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Holland America Line

MS Maasdam

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Reviewed by:Dee A.
# previous cruises: 10+
Date of Trip: August 25, 2000
Itinerary: Transatlantic

There is something magic about a crossing. The way the sea is different, the swells that lazily lift and lower the ship as it transits the North Atlantic. The North Atlantic is unpredictable. It is just that sense of adventure, and of awe, that make this a journey and not a cruise. The ms MAASDAM left Copenhagen bound for New York, following in the route of the Vikings as they ventured westerly towards lands unknown. We jokingly called this our "land" cruise, as we would be visiting Scotland, Ireland, Iceland, Greenland and Newfoundland -- along with Norway. We were in a small group of friends, celebrating anniversaries along the way, and greatly enjoying the 8 days at sea. The highlights -- cruising Prins Christian Sund in Greenland, haphazardly strewn with icebergs the size of small houses, while the weather changed hourly and the Captain navigated the twists and turns. Iceland and a safari to a glacier with an off road picnic above a waterfall overlooking a lava-encrusted landscape. Perfect weather in Oslo, Glasgow, Belfast, Reykjavik, and St John's Newfoundland. Sailing into the Narrows in bright sunshine. Being "piped" out of Greenock and met by a band in Belfast. Watching a friendly Newfoundland (canine version) meet us in St. John's. Being on deck as much as possible in the sunshine. Weathering a Force 9 gale one Sunday. Getting to hear Vulcania (aka Mark) lecture on ships. You must go down to the sea in ships. It is rejuvenating, and one of the best vacations that we have done in our lives.

MAASDAM is a delightful ship, not too big yet with enough space to offer many things to do. The Ocean Bar is the place to be before dinner, the promenade is wide, teak and inviting for a brisk walk or a lounge chair to watch us leave ports late in the afternoon. The Crow's Nest is rather strange during the day, but at night the stark angles and "Alaskan" theme melts into the shadows and the room becomes very inviting. The Lido pool was used quite a bit until rough seas nearly emptied it, and then they did take the rest of the water out until we approached Canada. The piano bar is my favorite late night hangout, especially with Perry Grant making us laugh. I love the movies in the theatre, and my daily afternoon cappuccino at the Java Bar. There is much to like on this ship.

They obviously racheted the food up a notch on this trip. The desserts in particular were plentiful. Every night a new and different flambe. Some nights there were 12 choices if you counted all the ice creams, sugar frees, fruit or cheese plates and flambe. The entrees were very good. My husband must have tried every fish entree they had. Beef was perfectly done. The Lido seafood buffet early on the cruise had the largest tiger shrimp I had ever seen on a cruise ship. Outdoor BBQs and many chances to try ethnic cuisines - the stir fry choices were just perfectly done. Lido dining varied as usual. Sometimes there were long lines in the Lido at breakfast, on the days with early dockings and tours. We learned to order the full room service breakfast then. Service was the usual unobtrusive perfect HAL service. The assistant waiter had the beverage choices down by the second evening. The bar service and wine stewards were their usual competent, smiling selves -- including those we remembered from earlier sailings.

We had a midship category D on the main deck, just where you want to be on the Atlantic. The generous size - 196 square feet - was more than adequate for 16 days. The tub is a blessing, as it kept the shower water from drenching the floor as we rocked in the few days of high seas. CNN went down and out, due to the inability to get a good satellite feed in the northern environs. The TV movies provided a pleasant diversion a few afternoons, as did the replay of Mark's lectures, and the port lectures - all welcome if we didn't make them due to conflicts.

I don't do entertainment. It's all the same after a while. I enjoyed the piano bar. I love the classical music in the Explorer's lounge after dinner. The cruise staff is young, energetic and a delight to talk with. They made the eight sea days interesting, and they had much to offer to keep us busy.

We invested heavily in the fitness activities to counter all that eating. The fitness staff was outstanding. The gym was more than adequate for our needs, including weights, machines, stairmasters and treadmills. We did many of the fun things like basketball, ring toss, shuffleboard, and miniature golf to pass the days at sea. We took a tour in Oslo to get to Frognerpark and the Vigeland sculptures, then out to the Viking Ship Museum and the Kon Tiki Museum. All could have been done on your own but not as efficiently. It gave us the flexibility to wander around Oslo in the afternoon, and take part in the local "Olympic" festival. In Scotland, we hired a private car and driver to take us to Loch Lomond, the Trossachs and into Glasgow for a late lunch. Outstanding way to see what we wanted. In Belfast, we took the free shuttle into town, lunched at the Crown, walked around town and popped into the newly opened "Millennium" center on the banks of the river, then walked back to the ship in order to stop into the Seaman's Church and take pictures of H&W's cranes. We missed Stornaway, where we had a rental car waiting for us. The weather did not cooperate here.

In Iceland, we booked the 4X4 Safari to the glaciers. Worth every penny. A highlight of the trip -- it must be booked through the cruise line, as they wouldn't take private bookings that day (HAL had reserved all their vehicles). In Greenland, the highlight was the scenic cruising. We found the short visit to Qaqortoq informative about the lives of those who make their living from the sea. Walking along the walls to see the petroglyphs, then wandering through the small town took no more than 2 hours. We had a local beer at the Seaman's hostelry and bought locally carved "totems" to support the people who live in this remote town. St. John's was a delight. We had lunch in a local pub. We took a taxi to Signal Hill and Cabot Tower (my husband is an amateur radio operator). Then we hiked down the trail back into the battery, and through town back to the ship. This provided us with beautiful views of St. John's, and the ship in the harbor. We sailed into New York at dawn. Past the lovely lady and up the river. We were followed by the Pacific Princess, the Nordic Empress, and the Rembrandt on her last journey into the New York harbor before Premier went under.

This trip was almost completely full of Mariners. Many had hundreds of days on HAL. Quite a few had never been on a Statendam class vessel. They came for the itinerary. Some of them whined about the Carnival influence, but you could avoid them without much effort. Most were very well traveled. And a delight to engage in conversation. One example of the knowledge level here -- the daily "trivia" quiz often had the winner with every answer correct, even though the subjects were very difficult and obscure. Highly educated, for the most part, very friendly, and yes, almost all were older than we are. We are in our late 40s and had no problems with being the youngest on most ventures. I have found that the travelers on HAL are some of the most adventurous, active seniors I have had the pleasure of meeting.