Recent Maasdam reports

[ColumbiaSC]

RuthC --- I regret that you think I have a done a disservice, as I was only stating my opinion, as do you and others. Is this not a forum to state one's views? Certainly I am a Diamond Level Member of the Cunard World Club --- and no novice to ocean travel --- but I was on the 2012 WC of the ms Amsterdam and loved it. I know several Cunarders who have loved the ms Maasdam on the Voyage of the Vikings. I myself am booked on the ms Maasdam for the "Atlantic Adventure" on 31 Oct - 12 Dec, 2014 along with several other friends and world travelers. We intend to have a wonderful voyage --- being calm, collected, and cool.

 

I was simply trying to say in my opinion (the only way one can say something) that there has been some "piling on" in regard to dismissing the ms Maasdam as being on the ropes. But apparently I have stepped on the toes of some who think this is their domain and not to be entered without peril. Obviously, favorable reviews don't require the same response as I made since they don't ultimately have such a negative impact upon the careers of the ship's personnel and officers.

 

I agree that the plumbing and the air conditioning are matters of concern, but my posting was focused on several other things, as anyone can see.

 

My apologies to innlady1 if I offended you.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I have never ever been one that allowed bad reviews to sway me on my selection of ships. I have been on many ships that the reviews were coming in with terrible comments for 10+ years I have been reading comments and if I choose to believe all of them we would have never cruised our first HAL ship on the Zuiderdam in 2003 but with that being said we recently cruised on the Veendam. While it is not the worst cruise we have been on it was second to the worst. All of the comments being made about service and just attitude in general were exactly what I experienced on the Veendam beside many other very negative things on that ship . Before we left on the Veendam cruise we had already selected to do the Maasdam for October 18th this year because we liked the itinerary. While the S Class ships are not my favorite we totally loved our cruise on the Maasdam back in 2005 so we figured this would work. But I have to admit after taking the Veendam cruise with the lack of entertainment and things to do and the crew being less than stellar and many other negative things about that ship I started looking for another cruise that same two weeks. I was close to booking Norwegian Dawn when I found a great offer on the Oct 19th Noordam for a Trans Atlantic.

 

I really am not quite sure what is happening with HAL's S Class Ships. I totally agree that Management in the Hotel Department and the Cruise Director make a Large impact for passengers and Crew. It truly is a trickle if everyone is Happy and likes their Boss you have a Happy Ship. I also think that HAL has made so many cut backs that many of the crew have given up on smiling and just agree with the passengers :( I think there is still some hope for the Vista and Signature Class Ships and maybe even the R Class but sadly I think that HAL has started to write off the S Class Ships and the budget is just not there any longer for those ships. I cannot tell you how many crew told me to make sure I told HAL in the survey about the things that were missing and the changes I did not like.

The only way things can start to change is for everyone to write their opinion to HAL. I actually wrote up quite a long review and even offered some suggestions of some simple changes. I did actually get a response back but sadly it was the standard form letter just adding in the points that I brought up. The letter stated they would refer my comments to management on the ship :rolleyes: But the interesting thing in the letter was there was really not much of an apology other than we are sorry you felt this way. Then a comment like I hope you try one of our other ships :eek: I am pretty darn sure that HAL is getting hundreds of surveys all saying about the same thing but they really do not have a plan to fix these issues.

[buckirj1]

I was simply trying to say in my opinion (the only way one can say something) that there has been some "piling on" in regard to dismissing the ms Maasdam as being on the ropes. But apparently I have stepped on the toes of some who think this is their domain and not to be entered without peril.

 

Like you, I don't doubt the veracity of the initial report or the OP's integrity, but your other observations are absolutely correct. There is absolutely a Greek chorus on the HAL forum whose specialty is "piling on," as you yourself experienced. That doesn't always make them wrong about whatever is under discussion, but it can be tiresome to see them gang up on somebody.

[BlueMoon3669]

I have never ever been one that allowed bad reviews to sway me on my selection of ships. I have been on many ships that the reviews were coming in with terrible comments for 10+ years I have been reading comments and if I choose to believe all of them we would have never cruised our first HAL ship on the Zuiderdam in 2003 but with that being said we recently cruised on the Veendam. While it is not the worst cruise we have been on it was second to the worst. All of the comments being made about service and just attitude in general were exactly what I experienced on the Veendam beside many other very negative things on that ship . Before we left on the Veendam cruise we had already selected to do the Maasdam for October 18th this year because we liked the itinerary. While the S Class ships are not my favorite we totally loved our cruise on the Maasdam back in 2005 so we figured this would work. But I have to admit after taking the Veendam cruise with the lack of entertainment and things to do and the crew being less than stellar and many other negative things about that ship I started looking for another cruise that same two weeks. I was close to booking Norwegian Dawn when I found a great offer on the Oct 19th Noordam for a Trans Atlantic.

