Maasdam gone by 2018

[esimon]

I agree -- If you hate HAL - don't trust them or Madam - pick another cruise line and go bash them. People can read this thread and make their own decision

[Topsham]

Life is too short to worry.

 

In have sailed over 1,100 days with HAL and complaints over AC have been exactly ZERO! Have I had a few occasions when the cabin was 'warm' ... yes. Enough to worry about? No.

[mysticsailor]

We were on her 50 days last fall. 4 days of the cruise the A/C was struggling. But because we read these forums, reserved the fan prior, thus the A/C was NO BIG DEAL.

[iancal]

We are hoping to snag a K'dam or an E'dam Med cruise this fall.

 

Just because we have zero interest in taking our chances with some of HAL's older ships does not mean that we won't cruise on HAL.

 

HAl is certainly not in out top two or three choices of cruise line any more but we place more emphasis on the ship. K'dam appears to be a winner.

 

Never certain whether this forum is a 'love in' or a place to get info on HAl ( and other cruise line) ships. Very difficult to discern at times.

[Topsham]

On the old ROTTERDAM 1995 World Cruise a team of technicians came on board to install TELEVISIONS!!!! Not to put new TV... the ship had never had them before. The TV was bolted up onto the bulkhead instead of the fan. Well, what is a fan for if there is AC. Quite a few of the fans were taken over then a few said, "Why not put the TV up AND keep the fans?" Once in a while it was nice to have the fan and bolster the AC.

[los cruceros]

ster barge. Not up to curent HA standards.

 

Agreed...the ports were great, but food NOT up to HAL stanards in previous cruise aboard the Maasdam...food was mediocore to sown right inedible..i.e..raw kidney bean salad, rotten or frozen green bananas-

I was quite shocked by the loss of quality food service.

[los cruceros]

ster barge. Not up to curent HA standards.

 

Agreed...the ports were great, but food NOT up to HAL stanards in previous cruise aboard the Maasdam...food was mediocore to sown right inedible..i.e..raw kidney bean salad, rotten or frozen green bananas-

I was quite shocked by the loss of quality food service.

[Skoogs]

HAL is a mass market cruise line. Profit is the motive. Like all other cruise lines. I and six others were on the 11 day cruise that people referred to in this thread. Not downplaying other peoples problems, we had a great time.

For me its about going to different places. I just can't afford to go to all the places a cruise ship goes too on my own.

We will be on the Maasdam September 12th for a 14 day Alaska cruise. No other cruise line, that I'm aware of, has a 14 day cruise in Alaska. I've been on other cruise ships, I still think HAL does a great job overall. That's why I keep coming back.

[CarolRoy]

Skoogs: We were on the same sailing March 29, 2016 for 11 nights. Sorry to say, we would NOT go on the Maasdam again. Our cabin #774 had AC issues - did not get cooler than 74 degrees for the entire cruise. We did have a fan for one night. Fan was large with one speed (loud too) and took up most of the counter space on the desk. All the fan did was move the warm air to one area. We had them remove the fan the next morning.

 

Food in the main dining room was never up to par with the Nieuw Amsterdam that we sailed three times before. The last time was Dec. 2015. I can honestly say that out of 7 of us, we never had a great meal. Soup was always covered in grease, beef had no taste. lobster was tasteless, hard baked potatoes. Service was very slow in the MDR. It usually took close to 3 hours for dinner.

 

I hope you have better luck on your next Maasdam cruise.

[Toad]

Thank you Carol, I feel supported in my assessment of our cruise. None of what happened was acceptable.

[iancal]

I believe that HAL is milking their older ships while at the same time taking advantage of their most loyal customers. Those are the repeat customers who seem to dismiss the issues as part of cruising on an older ship. We don't. Nor do we make excuses for any vendor that does not meet the bar. Just an opinion based on reading lots of posts and reviews over the past few years.

 

Prospective new customers like us look at the multiple postings over time and say no thanks. Lots of choice out there so why take a flyer on an unknown when we can better the odds by selecting another ship.

 

We are looking at SA at the moment in the hope of identifying and securing a berth this winter. Z'dam won't even be a consideration for us. I have no doubt that it is a wonderful ship but our perception of HAL's mtce record on those ships does not encourage us to even consider the ship. Nor does our perception of their approach to on board problem/customer management. Just our opinion...but we vote with our feet and with our wallets. Having said that we are in fact looking two other HAL ships for a Med cruise.

