michl8705

We were on Maasdam last month and there were plenty of waiters in the bar. Not sure if this is more recent than that.

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!

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. :)

Love your photos! I just got off the Maasdam on July 1; it was a nice treat seeing such beautiful photos of it. :)

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.

Two things that really bothered us about the art auctions were the trees that were cut down for the dozens of leaflets and paper-trash you had to throw away each and every cruise ( together with the spa invitations to get rid of wrinkles, ingrown toe nails, excessive stomach "bumps" etc.) ...

Agreed! Maybe in the future, they will come up with a better system to invite us to all of these special events, etc., that aren't in the daily pamphlet. Way too much paper waste on our last cruise! I'm happy they had a recycling section in our waste bin, but it still just made the room super cluttered from time to time.

Great report and pictures. We are sailing on the Zuiderdam in November and your picture of the crab legs guarantees that we will be eating dinner in the Pinnacle at least once.

The crab legs were delicious, and it was especially exciting that they were already cracked in half! Super easy to eat.

Thanks for the great photos and review. Quick question. Do know if the ship sails close enough on the St. Lawrence to see the Montmorency Falls from the boat?

We are sailing from Boston to Montreal on July 15th.

Hello! I don't think it would be close enough, but I don't know for sure.

The captain announced each evening what we could expect to sail by over the next 24 hours. The falls were not mentioned. Also, just from hanging out on the deck and looking out at the landscape while sailing the St. Lawrence, at times we were a bit far from land. You could see it, but only the outline. Other times we were closer and could see houses, cars, etc., but it seems like more often it was just seeing the outline of trees, hills, etc.

If you do see them from the boat be sure to get a photo!

A few more pics:

Anchored in Bar Harbor yesterday:

Dinner at Pinnacle Grill:

King Crab Legs plate at Pinnacle:

Lido pool:

We got off the Maasdam just this morning from a Montreal to Boston sailing. I thought I'd share a few photos of the ship.

View from Deck 6:

Foggy evening on Deck 10 aft:

Galley tour, baking area:

One of the Mix bars:

My highlights:

- The food! It was the best I've had on any cruise (I've sailed Carnival and Royal Caribbean before)

- Stateroom (ocean view, deck 6) was surprisingly spacious and sparkling clean

- Service was wonderful, particularly our cabin stewards

- The library was great - good selection of books and games.

- The culinary show was fun! However... they are moving to the new America's Test Kitchen I think this next sailing, because there were only 2 shows, both the same day, and the host said it was his last cruise. Would have loved more of these.

- The Ocean Quartet was fantastic. Don't miss them!

- Quebec City and Halifax were my favorite ports.

My lowlights:

- The variety of things to do: there were too many trivia activities and BBC-themed shows. The Windows workshops do not appeal to me at all. Would have loved a better variety.

- Entertainment: the comedian seemed like a great guy and actually had a lovely singing voice. A lot of his jokes were about famous folks from the 50s/60s. As I was born in the late 80s, it was hard for me to catch on and not very funny. The magician was good though! Didn't attend the singing/dancing.

- Syndey, NS. I suppose we should have booked a tour to Cape Breton. We basically just took it as a sea day though after getting back on the boat after an hour. It would be great if instead, they did two nights in one of the larger ports.

I definitely recommend this cruise and this ship! Fantastic time. :)

I've been searching the forum and the HAL website and any links to the ship art tour MP3s appear to no longer work. Does anyone know where else I might be able to find them? Interested in the Maasdam.

I know I can probably get an iPod from the library on the ship, but it would be easier for me to pre-load it on my device. Thanks!

Looks like it's a yes. Still need a pass on foot. Thanks for alerting us to this!

 

 

Hello/Bonjour,

 

Thank you for contacting Parks Canada.

Parks Canada is thrilled that so many visitors are excited for Canada150 and the free 2017 Parks Canada Discovery Pass. The pass can be picked up in person upon arrival at any participating Parks Canada location, or at the partner locations listed on http://www.pc.gc.ca/en/voyage-travel/admission/endroits-locations. You will still need pass even if you arrive on foot.

I hope this information proves helpful. Should you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us again. Please note: you can also reach the Parks Canada National Information Service toll-free at 1-888-773-8888 in North America or 819-420-9486 for international callers. We are open 7 days/week from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EDT.

 

With regards,

 

Jantiena

Thank you for checking! Much appreciated.

Do you actually need the pass for the free admission? I'm unclear because it looks and is described as something you hang from your review mirror in the car, and we'd be tourists on foot or by taxi.

Thank you! We're on board this June!

Okay - I made a mistake. We are leaving this Sunday and your cruise is next! I will still follow along. :)

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Hi Raina,

My husband and I will be on this cruise with you! We were just married this past weekend and this will be our honeymoon cruise. Happy to follow along on your experience too. :)

We are travelling to Paris before the cruise.

I'd love for a copy of this tour as well if you get the chance. ellisonm at outlook.com

Thanks!

Hi

No Baltic cruises are affected.

 

Any cruises that involve one port that is deemed to be a NON EU port, the whole cruise is tax vat free. BUT it may apply in some EU counties while the ship is in dock.

 

ie Cruises starting in Barcelona tax is added to all cruises while the ship is docked,(in Barcelona), as soon as it leaves as long as it visits a non eu port on its travels no further vat is added.

 

You will soon know as the dutyfree shop will be open onboard

 

BUT If it remains in EU waters the vat is added on the whole cruise.

so a $10 drink has 15% tip added+10% vat added. (12.95) OTHER purchases could have vat 20+% added.

 

i was just trying to warn others of the additional hidden charges they may incur.

 

One thing though EU law says that VAT should be included in the advertised price, so how cruise lines get away with adding it afterwards beats me.

Thats why ships in the MED are visiting north Africa, Kotor, Turkey, Isreal and Gibralter.

J

Thank you for clarifying. :)

Does this apply to Baltic cruises leaving from Sweden? The cruise visits Russia, which isn't in the EU, therefore, would the EU tax then not apply for the entire cruise? Or would only apply in EU ports?

Hi there,

I was recently reading a thread on this board and someone mentioned something along the lines of being misinformed that one must make reservations for the MDR even if you are MyTime Dining.

The last time I said on RCI I was 13, and since then, I've only been on Carnival. Could you please let me know if I do need to make a reservation for each night, even if I'm MTD? If so: what happens if I miss my reservation? Can I still wait in line (only two in our party) to get a table? We have a port-intensive Baltic cruise, and I'm not sure what time we'll want to eat each day.

Second question - I've heard a lot of mention of a dining package that includes all three specialty restaurants on the Legend of the Seas, the ship we're booked on. I think it's around $100 or so. Did this get discontinued? On my cruise planner, the only dining options are the three specialty restaurants (individually) or a wine tasting, no option for a package. It's a 7 day cruise.

Thanks!

Thanks for posting this - we are on the Legend this summer for a Baltic cruise!