Eurodam penthouse

[mimicruising]

Hello, fellow cruisers.We are just back from a great cruise on the Eurodam, 12/26 through 1/2, traveling from Ft. Lauderdale to Aruba. We were in a penthouse suite and our grown children and one grandbaby were in deluxe suites. The PH was the best suite we have had on a cruise ship. It was roomy enough to give us a living space for our four grown kids and one baby, to have the whole family dine, and to sunbathe and read on the balcony. The balcony included a fairly secluded hot tub for two. The bedroom was well separated from the living areas so we could put the baby to bed in the bedroom enabling us to watch football, play games and make plenty of noise in the living area without waking him.

 

The waiters, wine stewards, room stewards and other personnel were wonderful. We couldn't have been happier with them. The food was quite good and menu selections were varied and enjoyable. My daughters and I did not like the breakfast eggs but the men didn't complain. HAL had Coke products, including Diet Sprite!!! Last cruise only had Pepsi - yuk! The coffee and tea were surprisingly good. We ordered pitchers of tea from room service to enjoy in the afternoons, along with cookies and chips.

 

We took a case of wine aboard which we bought in Ft. Lauderdale. We enjoyed it in our room without complaints from HAL. A room steward even carried the box aboard.

 

Half Moon Cay, Aruba and Curacao were fun destinations. We took a cab to the hotel area on Aruba where we had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and spent the afternoon on the beach behind the Hilton. The parts of the Hilton that we saw looked great. Our kids think they would like to go to Aruba on vacation and stay at the Hilton.

 

We were disappointed in the concierge. My husband and I had been in the owner's suite on a NCL cruise in the fall and had the most wonderful concierge. Perhaps Erica spoiled us, but we thought teh HAL concierge was useless. There are a couple premium restaurants on the Eurodam which we assumed we would be able to enjoy a few times. We asked the concierge for reservations on the first day of the cruise and she told us to call the reservations number. Isn't that the job of the concierge? We called and were told the only openings were at 9 pm or 5:30 on one or two days. After several calls we finally got into the Tamirind at 7 for one evening. The concierge didn't cancel the 5:30 reservation for the following day, as I had expected her to do, and the restaurant called an hour after that looking for us. Either my family and I have communication issues or the concierge does.

 

I don't think I would choose open seating. It appeared hard to get a table, especially for big groups. Also, we were told it is usually easier to get dinner reservations at the premium restaurants than it was this past week.

 

We also had a tough time getting appointments for the spa and salon. The concierge told us to call the salon/spa directly and then later chided us for not calling her first. I was finally able to get a pedi/mani appointment for Thursday but when I got there they only had me booked for the pedi. A delightful woman named Camelia did my pedicure. It was tops. Our four kiddos had massages which they enjoyed.

 

Other than our complete disappointment with the concierge services, we were quite, quite happy with the trip. In fairness, I must tell you that the concierge probably tried to be helpful after she knew we were annoyed. She offered to babysit the last night for $8 an hour, cash. She said she could be there at 8:30 and stay until 11:30. All six of us had spent every evening after dinner in our cabin so we thought it would be fun to go to the performance. She showed up 30 minutes late and said something had come up and she would have to leave at 10:30. Our very wonderful waiter, Murdoyo, and head waiter, Denny, slowed service for the other four of us waiting for the two young parents to arrive. When they finally arrived about 9 pm we had our dinner and then went back to the PH where they had left the baby sleeping. The concierge told us her boyfriend was waiting for her so they could have dinner. If we had known she was only going to be able to stay for and hour and a half we would have taken the baby to dinner with us and his parents would have left early with him as we had done all week. Argh. Sorry, enough about her. It really was a great trip.

 

Do be careful with your luggage. A passenger took our daughter's suitcase by mistake at the end of the trip. HAL should have some sort of check in place to make sure people only take their own luggage. Our daughter and her family had an early flight so they left for home and we waited until the last to disembark. We found one big black suitcase that resembled our daughter's bag. We gave it to the friendly red coats. One of them was able to reach the bag's owner later in the morning to tell her she had taken the wrong bag. That passenger had to pay to have a courier drive her bag two hours to her Florida home and to have our bag FedExed to us. Hopefully it will be here on Wednesday.

