Maasdam in Canada / New England
 

Just heard from friends of their "worst cruise ever"

Ship was dirty, air conditioning failed in large areas of the ship, and food was not good

Has anyone else received such a report, as we were hoping to go on the Maasdam for its last trip in Canada-New England and repositioning south

Thanks

Maasdam is one of the few HAL ships we have not been on so can't comment about her condition.

However here are a few comments from another board, that may put your mind at ease.

"I just got off the ship July 3. It's a gracious and elegant lady, with a wonderful crew. She will be going into drydock next April, so there will be a few things you might notice should be taken care of -- but even then, it's a wonderful place to spend a week or two. I'm already booked for next year's 14-day cruise."

"We were on the Maasdam June 26-July 3. We thought she was a great ship to sail on. The crew was wonderful. The ship is easy to get around if you remember 7 doesn't go all the way through. The food was better than the Oosterdam or the Westerdam. There were a few rust spots on the balcony, but it's a ship after all. They were painting in every port. My only complaint was the pillows. They had seen better days and needed to be replaced."

Sail7Seas has been on the Maasdam many, many times so maybe she will see your post and comment.

Thanks for that, DeeDee

We have been on the Maasdam twice and had a lovely time, but that was back in 2005 and 2007

We sailed Maasdam two weeks in May and she looks as elegant and beautiful as ever. Maasdam has never, ever been 'dirty'. She is lovingly maintained. We do the Canada/New England, back-to-back, every summer and will be doing so this year, as well. We have five more cruises booked on her and I assure you we would not be spending our money on a sub-standard ship.

She is scheduled for dry dock in April and will be spruced up with new cabin decorating/soft goods, new carpets and curtains as needed and other mechanical work and heavy cleaning that all ships get periodically.
She is about 16 years old and does not look brand new but Maasdam and Noordam share the place as our favorite ships in the fleet.

(We have sailed about 66 or so cruises on HAL ships so we certainly have what to compare to.)

Maasdam's Canada/New England itinerary is one of HAL's best short itineraries IMO Obviously we love it and the ship if we continue to do it year after year in addition to our other HAL cruises on other ships.

Hi Bermuda Triangle , I was on the Maasdam Canada-New England from June 5th to the 11th ( Boston to Montreal ) . I was a little disappointed with this HAL cruise for many reasons : I knew it was a smaller ship , so there are fewer areas to stroll through . It's VERY annoying to go to the front desk on deck 7 and then you must go up or down to another deck as you are stuck in a dead end ( no other way out ! ) . This is also disturbing when you are on your way to the dining room . The theatre-lounge has very poor visibility ( sit only in the first row of the balcony section or else you won't see much of the show ,maybe an arm or two or their hairdoo ) . The oceanview stateroom was rather tiny and I was awakened every morning at 6:00 AM with the trolleys (breakfast being served to those who requested room service : trays , dishes , metal covers, cutlery all being tossed around ) as well as loud conversations in the hallway so early in the morning when everyone is still trying to sleep ! So bring your earplugs as walls are paperthin also ! There are crewmembers painting/varnishing practically all the time , as it really needs to be refurbished ( from its tired appearance ) ! When I boarded there was a foul odor ( sewers ? ) permeating throughout the ship ! Other passengers were complaining about this aroma and hoping that it would dissipate before dinner . Fortunately , it did . I was also taken aback when I got on board and made my way to the dining room for lunch : they told me I had to go to the Lido for lunch with all the mayhem as all passengers are sent up to that venue for lunch , where it is just about impossible to get a free table . So I made my way to the front desk to complain about this situation as well as the wrong bed disposition in my stateroom . All the meals I took on board were very good ( never having to send anything back ) . Nevertheless , I doubt very much that I will ever again book a cruise on the MS Maasdam , even after it has been refurbished ! Lane

Lane,
I take all you wrote seriously and am sorry for your displeasure but I do wonder if much of what you complain of the most could not have been avoided by a more careful study of deck plans and selection of cabin that would have been more to your liking. The information is available, you just have to read it. Seems you picked a location that was noisier than others but you might have been able to know that in advance with good research.

