'Maasdam' suits the low-key cruiser

By ROBERT N. JENKINS

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 15, 2001

Compared with many cruise ships, the Maasdam seems a bit sedate:

• No color-changing neon tubing overhead.
• No glass-walled elevators gliding through a brilliantly lit atrium.
• No water slide into the main swimming pool.
• No X-rated midnight comedy act.
• No problem.

For what the ship does offer is a more refined vacation experience. That is in keeping with Holland America's image of catering to seniors who want to relax on a cruise, not close the disco at 4 a.m.

A cruise ship renewed A $5-million overhaul of the Maasdam brings mechanical and decorative updates as well as activity rooms to accommodate youngsters. But it is the pampering service that passengers talk about.

Even while pursuing a larger part of the family trade -- establishing activities for three different age groups of children -- Holland America has not forgotten that core of older passengers.

There is room for improvement, though my experience during spring break last month might have been colored by sailing with a passenger load that was both larger than usual and younger than usual.

There were delays in the buffet-style lines of the casual Lido Restaurant. Unless passengers had scouted the place before getting in the main serving line, they would not have known that the green salad bar and the large pastry service were not located on that serving line.

It is a small point, but coffee and tea service by waiters in the Lido was uneven: Some meals it was there, some it was not.

And everywhere on the ship, it was annoying to pay $1.50 for soft drinks, though Holland America is hardly alone in this regard.

ENTERTAINMENT: The evening performances were mediocre. The comedian-juggler was doing bits familiar to most adults. I saw a more energetic musical revue troupe, with better lead vocalists, on the Carnival ship Jubilee last December, and Carnival is strictly the mass-market line, while Holland America is solidly in the next level up.

I preferred sitting in the Piano Bar, listening to young Englishman Simon Casciano (piano and keyboards much better than vocals) interact with his listeners, to the showroom performances, though featured pianist Eric Hamelin got high marks.

EATING ONBOARD: The food was certainly a class above Carnival's -- if not up there with Celebrity Cruise Line's.

On Maasdam, the dinner menu always offered five appetizers, three soups, at least two salads and eight entrees. Standard were some form of beef, seafood, poultry and vegetarian dishes; various menus offered beef Wellington, venison, stuffed prawns, swordfish, leg of lamb and duck.

Service in the formal Rotterdam Dining Room was quite good, as is expected.

SLEEPING ONBOARD: My cabin, on the second-lowest passenger deck, did carry the hum of the engines, but it was not annoyingly loud. I could hear the occasional conversation through the air system, but there was noticeably less noise seeping through cabin walls and from the corridors than is common on many ships.

Maasdam (and its nearly identical fleetmates, Veendam, Ryndam and Statendam) has 17 cabin categories. The standard cabins are considered spacious; one cruise guide estimates that they are 25 percent larger than those of competing ships. Closet and drawer space seemed adequate in my midprice outside cabin.

A bowl of fruit is freshened daily in the cabin, and each cabin has a private bathroom (with hair dryer), a sofa, an in-room safe, an individual air-conditioning control, a telephone with voice mail and a color television (two channels show recent theatrical movies, and CNN and ESPN are among other choices). A theater also shows two recent movies each day.

The ship offers a free shoeshine service, a dry-cleaning service and coin-operated laundry machines, though my wash dried overnight hanging on the retractable clothesline in the shower.

ITINERARY: The Maasdam alternates seven-night trips from Fort Lauderdale into the western and eastern Caribbean. Western port calls are at Cozumel, Mexico; Georgetown, Grand Cayman; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; and Holland America's private Bahamian island, Half Moon Cay. The eastern ports are Nassau, Bahamas; San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; and Half Moon Cay. Each trip includes two days at sea.

The cay features a lengthy stretch of white sand beach dotted with hammocks, chaise longues and umbrellas, a small shopping complex offering uninspired handicrafts and beachwear, a few bars and a lunch pavilion serving tasty grilled food. There are also a youngsters' play area, various water sports items to rent and excursions to pay for.

The ship will be sailing these itineraries at least until late October.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Rates for cruises vary by category, season of sailing and whether air fare to and from the departure port is purchased. Contact Holland America Line toll-free at 1-800-426-0327; the Web site is http://www.hollandamerica.com. Or contact a travel agent.

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