Maasdam & Irene

[cruisinjudy]

Maasdam vs Irene

After two nights in Boston at Hotel 140 in a small room with a small bed we boarded MS Maasdam to sail away from the hurricane. I had already learned from CC that we would miss Halifax and Bar Harbor in order to get out of the way of the storm.*

We had been upgraded from a lanai guarantee to a BA balcony. We boarded the ship by 11:30 after waiting for a short time in the VIP lounge for suites and four star mariners.*

Our first full day on the new schedule was a sea day. I played Scattagories, we ate, we napped, we went to the show(Bob Mackey's Broadway) and somehow filled the day and evening.*
Monday we got up and dresses for a day in Sydney and as we were about to leave the room for breakfast the captain came on and announced that the winds from the storm were too strong for us to dock in Sydney.... * another sea day! Some folks were not amused!

At 10:40 am the ship developed quite a list due to winds from the storm. Good Night Irene , but now I lean!

Also the priest who covers all denominations on shorter cruises did not make the cruise as his flight was cancelled.*

[cruisinjudy]

Today we are on PEI with a mice sunny day. I think everyone is now happy.

[GmaPajama]

Thanks for checking in, Judy. Glad to know everyone is safe, even though things didn't work out exactly as planned. Nice upgrade, by the way. :)

[peaches from georgia]

Maasdam vs Irene

After two nights in Boston at Hotel 140 in a small room with a small bed we boarded MS Maasdam to sail away from the hurricane. I had already learned from CC that we would miss Halifax and Bar Harbor in order to get out of the way of the storm.*

Monday we got up and dresses for a day in Sydney and as we were about to leave the room for breakfast the captain came on and announced that the winds from the storm were too strong for us to dock in Sydney.... * another sea day! Some folks were not amused!


So you missed 3 out of the 5 scheduled ports it looks like. I wouldn't be a very happy camper.

[RuthC]

So you missed 3 out of the 5 scheduled ports it looks like. I wouldn't be a very happy camper.
But Maasdam is substituting two different ports to make up for the loss of Bar Harbor and Halifax. So it's not as bad as all that.

Judy, thank you so much for checking in. I'm sorry we couldn't have given you better sailing-away weather, but at least you got outta Dodge before the bad times started in earnest.
Have a great cruise.

[peaches from georgia]

But Maasdam is substituting two different ports to make up for the loss of Bar Harbor and Halifax. So it's not as bad as all that.


That's good to know.

[HeatherInFlorida]

I can't recall; what ports are they visiting instead? I'm just curious.

I was just thinking about all this and couldn't help but wonder if HAL might want to reconsider taking their ships out of the Caribbean in the summertime. It's a pretty vast ocean down here with lots of islands to divert to when trouble brews.

Judy, hope the rest of your cruise is fabulous so the end will justify the angst of the beginning and you can come away feeling relaxed and rejuvenated:)

[sail7seas]

Maasdam's altered itinerary now includes Gaspe and Saguenay Fjord..... Sailing the Saguenay is outstanding. We have enjoyed that route many times and now miss it since it is no longer a regular part of the itinerary. For those who have never sailed, there, enjoy...... it's a treat.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you Judy for checking in.

I will be curious to see what you think of Gaspe.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Sail, thank you. I have always wanted to sail the Saguenay Fjord. So that would be a plus for me! I'm pretty sure Celebrity still does that route which is why we booked it a few years ago but had to cancel. Not sure they still do it.

Wonder why HAL doesn't? I think it's a great addition. Hope Maasdam passengers all have a wonderful cruise after a rainy, windy start:)

[trophy_23]

The Eurodam still sails into Saguenay. I am looking forward to this portion of our cruise in Sept. Last time around we stopped at Gaspe but did not get Saguenay.

[sail7seas]

That is where we always had the best chance of seeing whales....... :)

[Jade13]

So you missed 3 out of the 5 scheduled ports it looks like. I wouldn't be a very happy camper.

That happened to us last year when we missed 3 out of 5 ports, but at least this year there are substitutes!

Sydney seems to be missed often.

Btw the new ports are ones that I wish HAL would add to some 7 night itineraries, instead of the same ports over and over and over.

[sail7seas]

We did the Saguenary Fjord on Maasdam's seven day itinerary for years. It was an outstanding part of the cruise but it was eliminated maybe two years ago. The sea day included 'scenic cruising' on the Saguenay and St. Lawrence and we loved it.

