Size of the Maasdam

[Cruise4M]

Hello ALL,

This is my first cruise on HAL and my first cruise on a ship as small as the Maasdam. I have previously sailed in the Valor, Victory, Triumph, and the N. Dawn.
1. Since this ship appears to be much smaller, is there enough to do for two weeks?
2. Do yopu feel the movement of the ocean more? We are in a BA cabin (as close to mid as possible)
3. How are the shows?

Thanks for helping!

[NapTown Jim]

Hello, I'll try to answer some of your questions. My wife has sailed on the Carnival Triumph before and she told me she liked the Maasdam better. The smaller size made it easier to get around and it never felt crowded.

To your points...
1. We were on board for only one week, but we were never at a loss for something to do.

2. Yes, we felt the ocean. Thats one thing the wife noticed that the boat definately moved alot more than the Triumph did.

3. We didn't go to all the shows, but the ones we did attend (2 musicals and the Filipino Crew Show) we thought were good.

[RuthC]

Is there enough to do? Well, all I can say is I took a 35-day cruise on her last summer and I never got bored. As a matter of fact I never even found time to get in the pool or the hot tub, I was so busy.
Do you feel the motion of the ocean? Yes, thankfully, I did feel enough to know I was at sea. We didn't go through any terrible North Atlantic storms last year, though, so it was never a rough ride.
There is enough variety of entertainment between the production shows and the guest entertainers, as well as the HAL lounge musicians that I enjoyed the evenings.

[wwinfl91]

We love the size and configuration of the Maasdam. We did a cruise from Ft Lauderdale to Montreal on her and loved every minute of the cruise. The ship has all the amenitites that anyone can want and the friendly HAL staff as a big plus.

IMHO I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the upscale service and atmosphere of HAL versus Carnival and NCL.

Have a great next cruise.

[Druke I]

Reference motion on the Maasdam - like most HAL ships, she has a blunt prow, and does not ride particularly well in heavy seas.

You are ahead of the game, ride-wise, midships.

On our 11-95 trans-Atlantic on Maasdam, Lisbon to Fort Lauderdale, we hit a large storm West of the Azores. We were in a forward cabin on Main Deck (don't recall the number at this late date). Our cabin, and perhaps a total of 12 cabins forward on Main Deck flooded, approximately 6" deep, when the ship took on water through the hawsepipe (anchor chainway) and worked its way to the interior of the ship.

Luckily, there were other cabins to which we could be moved, and ended up in M-641, which was much better situated.

We had a great trip - and didn't let a little flooding diminish the experience. After all, travel can be an adventure, and there are no guarantees when it comes to sea-state or weather.