Just back from the Maasdam 3/10 sailing

[alex_drew]

Just a few comments about a great cruise experience. Drove down from Alexandria, VA to Norfolk the day before and stayed at the Radisson, which I would highly recommend. The staff is very friendly, they host a very nice cocktail party the night before the cruise so you get to meet others going on the Maasdam. We loved running into people we knew all week long -- this is really great. They also provide in their "park and cruise package" a full buffet breakfast (including tax and tip) in the morning and, of course, your parking is included with their package. We felt very comfortable leaving the car there for 10 days. When you check in they ask what time you want to go over to the ship in the morning and I signed up for the first available slot, 11:40 am. This was the easiest/fastest embarcation ever! We were on board having lunch by 12:15 pm. We were allowed to go to our room around 1 pm. We had excellent service the entire cruise from our cabin attendant to the young man who dispenses mints after dinner...everyone went out of their way to make sure everything was perfect for us. I felt bad for those who suffer from seasickness because the first couple of days out were very rocky and a lot of people were sick, but my husband and I are very lucky to not have that problem.

Now, the most well-kept secret of the entire cruise (not well advertised at all) is that for $1 per taste (but it is a very healthy taste - almost as much as you would get if you ordered a glass of wine) you can sample the premium wines onboard. Where you would pay around $8 for a premium glass of wine with a meal, from 11:30 am to 2 pm in the atrium (next to the front desk) you can "sample" all of the wine you want for $1 per sample. Manny is the wine steward at the atrium and he is wonderful. Evidentally this program is only on the Maasdam at this point. There is no pressure to order bottles of wine for your table or to order the "packages" of wine. You can just sample anything and everything that you like...and then, of course, we did end up ordering some of those wines at dinner a couple of nights, but it is a great way to try different wines and see what you might like.

Something else you might want to know is that you can order room service breakfast on the day you disembark...

We signed up for the express disembarkation (you don't put your bags out the night before and you carry your own bags off the ship) today and we were told the ship was expected in port at 8 am and disembarkation should start at 8:30 am. Well, we ordered room service and it was delivered a few minutes after 7 am... We were just starting to eat when they announced at around 7:15 am that if you had Express Disembarkation you could leave right then. Needless to say, we never finished breakfast or their wonderful coffee, we just threw everything that wasn't packed into a bag and left. We were off the ship and had cleared customs in about 2 minutes. Didn't want to wait for the shuttle from the Radisson, so grabbed a cab and were on our way home by 8 am.

If you have any questions, I will try to answer them. We would definitely sail out of Norfolk again, this was truly a great cruise experience for us.

[obriendan]

Thanks for your report. Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

[FranD]

Anxiously awaiting boarding the Maasdam on 31 March! Thanks much for posting, especially the wine tasting tip!! Look forward to anyother comments you may have. Cheers!

[wwinfl91]

Wish I had known about the wine tasting when we were on the Maasdam last year. I saw the table where they had set up but I never stopped to ask about tasting any of the wine. I will keep my eyes open on my next HAL cruise.

Have a great next cruise.

[dbullsfn]

I second that post about the rocky seas. The first day at sea, Friday, saw me in bed the whole time, except for the Fun 21 blackjack tournament. But by Half Moon I was up and roaming. I read the cruise log yesterday and we were early at every port. About leaving port though, they do need a better schedule. Kim and I were on deck about 1:30 Wednesday night and we were off San Juan, but didn dock untill 6:30. I would have loved more time on St. maarten, I thought that was the nicest of the islands. What was your favorite port alex?

[dakrewser]

We were just starting to eat when they announced at around 7:15 am that if you had Express Disembarkation you could leave right then. Needless to say, we never finished breakfast or their wonderful coffee, we just threw everything that wasn't packed into a bag and left.

??? Why would you abandon a lovely meal to rush off? Once the announcedment is made you can leave anytime...

[Hape]

We are taking our second Maasdam cruise out of Norfolk October 26th and was interested in your comment on the express checkout. We didn't take it last time but are strongly considering it so we can drive back to New Jersey earlier. Our last cruise in December was excellent, it was the 11 day cruise, and now we will be taking the 10 day itinerary. We stay at the Holiday Sands and their package is also very good. Now we are really looking forward to our next trek to Norfolk.

