Eurodam Questions

[LarryF]

We are considering a 7 night eastern caribbean cruise on the Eurodam in March. Have mostly cruised on Princess, but did cruise on HAL Zuiderdam about 6 years ago, and we loved it...so I don't need to be sold on HAL! :)

 

1. Is the Lido pool the only pool on the ship (not counting the Therapy pool)? If so, is it hard to find chairs near the pool? Does it get real crowded? (I've gotten spoiled on Princess where they have 4 pools).

 

2. If we wanted to rent a Lido cabana or retreat cabana, can you do that in advance of the cruise?

 

3. How many specialty restaurants are there and what is the cost for each?

 

4. What are some of the differences between this ship and the Zuiderdam?

 

5. Please provide any tips or secrets about the ship that would be helpful.;)

 

I'm sure I will have other questions. Thanks in advance for all your answers to my questions...

 

Thanks,

 

Larry

[RuthC]

1. Is the Lido pool the only pool on the ship (not counting the Therapy pool)?

There's another pool outdoors, aft on Lido Deck.

2. If we wanted to rent a Lido cabana or retreat cabana, can you do that in advance of the cruise?

Only if you want to rent for the entire cruise. Leftover cabanas are rented by the day.

3. How many specialty restaurants are there and what is the cost for each?

The Pinnacle Grill is $20 per person for dinner; $10 for lunch. Reservations are required, but can be had fairly easily for lunch.

Tamarind is $15 per person for dinner; there is no charge for a set menu lunch. Reservations are required.

Canaletto is open for dinner at no charge. Reservations are recommended.

4. What are some of the differences between this ship and the Zuiderdam?

There's an additional deck which includes the Tamarind and Silk Den lounge. That's a lovely, quiet lounge with a nice view.

[camofwilliamsburg]

The cabanas are in the lido area and that is designated the family section. If there are kids onboard they all are in that pool and running and jumping in the pool. They also used the one large hot tub also found in that area as a private swimming pool.

If you like that area there is plenty of shade to be found.

Go with anytime dining if you want to go to all the game shows that the staff does. if you do late dining you will miss them all.

I heard there was no comparison to the smaller Holland ships in terms of fresh flowers and service. I heard from seasoned HAL lovers that this Eurodam cruise was the worst they ever had on Holland America. Service was not up to par with what I am use to.Read my review on my own thread for more details. I was with others who also found that the entertainment stunk, the staff was indifferent and slow and the ship looked ragged. No one cleaned the aft pool area and the lounge chairs were all pitted and chipped on the arm rests. We never found one lounger to be in excellent condition. Every one had rips in them. Towels had bleach stains and tears.

Michael in the piano bar was fun. Isa the DJ was great and he interacted with us and engaged us everytime we saw him. That is what we expected.

The show singers were very poor, especially the lead male singer. The shows were a disaster. Could see better talent at our local high school. The ship looked older than it is. Like I said, stains all over the carpeting. Hinges off. Rust in the drains. Cabin stewards that only did minimal.

Food is subjective...but to serve coffee and then 10 min later bring the milk is not right. To bring a pastrami sandwich with fries and have to wait 20 minutes to get ketsup is not right either. To serve pasta and never ask for cheese or ask and wait over 15 min. How about leaving dirty dishes on the table for over 15 minutes each time we were served. This is by multiple different wait staff since we ate in the dining rooms for breakfast and lunch. EMbarkation lunch and mariners lunch. ( Since we cruised under the CCL umbrella we are one star). When I told the front desk of the issues all they did was say "sorry" and do nothing to resolve it. I actually had to ask them to pls find out for me and call me back. They were willing to do nothing. I would not do Eurodam again or their new ship. If I were to try HAL again, I would try one of the smaller ships where everyone said they had the service that I expected.

