Excellent Eurodam Norse Legends 8-15 August

[travelnnana]

The Fjords were just the first leg of our trip - I do share sites for my trip - here is the link to my share site - the 1st 5 tabs are complete - my pics of scenic cruising are great

https://haleurodambalticta2013.shutterfly.com/

[shrimp56]

Hi travelnnana! Thanks for posting the link to your wonderful site. I know I found the site very useful before we left before we left and enjoyed seeing your updates.

 

A wider view of Bryggen. I wasn't impressed with the shopping here. Bergen and Flam were much better. But tchotchkes made in China were everywhere. The red building was our lunchtime restaurant.

 

 

Yet another image of Eurodam's unfortunate posterior portion.

 

 

I often take pictures of utility covers. This one was delightful with its image of a young boy pumping water for his mama I am assuming. Charming.

 

 

I spend a lot of time looking up at the details of buildings, but looking down is important too. In 1996 Jose Ramos Horta and Timorese Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for their work toward a just and peaceful solution to the conflict in East Timor.” http://ramoshorta.com/president-jose-ramos-horta/

 

 

As you can see from this image looking back at the inner harbor, our sun had disappeared and the wind was kicking up. Indeed our fine captain came on the PA warning us of high winds and potential roughness with advice to hang on. It ended up not being as bad as he feared. For us up on Deck 10 it was nice moderate rocking that sent us off happily to dreamland.

 

 

One last image of Stavanger featurung what I call "The Old and the New."

 

[shrimp56]

For those of you who have been patient about the amount of time it is taking to finish this 7 day cruise, my apologies. And the end is near. There will be one more picture post after this, then the grand wrap-up, which will cover such items as the hydropool, service, food and at least 3 more reasons why I heart Eurodam.

 

We had made arrangements to eat at Tamarind with Jesse & Mark on the Stavanger evening and they had kindly invited us to their Neptune Suite for drinkies. O.M.G. That's one big "cabin." I HAD noticed that the doors were further apart on that deck, but golly gee. I'd probably get lost in the bathroom alone.

 

Jesse and Mark were perfect hosts, plying us with our favorite tipples before we toodled off to Tamarind. We had another drink. Then I lost control of my camera as Mark decided it was time to take sunset pictures. Everyone except David had the Vietnamese Lamb dish. Since David had that on our first visiting he went for some Penang Curry. I fell in love with the Scallop consomme with lemongrass and had the sorbets again for dessert. It was a lovely evening with wonderful new friends!

 

 

Scallop consomme with lemongrass at Tamarind.

 

 

Mark in charge... sunset

 

 

We did wander off to the Dessert Buffet just before it opened and kept going. We were full and just a bit happy. Which made the scene our steward, Kadek had set up, just a wee bit of a shock. He had set the lighting to spooky and voila--mr monkey wearing my sunglasses. He tried to take it down the next day, but we asked him to leave it up. Although finding the loo in the middle of the night did involve some close calls with mr monkey.

 

 

Monkeying around

 

The next day was our last day and a sea day so I decided it was time to take a few ship pictures, since I seemed to have failed to take any in the previous 6 days that didn't involve food, our companions or our cabin. First up was Lido pool. The new Lido Cabanas are a waste of space IMHO. Why would anyone think that anything is "private" in a location where people are walking by all the time.

 

 

Lido Pool

 

 

The Morning Rainbow greeted us on our return to our cabin. It was a full one, but this was the better photo. I thought of ringing up the bridge to see if we could deviate just a bit to find that pot of gold...then we could cruise all we wished!

Edited September 21, 2013 by shrimp56

[Mtn2Sea]

Absolutely no need to apologize for taking your time in posting your review. The photos and commentary are wonderful!

[shrimp56]

Absolutely no need to apologize for taking your time in posting your review. The photos and commentary are wonderful!

 

Thank you so much. It's nice to know that someone is still reading LOL

 

On our last day I wandered around a bit taking a few photos of what caught my eye, trying not to think about leaving...

 

 

A beautiful Delft single blossom holder, obviously multiple, at The Explorer's Lounge where we heard the wonderful Adagio Duo most evenings.

 

 

The glass stairs in the Eurodam atrium. Really striking.

 

 

The.. ummm .. whatever this is on the atrium ceiling. A prize will be awarded for the best guess at what it's supposed to be. Keep it PG folks. FYI it changes colors.

 

 

A "good catch" in The Sports Bar. Seldom saw anyone there, but found this chair delightful.

 

 

We saw many oil rigs on our sea days traversing the North Sea. Necessary, I guess, but disruptive of that middle of the ocean mood. They reminded me of The Imperial AT-AT Walkers in The Empire Strikes Back.

 

 

Almost to A'dam on the canal. While it signaled the ending of this cruise, that meant we could go on another! We were Gray 2, mid-independent. Disembarkation went smoothly, we didn't have to wait long for a taxi to Centraal train station, where we hopped on the Thalys and headed to Paris for the 3 final days of our trip before heading home to anticipate our next 'dam ship.

 

Coming next: Final thoughts on our journey.

Edited September 21, 2013 by shrimp56

[brazilgirl]

Still reading and enjoying your nice review!

