Maasdam as as Wonderful as Ever!!!!

[earl_m]

Glad to see that you are enjoying your cruise, Were there any rough nights on the water!

[FloridaGram]

Do you know if the same chef will be on this ship in October? We are considering booking a last minute cruise and it would be our first aboard the Maasdam. We like the idea that the food is good, just off a DCL in April and the food was a big disappointment.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Heather that is so neat, did he by chance take a picture. I loved our cruise to New England/Canada but I do remember St. John being a bit industrial where we docked. But it was an easy walk into town and the park.

 

Lisa, that would have been so great:) ! But he was at his office and leaving on a business trip for a few days when he saw the ship and called my friend. She was at the office, too, so had no camera.

 

Other times that the Maasdam has been there they have gone down to the pier and taken pictures. Their one and only cruise was on the Maasdam out of FLL so when it comes into Saint John they get really excited.

 

What thrilled me about her email was it was right after I had read Sail's post about the weather being chilly!!! Next thing I get Jill's email and I almost died!!!:D What a coincidence because we don't email every day or anything close!

 

Such a fun thing to happen.

[sail7seas]

How did it end so fast???

 

Our two weeks aboard the beautiful and elegant ms Maasdam are coming to an end. Were it not that we return in August for two more weeks, I'd be looking for where to stowaway.

 

Heavy fog this morning made tendering an adventure in Bar Harbor but all is well. We had a wonderful morning ashore and DH picked up his art piece he ordered last week. A fantastic picture of Maasdam anchored in Bar Harbor with fishing boats around here....really wonderful. He had it enlarged and matted and framed and the artist had it ready and waiting for us. A treasure!!!

 

Seas rocked just a little for the first time last night. Finally we knew we were at sea. It has been amazingly calm. No sea sickness on these cruises!!

 

I must go pack and say some goodbyes.

 

I'll definitely have more to post when we get home.

 

If the ship docks at 7:00, debark starts around 8:00; we should be home by 9:00.

 

Cruising from Boston is HEAVENLY!! No airports!

 

'til tomorrow when I sadly say farewell to Maasdam and her crew as they begin their 35 days transatlantic. When they return, so do we!!!

 

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Sail, enjoy your last evening. And yes knowing that you will be returning makes it so much easier to hear your card beep one last time and takes those last steps off the gangway:o

[jazzsea]

I've enjoyed your posts and wish you were able to stay aboard ship for the next six weeks (or more). We sail on Maasdam on September 1. Our docs came today we we are so excited. Safe home.

[lkmamom]

Sail, I want to thank you so very much for your posts. I have enjoyed my virtual cruise with you so much. I hope that the time goes really quickly now for our cruise Aug 11. Our son gets really upset when I say that because they will start back to school a week after we return from our cruise. Oh well..............;)

Thanks again for all, I will await your final thoughts and if you can think of any great suggestions for a newbie to the Maasdam, I would really appreciate that (like do not miss shore exes etc)

Linda

[HeatherInFlorida]

I'm still thinking about the darned Maine lobsters!:p

 

By the time you see this again, Sail, I'm guessing you and your laptop will be back home with happy memories from your B2B on "your" Maasdam.

 

Welcome home.:)

[AirGorilla]

In another post, we learned that the Maasdam will be implementing As You Wish Dining on 4/24/2008.

[mamaofami]

Sail, so glad you enjoyed your cruise. And how lucky you are to be going back for another two weeks. It certainly has to make coming home easier. If it were me, I would just do the laundry(if you didn't have it done on board) and repack it tomorrow.

[SDHALFAN]

Sail: thanks so much for your posts. I really enjoyed "sailing along" with you on "your Maasdam".

 

I have only been on the Maasdam once, from Fort Lauderdale to Montreal and it was not long after my husband had died. It was a bittersweet experience but I was helped so much by the warmth of the crew aboard ship, especially my cabin steward and the Assistant Purser who turned out to be a lovely young lady my husband and I had met a few years earlier on the Ryndam when she was part of the Cruise Director's staff.

 

Welcome home - now do the laundry and think that it's not really that long until you board "your Maasdam" again.

 

Valerie:D

[sail7seas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeatherInFlorida

:D .... home with you, right Sail?????

