War tour

Item: Maasdam
Rating: 3.9
Author: Yolanda1954

Maasdam Cruise Review to Other (Asia/Africa/Middle East)

Yolanda1954

Contributor Level: Third Mate

57 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Vote: 1

Overall rating:

3.9 out of 5

14 Night Land Of The Rising Sun (Tokyo Roundtrip)

Sail date: August 14, 2019

Ship: Maasdam

Cabin type: Inside

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

Japanese ports were safe and well organised. Not expecting that much emphasis on WW 2 battles

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Great and efficient

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Varied greatly, from excellent and interesting to barely edible. Very little variety in vegetables which were often overcooked.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Gym, pool, bridge. Daily lectures about ports of call that were the sites of significant American WW2 battles. No mention of Australian battles.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

No ship’s stage show but plenty of variety in guest performances. Poor selection of music in guest lounges.

Children's Programs

1 out of 5

There is no kid’s club

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Excellent room stewards. Dining room staff need more training. Far too few staff in Lido

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Great

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Clean and in an excellent position. Quiet, near laundry and lifts.

Ports of call

Yokohama (Tokyo), Japan

5 out of 5

Good shuttle to train station. Plenty to see in port. Buy a Suica pass and load money on - this can be used on public transport throughout Japan. Cheaper than buying individual tickets

Thumbs Up 5

Kobe (Kyoto), Japan

5 out of 5

No excursion. Hop on / off bus to sky rail

Thumbs Up 2

Takamatsu, Japan Did not visit port

Typhoon

Thumbs Up 0

Kochi, Japan

5 out of 5

Castle is worth the time if you can walk well, lots of climbing. Sunday local markets are interesting

Thumbs Up 2

CRUISE KANMON STRAITS, JAPAN

1 out of 5

Kanazawa, Japan

5 out of 5

Took local hop on bus. Go to the shrine district, stop 5. Could spend a day just walking there.

Thumbs Up 3

Vladivostok, Russian Federation

4 out of 5

Have to take an excursion if you want to leave the ship. Alright.

Thumbs Up 0

Korsakov, Russia Did not visit port

Typhoon

Thumbs Up 0

Otaru (Sapporo), Japan

1 out of 5

Reentering Japan. Took up to 5 hours to clear immigration. Don’t plan an independent excursion as no allowances were made for this. Took local canal cruise which is within walking distance from port.

Thumbs Up 0

Hakodate, Japan

5 out of 5

Hop on / off bus. Rope way is good. Walk back about 200 metres and go to local war memorial.

Thumbs Up 1

Hiroshima, Japan

5 out of 5

Walked to memorials. Miyajima shrine is not visible due to repairs

Thumbs Up 1

Nagasaki, Japan

5 out of 5

Excellent memorials. Very well presented. Took local tram.

Thumbs Up 2

AMAMI OSHIMA (NAZE), JAPAN

5 out of 5

Shuttle to town. Very different, less commercialism. Find local 2nd shops for great bargains on Naze silk kimonos

Thumbs Up 1

Naha, Okinawa

2 out of 5

Immigration took lots of time again. Typhoon approaching so port time cut to 12:30 pm

Thumbs Up 0

Cruise Iwo Jima

3 out of 5

Only saw one side of island

Thumbs Up 1

Saipan, Mariana Islands

5 out of 5

Hired local driver, about 30 US each for 3 hours. Visited many significant WW2 sites.

Thumbs Up 1

Guam, Mariana Islands

5 out of 5

Good snorkeling. Go into new casino for breathtaking decorations and fast free WIFI

Thumbs Up 0

Cross The Equator

5 out of 5

Ship did pollywog christening very well

Thumbs Up 1

Jayapura, Indonesia Did not visit port

Civil unrest

Thumbs Up 0

Wewak, Papua New Guinea

3 out of 5

Walked off ship, busy, local markets. Watch your valuables carefully

Thumbs Up 0

Madang, Papua New Guinea

1 out of 5

Ship’s excursion to festival- little seating or shade, in park, uneven ground. No commentary to explain the different dancers or where they came from.

Thumbs Up 0

Rabaul, Papua New Guinea

5 out of 5

Local driver. 3 hours for 30 US each to see hot springs, Yamamoto’s headquarters, local museum, government seismic headquarters, Japanese barges

Thumbs Up 3

Noumea, New Caledonia

4 out of 5

Hop on / off can be purchased at terminal.

Thumbs Up 4

Isle Of Pines (Ile Des Pins), New Caledonia

5 out of 5

Beautiful. Great snorkeling straight off the beach near tender port