Maasdam

Will be on here on 2/25/18 out of our home town San Diego doing South America. Was worried when we booked onboard The Eurodam back in Oct 2017 if she was going to be sold. No chance she is in Prime shape and being kept! I am going to be letting everyone know how she is on our cruise!

Congrats on booking Alaska 2019.

Denise:)

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

I am pleased to hear the many positive comments. We haven't been on a HAL ship in several years. It was a South America cruise on the Veendam. I liked the itinerary, the Vista Cabin size, the Tai Chi classes, the naturalist on the first part of the cruise, but I really, really dislike HAL's plain food. We switched to other cruise lines, but HAL came up with this new concept and a great itinerary in Asia that I haven't seen anywhere else. I have to do some research on the ports before I commit.

I just booked the SF to japan on this ship. New ports in Alaska for me, and only have done Kyoto and Tokyo in Japan. Very excited!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We are retired, DH is 72 and I am 68. We have taken six cruises so far, four on HA and the Maasdam is our favourite ship. We have been home a week from our 31 days on the “elegant Maasdam”, which is how the Captain referred to the ship in his daily reports. And he was right. The ship was in great shape, in spite of a few leaks after a particularly wet day in the South Pacific. Yes, you can find a few rust spots around the Promenade deck, but who really goes looking for them, and the deck crews were out there working on them every day as well as varnishing the lovely wooden deck railings. What we love about the Maasdam is it feels like a ‘proper’ ship, with a walk round Promenade, teak loungers and plenty of spots to sit and watch the world go by. Check in at White Bay was a breeze, our luggage arrived in our cabin promptly and our cabin stewards introduced themselves as soon as we went to our room. Dede and Anda were wonderful. Dede particularly was a very personable young man, and went above and beyond in caring for a very elderly lady in the cabin next to ours. They always greeted us by name and seemed to know our daily routine better than we did! The TV gave up the ghost the first afternoon but was fixed immediately, but apart from that we had no problems in our cabin. The air conditioning worked very well. No problems with the plumbing.

We were very happy to see that the Library hadn’t changed since last year, although there is no Librarian any more. The assistant cruise director was doing a good job in keeping the books in order. There were lots of games and jigsaws available and the Library was very well used. We bought 250 minutes of Internet which lasted us the 31 days just to keep in touch by email with family. We found the Internet to be much better than on our trip across the Pacific on the Maasdam last year.

We only ate in the main dining room once, we really couldn’t be bothered to get dressed up, and the Lido was quite sufficient for our tastes. The servers were lovely, especially the ladies in the salad bar and the ice cream bar. We found there was plenty of choice for us vegetarians. The Lido pool area was well used but it was always possible to find a sun lounger. The Dive In food was as good as ever. We went to 4 o’clock Happy Hour a couple of times. We found the service in the Ocean Bar was much better than in the Crows Nest. We were usually in bed by 9.30 so can’t comment on the late evening activities. We went to a couple of shows, no production shows. Most were enjoyable but the solo violinist was a bit loud! We tried the Wajang Theatre for the first time on this cruise and really enjoyed the movies we saw. The EXC port presentations were surprisingly good. The presenter really seemed to know his stuff and did not talk exclusively about ships tours or shops. We did not take any ship’s tours, but booked bus tours on the wharf in Papeete and Pango Pango. A word of warning about some of the‘buses’ in Papeete. It turned out to be a flat bed truck with a cabin built on the back with wooden benches facing inwards. You had to sit very awkwardly to see out the window. But we did get to see a lot of Tahiti, as the trip took an hour longer than described. The traffic in Papeete is insane! Unfortunately we got back to town too late for the market. The local bus we took in Pango Pango was much more comfortable and we had a great tour. It was Sunday so everyone was going off to church

in their national dress and looked lovely. We took an outrigger tour in Bora Bora, booked after a recommendation on Cruise Critic which was the highlight of the cruise. We snorkelled and swam with rays and sharks, and had a lovely lunch on a private island. New Zealand was beautiful and we did our own thing as we had been there before. A ferry trip to Waiheke Island was well worth taking, and then the HoHo bus around the island. We booked a trip on the Maasdam for next June while on board and two future cruise deposits. The consultant Chantal, was very helpful and we seem to have saved quite a bit by booking on board, compared to the prices quoted on various websites today. Disembarkation was well organised. We were the second to last group off the ship, there was a short wait for a taxi and we were on our way to the bus terminal for the six hour ride home. One last surprise was receiving our three star Mariner badges in our mail slot outside the cabin on our last night on board, even before the days have been credited to our account. Happy cruising to you all.