 

Hee! If anyone could pull it off, she could! :cool:

 

Right you are, both of you!!! I'd happily whisk him down the gangway and usher him home to "Chez Sail".......would that I could!!!

[sail7seas]

Sadly??? :( but Happily :) , we are home.

 

Contradictory, for sure, but how I feel. Certainly sorry to leave the ship this morning but when our cruise is over, I am eager to get going. Why prolong the agony?!!&^% It does, indeed, make a huge difference in one's feeling about leaving when we know we plan to return so soon.

 

Ship slipped quietly into Boston this morning and I enjoyed the 'ride' from our veranda very, very early while DH slept.

 

Express Disembarkation was called at about 8:00 and "Red One".....the first number/color called (which was us :) ) were called to disembark at about 8:10. We entered the terminal to find our luggage neatly organized and all our pieces were quickly found. Once again....no one accused me of traveling light.

 

 

A porter was easily found and out we went. It was a very well run Debark and if all proceeded as smoothly as it started, the 'new cruisers' boarding today for Maasdam's Transatlantic should be able to board right on schedule around 11:15 or so..... as we did.

 

I chatted this morning with a really lovely lady who works Shore Ops and we realized she had checked us in two weeks ago. (We were waiting outside the terminal for our car/driver to pick us up I'll look for her a mere 6 weeks from now when we return to Black Falcon to say 'hello - - - we're back'. :) She admired DH's great picture of Maasdam he carried off the ship. It's fairly large and a number of HAL folks admired it as we passed through the terminal.

 

Hats off to the Shore Ops people who are doing a great job at Black Falcon. If anyone needed help, there were plenty of folks nearby to assist. Very organized.

 

What a treat to be able to leave the ship at 8:15 and in our front door by 9:00. Would have been even earlier but had to wait for our car/driver a few minutes.

 

We missed our furbaby and are happy to know she is fine and (presumably) missed us. :)

[sail7seas]

Glad to see that you are enjoying your cruise, Were there any rough nights on the water!

 

Earl...... I saw your question earlier while on the ship but seeing as I was flying through internet minutes, I included my response in the midst of one of my posts. Just want to be sure you saw it.

 

Of our 14 days aboard, we had but one night with any noticeable 'motion of the ocean' and even that was not more than mild seas IMO

 

I heard of no one who suffered mal de mer. Perhaps there was one or two but definitely a tiny number.

 

Last August, we did the Boston to Montreal to Boston two weeks and then also the seas were extremely calm and weather was beautiful.

[sail7seas]

Do you know if the same chef will be on this ship in October? We are considering booking a last minute cruise and it would be our first aboard the Maasdam. We like the idea that the food is good, just off a DCL in April and the food was a big disappointment.

 

 

Florida Gram......

 

We had several very pleasant conversations with Chef Schumann and he told us he will be leaving Maasdam for his vacation when the ship returns to Boston after her Transatlantic 35 day cruise.

 

He is from Germany and while I didn't ask just when he will be returning (if it is even sure he will return to Maasdam which I don't know to be the case), it isn't likely he would be aboard in October.

 

We wish he wasn't quite such a wonderful Chef seeing as I am 'pinching more of an inch' now than I was when we boarded. :(

 

The team of Hotel Manager Firmin van Walle, Chef Schumann and Dining Room Manager (he'll always be Maitre d' to me), Guldus are fantastic. Add in Assistant Maitre D's of the quality of Agus who took such good care of us along with dining steward extraordinaire, Nixon.....and dining was a pleasure. The Maasdam dining room is very beautiful with the lovely glass ceiling and with such fine service and menu selection/fine preparation, it's such a highpoint of our day to go to dinner.

[sail7seas]

Lisa, that would have been so great:) ! But he was at his office and leaving on a business trip for a few days when he saw the ship and called my friend. She was at the office, too, so had no camera.

 

Other times that the Maasdam has been there they have gone down to the pier and taken pictures. Their one and only cruise was on the Maasdam out of FLL so when it comes into Saint John they get really excited.

 

What thrilled me about her email was it was right after I had read Sail's post about the weather being chilly!!! Next thing I get Jill's email and I almost died!!!:D What a coincidence because we don't email every day or anything close!

