Maasdam Review

4.0 / 5.0
0 reviews

Maasdam Norovirus

Review for Canada & New England Cruise on Maasdam
User Avatar
FunFox
6-10 Cruises • Age 60s

Rating by category

Cabin
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service

Additional details

Sail Date: May 2015

Beware, as we were too naïve to, that if a cruise company informs you that there is an active Norovirus outbreak on the ship you are about to embark on – your cruise will be compromised. Of course the severity of the outbreak cannot be fully predicted, but if the company offers a Full Refund – there is a reason why. We were given a fact sheet on the embarkation dock and told we had a few minutes to decide if we wanted to begin a 15 night cruise we'd paid thousands for and been looking forward to for months. Having traveled clear across the country and knowing very little about norovirus, and getting very little information from the HAL flier, we decided to embark. A decision we regret.

Because of a Noro-viral breakout on the cruise just previous to ours, the ship was washed down with anti-viral solutions. The chemical smell was obvious and did cause me to have to use an asthma inhaler to breathe. I wiped down my cabin with a moist towel and felt much better. If you are sensitive, it's best to at least bring your own pillowcase. We were told they disinfect for 48 hours or until there are fewer than 5 cabins infected with Noro virus but the captain elected to extend code red for the entire 2 week cruise so anti-viral fluids were everywhere. The entire cruise activity list was compromised during the “code red.” If I had been fully informed about what a "code red" entailed, I would have opted for the refund offered at docking – but the information sheet given to us was not specific enough to make an informed decision.

On the Maasdam, which we call the PLAGUE SHIP, code red meant...

Cabin Review

Cabin interior deck 8

The ship shows lots of wear. The cabin needed regular visits from the maintenance crew to fix the thermostat, toilet/plumbing, smoke detector, safe and t.v. The room was generally quiet, the bed was comfortable and there was plenty of space under the bed and in the closet for storage in the main cabin. The bathroom only had 2 shelves but space wasn't an issue for us as much as the mold which I cleaned after the steward refused. It came off fairly easily with soap and a towel so I have no idea why the steward didn't clean it.

11 Helpful Votes
previous reviewnext review

Find a cruise

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.