Thread: ms Maasdam - history

ms Maasdam (1993-present) Built in 1993 as ms Maasdam by Fincantieri - Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A., Monfalcone, Italy for Holland America Line. She is the fifth ship to bear the name in Holland America Line’s more than 130-year history. She was named after the river ‘Maas’ and the town by that same name in the Dutch province of Zuid Holland (South Holland), located about 14 km south of the city of Rotterdam, in the municipality of Binnenmaas. Maasdam is the second ship of the four-ship (initially only three) “S” or “Statendam” class. Statendam (1993), Ryndam (1994) and Veendam (1996) are her sisters. At 720-feet, she was designed to carry fewer passengers (1,266) while providing more space for maximum comfort. Many of her staterooms feature ocean views and, for the first time on a Holland America Line ship, have private verandahs.



The first Maasdam operated for Holland America Line from 1883 until 1884. She was built by Henderson, Coulbourn & Co. in Renfrew, Scotland as a brig-rigged, steel-hulled steamer and was initially named ‘Maas’. On 24 October 1884, while underway from Rotterdam to New York, she caught fire which resulted in all passengers and crew having to abandon her. Maasdam I subsequently sank in the Atlantic Ocean.

The second Maasdam was launched on 4 July 1871 as the Republic for UK-based Oceanic Steam Navigation Co. She was purchased by the Holland Amerika Lijn on 15 June 1889 and, after a refit in Rotterdam, named Maasdam. After plying the Atlantic for HAL for thirteen years, she was sold to Italy-based Fratelli Bozzo in March 1902. She was ultimately sold for scrap and, as Citta Di Napoli, broken up in 1909.

Maasdam III was launched on 21 October 1920 at the Rotterdam-Feijenoord yard, the Netherlands as an 8,800 grt cargo-passenger vessel. She could carry 14 passengers in First Class accommodation, 174 in Second Class plus 800 in Third Class. She was initially operated by HAL on their Mexico run. After a refit in 1934, she was used between Rotterdam and New York. After the Netherlands were invaded and occupied by Germany in 1940, Maasdam III was operated by the British Ministry of War Transport. On 26 June 1941 while sailing from Halifax, NS to Liverpool, England, she was attacked and torpedoed by the German Kriegsmarine (Navy) sub U-564. She sank as a result of this attack with two loss of life among her crew.

Maasdam IV was built at Dok en Werfmaatschappij (Dock and Shipbuilding Co.) Wilton-Feijenoord in Schiedam in the Netherlands during 1952. She and her two-year older sister Ryndam were known as HAL’s ‘Economy Twins’. At 15,000 grt, they could carry 854 passengers. The fourth Maasdam was used on the transatlantic liner service between Rotterdam and New York (with some voyages to Montreal, Quebec), on cruises to Bermuda and on some trips to Australia. She was eventually sold to the Polish Ocean Lines in 1968 who renamed her Stefan Batory. After additional owners and periods of layup, she met her end at the scrap yard of Aliaga, Turkey where she was broken up in 1999

Maasdam V’s keel was laid down at Monfalcone on 4 April 1991. After running technical trials in the Adriatic, she was handed over to her owners on 30 October 1993. On 5 November 1993 she commenced a transatlantic crossing, with crew but without passengers, to the east coast of the United States under the command of Captain Coenraad Menke, with Holland America Line since 1956. Maadam made port calls at Boston, Mass, New York City, NY, Baltimore, MD, Charleston, SC and Port Canaveral, FL, before arriving at her home port of Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. More than 16,000 travel agents, more than 700HAL Grand Cruise alumni and approximately 150 media representatives visited the ship at the ports where open houses, alumni luncheons and overnight stays were conducted. On 3 December 1993, Maasdam was named and christened in Port Everglades by her godmother, actress June Allyson. That same afternoon, she sailed her inaugural/maiden voyage, a ten-day cruise to the Caribbean. Since then, she has sailed to the Caribbean, Canada/New England, Europe, the Panama Canal, Central and South America, Alaska, Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. In 1994, she conducted her first World Cruise. On 10 May 1996 she along with her fleet mates (except Veendam) switched from a Bahamian flag and registration (Nassau) to a Dutch one (Rotterdam).