 

Such a fun thing to happen.

 

Indeed, such a fun thing, Heather. Thanks so much for sharing. It would have been wonderful if we'd had the chance somehow to meet. Would have been fun.

 

We did a lot of walking our first stop in Saint John but not so the second week.

 

People there are very, very welcoming and friendly.

[sail7seas]

Sail, I want to thank you so very much for your posts. I have enjoyed my virtual cruise with you so much. I hope that the time goes really quickly now for our cruise Aug 11. Our son gets really upset when I say that because they will start back to school a week after we return from our cruise. Oh well..............;)

Thanks again for all, I will await your final thoughts and if you can think of any great suggestions for a newbie to the Maasdam, I would really appreciate that (like do not miss shore exes etc)

Linda

 

 

Thank you, Linda,..... I hope you have a WONDERFUL cruise on the very beautiful Maasdam. The day you leave, it the day we return to her.

[sail7seas]

In another post, we learned that the Maasdam will be implementing As You Wish Dining on 4/24/2008.

 

Actually, we were told the 'target date' is Feburary, 2008. Don't know for absolutely sure that is true but think it might be. ;)

[sail7seas]

I've enjoyed your posts and wish you were able to stay aboard ship for the next six weeks (or more). We sail on Maasdam on September 1. Our docs came today we we are so excited. Safe home.

 

Thanks, jazzsea. Happy you enjoyed my posts. I enjoyed writing and posting them.

 

Surprise, surprise........... we found our August docs waiting for us when we got home this morning.

 

NOW THAT IS THE WAY TO END THE PAIN WE SUFFER when our cruises are Over. Walk in the door to find more docs. Works for me! :) :D

[sail7seas]

If I haven't answered a question anyone asked, I'm sorry. I've tried to 'catch' them all. Just ask again and I'll try to answer.

 

The internet was the fastest we have enjoyed on any ship. Connection time was great every time I logged on but CC wasn't 'lickity split' so the minutes flew. We had to do some e-mailing and before we knew it, we were out of minutes Again!!!

 

I did not bring my laptop but used the ship's computers in Explorations and they were fine. No difficulty or problem at all.

 

I do think I will bring my laptop in August though. Our cabin is right across from Neptune Lounge so should be a hotspot. We were in the same location this cruise and there were times I wished I had my laptop.

 

[torpeedo]

Glad you are back safe and sound Sail. The picture of the Maasdam sounds really beautiful. Once you get it mounted, if you have a digital camera, can you take a shot and post it here?? Would love to see it!

[sail7seas]

I WISH I KNEW HOW TO DO THAT, Torpeedo.

 

I have a scanner but have no idea how to get a photo out of a digital camera and posted here on CC.

 

I know......inexcusable in this day and age. :( Techno challenged!!!

[sail7seas]

Sail: thanks so much for your posts. I really enjoyed "sailing along" with you on "your Maasdam".

 

I have only been on the Maasdam once, from Fort Lauderdale to Montreal and it was not long after my husband had died. It was a bittersweet experience but I was helped so much by the warmth of the crew aboard ship, especially my cabin steward and the Assistant Purser who turned out to be a lovely young lady my husband and I had met a few years earlier on the Ryndam when she was part of the Cruise Director's staff.

 

Welcome home - now do the laundry and think that it's not really that long until you board "your Maasdam" again.

 

Valerie:D

 

That first cruise had to be difficult for you to do, Valerie. How good you found a

'friend on board'. You chose well when you picked Maasdam. She does, indeed, have a very special crew.

 

Her two Captains, Henk Draper and Arjen van der Loo, are well reflected in their senior staff all the way down to the newest sailor. It's a happy crew that seems to pull together and that translates magnificently to making happy guests!!!

 

Her Hotel Manager, Firmin van Walle, is as able as they come. Runs a very fine Hotel. I don't know who will alternate with him when he has vacation. He is newly returned just last week in time for the 35 day transatlantic.

 

With those fine gentlemen 'at the top', the whole crew reflects it. IMO

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome home sail!!!!

[Krazy Kruizers]

I also have a scanner and do not have a clue as to how to use it. A couple of weeks ago I tried to post a photo - impossible - I have no idea where it went.