New vendor for ship shops on Maasdam

[BJzink]

Just off Maasdam Oct 15, haven't seen any posts for other ships re. this topic.  The ship shops have a new vendor - noticed it first when I bought something at the liquor/sundries shop.  The sundries selection has expanded, and is much more neatly arranged.  The cashier was the one who told me.  That was the last positive thing.  The logo shop has only - t-shirts, golf shirts, hats, and mugs that are ship specific.  Nothing in the way of selection of port-specific except from Panama.  Expensive clothing. I rarely saw anyone in there after the first week.  Same in the jewelry store.  Expensive jewelry & watches.  There was a case that had a sign "Everything in this case under $1000.00"  Wow!  It was a joke when passengers were in "Mix" watching no one in there.  I asked if they had costume watches, was shown one for $80.00.  Only action was the couple of times they had a "blow-out" sale by the Lido pool.  Then they had the usual stuff that is on all the ships.  What a disappointment.   

[VMax1700]

Probably the new Dufry shop.

They were selling off stock on Koningsdam last week and one of the staff told me that the shop was closing and would be replaced during the upcoming December dry dock.

She said that Dufry were taking over the contract.

https://www.dufry.com/en/press_release/2018-05-30/dufry-signs-new-contracts-holland-america-line-carnival-and-norwegian

[erewhon]

Thank you for this information.

Will be interested to see  what is available in the Maasdam shops in a few weeks.

[OlsSalt]

4 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

Probably the new Dufry shop.

They were selling off stock on Koningsdam last week and one of the staff told me that the shop was closing and would be replaced during the upcoming December dry dock.

She said that Dufry were taking over the contract.

https://www.dufry.com/en/press_release/2018-05-30/dufry-signs-new-contracts-holland-america-line-carnival-and-norwegian

 

Thanks for the link - I see they are opening on 8 HAL ships so not sure they will be on the smaller, older ones. A Swiss-based duty free operation found in a lot of airports and even train stations.  Located in my former home town of Basel. Swiss know how to do things right so this will be an interesting change in this decidedly odd market of onboard shops. Looks like they will offer more personal electronics which may be where the onboard market need to go - more  travel oriented items would be good too.

 

Current on the Maasdam was the standard Sophi Fiori jewelry, duty-free perfumes and limited cosmetics and a lot of sales people just standing around because on this last Maasdam and first InDepth segment, there appeared to be very few onboard  shoppers.  Noticed a few nights the Marbella intimate showroom by the Explorers Lounge was "closed for private showing" so apparently some passengers wanted more "in depth" attentions in this department. 

 

There was HAL logo shop, the liquor and toiletries shop also selling the books written by some of the onboard presenters. Logo shop had - limited items but nicely presented - many needed more outer wear since it was a lot colder than many including myself had anticipate.  We actually bought a stuffed HAL ship which I intend to use as sort of a lumbar-pillow outdoors. Good to get it 5-star discounted. It is cute and hope it works as intended. 

 

Then there was the usual HAL mens and women's clothing shop that seems to be pretty standard across the brand and also not very busy. In fact if you wanted to buy something you had to take it to any of the shop where there was still a salesperson on duty - the other sales people were out in the hallways talking to friends. It was pretty slow and casual. . Yse, that was the shop that had the "cat logo" bags but nothing unique or travel worthy. 

 

 Will be interesting to see if this rather zero onboard shopping experience changed on the next Maasdam two-week Tahiti to Tahiti segment, since this was reported to be a very different passenger demographic - more like a tradition vacation group than those who were attracted to the more enrichment intensive InDepth prior segment.  The In-Depth crowd on our leg did not appear to be onboard shoppers or gamblers - but Ocean Bar was still pretty lively.

 

The biggest seller were the Chinese made San Blas Island "mola" shirts for men and women - saw a lot of them around the ship and they  fit the mood completely. The new Dufrey company promises more local items and hopefully not as much  generic and cheesy stuff, like HAL had been selling in the recent past.

 

Photo department did have cameras and binoculars for sale, as well as batteries and other camera accessories. 

 

No Pitcairn Island tee-shirts on this Maasdam trip,  to my great regret.

Edited October 22, 2018 by OlsSalt

[Himself]

I think the line has gone to a new vender fllt wide.

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for the info.

