Eurodam March 2-9

[PaganView]

Just back from a terrific cruise on the Eurodam. A few thoughts:

 

We originally booked a category H cabin about 3 weeks prior to sailing but quickly received an upsell offer of $59/pp for a balcony. We were happy to oblige and settled on VC 5151. We were very pleased with the location, just off the bank of aft elevators on the starboard side. Extremely convenient and quiet.

 

We arrived at the terminal parking garage at 11:00 and were in our room by 12:00. I had wanted to try the dining room for lunch but it was reserved that day for 3 star and above mariners. So off to the lido we went. We enjoyed the "Flavors of the World" station all week as it gave me a chance to try things I would have never ordered at a restaurant, especially Asian and Indian foods. The 48 hour code red procedures were not a problem in the Lido. My only quibble was the narrow walking space between the serving stations and the row of tables on the outside of the walled off eating space. These were often taken (rightly so) by mobility impaired passengers, but I was always afraid someone was going to land in their laps. Not enough space to pass by if there was a line at the serving areas.

 

Due to the lateness of our booking, our only option for dinner was anytime dining. This was our first experience with it and it worked for us, but didn't give the same experience as seated dining, in our opinion. The service was inconsistent, but we were in no rush so it didn't really matter. I think Thursday night was the first night the server made a point to introduce himself to us by name and ask after each course if we were satisfied. Not a big deal as we only had one course at dinner all week that didn't meet our expectations, and even then our attitude was "oh well, we can get pizza later tonight if we get hungry :)." We requested a table for 2 each night and only had to wait once for about 5 minutes.

 

Bottom line for us on anytime dining: we would do it again, definitely if we had the kids with us. I think reserving a table and having the same wait staff may do something for the service, but it wasn't a big deal for us. Others may see, and be discouraged by, the differences in attention compared to seated dining.

 

We attended the introductory show Saturday evening and that helped us plan what we wanted to do for the week. We spent most of our time in the Queen's Lounge in the evenings enjoying the BB King All-Star Blues Band (aka Memphis Sound). They were phenomenal. I really can't recommend them enough if you enjoy live music, especially if you like blues, soul, early rock and roll, etc. We also spent a little time in the piano bar. The pianist was talented but we felt he lost control of the room to the detriment of the entertainment. A little bantering would be fine, but 5 minutes between songs made things drag along. The comedian/magician was pretty good and we enjoyed his show one night.

 

JT Watters was our cruise director and looking back through some recent reviews, it appears that this was his first or second week on the ship. He was very professional, with the usual corny cruise director jokes, but I felt he did a good job. I did not attend any of the culinary events so I did not interact with Laurie the party planner. The DJ Seth hosted a couple of trivia events in the evenings and he did a good job of policing the crowd at the bar who liked to yell out answers.

 

I have seen many questions about happy hour so I thought I would describe how it worked on Eurodam this week. Every day from 4:30-5:30 in the Crows Nest, drinks were buy one, get the second for $1. From 7-8, happy hour moved to the Silk Den, and then at 10:30-11:30 in the Explorer's lounge. The drinks had to be the same, so I couldn't order a margarita for me and get a lemon drop for my husband, so we would order a suncicle for each of us in the Crow's Nest and then later have a Lemon Drop each in the Silk Den. I did see hot appetizers in the Crows Nest but never had any. The honey roasted peanuts were enough for us.

 

We chose self-disembarkation as we had a 15 hour drive home. We were off the ship at 7:07 and back to the parking garage by 7:25. We had packed lightly so we were able to manage our luggage completely on our own. We had to rescue an older woman in the elevator who had gotten her very large suitcase stuck and was trying to disembark early.

 

Overall we had a fantastic week. We were relaxed and entertained, which is just what we wanted.

[portofrome]

Thanks for the review.

[trub]

thanks for posting your review and am glad you had a good cruise - will be on eurodam later in the year so good to hear she is in good shape

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[hal lover]

Thanks for your review. Glad you had a great time!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for your review.

Glad you had a wonderful cruise.

[Vict0riann]

Thanks for the review. We will be on her in a few weeks, so I'm very interested. Did you find the Queen's Lounge terribly crowded for the BBKing stuff? I was wondering if you had to go in way ahead to find a seat.

[dag144]

Sailing this coming Sat. 3/16. Sounds good. Thanks for the review.:):)

[PaganView]

Thanks for the review. We will be on her in a few weeks, so I'm very interested. Did you find the Queen's Lounge terribly crowded for the BBKing stuff? I was wondering if you had to go in way ahead to find a seat.

 

I think we arrived about 15 minutes early to get a seat. It allowed us enough time to have our drinks delivered before the music started. Most nights it was standing room only and people would come and go during the 10 minute breaks between sets. There was enough turnover that if you wanted a seat you could probably find one if you waited long enough.

[Vict0riann]

Thanks, Elizabeth. Ann

[foodgirl]

Thanks for your review.....always love to hear things about the "E"......as I have been on her 3 tiimes you could say I really like her a lot. Wishing we were going to have the BB Kings band on our upcoming Nieuw Amsterdam cruise, but maybe next time.....sounds like you had a relaxing time which is what DH and I do as well.

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.

[superoma]

Glad you enjoyed the Eurodam. We loved her too!! Thanks for your review.

[paganwoman]

Thanks for the review. My husband and I will be on her in May of this year to the Baltics. Sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam two years ago and loved it so am looking forward to the Eurodam. I am thrilled to hear about the BBKing venue and look forward to it. Welcome home.:) Like your name by the way !!!!

[kazu]

thanks so much for taking the time to share your experiences with us.

 

Great review. Enjoyed it:D

 

Welcome home:)

[Dallas girl]

Thanks for your review & the HH tips. :D

[GalFromTexas]

Thanks for the review! My husband & I cruise on the Eurodam on the 16th (yes of March) and I'm glad to find someone who can give me tips. What night were you unhappy with your food, or what dish was it? We want to eat in the Tamarind one night, but we don't want to miss out on a great meal in the dining room!

 

Also - my husband wants to hit the beach at every stop (except PR - where we will visit his brother). Did you happen to go to the beach anywhere?

 

Thanks, Jeanne

[PaganView]

I didn't love the menu the last evening. There is a link on Joanie's (?) page here to menus for the Nieuw Amsterdam and I'm pretty sure the menus are the same. You should take a peek and see what appeals to you. I wish we had gone to Tamarind the last night.

 

The only menu item I couldn't tolerate was the apple and pear gazpacho at the Mariner's brunch. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it wasn't to my liking at all! No one at my table took more than a few sips. My husband didn't care for the Pho on night 3 or 4.

 

We hit the pool at Margaritaville in Grand Turk due to a very stiff breeze on the beach.

 

Do a search for Water Island on the St. Thomas board. We went over on our own and had the best time until the Kon Tiki arrived around noon. Spent $20 for transportation total and then bought lunch (2 hot dogs, a soda and a beer for $17). Kon Tiki excursion is $50/pp. I was relaxed and felt good I didn't waste money on an overpriced excursion.

[erewhon]

Thank you for your review.

 

Pleased that you had a fantastic week.

[JamesEM]

Thanks for sharing.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!