Maasdam or Veendam, Canada cruise with Teen

Which is preferred? Considering the Aug 5 departure from/to Bos/Montreal .. Have never sailed HAL before and would be teen's first cruise. We are interested in the itinerary and ports so ship secondary ultimately but curious about what experienced HAL cruisers have to say here about rooms, food, service etc and if there is an obvious choice of one over the other?

Thank you!

the Maasdam has a real outdoor swimming pool aft. The Veendam was modified and a splash pool replaced the full size pool. Your son would be more apt to like the Maasdam arrangement. HAL added more cabins to the Veendam but did not add to the public spaces ie. dining rooms etc. The Maasdam has the original configuration with fewer passengers equaling more space per passenger..

thank you -- great info.

disappointed that there are no balcony cabins on the maasdam -

are there none or it's sold out?

We had a veranda on the Maasdam so they must be sold out.

Have a veranda on the same trip - Madam 7/15

We've sailed on both ships and had a great time. When we sailed on the Veendam, there were not any teenagers or young children. Our cruise went from Quebec to Boston.

Balcony cabins on the Maasdam and Veendam are called "Verandah Suites" and are a little bigger than other ships' balcony cabins. Check to see whether there are any of those left. We have cruised that itinerary in verandah suites on both the Maasdam and Veendam.

Because of the aft pool on the Maasdam, I think your teen would enjoy that ship more. We really liked both ships.

We have sailed more times on the Maasdam than the Veendam and much prefer her.

Even though we don't do the pools, we do like the idea that the Maasdam still has an aft pool where we can sit around it and enjoy it.

I don't know how old your teen is, but the Maasdam aft pool used to have an age limit, I think if under 16 need adult supervision. Usually children are restricted to the mid-ship Lido pool, the one with the moveable roof.

The Veendam no longer has the splash pool but it has three hot tubs and more deck space than it used to when it had the pool.

Both these ships were sister ships but there have been more serious changes to the Veendam, including cabins that were added, many of them balconies. So Veendam has more balcony cabins than Maasdam. Both ships have had Lanai cabins made from many of the Ocean View cabins on the Lower Promenade deck; Lanai cabins open directly onto the large common promenade space, plus they come with 2 reserved deck chairs per Lanai. There are more Lanai cabins on Veendam than on Maasdam. m--

You may want to consider the Lanai or Ocean View Cabins on Deck 6 on Maasdam if all of the balconies are sold out. Probably similar on the Veendam too.

My in-laws had a Verandah Suite (balcony) on Deck 10 and we had an Ocean View on Deck 6. Everyone in our party agreed that honestly, the Deck 6 cabin for much less money was probably the way to go in the future. Our cabin was located right by the door that led to the wrap-around promenade deck that had many deck chairs and a great view. Nobody really hung out on Deck 6. So although it wasn't a private balcony, it was really quiet and beautiful. The balcony on Deck 10 was nice, but it was still quite small and bordered by white metal walls, so it felt kind of closed in (in the past on RCI we've had balconies with frosted glass walls that felt a little more open).

You can also get a Deck 6 Lanai, which means your door leads directly out to the public deck with two reserved chairs. That's also nice, but if you want to save money, just get the Ocean View (window only) near the door to outside and you can save money.

If your son is a teen, i would not worry about age restrictions for the aft pool. As for hot tubs, they can be a health hazard. Myself, I keep away.

You may want to consider the Lanai or Ocean View Cabins on Deck 6 on Maasdam if all of the balconies are sold out. Probably similar on the Veendam too.

 

My in-laws had a Verandah Suite (balcony) on Deck 10 and we had an Ocean View on Deck 6. Everyone in our party agreed that honestly, the Deck 6 cabin for much less money was probably the way to go in the future. Our cabin was located right by the door that led to the wrap-around promenade deck that had many deck chairs and a great view. Nobody really hung out on Deck 6. So although it wasn't a private balcony, it was really quiet and beautiful. The balcony on Deck 10 was nice, but it was still quite small and bordered by white metal walls, so it felt kind of closed in (in the past on RCI we've had balconies with frosted glass walls that felt a little more open).

 

You can also get a Deck 6 Lanai, which means your door leads directly out to the public deck with two reserved chairs. That's also nice, but if you want to save money, just get the Ocean View (window only) near the door to outside and you can save money.

Thanks for your advice .. Some Vista Suite cabins have become available as are Lanai on deck 6; Are there other chairs on deck 6 besides those reserved for the folks with the "private" lanai?

Just came off the Maasdam and it was terrific! It's in excellent condition and the staff are top notch!

I would also just consider what's easier to come home from? We're Canadian so going home from Montreal - Toronto was a cinch. I can't speak for going from Halifax to Bar Harbor customs, but doing BH USA - Hali CAN customs was very easy. Just hand in a form by 5pm and you're good.

Just came off the Maasdam and it was terrific! It's in excellent condition and the staff are top notch!

 

I would also just consider what's easier to come home from? We're Canadian so going home from Montreal - Toronto was a cinch. I can't speak for going from Halifax to Bar Harbor customs, but doing BH USA - Hali CAN customs was very easy. Just hand in a form by 5pm and you're good.

Thanks -- I think the pool suggestion cinched us on the maasdam out of Montreal on 8/5 ... though still not yet booked.

Thanks for the feedback!

Thanks for your advice .. Some Vista Suite cabins have become available as are Lanai on deck 6; Are there other chairs on deck 6 besides those reserved for the folks with the "private" lanai?

Yep, a ton. We didn't have a reserved chair and we were always able to get one of the "non-reserved" ones. It's not very busy down there. :)

Thanks for the advice.

Just pulled the trigger on an Oceanview on the Lower Promenade next to the lanai folks -- and the entry to the walkway ... woo hoo.

Put my kids in a nearby interior.

Rachel

Thanks for the advice.

Just pulled the trigger on an Oceanview on the Lower Promenade next to the lanai folks -- and the entry to the walkway ... woo hoo.

Put my kids in a nearby interior.

 

Rachel

Woohoo! That's awesome. You're going to have a great time!

The one thing IMO that Veendam has over Maasdam is New York Pizza, located outside the lido restaurant by the aft hot tubs. The pizza was made to order and was delicious (unlike pizza served in the lido, yuck). Maasdam unfortunately doesn't have New York Pizza. Both ships are fine, but Maasdam is my preference.

The one thing IMO that Veendam has over Maasdam is New York Pizza, located outside the lido restaurant by the aft hot tubs. The pizza was made to order and was delicious (unlike pizza served in the lido, yuck). Maasdam unfortunately doesn't have New York Pizza. Both ships are fine, but Maasdam is my preference.

We are from bay ridge in Brooklyn and often eat some of the best pizza in the city 2x a week -- we can live without it for a week! 🤣

We have sailed more times on the Maasdam than the Veendam and much prefer her.

Even though we don't do the pools, we do like the idea that the Maasdam still has an aft pool where we can sit around it and enjoy it.

Is there a mid-ship pool, too?

Is there a mid-ship pool, too?

Yes

https://www.hollandamerica.com/assets/deckplans/ma_2.pdf

2 pools

lido pool on the lido deck

seaview pool on the nav deck