[SeaBands]

early this year on the Rotterdam there was very few choices for cigarettes in the shop. They didn't have Marlboro silver 100's like we have found on all other HAL ships, I wonder if there is a way to request the before the cruise sails.

[snoopyud]

I see you recently got off the Maasdam. We are thinking of a 78 day on the Maasdam in January How was the ship? We know its old but how is the condition? Is it too long to be on the ship. The itinerary is great but we hear different comments about its condition.. Appreciate any comments Thanks Elise     snoopyud@aol.com

[OlsSalt]

28 minutes ago, snoopyud said:

I see you recently got off the Maasdam. We are thinking of a 78 day on the Maasdam in January How was the ship? We know its old but how is the condition? Is it too long to be on the ship. The itinerary is great but we hear different comments about its condition.. Appreciate any comments Thanks Elise     snoopyud@aol.com

 

The  interior condition of the ship is great and the new decor is lovely. She shows her age only in the many layers of paint in her constant battle with sea-going rust spots. She had just come out of drydock, which turned out to be a "wetdock" since it rained every day and they could not complete any of the outdoor work including window washing and deck refurbishment.

 

This delayed dry dock work had to be done during our cruise now,  so that limited access to some of the normally open public areas as well as some undone exterior work throughout the ship.  Otherwise, this is a wonderful ship with beautiful public rooms, easy layout, warm and welcoming staff and very good food and service. Because she is older, you have to go in knowing things will not be pristine, but what is expected to be normal on any aging ship. 

 

 However on our past two Maasdam cruises, the ship was subject to a lot of vibration when having to travel over 19 knots. Last cruise we had a very aft cabin with a terrific extended balcony (#205) but we had constant shuddering, engine noise, vibration and a lot of rocking - we also had a lot of rough seas and currents as well as a need to travel at maximum speed.  Both last cruises were having to fight a lot of stormy weather too due to those particular destinations.

 

One we were trying to outrace a pretty active hurricane season across the Caribbean which required route diversions and making up time to get to the Panama Canal reservation. This last time we were crossing the strong Humboldt current, a lot of open water at-sea days and also a freak storm that prevented our first scheduled arrival at Easter Island and inserting a make-up day in the schedule to wait it out so we could get our full two-day stop afterall. This now meant we had to travel at greater than projected speeds for this cruise to play catch up.

 

I was bothered more by this than DH who accepts this is what happens on ships at see (former Navy guy). Next cruise on the Maasdam we have chosen a more centrally located cabin. Yes, we will continue to sail the Maasdam because the InDepth program and itineraries are exactly what we are looking for.

 

We have sailed on her numerous other times, doing both an extensive Caribbean and extended trans-Atlantic. I hadn't paid much attention to cabin location on those past cruises but I also do not remember the vibration and movement issues either. So this cruise may well have been a problem simply do to our cabin location as much as our naturally bumpy open seas route.

 

So a few suggestions - try out the ship first on a shorter cruise and see for yourself before committing to 3 months, consider your cabin location carefully and look for others cabin reviews, and avoid any cabins directly over the Ocean Bar unless you plan on spending a lot of time in the Ocean Bar every evening yourself. I can see why 3 months on her under this new InDepth program would look very appealing so I hope you keep researching other reports for the best way to approach this.

[VMax1700]

Just on the new vendor for the shops - it was my understanding from talking to the staff member, that the change would be instigated at a dry dock.  They new that they had about 6 weeks left on Koningsdam and she was hoping for a transfer to another ship, though not necessarily HAL.

So as each ship goes into dry dock it should then have the new Dufrys shop.  Probably when they have sufficient shops opened they will look at more branded items.

[OlsSalt]

13 hours ago, Himself said:

I think the line has gone to a new vender fllt wide.

 

Which 8 ships will get the new Dufry shops?

 

Veendam (Oprah's Favorite Things shop)

Maasdam (Recent drydock - no change)

 

Rotterdam

Amsterdam

Zaandam

Volendam

Zuiderdam

Oosterdam

Noordam

Westerdam

Eurodam

Nieuw Amsterdam

Konigsdam

Neuw Statendam

Nieuw Ryndam

 

From the Dufrey linked website:  Dufry signed a new contract with Holland America Line to operate shops onboard eight ships, 

 

Edited October 22, 2018 by OlsSalt

[BJzink]

2 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

 

The  interior condition of the ship is great and the new decor is lovely. She shows her age only in the many layers of paint in her constant battle with sea-going rust spots. She had just come out of drydock, which turned out to be a "wetdock" since it rained every day and they could not complete any of the outdoor work including window washing and deck refurbishment.