The four ships of the class are just about identical, having only minor changes in their internal layout. However, each one has a different decorative theme. Maasdam’s theme pays tribute to the Dutch East and West India companies of the 17th through 19th centuries, with more than U.S. $2 million worth of art and artifacts displayed throughout the ship. Other intriguing art featured on the Maasdam are two abstract murals painted especially for the Rotterdam Dining Room, a collection of seven iron teapots and a charcoal brazier from Japan, which dates from the end of Edo period.

Maasdam has one penthouse, 28 suites, 120 deluxe staterooms, 352 outside staterooms and 132 inside staterooms for a total of 633. She, along with her three sisters, were the first new HAL cruise ships to have features like an atrium, a multi (two)-story main dining room and main show lounge, and an indoor/outdoor Lido pool with retractable roof. When launched, Maasdam came out with a Java Café coffee bar, Explorers Lounge, Piano Bar, Ocean Bar (a HAL trademark), Crow’s Nest (observation lounge by day/nightclub by night), Leyden Library, Puzzle Corner, Card room, Hudson room, Half Moon room (the latter two can be combined into one room for meetings and private parties), the 249-seat Wajang (movie) theater (also used for lectures, meetings and religious services), Photo Gallery, Shopping Arcade (plus Kiosk and Boutique), Casino (offering blackjack, Caribbean poker, roulette, craps and 97 slot machines), Beauty Shop, Ocean Spa and Gymnasium (with ]juice bar, massage area, two sauna and two steam rooms) 403-seat Lido (buffet) Restaurant, the 657-seat two-level Rotterdam dining room connected by a pair of sweeping, curved staircases with shiny brass railings, a ceiling canopy made from Venetian glass and an antique marble fountain from Argentina, two small and private dining rooms known as the Queens and Kings rooms and two outdoor swimming pools (one that can be closed off with a magrodome), two Jacuzzis and a small children wading pool (since covered up) and two deck tennis courts (since changed to one practice tennis court on port, and one basketball court on starboard side).

The “S” class ships were all designed with somewhat of a novelty at sea, a public escalator that could be used by embarking passengers on Main deck to reach their cabins on Lower Promenade deck while getting a glimpse of the ship’s atrium. Maasdam’s escalator will be removed during her April 2011 dry-dock. That atrium, three-stories high, showcases Italian artist Luciano Vistosi’s “Totem”, a monumental sculpture consisting of nearly 2,000 pieces of (mostly green) colored glass modules. As light hits all the different pieces of glass, a variety of effects are created. The green crystal modules were made by hand in Murano, Italy. At the forward end of Maasdam’s Lido Pool there is a 12-foot high cast bronze sculpture of five leaping bottlenose dolphins created by the British artist Susanna Holt. The 600-seat Rembrandt Theater/show lounge forward on both Promenade and Upper Promenade Decks commemorates Dutch 17th century Master Rembrandt van Rijn.

During a regularly scheduled dry-dock in Seattle, WA in October 2003, Maasdam gained her second alternative restaurant, the 66-seat Pinnacle Grill featuring Pacific Northwest fare and fine wines (none of the four “S” class ships were built with one). In order to install the restaurant on Maasdam and her three “S” class sisters,HAL had the private dining room, known as the Kings room, a portion of the Explores Lounge, the Maitre d’s office, as well as the small 'Video Arcade' gutted and converted that space into a Pinnacle Grill restaurant with 'ocean views’. On the “S” class ships, the PG is located on Upper Promenade Deck starboard side in between the main dining room and the Explorers Lounge. In addition, a new and private concierge lounge, called the Neptune Lounge, was constructed on Navigation Deck for the exclusive use by Deluxe Verandah and Penthouse suite occupants (Maasdam lost eight inside staterooms in order to build the lounge). The new lounge gives those guests a peaceful, private retreat where they can relax and get whatever assistance they need such as fresh towels, shore excursion reservations, etc, from their personal concierge. Lastly, some of her SOE soft goods were installed.



