NYE Cruise on the Eurodam Review: Not what we expected

[onthegogirl]

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

 

I think it's time for HAL management to decide if they want repeat cruisers or bargin hunters. After 350 days on board I am considering other options. The shabby look of the public rooms (frayed and stained chairs in the Zandam Crows Nest), the uncleaned room when we boarded the Prinsendam, the extra charges and the change in the wine policy, all have made me rethink my loyalty to HAL. IMHO, the staff cuts in the MDR and Lido have made just another aspect of cruising uncomfortable. Two cruises booked on HAL. If the first does not please the second will be cancelled.

[shrimp56]

Sometimes I wonder if I'm on the same ship as you were. YES the cabanas are not only unsightly traffic-blockers and view hogs, and represent a very visible "class" system.. I don't mind the retreat as much as it more discreetly tucked away, although at the expense of the Observation Deck Terrace, my favorite spot on Zuiderdam.

 

Having said that we LOVED Eurodam. It might be that a few meals in Tamarind blurs your judgment, and made up for lackluster food in MDR, but overall we count her as one of our two favorite 'dam ships. (The other is Volendam.)

 

Which is reminder that all of our reviews are both individual preferences and specific cruise and cabin-dependent.

Edited January 9, 2014 by shrimp56

[cbr663]

 

 

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.

 

That is what we did when we sailed on the NA in December - we changed our expectations and had a wonderful cruise. I have stated before, on the NA, we had twice the experience at half the cost of the previous Eurodam cruise, and as a result, we are now looking for another HAL cruise.

 

FYI: We also do not like the cabanas, but they appear to be working so I guess they are here to stay.

[InTheWASide]

The Cabanas block views of the ocean

 

You know they are only on one side OR on a deck that you don't even go near if you didn't pay for one... right?

 

The Cabanas are unsightly

 

Somebody forced you to gaze upon them?

 

The Cabanas are a significant safety concern

 

Because there is a narrower walkway? You know you can choose to walk on the other end of the same pool area and still get to your destination with no more than a 5-10 second/15 or so step detour, right?

 

There was lack of air flow in the Cabanas

 

No one held a gun to anyone's head and made them pick one, and surely if when they arrived they saw it was tinted glass they were adjacent to I'm sure they could "undo" their purchase

 

They take away valuable deck space

 

And space was added above Tamarind in a HUGE way and Eurodam/Nieuw Amsterdam have the largest aft pool decks in the fleet to help give a relative scale of space for the added passengers.

 

The lobster is frozen

 

There are maritime laws behind this that I know were discussed not too terribly long ago in another thread.

 

I talked to lots of 4 and 5 Star Mariners agree they won't come back

 

Amazing how when someone doesn't like their cruise they are seemingly able to find everyone with 200+ days onboard and the opinion is always unanimous... :rolleyes:

 

To paraphrase another user... just MY musings...

[mamaofami]

Sorry to hear you were disappointed with Hal and Eurodam. As one who just had to cancel a cruise on the Noordam because of DH's health issues, I'd love to be on a ship and still deal with what you dealt with.

[themerle]

Don't get me wrong. For the price we paid, the cruise was terrific. And we had a very good time over all.

 

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.

 

Now that's a good attitude!

[FredT]

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.

 

LOL..... But it sounds as if that's EXACTLY what you (perhaps subconsciously )

did. Hell, If I had the income to cruise on those three lines on a regular basis, I'd NEVER come back to HAL. :D

 

But being the "average joe", I revel at the olpportunity to take a HAL cruise every year or so, and understand that the overworked wait staff and constant plea's for money are the price I pay for that $1700.00 two week far east cruise (Which I leave for in 8 days! :) )

 

I think, (and hope) that you also really realize this, (based on your last post) and don't slam the company for what it is, a nice, comfortable, mid range cruise line that is being run as well as can be expected (While keeping prices down to those "oh my" levels! )

[cruisetrail]

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.

 

No, no, no.

Believe me, no one who is familiar with these ships will get you wrong!:)

The ship is safe and sound, and cruises on her are as enjoyable as they have been before.

 

Opinions and preferences - it's fine, no problem. Nice to read and know.