 

I really am not quite sure what is happening with HAL's S Class Ships. I totally agree that Management in the Hotel Department and the Cruise Director make a Large impact for passengers and Crew. It truly is a trickle if everyone is Happy and likes their Boss you have a Happy Ship. I also think that HAL has made so many cut backs that many of the crew have given up on smiling and just agree with the passengers :( I think there is still some hope for the Vista and Signature Class Ships and maybe even the R Class but sadly I think that HAL has started to write off the S Class Ships and the budget is just not there any longer for those ships. I cannot tell you how many crew told me to make sure I told HAL in the survey about the things that were missing and the changes I did not like.

The only way things can start to change is for everyone to write their opinion to HAL. I actually wrote up quite a long review and even offered some suggestions of some simple changes. I did actually get a response back but sadly it was the standard form letter just adding in the points that I brought up. The letter stated they would refer my comments to management on the ship :rolleyes: But the interesting thing in the letter was there was really not much of an apology other than we are sorry you felt this way. Then a comment like I hope you try one of our other ships :eek: I am pretty darn sure that HAL is getting hundreds of surveys all saying about the same thing but they really do not have a plan to fix these issues.

 

So, as someone who is booked on the Veendam for my first ever HAL experience, should I be overly concerned? Since we are PIF, and have purchased our flights (One-way fares to/from Quebec and Boston), perhaps I should stop reading reviews and just hope for the best. I guess the one positive is that my expectations may be low enough that we end up being pleasantly surprised. Here's hoping things improve before July :eek:

 

 

 

Sent from my KFJWI using Forums mobile app

[G&G]

I know several Cunarders who have loved the ms Maasdam on the Voyage of the Vikings. I myself am booked on the ms Maasdam for the "Atlantic Adventure" on 31 Oct - 12 Dec, 2014 along with several other friends and world travelers. We intend to have a wonderful voyage --- being calm, collected, and cool.

 

My apologies to innlady1 if I offended you.

 

We have been sailing on HAL for 32 years and have sailed on the Maasdam many times. We sailed on the Voyage of the Vikings in 2010 and it one of the best cruises ever. Why? Great staff !

 

We recently completed the Atlantic Adventure cruise in 2013 and posted a review of the cruise which I called "Maasdam, The Good, The Bad & The Ugly". The officers were MIA and the service was poor; which I believe was the reflection of the ship's officers. I have continued to see the quality of service erode over the years on HAL. It is not the fault of the waiters or cabin stewards; they are responsibile for too many tables in the MDR and too many cabins to clean.

 

As mentioned by LAFFNVEGAS, I to have written letters to HAL management in Seattle, the last one in December 2013, discussing issues on their ships and suggestions on how things could be corrected. I to receive the standard form letter that management has been made aware of the problems but nothing ever seems to be done.

 

That is why after 32 years we will be sailing on our last HAL cruise in April 2014.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

So, as someone who is booked on the Veendam for my first ever HAL experience, should I be overly concerned? Since we are PIF, and have purchased our flights (One-way fares to/from Quebec and Boston), perhaps I should stop reading reviews and just hope for the best. I guess the one positive is that my expectations may be low enough that we end up being pleasantly surprised. Here's hoping things improve before July :eek:

Sent from my KFJWI using Forums mobile app

First here is my take... first off it sounds like you are going Summer or Fall, Management can change and things on the ship can change but the big thing is if you have never taken a HAL cruise you have not had a previous HAL cruise to compare it to. So it really depends on what ships you have sailed. My comparisons are strictly from previous HAL ships. Now if I was brand new to HAL which is what HAL is hoping to have more of I honestly would not see any changes everything will be new. The Canada New England itineraries are great and extremely Port intensive.

Sadly some of us frequent long time HAL cruisers have grown accustom to how things use to be. If you look at any other cruise lines you often see similar posts. There are certain things I prefer on the larger HAL ships such as the Spa, a larger Lido with less congestion, more show entertainment.