 

Our kids were also very happy with their staterooms and room stewards. They were in 7033 and 7040. A cabinet door was broken and off the hinges in 7033 when we arrived and one day the commode quit working but was repaired. Our daughter had to call 3 times before they fixed it.

 

We were in 7036. The penthouse really needs a doorbell. We almost never heard knocks at the door even when we were expecting them. Some cruise critics have complained about the creakiness of the ship. When the seas were rough one night we had quite a bit of creaking, but not enough to keep us awake. Our kids said our cabin creaked more than theirs did. We had beautiful wall coverings. It looked like real suede. The art work in the PH is lovely too. The extra half bath was handy for us with our kids there so much and the baby sleeping in our room. The pantry was also handy. I liked it all.

 

From an extra survey given out at the end of the trip it appears HAL is considering further limiting the smoking areas. I would love that. People can smoke it their rooms and on their balconies, so one end of our hall reeked and we could smell their smoke on our balcony. The piano bar was too smoky to get near. The casino didn't seem as bad as the piano bar.

 

The crow's nest is a beautiful place to hang out. Be sure to check it out at night too. We were there before leaving Aruba when the lights of the island looked like shimmering jewels below.

 

This trip was during football bowl games and an important Dallas Cowboys game. We were able to see them in our rooms and in bars. Some nice people we met from Toronto told us a Cowboys fan from Boston raised a ruckus in the sports bar until someone changed the satellite to show the Cowboys game. We had been told that day that we would't be able to see it and we were horribly disappointed. So many thanks to the fan who raised the ruckus. Keep in mind that they must be able to change the satelllite feed at will. I guess we shouldn't have taken no for an answer.

 

All in all, it was a lovely trip. Bon voyage to you, fellow cruisers.

[mimicruising]

Hello, fellow cruisers.We are just back from a great cruise on the Eurodam, 12/26 through 1/2, traveling from Ft. Lauderdale to Aruba. We were in a penthouse suite and our grown children and one grandbaby were in deluxe suites. The PH was the best suite we have had on a cruise ship. It was roomy enough to give us a living space for our four grown kids and one baby, to have the whole family dine, and to sunbathe and read on the balcony. The balcony included a fairly secluded hot tub for two. The bedroom was well separated from the living areas so we could put the baby to bed in the bedroom enabling us to watch football, play games and make plenty of noise in the living area without waking him.

 

The waiters, wine stewards, room stewards and other personnel were wonderful. We couldn't have been happier with them. The food was quite good and menu selections were varied and enjoyable. My daughters and I did not like the breakfast eggs but the men didn't complain. HAL had Coke products, including Diet Sprite!!! Last cruise only had Pepsi - yuk! The coffee and tea were surprisingly good. We ordered pitchers of tea from room service to enjoy in the afternoons, along with cookies and chips.

 

We took a case of wine aboard which we bought in Ft. Lauderdale. We enjoyed it in our room without complaints from HAL. A room steward even carried the box aboard.

 

Half Moon Cay, Aruba and Curacao were fun destinations. We took a cab to the hotel area on Aruba where we had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and spent the afternoon on the beach behind the Hilton. The parts of the Hilton that we saw looked great. Our kids think they would like to go to Aruba on vacation and stay at the Hilton.

 

We were disappointed in the concierge. My husband and I had been in the owner's suite on a NCL cruise in the fall and had the most wonderful concierge. Perhaps Erica spoiled us, but we thought teh HAL concierge was useless. There are a couple premium restaurants on the Eurodam which we assumed we would be able to enjoy a few times. We asked the concierge for reservations on the first day of the cruise and she told us to call the reservations number. Isn't that the job of the concierge? We called and were told the only openings were at 9 pm or 5:30 on one or two days. After several calls we finally got into the Tamirind at 7 for one evening. The concierge didn't cancel the 5:30 reservation for the following day, as I had expected her to do, and the restaurant called an hour after that looking for us. Either my family and I have communication issues or the concierge does.

