We arrived Boston a day early- stayed at the Residence Inn Charleston which is a minisuite hotel. Very comfortable.
Embarkation was smooth and uneventful. We had purchased the least expensive cabin "guaranteed" and ended up on deck 6 with an Oceanview for only $699.
Maasdam is an older ship-1993, with updates in 1998. Seemed quite elegant with lots of impressive art and art objects. Friendly Indonesian/Asian crew. A sort of nod to Holland's colonization of Batavia, (Indonesia) now.