In November 2003, Holland America Cruise Line announced a U.S. $225 million program of up-scaling their cruise ships, cruise line image and passenger cruise experience called the 'Signature of Excellence program'. This enhancement program included stateroom amenities: Sealy Posturepedic Premium Plush Euro-Top mattresses, 100% white cotton woven bed linens, waffle-weave and terry cloth bathrobes and extra-fluffy Egyptian cotton towels to all cabin categories; new massage-type showerheads and professional-grade quiet hair dryers in all bathrooms; new flat-screen LCD televisions, 5x magnifying make-up mirrors with halo lightning, fresh flowers, complimentary fruit baskets and stainless-steel ice buckets with serving trays in all cabins; plus comfortable bed duvets, fully-stocked mini-bars, personalized stationary, DVD players and access to a well-stocked DVD library in all suite-category staterooms.

Also new would be a Culinary Arts Center (inside the Wajang Theater) presented by Food & Wine magazine with a state-of-the-art show kitchen equipped with plasma video screens and on-stage counters for gourmet cooking demonstrations, tasting events and interactive classes; a Wine Tasting Bar and Gourmet Shop where guests can purchase culinary items including china and silverware from the Pinnacle Grill as well as HAL Master Chef’s Rudi Sodamin’s cook books, (in place of her Java Café); the introduction of the Pinnacle Grill alternative restaurant and private Neptune concierge lounge on all ships, two additional dining times in the main dining room, a casual dinner option with table-side waiter service inside the Lido Restaurant; an Explorations Café “powered by the New York Times”, which offers guests an opportunity to sip coffee, browse through one of the most extensive libraries at sea, enjoy a wide selection of music at one of several listening stations or surf the Internet; a refurbished Crow’s Nest; an expanded Greenhouse Spa and Salon with new treatment rooms offering a thermal suite with hydrotherapy and thalassotherapy hot tub/Jacuzzi as well as heated ceramic lounges plus the extension and expansion of the fitness facility/gymnasium, out and above the ship’s bridge.

In addition, changes were made for non-adults, including newly expanded youth (toddler and tween) facilities within the "Club HAL" program and the creation of the interior “Loft” and exterior “Oasis” for teens. The younger cruisers (ages 3-12) can enjoy supervised, age-specific activities in a more comprehensive Youth Program (art tables, big screen TV, slide). The Loft is a teens-only (ages 13-18) lounge designed to resemble a New York artist's loft and comes complete with dance floor, lights, music videos, DVDs, arcade games, air hockey, foosball, Karaoke, Internet access and Sony Playstations. The Oasis is a secluded, teens-only sun deck with covered snack areas where teens can soak up rays in hammocks and then cool off in a one-of-a-kind waterfall and cave.

Shipboard program changes under SOE #1 included an expanded Exploration Speaker series, unique Medallion and Collection shore excursions, iPod art tours of all ships, new wine packages, an early embarkation program (as early as 11:30 am) for guests, flexible As You Wish dining with four dining times in the main dining room, an expanded Pinnacle Grill menu, exclusive flatware, china and stemware in all restaurants, and a broad expansion of the Greenhouse Spa and Salon facilities and treatments.




For Maasdam, this refit meant the disappearance of her Java Café, Leyden Library, Puzzle Corner, Card Room and Kristal Terrace. As a result, Maasdam paid a visit to the Grand Bahama Shipyard at Freeport, the Bahamas, emerging on 26 April 2006 from a three-week makeover that incorporated the major SOE part 1 enhancements.

For the first time in company history, Maasdam made Norfolk, VA her home port for sixteen of her cruises in 2004. In total, Maasdam had eight departures in 2004 from Norfolk for 11-day cruises of the southern Caribbean (Half Moon Cay, the Bahamas, Road Town, Tortola, BVI, Cabrits/Rouseau, Dominica, Bridgetown, Barbados, Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe and Charlotte, Amalle, St. Thomas, USVI) and seven departures for 10-day tours of the eastern Caribbean islands (Half Moon Cay, the Bahamas, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Phillipsburg, Sint Maarten, St. John’s, Antigua and Charlotte, Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI). In addition, Norfolk was the final stop on the ship's 14-day eastern Canada sailing that originated in Montreal, Que on 16 October



In August 2008, HAL announced further enhancements to, as well as new features on, five of the line's ships as part of its ongoing Signature of Excellence program. Over the next five years the four “S” sisters as well as the lead ship of the 'R' class, ms Rotterdam, will undergo extensive dry docks to create new venues, new staterooms and new decor.