 

I don't think I would choose open seating. It appeared hard to get a table, especially for big groups. Also, we were told it is usually easier to get dinner reservations at the premium restaurants than it was this past week.

 

We also had a tough time getting appointments for the spa and salon. The concierge told us to call the salon/spa directly and then later chided us for not calling her first. I was finally able to get a pedi/mani appointment for Thursday but when I got there they only had me booked for the pedi. A delightful woman named Camelia did my pedicure. It was tops. Our four kiddos had massages which they enjoyed.

 

Other than our complete disappointment with the concierge services, we were quite, quite happy with the trip. In fairness, I must tell you that the concierge probably tried to be helpful after she knew we were annoyed. She offered to babysit the last night for $8 an hour, cash. She said she could be there at 8:30 and stay until 11:30. All six of us had spent every evening after dinner in our cabin so we thought it would be fun to go to the performance. She showed up 30 minutes late and said something had come up and she would have to leave at 10:30. Our very wonderful waiter, Murdoyo, and head waiter, Denny, slowed service for the other four of us waiting for the two young parents to arrive. When they finally arrived about 9 pm we had our dinner and then went back to the PH where they had left the baby sleeping. The concierge told us her boyfriend was waiting for her so they could have dinner. If we had known she was only going to be able to stay for and hour and a half we would have taken the baby to dinner with us and his parents would have left early with him as we had done all week. Argh. Sorry, enough about her. It really was a great trip.

 

Do be careful with your luggage. A passenger took our daughter's suitcase by mistake at the end of the trip. HAL should have some sort of check in place to make sure people only take their own luggage. Our daughter and her family had an early flight so they left for home and we waited until the last to disembark. We found one big black suitcase that resembled our daughter's bag. We gave it to the friendly red coats. One of them was able to reach the bag's owner later in the morning to tell her she had taken the wrong bag. That passenger had to pay to have a courier drive her bag two hours to her Florida home and to have our bag FedExed to us. Hopefully it will be here on Wednesday.

 

Our kids were also very happy with their staterooms and room stewards. They were in 7033 and 7040. A cabinet door was broken and off the hinges in 7033 when we arrived and one day the commode quit working but was repaired. Our daughter had to call 3 times before they fixed it.

 

We were in 7036. The penthouse really needs a doorbell. We almost never heard knocks at the door even when we were expecting them. Some cruise critics have complained about the creakiness of the ship. When the seas were rough one night we had quite a bit of creaking, but not enough to keep us awake. Our kids said our cabin creaked more than theirs did. We had beautiful wall coverings. It looked like real suede. The art work in the PH is lovely too. The extra half bath was handy for us with our kids there so much and the baby sleeping in our room. The pantry was also handy. I liked it all.

 

From an extra survey given out at the end of the trip it appears HAL is considering further limiting the smoking areas. I would love that. People can smoke it their rooms and on their balconies, so one end of our hall reeked and we could smell their smoke on our balcony. The piano bar was too smoky to get near. The casino didn't seem as bad as the piano bar.

 

The crow's nest is a beautiful place to hang out. Be sure to check it out at night too. We were there before leaving Aruba when the lights of the island looked like shimmering jewels below.

 

This trip was during football bowl games and an important Dallas Cowboys game. We were able to see them in our rooms and in bars. Some nice people we met from Toronto told us a Cowboys fan from Boston raised a ruckus in the sports bar until someone changed the satellite to show the Cowboys game. We had been told that day that we would't be able to see it and we were horribly disappointed. So many thanks to the fan who raised the ruckus. Keep in mind that they must be able to change the satelllite feed at will. I guess we shouldn't have taken no for an answer.

 

All in all, it was a lovely trip. Bon voyage to you, fellow cruisers.