[jplewis]

Sally, I had never heard of Timor- Leste, very interesting. Thanks for the history lesson.

P.

[jplewis]

All right, one complaint - no picture of the dessert buffet!!

Just kidding. I'll use my imagination.

[shrimp56]

All right, one complaint - no picture of the dessert buffet!!

Just kidding. I'll use my imagination.

 

AHEM!

 

We did wander off to the Dessert Buffet just before it opened and kept going. We were full and just a bit happy.

 

TBH we weren't that impressed, which is why I glossed over it.

Edited September 21, 2013 by shrimp56

[superoma]

Thanks for a great review and wonderful pictures. We were on the Eurodam in the caribbean and really enjoyed the ship - especially Tamarind. You reminded me of many of the reasons we loved the ship.

 

We hope to do the Baltic and TA in August 2015 and it would be great if the Eurodam was doing that route then, too.

[RuthC]

Thank you so much. It's nice to know that someone is still reading LOL

Ahem. I'm still reading.

 

A "good catch" in The Sports Bar. Seldom saw anyone there, but found this chair delightful.

The original pillows on those chairs were baseballs. Very cute.

The first one disappeared very quickly, was found and returned, then gone again (I never saw it again) on the inaugural voyage. The second one kept disappearing, too. IIRC, the second one made it to the ship's second voyage. :rolleyes:

[shrimp56]

Ahem. I'm still reading.

 

The original pillows on those chairs were baseballs. Very cute.

The first one disappeared very quickly, was found and returned, then gone again (I never saw it again) on the inaugural voyage. The second one kept disappearing, too. IIRC, the second one made it to the ship's second voyage. :rolleyes:

 

Well that certainly explains the sad little pillow there now. (Who would want THAT?) Thanks for the Eurodam history:)

[shrimp56]

A few stray extra photos before the "grand wrap-up."

 

 

Wandering around the small alleys in Bergen we came across this driftwood sculpture, where the artist successful released the image inside the driftwood. Younger folk were having their picture taken on the back of the sea beast, but David opted for a more formal pose.

 

 

Our room service breakfast delivery, wherein we got 2 of everything we ordered. It was nice to see the fjord from our little balcony, but the amount of food was horrendous.

 

 

The crew parade and singing during The International Dinner. About 8 of us from our rollcall, including travelnnana, Mark, Clyde, ozcruizer and respective spouses enjoyed a last Happy Hour together where we welcomed Mark and Clyde back to the ship with strange cocktails and then proceeded to dinner together. A nice closure on a wonderful trip.

 

One last food photo/My husband's dessert

 

 

Why we cruise. That beautiful water and the ship's wake on our way into Hardangerfjord.

Edited September 24, 2013 by shrimp56

[jayisgerman]

Did you go into the toilets at the Fantoft stave church? I didn't, but our guide explained that they are lit inside with a blue light, so that drug users can't find a vein to inject! Amazing what they think of.

 

Yes, that is actually quite common all over Europe in many different establishments, such as supermarkets, etc. The public bathrooms are outfitted with special lights, so that it makes it very difficult for drug users to use those locations to shoot up.

[startwin]

Love your photos and the write-up. Looking forward to the "grand wrap-up":)

[shrimp56]

Summary from the beginning of this thread.

 

Eurodam is a beautiful and beautifully maintained ship. The crew from the captain to the cabin stewards were helpful, positive and top notch all the way, with only one exception noted below. Both embarkation and debarkation were well organized and swift. Tamarind was terrific. Canaletto not as good as Veendam. Food wasn't as well prepared and the service was not friendly or attentive.

 

Our cabin, VQ 10015, was just right. We loved the smaller balcony as it puts you closer to the water. We were right above the place that the water breaks under the bow. The sound was amazing. We were under Explorations Cafe, so no noise. Crows Nest was also just up one flight. Lido and breakfast one floor down as was the spa. Only hike was MDR. We could walk outside across to just under Tamarind. For us the location really rocked. Our Adagio Duo were concert caliber and one of our nightly musts.

 

I was surprised how much I liked the Eurodam, despite its size. Except for the bow and the dark-blue hull, the exterior of the ship is ungainly and pretty ordinary. Her rear view is something you should never wish on a lady. But inside she feels very much like a smaller HAL ship. I'm sure part of that was that things, for the most part, were in their usual places and the colors made me feel at home.

 

The Lido cabanas are a big mistake IMHO. They were seldom occupied and were a constant reminder that some of us were more equal than others. I didn't mind The Retreat as it was out of the way. I was surprised by how well the Crow's Nest and Explorations Cafe occupied the forward space on the Observation Deck. It only got awkward those few times that CN was closed for a private party. One comment about HAL ships in general. I love, love, love that the vast majority of the public spaces have nice big windows. I only missed them in a couple of places on Promenade deck. And even though I only made it to the Promenade Deck once, for muster drill, I love that our 'dam ships have them. I'm sailing on Celebrity Century in February and I'm not seeing one.... *sighs*

 

I think I commented enough on the food in my review. In summary: Canaletto was a hot mess. Tamarind was amazing. The MDR food was hit or miss, but the service was always friendly and good. I had a pizza slice one day when moving for lunch seemed too much to do and it was surprisingly good. HALcats were playing LOUDLY at sail away next to the Sea View Pool. If you are not already a bit deaf, you will be after that.