[cruisinjudy]

Gaspe was ok. We didn't take a tour so iam sure there was
more to see on tour, but it was a short stop and a tender port. Tomorrow we have a boat tour of the fjords.
Ruth, we have a real sing along piano player! The piano bar was packed last night. His name is Buddy Mitchell.

[sail7seas]

Buddy Mitchel was on our Maasdam cruise and he drew a crowd every night. We didn't usually sit at 'his' bar but at the next one and enjoyed listening and watching everyone. :)

[RuthC]

Ruth, we have a real sing along piano player! The piano bar was packed last night. His name is Buddy Mitchell.
I know Buddy! He played in the "Library" on my '07 Prinsendam cruise. He referred to the Crows Nest that way as at night the only people there (besides the two of us) were just there to read. Since it was 24-hour daylight for several consecutive days, and little darkness for several more, there was plenty of light to read by.

Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate it. Keep on having a good time.

[3rdGenCunarder]

That happened to us last year when we missed 3 out of 5 ports, but at least this year there are substitutes!

Sydney seems to be missed often.

Btw the new ports are ones that I wish HAL would add to some 7 night itineraries, instead of the same ports over and over and over.

Yes, Sydney does get missed a lot. We're on the southbound Maasdam repositioning cruise in Oct. I couldn't decide what tour to book for Sydney and DH said, "It doesn't matter. The odds of making Sydney are low. Look how many times we haven't been able to go there." He's right. Several cruises we've been on have skipped Sydney. We have friends who've missed it every time, too. But from what I've read it's worth trying for. So, fingers crossed, but it won't "ruin my cruise" if we can't get into Sydney.

Our cruise goes up the Saguenay fjord and has a port stop. (Same cruise next fall just cruises the fjord, but doesn't stop) We also go to Gaspe. One of the attractions of this cruise was the chance to see some new ports.

(NJ update on Irene: We are lucky in that we are not in one of the flooded areas. We lost power for 30 hours, cable for several days, and we're still boiling our water. Closed roads (moslty due to downed trees) have diverted a lot of traffic to our street, which is annoying. But so many people are much worse off, we aren't complaining.)

[sail7seas]

It's funny as I read here sometimes about Sydney often being missed but we have never once missed calling there out of all our Maasdam Canada/New England cruises, year after year. :)

But I do know it gets missed.........

[Jade13]

It's funny as I read here sometimes about Sydney often being missed but we have never once missed calling there out of all our Maasdam Canada/New England cruises, year after year. :)

But I do know it gets missed.........

We were onboard with you last year when Sydney was missed
(We understand you made it in the previous week, but not on our cruise).

[sail7seas]

We have always called there except for the cancellation of our cruise halfway through last September due to Hurricane Earl.

They cancelled the cruise rather than just an individual port, at least that is how I looked at it. We missed half the week........ Sydney, Halifax and Bar Harbor and went directly back to Boston and arrived on Thursday though we weren't scheduled to return until Saturday.

Yes, or course, you and your DH were there and it was a delight meeting you both and getting to know you. That was a highlight of that cruise. :)

[Ray in NH]

Buddy Mitchel was on our Maasdam cruise and he drew a crowd every night. We didn't usually sit at 'his' bar but at the next one and enjoyed listening and watching everyone. :)


We did the same thing on our recent VoV cruise. Sitting in the Ale & Spirits portion of Mix moderated the sound level to a point where conversation was still easy, while enjoying the music. Buddy often stopped by our table to chat when he was on his "breaks". That is a great "people-watching" venue. Before dinner, guitarist David Kain played in Ale & Spirits and was quite enjoyable, although some pax we talked to did not enjoy his musical selections.

Ray in NH

[sail7seas]

We also enjoyed sitting with the bartenders at "Ale and Spirits'......... we've known them for years and it was nice chatting with them when they had time. :)

If we were meeting friends for dinner, we would sit along the back wall (the casino wall) at those tables and enjoy a drink and chatting at those cocktail tables. :)

Funny because DH and I are definitely Ocean Bar Sitters but MIX does have a certain 'draw'...... which, of course, is the point of it.

[cruisinjudy]

Just checking in, Quebec City today. We did the Fjord yesterday. It was very interesting sailing up to Saguenay. We are now back on track with the regular cruise. We will be on for the next cruise also.