Maasdam Review
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We flew into Montreal the day before the cruise and stayed at the lovely Fairmont hotel, The Queen Elizabeth. We took a taxi over to the old port area to enjoy lunch at a recommended crepes restaurant - Chez Suzette. Excellent!
We took a cab to the ship with family members. Embarkation was a breeze, and our cabin was ready when we boarded. The official time was listed as 1:00 pm but we were onboard just after noon. Our cabin was ready right away, so we dropped off our bags and then went to the MDR for an embarkation lunch. When we returned to the cabin, all our luggage had arrived.
We loved the Maasdam and being on her for 13 days. This was our second cruise with Holland America; the first was on the Zuiderdam in 2011. The Maasdam is smaller (which we liked) but larger than the Azamara Quest which we were on two years ago. Unlike the Zuiderdam, and very much like the Quest, we found that we would meet people onboard, and actually would run into them again - which we enjoyed! The Maasdam is a lovely, easy to navigate size.
Cabin Review
Verandah Suite
We loved this cabin. It was very quiet and is conveniently located on the starboard aft part of the ship, on deck 9 - two quick flights up to the Lido, or two quick flights down to the main dining room. It's close to, but not right by, both stairs and elevators. The cabin was spacious. Lots of closet and storage space, and a full-size couch. The desk area was large enough for my husband to be working on his laptop occasionally (!) without compromising the general cabin space. Bathroom a good size, and functional. The stewards, Anwar and Buda, were exceptional. The room was very well kept, and they paid close attention to our wish for ice. It always seemed to be there! The bed was very comfortable. The verandah was a good size, but we didn't use it often, due to cold weather. The cabin was a "vista suite" and I appreciated the perk of having a concierge on the other end of the phone. I never did meet Charlotte, but she was very helpful on more than a few occasions. We would book this cabin again.