We are retired, DH is 72 and I am 68. We have taken six cruises so far, four on HA and the Maasdam is our favourite ship. We have been home a week from our 31 days on the “elegant Maasdam”, which is how the Captain referred to the ship in his daily reports. And he was right. The ship was in great shape, in spite of a few leaks after a particularly wet day in the South Pacific. Yes, you can find a few rust spots around the Promenade deck, but who really goes looking for them, and the deck crews were out there working on them every day as well as varnishing the lovely wooden deck railings. What we love about the Maasdam is it feels like a ‘proper’ ship, with a walk round Promenade, teak loungers and plenty of spots to sit and watch the world go by. Check in at White Bay was a breeze, our luggage arrived in our cabin promptly and our cabin stewards introduced themselves as soon as we went to our room. Dede and Anda were wonderful. Dede particularly was a very personable young man, and went above and beyond in caring for a very elderly lady in the cabin next to ours. They always greeted us by name and seemed to know our daily routine better than we did! The TV gave up the ghost the first afternoon but was fixed immediately, but apart from that we had no problems in our cabin. The air conditioning worked very well. No problems with the plumbing.

We were very happy to see that the Library hadn’t changed since last year, although there is no Librarian any more. The assistant cruise director was doing a good job in keeping the books in order. There were lots of games and jigsaws available and the Library was very well used. We bought 250 minutes of Internet which lasted us the 31 days just to keep in touch by email with family. We found the Internet to be much better than on our trip across the Pacific on the Maasdam last year.

We only ate in the main dining room once, we really couldn’t be bothered to get dressed up, and the Lido was quite sufficient for our tastes. The servers were lovely, especially the ladies in the salad bar and the ice cream bar. We found there was plenty of choice for us vegetarians. The Lido pool area was well used but it was always possible to find a sun lounger. The Dive In food was as good as ever. We went to 4 o’clock Happy Hour a couple of times. We found the service in the Ocean Bar was much better than in the Crows Nest. We were usually in bed by 9.30 so can’t comment on the late evening activities. We went to a couple of shows, no production shows. Most were enjoyable but the solo violinist was a bit loud! We tried the Wajang Theatre for the first time on this cruise and really enjoyed the movies we saw. The EXC port presentations were surprisingly good. The presenter really seemed to know his stuff and did not talk exclusively about ships tours or shops. We did not take any ship’s tours, but booked bus tours on the wharf in Papeete and Pango Pango. A word of warning about some of the‘buses’ in Papeete. It turned out to be a flat bed truck with a cabin built on the back with wooden benches facing inwards. You had to sit very awkwardly to see out the window. But we did get to see a lot of Tahiti, as the trip took an hour longer than described. The traffic in Papeete is insane! Unfortunately we got back to town too late for the market. The local bus we took in Pango Pango was much more comfortable and we had a great tour. It was Sunday so everyone was going off to church

in their national dress and looked lovely. We took an outrigger tour in Bora Bora, booked after a recommendation on Cruise Critic which was the highlight of the cruise. We snorkelled and swam with rays and sharks, and had a lovely lunch on a private island. New Zealand was beautiful and we did our own thing as we had been there before. A ferry trip to Waiheke Island was well worth taking, and then the HoHo bus around the island. We booked a trip on the Maasdam for next June while on board and two future cruise deposits. The consultant Chantal, was very helpful and we seem to have saved quite a bit by booking on board, compared to the prices quoted on various websites today. Disembarkation was well organised. We were the second to last group off the ship, there was a short wait for a taxi and we were on our way to the bus terminal for the six hour ride home. One last surprise was receiving our three star Mariner badges in our mail slot outside the cabin on our last night on board, even before the days have been credited to our account. Happy cruising to you all.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Thanks daisy Bertie!

