Is Maasdam's boat deck ruined with the lanai cabins???

[sail7seas]

Just for the sake of accuracy, Maasdam did NOT get the added cabins in the stern. She still has her wonderful aft pool undisturbed. We are immensely grateful they left that outstanding space as is.

[obriendan]

The Lanai cabins took away the majority of chairs which were once enjoyed by many and gave them to a few.

 

This is just not true! On the Veendam Rio to Ft. Lauderdale Amazon cruise I did took a count to gage the impact of the reserved chairs. There was a total of 170 lounge chairs and 36 lanai cabins. So 72 loungers were availabl for lanai cabins, leaving more than half, 98, loungers for others.

 

We had a lanai and enjoyed it very much. What we liked most about the lanai was the quick access to the lower promenade deck and the view from inside. The view is better than with a verandah because the partitions on the verandah limits the view width. Also, it is a great cabin for people watching either from inside or outside! During daylight you can't see into the lanai’s at all. And it is great for visiting with fellow cruisers.

 

Dan

[11.retired]

It's technically an 'ocean view room" with doors that open to the Promenade deck. There are two chairs there for you to use to enjoy the Promenade deck. Sort of like having a balcony - but instead you are on the deck. Some people really like them - more space - I'll take a balcony any day - more private:D

 

Thank you - now I see what all the fuss is about. Will be sailing on the 6th of april on the Maasdam so shall see. Thanks

[11.retired]

Here is Joanie's website for the 6th deck of the Veendam (the other "S" Class HAL ship with Lanai cabins), the Lower Promenade deck where both outside cabins (what Lanai cabins used to be) and the newer Lanai cabins are located. Good pictures and explanations on the site.

 

http://joanjett2000.topcities.com/HAL/Veendam/Deck-6.html

 

I have not been in a Lanai cabin but have been on the Maasdam since they put them in. Our cruise had so little sea time (only one "sea day") and that time was generally kind of foggy and chilly so that the decks chairs were pretty scarcely used.

 

Thanks you...

[patrick65]

I can well understand the love for the Maasdam many of you hold. As we age we cling to good memories past and look forward to the chance to repeat those memories. Judy and I took our first cruise on the current Statendam. To us that Lady is the standard all others are measured against. We love that ship.

 

Earlier this year we almost booked the Hawaii, South Pacific cruise. Before this occurred I found out I found out that the Statendam will under go dry dock late 2012 or early 2013. We were fearful that what they did to the Veendam might happen to the Statendam. We just do not want to deal with the Lanai cabins so we changed plans and booked a 21 day back to back on the Noordam heading to the Southern Caribbean. I pray this will not happen but if it is to be I don't want to see it.

 

We have one thing in common. We and the ships both face the reality that one day we will only continue as memories. We, as the ships will be remembered for the way we treated others.

 

With this in mind and with the knowledge that what I have posted may have been hurtful to someone I beg forgiveness.

 

Sincerely,

 

Patrick

[kazu]

I can well understand the love for the Maasdam many of you hold. As we age we cling to good memories past and look forward to the chance to repeat those memories. Judy and I took our first cruise on the current Statendam. To us that Lady is the standard all others are measured against. We love that ship.

 

Earlier this year we almost booked the Hawaii, South Pacific cruise. Before this occurred I found out I found out that the Statendam will under go dry dock late 2012 or early 2013. We were fearful that what they did to the Veendam might happen to the Statendam. We just do not want to deal with the Lanai cabins so we changed plans and booked a 21 day back to back on the Noordam heading to the Southern Caribbean. I pray this will not happen but if it is to be I don't want to see it.

 

We have one thing in common. We and the ships both face the reality that one day we will only continue as memories. We, as the ships will be remembered for the way we treated others.

 

With this in mind and with the knowledge that what I have posted may have been hurtful to someone I beg forgiveness.

 

Sincerely,

 

Patrick

 

I totally understand your concern Patrick - we are booked on the Prinsendam next year again and she is scheduled for dry dock - 2 weeks - I don't mind them spiffing her up but I don't want her 'ruined' so to speak.

