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Holland America Line

MS Maasdam

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Reviewed by: Brian Petschenig
# previous cruises: 1
Date of Trip: April 28, 2002
Itinerary: Caribbean - Western

Great! Incredible! Spectacular! These are the words that come to mind when we tell people about our experience on this our first and definitely not our last cruise aboard the Holland America MS Maasdam. Like our dining steward used to say "Excellent choice".

The ship is very luxurious, spacious and clean. The pools were nice. There were ample chairs along both pools for everyone even with a full complement of passengers. We did not see too many "chair hogs". If chairs were being reserved and not used the pool attendants were pretty quick to take care of it.

At the Lido restaurant there were plenty of tables so we never had to wait for one. The Crow's Nest was a nice place to have a drink before dinner and in the evening to dance and listen to the music. We'd often see our Wine Steward or Dinning Steward serving drinks at the Crow's Nest in the evening after the second sitting. The wooden chairs (like on the Titanic) along the promenade deck were a nice spot to relax in the late afternoon and read a book or in my wife's case take a nap. We also enjoyed the Internet Cafi, Piano Bar, Dolphin Bar, Rotterdam Dining Room, Rembrandt Lounge, Wajang Theatre, Casino Bar and Ocean Boutiques. The casino was fun. I actually came out ahead for once.

The ship's air-conditioning made some floors on the ship kind of cold. I found it OK but my wife wore a sweatshirt on occasion.

At first we used the stairs to get around the ship but then we found the elevators pretty handy especially after a meal.

Boarding the ship was done in a very efficient way. It was easy and well organised.

What can I say about the food? It was marvellous. I have never eaten so well for a whole week in my entire life. Bye, bye diet- see ya when I get back. Mary Jane (wine steward), Glen Jack (dining steward), Ricky (assistant) and our dinning partners made our dinning experience a wonderful event. We were assigned the first sitting. A table for four. A couple from North Carolina (Tim and Krystle) was our dinning partners. They are now our friends.

The Rotterdam Dinning Room menus had very good selections and variety. If you are someone who likes trying something new this will be the place to do it. The hardest part of dinner was always choosing which appetizer, soup, salad and main course to have. Whatever we chose it was an "Excellent choice" according to Glen Jack. So when in doubt because everything sounds so great do like we often did order two appetizers or two soups. If you wanted another lobster tail you just had to mentioned it to someone at your table in a casual conversation and your dinning room steward would probably pick up on it and voila another lobster tail. The deserts were just as fabulous.

We found that the selection and variety at the Rotterdam Dinning Room was very good to satisfy even the most finicky eater.

The Lido Restaurant, where we had most of our breakfasts and lunches, was just has good except without the service (buffet style). The quality, presentation and variety were excellent. I especially enjoyed the salad bar at lunch. My wife the desert counter. An ice-cream parlour can also be found at the Lido Restaurant. We also tried the hamburgers, tacos and fajita and the Lido Poolside counter. It was pretty good.

My only complaint was that the one-week soft drink ticket should include soft drinks sold in a can. Not be limited to fountain drinks, which can only be obtained at a bar.

The food and service aboard the MS Maasdam was excellent throughout the ship. The staff was always cheerful and attentive to our needs. There was no way that I wasn't going to tip these folks. Tipping not allowed. I don't think so-

Our budget had permitted us to only an inside cabin. I wasn't too sure if we had made the correct choice until I saw our cabin. Our cabin was on the Main deck. It was much bigger than I expected. There was more than enough closet space and the cabin was laid out very nicely. The bathroom was fine. It contained a shower only (no tub) which was fine for us. The cabin was clean and very comfortable. Our room steward was excellent. Always having our room done by the time we came back from breakfast. The ice bucket was always filled with ice with our water bottles on ice. Nice touch especially that these were our own water bottles, which we had brought on board. The "bed down" was a nice touch with the sheets in a shape of a sailboat and the chocolate mints on our pillow. The next day Daily Program was always delivered promptly.

The only inconvenience was that when we woke up we didn't know if it was morning yet or what was the weather like outside. Let's say we didn't spend too much time in our cabin.

Next time I'll splurge a bit for a cabin with a balcony although for my first cruise I was not disappointed.

We found the ship entertainment satisfactory. The cruise director Dave Shermet did an excellent job keeping us informed and entertained. There was the Maasdam Cast which put on a few good shows, the Matador of Magic Devlin, comedian Carry Long and the Canadian juggler extra-ordinaire Bob Cates (must see).

Four different daily movies played on our cabin television and a new movie played every evening at the Wajang Theatre. If you'd miss the evening presentation you could always catch the movie the next day in the afternoon. With so many things to do aboard the ship we only saw one movie.

On board the ship there were a lot of things to see and do.

Something that I found neat but did not participate in was the daily Art Auctions.

For those BINGO enthusiasm there was at least one or more bingo game per day with a "Must Go" jackpot on the last evening of the cruise. If you want to play for big money that's the night. Our jackpot was close to five thousand dollars.

We and our friends from North Carolina had lots fun playing the Sherlock Homes Musical Mystery at the Piano Bar and danced a few nights away in the Crow's Nest during the Disco Alive night and Fabulous 50's & 60's Party.

The Who Wants to Feel Like a Millionaire and the Not So Newly Wed Game was pretty funny and entertaining.

Our port of cal included Cozumel, Mexico; Georgetown, Grand Cayman Island; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; and Half Moon Cay.

Cozumel - Since this was our shortest port of call (6:00 to 14:00) we decide to it the beach at Playa Del Sol. Beach was nice although we had to walk through a small market to get to the beach. My wife did not like hustle and tussle of the vendors trying to sell you everything and anything. Once we made it to the beach, its location and beauty sure made up for it.

Grand Cayman - We went to Stingray City. A must. Swam with and fed the string ray's. Excellent choice. Although we had to wait 20 minutes for the bus to take us back to the ship. Good place for shopping. Especially jewelry.

Ocho Rios - We had already done Dunn's River Falls last year when we were in Jamaica's Super Club - Grand Lido Braco. An excellent resort by the way. So we decided to go to a private beach via a catamaran called Cool Jazz. We were the only two brave souls willing to ride on the netting. Going to the beach was a nice ride but coming back to the ship the captain gave us a ride for our money. We were soaked. The private beach was beautiful. Located in a small bay. My wife tried snorkeling for the very first time. She enjoyed it. Once back in Ocho Rios we went shopping. Stay away from the taxis. You can walk to the shops.

Half Moon Cay - a very beautifully island. Sand is like a fine powder. We had not planned any activity but let me suggest the para-sailing. The view from the beach was great. The ship sits in the bay. We chose to just relaxed on the beach. Crew brings lunch onto the island.

If you like luxury and a friendly staff the MS Maasdam is a ship for you. A majority of the passengers seemed to be retired but we found it meant more space for the younger crowd along the pools and at the Crow's nest in the evening.

We made some new friends.

I'd do the same cruise again next week. And the week after. And the week...

Thank you HAL.