Wondering how your seas were and The Weather? We Are looking at a South Pacific next October on the maasdam. TIA

Thanks for the review, but now you need to tell us what happened with the tenders :). We know that HAL is constantly training and retraining their tender crews so I am really surprised to here there was a problem.

Hank

Thanks daisy Bertie!

Wondering how your seas were and The Weather? We Are looking at a South Pacific next October on the maasdam. TIA

We were sailing into the rainy season in November/December this year. It was actually quite cold and windy between Sydney and Auckland on the outward leg of the cruise. So cold in fact that I had to buy a fleecy top in the Red Cross shop in Tauranga. On the second visit to Auckland the weather was beautiful. Apart from a few rainy episodes, the weather was generally good. Sunny, but fairly humid. The seas ranged from completely flat to swells of about 6 feet. The pool was slopping over on several occasions, and one day the wind blew all the chess pieces off the chess board under the dome on the Lido deck! They never needed to close the outside decks to walkers though.

Thanks for the review, but now you need to tell us what happened with the tenders :). We know that HAL is constantly training and retraining their tender crews so I am really surprised to here there was a problem.

 

Hank

We had no problem with the tenders, although some people complained that they had missed their tours in Moorea because it took so long to get to shore. The only problem was the people trying to push into the line to get a tender ticket in the Ocean Bar! We found the tender crews to be well trained and very helpful. The visit to Rarotonga was cancelled though because the tenders could not safely tie up, but these things happen.

Zaandam,

I'd like to know if anyone knows if the walls in the Zaandam cabins have metal walls for magnets. We usually put up a map to trace our voyage but the Volendam did not have metal walls. That is the first ship from HAL that was a problem. What about the Zaandam?

Also is there still a laundry on the Zaandam?

Thank you for any help.

I just got off the Maasdam after a 22 day South Pacific RT cruise from Auckland. I can report that the ship is in very good shape. The library is in very good shape with lots of books and games. In fact, there is a whole section in the library of extra paperbacks to swap. I found the crew on this cruise to be the best staff on any of my HAL cruises ever. I learned the names (and they learned mine and my preferences) of the main dining room staff, Lido staff, and bar waiters and bartenders. I've never been on first name terms with a Lido food manager, or an assistant maitre'd before. I hosted a 8 person dinner party at the Pinnacle, and the table was presented with a chocolate cake saying Happy Friendship spontaneously. My cabin stewards were superb. The only area that needs work is training for the crew running the tenders. The main dining room food was excellent. I can't comment on room service as I never had it, and all I ate in the Lido was lunch salads and cereal and yoghurt parfaits. I am a long time fan of the Maasdam, and drinkers should be glad to know that there

are at least two bartenders who make strong Wang Wangs!

What was the problem with the crew running the tenders?

We did not experience any problem with them.

Zaandam,

 

I'd like to know if anyone knows if the walls in the Zaandam cabins have metal walls for magnets. We usually put up a map to trace our voyage but the Volendam did not have metal walls. That is the first ship from HAL that was a problem. What about the Zaandam?

 

Also is there still a laundry on the Zaandam?

 

Thank you for any help.

As for the metal wall, I just checked pictures from our Zaandam cruise back in 2015 and no, the walls are not metal. We also use magnets to put things up on the wall and were not able to and indeed we encountered the same problem on Volendam.

At a Q&A session on the recent Pacific cruise,(same cruise as sambamama) the Captain said that HAL had decided to extend the life of the smaller ships in the fleet, and may also take Statendam and Ryndam back from their lease to P&O. Next years dry dock will see Maasdam fitted as an expedition ship with 2 cranes and Zodiacs on the bow deck.

Interesting. Many wondered why the new build is Nieuw Statendam and not just Statendam. Makes sense as we have Amsterdam and Nieuw Amsterdam.

Interesting. Many wondered why the new build is Nieuw Statendam and not just Statendam. Makes sense as we have Amsterdam and Nieuw Amsterdam.