Sadly Cruise Critic can be the Cruise Lines Worst enemy which because sometimes TOO MUCH Information is not a good thing.

I find those that are the happiest cruisers are those that do not visit these chat boards and are oblivious to the changes :D

My Rant was just stating my opinion which at the moment seems to agree with others.

[BlueMoon3669]

We've only sailed twice before, on Carnival. But my mother is joining us and she has sailed HAL a couple of times, along with several other lines. HAL was one of her favorites. We booked mostly for the itinerary, and the opportunity to try HAL was a bonus. We picked up a reasonably good deal on "distressed" inventory ocean view cabins. I'm pretty easy to please, but working toilets are high on my list of must-have amenities

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[innlady1]

My apologies to innlady1 if I offended you.

 

I must say, you did offend me by questioning my integrity. I hope for everyone cruising on future Maasdam cruises has a better experience than we did. Believe me, I had no "axe to grind". I was trying to be helpful by giving my honest opinion. We thoroughly enjoyed our previous Maasdam cruise...she had become one of our favorite ships...but she is no longer the "happy ship" we remember. Hopefully a change of staff will correct that.

Thankfully, the Noordam is still a very fine ship with a very happy crew.

 

BTW, we are in Curacao today with the Maasdam.....

 

And, thank you to those of you on here who posted knowing that I would not lie or exaggerate!

Edited February 13, 2014 by innlady1

[Travelbug 2]

There are many different types of "cruisers" some well seasoned others quite new and the ones in the middle with a healthy number of cruises under their belt like me. There is also a vast array of expectations from all cruisers. everyone is entitled to their opinion and that should be respected.

 

The bottom line -------------1 day on a cruise is far better than 1 week ashore. I'll take whatever comes when I am on the Maasdam in June and I certainly intend to have a great time. :)

 

Thanks to everyone for the interesting posts.

[ColumbiaSC]

innlady1 --- Thank you for your response. I did not intend to offend you. You say, "I must say, you did offend me by questioning my integrity." This is simply not the case. I did not question your integrity --- I questioned your judgment. I think you jumped to conclusions. I did not accuse you of lying, Madam.

 

What I questioned was the rationale for people to accept your conclusion that ships' officers were being lax and unprofessional when it was, as you say, closing time, and it was time to leave.

 

Witnessing leaking toilets is quite another matter, requiring no judgment.

 

My position is that the ships' officers have careers and that public comments about their incompetency should not be made lightly.

[serendipity1499]

Innlady is a longtime respected and credible member of Cruise Critic and I seriously doubt if anyone would discount her reports re the Maasdam as overblown. If Innlady says that's what happened then that's what happened.

 

You do a great disservice to be so dismissive of some of the negative reports about the Maasdam. When long-time posters, with a high level of credibility, are saying negative things about this ship, it's best to pay attention. Add to that a same person continued on to a different ship and is giving an opposite report, then it's time to listen.

 

Would you be so dismissive of the reports had they been glowing? I think not.

 

I agree with you both! IMO Innlady is a long time HAL Psgr & a poster who would tell it like it is without exaggeration..I would give credence to her opinion much more than others who never can see the flaws!

 

She was in the Hospitality Field for many years & knows what good service is.. She understands that a Happy crew will help to make Happy Psgrs.. She has always been able to see a glass half full..

 

Betty

[mamaofami]

Some of these "reports" about the ms Maasdam are likely overblown and feeding on each other. Just because some officers are thought to be "antsy" to leave a reception at the designated end by a single couple does not mean they're doing something wrong. They're tired and ready to go to their cabins after a long day at sea! If they are not being "out and about" it probably means they have more important business to do --- such as running the ship! And about the internet --- well, I am sure it is slow and indifferent ---- but the same is the case with the ms Amsterdam on its current 2014 World Voyage!!! It's a HAL problem to solve --- and not restricted to the ms Maasdam. Some things simply don't always go the way some people who have time on their hands expect as they sit back in luxury eating grapes and yearning for a pizza.

 

Your last sentence is particularly insulting. If it were me you were writing about, I would be very offended.

 

An officer at a party has a responsibility to "seem" like he is interested in being there, even if he wants to be somewhere else. That's what makes for a feel good ship.

 

I think you've gotten enough responses from long time posters here to understand that when Innlady writes something, she does it with credibility.