[alex_drew]

Dakrewser,

I kept telling my husband that we didn't need to rush, that we could take our time and leave whenever, but he was anxious to get the drive home underway, plus, I think he was concerned that since we were hauling all of our stuff (waaaay too much stuff) ourselves, that once everyone else started to disembark that it would be difficult to negotiate around all of the other passengers...as it was, there were no other people blocking the halls, stairs, etc., we actually got an elevator immediately and were on our way.

Dbullsfn,

My favorite port is probably the one I'm in at the time...but we did Eli's Eco tour in Antigua and that was the highlight of this cruise.

[dbullsfn]

Antigua was fun. I really enjoyed Nelson's Dockyard and the surrounding defensive fortifications. I rented a car and drove all over the Island for like $50 all day. The funniest part of Antigua was dodging the herds of goats running down the road. I even had to whip out the camcorder because noone wil lever believe it.

[mariner]

Who took over as captain after Captain Henk headed for the senior management meeting?

[Oakville]

Your comments were really appreciated.

[alex_drew]

Mariner,

The Cruise Log that you get at the end of the cruise says "on behalf of Captain Arjen Van Der Loo" so I assume that is correct...

[lenetere]

I really appreciate the good info from this board. Our docs had indicated that there would be only one informal night on the 10-day cruise. I read here that there would be two. Sure enough... two.

Alex_Drew, you are so right about the wine tasting being a best-kept secret! A really good reason to hang out in the atrium at mid-day. :)

We also had the Express Disembarkation. We didn't finish breakfast either. As much as I love that HAL now allows you to stay in your cabin until you leave, we'd chosen Express so that we could get off as early as possible. We were home just a little after noon. Last year when we left the Maasdam, we weren't even off the ship at noon!!!

Lene

[Sweetdreams]

Really appreciated the Maasdam review. We leave Norfolk on 5/1. Is it possible to book the shuttle at the Radisson before arriving for ceck-in? We will probably check-in just in time for the pre-partying & don't want to get a late shuttle time that is too late.

[alex_drew]

Sweetdreams,

I don't know if they will allow you to pre-book or not, but most of the other passengers had checked in before we did and they chose a later time so that they could go straight to their rooms upon arriving at the ship. Since the Radisson allows a 2 pm check-out for cruise folks, most of the others were taking advantage of that and not rushing over. I, on the other hand, was perfectly happy to go early and sit upstairs to the Lido and have a glass of wine and a snack while waiting for our room to be ready...

[Babs1121]

Great review. I was wondering what kind of shape the ship is in? Do they have the new mattresses and bedding in the cabins? Thank you

[alex_drew]

Babs1121,

Yes, they have the new mattresses and bedding. The mattress was a dream...I LOVED it! The sheets are a dream, and the new curtains, sofa upholstory, etc., look great! The ship itself is showing some wear, but nothing major (as far as I'm concerned). I still think Maasdam is a beautiful, elegant ship. The captain mentioned that Maasdam is scheduled for a major "makeover" (probably not the word he used) in January 2006 (I think that was the month he said). He said they would take the entire ship apart piece by piece and hoped that after they were finished there wouldn't be any pieces left over... He was being very amusing, but clearly it is a major renovation that he was referring to.

[jbhcw]

Thanks so much for your review! We sail in November and all these little bits of information are so helpful. Will remember the wine tasting!

[cvillehf]

My info said one semi-formal night on the 10 day cruise and someone on here said 2. Which is it? Last year they said 2 and there was only one. Could some one who has been on the Maasdam recently for 10 days let me know as we leave next week.

[cheric]

We got off the Maasdam eleven day on 3/10 and there were three formal, two semi-formal and the rest were casual (no tank tops, shorts). DH wore his sport coat on the two semi-formals.

[dbullsfn]

Cville, on the 3/10 sailing there were 3 formal and 2 informal

[peaches from georgia]

My info said one semi-formal night on the 10 day cruise and someone on here said 2. Which is it? Last year they said 2 and there was only one. Could some one who has been on the Maasdam recently for 10 days let me know as we leave next week.
No big deal to worry about. Sometimes one cruise is different than the next. If you are a male you will be taking a jacket for at least one informal night anyway, so take 2 shirts along in case there are 2 (or take one shirt and have it laundered on the ship if it needs it). My DH wears his jacket with a sport shirt on most of the casual nights anyway and many gentlemen do the same, so take your jacket and enjoy it any number of nights.

Girls- I don't see much difference in informal night vs casual night in the way most of the women dress. I think most women dress very nicely, country club casual, on casual nights and informal nights are only slightly more dressy.

[Sweetdreams]

Thanks for answering all my questions about the shuttle, etc. Did you enjoy the ports & any tours you arranged?