Edited April 21, 2016 by iancal

[Toad]

So I strongly agree with above post, but most especially with HALS approach to maintenance issues.

[Despegue]

More often than not, it are the passengers who are responsible for the plumbing issues by misusing the toilet as a garbage disposal...

 

Regarding airco, I'd much rather have no airco at all than a constant freezing, loud, illness inducing stream of dry air striking my head while trying to sleep...

[rkacruiser]

I have debated for at least a day or more as to whether to post this or not. I decided that I will.

 

Not having experienced mechanical issues aboard the Maasdam, I cannot comment. A disappointing experience for one: yes. I am sure it was. Many of you have made a choice for your future cruises because of this experience and I wish you fair winds and following seas.

 

As to negative comments about one's culinary experiences: While menus may be dictated by Seattle, the execution of those menus are in the capable, or maybe not so capable, hands of the Executive Chef on board your ship. Holland America Line has employed many Executive Chefs who meet my "Signature of Excellence" expectations and that does help me "Savor the Journey". But, there have been disappointments for me in this area as well.

 

What criteria is used to hire these persons in an Executive Chef position, I have no idea. From what "little" I do know, a ship's Executive Chef may "tweak" the receipes that come from Seattle to suit their preferences. Some of those "tweaks" may be more acceptable than others for that ship's guests on that particular cruise.

 

I have never had any issue about food quality* during any cruise on any cruise line. I have had issues with food quality at some top end steak houses in the United States.

 

*: Bananas on HAL, particularly offered in the requested fruit basket, is another story.

 

The Maasdam's older sister, the Statendam, along with the oldest ship in the fleet, the Prinsendam, are my two most recent HAL cruises. Both provided me with cruises that I will not forget and for positive reasons!

[Topsham]

Maasdam

Maasdam

 

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With its mid-sized capacity and classic styling, Holland America's stately Maasdam is a manageable and pleasant ship. After eighteen years in service, it has succeeded in retaining its youth -- with a major ...

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[Wehwalt]

Life is too short to worry.

 

In have sailed over 1,100 days with HAL and complaints over AC have been exactly ZERO! Have I had a few occasions when the cabin was 'warm' ... yes. Enough to worry about? No.

 

When I spend thousands of dollars on a cruise, I have expectations. Comfortable cabin and surroundings, no ship issues that interfere with my enjoyment of it or the ports, excellent and plentiful food, a crew that I trust and who makes me feel that the ship is my home for my time aboard. Things done in a first-class manner, rather than second-rate. I consider these the minimum. If I can't sleep because the cabin is too warm and can't be made comfortable, then I'm not going to enjoy the following day as much because I will be tired and probably cross, and it is likely to go on from there.

Edited April 22, 2016 by Wehwalt

[Toad]

When I spend thousands of dollars on a cruise, I have expectations. Comfortable cabin and surroundings, no ship issues that interfere with my enjoyment of it or the ports, excellent and plentiful food, a crew that I trust and who makes me feel that the ship is my home for my time aboard. Things done in a first-class manner, rather than second-rate. I consider these the minimum. If I can't sleep because the cabin is too warm and can't be made comfortable, then I'm not going to enjoy the following day as much because I will be tired and probably cross, and it is likely to go on from there.

 

WEHwalt: My point exactly. At approximately $500 per day or more for some cabins, I would agree that one should expect the above. If others are willing to accept less, that is their prerogative but for myself, I would expect more. And, one review does not tell the whole story.

Edited April 22, 2016 by Toad

[iancal]

I would expect 75 percent of Mdam cruisers to be happy campers.

 

The plumbing and AC issues on HAL's older ships most probably only impact 10 percent of cruisers max at any time. Food is another issue and it can go from fabulous to mediocre to poor on any ship, any cruise line, from one cruise to the next. We tend to discount that. Same as entertainment. But physical condition is paramount to us.

 

We certainly would not go to a hotel where with a 75 percent rating on Tripadvisor. Has to be minimum four stars for us and our usual range is 4 1/2 to 5. This is based on lots of travel and many hotel stays. Cruises are no different to us.

 

Our issue....why would we take a chance on being one of that ten percent when we can narrow the gap and take the next bus so to speak.