[Sage]

The PS are wonderful. I'm so glad that you enjoyed yours. We just love them as well.

[Former Goalie]

Just read this, we are on Eurodam this spring. The concierge does sound very disappointing, and for the price you were paying for the PS, you do have reason to feel short changed. One of the main roles of the concierge is to call the spa and restaurants for the guest to make reservations.

If the concierge wouldn't do that for me, I most likely would have gone up the management chain to complain.

What also perplexes me is that concierges rely on gratuities for the bulk of their compensation, and providing inferior service is no way to boost gratuities.

[Host Walt]

We sailed on the Maiden Voyage of the Statendam in what was then called a Veranda room. Statendam was the first HAL ship that had a Penthouse Suite and it was occupied by some guy named Ted Arison :rolleyes:.

 

Because Ted and his family disembarked before our return to Fort Lauderdale, the Guest Services manager offered us a chance to see the Penthouse. It was incredible.

 

The best we've done on HAL is a full suite on the Maiden voyage of Maasdam and we loved it, so it was fun to read about the PS experience from a first hand point of view.

 

I'm amazed that the concierge wasn't better trained and/or supervised given how that is one of the most important "plus" services offered to a Penthouse guest.

 

Hopefully HAL will put a bit more focus on the quality of services provided to PS guests in the future.

[sail7seas]

All the concierges on all the HAL ships rotate from Front Office. There are no 'dedicated' concierges that always do that job. They do a certain number of weeks and then go back to Front Office and someone else becomes concierge for the next number of cruises.

 

We have found most are very good but every now and then we have someone who is less helpful/efficient. They answer directly to Guest Relations Manager (GRM) and anytime you are displeased with what service the concierge provides, you may wish to speak with the GRM.

 

Happy to hear how much you and your family enjoyed your Penthouse. We have sailed in it and agree, they are beautiful cabins.

 

Welcome back and thanks for the report.

 

[IRL_Joanie]

What a nice review, good and bad. It was good to see that you did not let the Conxierge's lack of good service make this a less than pleasurable cruise!!

 

I normally do not suggest this, but I think that as a Penthouse client, you deserved better than you received and with that said, I think you should write a letter to HAL's offices.Let them know how enjoyable the cruise was, but also tell them your Concierge experiences.

 

JMHO

 

Joanie

[Cristiano]

My DW & I were in 7044 on the April 25th 2009 TA for 28 days and had a fabulous voyage.

 

The concierge was Reyan and he was fantastic nothing was a problem and whatever he was asked to do would be done dilligently and efficiently.

 

He knew everyone by their names and treated everyone equally.

 

Some of the suite passengers were to say the least very demanding.

 

As by chance, the Amsterdam was in Sydney recently and we were invited on board to dine in the Pinnacle (by some very close friends made whilst on the TA) and whom did we meet none other than Reyan.

 

He remembered our names and greated us with a hug.

 

It is a shame when something as happend to the OP occurs which cast a shadow over others that may work in the Neptune.

 

I hope that next time your experience with the concierge is far better and hopefully someone at HAL will take note.

 

ciao,

 

Cristiano.

[HWY 101]

I have to agree as we were just down the hallway close to the Neptune on a recent departure from fll on the Eurodam and although the cociegers )(mispelled on purpose becauze i am typing fats/ fast) we enjoyed our deluxe suite. also liked the free treats (foodies, juices and such for you Southern folks)...

 

I do agree with the doorbell thingy though as the card swipe didn't always work and some folks just entered and exited thru the staff door..

C

 

CanT be more careful this days now can we? happy sailings..;)

 

me thinks, some do state their opinion and complain too much.. 2010 is gonna have some growth, but forget the "I demand that comments imo"..

[DizzyDallasDi]

This trip was during football bowl games and an important Dallas Cowboys game. We were able to see them in our rooms and in bars. Some nice people we met from Toronto told us a Cowboys fan from Boston raised a ruckus in the sports bar until someone changed the satellite to show the Cowboys game. We had been told that day that we would't be able to see it and we were horribly disappointed. So many thanks to the fan who raised the ruckus. Keep in mind that they must be able to change the satelllite feed at will. I guess we shouldn't have taken no for an answer.