[cruz chic]

Your last sentence is particularly insulting. If it were me you were writing about, I would be very offended.

 

An officer at a party has a responsibility to "seem" like he is interested in being there, even if he wants to be somewhere else. That's what makes for a feel good ship.

 

I think you've gotten enough responses from long time posters here to understand that when Innlady writes something, she does it with credibility.

Exactly! I can tell you I've been less then happy in my job for a long while but every day I come with a happy face. You do what you have to do to stay employed.

[Mekka]

I'm getting on the Maasdam on March 2 for the Carnaval/Amazon trip and these reports aren't very encouraging, but I'm keeping an open mind. I just got off the Statendam Sea of Cortez trip in December and managed to have a terrific cruise, despite slow service, mediocre food, and some of the same administrative issues showing up on the recent Maasdam reviews. The ports and excursions were excellent and I was with friends and family that made for a great trip.

 

I've learned to be somewhat careful in interpreting ship reviews (either positive or negative) based on management and service conditions. I took a South America cruise on the Rotterdam in Fall, 2011 and encountered the worst morale problems I've ever seen on a ship. The service was pretty awful and the attitude of the staff (which is usually excellent) was surly and unhelpful. I came away with a terrible opinion of the Rotterdam. Nonetheless, with significant trepidation I found myself back on the Rotterdam 6 months later for a Baltic cruise. I was shocked at the change on board. Service and food were great, people were friendly again and it was like a totally different ship. The previous problems were not inherent to the Rotterdam. It was coming from the top and a few changes of the Officers made a world of difference. I suspect it's the same thing with the Maasdam (and frankly, the Statendam right now). No doubt the constant cost cutting is playing a role, but I don't think the situation on the Maasdam or Statendam is hopeless. By the way, I was sorry to see the additional efforts to sell the Statendam. Despite their problems, I really like the R & S class ships.

[WNcruiser]

I aprreciate everyones opinions and reviews of the Maasdam. They are offering a great deal right now on the April 22nd 10 night sailing.

 

These reviews are definately taken into consideration. This would be our first S class cruise so was really looking forward to it. However, If I do book, I will really lower my expectations:)

 

Steve

[WayneFougere]

I'm pretty easy to please, but working toilets are high on my list of must-have amenities

 

 

I wish CC had a like button.

[startwin]

We've only sailed twice before, on Carnival. But my mother is joining us and she has sailed HAL a couple of times, along with several other lines. HAL was one of her favorites. We booked mostly for the itinerary, and the opportunity to try HAL was a bonus. We picked up a reasonably good deal on "distressed" inventory ocean view cabins. I'm pretty easy to please, but working toilets are high on my list of must-have amenities

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

Psst.... did I ever tell you about the time we had to get off the ship in a Mexican port to go find a working toilet?:eek: True story.

[WayneFougere]

Psst.... did I ever tell you about the time we had to get off the ship in a Mexican port to go find a working toilet?:eek: True story.

 

 

You must generally be a very optimistic and forgiving individual. I'm impressed that you are willing to chance the same 3 week cruise after a year of remembering all the things that can go wrong.

 

I don't think I'd have the ability to book the same cruise a second time; but since I'm on the same cruise as you, I hope your enthusiasm (and the lack of recent reports about similar problems) is enough to make it a perfect experience this time around. You certainly deserve it and I'd like to benefit from the karma that you deserve.

[sapper1]

Psst.... did I ever tell you about the time we had to get off the ship in a Mexican port to go find a working toilet?:eek: True story.

 

True story indeed! We were right behind you. :)

Did you find the one just off the pier with the over eager attendant? She almost tripped me as she jumped in front of me to open the door to the stall and then when I stepped in front of the wash basin she suddenly reached in front of me and turned the water on full blast and sprayed it all down the front of me.