[Sweetdreams]

I often read threads about the formal/informal/casual dress code attire. I was curious though specifically about ladies formal wear. Though I love shopping...I've done quite enough already....11 days...I had to be prepared for anything. But I choose formal dresses that are not floor length. Would you describe what you recently experienced viewing the ladies? Thanks.

[alex_drew]

Sweetdreams,

Loved the ports. The two excursions we really enjoyed were very different. One was Eli's Eco Tour in Antigua and the other was the ship-sponsored walking tour in San Juan. I had tried doing a walking tour on my own a few years ago, but since I don't speak Spanish I missed a lot since most of the plaques describing a statue, etc., were in Spanish when I was there before. I'm sure it would depend on your particular guide, but we had a man named Oscar for our tour and he was absolutely wonderful.

Also, I wear both long and short formal dresses. I think there may be more long formal dresses on Maasdam because it is an older crowd and I think they tend to wear longer dresses, but I didn't really pay that much attention to the lengths.

[speedbump1999]

I was wondering about car rentals on Antigua. We are currently booked with Lawrence but was wondering since there are 6 of us if it would be more cost efficient to rent a van and do the national park ourselves...

[Sweetdreams]

Alex Drew,
Thanks for addressing my questions-all the info one can obtain ahead of time is helpful. It sounds like you really enjoyed your cruise. Ours is going to S. Carribean so our ports of call differ. Was the weather superb? I'm still unsure of how soon we should arrive at the terminal. We're driving from PA to Norfolk & staying at Radisson & don't have to check out until 2PM. I read threads on other boards about Maasdam returning to Norfolk 4-6 hrs. late which caused boarding problems. I'm inclined to be one of the "early boarders" (a little OCD about getting unpacked ASAP & starting the fun). Guess I'm just very anxious to get the sails underway!

[alex_drew]

Sweetdreams,

We could see the Maasdam already docked from our window at 7:15 am when we peeked out. We were on the 11th floor of the Radisson. I'm like you, I don't feel like I'm "on vacation" until I'm unpacked, so I like to board as early as possible. If the ship had been delayed, I'm sure the front desk would have known because they send the shuttle over to pick up returning passengers, and then you could just stay in your room until 2 pm. As I said earlier, we took the shuttle at 11:40 and were checked in and on the Lido deck by 12:15 but the rooms weren't ready until about 1 pm. There was absolutely no line when we checked in. Fastest check-in I've ever experienced.

The weather was great except for St. Thomas where it was overcast and/or drizzling (sp?) all day. We went to Paradise Point and St. Peter's Great House and couldn't see anything because of the fog up there. Still, it was warm, so I'm not complaining.

Colleen,

We didn't rent a car so I have no idea, but maybe dbullsfin can answer your question, as he posted earlier that he rented a car and drove around Antigua.

[dbullsfn]

Colleen:

We rented a car on Antiqua. You drive on the left side of the road but the wheel is on the right side. About 2 blocks up from the ship there was a little shopping area with a Dollar rent a car sign outside. We went in and the store owner called the Dollar guy to get us a car. It was $50 for 24 hours and 10 insurance. Pretty good gas mileage too. I drove all around the island in about 4 hours. Watch out for goats running down the street. Any other questions just ask. The problem with rental cars on Antigua is that they are all located on the other end of the island. There really is nothing near the boat. I will say this, friends of ours took a taxi to Nelson's dockyard. It cost them $25 each way. There is not much else on Antigua except St. Johns (which doesnt have much) and Nelson's dockyard. The only thing else are the beaches.

[caribbean girl]

We also 'just' returned from our cruise on the Maasdam on 10 March and had a great time, save for the couple of tough days at sea. Yes, the ship shows its age somewhat, but all is forgiven in light of the service and attention one receives on board. Yes, we loved the young man with the mints at the Rotterdam Dining room!! And the photography studio staff was wonderful. The best ship photos we have!! Anyone sailing soon, greet Braam and the rest of this group for Alcira from Pa. My name is so unusual, I know they will remember me.:)

[caribbean girl]

Additionally, we drove to Norfolk from Pa. to board the ship. We came straight from home and arrived in Norfolk at about 3PM, went straight to the pier, parked our car and boarded. We left port right on time. Check in and boarding was a breeze. I also was nervous, since I had read some stuff about the ship being late and the staff inefficient.:cool:

[alex_drew]

Caribbean girl,

I totally agree that I had the best photos ever taken by this staff. I don't know his name, maybe it is Braam, but he has blond hair, is short and muscular and he took pictures in front of a plain white background. I thought they were just going to be in black and white, but they were both in black and white and in color. They were absolutely fantastic. I liked both, but my husband liked the color better so we bought 3 of those (the photographer took 4 different poses). They were so good we couldn't just pick one... After that we didn't even bother with any more photos because there is no way they could have been better.

