sail7seas
December 20th, 2010, 11:56 AM
It all started wonderfully with the smoothest Embarkation possible and the same excitement of crossing Maasdam's gangway for what we know will be another great time.
This was a particularly special visit for us on Maasdam and everyone made it very special. It was our 30th cruise on her and it seemed lots of folks knew it. I think that ovewhelmed me a bit.
Our cabin was ready early and we were able to go to it which is always outstanding. I think this is going to transition for most of the cabins to be ready earlier than has currently been the case.
It was a beautiful day and great sailaway.... they're all great but we all know some are more special for one reason or another. This one was a treat for us.
We found our invitation to Suite Welcome Aboard Party and were surprised to find it was to be held in Piano Bar rather than Neptune Lounge. What a good idea! Neptune can sometimes be very crowded at that party if most of the Suite guests attend. It was a really fun party and we saw friends we've known for years and met new ones.
DH and I are big Patriots fans and the ship was showing the game. We had a delightful dinner in Pinnacle with a friend of many years and that was so special. After what was a perfect dinner in everyway, DH and I went back to our suite to watch the Patriots win a BIG victory. :) How does life get better? :D Maasdam/friends/special Pinnacle dinner and a huge Patriots' win.....;)
Our first port was Half Moon Cay.... okay, I correct my last statement.... life does get better. A stop at Half Moon Cay added to the list above. Perfect day there (though a little cool which suited me fine) and very relaxing. We enjoyed the barbeque and especially enjoyed finally meeting Copper John 10-8 who most know from his posts here. He is now Security Officer on Maasdam and DH and I went to his 'station' at HMC to introduce ourselves. We had a great chat. Nice, nice man as most here know.
I wasn't feeling my very best this cruise and there were times I stayed in our cabin to rest more than usual. I wasn't really ill but anyone who has chronic health conditions know there are times the symptoms creep up on us. I was cranky and knew it. I was loving being on Maasdam as always but I was out of sync and struggling a lot.
We were so lucky to have incredible weather as this can be a time in the Caribbean with showers and rain but the most we had were rough seas a day and a night. The white bags appeared at elevators and dining venues were not crowded for a little while. ;) But once day dawned the next morning, seas had calmed and DH planted himself at the pool and loved it.
We didn't spend much time ashore as we've been to most of the islands repeatedly. We usually stroll around whatever is offered near the terminal unless it's an island we particularly like such as St. Maarten where we did a lot of walking and enjoyed that.
St. Croix needs to reacquaint themselves with tourism and particularly with cruise tourism IMO We had to taxi to the other side of the island and were happy to take the 25 - 30 minute ride but were very annoyed with the poor system they have in place to shuttle guests. It was only about their profits and nothing about our comfort or convenience. That would have been fine if we had been advised of their way of doing things but, of course, that is kept from us until there is little you can do about it. We're not naive, inexperienced travelers and only can advise there isn't much to bother going to Christiansted and inquire carefully before you get into one of their taxi vans. (Vans are $16 pp round trip but you must wait 45+ minutes or more for them to completely fill the van in order to return to the ship. They make you pay in advance so not many wish to pay $50 + more to an independent taxi which is what it would cost so we waited.) I wasn't feeling well and waiting 45 + minutes in the very hot humidity was hard on me. DH would happily have grabbed a taxi to take us back but we couldn't get one.
My advice would be to not stop at the card tables they have set up as you exit the dock area taking payment for these vans. Go out of the dock gates and find taxi drivers/tour guys and make private arrangements with them. ) I will give the benefit of the doubt and credit they have had few cruise ships calling there for a number of years and need to rebuild their tourism providers. I hope they succeed as we had some good visits there in years past.
We had breakfast in Pinnacle almost every morning and it was fabulous. We could not have enjoyed it more and Anca, Pinnacle Manager, is about as good as they come. She is a petite little lady who knows how to run a Pinnacle. Her staff is very, very good and particularly steward Made...... pronounced MaaaaDee. He never once forgot anything we ordered or delivered it wrong. He never once poured high test coffee into my decaf cup and that is a delight for me. Our food was hot, tasty, loads of choices and a wonderful way to start any day.
The Main Dining Room is being run by Arie Nieuwdorp and we are so sorry we didn't meet him 20 years ago. He is speaking of retirement as he has been at sea for over 30 years but he is a master at his work and the nicest man you will ever meet. His dining room runs like the well oiled machine that is a delight to behold. Our Dining stewards/supervisor/wine steward were so excellent I can't stress it enough. We've cruised enough times in enough dining rooms to know when we have the "A" Team and that we did. Excellent and many thanks. One evening when we didn't dine (not feeling well and we went back to our cabin), we got calls to check on us and see if we wished anything from In-Room dining. That is very special.