During a scheduled dry-dock at the Grand Bahama shipyard in Freeport, the Bahamas from 2 through 16 January 2009, Maasdam gained “Merabella”, an exclusive luxury jewelry boutique. Merabella is located on Upper Promenade Deck mid-ships, in between the Explorers Lounge and Maasdam’s Piano Bar. It was created by gutting the extreme forward portion of the Explorers Lounge.

On 30 January 2009, Maasdam also gained the Digital Workshop program by Microsoft which is comprised of complimentary classes led by a Microsoft-trained “techspert”. As part of the program, located in the Queen’s Room, her passengers can learn to use computers to enhance photos, produce and publish videos onto a DVD and create personal web pages or blogs. In addition, one-on-one coaching, called “Techspert Time” is available for more than 20 hours each week.

On 1 June 2009, HAL announced that, except for Veendam, completed at end of April 2009, and Rotterdam, completed in December 2009, the SOE part 2 enhancements will be accomplished in two phases. First, in a series of dry-docks in 2010 and 2011, Statendam, Maasdam and Ryndam will receive their stateroom upgrades, 16 Spa staterooms, the addition of Mix, Showroom at Sea and, for those ships that do not already have it, Canaletto and Merabella and other public area enhancements. The second series of dry-docks in 2012 and 2013 will add thirty-eight new Lanai staterooms on Deck 6/Lower Promenade deck, whose large sliding glass doors will provide direct access to the walk-around teak promenade. After experiences water leakage problem with the Retreat pool concept on both Veendam and Rotterdam, it is unclear if the Retreat pool as well as the new pre-fabricated block of twenty sixnew verandah and five inside staterooms on the stern will be added on Statendam, Maasdam and Ryndam during their next scheduled dry-dock period (for Maasdam scheduled in the fall of 2013).


During a 14-day southern Caribbean cruise on 30 April 2010, the finishing touches were made to Maasdam’s second alternative restaurant, “Canaletto”, a complimentary casual-style Italian restaurant for dinner. (It opened on 05 May 2010). Canaletto, named for the famous 18th century Venetian artist, which debuted on the ms Eurodam in 2008, will come to life for dinner nightly between 5:30 and 9:30 pm when a section of the ship’s Lido restaurant is transformed into the Italian restaurant. Canaletto's menu begins with an antipasti plate that changes nightly, followed by soup choices, salad, four pasta dishes and entrees like Veal Milanese, Chicken Marsala Scaloppini, Osso Bucco and Cod Putanesca.

Maasdam is scheduled to enter dry-dock in Freeport, the Bahamas from 4 through 24 April 2011 for the first phase of her SOE part 2 enhancements. During that dry-dock she will receive:

- The upgrading of all of her existing staterooms with new decor, modern wall sconces, carpeting, drapes, pillows and bed runners, resurfaced desks and vanities, and new vanities and cabinetry in the bathrooms.

- The upgrading of her Ocean Bar.

- “Mix”, a multi-themed new bar concept featuring three separate areas where either Champagne, for mid-day mimosas or anytime celebrations, Martinis, for Grey Goose cocktails and martini flights and/or Spirits & Ales for microbrews, single malts and sports updates are served. In order to accomplish this, Maasdam’s original Piano and Casino Bars will be gutted A number of Microsoft Surface tables will be found inside on which electronic games can be played. In addition, the entertainment area on Upper Promenade deck will be opened up (walls will literally be knocked down) to create a better flow between shops, bars and the casino.

- “Showroom at Sea,” Maasdam’s Rembrandt main show lounge will be transformed into the Showroom at Sea with the ambiance of a nightclub and where a new slate of shows will be performed at night.

- The addition/creation of thirty-eight new Lanai staterooms on Deck 6/Lower Promenade whose large sliding glass doors (with one-way-mirror coating to ensure privacy) will provide direct access to the walk-around teak promenade. Each Lanai room will offer its passengers two reserved teak lounge chairs just outside the cabin.



- The conversion of sixteen staterooms (fourteen outside and two inside) on Verandah Deck, two decks below the nearby Greenhouse Spa, Known as “Spa staterooms” with a variety of enhanced amenities, each of them will offer exclusive items such as organic cotton bathrobes and slippers, a yoga mat, an iPod docking station, a countertop water feature, special room service menus and exclusive spa treatments.

Maasdam’s first Cruise after that 2011 dry-dock will be a 13-day Canada/New England from Fort Lauderdale, Fl to New York, NY on 24 April 2011.