We just got back from our 3 days in Boston and 7 night cruise on the Maasdam to New England and Canada. Mid 40's couple, 75 year old, and our 8 year old boy. It was our 8th cruise. We've been on RCCL, Carnival, Celebrity, Princess and now, HAL.
Embarkation and debarkation - absolutely flawless! We arrived at the port in Boston at 11:20 and were literally on the ship at 11:40. Incredible. Debarkation took a bit longer, but it was so well organized and just a pleasure.
The ship - The Maasdam is in excellent shape. It is an older ship (1993), comparatively, so there are some older looking things. The elevators, pool areas etc.. But everything was very clean and in great shape. It just didn't have that new look to it like newer ships. The ship never felt crowded. The Maasdam has a tremendous library with many books and is right next to the coffee shop (awesome!) It has a typical casino. The pool was small but never looked too crowded. My son spent many hours in there. There are also 2 hot tubs.