canasia.org

Previous Cruises: (just me - age 69) HAL Nieuw Amsterdam 1950 transatlantic NYC to La Havre HAL Nieuw Amsterdam 1950 transatlantic Southampton to NYC Previous cruises (Bob - age 70) - various US Navy ships 1956 to 1973. Together - other than cruises to the Bahamas and Florida on our boat 04- NCL Crown to Bermuda 05- NCL Crown repositioning -Phila to Miami. I picked these cruises because we could drive to it (it left from Norfolk) and because I like the ports.  I wasn't sure how I would like the traditional dining. Embarkation in Norfolk - semi-awful.   We left home before 8:30 and were through Tappahannok on US 17 before 1000. We saw a sign which said that the Coleman Bridge was going to open at 11:00.  The last time we were on  US 17, the Coleman Bridge (which Bob correctly IDed as being in Yorktown - I had forgotten the name of it) got stuck, so I didn't think we'd have time to take any side trips.  We got to the Coleman Bridge at 1054, and just as we were on the approach a school bus yellow crew cab truck blocked the bridge by parking across it.   We were about the fourth car in line.  They opened early.   There was a destroyer waiting on the other side..  I got out and took some pictures.  The bridge managed to get itself shut by about 1115.  We came into Norfolk and stopped to get gas, and the car got 34 mph for the total trip of about 170 miles.  Everything was fine until this point. Bob absolutely refused to go to the terminal and drop our luggage off, and insisted that we would get a cab from the Avis office.  The cruise ship parking was across the street from the Avis place. The Avis guy kindly said he would drive us to the dock.  So Bob tipped him $5.00, and also gave some money to the lady with the luggage cart. We got in line, which was almost out to the curb.   There was a Quonset hut type place where we were to be processed - there was a lot of construction on the pier which was there by Nauticus.  We got to the door of the processing building about 1245 Inside was a zoo.  I stood for a little while, but my back began to be very painful, so I found a chair to sit in over by the photographers where people were going in, and let Bob inch through the line.  That took about 35 minutes.   I had persuaded Bob to do two cruises because I assured him that we absolutely would not have to change cabins.  I called HAL and talked to them about it, and I thought I would definitely have the only inside cabin which was available for both cruises.   NOT.  They had given us an upgrade that we didn't ask for and didn't want.  They said they couldn't switch us back because the other people had already checked in.  The best they could do was to upgrade us for the second cruise to a room very close to where we were for the first cruise.   No matter how nicely or firmly, I asked them (and I continued to ask for the whole of the first cruise), they refused to let his have the same room for both trips because they said that the people had requested those specific rooms.  The fact that I also had requested a specific room apparently didn't matter to them. The travel agent sent a second set of cruise documents for the second cruise cabin to our house where they sat on the porch for a month, even though she knew or should have known that we would not be at home. Once we were on, we dropped our carryons and went to the buffet for lunch.  It was about 2 pm.  We were concerned about our bags getting taken to the right stateroom (particularly because we found that there are three other people with our last name aboard).  Some of our luggage didn't arrive until after dinner - the last bag was the one with Bob's underwear. At the end of the first trip, they gave us the keys to the second room and said the steward would help us move (which he did).  We got our pictures taken at the Office .  But it was a pain to have to repack and move.  And they didn't give us a dining room table assignment card. Stateroom - C It was an outside window which was nice, but the room was cramped and noisy.  They didn't have much drawer storage space and no place to put things at the bathroom sink without stacking things.   I never heard anything from the people on one side of us, but the other side was the doors to the walking track, so there was a certain amount of traffic, and the room was under the kitchen and had a lot of noise at all hours from what I presume was carts rolling around, and there was banging pipe noise which may have been flushing of toilets. The second room was right by the elevators too so there was noise from people waiting or getting off of them. The beds were put together to make a king (really bigger than I like) There is a cabin width ceiling light over the head of the bed.  The phone is on Bob's side and has a faulty message light.  It is _b_link__ing, but we don't have any messages.  He put his hat over the phone to block the light.   There are fake beige with a green trellis curtains (you can't draw them across) at the foot of the bed.  We've each got a night table with two SMALL drawers in it.  Maybe 6 x 14 .  There is a small dressing table with a maroon stool on one end and three drawers on one side - about 20 wide and 8 deep.  Over the table is the TV and a CD p_layer_, and under it is an ice bucket and glasses, and the 'for pay' sodas and bottled water. (which they absolutely refuse to take away). We also found a 'gift' of four bottles of wine, two glasses and a corkscrew.  We later got a gift of an 8 x 10 photo.  The second cruise we got three more bottles of wine and a 5x7 photo.  We don't drink. Opposite the dressing table is a white and dark green check love seat with a little table in front of it and a small maroon side chair. There is a pastel colored picture of a windmill over the love seat. The rug is a blue/green tweed with beige flecks.  All the wood is limed oak. On one side of the hall area leading to the door is the bathroom.  No storage in there either, although we have a tub with a detachable shower, a toilet and a sink with a narrow shelf above it.  Even the sink counter is skimpy. On the other side of the hall are four closets.  One of them just has shelves and the safe in it.  One of the life preservers is on the top shelf, and the shoe basket (for putting your shoes out to be cleaned) is on the bottom.  One closet has two spaces for hanging short things top and bottom.  Another one has a shelf for the other life preserver, and a long hanging space.  The last one has short hanging, and the a high shelf, and the bottom area has the blankets etc.  This one also has a full length mirror.  There were plenty of wooden hangers. Muster - C Earsplitting and uncomfortable.  It was outside on the walking track under the lifeboats. We were all packed against the wall and roll was called.  My back was really starting to hurt badly, so Bob put me back against the bulkhead so at least I could lean against it.  I would have sat down on the deck except I was afraid of being stepped on. Also the announcements were SO loud that it hurt my ears.  I spent the whole time anyone was talking (and during the whistles that announced the drill) with my fingers in my ears.  The second time I had the sense to ask if I could sit down, and also to wear ear plugs. Food Dining Service B I liked the food.   I hated the Lido Buffet (that's why the food is only a  You can't get a lot of  your food yourself, and the people behind the counters don't seem to be that interested in serving you.  The buffet line isn't set up efficiently - people have to wait while other people get stuff served to them or cooked for them, even if they don't want whatever it is - the lines get very long.   Whenever we ate there, we had the bread pudding and THAT was uniformly good. We got our breakfast delivered to the room a couple of times, but there really wasn't any good place to eat it (the table wasn't big enough), and they didn't come and get the tray in any kind of timely manner. So 85% of the time we ate breakfast and lunch in the main dining room. Except for the second morning when it took us an hour to get our breakfast (because the lines in the Lido were so long that a lot of people unexpectedly defaulted to the main dining room), the service was good, and I like sitting down and having food brought to me. I loved the traditional dining on the first cruise - we had excellent table mates.  It wasn't so good on the second cruise because two of our four table mates did not come to the dining room for 10 days in a row.   We had the same table for both cruises and we could look out the window to the wake of the ship.  I loved the placement of the table, and as I said,  the food was very good.   I won't list it specifically. There were 3 formal nights on each cruise.  The dining room was cold. We ate at the Pinnacle Grill once - the food was good and there was a LOT of it - much more than we could eat.  We got it as part of the tour package - otherwise I don't think it would have been worth $30 each. I never ate at the hamburger place by the Lido pool. Entertainment/Activities C The theatre itself did not have any kind of stair step seating, so the people in the back could not see the stage if there were people seated in front of them.  This is a great big black mark on Maasdam AFAI am concerned.  On the balcony you had a big _meta_l bar across in front of you obstructing your view The lighting was crappy.  People on the side of the stage that were out in front of the proscenium on the apron were often in shadow.  I see no reason for this.  Sometimes the spotlights created the illusion that the dancers had no feet, as their lower legs were cut off. The 'special effects' which weren't that special.  Occasionally a little mist or smoke, and one dance which was done with black light. The costumes often were IMO ill-fitting and unflattering. Someone who had been on this cruise previously said that they had the
... więcej »