[rocks]

Hi!
THANKS to all for their info. about the ship, ports, ect! Will be getting on board 5/1. Can't wait!
Wondering what lounge you 'hung-out' in the most...any Bartenders/Bar Waiters/Waitresses that you remember? What about the Piano Bar? Good music there? Was there a band in the Crows Nest or DJ? Good dancing music there?
THANKS again for all the info. Makes me even more excited to go!
rocks

[dbullsfn]

Rocks, I can honestly say I closed down the Crows nest every night. The music is ok, but the people start thinning out after 12, except for Disco night. Then everyone is out late. Cesar is awesome in the crows nest, and Ronaldo is the best at the casino bar. Those were the two places I hung out at

[cheric]

We were in all the bars on a daily basis. I agree about Rinaldo in the Casino. He was great and remembered what we drank and our room number after the first night. Albert in the Ocean Bar is wonderful. We sat at the bar every night before dinner and DH had a martini. He thought Albert was the "Martini Master". JoAnne, the waitress in the Piano Bar was wonderful.
She called my husband "Sir Gary" all week and he really thought he was important! He ordered specialty coffee every night after dinner and she always came over with the can of whipped cream and filled it as full as she could. All the crew were wonderful. You will have a marvelous time. We came back on March 10th and we were right on time.

[Sweetdreams]

Alex Drew,
Thanks for continuing to field all our questions. One day of dreary weather is not too bad. I had been thinking to research some back-up plans for ports in case of weather that doesn't fair for a great beach day. Feel I'm set for what to do in good weather but I guess you already figured that I'm a planner. "Seeing the ship from the Radisson"...I'll have to plan to be awake at sunrise just to she if she's in port.

Appreciate the info on the Old San Juan tour. I had not thought about the fact that signage would be in Spanish (duh!). Read alot of commentary that the walking tour could be easily done "on your own" but my Spanish is limited so may take your suggestion.

[alex_drew]

Sweetdreams,

You are very welcome! I think we all enjoy being able to help out our fellow cruise critics and I, for one, have certainly gotten a ton of great info from these boards.

Just one note about San Juan signage, I didn't really look on this trip, so they may have changed and added english at some of the landmarks, but I didn't want to take that chance since I was so disappointed 5 years ago.

[Sweetdreams]

Alex Drew,
Tell us more about your ports of call if you will. Love hearing about others planned or unplanned excursions & what beaches they liked best. Also, am curious about tender service. Trying to figure out if we do an AM excursion (snorkeling, boating, etc.) if we will have time to tender back to ship to freshen up & maybe explore some more or go shopping. How was your dining experience & entertainment?

[alex_drew]

Sweetdreams,

We only tendered in Half Moon Cay. I have the ship's log that they give you at the end of the cruise with the actual times of arrival/departure, etc.
Thursday, March 10th - departed Norfolk at 4:50 pm
Friday, March 11 at sea
Saturday, March 12 - HMC - first tender ashore at 11:08 am
- departed HMC @ 5:30 pm
Sunday at sea
Monday, March 14 - 9:30 am docked at Havensight in St. Thomas
- departed at 5:54 pm
Tuesday, March 15 - 7:48 am docked at St. John's Antigua
- departed @ 6:30 pm
Wednesday, March 16 - 6:17 am docked at Philipsburg, St. Maarten
- departed at 6:06 pm
Thursday, March 17 - 6:45 am docked at San Juan, PR
- departed at 12:44 pm
Friday & Saturday at sea
Sunday, March 20th - 6:30 am (estimated dock time, but I do think that is when they docked because they called for Express Deparkation at around 7:15 am.)

Are you doing the same itinerary as this or the 11 day?

The food I ordered was excellent. I always found something that really appealed to me and often it was hard to make a choice (I know I could order more than one, but I really don't want to eat that much food...). My husband always orders the cold soups and I usually order the hot ones...both were delicious. I never tried the pasta, but my husband said it was delicious. The meat we ordered was always done as requested - I like medium rare and my husband likes medium, and they were always just as requested. We never ate dinner in the Lido, just breakfast and lunch and I always thought there was a good selection. We ate both breakfast and lunch in the main dining room a couple of times and that was always good, too. Now I'm hungry and want to be back on the ship.

