Up until this cruise I was on Princess and was generally quite pleased with my experience. Having been told many times that Holland was better than Princess, we took the plunge due to the fact that the cruise visited Martinique, and St. Croix, and St. Vincent, island nations that aren't frequent ports.

The Maasdam definitely shows her age in decor and due to the fact that the air conditioning was inconsistent and there were plumbing issues on a higher deck. The Television was small and older and the selection of movies was limited..most were older. They had a dvd attached to the television and apparently you can get such oldies as Gold Finger..wow...A newly released to dvd movie was shown in a small room on a small screen with a half full bag of popcorn available. Activies were limited and at times I felt I was on a floating nursing home with people putting together 1000 piece puzzles and snoring in the explorer lounge. Internet worked well the second week but was down most of the first, with the internet clerk unbelieving when I told her it was down and wasting my money by letting me sign in and go only to bing.

The only bright spot was the steward and the staff at the front desk. Dining room staff was good but the food was not to my liking and I departed with heartburn most days. I limited my lido selections to sandwiches and salads. Desserts were either overdone or just not properly made.Our cabin was on the main floor but part was under the promenade and at times we could her loud clopping feet from above. Air conditioning sometimes failed and we heard some were completely without air for the entire cruise. The HAL dancers and singers put on only 3 shows in a two week period. There were comedians who were generally okay. Read more