 

This delayed dry dock work had to be done during our cruise now,  so that limited access to some of the normally open public areas as well as some undone exterior work throughout the ship.  Otherwise, this is a wonderful ship with beautiful public rooms, easy layout, warm and welcoming staff and very good food and service. Because she is older, you have to go in knowing things will not be pristine, but what is expected to be normal on any aging ship. 

 

 However on our past two Maasdam cruises, the ship was subject to a lot of vibration when having to travel over 19 knots. Last cruise we had a very aft cabin with a terrific extended balcony (#205) but we had constant shuddering, engine noise, vibration and a lot of rocking - we also had a lot of rough seas and currents as well as a need to travel at maximum speed.  Both last cruises were having to fight a lot of stormy weather too due to those particular destinations.

 

One we were trying to outrace a pretty active hurricane season across the Caribbean which required route diversions and making up time to get to the Panama Canal reservation. This last time we were crossing the strong Humboldt current, a lot of open water at-sea days and also a freak storm that prevented our first scheduled arrival at Easter Island and inserting a make-up day in the schedule to wait it out so we could get our full two-day stop afterall. This now meant we had to travel at greater than projected speeds for this cruise to play catch up.

 

I was bothered more by this than DH who accepts this is what happens on ships at see (former Navy guy). Next cruise on the Maasdam we have chosen a more centrally located cabin. Yes, we will continue to sail the Maasdam because the InDepth program and itineraries are exactly what we are looking for.

 

We have sailed on her numerous other times, doing both an extensive Caribbean and extended trans-Atlantic. I hadn't paid much attention to cabin location on those past cruises but I also do not remember the vibration and movement issues either. So this cruise may well have been a problem simply do to our cabin location as much as our naturally bumpy open seas route.

 

So a few suggestions - try out the ship first on a shorter cruise and see for yourself before committing to 3 months, consider your cabin location carefully and look for others cabin reviews, and avoid any cabins directly over the Ocean Bar unless you plan on spending a lot of time in the Ocean Bar every evening yourself. I can see why 3 months on her under this new InDepth program would look very appealing so I hope you keep researching other reports for the best way to approach this.

I agree with the above evaluation of the Maasdam condition.  One upgrade that I did really like was the "world map design" of the new carpet in the Explorer Lounge & Library.  Just FYI, I was in interior cabin I342- Mid ship, mid deck, and I did not experience any ship noise, and barely any movement.  Slept soundly every night. Apparently there were a  few "plumbing" issues in some areas of the ship, none where I was.  Hope this helps.  

[OlsSalt]

1 hour ago, BJzink said:

I agree with the above evaluation of the Maasdam condition.  One upgrade that I did really like was the "world map design" of the new carpet in the Explorer Lounge & Library.  Just FYI, I was in interior cabin I342- Mid ship, mid deck, and I did not experience any ship noise, and barely any movement.  Slept soundly every night. Apparently there were a  few "plumbing" issues in some areas of the ship, none where I was.  Hope this helps.  

 

The only plumbing issue we had on the verandah deck was no hot water early in the morning for a few days, just lukewarm water, which was reported to be a post dry-dock "valve" problem that got fixed.  No issues after that.

 

There are always situational backed-up plumbing issues on many ships due to things getting put down the system that don't belong. But I had not heard of anything major or comprehensive in this regard.  A/C was fine but it never got tested since most of this first segment cruise - FLL-Papeete was surprisingly cool - we learned that is what the very cold Humboldt Current out of Antarctica  does to this part of the world. And we did pass near the Roaring 40's sweeping across this southern South Pacific route too. Makes one humble thinking that Captain Cook, Magellen and the ancient Polynesian mariners covered these same routes with a lot less comfort. 

[snoopyud]

OlsSalt

Thank you so much for your honest remarks regarding the Maasdam. We were on it about 7 years ago and just wondered how it was today. We are planning to take the long trip The itinerary sounds great. If you think of anything else we should know email us. We sincerely appreciate getting back to us... Best regards, elise      snoopyud@aol.com          I would email u directly but I don't have it...

