John Wilson

Age: 43
Occupation: software
Number of Cruises: 3
Cruise Line: Holland America
Ship: Maasdam
Sailing Date: March 31st, 2005
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean

Myself
40ish male, software developer, traveling solo. Two prior Carnival cruises.

Flight to Norfolk & Hotel
If I never fly American Airlines again, it will be too soon. My flight to St.Louis was late getting in and I only had 20 minutes before the connecting flight to Norfolk started boarding. I had a quick cigarette and went to the gate. After boarding began ½ hour late, we backed away from the gate and parked. We were told there was a weather delay again and again. After being held hostage for 3.5 hours and returning to the gate for more fuel, we finally took off. Why we couldn’t have waited in the terminal is beyond me. Arrived at the Tazwell around 2:45 AM (4 hours late). The Tazwell is still a work in progress but the service was very good, décor interesting. I doubt it can be beat for $70.00, including continental breakfast. It is about 4 blocks from the Nauticus terminal.

Embarkation
I got in a long line outside the Nauticus terminal at 11:30 am, Thursday. The line moved quickly and I was on the lido deck by 12:15. I met Charlie and Lola in line and had drinks with them on the Lido. Nice couple. Next I met a fun bunch of ladies (Pat, Linda and Momma) while waiting for my cabin. They turned out to be seated at the same table as me for dinner. The lido pool area had plenty of tables and chairs in both the smoking and non-smoking areas. The area was very clean and attractive. Had a quick bite. It was announced at 1:00 PM that the cabins were ready.

Cabin 106
I went to my ‘C’ category cabin at 1:30 PM. There are only 6 of these ‘C’ cabins on the verandah deck. A well kept secret, as they are the same price as the Cs on the lower decks. They are very quiet because forward of them is a ‘staff only’ area. When you look at a picture of the Maasdam, they are the row of 6 windows right before where the verandahs start. The luggage was in the process of being delivered by my excellent cabin steward Suyradi (Eddie). Eddie worked remarkably hard the entire voyage and always greeted me warmly by name. Nice cabin, very clean, great beds. Relaxing colors of yellow and blue green. I had a full size couch, which was very nice for napping. The flowers, champagne, soda card and excursion tickets I had pre-ordered were there. The outside of my (expensive) window was very caked with salt. I realize they can’t be cleaned every cruise, but this one hadn’t been cleaned in a long a while. That, however, was the only flaw I found.

The Ship
Captain van der Loo can be heard frequently saying “the beautiful and elegant Maasdam”. That is not an overstatement. She really is. The Maasdam is just the right size. It never felt crowded. I couldn’t find any signs of wear in her finishes. The ship is filled with art and antiques. Fresh flowers everywhere. REAL towels in the public restrooms (use once then into the dirty bin. I almost had to use paper once but just as I needed a towel the bin was refilled). The ship lived up to HAL’s ‘spotless ships’ reputation. The décor is a treat for the eyes. I spent all 10 days exploring and I’m sure I didn’t see everything.

Dining
Rotterdam: I had the best tablemates at dinner. I dined with Pat, Linda, Momma, Joe, Kay, Dave, Eric/Neal, JoAnn and Vicki at a round table for 10 (table 134). Everyone hit it off well. Kudos to maitre’d Tri for his instincts. We were usually the last table out of the late main seating because we were having so much fun. We were attended to by (an overworked) Lucman as our waiter and Dody as his assistant. Our headwaiter was Komang. All did a very fine job. I thought the food was quite tasty. A good variety prepared well and presently nicely. My favorite was the rack of lamb and quail combo. In the 10 nights, only one item was sent back by anyone at the table. That says it all. I had very good eggs benedict there a couple times for breakfast. The menu is the same every morning. Lunches were long and lazy, enjoyed with other new acquaintances. There was a nice variety in the lunch menus.