 

However, in all honesty, I've had no issue with lanai cabins. they have no appeal to us, but we may change our tune down the road.

 

They don't stop you from your daily walk - they don't interfere with anything and some people seem to really enjoy them. I wouldn't let a Lanai cabin stop me from enjoying a ship I love or a ship I haven't been on.

 

The smaller ships have a short life and I doubt they will build more - so I plan to sail them for now (unless they do something really dumb) as long as I can. :D:):D BTW I have been on the bigger ones - nothing wrong with them - but I like sailing on ships when I can ;)

[serendipity1499]

Maasdam's Promenade Deck is still wonderful. I made it a point on our Maasdam cruises since the Lanais were added to see how many chairs there were and it seemed to me there were lots of chairs. Only two are for each Lanai and all the rest are for use by anyone who wants to sit.

 

I don't think the adding the Lanai cabins 'ruined' the deck at all.

 

 

This is just not true. I just came off the Maasdam and did not have a Lanai cabin. If you look at the deck plan, there are no Lanai cabins forward of the Atrium where there are lots of chaises. Also, to the aft of the last Lanai cabins, there are also lots of chaises. I'm not talking about the very aft either. And, there's nothing blocking your view which is the same view as the one from the Lanais.

 

Having spent 45 days on the Maasdam recently with lanai cabins, I can say that there are plenty of deck chairs and I never saw more than 2/3 of the available ones being used.

 

Apparently some people are willing to trash the Maasdam layout without having sailed it to see if they are reporting the truth or not. Unfortunate.

 

I was concerned before going on the Maasdam and left with absolutely no concerns. Those who forgo sailing on this wonderful ship are the ones losing out.

 

I agree with all of you!..We loved our Lanai Cabin..Received a wonderful deal on our Lanai cabin..we have since decided that we would gladly pay the full price of $400 per person to book into a lanai again..That's right the cost of those two lounge chairs dedicated to the lanai cabins is $800 over & above the lowest OV price on a 7 day cruise on the Veendam..The cabin is not smaller at all, another untruth!:rolleyes:

 

I don't understand those posters who tell outright lies about the number of chairs on a ship which they have not sailed on.. It reminds me of a person who is jealous of a Friend who drives a new Lexus, while he is driving an old bomb..:rolleyes:

SwissMyst is absolutely correct..We spend most of our days on Promenade deck..We don't book Verandah's because we don't wish to be isolated or want privacy..We enjoy people watching...After breakfast we find a chair on deck & again after lunch we're on the Promenade deck until late afternoon..It was wonderful having our reserved chairs on the Veendam..Every time we book a HAL cruise, DH asks if we can get a lanai, but unfortunately, we only had one once.. Hopefully we'll have one again..

Cheers...:)Betty

[ellieanne]

I have a question about the Lanai cabins that I am not sure has been answered. I have never sailed on a ship with Lanai cabins, but am considering a cruise on one next year. I do not like to lounge in the deck chairs, and only use them if one is empty and I want to talk to my parents, who can most often be found in one of the deck chairs. So reserved and available for the public chairs are not an issue for me.

 

But I do love to stand at the railing during docking and sail-away to watch the activity on the dock. Do the lanai cabins impede or reserve public space at the railing? As I said, I do not care one way or the other about deck chairs, and would not use them even if they were not reserved, but I do like to stand at the railing.

[RevNeal]

I totally understand your concern Patrick - we are booked on the Prinsendam next year again and she is scheduled for dry dock - 2 weeks - I don't mind them spiffing her up but I don't want her 'ruined' so to speak.

 

Too late. They already added a deck of aft verandahs onto the Prinsendam. It's not as drastic a retrofit, and it didn't take away (much) from public space because there was nothing in much of that space but empty air. However, adding those cabins did add to the passenger capacity of the ship, which means that the public spaces have to accommodate more people. However, I cruised aboard her in 2010 and didn't have any problem with overly congested public spaces. In fact, I found the Prinsendam to be incredibly roomy for such a small ship (I felt like I had more space aboard her than aboard a Vista, and that's true even given the smaller-feeling cabins). The ship was simply luxurious.

