NYE Cruise on the Eurodam Review: Not what we expected

[whystayhome]

We had done a Med cruise on the Noordam a few years ago and had a wonderful time. Happy with everything. So, we were very excited about returning to HAL, this time for a Caribbean sailing.

 

Things started off well. Embarkation was easy and our room - Deck 8, right in the center - was ready when we boarded around noon. Our cabin was, and remained throughtout the cruise, absolutely spotless. The stewards were pleasant people who clearly worked very hard, maybe too hard, as we never saw them lounging around even for a minute.

 

I had called HAL before embarkation and asked if people in the glass elevators would be able to see us on our balcony. I was reassured that there was a wall that would block their view. In fact, a large portion of our balcony was on public display. Kind of put a damper on things, but we understood that's the risk you take when you book a guarantee.

 

Then we went to the welcome back lunch. We were given a lovely table at the stern, but the scene in the dining room was chaotic. There were simply not enough waiters. The servers were killing themselves, trying to take care of everyone, but lunch took forever and was mediocre. The first surprising thing I noticed was the tablecloth: it looked like someone had opened it after using it for years of origami practice and didn't even try to iron it before putting it on the table. In addition, our waiter's uniform was pilled and clearly needed to be replaced.

 

On deck for the afternoon, it was obvious that there were not enough lounge chairs for ~2,000 people. Also, private cabanas @ $50/day lined the rails of the ship, blocking the view of the ocean and eliminating space that could have been used for much needed lounge chairs in the shade for people who were not interested in incurring that additional expense. Unrented cabanas had curtains drawn at their entrances and were blocked with a velvet theater-style rope. Some people who had rented the cabanas complained that they were stifling hot, owing to being so enclosed.

 

Then it was time for dinner. Again, chaos reigned, even though we had an 8PM reservation. The "no reservation" line seemed to move more quickly than the reservation line. Once again, the meal took forever and the food was forgettable. For some reason, there was only one show that night, at 9:30. As it took over 2 hours to get our dinner, we - and many others - missed the show.

 

The next morning, breakfast in the Lido was chaotic, again because they did not have enough staff. The lines never seemed to diminish. One woman told me she waited 30 minutes to get an omelet. My "hot" cereal was cold.

 

The most annoying aspect of breakfast in the Lido was the relentless hawking of alcoholic beverages at 8 AM. It seemed like every organized activity on board was just another reason to try to sell drinks. Service at the pool or in any public areas, if you didn't want to spend $3 for a can of coke or buy alcoholic beverages, did not seem available if all you wanted was water or iced tea.

 

For the most part, the food was nothing special, although we did enjoy dinner in Caneletto and the Pinnacle Grill and lunch in Tamarind. Lunch on deck was mediocre and took forever! I was waiting in line for pizza, and the man in charge left a bunch of us standing there while he cleaned up the food preparation area even thought there was cooked pizza in the case - I just didn't get it. SImilarly, if you wanted pasta in the Lido, there was only one person making all the pasta-to-order dishes, with up to 20 people waiting at times to get pasta.

 

Even on formal night, dinner was not that good. A lot of people complained their lobster was mushy. "Artisanal" cheese was straight from Costco and served with - I kid you not - matzoh. Rack of lamb was a happy choice.

 

We were not the only unhappy campers. I spoke to a number of people who were 4- and 5-star Mariners who said they were not coming back. One woman on Half Moon Cay, who had been on many previous HAL cruises and seemed like an otherwise reasonable person, essentially had a mini meltdown over the tasteless food at the BBQ and how it was served and presented, carrying on about the overall poor ambience of the cruise.

 

Overall we had a good time getting away and were happy to be in a warm spot instead of freezing to death at home. The upfront price of the cruise was excellent, but the service and other amenities were lacking and the food was just so-so for the most part. Maybe it is just the nature of holiday and/or Caribbean cruises, but this did not seem like the same cruise line we enjoyed so much in the Mediterranean.

 

Comments welcome!

[amster65]

Sounds like you didnt like the cruise. I agree about the cabanas, that was about the dummest idea HAL every came up with to make a few extra bucks. I will NEVER go a ship with cabanas. Not that they care.....

