We were on the Maasdam's 14 day Southern Caribbean cruise. After reading from many who love the Maasdam, I thought that this 20 year old vessel was going to be better than it actually was. While it did undergo major renovations, which are observable in some areas of the ship, other areas, like the pool areas, look very aged. The tub shower fixtures are ancient. This ship does not compare at all with the Noordam or the other Vista class ships.

We were appalled at the quality of the towels provided in our verandah "suite." These towels felt and looked like they came from a Comfort Inn. For 13 days, each of the the towels we were provided were rough and yellowish in color. Then, on day 14, a fluffy pair of white towels magically appeared in our room as if HAL was hoping we would forget about the prior 13 days. The bed sheets were also stained and yellowish. No bar soap is provided in any rooms including suites, even upon request. They provide one (1) shower cap for the 14 days and must ask for any other ones. As I have not experienced this on any other HAL ship, I concluded this is a product of the Maasdam's age and neglected status. Suite perks were non-existent-- one-touch concierge meant the front desk (available to all), fruit only 2 days, and if ours were "upgraded towels," I imagine other cabins were given paper towels.

While others have commented favorably about the service on the Maasdam, we found it the worst of any HAL ships we have been on. We were surprised that the first response to many, many requests was "no" followed by "let me check" if one insisted. Except for the excellent management in the Rotterdam Dining Room, we found service lacking in most other areas of the ship. Read more