[MadManOfBethesda]

This problem is Holland America's not mine as I will not cruise on a ship which has Lanai cabins. As an option there are the Vista ships and I will take that option.

 

LOL. How exactly does your decision to pay HAL for a cruise on a VISTA ship in lieu of a ship with lanai cabins cause HAL a problem?

 

Earlier this year we almost booked the Hawaii, South Pacific cruise. Before this occurred I found out I found out that the Statendam will under go dry dock late 2012 or early 2013. We were fearful that what they did to the Veendam might happen to the Statendam. We just do not want to deal with the Lanai cabins so we changed plans and booked a 21 day back to back on the Noordam heading to the Southern Caribbean.

 

If you decided to cruise to and through some generic southern Caribbean islands in lieu of a cruise to Hawaii, Tahiti, Bora Bora, et al., simply because a few deck chairs are no longer available to you, then it is you, my friend, not HAL, who has lost out.

[SwissMyst]

This is just not true!

 

On the Veendam Rio to Ft. Lauderdale Amazon cruise I did took a count to gage the impact of the reserved chairs. There was a total of 170 lounge chairs and 36 lanai cabins. So 72 loungers were availabl for lanai cabins, leaving more than half, 98, loungers for others.

........

Dan

 

Thank you so much for providing the actual numbers. Certainly squares with my more casual observations that there were plenty of free access loungers still.

[SwissMyst]

.......

 

But I do love to stand at the railing during docking and sail-away to watch the activity on the dock. Do the lanai cabins impede or reserve public space at the railing? As I said, I do not care one way or the other about deck chairs, and would not use them even if they were not reserved, but I do like to stand at the railing.

 

No problem. The promenade deck is wide and no one "owns" the railing or the passage area, only the chair by their cabins. No more railing ownership than if these were ocean view cabins - OV cabins didn't "own" the railing view either.

 

We do "own" our balcony and railing in verandah cabins but that is as far as exclusive use goes ....unless you are next door to a smoker!:eek:

[ellieanne]

No problem. The promenade deck is wide and no one "owns" the railing or the passage area, only the chair by their cabins. No more railing ownership than if these were ocean view cabins - OV cabins didn't "own" the railing view either.

 

We do "own" our balcony and railing in verandah cabins but that is as far as exclusive use goes ....unless you are next door to a smoker!:eek:

 

Thanks! All this discussion of ruining the boat deck had me worried that I might be prevented from standing at the railing.

[SwissMyst]

Thanks! All this discussion of ruining the boat deck had me worried that I might be prevented from standing at the railing.

 

Isn't it sad when only a very few posters talk about this "ruining" an entire ship and in fact most posters stated just the opposite. Amazing how the negative news sticks, regardless of assurances to the contrary. So glad you hung in there to the bitter end of this discussion- My guess is you will wonder what all the whole lanai fuss was about once you get onboard.

 

And depending upon your itinerary and interest in other activities the whole Lower Promenade deck chair issue will seem very trivial. Plus you may also find other deck views you like even better than Lower Promenade, or even inside the Crows Net's fabulous views heading straight into where you are going. Happy travels.

[RMLincoln]

Glad to be reassured by all you recent Maasdam cruisers that I will most likely be able to find a deck chair on LP deck:) Thank you for your reports of your experiences.

 

Why didn't i book a lanai cabin if I wanted a deck chair? Let's see... Prices when I booked were $1999pp/inside vs $3599pp/lanai... hmmmm. That's why. Since then the prices have changed some, but the difference is still huge to me/us. I was concerned about the deck chairs, but now I am confident I'll be a happy cruiser very soon!!

