod and NO action. BTW I was on the ship the week before you and (though it didn't bother me) the satellite problems were in full force for that cruise as well.

There is a problem with the itinerary, it just DOESN'T work. But it looks good on paper. You can write a letter to HAL as we did with our Noordam 2004 cruise. We got a voucheer towards our next HAL cruise. That's how we wound up on the Maasdam and even though the cost/day was a steal with the voucher, it didn't swing us back to consider HAL in the future. Still a thumbs down for us too.

[jtalbot]

Charlie2Na. We were along with you on the 1-16-05 cruise. This was my 39th cruise and the most eventful one. First we were on A deck where many of the staterooms had NO heat for the first three days. My mother who is 83 was moved to a room with heat until they could get ours fixed (3 days later). Another interesting event that I haven't heard anyone talking about was the BIG BANG that happened around 9Pm on the evening of Jan. 26 the day before getting back in Norfolk. We were having dinner in the dinning room when it felt like something hit the ship? Possibly a wave? Food and drinks falling and sliding everywhere wich some glass breakage and screaming people in the dinning room. I understand that the show which was going on was stopped? Did you feel the event? I think the captain should have said the ship was OK.

[cru1s1ng]

Sorry about your bad experience. On the plus side, you missed the inauguration :D

i do expect TV on the ship, for CNN if nothing else. It is part of the advertised experience. In these times, one needs to stay somewhat informed.

There are so many posts saying the Maasdam is late. I think its more of a prbolem of the schedule being WRONG. Thanks to everyone mentioning this. I booked a 6pm flight out the same day, I hope thats late enough.