Maasdam - Reviews

we were treated like a King and Queen from the moment we stepped onboard the Holland American Maasdam.  The crew is wonderful they are Indonesian and Filipino. 

The food was great. They always kept you busy or you could just relax by the covered pool on the lido deck. 

We visited Spain, Italy, Sicily, Greece, Marocco the Canarie islands,  Portgual, Porto Rico and St. Maarten. 

Every day was an adventure, I couldn't have asked for anything more loved every minute of it. 

We were excited to join this tour.  Every thing was great until  I fell on pier facility, at Charolette PEI,and broke left wrist.  Cruise rep Tammy was most helpful getting me assistance with wheel chair, EMT's etci

After treatment at Queen Eliz Hospital was able to return to ship.  Every one on tender were very good getting me on and off tender as I ws now in a cast with a sling on my injured arm.

On board every one was very helpful, including staff on Lido deck and Guest Services with phone calls to a surgeon back in US so I was seen upon retirnong home and have already had surgery to repair break.

I did request refund of an excursion at Quebec as  I was unable to accompany my husband who did enjoy the excursion, however, I turned in my ticket to Guest Services and received it back saying I requested refund after deadline to cancel.  I was quite disappointed as we had to wait to see if I was up to even trying to go on it.  We also were only able to use our 100 minutes of wifi for about total of 15 minutes as all it did was search and not connect.   Once it did connect I was composing an email back home and screen went black and all was lost and "No connection" displayed.

Instead of racing each morning to get ready for dining at breakfast, room service provided a leisurely start to the day.  If you like learning, the shore excursions provided interesting information about the area.  Exploration on your own also lent to learning about the area as museums and even community buildings were easy to access.  On board, the cruise director and all crew provided entertainment that could be accessed at one's leisure. One of the presentations was about the history of the region. The desk staff took care of all inquiries and worries with cheerful and concerned demeanor.  The housekeeping crew is phenomenal.  The dining crew is entertaining as well as helpful.  The chefs outdid themselves for serving to so many.  Noone thinks of navigation, but the ship sailed without us having to worry.  I am sure other cruisers look for other kinds of amenities, but this cruise suited my cruising desires well.

My wife and I sailed on Holland America for the first time; and unfortunately, it will be the last time we'll sail on Holland America.

This was our sixth cruise trip (we sailed on Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian), and there were a few incidents that tainted our trip, as follows:

1. On our third day, at 3 am, I went to use the bathroom in our oceanside statesroom. After I flushed the toilet, the incoming water never stopped 'coming'; resulting in our room getting flooded. The ship's staff came and shut off the emergency water main valve adjacent to our room, and had a shop vac machine vacuumed up the water. Meanwhile, we were given an inside statesroom to get some sleep. Shortly thereafter, I went to the bathroom, flushed the toilet, and once again, toilet water overflowed and slightly leaked onto the bathroom floor. I called for the staff to come help. They came and vacuumed up the water from the bathroom floor, and we were escorted to another inside statesroom where we salvaged sleep time.

The next couple of days, the manager, Joanne, did not respond to giving us some kind of reimbursement for our inconvenience. She hinted that we may get a voucher for a future Holland America cruise trip, but we expressed wanting a onboard ship credit to be redeemed for Internet service, excursions paid through Holland America, etc. Finally, we were given a $150.00 credit, which didn't seemed to match the event, but we took it anyway.

2. Our room person, Dewey, was friendly, but he had a bad habit of 'barging' into our room, without knocking, to get a head start on cleaning our room. We were usually in our room, not appropriately dressed. We've never experienced this on other cruise trips.

3. In the Lido Restaurant, getting ice water had to be provided by the staff; we were not allowed to serve ourselves (even though it would have been more efficient for us to help ourselves so we can drink water without waiting for it for several minutes).

4. Onboard, we were scheduled to have a magician entertained us. We were entertained by a comedian (he was terrific, and he never used any profanity, which pleased us a lot). However, no announcement was made to why the magician didn't make an appearance. An announcement before the show would have been appropriate, an common courtesy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this vacation...The ship, the staff, the food, the drinks, the destinations...and my partner.  The ship was the perfect size.  Large enough to be large and small enough to be attentive to everyone!!  Thank you

Aside from the average age of passengers well above retirement (pros: you have the whole ship to yourself after 10:30 pm) the service was always exceptional.  When some passengers complained they have a very quick response to assist and remedy their needs or errors.  The ports excursions were all well run, on time and informational, no cheap stops for tourist junk. Our ship ended up tendering at most ports because larger ships were given our slips, but the Maasdam was diligent at trying to make the best experience.  We took the Acadia Forest and Lobster dinner in Bar Harbor (be prepared for a long wait at the end for the tenders), the Anne, Lobster at PEI Preserves,  The Best of Quebec (lots packed into this day with a nice lunch), Baddeck on our own (ok port, best prepared tour guide).  Evening entertainment was also a great surprise in quality and their ON LOCATION program brings good aspects of the ports back onto the ship.  Evening Galas were on the second night and the day at city and lacked Gala!  Other than tables and chairs draped and a slightly better menu, their were no "show aspects" of the evening.  The photographers were horrible.  Formal photos had other passengers in them! So take your own photos, book the fixed seating or make reservations in the open seating and you will have the best experience at dining in the dining room.  Also one night at  Le Cirque and Pinnacle are a nice treat!  Bon Voyage!  P.S.  We were greatly disappointed that Our person could have helped with contacting the ship about food allergies, but failed to do anything other than book our trip.  Speaking to the dinner staff and booking a fixed seating so you can have the same waiter and not have to explain every time you ate. 

