Short Review of 23 May Baltic Cruise Eurodam

[PatriciaF]

We had a great cruise! Ship was wonderful (does have a few areas that show her age--but don't we all); crew fantastic; food tasty; and ports were amazing.

 

I have all of the "today, On Location" handouts and will be happy to answer questions from them. My scanner is not finding my computer, so sorry, I can't scan them and post.

 

We spent two days in Amsterdam before flying to Copenhagen. We took the earliest flight from Amsterdam to Copenhagen on the day of the cruise. Flight was on time with very little wait for our luggage.

 

We purchased two items in the Copenhagen Airport, an all day transportation pass (had to have a chip/PIN credit card or DKKs to purchase) for use on embarkation day and a 48 hour Copenhagen card for use upon return (we were staying an extra day)--US non-chip/PIN cards could be used.

 

We took the train from the airport to the Central station and then a cab from the Central Station to the Ship. Our plans were to drop the luggage and walk back to the bus stop and take the bus #26 back to town. When we got to the bus stop there were probably 40 people in line with luggage waiting for the bus at 1030 AM. The port (Oceankaj) was slammed with bumper to bumper traffic as 3 ships were in port--Eurodam, Royal Princess, and Celebrity Infinity. As the bus runs only every 20 minutes, we decided to return to the ship. The ship opened for boarding at 11:30 AM and we were in the second boarding group. Pastries, coffee, water, and lemonade were served in the boarding area.

 

Easy embarkation but we had wanted to go to the Mariner's lunch, but were taken to the Lido deck instead. Decided to just stay than to fight with the elevator to go back down to 3 at noon for the lunch. Service was a bit slow as the first two days, everything is served to you on the Lido to stop the possible spread of the Noro virus. Heavy emphasis on washing hands thoroughly and use of the alcohol hand cleanser. If anyone got the Noro virus, I didn't hear about it.

 

We were able to enter our cabin (7079 SY (upgrade from a V)) about 1 PM. Luggage showed up around 130 PM. We had Joko and Riffan as our cabin attendants and they were great. They are mentioned in other Eurodam reviews and they are as good as described.

 

We had smooth sailing the entire cruise--like glass every day--despite seeing white caps and having some heavy winds. We were able to have breakfast on our balcony the first day as it was so warm. There are only two sea days--one between Copenhagen and Tallinn and one between Stockholm and Warnemunde.

 

You lose an hour going to Tallinn.

 

Tallinn--easy walk into old town. I used the Rick Steves Smithsonian Magazine walking tour but also had it on my Rick Steves Northern European Cruise Ports guide on my kindle. While the instructions seem complicated to get into town, just follow the crowds. Interesting old city with lots of history. Estonia is proud to be an independent country that is part of the EU.

 

You lose another hour going to St. Petersburg. You can't get out of port without a VISA or a pre-purchased tour. We did the Grand Tour with Alla Tours. It was exhausting but we saw everything. Traffic was awful returning from Catherine's Palace, but as no one had evening tour plans, we did everything on the itinerary and got back to the ship at 7 PM. There are almost no shopping opportunities on these tours--we stopped at a souvenir store, prices were less than those in port or for similar items aboard ship--we got a 3% Alla tour discount. The store accepted US credit cards. The first day is a sack lunch that we ate on the bus; the second day was in a restaurant--the food was delicious! Our guide was Valentina, very knowledgeable, excellent English, but she didn't laugh or joke--very serious. Big supporter of Putin's policies.

 

Helsinki--we were docked quite a distance from town. Shore excursions desk sold a Hop on Hop Off bus ticket for $29 per person--which is what we used. The brochure price was 25 euros. We rode the bus almost around the entire circuit and got off by the town square. Did some sightseeing and shopping.

 

We got one hour back on our way to Stockholm.

 

Stockholm. Ship again was quite a distance from town. We were told it was a 3 mile walk, but the bus ride seemed to take about 20 minutes to the edge of the tourist area so it seemed further than that. Ship offered a shuttle to the Opera House for $12 each way/each day/person. As we had used the Green Hop On Hop Off bus in Helsinki, we got a discount in Stockholm by showing our receipt. We got the 24 hour (really good until 5 PM the next day) bus/boat Hop On Hop Off pass for 560 (vs 700 brochure price) SEK for two or about $84. US credit cards accepted. Let us see lots of Stockholm and use it between sights and the port quite easily. It was also good on the red City Sightseeing bus (not to be confused with the red Hop On Hop Off bus).