I've mentioned the day we boarded, USPH inspected Maasdam and she scored "99" out of possible 100 and her Chief Housekeeper Gilbert Alva certainly shares in high praise for that accomplishment. He and department keep that ship sparkling and always so friendly and delightful.
You know I'll mention smoking so I'll do it briefly and get it over with. :) We were VERY fortunate this cruise there were no smokers either on either side of our veranda nor directly beneath us. Wonderful!!! HAL has made another smoking adjustment and, on Maasdam, there is no longer smoking permitted at the Bar. There are still some tables on one side where smoking is permitted but we visited one night and sure enough....... we could sit comfortably at the bar. Thank you, HAL. You are hearing us.
The florist on Maasdam is very creative and has done some very beautiful work. He has a talent to take simple supplies and turn out such lovely arrangements. They may be smaller than in the past but modern and stunning. The blossoms may be somewhat less exotic but in his talented hands, are beautiful IMO
Christmas decorations had gone up as we boarded and were added throughout our cruise. We saw more trees, more decorations on the trees and they're beautiful. Perhaps not quite as abundant as in the past but it sure was 'looking a lot like Christmas' and very beautiful. Also, we were aboard during Hannukah and we saw at least two menorahs which had another light lit each day. There was one at the front office and on the desk in Neptune Lounge. Very nice.
We met up with Windstar's Wind Surf sailing vessel. It was fun and we had terrific surprise to meet up with two ladies who were working there but used to be on Maasdam. Had a long chat with them and warm hugs.
CD Linda Minnikin was back aboard. We've sailed with her before and it was nice meeting up with her again. She had just boarded and was as friendly as could be. She made a smart change IMO
Often the crew show is poorly attended because of the late hour they present it. That saddens us because we know how hard the crew works to put it on for us but after a full day, some folks are too tired to stay up. Linda scheduled the Indonesian Crew Show at 10:30 and it was well attended. The whole lower level was full and a good part of the balcony. They did not do another show that night but showed a movie. Great idea IMO
We love Ocean Bar and are there almost every night. They had the best band in there this cruise we've heard play Ocean Bar in a long time. Good musicians who didn't need to blast the music so loud you couldn't have a conversation but really good music. We chatted with a few of them and think them really good.
Master Chef Rudi Sodamin boarded in Barbados for a few days. I don't know for sure but think he was there to work on Le Cirque. He had a book signing late after noon as we sailed from st. Lucia. We had met him previously and enjoyed the chance for a quick hello....... though I didn't get my cookbooks signed. I had received them long ago and didn't have them with me.
My phone just rang...... 'gotta go.
More later.
This was a particularly special visit for us on Maasdam and everyone made it very special. It was our 30th cruise on her and it seemed lots of folks knew it. I think that ovewhelmed me a bit.
Our cabin was ready early and we were able to go to it which is always outstanding. I think this is going to transition for most of the cabins to be ready earlier than has currently been the case.
It was a beautiful day and great sailaway.... they're all great but we all know some are more special for one reason or another. This one was a treat for us.
We found our invitation to Suite Welcome Aboard Party and were surprised to find it was to be held in Piano Bar rather than Neptune Lounge. What a good idea! Neptune can sometimes be very crowded at that party if most of the Suite guests attend. It was a really fun party and we saw friends we've known for years and met new ones.
DH and I are big Patriots fans and the ship was showing the game. We had a delightful dinner in Pinnacle with a friend of many years and that was so special. After what was a perfect dinner in everyway, DH and I went back to our suite to watch the Patriots win a BIG victory. :) How does life get better? :D Maasdam/friends/special Pinnacle dinner and a huge Patriots' win.....;)
Our first port was Half Moon Cay.... okay, I correct my last statement.... life does get better. A stop at Half Moon Cay added to the list above. Perfect day there (though a little cool which suited me fine) and very relaxing. We enjoyed the barbeque and especially enjoyed finally meeting Copper John 10-8 who most know from his posts here. He is now Security Officer on Maasdam and DH and I went to his 'station' at HMC to introduce ourselves. We had a great chat. Nice, nice man as most here know.
I wasn't feeling my very best this cruise and there were times I stayed in our cabin to rest more than usual. I wasn't really ill but anyone who has chronic health conditions know there are times the symptoms creep up on us. I was cranky and knew it. I was loving being on Maasdam as always but I was out of sync and struggling a lot.
We were so lucky to have incredible weather as this can be a time in the Caribbean with showers and rain but the most we had were rough seas a day and a night. The white bags appeared at elevators and dining venues were not crowded for a little while. ;) But once day dawned the next morning, seas had calmed and DH planted himself at the pool and loved it.
We didn't spend much time ashore as we've been to most of the islands repeatedly. We usually stroll around whatever is offered near the terminal unless it's an island we particularly like such as St. Maarten where we did a lot of walking and enjoyed that.