The future cruise specialist on the Maasdam told us this also. We were discussing the possibility of the Maasdam being able to cruise to Antarctica in the future. Wouldn’t that be fabulous. Here’s hoping!

The future cruise specialist on the Maasdam told us this also. We were discussing the possibility of the Maasdam being able to cruise to Antarctica in the future. Wouldn’t that be fabulous. Here’s hoping!

The future Cruise Consultant was very helpful and efficient.

We had no problem with the tenders, although some people complained that they had missed their tours in Moorea because it took so long to get to shore. The only problem was the people trying to push into the line to get a tender ticket in the Ocean Bar! We found the tender crews to be well trained and very helpful. The visit to Rarotonga was cancelled though because the tenders could not safely tie up, but these things happen.

We visited Rorotonga while on a Oosterdam Pacific crossing and also had plenty of problems with the tenders not being able to tie-up to anything solid. At one point we had 5 -6 crewman simply holding the tender against the pier (almost looked like a tug of war). The local authorities certainly need to make some tender pier improvements.

As to passengers pushing and fighting to get a tender ticket, that is just a sad commentary. When we were recently on the Rotterdam (VOV cruise) we had a similar situation at one of our first tender ports...plus a few experienced HAL cruisers grabbed low number tender tickets and hoarded them for the future tender ports (they simply palmed them and did not turn them in as we got on the tenders). But our CD got very smart (after many complaints) so on future tender operations he varied the order of the tender tickets (so Red Number 1...might have been the last number called). Those that had hoarded those early numbers were very unhappy...but of course they could not complain to the CD :).

Hank

We have booked one of the Maasdam EXP cruises (spring of 2019). When talking to the future cruise counselor we were surprised to hear that the Maasdam will no longer have any production shows (which means that HAL can cut their staff and costs). And that size ship will not have any BB King group (they will not longer be on any of the smaller/medium size HAL ships. How HAL handles so-called cultural enrichment will be vital for its success. If they are going to have a single 9pm enrichment lecture in a theater that cannot hold all the passengers...there are going to some very unhappy cruisers. We also wonder how they will handle the many sea days on future Maasdam cruises...as you can only do so much with "enrichment lectures" and you cannot bring local folk shows aboard when in the middle of the Pacific. We were intrigued enough to book the cruise...but can certainly change our mind if initial reports (here on CC) are not good.

 

Hank

We are also booked on the Maasdam April 2019. We booked because of the wonderful itinerary. We have only cruised HAL once before. You have mentioned that the production shows will be eliminated however do you think there will be music in other smaller venues? Learning is great but sometimes you just need to be entertained! Karen

We are also booked on the Maasdam April 2019. We booked because of the wonderful itinerary. We have only cruised HAL once before. You have mentioned that the production shows will be eliminated however do you think there will be music in other smaller venues? Learning is great but sometimes you just need to be entertained! Karen

Good question just not sure we will get a quick answer with this new cruise format for awhile.

However, we will sure find out in 2019! I’m wondering about Piano Bar!

I am very close to booking this same cruise on the Maasdam in June 2019. I love small ships and the itinerary looks fabulous. I have always wanted to go to Kodiak, and there are many ports that I have not been to that are offered on this cruise.

Now I am even more excited!

We are also booked on the Maasdam April 2019. We booked because of the wonderful itinerary. We have only cruised HAL once before. You have mentioned that the production shows will be eliminated however do you think there will be music in other smaller venues? Learning is great but sometimes you just need to be entertained! Karen

I can only repeat what we were told by the Future Cruise person on the Rotterdam (Tina Faulkner) who we have known for a few years. As far as she knew, there would be a normal ship band (kind of like the old Hal Cat or Neptunes concept) and there should also be a piano bar player (the Maasdam does not have dueling pianos or BB King). We booked that cruise during a weak moment (after a few drinks) because we do like the itinerary. DW and I took our first HAL cruise on the Maasdam in June 1996 (the Baltic) which was also our first HAL cruise. It was more than 10 years before we dared go back on HAL...because we decided we should wait until we were around 60 yrs old (which still made us among the youngest on a few HAL cruises in those days). We are now somewhat older...and suddenly our fellow HAL cruisers look a lot younger :).

Hank