[Megan01]

Hi LarryF

We're cruising on the Eurodam in 3 weeks for the eastern caribbean itinerary and can't wait. Although I haven't sailed on this ship before, I did research it well and read the numerous comments and reviews on CC from seasoned cruisers. It sounds like a great ship to me with lots of amenities/entertainment for the week that would appeal to many different tastes. Please read the other threads and reviews posted on this site and you will see others who have had excellent experiences. From what I know, the Eurodam is a great choice.

 

We have booked a Retreat cabana for the week as we were told they are hard to get once on board. Apparently, this is a quiet area with loungers in the sun as well as great service. If you want this type of space, you should likely book it when you book your cruise. Its $299 for the week.

 

Good luck with your choice!

[mikey55]

Larry, When we sailed on the Eurodam, it was very new and it was nice. Our only real complaint was the cabanas on the Lido deck. They made the pool area very crowded and eliminated the taco bar. In our opinion, the Zuiderdam is a much better ship, but our favorite is still the Noordam. As far as having trouble with room stewards or wait/bar staff, it has always been non-existent. You receive good treatment when you treat others well.

[LarryF]

Thanks to those of you who answered my questions. It really helped! I've been to the member review section and read all the reviews, of which about 95% graded the Eurodam 5 stars.

 

I have no doubts that we would have a fantastic time on the Eurodam. We are also considering the Westerdam and the Celebrity Eclipse. All have similar itineraries and are similarly priced, except the Westerdam is a few hundred dollars less expensive. We've never been on Celebrity, so we are stymied right now of which cruise to choose! Will make a decision by tomorrow.

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated, but not interested in hearing anything negative. That word just doesn't exist in my vocabulary when it comes to cruising! I work hard and having a week off with my lovely wife on something that floats, has Margheritas and some kind of food is all I need! :D We're pretty easy to please kind of people.

 

Thanks,

 

Larry

[mikey55]

Westerdam is sister ship of Noordam. Westerdam, Westerdam, Westerdam!!

[IRL_Joanie]

We are considering a 7 night eastern caribbean cruise on the Eurodam in March. Have mostly cruised on Princess, but did cruise on HAL Zuiderdam about 6 years ago, and we loved it...so I don't need to be sold on HAL! :)

 

1. Is the Lido pool the only pool on the ship (not counting the Therapy pool)? If so, is it hard to find chairs near the pool? Does it get real crowded? (I've gotten spoiled on Princess where they have 4 pools).

 

2. If we wanted to rent a Lido cabana or retreat cabana, can you do that in advance of the cruise?

 

3. How many specialty restaurants are there and what is the cost for each?

 

4. What are some of the differences between this ship and the Zuiderdam?

 

5. Please provide any tips or secrets about the ship that would be helpful.;)

 

I'm sure I will have other questions. Thanks in advance for all your answers to my questions...

 

Thanks,

 

Larry

 

Larry, have a look at the ships and compare the differences, see many of the staterooms (from Cruise Critic members, along with their comments/descriptions) and also check out the photos of the Public areas here (I find that for me a picture speaks louder than words *Grin*): http://joanjett2000.topcities.com/HAL/

 

Quote "Any suggestions would be appreciated, but not interested in hearing anything negative. That word just doesn't exist in my vocabulary when it comes to cruising! I work hard and having a week off with my lovely wife on something that floats, has Margheritas and some kind of food is all I need! We're pretty easy to please kind of people." Unquote

 

I LOVE YOUR ATTITUDE!!!:)

 

Joanie

[Himself]

I rate the Eurodam the BEST of the larger HAL ships. (Vista Class: Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, Westerdam & Noordam; Signature Class: Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam) I have been on all except the Noordam and Nieuw Amsterdam. I will be on the latter in a few weeks.

[RuthC]

Of those on your list, I have sailed the E-dam and the Westerdam. Of the two, I prefer the Westerdam. My cruise on the Westerdam just seemed to have a better "feel" to it. Everything jelled. I like that the forward area of the Lido pool is more open on the Westerdam. The crew seemed to work together much better, and the service level was higher.

[Boytjie]

On how many more threads are you going to post that?