 

However, before you touch ships design you have to study product first.

Is it mandatory? Will you be punished for not knowing most important facts about the ship you are going to review?

No and No.

The worst thing that can happen is that a review may be of a less value and some naive readers can be mislead.

So no one will die reading about "the lack of deck lounges or the Eurodam" - same way no one died after reading that guests had to pay for MDR on the Nieuw Amsterdam in one of the recent "reviews".

Ships are pure technical facts, so opinions have zero value here.

If you don't have enough ship facts - you will likely be reviewing your imagination rather than a ship.

The Signature class is a significant improvement of the original Vista design. Along with the addition of passenger cabins, the new ships have got about 70% more open deck space, more internal public space (Tamarind & Silk Den Lounge) and pioneered Cabana club on a separate deck.

All that brought HAL best product to the level the cruise line has never had before: Signature class ships are now in the first row of the best cruise ships afloat and have their unique place there.

With the set of first class amenities these two ships have on offer, HAL managed to get the unique spot where "luxury size ship" meets "true resort ship size".

Need to add that the company miraculously manage to keep prices for the Caribbean cruises at a very affordable level - presenting exceptional value for money.

 

"We were just surprised how much the line seems to have gone down hill ".... from Vista class to Signature?????

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy your cruises!

Edited January 9, 2014 by cruisetrail

[Guinness1000]

"a breakdown over the food on HMC"? IMHO, large scale BBQs are more often than not, not five star affairs. We LOVED HMC and thought it was paradise. My husband was very happy to see they had veggie burgers. We brought one of those and a cheese burger for me back to the beach where we had our "cheese burgers" in paradise. :)

Edited January 9, 2014 by Guinness1000

[shrimp56]

You know they are only on one side OR on a deck that you don't even go near if you didn't pay for one... right?

 

I walk through the Lido Deck at least once a day.

 

Somebody forced you to gaze upon them?

 

No, but they're hard to avoid. [see answer to next question)

 

Because there is a narrower walkway? You know you can choose to walk on the other end of the same pool area and still get to your destination with no more than a 5-10 second/15 or so step detour, right?

 

But why should I have to?

 

No one held a gun to anyone's head and made them pick one, and surely if when they arrived they saw it was tinted glass they were adjacent to I'm sure they could "undo" their purchase

 

 

 

And space was added above Tamarind in a HUGE way and Eurodam/Nieuw Amsterdam have the largest aft pool decks in the fleet to help give a relative scale of space for the added passengers.

 

That space is not near a pool that is protected from the weather.

 

There are maritime laws behind this that I know were discussed not too terribly long ago in another thread.

 

 

 

Amazing how when someone doesn't like their cruise they are seemingly able to find everyone with 200+ days onboard and the opinion is always unanimous... :rolleyes:

 

To paraphrase another user... just MY musings...

 

I just think it's plumb wrong to take up what should be communal space with something that is not for everyone AND put it on the spa side which is your only passageway to that part of the ship from that direction.

 

Before you set up the grill for my butt, remember Eurodam is one of our favorite 'dam ships.

[cruz chic]

I think it's time for HAL management to decide if they want repeat cruisers or bargin hunters. After 350 days on board I am considering other options. The shabby look of the public rooms (frayed and stained chairs in the Zandam Crows Nest), the uncleaned room when we boarded the Prinsendam, the extra charges and the change in the wine policy, all have made me rethink my loyalty to HAL. IMHO, the staff cuts in the MDR and Lido have made just another aspect of cruising uncomfortable. Two cruises booked on HAL. If the first does not please the second will be cancelled.

Agree 100%. I generally book my cruises more than a year out. The only thing I get is higher prices. On my last cruise I paid $1000 than the people that booked after final. If HAL priced their cruises a little more reasonably further out and give a bit of a break to the loyal mariners they might be surprised at how early their ships fill up. I'm cruising on Princess next month and I got a great deal for being a past pax. I am almost elite on Princess. They seem to want my business a lot more than HAL does. HAL needs to stop giving away the farm to those that bargain hunt.