Pinnacle Grille: Manager Mark and his team of Peter H. and Oscar provided a stellar nexus of service, food and ambiance. I had the tasting menu – 6 courses with a different wine with each course. The charge was $49.99. Beautiful Bvlgari china and ridel crystal. Special westerhoff silver and Italian linens completed the setting. The staff and chefs are allowed time for individual service and preparation. The expertly prepared food featured northwest ingredients. The thoughtful wine pairings were from the same region. As a smoker, I appreciated being allowed to repair to the Explorers Lounge for a cigarette between courses. Peter H. trained in Eastern Europe as a waiter and it shows. He didn’t miss a trick (before getting into computers I had worked in fine dining for 12 years). I’d highly recommend this experience.

Lido Dining: I usually only had breakfast from the lido. The food was good with a wide selection that was the same every day. Very nice fruit selection. I lunched in the lido a couple times when the menu was better than the Rotterdam. There was wide selection, which varied every day. Good salad bar. I was impressed with the live orchids on the tables. There was usually a staff member present at the ice tea and coffee area to pour your beverage. Lots of sumptuous dessert selections I avoided. Excellent bread pudding (I had just a taste).

Room Service
I ordered room service every morning for coffee and once for a full breakfast. As I am a sound sleeper, I wrote ‘please call when you are on the way’ at the top of my order. I was awakened each morning by ‘Good morning Mr. Scott, we are on the way with your tray’. If that’s not living, I don’t know what is. Needless to say they received generous tips.

Bar service
Cesar and Dan (Oceans Bar) and Marife (Explorers Lounge & Lido pool) are the best. I’m still amazed how they learn your name so quickly and constantly in a good mood. They are professionals who are an asset to HAL.

Front Desk
I had three experiences with the front desk. One exceptionally good, one not so good and one very bad. On the first formal night, I called around 11:30 AM to see if there was somewhere on the ship I could purchase a boutonnière. I was told no. At 2:30 PM I went to my cabin for a siesta and a boutonnière had magically appeared (I later found out those were for suite passengers but an exception was made for me.) That was the exceptionally good service. For the not so good see ‘plumbing’ below. Very bad: JoAnn gave me a very hard time when I needed a hotel room due to the late arrival and subsequent flight change (I never saw her smile the whole cruise, she sat behind her desk scowling at the computer and guests). Captain van der Loos’ gracious letter of apology clearly stated anyone needing a room would get one. I was able to show her my new boarding pass and completed an updated my disembarkation/immigration form, but AA was having difficulty getting an email to the ship. Two of my dinner companions were driving home and received the hotel vouchers without a question. Why it was such a problem for me I do not know. JoAnn was insisting I had to pay for it myself and then get reimbursed. I had already had to pay the $100 change fee and submit it for reimbursement. I didn’t think I should have to finance all of HAL’s expenses for the breakdown. I eventually lied and claimed I had no money (I had plenty) for a hotel, in order for her to produce the letter to the Marriott.

Ports
Half Moon Cay was nice, although I enjoyed tendering (first time) more than the island. We had rough seas, which made tendering an adventure in itself. I did not partake of the BBQ. Captain van der Loo had a rough day as we were not able to anchor, and he had to keep the Maasdam in position using the thrusters.

In St. Thomas I did a little shopping (no purchases this time) and then the Kon Tiki party-boat excursion. They are exactly what they bill themselves to be. A party boat. Very strong rum punch (self serve and unlimited.) Excellent steel drum music. There was dancing, line dancing and a limbo contest. No one was forced to participate. Cruised around the bay gawking at the mega-yachts then an hour stop at Honeymoon Beach. We floated over a coral formation and they opened the glass bottom of the boat. We were treated to nice views of fish while they were being fed. I’d highly recommend this tour. A good time was had by all (perhaps too good by some).

Antigua made me appreciate how good we Americans have it. On my last visit I had taken a guided tour around the island. This time I was waitlisted to get on the helicopter tour to Montserrat, as they were contracted to another cruise line. I was not successful. I walked up to a large basilica that could be seen from the ship. The level of poverty saddened me. There was raw sewage in the gutters. I personally witnessed several people urinating in public. There were few sidewalks and dangerous traffic. The basilica was interesting (started in 1803 and completed in 1815 and currently under renovation). There was an intriguing cemetery adjacent, but it was filled with homeless people and I thought it was best to give them their space.