 

Ah yes, the Redskins game was during your cruise...sweet victory. And then yesterday we became NFC East Champs! :D:D I was on the Eurodam in Nov. '08 and bugged the bartender in the Sports Bar untl he had someone change the soccer game to football. I had to watch my Boys play the Giants, even if it was a loss.

 

Thank you for your wonderful review of the lovely Eurodam. I'm sure I'll never have the opportunity to sail in a PS, but I'm perfectly happy to sit on my aft balcony. ;) That concierge was really out there...too bad you didn't get the level of service you deserved. I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise.

 

Diane

[HWY 101]

Let's be pro active, wheel chairs or not.. Sports Bar wiff smoking .. so much for new years resolution... happy sailings...

 

The World Cup and the Winter Olympics are coming soon..

 

http://www.southafrica.info/2010/zakumi.htm

 

http://www.vancouver2010.com/

 

the cruise ships will be here for sure.. floating hotels..

[mrspeck]

So happy to hear you had a good trip. We were in Eurodam's 7036 last January and enjoyed every minute. The assistance from the Neptune was excellent in our case...sorry you didn't get treated as well. As to the creakiness of the cabin, we had the same issue. I did figure something out after a couple of nights having difficulties with sleeping. I've read many posts saying that the creaking is coming from the ceiling panels, which I agree with, but a very large portion of the noise, I found was coming from the double doors that partition the bedroom from the dining room. With the doors open, most of the noise disappeared and we slept soundly.

 

I so envy your stay in that suite! We are on the Westerdam at the end of the month and are booked in an aft corner suite...I'm kicking myself now for not biting the bullet and going for the ps again! Maybe next time!

 

Happy sails!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

Thanks for taking the time to write your report.

 

I agree about the PS being great!! Have been in them quite a few times. Agree -- need a door bell!!

 

We were on the Eurodam in Nov/Dec of 2008 and also had 1 out of 2 concierges that was bad!! You only mentioned one concierge -- there are 2. Why didn't you approach the other one?

 

[Sage]

There are some ship PS that have a doorbell. If I'm not mistaken, the Volendam comes to mind and maybe the Rotterdam. Our favorite is the Noordam PS, as the doors to the bedroom close and lock in place. We discovered this after the creaking on the first night; no more creaking.

[sail7seas]

There are doorbells for "S" Suites on some ships. Not the "S" ships, but maybe Rotterdam or Amsterdam. I don't recall which but am sure we have had "S" suites with a doorbell andit was great for we were on the Verandah.

 

Friends from here on CC were in Westerdam's Penthouse our November cruise and when we visited with them, we did sometimes have to knock a few times as it's hard to hear someone knocking if you are not near the door.

[vinodoc]

We will be on the Eurodam this summer for Baltic cruise and have booked SA7038 which is the room right next to PS. Due to the angles of the PS balcony, are you able to see into your neighbor's balcony and they into yours?

 

As you can see here, the PS 7036's balcony angles in as in this diagram:

http://book.hollandamerica.com/fleet/deckPlan.do?ship=ed&deck=rt&year=next

 

Thanks

 

Kevin

[Krazy Kruizers]

We will be on the Eurodam this summer for Baltic cruise and have booked SA7038 which is the room right next to PS. Due to the angles of the PS balcony, are you able to see into your neighbor's balcony and they into yours?

 

As you can see here, the PS 7036's balcony angles in as in this diagram:

http://book.hollandamerica.com/fleet/deckPlan.do?ship=ed&deck=rt&year=next

 

Thanks

 

Kevin

 

No -- we had to stand right at the rail by the divider just to talk to the people in the SA next to our PS.

The "hump" out part is a good distance from the SA thus we were not able to see onto their verandah.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We had doorbells on the Zaandam which could only be heard out on the verandah -- not inside the S (SA) suite.