[visagrunt]

With respect to food service on the first two days, I have noticed that code orange has a huge impact on dining room stewards' and the lido staff's ability to serve everyone in a timely fashion. I never expect thing to run smoothly or quickly in either venue on embarkation day or the day following. When they do, it is a pleasant surprise.

 

I don't spend time on deck chairs--and I cannot imagine that the cabanas would be a huge draw for me. I never eat at the Terrace Grill (and would similarly avoid a BBQ on HMC).

 

The beauty of cruising is its capacity to allow people to focus on the things that give them pleasure and allow them to relax. It is unfortunate when those things are not available to some passengers.

[Taxguy77]

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......

 

 

Talking about NCL or HAL?

[sail7seas]

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.

 

 

How did the fare you paid for your Med cruises on Crystal, Silversea and Seabourn compare to the excellent price you got for this sailing on HAL?

 

 

 

[MermaidWatcher]

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.

 

We sailed Zuiderdam twice recently and found conditions around the pool much like other sea days for ships we have been on....extremely overcrowded, especially in the am hours, but by mid afternoon the crowd thins out as they reached the "toasted" stage :p. I agree that even the non pool area decks were pretty full, but there were always open loungers on the lower deck promenade. It is not a "lack of loungers" per se, it is a lack of space to put any more. Do I get a bit aggravated looking for a lounger, especially when you know that a lot of them are just occupied by chair hogs, yes...But if I expect an empty poolside chair waiting just for me 24/7, I should stay with my back yard.

Edited January 10, 2014 by MermaidWatcher

[momatibm]

We sailed Zuiderdam twice recently and found conditions around the pool much like other sea days for ships we have been on....extremely overcrowded, especially in the am hours, but by mid afternoon the crowd thins out as they reached the "toasted" stage :p. I agree that even the non pool area decks were pretty full, but there were always open loungers on the lower deck promenade. It is not a "lack of loungers" per se, it is a lack of space to put any more. Do I get a bit aggravated looking for a lounger, especially when you know that a lot of them are just occupied by chair hogs, yes...But if I expect an empty poolside chair waiting just for me 24/7, I should stay with my back yard.

 

I've never had a problem with loungers --- it's all a matter of finding them. Whenever I have actually gone out to the Seaview pool there have been loungers -- but then I am not a 'sun hog'.

[Yodalicious]

Everyone has their own preferences. We cruised the Eurodam 3 years in a row, then the Nieuw

Amsterdam this Dec. We really liked the Eurodam better. We LOVE the lido cabanas and woud never do a cruise without one. I need the shade, and don't want to deal with chair hogs. I will even deal pleasently with the folks that stop by every 10 mins and ask how to get one. We cruise to relax, so plopping my bombasity on a lounger and reading a book a day, is my idea of heaven. As I said, to each .... Their own :)

[cruisetrail]

Hell, If I had the income to cruise on those three lines on a regular basis, I'd NEVER come back to HAL. :D

 

This is one of them:

 

[cruisetrail]

YES the cabanas are not only unsightly traffic-blockers (1) and view hogs (2), and represent a very visible "class" system (3)..

 

Quite a sort of YES to #1

 

NOT really to #2

 

Absolutely NOT to #3.

 

While Lido cabanas are obviously in the wrong place - should be on the other side where they do not affect traffic by any means (like on the Nieuw Amsterdam) they do not block views (?) - enclosed pool area has never been a place for views actually.

Cabanas should not be confused with "class" system even with "quotation marks". This is just an extra charge service like spa or specialty dining and is not associated with classes of cabins.

Only two mass market cruise lines nowadays utilize class system - NCL and MSC. Their overcrowded ships feature faux exclusivity enclaves ("Yacht Club", "Haven") to provide decent space and comfort at least for a few % of passengers of a particular class of cabins. The enclave on MSC takes up premium part of the ship: sun deck, pool, observation lounge, separate restaurant.

Can you imagine Crow's Nest lounge to be accessible for suites guests only??:eek:

Neptune lounge on HAL, Blu restaurant on Celebrity or Grill dining rooms on Cunard are innocent jokes in comparison with what one can face on MSC and NCL.