[OVgirl]

This sure sounds like a sad review. Not much fun if that much went wrong on your cruise. Hope you're able to find a better one next time.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for taking the time to write a review of your Eurodam cruise. Sorry that it did not go so well. :(

[cbr663]

Thank-you for posting your review. We have also sailed on the Eurodam and had the most unpleasant experience. At the time, I felt that there was a systemic problem on the ship. We were ready to completely walk away from HAL, but with time, we did book another cruise with the NA this past Dec.

 

We had a wonderful time on the NA and it has renewed our faith in HAL. Having said that though, I will not be in any hurry to sail on the Eurodam any time soon. We had such a wonderful experience at the Tamarind on the NA that my DW asked if I would consider the Eurodam again just for the Tamarind. Ain't ready yet.

[GlennG]

Two years ago, we sailed on the same ship. We share many of the same concerns. It was extremely crowded, and the strategic placement of cabanas on the Lido Deck makes for increased congestion and crowding. I estimate that there are 200 additional people in the same area that is provided on the Noordam, Zuiderdam, Westerdam, and Oosterdam. Quite frankly, those folks with mobility devices (Wheel Chairs, Walkers, Scooters etc.) were really inconvenienced by the crowding and congestion. To me, the entire layout of the Lido Deck presents a significant safety hazard to all passengers. Needless to say, we have not and will not travel on this ship in the future.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for your review.

Sorry that your expectations did not happen.

We have avoided the BBQ on HMC for about 8 or ore years. We don't always go there anymore but when we do, we return to the ship for lunch.

Remember that on a ship, lobsters are frozen. Once cooked, they are plated -- sitting under a dome while the staff collect other food plates, then brought to the dining room and then they can sit there for several more minutes before they are actually served to you. Thus they are still cooking and getting mushy or tough. We never order lobster on a ship. Once cooked in our restaurants, they are brought right out to our table.

Glad that you did have a good time.

[startwin]

Oh dear, does not sound good. And a can of pop is now $3? Used to be $1.95 plus service charge.

[sail7seas]

 

<snip>

 

The upfront price of the cruise was excellent, but the service and other amenities were lacking and the food was just so-so for the most part. Maybe it is just the nature of holiday and/or Caribbean cruises, but this did not seem like the same cruise line we enjoyed so much in the Mediterranean.

 

Comments welcome!

 

While I'm sorry to hear your disappointment with your Eurodam cruise, I appreciate your sharing your comments with us.

 

I do wonder though if there may not be some nexus between your statement above which I have quoted and the level of food quality and service? When people don't pay much, how much can we hope to receive?

 

When the price is so 'excellent', it is hard for the food to be five star along with the service.

 

Just me musing......

 

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It's always good to hear the good, the bad and the ugly.

[cruisetrail]

 

On deck for the afternoon, it was obvious that there were not enough lounge chairs for ~2,000 people.

 

"Not enough lounge chairs" on the Eurodam reminds me of a recent review of an "extra charge MDR", not less.

If I see statements of this kind - what can I say?

Theoretically it's possible. Practically it's as probable as an earthquake or tsunami.

Holiday cruise?...

I only can say that statements like this put a dark shadow on the rest of the review.:(

[cruisetrail]

I estimate that there are 200 additional people in the same area that is provided on the Noordam, Zuiderdam, Westerdam, and Oosterdam.

 

This is a wrong estimation.

The Signature ships provide more space both internally and (especially) externally.

[CoronaCRZR]

Sail, I think you hit the nail on the head.

 

This is the problem most cruise lines face. In order to fill all berths they create deep discounts to the point that the service and quality as well as quantity of the food will be severely lowered.

 

Everybody keeps looking for deals and lower fares, but complain when they do not get 5 star service in return.

 

People who truly want great food & service will need to start paying a bit more and perhaps seek the more luxury lines to get it.

 

Also me just musing....

 

Ted

 

 

 

 

 

While I'm sorry to hear your disappointment with your Eurodam cruise, I appreciate your sharing your comments with us.

 

I do wonder though if there may not be some nexus between your statement above which I have quoted and the level of food quality and service? When people don't pay much, how much can we hope to receive?

 

When the price is so 'excellent', it is hard for the food to be five star along with the service.

 

Just me musing......

 

[mrscopper]

We just returned from cruising on the Eurodam for Christmas. We had a wonderful cruise. The Ship is beautiful and was easy for me to get around in my scooter. The food for the most part was excellent, including the lobster tails on Christmas eve. We had a 5:30 seating and never had lines or problems with our table. Our room was spotless and well cared for, but I do agree that the stewards were over worked. Also, the waiters in the dining room were stretched to the max, which is a shame, since we really enjoyed fun conversations with them in the past. We ate in the Tam x2 and the PG once. We loved the Tam. I agree re cabanas. HAL has always been our favorite, but times are a changing folks.

