We recently returned from a 7-day Canada and New England cruise on Holland America’s ms Maasdam.
It was a fantastic cruise, with mostly pleasant sunny, moderate temperatures and beautiful ports as we sailed between Montreal and Boston.
Reflecting back, however, we realized that the reason we had such a great cruise was because of some hospitality superstars among the staffers working on the Maasdam.
Arnold was the wine steward in the Pinnacle Grill. Since we had the Signature Beverage Package, we didn’t order bottles of wine like we normally do, but Arnold cheerfully served us sparkling water, cocktails and wines by the glass that were within our package, all with terrific service and a great smile.
Yenni and Robertus, waiters in the Pinnacle Grill, offered perfect service. The Pinnacle Grill was quite busy on the Maasdam, yet the service these two delivered was top-notch.
In general, we are not fans of open dining in the main dining room, but since we booked at the last minute, we didn’t have much choice. With Ryan and Eka minding the check-in and reservations for open seating dinner, however, we never experienced a wait. We made reservations with them up to two days in advance for dining times at 8 pm or later. (Fixed late-seating was at 7:45 pm, so reserving at 8 pm or later helped avoid the crowd.) This dining room duo also managed the check-in for breakfast in the dining room, and it flowed smoothly every day.
While it is tougher to get to know your waiters with open seating, we appreciated the service of Dewa and Ketut.
Before dinner, whether at the Pinnacle, we’d stop for a pre-dinner drink in the MIX. Bartender Arnel was the best, and we loved that this Mumm Napa sparkling wine, priced at $7 per glass, was included on our beverage package.
After dinner, our entertainment of choice was in the Crow’s Nest. It is space with a beautiful, unique bar staffed usually by Dindo and Leo. They run an excellent bar that was a popular spot for many like-minded travelers.
Cherry, one of the bar staffers in the Crow’s Nest, is not only a hospitality star in her job, she is also a sensational singer in the Filipino Crew show.
Another star of the Filipino crew show (who we nicknamed Charles Barkley), is also on the bar staff in the Crow’s Nest.
We don’t have their pictures (we rarely saw them) but we knew they were cleaning our cabin and at least 23 others with extraordinary care. Dede and Teddy were super room stewards.
Last but not least, we found Cruise Director Jude Day to be exceptional. From her soothing, pleasant and professional voice, to her friendly and approachable nature to her superior public speaking skills when introducing entertainment acts such as the Filipino crew show, Jude was one of the best cruise directors we have ever experienced. We were quite surprised to learn she was on her first cruise contract; hopefully she will have many more so that we will have the opportunity to sail with her again.
All of these superstars (along with many others likely that we didn’t encounter) were led very impressively by Captain Ane Jan Smit and Hotel Director Francois Birarda.
Have you sailed on Holland America’s ms Massdam? Who do you remember that made your cruise something special? Please share in comments below.
Check out these other posts related to our Canada and New England cruise:
- A Look Around Holland America’s Maasdam Cruise Ship
- 17 Fun Facts About Bar Harbor, Maine
- A Look Inside Ocean-View Stateroom 700 on Holland America’s Maasdam Cruise Ship
- 33 Fun Facts About Prince Edward Island, Canada
- In Search of the Best Lobster Roll During Our Canada and New England Cruise
- 14 Fun Facts About Quebec City, Canada
- 15 Fun Facts About Halifax, Nova Scotia
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