On the Signature class ships high quality product is available for all passengers, no segregation needed. The whole ship is like Yacht Club on MSC.:)

 

Back to Lido cabanas.

This is what so much of a discussion is about :):

 

Edited January 10, 2014 by cruisetrail

[FredT]

CruiseTail:

 

Your point? Anyone see the Veendam after that minor storm a couple years ago? (And, we were on board when the Argentines dropped a crane on her a year later...) :eek:

[erewhon]

Thank you for your review.

[InTheWASide]

I just think it's plumb wrong to take up what should be communal space with something that is not for everyone AND put it on the spa side which is your only passageway to that part of the ship from that direction.

 

Before you set up the grill for my butt, remember Eurodam is one of our favorite 'dam ships.

 

One side is re: lido. The one you don't go near unless you pay is the retreat.

 

Should you have to? No one has to do anything. But for those getting their knickers in a huge twist it's a solution besides moping and whining about it

 

If you really want protected from the sun go indoors. The crows nest is lovely on this class of ships. Near a pool? There are huge covered spaces at the aft pool as we'll and no cabanas to be found

 

Pinnacle grill, tamarind... These are also things in public spaces that not everyone uses. And imagine the venues that could go in that massive spa if they didn't take that space and make it only for those that pay? See the problem with that argument?

 

And as for what side they're on, that was remedied on nieuw Amsterdam

[shrimp56]

I'm glad they changed the side on Nieuw Amsterdam. That just reinforced my views of the original position. And yes people DO look at the view through the glass walls at the Lido Pool.

 

BTW my knickers aren't in a twist. I'm just expressing an opinion, as are you:)

[monina01]

CruiseTail:

 

Your point? Anyone see the Veendam after that minor storm a couple years ago? (And, we were on board when the Argentines dropped a crane on her a year later...) :eek:

 

I have seen the photos of Veendam after that crane dropped on her. Wowza...that was some damage. I hope nobody got injured when that happened.

[are wehavingfunyet]

How did the fare you paid for your Med cruises on Crystal, Silversea and Seabourn compare to the excellent price you got for this sailing on HAL?

 

 

 

 

Hi Sail7Seas,

 

I wrote a detailed response to your question yesterday, but it never posted [iPad glitch?]. To recap:

 

The up front cost of our cruises on the luxury lines, which we booked at what were deep discounts for those companies, were about 2 1/2 times the upfront costs of HAL. After you subtract out the prepaid tips, all-inclusive drinks and specialty restaurants, and generous cabin credit, they probably came out to twice the daily cost of HAL In the final analysis, that $3 can of coke on HAL probably wound up costing a bit more on the luxury lines.

 

Sailing with the luxury lines was an extravagance for us, but we were celebrating significant milestones so we splurged. As someone's signature on this board advises, "Life is short; drink the good wine first."

 

I would have to be out of my mind to compare the luxury ships with HAL on a head to head basis and expect HAL to come out favorably. Crystal, Seabourn, and Silversea have small ships that cater to people who are very demanding about details and don't mind paying top dollar for their comforts. They provide a totally different [and I am not saying necessarily better] experience than larger ships, which have a more exciting atmosphere and a lot more to do. What I was comparing was the fabulous Med-HAL with the disappointing Caribbean-HAL; our Noordam vs. Eurodam experience.

 

On the Noordam, our veranda cabin seemed bigger and brighter and more inviting, as did the public areas. The food was better and the service was much more gracious. Nobody was complaining about anything. We were delighted about every aspect of the cruise, even more so given the bargain combination fare HAL offered for the cruise and air.

 

The Eurodam seemed disorganized, the food was mediocre, our veranda cabin seemed dark, and the staff were doing their best but were clearly over worked. In addition, hearing so many people complain about so many different aspects of the ship did not enhance the ambiance of the cruise. Maybe these complainers were misrepresenting their Mariner status, but why they would is a mystery to me.

 

If money were no object [but alas, for most of us it is], I would spend as much of my life as I could on Seabourn and Silversea [Crystal loyalists, please don't start], But, life being what it is, I will continue to select a mix of vacation options, from bargain cruises and bus trips to some luxury cruises here and there and try to find enjoyment in all new experiences. Linda