[vinodoc]

No -- we had to stand right at the rail by the divider just to talk to the people in the SA next to our PS.

 

The "hump" out part is a good distance from the SA thus we were not able to see onto their verandah.

 

Thanks!! Now I Just have to wait until July!

 

Kevin

[mimicruising]

We could not easily see into any other balcony. If you looked directly over the rail you could see the railing area of the two below. Once when I was standing at the corner point of our railing I realized lots of other people were standing at their rails looking at me in my modest nightgown.

 

I forgot to mention the wonderful music system in the PH suite. We were able to plug in our IPod and play it on speakers inside and on the balcony. Easy to use individual controls were located in the bathroom, bedroom, living room and balcony. I hope our neighbors liked the music selections that played on the balcony most days! Our kiddos didn't have that feature in the veranda suites, but they had taken portable speakers for their IPods.

 

We should have had a review of the features and switches in the suite. I'm not sure how my husband found the IPod dock which was located inside a shelf over the tv boxes. We didn't find the light switch for the balcony until the 3rd day. A short tour would have been very helpful.

 

The concierge referred to another young woman as her assistant. We did speak with her a few times. The second was friendlier but we couldn't tell if she was more helpful. When my card quit working the second time, #2 said, with no smile at all, "It must be your magnetic personality." I'm sure #1 had told her I was evil after I called asking for the phone number of the hotel manager. Now that I know HAL rotates people through the front office to work as temporary concierges I do wish I had called Stan Kuppens. Why would you not promote the best to that important position and leave her in place full time? As an employer, I don't understand the reasoning.

[Krazy Kruizers]

yes -- you should have gotten hold of Stan Kruppens -- we met him on the Eurodam as well -- what a wonderful hotel manager!!

The concierges are in the Neptune Lounge for up to 3 months at a time. Some are promoted for whatever reason HAL thinks they should get promoted.

The concierge we had problems with -- on a 26 day cruise -- we ended up reporting to the guest relations manager. Our problems with her began on day 1!! After a couple of confrontations we did go to the guest relations manager and she of course was informed of our displeasure with her. She was very huffy with us. But we didn't let it bother us -- we just waited and dealt with the other concierge -- he was very nice. Then a funny thing happened on the second cruise -- we had done back-to-backs -- several other people had problems with her -- we found this out near the end of the cruise and exchanged what had happened to each of us. Trust me -- she didn't get any tips from any of us -- but the man certainly did.

[Sage]

I too wish that HAL would follow the example of other cruise lines and have a dedicated Concierge. We have never had a bad Concierge, but I feel that there are definite advantages to a full time position as Concierge.

[Tillylovesseabourn]

Would it be possible to name this concierge?

 

Surely if they are giving a poor service and continue to do so on future cruises, it is worth looking out for?

 

Also could report on any improvements to the member of staff??

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sorry I will not name the concierge that we had that was not up to snuff -- HAL does read these boards -- I did write her up on our comment card -- which was quite some time ago.

[Tillylovesseabourn]

Sorry I will not name the concierge that we had that was not up to snuff -- HAL does read these boards -- I did write her up on our comment card -- which was quite some time ago.

 

I am little confused as to why it would cause a problem to give a first name of a member of staff who is clearly not doing their job properly?

 

Surely if HAL did indeed look at these boards, it would only benefit them and those customers who were made aware of the problem, thus negating any future issues/ and or making the company further aware of deep set issues with an individual.

 

I run a medium to large size business and if someone was clearly upsetting my customer base like this individual has been doing, I would want to know, about that member of staff? As for cruising individuals wouldn't you consider it a more pleasant experience if one did not have to deal with that particular member of staff, thus negating further anguish for your fellow cc'rs??

 

I am cruising shortly on Eurodam, in the penthouse, and I would certainly have no problem letting others know, who indeed was causing any service issues I might have, so that they would indeed have a more pleasant experience than mine.