Edited April 22, 2016 by iancal

[Topsham]

When I spend thousands of dollars on a cruise, I have expectations. Comfortable cabin and surroundings, no ship issues that interfere with my enjoyment of it or the ports, excellent and plentiful food, a crew that I trust and who makes me feel that the ship is my home for my time aboard. Things done in a first-class manner, rather than second-rate. I consider these the minimum. If I can't sleep because the cabin is too warm and can't be made comfortable, then I'm not going to enjoy the following day as much because I will be tired and probably cross, and it is likely to go on from there.

 

 

Of course you want the best expectation for your vacation. We want that. That goes for ANY vacation... and ship, company, hotel, country! To expect EVERYTHING to go every thing 100% is just not possible, but for most of the time it does go well right up to 100% or more.

[Topsham]

I would expect 75 percent of Mdam cruisers to be happy campers.

 

The plumbing and AC issues on HAL's older ships most probably only impact 10 percent of cruisers max at any time. Food is another issue and it can go from fabulous to mediocre to poor on any ship, any cruise line, from one cruise to the next. We tend to discount that. Same as entertainment. But physical condition is paramount to us.

 

We certainly would not go to a hotel where with a 75 percent rating on Tripadvisor. Has to be minimum four stars for us and our usual range is 4 1/2 to 5. This is based on lots of travel and many hotel stays. Cruises are no different to us.

 

Our issue....why would we take a chance on being one of that ten percent when we can narrow the gap and take the next bus so to speak.[/quote\\\

 

 

 

Ian, where do you get this 10%? Work it out yourself or did you get ACTUAL information. Have you ever seen a mechanical report for ANY HAL ship? If you saw it and read it I would sure like to know where you got it from. You are just guessing.

[iancal]

Purely a guess. In fact, it is probably quite less most of the time. Got the number from a previous poster who said 54 cabins had no ac.

 

But the number does not matter. What we see is constant posts over several years complaining about AC. And post from folks who are of the opinion that the HAL response was poor.

 

So why on earth would we take a chance with our time and money when we can just as easily select a ship that does not have this type of history of posting. That is the bottom line for us.

 

Who wants to be in the 5 percent or the 1 percent with no A/C going through the Panama Canal area? Or no plumbing? At that point it matters little that the other 95 or 99 percent of cabins are just fine. Not interested in selecting a ship where some of the staff refer to certain areas as the 'flood zone' or other ships where lots of fans are kept on hand because of recurring A/C issues.

 

Not the end of the world that we disagree with a selection of a preferred ship or an acceptable (to us) ship. My guess is that there are some ships on most cruise lines that some potential cruisers would avoid for various reasons.

No thanks-lots of other choices out there for us. We think many of HAL ships are excellent and they are an option as are those in other cruise line fleets. HAL has not put these older vessels up for sale because they are in tip top condition.

Edited April 22, 2016 by iancal

[kevingastreich]

I have never had any issue about food quality* during any cruise on any cruise line. I have had issues with food quality at some top end steak houses in the United States.

 

*: Bananas on HAL, particularly offered in the requested fruit basket, is another story.

 

 

The strawberries on Oosterdam last October were consistently moldy. Very surprising.

[JudithLynne]

 

 

Our issue....why would we take a chance on being one of that ten percent when we can narrow the gap and take the next bus so to speak.

 

ianical....all things being equal, this would make sense. But I am going to repeat what I said in a previous post on this thread. HAL Maasdam has the only cruise that I know of that does a 14 day Alaska cruise. For us, and others there is no "next bus." We also suspect, as others do, that soon the 14 day Alaska cruise will go by the wayside as these cruises do not fill up quickly, unlike the 7 day cruises. This cruise is scheduled for the Amsterdam next year, thankfully. We are unable to take a summer cruise next year do to DH's work schedule.

For some of us, we need to be willing to take a chance with the Maasdam if we want to experience the 2 week cruise. We are regular Alaska cruisers and because my husband has time off from his summer job as an Oregon state visitors guide, we really want to make this cruise while we can.

Does this make sense to you?

 

Judith

[iancal]

Of course it makes sense. You have a very,very small probability of encountering issues and it is the only one that goes where and for how long you want.

 

But at least you are going with your eyes wide open.

Edited April 22, 2016 by iancal

[Topsham]

Of course it makes sense. You have a very,very small probability of encountering issues and it is the only one that goes where and for how long you want.

 

But at least you are going with your eyes wide open.

 

 

 

 

Ian,

 

Thank you and also this for Judith. This is the correct answer. I've been trying to say this all along. If Judith has a problem on board then we will both get shot!

 

Stephen