Overall Score
| BERLITZ'S RATING |
| |
Possible |
Achieved |
| |
| Ship |
500 |
417 |
| Accommodation |
200 |
162 |
| Food |
400 |
270 |
| Service |
400 |
299 |
| Entertainment |
100 |
77 |
| Cruise |
400 |
310 |
| |
Maasdam is one of a series of four almost identical ships in the same series – the others are Statendam, Ryndam and Veendam. Although the exterior styling is rather angular (some would say boxy – the funnel certainly is), it is softened and balanced somewhat by the fact that the hull is painted black. There is a full wrap-around teak promenade deck outdoors – excellent for strolling, and, thankfully, no sign of synthetic turf anywhere. The sunloungers on the exterior promenade deck are wood, and have comfortable cushioned pads, while those at the swimming pool on Lido Deck are of white plastic. Holland America Line keeps its ships clean and tidy, and there is good passenger flow throughout the public areas.
In the interiors of this “S” -class ship, an asymmetrical layout helps to reduce bottlenecks and congestion. Most of the public rooms are concentrated on two decks, Promenade Deck, and Upper Promenade Deck, which creates a spacious feel to the ship’s interiors. In general, a restrained approach to interior styling is taken, using a mixture of contemporary materials combined with traditional woods and ceramics. There is, fortunately, little “glitz” anywhere.
What is noticeable is the array of artworks throughout the ship (costing about $2 million), assembled and nicely displayed to represent the fine Dutch heritage of Holland America Line and to present a balance between standard itineraries and onboard creature comforts. Several oil paintings of former Holland America Line ships by Stephen Card (an ex-captain) adorn stairway landings. Also noticeable are the fine flower arrangements throughout the public areas and foyers – used to good effect to brighten up what to some is dull decor.
Atop the ship, with forward facing views that wrap around the sides, is the Crow’s Nest Lounge. By day it makes a fine observation lounge, with large ocean-view windows, while by night it turns into a nightclub with extremely variable lighting.
The atrium foyer is three decks high, although its light-catching green glass sculpted centerpiece (Totem by Luciano Vistosi, composed of almost 2,000 pieces of glass) makes it look a little crowded, and leaves little room in front of the purser’s office (called the Front Office). A hydraulic magrodome (glass) roof covers the reasonably-sized swimming pool/ whirlpools and central Lido area (whose focal point is a large dolphin sculpture) so that this can be used in either fine or inclement weather.
Maasdam, a well-built ship, has fairly decent interior decor. Holland America Line is constantly fine-tuning its performance and its regular passengers (almost all of whom are North American – there are few international passengers) find the company’s ships comfortable and well-run. The company continues its strong maritime traditions, although the food and service components still let the rest of the cruise experience down. Perhaps the ship’s best asset is its friendly and personable Filipino and Indonesian crew, although communication can prove frustrating and service is inconsistent. The onboard currency is the US dollar.
This ship has a large, relaxing library (Leyden Library); there’s also a cardroom, an Explorer’s Lounge (good for relaxing in, for afternoon tea, and after-dinner coffee), a Crows Nest (the ship’s observation lounge that doubles as a late-night spot and discotheque), an intimate Piano Bar, and, of course, a casino.
Holland America Line’s many repeat passengers always seem to enjoy the fact that social dancing is always on the menu. In the final analysis, however, the score for this ship ends up just a disappointing tad under what it could be if the food and food service staff were more memorable (more professional training might help).
An escalator travels between two of the lower decks (one of which was originally planned to be the embarkation point), but it is almost pointless. The charge to use the washing machines and dryers in the self-service launderette is petty, particularly for suite occupants, as they pay high prices for their cruises. The men’s urinals in public restrooms are unusually high.
Berlitz Guide © Apa Publishing 2010.
Berlitz Guide © Apa Publishing 2008
