This was our second cruise on the Maasdam, only this time we left from Norfolk, VA, which turned out to be a bad choice, particularly in the winter. The first two days and the last two days subjected us to rough Atlantic waters and, consequently, limited our "on-deck" activities to the inside of the ship for that length of time and decidedly limited our ability to dance and have a cocktail before dinner in one of the lounges. It also slowed the ship enough for it to be late getting into Norfolk, both at the beginning and end of the cruise, affecting our transportation home at the end.
The Maasdam, an older HAL ship and smaller than some of the newer ones, still offers amenities that pleased our (my wife's and my) sensibilities. While our location aft on Main deck was tolerable to us, that location in rough weather leaves much to be desired. Nevertheless, the food, while hardly haute cuisine, was good and in good variety. We pretty much kept to the Lido Deck buffets, although when the menus for the dining room indicated exceptional offerings, such as Lobster Tails and Escargot, we got back to more formal dining.
HAL food servers -- indeed the entire staff -- are dedicated to serving you well and go out of their way to keep you happy. The Filipino and Indonesian staff members are a perfect delight. They are well-mannered, polite, smiling and professional and contribute much to the enjoyment of the cruise.