:eek:

[peug]

I was also on the 21 day cruise and I want to give my opinion and observations on some of the things mentioned. We saw the Captain, wife and child around the ship many, many times and they were very friendly. The managers in the Lido and Dining room were very active at the times we were there. They were cleaning tables and in the Lido help me in getting the food and drinks for me and DH as he is not very mobile right now. The crew is very, very understaffed and one dining steward told me that in the past he had 12 to 15 at dinner and he now has 28. We ate at 5:30 most days and since you had to be in the showroom by 7:15 to get a seat for the 8pm show we usually chose the 10pm show. The nights we ate in the Lido for dinner we found that all the ladies rooms on that deck were closed. One night the one on 10 and the one on 8 were also closed. The line at the one on 7 was so long it was faster to use your stateroom. The forward elevators were never in 21 days all operating at the same time. When we asked about the no pizza we were told they had no way to bake it on the Maasdam. The biggest problem for us was no hot water in the staterooms. We did have warm water for the shower most of the time which was better then our friends on another deck who had cold water most of the time. We got a $400 on board credit because of our complaints about this. The water was shut down the last night so hopefully those onboard now don't have this problem. The AC was fine for us. It seems they no longer pop the popcorn onboard as it was cold and stale and they only put out about 15 bags. That goes as soon as it is put out and no more comes. DH was very disappointed in this. The Ocean Bar service was so slow during happy hour that you could not get a second order in. That was because of two servers and one bartender and many many people wanting drinks. No little plate of h'dorvers available and we had to ask for nuts some of the time. Even tho understaffed the crew was very friendly and very hard working. They quickly got to know us and came to help as soon as they saw us come into the Lido. I never had problems getting food and drinks for two to our table and when it was crowded they quickly found a seat for my husband. We did miss the cold water and/or lemonade when returning to the ship after a day in port. We saw the Noordam stills offers this and when one passenger complained she was told she could go over to the Noordam and ask for a drink. Sorry this is so long.

[kazu]

I was also on the 21 day cruise and I want to give my opinion and observations on some of the things mentioned. We saw the Captain, wife and child around the ship many, many times and they were very friendly. The managers in the Lido and Dining room were very active at the times we were there. They were cleaning tables and in the Lido help me in getting the food and drinks for me and DH as he is not very mobile right now. The crew is very, very understaffed and one dining steward told me that in the past he had 12 to 15 at dinner and he now has 28. We ate at 5:30 most days and since you had to be in the showroom by 7:15 to get a seat for the 8pm show we usually chose the 10pm show. The nights we ate in the Lido for dinner we found that all the ladies rooms on that deck were closed. One night the one on 10 and the one on 8 were also closed. The line at the one on 7 was so long it was faster to use your stateroom. The forward elevators were never in 21 days all operating at the same time. When we asked about the no pizza we were told they had no way to bake it on the Maasdam. The biggest problem for us was no hot water in the staterooms. We did have warm water for the shower most of the time which was better then our friends on another deck who had cold water most of the time. We got a $400 on board credit because of our complaints about this. The water was shut down the last night so hopefully those onboard now don't have this problem. The AC was fine for us. It seems they no longer pop the popcorn onboard as it was cold and stale and they only put out about 15 bags. That goes as soon as it is put out and no more comes. DH was very disappointed in this. The Ocean Bar service was so slow during happy hour that you could not get a second order in. That was because of two servers and one bartender and many many people wanting drinks. No little plate of h'dorvers available and we had to ask for nuts some of the time. Even tho understaffed the crew was very friendly and very hard working. They quickly got to know us and came to help as soon as they saw us come into the Lido. I never had problems getting food and drinks for two to our table and when it was crowded they quickly found a seat for my husband. We did miss the cold water and/or lemonade when returning to the ship after a day in port. We saw the Noordam stills offers this and when one passenger complained she was told she could go over to the Noordam and ask for a drink. Sorry this is so long.

 

go over to the Noordam and ask for a drink? WOW!!!!

 

thanks for the feedback - now I am getting really nervous about our cruise in March.:eek:

 

Those little things might not mean much to some - but it is one of the reasons we sail HAL.

[startwin]

True story indeed! We were right behind you. :)

Did you find the one just off the pier with the over eager attendant? She almost tripped me as she jumped in front of me to open the door to the stall and then when I stepped in front of the wash basin she suddenly reached in front of me and turned the water on full blast and sprayed it all down the front of me.

:eek:

 

Good lord no, I missed that one.:( The loo I found they tried to charge me $3 to use, and I beat it down to $1.:eek:

[peug]

Those little things might not mean much to some - but it is one of the reasons we sail HAL.

 

I agree and that is what I said when I did the HAL survey. I also got the canned reply from HAL. The Maasdam had been our favorite ship but we will try one of the larger ones next time. The cruise director told us he was unhappy that he was not allowed to provide the level of activities he had done of other ships. He was told the space was not available but we noticed it was available to try to sell you art work, spa services (sales pitches in lounges not in the spa) and shopping and shore excursions.