St. Marteen was the total opposite of Antigua. Very clean and friendly. I took the (non HAL) Lord Sheffield sailing tour. We sailed to the northern tip of the island, to the Los Hermosa Resort, on a 73 foot twin masted sailing ship for an hour of swimming and snorkeling. Captain Rob and his crew were excellent. Beers and punch were plentiful and refilled constantly. Delicious ribs cooked onboard. I’d highly recommend their tour. There were a total of 8 ships in port and it looked like a parking lot. The Maasdam was the most beautiful ship of all in port that day. We tendered far out in the bay next to the Christina O.

I had been to San Juan before so all I did in the limited time available was visit Puerto Rico Drugs and Marshall’s to get a tie for the second (surprise) informal night. Hint: take a cab up and walk down. Pretty architecture reminiscent of the French Quarter in New Orleans, only painted up in pastels.

Bingo
Bingo boy Troy, as he bills himself, needs to clean up his act. His genitalia jokes are very tacky and un-HAL. I don’t know where they found him but he should be thrown back.

Entertainment
I only saw a couple of the shows. The ‘vegas’ style shows utilize lip-synching which is not to my liking. Mark Newsome (I think that was his name) was funny and entertaining. We had a female vocalist, the name escapes me, who performed a nice variety of songs and is most likely the only Filipino–Irish yoddeler on the planet. I thoroughly enjoyed the Champagne Strings in the Explorers Lounge every night after dinner. The Indonesian crew show was the best.

Plumbing
Only one plumbing mishap I was aware of. The first night at around 11:00 PM I stopped back at my cabin and found a note saying the water would be off the following morning from 10 AM – 3 PM. As I wanted to stay up late and sleep in, I called the front desk to see if there was an alternate spot that I could have my shower in the morning. I was told no. I later found out from my tablemates I could have used the spa showers. I appreciate that the ship does require maintenance, but they could at least be truthful about alternate shower locations. I consider myself lucky though, compared to some of the other plumbing horror stories.

Air Conditioning
It was quite warm in the Rotterdam Dining Room (we kept out menus and used them as fans) on the nights we were in the Caribbean. Tolerable when we were further North. My cabin was OK only because I brought a fan. I heard one little old lady, scantily clad in short-shorts and a sleeveless tee, complaining it was freezing (put something on, dear).

Sea Conditions
We had mild seas with gentle rocking until the last night, when we encountered 30-foot seas and gale force winds. Lots of wild pitching. Lots of crashing and booming. I was airborne more than once while trying to pack. Glasses, ice bucket and toiletries where tossed to the floor during the night. I enjoy rough seas, but felt sorry for the ones who don’t.

Engine Troubles
We lost an engine on the way to San Juan. Captain van der Loo kept us as well informed as could be expected. He was genuinely apologetic for the trouble. He hosted a ship-wide open bar for 2 hours to say ‘sorry’. It was no problem for me, as it extended my cruise by 10 hours and added a sense of adventure. It has been talked about a lot in other threads so I’ll stop here.

Disembarkation
As I was staying overnight, I was in the final group, #32. We were called about 7:15 PM and disembarked without incident. I have never cleared customs so quickly. They weren’t checking anyone, just collecting the slips as quickly as possible. The shuttle bus to the Marriott was waiting and we were whisked away. Check-in at the Marriott was a breeze, thanks to Ashley and Rob. Had dinner at Jillian’s with Kay and Joe from our table. Good wings, onion rings and a pitcher of ling ling beer along with very dry burgers.

Final thoughts
Will I ever sail Hal again? Possibly. There were so many good things about this cruise. Things happen and its not the problem, but how the problem is handled that is important to me. JoAnn (keep in mind she is an officer) handled the hotel issue very poorly. I will have to think about sailing again with a company that would leave me stranded after a mechanical breakdown.