We have cruised many times with HAL, and we've enjoyed all of the ships on which we've sailed. The Maasdam was the smallest HAL ship we've cruised, so we didn't know what differences we'd see. Our experiences with HAL have always been very good, but this cruise was a delightful surprise to us -- it was fantastic, primarily because of the outstanding service we received. We sailed in a standard balcony stateroom, so we did not expect any "special" treatment, but we found the service in all areas to be exceptional. We had the best stateroom attendant ever, our dining room manager was always warm and accommodating, the dining room and bar servers were consistently excellent, and every encounter with a crew member was professional and kind (even the front desk personnel were smiling and helpful -- and they often get a harsh review on these boards!).
We especially loved the large Explorations Café area -- it was a quiet library and internet and board game area which was always calm, welcoming, and pleasant (with great lattes and great service). It was definitely a nicer space than we've seen on the larger HAL ships which push the library and cafe' to alongside of the Crow's Nest, where it can be noisy and crowded.
We're planning another cruise with HAL in the fall, and we're actually disappointed that our schedule doesn't match with the schedule of the Maasdam -- we would sail on that lovely ship with her wonderful crew again, any time!
Our cabin was great. The layout was efficiently organized, and it was kept very clean. Loved the large bathroom with a tub/shower combo even in just a balcony cabin. New to us were the magnetic features which held open the hall door or the bathroom door -- what a great idea!
The balcony view was impeded a little by the design -- a solid lower wall and extended sides between balconies, but it was still comfortable.