We had a wonderful time really enjoyed Montreal with the French Speaking People. Our favorite was PEI (Prince Edward Island) .

The Ship was as we expected with great service and friendly people.

Enjoyed very much even though we were early for leaves. Sidney tour was #1. Halifax was very interesting. Crew was very thoughtful and helpful. All we expect on Holland America.

Great crew and great locations to visit.  The crew always had a smile and a friendly hello.   We would consider using Holland America on our next cruise

My wife and I celebrated our 45th Anniversary by taking this cruise.  We were not disappointed.  We had a cabin with a window.  If I were to do it over I would have the paid the extra for a balcony.  The food was delicious, the Pinnacle Restaurant was outstanding. Each port of call was a delight.  Excellent excursion opportunities.   

This was again a prime example of Holland America's commitment to service and quality.  Top marks in all respects.  We will book with them again and already have!

overall, the cruise was great, food is good and the service is excellent.

was a very nice cruise, especially for my 89 year old mother, although she had a rolling walker, it was too much walking for her. we was able to rent a wheelchair, which was non stop for her, she was able to get around the entire ship, staff and other travelers were vere helpful. The handicap cabin was excellent. The trip to Canada was awesome. Catholic Mass daily, and other religious service. A +

Would have prefered a few other things plus, my toilet was backed up when we got to room took a few hrs to come check it out and fix.. was long black hair  all in bowl. My bed was making me sneeze and cough every night, may have been sheets or pillow. Never had that on any of the other 11 cruises i was on.Didn't like the fact that we couldn't book a time or table more thn 2 days at a time for dinner. Was my finacees first cruise and he was not sure of what to think so this is just my opinion

Thank you

Would have prefered a few other things plus, my toilet was backed up when we got to room took a few hrs to come check it out and fix.. was long black hair  all in bowl. My bed was making me sneeze and cough every night, may have been sheets or pillow. Never had that on any of the other 11 cruises i was on.Didn't like the fact that we couldn't book a time or table more thn 2 days at a time for dinner. Was my finacees first cruise and he was not sure of what to think so this is just my opinion

Thank you

My wife and I have never been to the North East part of North America, either US or Canada.  This was an opportunity to share a vacation experience in a new part of the Continent. The itinerary for the trip was created by another family member and we just kind of invited ourselves along. That made it super easy. The Holland America cruise fit perfectly into the places we wished to visit. I enjoy the cruise because I hate to pack and unpack at each point of interest. This was not our first cruise, however it was our first cruise on Holland America Line. This was one of the smaller ships we've been on and it all met my expectations perfectly. As you would expect the crew were friendly and helpful. All in all it was the major piece of a great vacation.

Overall, extremely disappointed with this cruise.  Loud noises from work being done overnight.  Some drink menu items not available at beginning of cruise and for about 4 days. Work to ship related noise during our massages, followed by a sales pitch to buy products used during massage. No food available other than in-room dining after 10pm.

Great cruise.  The weather was perfect and the ports were great.  Although the Maasdam is an older ship it is a grteat ship.  Well suited for cruising New England and the Maritimes.  It is just the right size, not one of those giant floating hotels with all the crowds and gimmicks.  Service was great, food was great as was the entertainment .

The staff of this smaller ship is exceptional and went above and beyond expectations to ensure we had a very positive experience. The port of Quebec City is amazing and gives you a very European, Old World feel. Prince Edward Island is quaint and very friendly and Halifax is beautiful. The Lunenburg Excursion was fabulous and highly recommended. The port of Sydney was not very interesting and would recommend booking some kind of excursion if you want to explore this area. Otherwise, the city feels like any small-town America area. Bar Harbor was also beautiful and the trip into Acadia National Park is a must. The food was very good and the staff really attend to your needs. Holland America does not tend to push the purchase of items or shopping as some cruises we have taken. It was a lovely experience and we would definitely enjoy recommend this trip. 

The 1258 passenger capacity of the Maasdam was ideal. Compared to the frantic and crowded atmosphere found on  "megaships", our cruise experience was very relaxed.

The food and dining areas were wonderful. The Maasdam staff were efficient and friendly.

Ventilation needs to be improved in the Library / Internet Room. Due to the chronic 2nd hand smoke wafting into the area from the next door casino, we avoided the using the Library or purchasing internet time.