Kennon4
June 8th, 2006, 09:20 PM
My husband and I just returned from the 5/27 Montreal/Boston cruise on the Maasdam. We stayed in a Delux veranda suite that rivals any suite on any line we've ever sailed! The ship was immaculate, the service was extraordinary, the food was excellent, the public areas were top notch, and after 7 days, the only thing we were able to find fault with was the quality of their kleenex.
The cruise cost a fraction of what the Crystal, 7 Seas, Seaborn, etc. charge, and the suite we had was larger and nicer than any of the competition.
This was our first HAL cruise, and I sincerely doubt we'll ever be able to sail any other line again. We're spoiled now. And, Ohmygosh, you wouldnl't believe the huge verandah. It had two comfy lounge chairs with a table between them, as well as a large table with four chairs around it ...... just perfect for each night when we had hot and cold hors d'ouvres delivered before dinner. There were binoculars in the cabin, and we spent hours and hours and hours on the verandah watching the world go by. On a scale of 0 to 10, I'd give it an 11.
I'm 59, and my husband is 62. We were on the "youngish" end of the spectrum, but fit right in.
I had been intimidated by some of the message boards that had led me to believe that we needed to be "dressed" for dinners in the dining room. NOT. Although there were a few men on casual night in sport jackets, there were far more men in jeans or khaki pants and tennis shoes, although noone was poorly dressed. I did notice one or two men in shorts politely turned away at the door, but other than that, everyone just dressed in what they were comfortable in, and no one seemed to be paying attention to what anyone else was wearing.
On the two formal nights, there were far more suits and sport jackets than tuxedos, but again, no one seemed to care what anyone else was wearing as long as they were presentable.
The ports were just ports, with the exception of Quebec, Halifax and Bar Harbor. If you didn't take an excursion, they were all just lovely places to walk around...... but it didn't take long. I think it took us less than an hour to walk almost every street in Sydney and Charlottetown, but they were charming. It's nice to take a cruise once in a while where the ports aren't the main event, and relaxing and enjoying the ship take on new meaning. We could easily have stayed in our suite and not come out for at least another month -- or until room service stopped.
The meal we had in the Pinnacle Grill was equal to the best restaurants we've been to anywhere in the world. Honestly!! The service there was also beyone measure. We had intended to go there for two dinners, but after the first dinner (and I know this sounds crazy) we cancelled the 2nd reservation because the first meal was so exceptional and memorable that we didn't want to dilute the memory with another one. Now that I'm home and cooking again, I could kick myself for not having gone back.
Maasdam had just come out of drydock, so it was fresh and new. There are dozens of cozy nooks to curl up in with a book. The library was wonderful, and we took advantage of the extensive video library and took movies back to our room every night to watch on the big flat screen tv in the suite.
We're already thinking about going again next year, but for a longer version -- A week is NOT enough. It's over before you blink. For those of you who have just looked at pictures in the brochures and on the internet I have to tell you that the pictures honestly do not do the ship justice. It's classier and far more beautiful than depicted. I took tons of pictures, and was disappointed that they couldn't show what the eyes see.
Good job, HAL!
The cruise cost a fraction of what the Crystal, 7 Seas, Seaborn, etc. charge, and the suite we had was larger and nicer than any of the competition.
This was our first HAL cruise, and I sincerely doubt we'll ever be able to sail any other line again. We're spoiled now. And, Ohmygosh, you wouldnl't believe the huge verandah. It had two comfy lounge chairs with a table between them, as well as a large table with four chairs around it ...... just perfect for each night when we had hot and cold hors d'ouvres delivered before dinner. There were binoculars in the cabin, and we spent hours and hours and hours on the verandah watching the world go by. On a scale of 0 to 10, I'd give it an 11.
I'm 59, and my husband is 62. We were on the "youngish" end of the spectrum, but fit right in.
I had been intimidated by some of the message boards that had led me to believe that we needed to be "dressed" for dinners in the dining room. NOT. Although there were a few men on casual night in sport jackets, there were far more men in jeans or khaki pants and tennis shoes, although noone was poorly dressed. I did notice one or two men in shorts politely turned away at the door, but other than that, everyone just dressed in what they were comfortable in, and no one seemed to be paying attention to what anyone else was wearing.
On the two formal nights, there were far more suits and sport jackets than tuxedos, but again, no one seemed to care what anyone else was wearing as long as they were presentable.
The ports were just ports, with the exception of Quebec, Halifax and Bar Harbor. If you didn't take an excursion, they were all just lovely places to walk around...... but it didn't take long. I think it took us less than an hour to walk almost every street in Sydney and Charlottetown, but they were charming. It's nice to take a cruise once in a while where the ports aren't the main event, and relaxing and enjoying the ship take on new meaning. We could easily have stayed in our suite and not come out for at least another month -- or until room service stopped.
The meal we had in the Pinnacle Grill was equal to the best restaurants we've been to anywhere in the world. Honestly!! The service there was also beyone measure. We had intended to go there for two dinners, but after the first dinner (and I know this sounds crazy) we cancelled the 2nd reservation because the first meal was so exceptional and memorable that we didn't want to dilute the memory with another one. Now that I'm home and cooking again, I could kick myself for not having gone back.
Maasdam had just come out of drydock, so it was fresh and new. There are dozens of cozy nooks to curl up in with a book. The library was wonderful, and we took advantage of the extensive video library and took movies back to our room every night to watch on the big flat screen tv in the suite.
We're already thinking about going again next year, but for a longer version -- A week is NOT enough. It's over before you blink. For those of you who have just looked at pictures in the brochures and on the internet I have to tell you that the pictures honestly do not do the ship justice. It's classier and far more beautiful than depicted. I took tons of pictures, and was disappointed that they couldn't show what the eyes see.
Good job, HAL!