[OlsSalt]

5 hours ago, snoopyud said:

OlsSalt

Thank you so much for your honest remarks regarding the Maasdam. We were on it about 7 years ago and just wondered how it was today. We are planning to take the long trip The itinerary sounds great. If you think of anything else we should know email us. We sincerely appreciate getting back to us... Best regards, elise      snoopyud@aol.com          I would email u directly but I don't have it...

 

The decor is much, much prettier today. Much more coordinated and much more subtle. Yes, the world map carpet in the Explorers Lounge is very attractive. Plus there remains all the lovely antiques and art work  throughout this ship. She feels very gracious now with only a few remaining jarring notes.  Our first cruise on her 10 years ago looked far more like a fire-sale mish mash of themes, colors and designs. No more.

 

The one remaining long standing feature (besides the green glass abstract atrium sculpture) and now in a far better context are the damask looking wall coverings in the showroom. 10 years ago they went one direction, the showroom carpet another (blue and gold anchors as I recall) and those cute little Delft tile seat dividers went another direction too.  Now it all pulls together. 

 

Lovely new furniture in the Lido pool bar area with noticeably wider faux wicker seats in whites and gray (are they trying to tell us something?). Fresher looking dining room carpet. Most of the library is now lighter and re-upholstered. Crows nest was fine but we only visited that once - more flexible seating in the forward floor area, but the same "alabaster" back-lighted bar area. 

 

And the lanai cabins finally get their very own contrasting slip-cover "bonnet", indicating they are reserved loungers. 

Edited October 23, 2018 by OlsSalt

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for sharing. 

[OlsSalt]

5 hours ago, we're sailing away.... said:

Thanks for sharing. 

 

What is missing on the Maasdam is more artwork in the elevator foyers and stairwells. Some have none at all, and I always use an asymetric feature of the artwork in these locations to remind me which way to turn down "my" hallway.

 

However the addition of a ship logo entry-way carpet  declaring forward and aft is a very welcome addition at these locations. Day of the week elevator carpets remain intact while the elevators themselves also got beautifully refurbished.

 

 But basically, no artwork at all in these small foyer spaces leave them a bit dull, compared to what finds on most other HAL ships. This could also be another former feature that was removed during the recent dry-dock and is in the process of re-installation.  

Edited October 23, 2018 by OlsSalt

[liamur14]

Thanks OlsSalt, Sounds like the many upgrades are positive and you are enjoying the exc prgm.  This is our first time on the Maasadam,  Lanai room #346 and we are ready to board in Tahiti. Who knows if this works out we may consider a longer iteneriary next year. Thanks agian for your time and your comments, much appreciated. 

[joekerstef]

Was on Maasdam in April/May (pre-drydock) and as I recall, the giftshops had recently been changed. There was a thread back then in which many of the same complaints about the shopping experience that appear in this thread also were aired. Really do hope that with the EXC program, HAL changes things up in her giftshop again with better merch options. Terrible options and empty shops.

[OlsSalt]

3 hours ago, joekerstef said:

Was on Maasdam in April/May (pre-drydock) and as I recall, the giftshops had recently been changed. There was a thread back then in which many of the same complaints about the shopping experience that appear in this thread also were aired. Really do hope that with the EXC program, HAL changes things up in her giftshop again with better merch options. Terrible options and empty shops.

 

We were on the first post-drydock and first EXCInDepth. The "duty free" shops were still branded with Sophi Fiori jewelry and the range of items was not particularly enticing so if this was a change, it was not one that made much difference in our minds. There as a separate HAL logo shop which was nicely presented, but the regular clothing shop again just did not seem appropriate for the age demographics, or cruise itinerary.  Very little was unique or local to the itinerary - but one big hit were the Chinese-made "San Blas Island Mola" shirts for men and women - saw lots of them worn around the ship.

 

There was very little activity in the shops anywhere on this first leg of "inDepth cruise and the casino was virtually empty day and night. I hear things picked up on the two-week turnaround cruise Papeete to Papeete which was more like a traditional vacation cruise demographic - shops and casinos  have been reported to be much busier.  

Edited October 25, 2018 by OlsSalt