 

Back to my motto: It's hard to have a bad day on a cruise ship!! And if that doesn't hold true for a given individual, maybe cruising isn't for them. The ships will still said full. m--

[patrick65]

LOL. How exactly does your decision to pay HAL for a cruise on a VISTA ship in lieu of a ship with lanai cabins cause HAL a problem?

 

Let me explain, It is not I who has the problem. I will get to cruise regardless. Holland America will still receive my money. Where the problem comes in is that Holland America apparently can't sell all of the lanai cabins. If they could they certainly would not be using them as upgrades from inside cabins. Also have you noticed that since the lanai cabins and the pool removal the Veendam has moved from place to place trying to find a place it fits in. It has become the problem child for HAL with its lanai public relation issues, its leaky retreat issues and its plumbing issues and air conditioning issues. The Veendam had none of the issues prior to the retro fit. I would not be surprised at all if it is the next Hal ship

sold.

 

If you decided to cruise to and through some generic southern Caribbean islands in lieu of a cruise to Hawaii, Tahiti, Bora Bora, et al., simply because a few deck chairs are no longer available to you, then it is you, my friend, not HAL, who has lost out.

 

We decided to skip the mentioned tour for several reasons. One was the Lanai cabin issue, Another reason we have done Hawaii several times on the 15 day cruise from San Diego. Another reason in 2011 we cruised New Zealand on the Volendam. We have the option of waiting for a Vista ship or again cruising on the Volendam going to south pacific from Australia or flying to Tahiti and cruising from there. There is even a good possibility that the Statendam may not receive the Lanai downgrade and we could cruise on her again. We will do that trip soon if God allows it in his plan for us.

[RevNeal]

I have taken the Lower Promenade Deckplan and have shaded the seating areas.

 

1. Those areas shaded in black are for the deck chairs that are reserved for the Lanai cabins.

2. Those areas that are (a) open seating, and (b) do NOT have a view that is obstructed by a metal wall, have been shaded blue.

 

 

Yes, the amount of premium space that is reserved for the Lanai cabins and their outside seating is significant, and yes it rather drastically reduces the amount of premium lounging/viewing space once open to everybody aboard ship. However ... and this is critical ... keep in mind that the number of people who will be vying for the remaining unreserved/premium deck space has been more than commensurately reduced by the reservation of Lanai space.

 

To put this simply: those 58 people (on the Maasdam there are 29 Lanai cabins) will not be trying to find a seat in the unrestricted premium viewing area because they already have their own chairs! While some have dismissed this observation as being unimportant or negligible, keep in mind those who have selected the Lanai cabins have often done so precisely because they want that reserved deck chair and, hence, would have been disproportionately represented among those who would be vying for deck space in the absence of the Lanai cabins. The remaining passengers are, correspondingly, somewhat less predisposed to want to sit on the Lower Promenade Deck and read/watch the world go by, and hence the pressure on those unrestricted spaces has been at commensurately reduced.

 

Now, granted, those Lanai deck chairs are off limits to those not in the Lanai cabins OR without permission of same, nevertheless with the reduced demand on the unrestricted seating (again, reduced by a factor at least equal to, if not greater than, the number of people residing in the Lanai cabins) it shouldn't be measurably more difficult to find a chair in the premium spaces adjacent to the Atrium. And, it might even be easier to find such a space given that most of the unrestricted chairs are grouped close together directly adjacent to the Atrium -- where it's easy (and a short walk) to cross from one side to the other in scoping out the available seating.

 

I'm not saying that this is a good circumstance. I wish HAL hadn't done this largely because it reflects the bad precedent of reducing once-public space in favor of a privileged few. Nevertheless, the end result is not as bad as it might seem. Is it inequitable? Yes. I don't like that HAL did this. However, it is nevertheless true -- as the above chart shows -- that there is still an appreciable amount of premium space still open and unrestricted.

 

Regarding the areas on either side of the doors ... yes, they have to be partly cleared to allow for those doors to open. However, those doors never block those windows and, as these ships used to be configured, deck chairs were outside those windows. I know, for I once was in one of those cabins immediate abaft one of the doors (C-331) and there was a chair immediately outside my window. There simply were not any chairs forward, past the window, toward the door.

