August is a good time to get out of Texas, and this cruise fit the bill - except for couple of rainy days, it was in the upper 50s to low 70s and sunny the entire trip.
This was the first time we've sailed on Holland America, and we will be back. The Maasdam is a smaller ship, around 1200 passengers, and she isn't young (in her mid-20s). Overall, however, she didn't show her age except in a few spots - need a bit more work to clean up the rust, and to clean the windows. And you could see that the overall makeup was getting a bit heavy. But the size of the ship was perfect - easy to get around, almost all of the activities confined within 4 decks, and enough elevators that there was rarely a wait (although the stairs made for an easy climb when not wearing a suit).
Although Montreal is a rough place to start - the cruise facility was a tent at the end of the dockyards - embarkation was as smooth as I've had on any cruise line. It took us less than half an hour to drop off luggage, go through the line, get our room card (one card covered everything on board), check our excursions, and walk on board. Our room was not how we wanted it (one bed instead of two), and the stewards took little time making that right. Within two hours we had our luggage, were settled into the cabin, and out on deck for a phenomenal 180 degree turn in the middle of the river. And we were off.
Compact, but more than sufficient room for two people. And there are lots of ship spaces to spend your time away.