We have just returned from a 13-day Canada & New England cruise on the Maasdam, sailing from Montreal to Fort Lauderdale. The cruise terminal in Montreal defies description: old, dilapidated, shabby, and woefully inadequate. As veteran HAL cruisers, we were surprised that HAL did little to assist passengers who had to wait for upwards of an hour in biting icy winds and rain outdoors before being allowed into the drafty and cold building where a few weak overhead heaters barely added any comfort to the boarding area.

Our first impression of the ship herself was that she had been beautifully refurbished--for the most part, that is: oddly, the elevators and some of the furniture appeared to have been left in a rickety state. Our inside cabin was large and reasonably comfortable and the bed was quite good also, though the cabin's temperature seemed strangely unresponsive to changes in the thermostat. In fact, there were significant temperature variations in different areas of the ship, some were overly warm and others outright cool. The showerhead in our bathroom leaked and the bar on which it rested was loose when we arrived. We reported it, and the plumbers came promptly and fixed both problems efficiently. Although we had requested a queen bed configuration, the beds were set up as twins. Again, the cabin attendant corrected the oversight quickly.

The entertainment on board was quite good as well, and the resident cast of singers was perhaps the best we have heard in our more than two dozen previous cruises. Two of them, Alberto Sanchez and Kristin Knudsen, had glorious voices that delighted the audiences, especially in their show entitled Encore. The Adagio String Quartet (four talented young Ukrainian musicians) played every evening to capacity crowds in the Explorers Lounge (where HAL puts out delicious chocolate snacks for those attending). Read more