Review of Maasdam 4/28 (post drydock)

[Jemima]

I'll post this is several sections.
EMBARKATION: Fastest ever! We had only a short line to check in and then immediately boarded and were taken right to our cabin. No, we were not in a suite. The fast boarding was due to being the first cruise after drydock plus there being a less than full passenger load. I heard numbers between 800 and 1000 for those boarding in Fort Lauderdale. More boarded later in Norfolk, New York, and possibly another port or two.

SOE & DRYDOCK: The ship looked great with all the SOE upgrades! These are the same as the upgrades that have been done on the other HAL ships. Everything was especially clean, all the public area carpeting was new, and everything looked wonderful except for the spa addition as seen from the Crows' Nest. The Crows' Nest itself took some getting used to. The curtains hanging in odd places are irritating. Also they didn't get the temperature above brrrrrr till towards the end of the cruise.
Though nothing was said, they must have done some engine work during drydock. They tested engines shortly after we left Fort Lauderdale and all were reported by the captain to be working well.
The drydock was done in Freeport.

CABIN: We had booked an outside guarantee which was an HH fully obstructed. We were assigned cabin D410 on lower promenade deck. This cabin is fairly far aft, but we don't mind the extra movement of this location and were very happy with the cabin assignment. Our room steward was Sudi and we are already missing him. As usual we purchased the unlimited laundry package and were very pleased with it.

DINING: We were assigned upper early and a 4 person table. Embarkation afternoon we met with the maitre'd and arranged to change to a table for eight at the same sitting. Our waiter Amil was outstanding and the assistant Wina did a good job too. We like the larger tables and this one was made even better by our tablemates. I can't report on the Pinacle Grill as we didn't eat there. All our dinners were in the dining room, all lunches either in the lido buffet or on shore, and all breakfasts lido buffet or room service.
The lido buffet was very well arranged, lines moved quickly, we were always able to find a table, service was excellent, tables were cleared promptly, and we nearly always had our trays carried for us.
Room service breakfast was always prompt and food was yummy and hot items were hot.
Food in both the dining room and the buffet was always delicious. We are vegetarian, but always found enough to eat (or more than enough) at every meal. Our tablemates seemed very pleased with the meat and seafood entrees they selected.

ITINERARY: This was a 15 day Fort Lauderdale to Montreal cruise. HAL usually does one of these each year in late April/early May. Ports were Chalreston, Norfolk, New York City, New London, Newport, Bar Harbor, Halifax, Sydney, and Quebec City. We had read postings from Krazy Kruisers on a similar itinerary and were prepared for the cold weather and a some places not being opened yet in a few ports.

More later...

[arlenez]

Thanks for your wonderful review of the Maasdam. We are getting ready to book a 10 day southern Caribbean cruise in March 2007 and have chosen the Maasdam because of the great itinerary.

Regards,
Arlene

[aggie/1/ca]

Thanks so much, Jemima, for your review of the Maasdam! My mom, sister and I will be going on our first ever cruise this Christmas on this ship. We are SO excited and will look forward to seeing all the new amenities!

:)

[GinnyF]

[

SOE & DRYDOCK: The ship looked great with all the SOE upgrades! These are the same as the upgrades that have been done on the other HAL ships. Everything was especially clean, all the public area carpeting was new, and everything looked wonderful except for the spa addition as seen from the Crows' Nest. The Crows' Nest itself took some getting used to. The curtains hanging in odd places are irritating. Also they didn't get the temperature above brrrrrr till towards the end of the cruise.
Though nothing was said, they must have done some engine work during drydock. They tested engines shortly after we left Fort Lauderdale and all were reported by the captain to be working well.
The drydock was done in Freeport.

First, thanks for the review after drydock. One question-at least for now only one-did all the cabins now have the DVD players and were there adequate DVD's available for rent?
Ginny

[Krazy Kruizers]

Am looking forward to more of your review.

[Jemima]

WEATHER and SEAS: Having read here that there are frequently rough seas around Norfolk, we weren't surprised to have some rocking on the seadays before Charleston and Norfolk and also one or two other times. We did hear some grumbling about this, but rough seas and wind do happen.
It is difficult to pack for this itinerary. We each packed an assortment of short sleeves, long sleeves, sweaters, a sweatshirt or two and made much use of the laundry package. It was mostly in the 40s and 50s in Maine and Canada which was COLD to us - we're from Arizona. (Unfortunately we came back to temperatures over 100.)