Was it really such a big deal re: Front Office location? There are elevators right beside as well as atrium stairs immediately in front? They could not be More conveniently located. Let's give an accurate representation. First you comment it's a small ship then you comment you had to go to a a different deck........ with a small ship, really...... how far was it you had to go? Especially given the handy location of elevator and stairs. Again, better research in advance would have enabled you to know ship's layout.

Are you a Mariner? If so, you should have mentioned to the dining room about the Mariner Embarkation Lunch in the Dining Room. We opt for Lido on Embarkation Day as we love the energy and excitement but understand some folks wish for Main Dining Room........ next time remember about the Mariners Lunch.

As to constant maintenance, that is the sign of an excellently taken care of ship. We always kid on HAL if it moves they greet it, if it doesn't they clean it. I always greatly appreciate they are always polishing, shining, cleaning, painting, maintaining. These ships take a hard beating and must have constant care.

Hope your next cruise suits you more.

Hi Bermuda Triangle , I hope you can select a fine location for your stateroom IF you decide to embark on the MS Maasdam's Canada-New England cruise ! I was not able to preselect my stateroom with V.-to-Go's reservation . They told me I would receive that information at HAL's registration desk at the pier on embarcation day . I hope you will also get used to the dead end area of the front desk on deck 7 , even though certain passengers claim that they don't mind using the elevators or stairs to move away from the front desk ! Do try to get to the Dining Room for the Embarkation Lunch instead of the hustle & bustle of the Lido ! Also , even though it is a smaller ship than their Vista class ships , a careful study of the deck plans are in order . You should carry the fold-out deck plan map that is included with your stateroom key-card . If you don't mind the aroma of paint or varnish in certain areas , then you should do OK .I hope my comments won't discourage you from having an enjoyable cruise ! Lane

Your last post explained why you were in a cabin location you didn't like. IF you book a 'guarantee' room, you are getting a reduced rate. In return for that saving, you agree to accept any cabin that is at least the level of the room which you 'guaranteed'. Easy. In the future, only book cabin by specific number. That is what we do. We choose what cabin we want, we book and pay for it and then we do not end up in a location we don't like.

Hoping to get a better stateroom on MS Maasdam
 

Hi Bermuda Triangle , If you would like to get a better stateroom on board the MS Maasdam you should try to book one by number instead of a "guaranteed" stateroom . You might have to pay a higher fare that way , but I'm sure you will have a more enjoyable cruise than those unfortunate passengers who can only afford a "guaranteed" stateroom ! If you can inquire from your travel agent ( about the price difference ) , please let us know if it is worth it ! Lane ;)

We are of the thinking we'd rather save a little longer and have enough funds to enjoy our cruise to the max. We all know the minimum that can please us, what will irritate us and we should choose accordingly.

If we decide to 'compromise' on what we select, then we know we have made an informed choice to 'take what we get' . Once again...... it's all about the choices we make.

I agree with Sail. She's been on many HAL cruises and is an expert on this subject. She's also correct on the guarantee dilemma. If you want to avoid certain areas of the ship, you should always book a specific cabin.
Me, I do it all different ways but am willing to accept some guarantees. This last one turned out fine but I understand that may not always be the case.
Good luck with your next cruise. Hope it's better for you.

Maasdam in Canada
 

We certainly enjoyed our two cruises on the Maasdam

Sail - would be interested in an update after your latest Canada trip.

It sounds like my friends may just have been unlucky with theirs, and the old gal is still worth sailing on.

Thank you

I'm booked on the M-Dam for the Montreal to Boston cruise. Being that I sailed on her back in 2002, I find such reports of her shortcomings hard to believe.
So she is going into dry-dock for a face-lift? Cool ! That means that she should look that much more refreshed. :rolleyes: