The ms Maasdam is a mid-sized cruise ship carrying 1,258 guests. Holland America Line launched the ship in December 1993, making it one of the oldest cruise ships in the fleet. Much like people, being old is not necessarily bad when you look at ships that have been lovingly maintained like the Maasdam. I did an 18-day "Voyage of the Vikings"
transatlantic cruise from Boston to Amsterdam on the Maasdam, and the ship had over 300 guests who were "4-star Mariner Society" members, which means they had each sailed over 200 days with Holland America Line. That's a ship-full of experienced cruise travelers, isn't it? Our cruise was one-half of a 35-day round trip voyage, with different ports being visited on each crossing. Over 1,000 of the guests onboard were doing the entire journey. Sailing for 35 days in one voyage can certainly help you reach that 4-diamond status more quickly!
Being onboard the Maasdam for over two weeks gave me plenty of time to explore the ship, enjoy the many dining venues, pick up a few cooking tips at the Culinary Arts Center, attend lectures on our ports of call, take some photos of the ship, walk around the classic teak promenade deck every day, read a few books, and even nap a little. All in all, it was a marvelous cruise, despite the fact that we missed three ports of call, something that happens often in the North Atlantic.
Let's take a tour of the Maasdam, starting with the cabins.
Tour of the Maasdam of Holland America Line
Maasdam Photo Galleries