[Sir PMP]

I don't like that HAL did this.

 

Bottom line: Rotterdam, Veendam (no more aft pool) and Maasdam are destroyed period!!

[RevNeal]

Thanks! All this discussion of ruining the boat deck had me worried that I might be prevented from standing at the railing.

 

That's the danger of using hyperbolic language ... like the use of the word "destroyed."

 

I almost never use the ship's aft pool, hence apart from the horrible esthetic and top/rear-heavy appearance of the Veendam, that change means little to me. I don't like it, but in the end it won't adversely impact my cruising experience aboard the Veendam. Granted, the additional passengers might adversely over-tax the remaining public spaces ... but from the reports it doesn't sound like it's that bad.

 

I do like to sit on the Lower Promenade Deck ... and, on my booked cruise aboard the Veendam (to South America / Antarctica in 2013) I'm actually booked in a Lanai. So ....

 

What's worse, in my estimation, is what's been done on the Upper Promenade Deck to the former Piano Bar/Sports Bar area. The Mix sounds like it may more adversely impact evening lounge usage ... and that's a greater concern for me. I've not seen The Mix yet, either, so I'll have to wait until I see and experience it for myself. However, from what I've heard from sources I trust, it's not exactly the best thought out reconfiguration.

[RetiredMustang]

I hardly ever use one of the deck chairs/loungers, so as to whether Maasdam has been ruined, I don't really have an opinion ... but, I DO have pictures!

 

I was on Maasdam Feb. 6-17, and took some shots. The first is of the arrangment of the lanai reserved ones, two per cabin, with a small table.

 

The second shot is a close-up of the little plate that is on the lounger that says it is reserved for the lanai cabin.

 

The third shot is a long-shot facing forward from about midships on the starboard side. I don't know if all of the ones without cushions are reserved (I didn't check them all), but believe that the ones with cushions are not reserved.

 

Dave

 

Added on edit: Here are links to higher-res files:

 

Lanai reserved loungers: http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/showphoto.php?photo=23379&cat=520

 

Reserved sign on lounger: http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/showphoto.php?photo=23380&cat=520

 

Loungers on deck: http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/showphoto.php?photo=23381&cat=520

[sapper1]

I totally understand your concern Patrick - we are booked on the Prinsendam next year again and she is scheduled for dry dock - 2 weeks - I don't mind them spiffing her up but I don't want her 'ruined' so to speak.

Since Kazu brought up the subject of the Prinsendam's scheduled drydock, is there anyone out there who has heard what is planned for her? There is always someone who has gotten the "inside info" from a staff member while on a cruise.

I have developed an overnight sudden interest in the Prinsendam.;)

[Wakepatrol]

While on a cruise. I walk the promenade deck every single day at various times. There's barely a soul out there. while walking it's 1 guy reading a book then 40 empty loungers then 1 woman knitting then 30 extra loungers.

 

There's a smattering of people out there at best. I even had no trouble getting a lounger going through the Panama Canal in 100 degree heat where everybody wanted to be to get some shade.

 

Just another case of 'War Of The Worlds" hysteria on these boards.

 

A big fat... much ado about nothing.

[pearliemae]

Thank you for the beautiful pictures. Maasdam looks great, and give out the vibe of an old time cruise ship, which is what we love. Thanks again.

[PatsyAnne]

The bottom line is we all have our reasons for cruising, and happy memories of past trips with their special places. Some of us want to spend more time in our rooms, while others want a deck chair. So something that I don't care about will be a deal breaker for others. I liked the new retreat on the Rotterdam, while others mourned the loss of the small aft pool. Just don't take away my Explorations Cafe or the lower promenade walk, and I'll be happy. Oh, and the butter mints from the yum yum man. And my steward. Bread pudding. Crow's nest...

[Jo-Bob]

Am I crazy?? I'd swear Maasdam does NOT have Lanai cabins.