 

Got another hour back on the sea day on our way to Warnemunde.

 

Warnemunde--we did the Alla Tour to Berlin. It was $100/person as we had done the tour in St. Petersburg with them. Over $200 less person than the ship. The ship does its via train, so there are snacks there and back and a bathroom available--but for $200/person plus, we took the bus. It was amazing to see Berlin, the portions of the wall still up; we had some walking, which I didn't expect; an hour break for lunch; and a "comfort stop" there and back.

 

Kiel--there is a blue line on the asphalt from the port to the train station through the town. This is not a tourist town--so few souvenir shops, everything in German, though most spoke English. Nice shopping center with a great discount market in back on the first level. Friends took the train to Lubeck that day--very easy to do and reasonable with the Lander Pass. We both felt like we were getting colds, so we just spent about 3 hours wandering around town.

 

Copenhagen--only the Royal Princess in port with us the first day. We used our Copenhagen card to take the bus back to town to sight see and access the sights. While many of these types of cards allow you to skip the line, every site required you to show the card and get a ticket. But it is accepted almost everywhere and we believe between the transportation and the entry fees we saved some money. The Royal Princess sailed off at 5 PM that night, so the next morning we were the only ship in port and quickly exited to a waiting cab to check in at the Airport Hilton (409 DKK, US credit card accepted). Dropped our luggage and went back into town for more sightseeing. Our friends went to Fredricksborg Castle--we stayed in Copenhagen as by then we did have colds. It had been cold and rainy the first day and for most of the morning the second.

 

Long flight back to LAX through Heathrow the next day. Flight was two hours late leaving but we flew out of the new Queen's Terminal #2 that had just opened the day before!

 

Other cruise info:

 

We thought the food was excellent--which was contrary to reviews from family members who had been on a HAL cruise last year and friends who had also sailed HAL three times in the last four years.

 

We really liked having the ability to order a full breakfast with room service. My husband likes real food for breakfast, not just sweetrolls, so this was very nice way to start the day. The hot food was hot, but the toast was cold.

 

Lido and main dining room food was very good--especially the beef. Good selection each night; only repeat was prime rib--on the menu the first night and one other. Only complaint--shrimp cocktail was not on the everyday menu.

 

We did eat in Pinnacle Grill--we didn't think it was worth the additional $29/person. The steak was yummy (we had the filet) but the appetizers, salads, side dishes, and desserts were just okay to us. Service was good, not great.

 

If you prepay for a spa service, the amount will be a credit on your statement with the amount charged after the treatment. I went to the Spa demonstration and received a $30 discount on a treatment that I was able to use on the sea day (they would have preferred me to use one of the port days).

 

My husband drinks a lot of Diet Coke, so we had purchased the $50 soda card (you pay $25 for $50 of soda). He drinks Diet Coke instead of coffee in the morning. He had problems getting a soda in the Lido deck as none of the bars nearby were open until after 9 AM.

 

Weather--some days it was 85, others 50 with wind and rain. Bring layers and prepare for rain. One our second day in Stockholm we were leaving the ABBA museum (lots of fun) and it was pouring. When I said--oh, it is really raining, someone said, welcome to summer in Sweden!

 

Currency--on this trip the local currency was the Euro, ruble (but limited ability to use), Swedish Kronor, and Danish Kroner. We had bought the local currency from our Chase Bank--and used our Capital One credit card. No need to use ATMs--but we have in the past with no problem. Just make sure you call your bank and your credit card company to tell them of your travel plans.

[Stratheden]

Thanks so much for your excellent review. So glad you had a great cruise.

[Mtn2Sea]

Nice review! I liked your information regarding various prices.