DRESS: Less casual than usual daytime and less dressy than usual evenings. On HAL cruises we usually find a number of other women in jeans during the day, but on this one there were almost no women wearing them. Having noted this, I was concerned my formal wear might not be formal enough. No need to worry; many of the women wore outfits more suitable to informal.
I didn't notice any jeans in the dining room on casual nights. There were a couple of men who came to the diningroom in shorts and were turned away.

PASSENGERS: There were a huge number of Mariners and seemed to be very few passengers new to HAL. I'm bad on guessing ages, so won't. There did seem to be very very few under 50 and fewer than usual in 50s or early 60s. There also were fewer very elderly than I'd expected. There were a few wheelchairs, a scooter or two, and some passengers with canes. I had expected more.

PORTS:
Charleston - It was our first time here. We took the city tour and enjoyed seeing all the old homes.
Norfolk - We decided against Williamsburg because DD doesn't like all day tours. Our tour of the city and naval base was very good. The tour ended with the MacArthur Memorial which didn't interest us, so we walked back to the ship which was an easy walk. In the afternoon we went to Nautilaus and also explored the Wisconsin.
New York City - The Maasdam was scheduled to sail at 4:45 so only 1/2 day excursions were offered. We'd sailed out of New York twice, but never toured the city. DD was unimpressed. I'm glad we took one of the excursions and got to see various parts of Manhatten, but that's enough New York for me. Most people really enjoyed their time here.
New London - Why doesn't HAL use this port more? The ship can dock here, the people were very welcoming, there were frequent shuttles provided, and there are several good excursions available in the area. We went to Mystic Seaport and really liked it. In the afternoon we took the shuttle bus to and from the shopping area.
Newport - The ship anchors here. We took the excursion to Beechwood Mansion where the guides are actors. The excursion also included a drive past other mansions and some other points of interest. Fun and enjoyable.
Bar Harbor - We took an early morning excursion to Acadia National Park. Another good excursion. After returning to town, we walked and shopped and walked and shopped. While there were some stores and restaurants closed, more was open than we'd expected.
Halifax - We took the excursion to Peggy's Cove. DD really liked it except for the cold temperatures. I thought it was ok. We've been to Halifax before and did a citadel excursion then.
Sydney - We took an Historical Sydney excursion which was much better than I'd expected. On a previous cruise we'd been to the Alexander Graham Bell Museum and also the walking tour places, so our 1/2 day excursion choices were limited.
Quebec City - As wonderful as the first time we were there! We chose an excursion that went mostly to the Isle d'Orleans as we'd been on Old Town and St. Anne excursions in '03. Our plan was to walk to old town in the afternoon, but it was very chilly and windy with showers expected.
Montreal - We did the bus transfer with city tour here as our flight was late afternoon. The Massdam was supposed to sail at 6, but had to change sailawy till nine due to tides.

DISEMBARKATION - The ship docked an 1 1/2 hrs. or so later than planned because of the late sailing from Quebec City. I don't know if this caused any problems for people with early flights.

To Ginny - Yes there seemed to be DVD players in all the cabins. We didn't look at the DVD selection in the library, but did notice the new library was well stocked. Quite a few passengers were reading books they'd checked out.

[aaerobear]

I agree with you Jemima, it was a really nice cruise. I was only sorry that the NYC stop was not longer so we could have taken in a show or something (could have sailed late, like Newport) but we hit the ground running and did the on/off bus tour and had a great lunch in Little Italy.

Ed

[CCaroleAnn]

Thanks so much Jemima for posting your review. :D Mom and I board the Maasdam this Saturday in Boston and we are so excited. It does seem to be a cold, wet spring here on the east coast. In Peggy's Cove was it just cold? Or windy and cold? We were planning to take the HAL bus tour there. Will layers and a windbreaker be good enough? Or should we pack our winter coats. LOL

Thanks again

CC

[Jemima]

CCaroleAnn - It was especially cold the day we were in Peggy's Cove. Note that we are from the Phoenix area so very cold to us might not be so to you. Layers and a windbreaker should be fine and may be too much if it is warmer. We had at least a 1/2 hr. at the Cove. There is also a gift shop & restaurant (gingerbread) there and some other buildings down the road. There are also 2 or 3 photo stops in the excursion.
You are lucky to be going to Peggy's Cove this early in the year as we heard it gets crowded with a number of buses in summer and early fall.
Enjoy your cruise!