The entertainment was OK. Some shows were very good and some just marginal. I must confess that I always get a kick out of the "passenger" talent shows on a cruise ship and this one was lip-synching to oldies tunes.

Movies are fairly recent, but all are out on DVD or tape, I'm sure. We went to see Sideways and Ray. Also showing was Finding Neverland, Ladder 49, National Treasure, Being Julia, Bridget Jones, After the Sunset and the Incredibles.

[mariner]

These opinions are nice. The one I really wanted to see was from frist-time cruiser Terri.

Any idea where she vanished to after peppering the board for weeks with questions, would love to read what she thought of Maasdam.

[dbullsfn]

i thought you would also want to hear from Kim mariner. She was asking about you on the cruise. Havent heard from her either

[alex_drew]

Yeah Dbullsfn, the only info we've had on Kim was from your posts. I know before she left she was worried about heights...and getting too close to the railing and getting sick. It sounded from your posts like she had no problems at all, but it would be nice to hear from her...

And Mariner, I never told you how much I enjoyed your post when you were onboard. I couldn't wait for the next installment...and was very sad (not as sad as you, I'm sure) when your voyage came to an end. A belated thanks...

[dbullsfn]

Oh she still had her problems witht he railings trust me :) I took her up on the sky deck up by the Radar and navigational tools and lets jsut say it was an experierence :) LOL

[mariner]

Kim! That's who I meant. Perhaps she stowed away for the next voyage.

dbulls, you are very bad. But it is a great place to take in the sights.

Thanks for your comments. I can assure you, I'd rather be posting from there than here. But the next cruise will come again soon.

[dbullsfn]

It was all in good fun Mariner. Kim was like a big sister to me on the cruise. I miss her alot. But she was gettign very sick toward the end of the cruise so thats what Im guessing happened. Unfortunately I have to wait another year before my next cruise because of work related timing

[alex_drew]

Dbullsfin,

Sick because of the rocky sea at the end of the cruise or something else? BTW, did she get sick before or after you took her up on the sky deck??? I actually did laugh out loud when I read that post. Poor Kim. Also, hmmm, you never mention her newly wed husband...did you ditch the poor guy?

[dbullsfn]

LOL. Les is awesome. We had several good drinking days by the pool. No Kim started getting sick bout Midway through the cruise. Fatigue i think was a big part of it. Les hung out with us in the crows nest like beginning on night 6 or 7. W went on sky deck i think the 3rd night

[Sweetdreams]

No, we have different ports of call on the 11 day S.Carribean.
We go to Half Moon, Dominica, St. Thomas, Barbados, St. Kitts, San Juan.
Really enjoyed the review of your ports & activities. What excursions did you enjoy? How about the best beach?

[alex_drew]

Dbullsfn...just pulling your chain, as you know. Really glad you guys connected - I'm sure that Kim "knowing" someone helped her as a first-time/nervous cruiser. Sounds like you guys has a great time!

Sweetdreams, since you have mostly different ports, the only excursions that would be the same are the San Juan walking tour which I mentioned before, and in St. Thomas we did the tram to Paradise Point and St Peter's Great House which I'd always wanted to see. Unfortunately, it was rainy that day so the fog at higher elevations (Paradise Point and the Great House) made it impossible to enjoy the views. I had done Paradise Point before and on a sunny day it is an awesome view. Can't help with beach questions. Only went to the beach at Half Moon Cay. We intended to go to Orient Beach when we went to St. Maarten, but had just spent the day before on a boat in Antigua (Eli's Eco Tour) and just didn't want that much sun the day we were in St. Maarten so we just chilled... Hope you have a great trip!

[caribbean girl]

Yes, Alex Drew, Braam in the person you are describing: short, blond, etc. What a sweet and professional group of photographers!! Pehaps it is a good thing you only looked at some of the photos taken. We looked at all of them and ended up buying LOTS because they were excellent. Sorry you missed Orient Bay in St. Maarten!! We were there last year with our teen son and daughter and they will never forget it. As you know, it is a 'clothing optional' beach!!;)