There are two nice pools - one outside which I used once, and one in the middle of the Lido Deck.  They had the water in the Lido Pool even though it was a little rough and I was surprised that someone wasn't hurt the way the water was splashing around in the pool. Yeah - that water can really hurt.

There are two nice pools - one outside which I used once, and one in the middle of the Lido Deck.  They had the water in the Lido Pool even though it was a little rough and I was surprised that someone wasn't hurt the way the water was splashing around in the pool. Yeah - that water can really hurt. The pool was like a wave pool - the water would sort of slosh up to one end and the people in the pool had to either hold on to something or try not to be slammed by the wave into the end of the pool.  And then the water would go back to the other end of the pool in the same way.  I've seen a boy get his arm broken at the beach in the waves so I have no doubt the same thing could happen in a pool with waves. Water is a very powerful force.

Well written review.  I liked the way you described why you liked or didn't any particular aspect.  That way, if that type of thing doesn't bother me I don't take that into account when thinking about a similar cruise on that ship. We definitely agree on the bread pudding.  

I loved the traditional dining on the first cruise - we had excellent table mates.  It wasn't so good on the second cruise because two of our four table mates did not come to the dining room for 10 days in a row.   I could make a fairly good guess as to why they didn't show up for 10 days in a row.......

Well written review.  I liked the way you described why you liked or didn't any particular aspect.  That way, if that type of thing doesn't bother me I don't take that into account when thinking about a similar cruise on that ship. We definitely agree on the bread pudding.   Right, I sure would not take much into account about this review. Too much good food, bed was too big, piss off on an upgrade....