St. Croix needs to reacquaint themselves with tourism and particularly with cruise tourism IMO We had to taxi to the other side of the island and were happy to take the 25 - 30 minute ride but were very annoyed with the poor system they have in place to shuttle guests. It was only about their profits and nothing about our comfort or convenience. That would have been fine if we had been advised of their way of doing things but, of course, that is kept from us until there is little you can do about it. We're not naive, inexperienced travelers and only can advise there isn't much to bother going to Christiansted and inquire carefully before you get into one of their taxi vans. (Vans are $16 pp round trip but you must wait 45+ minutes or more for them to completely fill the van in order to return to the ship. They make you pay in advance so not many wish to pay $50 + more to an independent taxi which is what it would cost so we waited.) I wasn't feeling well and waiting 45 + minutes in the very hot humidity was hard on me. DH would happily have grabbed a taxi to take us back but we couldn't get one.
My advice would be to not stop at the card tables they have set up as you exit the dock area taking payment for these vans. Go out of the dock gates and find taxi drivers/tour guys and make private arrangements with them. ) I will give the benefit of the doubt and credit they have had few cruise ships calling there for a number of years and need to rebuild their tourism providers. I hope they succeed as we had some good visits there in years past.
We had breakfast in Pinnacle almost every morning and it was fabulous. We could not have enjoyed it more and Anca, Pinnacle Manager, is about as good as they come. She is a petite little lady who knows how to run a Pinnacle. Her staff is very, very good and particularly steward Made...... pronounced MaaaaDee. He never once forgot anything we ordered or delivered it wrong. He never once poured high test coffee into my decaf cup and that is a delight for me. Our food was hot, tasty, loads of choices and a wonderful way to start any day.
The Main Dining Room is being run by Arie Nieuwdorp and we are so sorry we didn't meet him 20 years ago. He is speaking of retirement as he has been at sea for over 30 years but he is a master at his work and the nicest man you will ever meet. His dining room runs like the well oiled machine that is a delight to behold. Our Dining stewards/supervisor/wine steward were so excellent I can't stress it enough. We've cruised enough times in enough dining rooms to know when we have the "A" Team and that we did. Excellent and many thanks. One evening when we didn't dine (not feeling well and we went back to our cabin), we got calls to check on us and see if we wished anything from In-Room dining. That is very special.
I've mentioned the day we boarded, USPH inspected Maasdam and she scored "99" out of possible 100 and her Chief Housekeeper Gilbert Alva certainly shares in high praise for that accomplishment. He and department keep that ship sparkling and always so friendly and delightful.
You know I'll mention smoking so I'll do it briefly and get it over with. :) We were VERY fortunate this cruise there were no smokers either on either side of our veranda nor directly beneath us. Wonderful!!! HAL has made another smoking adjustment and, on Maasdam, there is no longer smoking permitted at the Bar. There are still some tables on one side where smoking is permitted but we visited one night and sure enough....... we could sit comfortably at the bar. Thank you, HAL. You are hearing us.
The florist on Maasdam is very creative and has done some very beautiful work. He has a talent to take simple supplies and turn out such lovely arrangements. They may be smaller than in the past but modern and stunning. The blossoms may be somewhat less exotic but in his talented hands, are beautiful IMO
Christmas decorations had gone up as we boarded and were added throughout our cruise. We saw more trees, more decorations on the trees and they're beautiful. Perhaps not quite as abundant as in the past but it sure was 'looking a lot like Christmas' and very beautiful. Also, we were aboard during Hannukah and we saw at least two menorahs which had another light lit each day. There was one at the front office and on the desk in Neptune Lounge. Very nice.
We met up with Windstar's Wind Surf sailing vessel. It was fun and we had terrific surprise to meet up with two ladies who were working there but used to be on Maasdam. Had a long chat with them and warm hugs.
CD Linda Minnikin was back aboard. We've sailed with her before and it was nice meeting up with her again. She had just boarded and was as friendly as could be. She made a smart change IMO
Often the crew show is poorly attended because of the late hour they present it. That saddens us because we know how hard the crew works to put it on for us but after a full day, some folks are too tired to stay up. Linda scheduled the Indonesian Crew Show at 10:30 and it was well attended. The whole lower level was full and a good part of the balcony. They did not do another show that night but showed a movie. Great idea IMO
We love Ocean Bar and are there almost every night. They had the best band in there this cruise we've heard play Ocean Bar in a long time. Good musicians who didn't need to blast the music so loud you couldn't have a conversation but really good music. We chatted with a few of them and think them really good.
Master Chef Rudi Sodamin boarded in Barbados for a few days. I don't know for sure but think he was there to work on Le Cirque. He had a book signing late after noon as we sailed from st. Lucia. We had met him previously and enjoyed the chance for a quick hello....... though I didn't get my cookbooks signed. I had received them long ago and didn't have them with me.
My phone just rang...... 'gotta go.
More later.