[seesea]

Jemima-Thanks for the review. We are booked on the Maasdam for a Jan. 07 cruise and would be interested in knowing if the cabins have been refurbished.

[GinnyF]

To Ginny - Yes there seemed to be DVD players in all the cabins. We didn't look at the DVD selection in the library, but did notice the new library was well stocked. Quite a few passengers were reading books they'd checked out.[/QUOTE]

Thank you for your review and for your prompt reply to my question. I'm looking forward to my Boston to Boston cruise on July 1 of this year. (I'll be taking a few DVD's for those many days at sea so glad to hear that the DVD's have been installed.)
Ginny

[Jemima]

Jemima-Thanks for the review. We are booked on the Maasdam for a Jan. 07 cruise and would be interested in knowing if the cabins have been refurbished.

The cabins have the SOE improvements: mattresses, bedding, flat screen TV, DVD... I'm not sure how much if any other cabin refurbishment was done. Most of the drydock work involved changes and improvements in the public areas.

Our cabin was very comfortable and as usual very clean.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for the review.

[airlink diva]

Thanks for the review!! I'm going on the Maasdam in January 2007!!

[formercruisestaff]

Hey who was the Cruise Director? I want to know who my future boss is....

LOL:D

[Jemima]

Hey who was the Cruise Director? I want to know who my future boss is....

LOL:D
The cruise director was Carey Bolton, but I was told Doug Donnell (spelling?) will be returning to the Maasdam shortly - think my informant said June.

[kiwi13]

Thanks, Jemina for your great review! It was to the point and fun to read. You obviously had a terrific time.

My mother & I will be on Maasdam's May 27 sailing out of Montreal. We're really excited, (at least I am), and reading your review has made the waiting even harder!

I have a question for you regarding the "laundry package". What is it? I know that Maasdam has laundry facilities, but you've piqued my curiosity, so now I wonder if the "package" might work out for us. I know, laundry is probably the last thing on everyone's minds, but we're extending our trip for a few days, and I don't want to be weighed down with a bunch of dirty clothes.

Thanks for your tips!

Mary-Anne

[RuthC]

You didn't mention entertainment. Who performed on stage in the evening? How did you find them?
Also, who was playing in the various lounges? Opinions?

[Jemima]

Kiwi - Four options for laundry. 1. Do your own (laundries on several decks - see deck plans). Don't know how much per load or how much in a load. 2. Send as needed at $12 per small bag, but the bags hold quite a bit. 3. Buy an unlimited laundry package at the beginning of the cruise. Price varies depending on ship/cruise length. Price for the 15 day cruise was $95, but think that was lower than it is usually. 4. Book a suite and get free laundry and a big cabin price.
We have taken the laundry package on most HAL cruises. It certainly helps with packing, keeps luggage lighter, and makes for more cruise enjoyment and less after cruise work. Turn around on laundry is usually a day or two. This cruise it was always back the next day even though front desk told us 72 hrs. I don't send anything out the last two full days.
Note that we generally do cruises longer than seven days. I don't know that I'd recommend it for a 7 day cruise although I would recommend the per bag.
I also don't recommend the package to anyone unless they are going to send a bag out daily or almost daily.
We have been pleased with the laundry service.

[Jemima]

You didn't mention entertainment. Who performed on stage in the evening? How did you find them?
Also, who was playing in the various lounges? Opinions?
Ruth, Sorry but we are not late night types. DD likes the cast shows so we do go to those. Others at our large table did go to the evening performances and in general found them good.
Stephen Lowenthal was in the piano bar. Other groups were Opus 3 in the Ocean Bar, Moonlight Strings in the Explorer's Lounge, and New & Easy in the Crow's Nest. We didn't go to any of the lounges in the evening, but did hear music as we slowly walked by.

[kiwi13]

Thanks Jemima! I get the laundry thing now - really good tips!. I like the small $12 bag idea!

Kiwi13