Regarding the excursions, for people traveling soon, we sadly missed Half Moon Cay (paradise; enjoy every moment there) on this trip because of the weather. In St. Thomas, we took the Coral Bay excursion. You can feed the fish(they come right to you!!!), tour the Aquarium and snorkel at your leisure. There a very clean bathrooms and shops, plus bar service and food. In Dominica, we did the mountain bike excursion. It was AWESOME!! We swam in the Layou River and experienced the hot springs. The views here were amazing. Dominica's beaches have black sand. For us, it was meaningful to see the rain forest and skip the beach that day. In Barbados, we shared a taxi and spent the day at the Boat Yard. The taxi was not air conditioned and they pack them pretty full(van), so be ready for that. Didn't bother us: we go prepared for anything!! The beach was pretty, but more populated than others. It's a lot like popular beaches in the US, in that there is more to do, included in the $12 per person fee to use the beach. You get a beach chair and umbrella, as well as use of some beach equipment, plus some tokens (six, I think, which you can use for drinks. Unfortunately, you will have to make up the difference with cash,since the token don't amount to much) And there are restaurants and bars, stores, etc. The draw back here were lots of locals selling stuff, etc. I guess they need to make a living, too and considering how lovely the beach was, it was a small inconvenience. One thing about Barbados, watch the sun!! It is one of the southernmost ports you will visit and the sun is brutal!! Since the stop in Puerto Rico was only until 12 noon, we opted to walk thru San Juan on our own. What a pretty, clean, sophisticated city!! Makes me wonder why anyone would leave it. In St. Kitts we alson took it easy, though in retrospect, I wish we had gone to the beach. We were cooked by then, so we just walked thru town. We were there on a Sunday, so many places were closed. Enjoy every moment of your trip. Though there were some rough seas on our trip, I only remember the fun stuff!!:cool:

[caribbean girl]

Incidentally, Alex Drew, we must have traveled together, since we boarded the Maasdam on 2/27-3/10 from Norfolk. I find that amusing!!!;)

[Sweetdreams]

Carribean Girl & Alex Drew;
Thanks for all the info on excursions. The biking adventure in Dominica & swimming in the Layou River was an excursion we considered but decided on the tubing instead. We booked a catamaran, snorkeling, private beach & lunch tour in Barbados. We are hesitant to book an excursion for each port as we really want some quality R & R just "beaching it" and enjoying the scenery. Really appreciate your continued posts reliving your vacations.
I'm really getting anxious now.

[alex_drew]

Caribbean Girl,

No, our sailing was 3/10-20, so we were getting on when you were (sadly) getting off... Ours was a different itinerary than yours. HMC, St. Thomas, St. Johns Antigua, St. Maarten and San Juan. Maybe next year I'll do the 11 day that you did. Loved the convenience of going out of Norfolk...

[caribbean girl]

Oh, Sweetdreams, you are certainly lucky to be looking forward!! Enjoy every moment. The only negative for me with the Norfolk sailing was the rough weather on the first day or so. But weather is something one cannot control. For us, driving down from Lancaster was a breeze as was boarding. I had read some really negative stuff before we left but that part was very easy. The 11 day trip is such a treat!! On a 7 day, you almost feel like you have to get off, just as you get a happy routine going. ;)

[dbullsfn]

Thats the same way you feel on a 10 day. So much better than 7

[Dog Mommie]

Thanks for all the info, dbullsfn and all!


Will definately partake in the wine! Celebrating my 50th on a day at sea...sounds like a great thing to do! :D

We'll be on her in September...doing Boston to Montreal. Great info about early disembarkation, because I've never been to Montreal and couldn't get air out for the next day for a stayover. Question, tho: Do the hotels in Montreal accept luggage for holding for the day like LasVegas ones do? If not, any ideas about what to do with our luggage while we explore? :confused: Delta won't except it that early-our flight is at 7p.m.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!!

[KateBobbi]

Hi, I also went on the March 10th cruise, and loved every minute of it, with the exception of being seasick the second day out, with 3/4 of the rest of the passengers! :) I was there with my Aunt Bobbi, and we had a great time! We also loved the staff, and had a really great waiter in the Rotterdam each evening, named Mohammed! It got to be really fun each evening, because he started bringing us special little things to our table, like foil swans with chocolates, and chocolate covered strawberries, and he made our meal very fun and special each evening!

On the tours, I loved the rain forest tour, and also went on the tour where you could snorkle, and go to coral world. I spent all of my time, looking out the windows in coral world, at the fish and corals! It was really beautiful!

Also, I loved shopping in the open flea markets! The people drive you crazy, trying to get you into their shops, but it is so colorful, and different, it is worth a stroll through! :)

I hope you enjoy the Maasdam, as much as I did!