I am thinking about an Eastern Caribbean trip on the Maasdam with my family. We can get an attractive Cat B rate for an August 2002 sailing. However, I've read some alarming reviews about the ship - i.e. bad smell, dirty dishes, plumbing problems. Given HAL's reputation, I find these reviews hard to believe. I realize that nothing can be perfect, but it can't be that bad either, can it?? I am a past passenger of Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and Carnival. I would appreciate the insight of past Maasdam passengers. One TA has informed me that she highly recommends the ship based on her own experience on it.
We were on Maasdam in May and then again for back-to-backs this summer and the ship was fabulous. We have sailed many times w/ HAL and found Maasdam (our 4th and 5th time on her) met and exceeded everything we always expect from HAL. We had three of our best cruises ever.
The crew is well trained, friendly and very eager to please. The food was excellent, the ship is spotlessly clean and I think most people will be well pleased if they choose to sail on Maasdam.
If you have specific questions, please feel free to e-mail me.
I was on a May sailing of Maasdam to the Eastern Caribbean this year.
I was on Destiny in her first year of service so the ship gleamed.
Next, I sailed on Grandeur of the Seas. She was a few years old and you could see a little wear and tear.
Then Zaandam in her first year...again, gleaming.
So, at this point I was thinking that no matter how well kept the line says the ship is, the newer, the better (at least for me).
Naturally, when we selected Maasdam for our 4th cruise, I was expecting it to be a little lack-luster....NOT TRUE!
Given her years of service, that baby shined! Clean, nice carpets, fresh flowers, well kept upholstry and linens. The only thing I smelled was my delicious dinner, the only dirty dishes were on my table and they were removed in a blink. As for plumbing, one public bathroom had a problem and it was corrected.
The staff was outrageously good. We were having a good time watching the wine steward literally run from table to table...our head waiter saw us look and assumed we wanted service so he asked if we needed Ferry. We didn't, but wasn't it nice that the waiter even picked up on non-verbal ques? BTW, his name is Alex and he's the BEST.
I have nothing bad to say about the ship itself.
My only wish was that suite service was consistant throughout the line...it really depends on your cabin steward.
SuzieQ...Alex was the head waiter in our section for all three of our Maasdam cruises this year. He is absoutely the BEST...have you ever seen a brighter smile? I kept telling him I thought he looked like Colin Powell and he laughed and laughed. There aren't any better than Alex on the high seas IMO. When we returned to Maadam in July (having been there in May)he instantly remembered us and greeted us by name!
As to the Suite service, we were lucky... had a very good steward.
Oh, so you were the one who gave Alex the "Colin Powell" joke material. You know he asked us if we met his cousin...when we asked who that might be he responded..."Colin Powell. See the resemblence?"
As for the cabin steward. Don't misunderstand, he wasn't bad, he was a sweetheart counting the days until he went home...very homesick. It's just that if we didn't ask for tea or hors dourves, dry cleaning etc...he wasn't going to volunteer. We aren't the kind of people to put extra work on someone who is already tired and overworked so we didn't feel comfortable asking him and went without those perks ...It didn't kill us or ruin the trip but it did make us feel a little bad because we were looking forward to that pampering.
That's why I wish the line would establish consistant rules, if you will, regarding services.
Just got back from the Maasdam. I did not have a suite but one day (only) I did notice a sewer smell in the passageway on the suite deck. Also the WCs in the public toilets outside the show lounge were not working for a few hours.
But but but the overall experience was fantastic. The rooms are spacious. The ship is spotlessly clean. The service is first class and the people are the best. I'd go back tomorrow!
I went on the Western Caribbean Cruise in November of 2000. It was a WONDERFUL trip, the staff was excellent, and the ship was in TIP-TOP shape. We had a Mini-suite on the Navigation Deck, and didn't smell ANYTHING amiss.
If you want to see photos of our trip, visit my website: www.revneal.org, and click on "Photographs" then the link to the cruisephotos.
Maasdam-Good or Bad?
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