 

The spa was better managed than on the Veendam, due I am sure to the manager, Leigh, who couldn't have been nicer. The acupuncturist, Dimitri, was a lovely young man of Greek descent who knew his business well. I had a love/meh relationship with the hydropool. It was totally sybaritic, but I hated that it was closed in and my husband wasn't wild about it so I didn't get there as much as I wanted to. I snagged a ceramic lounger only once. Now THAT was astounding.

 

Staff from the captain down was amazing (except for Canaletto). I was totally won over by the lengths he went to get us at least partway into Hardangerfjord. It left us with uncertainty for a few days, but it was worth it in the end. The respect between captain and his staff is obvious and Capt. De Vries could have a future as a standup comic.

 

We skipped the disembarkation talk without the slightest twinge of guilt and filled out our paper questionnaires. Hopefully by next cruise the new order will have reached Eurodam. The only time we were in The Mainstage was the night of the Captain's toast.

 

Ports:

Bergen rocks and the Grieg/Fantoft Church shorex was worth the price. We'd probably go to the art museum next time as I've done the Grieg one twice now, 35 years apart. I'd also like the take the time to visit The Hanseatic Museum. Bergen's Bryggen is postcard perfect. Unfortunately most of the warehouses are tourist shops, unlike Stavanger where the old warehouses were predominantly restaurants with a view.

 

Stavanger was, as I mentioned, the stealth port. It was very easy to explore on our own and there were still more interesting places close by for a future visit. Not to mention more restaurants serving good fish... The train in Flam is worth doing once. Shopping is good in Flam because everything is in one big store. We didn't take any of the boat shorex as there is something weird for me at least about getting off a ship to get on a boat. And I realize it is the way to see more close-up.

 

Norwegians are uber-friendly and love their country with good reason. A Norse Legends cruise is a lovely introduction to a beautiful country.

 

If you have any additional questions, please ask:) And one last picture...

 

Edited September 25, 2013 by shrimp56

[aliaschief]

Thank you for your wonderful review. Fantastic.

[brazilgirl]

Bravo!!

[shrimp56]

Thanks aliaschief and brazilgirl for your kind comments.

 

I just wish I were on a 'dam ship right now!

[ozcruizer]

Hi there Shrimp 56!

Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed reading your review and seeing the photos. It's always interesting to see somewhere you've been from another person's perspective.

Loved our Baltic cruise - very port intensive but am so glad to have seen that part of Europe as it's quite likely we won't get to go there again. I'm thinking Mediterranean for the next one but nothing in the works yet.

All the best for your next cruise,

Ozcruizer

[shrimp56]

Hi there Shrimp 56!

 

Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed reading your review and seeing the photos. It's always interesting to see somewhere you've been from another person's perspective.

 

Loved our Baltic cruise - very port intensive but am so glad to have seen that part of Europe as it's quite likely we won't get to go there again. I'm thinking Mediterranean for the next one but nothing in the works yet.

 

All the best for your next cruise,

Ozcruizer

 

Thank so much:) I'm glad the Baltic was good to you.

Our next HAL cruise is the Mediterranean Tapestry June 17-29, 2014. It's a fabulous itinerary. Join us?

[travelnnana]

I was on the same cruise as shrimp56 - I have a few opinions that differ from hers - I do not do the Tamarind - I am highly allergic to flowers - there is a flower in the tea - when I drank it - I coughed - sneezed - etc - that was last year on the NA - finally the other couple we were with said - there is a flower in the tea - so no more of that - but Im not the only one who has that allergy - so if you do beware - I loved the Canaleto = we ate there 3 times (we do not cruise for only 7 days - so we stayed for the Baltic portion) I agree the Maitre D up there is a bit of a stiff - but he was on the NA last year - so was familiar to me - actually one night I passed by and it was VERY crowded - I commented -he told me it was because of me - I have a hard time figuring out shrimp - how you can be close to the water from the 10th floor - I prefer the regular balconies - we were in 6031 towards the bow -It came in very handy because they opened the bow as we were cruising the Hardanger Fjord - very convenient - but we did go down to 5 to have the delicious pea soup they were serving and because a fellow photographer took our photo in front of the waterfall

[Buffalo Man]

Wonderful write up and pictures. Thanks so much. So many months to wait before we are on the Eurodam.

[shrimp56]

I am Glad that Canaletto did better on the Baltic cruise.

 

By closer yo the water I meant that we were right above where the water broke around the bow. The sound was amazing .

 

Thanks for your comments.

 

Sent from my LG-P769 using Forums mobile app

[ozcruizer]

Thank so much:) I'm glad the Baltic was good to you.

Our next HAL cruise is the Mediterranean Tapestry June 17-29, 2014. It's a fabulous itinerary. Join us?

 

Shrimp 56, I'd love for this to be our next cruise. I'm looking for a good price first though :D. They aren't as easy to come by in our part of the world.

Ozcruizer