New Zealand/Australia 13 Night Cruise on Holland America

Maasdam Cruise Review to South Pacific - Australia

Cruiser29047433

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 24

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Verified Review

13 Night New Zealand & Australia (Auckland To Sydney)

Sail date: January 02, 2017

Ship: Maasdam

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: 731

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

Loved the staff on the ship. Everyone was friendly and they did an exceptional job accommodating some special requests and making up for a cabin issue we had (see cabin review). The service was truly beyond reproach!

We were unable to make it until Akaroa (Christchurch) due to rough weather, so that was disappointing but probably not their fault (some other passengers questioned whether or not we really needed to cancel that port, or if they were just trying to save money, but we'll never know).

By today's standards, the ship was a bit small, old, and unimpressive. However, it was clean, nice-looking enough, and easy to navigate around. Just not one of these mega huge, modern ships. The only thing I was a little disappointed in was the on-board entertainment. With the exception of one or two great performers and/or activities, most of it was pretty poor. We went for the ports and excursions though so it wasn't too bad. It just made the at sea days a bit boring.

Also, be aware that the reputation Holland America has for catering to an older crowd is very true. The average age on the ship was about 65-75. We were very much in the minority, being in our 40's. But again, we were there for the excursions and ports, so this wasn't a big issue for us.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

There was a very loud creaking noise outside our cabin when on the open seas. The crew came to inspect and agreed that they wouldn't be able to sleep in there, so they gave us a second room to sleep in. The second room was a downgrade (interior) so they let us keep both rooms for the duration of the cruise. Wasn't happy with the cabin noise, but was very surprised and happy with the customer service to resolve the issue.