[cruisetrail]

Sail, I think you hit the nail on the head.

 

This is the problem most cruise lines face. In order to fill all berths they create deep discounts to the point that the service and quality as well as quantity of the food will be severely lowered.

 

Everybody keeps looking for deals and lower fares, but complain when they do not get 5 star service in return.

 

People who truly want great food & service will need to start paying a bit more and perhaps seek the more luxury lines to get it.

 

Also me just musing....

 

Ted

 

From $499 pp we had I don't know how many stars, but definitely more than we could have on any other ship in the Caribbean.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 9, 2014 by cruisetrail

[VermeulT]

Everybody keeps looking for deals and lower fares, but complain when they do not get 5 star service in return.

 

People who truly want great food & service will need to start paying a bit more and perhaps seek the more luxury lines to get it.

 

Ted

 

I agree.... but there must be a middle ground between this type of price & experience and that of Oceana or Regent. HAL used to provide it. I hope someone steps up.

[jimdalva]

"Not enough lounge chairs" on the Eurodam reminds me of a recent review of an "extra charge MDR", not less.

If I see statements of this kind - what can I say?

Theoretically it's possible. Practically it's as probable as an earthquake or tsunami.

Holiday cruise?...

I only can say that statements like this put a dark shadow on the rest of the review.:(

 

What is this post trying to say, very confusing.

[alwaysfrantic]

I had the same concern about lack of deck chairs on Zuiderdam last year. No cabanas, there just were not enough chairs. We were not looking particularly for pool side chairs, we would have taken 2 loungers anywhere. Other than our balcony we never found them on sea days.

[cruisetrail]

What is this post trying to say, very confusing.

 

What is confusing?

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for posting your review.

We were on the Eurodam last spring, and we did not have the same problems as you did in the Lido or MDR. We enjoyed our nights in the Pinnacle Grill.

I agree about the cabanas. They didn't seem to be used much on our cruise and they blocked the view.

[cruisetrail]

I had the same concern about lack of deck chairs on Zuiderdam last year. No cabanas, there just were not enough chairs. We were not looking particularly for pool side chairs, we would have taken 2 loungers anywhere. Other than our balcony we never found them on sea days.

 

You cannot have the same concern because there are plenty of loungers on the Eurodam.

Those ones closer to the pools most likely are taken during peak time but there are tons of them in other places any time.

Is a holiday cruise an exceptional anomaly? Theoretically it's possible.

[kazu]

Thanks for your review.

 

At the risk of offending our fan of the N.A. & Eurodam, I don't care for the cabanas either. The N.A. felt much more crowded to me than any of the other ships in the fleet that I have been on.

 

Based on our last experience, it will be a long time before we sail the N.A. or the Eurodam. We stick to the ships who are sans cabanas :D

 

Sorry to hear about your disappointments on board. Such a shame.

Edited January 9, 2014 by kazu

[innlady1]

I'm not a fan of the cabanas either. Too claustrophobic in them...and for those sitting at the pool who would like to view the ocean - and the cabanas block them.

 

I can't speak of the crowding....we were on the TA and I believe there were only 1700 pax. So the ship was far from full.

[whystayhome]

Don't get me wrong. For the price we paid, the cruise was terrific. And we had a very good time over all. As I am an early riser, I never had problems getting a lounge chair and I tend to stay parked on deck all day. Later in the day, there were some nasty interactions over chairs in the enclosed pool area, however. Even the open deck chairs at the stern were filled, with passengers buzzing around looking for a place to sit.

 

The problem was we had higher expectations because of our Med cruise experience. We have sailed Crystal, Siverisea, and Seabourn and are not comparing those cruise lines to our HAL experience. We get that there is no "free lunch." We were just surprised how much the line seems to have gone down hill.

 

Nice to know there are ships without cabanas.

 

We have not crossed HAL off our dance card. If we saw an appealing itinerary at a good time and a good price, we would go. Just our expectations would be very different and we would not be setting ourselves up for disappointment.

[KirkNC]

Sorry you did not enjoy your cruise. I agree on the cabanas, they are awful.