[PatriciaF]

Also--laundry--we went to the front desk and purchased the unlimited laundry package--$108. Although we did not pay for the expedited laundry service, we had our laundry out before 9 AM, it was back in the cabin by 5 PM that day. No problems at all. Items were on hangers or nicely folded and wrapped in tissue in a basket.

 

I did not see an announcement of this service or the laundry special others mention--like $20 for everything stuffed into a laundry bag.

 

Entertainment--we liked the HAL singers and dancers. Nice singing and dancing, nothing over the top or overly staged. Music was more contemporary than expected as while this cruise appeared to be younger than the last HAL cruise I took in 1997 (but then I am 27 years older too). Lasted about 45 minutes. For nights in port, the show was a movie. We usually went to the 7 PM show and then to any time dining afterwards. We only had to stand in a line for a while for anytime on the first formal night.

 

I wanted to do the Culinary Arts program but it seemed to always conflict with something else I wanted to do more.

 

Mariner Lunch on the second sea day was at 1 PM--we had spa appointments booked for that time, so we didn't go. Our friends we were sailing with checked out the menu and went to the Lido deck for lunch instead.

 

The Dive-In has great burgers and french fries! Unlike most pool area burgers (on all lines), this is not a thin over cooked patty. It is thick and cooked to order. The dive-in sauce is spicy thousand island. The longest we had to wait for an order was about 10 minutes, but I would think on a warm pool weather cruise, the wait could get long.

[RJ2002]

Thanks very much for your detailed review.

 

How long did it take you to get through immigration on your first day in St. Petersburg?

[NYteacher]

When you say the credit card must be chip/PIN, do you mean it must have both? We have a new Visa with a chip, but no PIN.

[PatriciaF]

Thanks very much for your detailed review.

 

How long did it take you to get through immigration on your first day in St. Petersburg?

 

It took about 30 minutes. We left the ship right when two HAL excursions left the ship.

 

We were the last four on our Alla Tour bus.

[PatriciaF]

When you say the credit card must be chip/PIN, do you mean it must have both? We have a new Visa with a chip, but no PIN.

 

European credit cards have a chip and you enter a PIN to validate your purchase.

 

Most US credit cards offer a PIN but I think it is only for a cash advance.

 

We use Capital One as there are no foreign transaction fees. I did not inquire about a PIN. If you don't have a PIN, you just sign for the purchase. However, we were unable to buy train tickets in Amsterdam and Copenhagen with our non-PIN credit cards.

 

You may want to check with your credit card to see how much the fee will be, usually 2 1/5 to 3 percent.

[NYteacher]

European credit cards have a chip and you enter a PIN to validate your purchase.

 

Most US credit cards offer a PIN but I think it is only for a cash advance.

 

We use Capital One as there are no foreign transaction fees. I did not inquire about a PIN. If you don't have a PIN, you just sign for the purchase. However, we were unable to buy train tickets in Amsterdam and Copenhagen with our non-PIN credit cards.

 

You may want to check with your credit card to see how much the fee will be, usually 2 1/5 to 3 percent.

 

Thanks for the quick response. It's a Chase Saphire Visa and one of the key attractions is that it has no foreign transaction fees. I'll add going to the bank to get a PIN onto the errand list.

[PathfinderEss]

Enjoying the review of your Eurodam cruise. Thanks for posting it.

[RJ2002]

It took about 30 minutes. We left the ship right when two HAL excursions left the ship.

 

We were the last four on our Alla Tour bus.

 

Thanks, you did better than we did last year. I was curious if the recent regional disputes and diplomatic tensions would have had any impact on immigration process at SPB. Sounds like you did just fine. Good for you. :)

[PatriciaF]

Thanks, you did better than we did last year. I was curious if the recent regional disputes and diplomatic tensions would have had any impact on immigration process at SPB. Sounds like you did just fine. Good for you. :)

 

The ship was probably 75% of less full--probably due to the problems with Russia. We were certainly concerned but decided to take the chance.

 

We wouldn't have got that nice upgrade without the vacancies.

[ozcruizer]

You lose another hour going to St. Petersburg. You can't get out of port without a VISA or a pre-purchased tour. We did the Grand Tour with Alla Tours. It was exhausting but we saw everything. Traffic was awful returning from Catherine's Palace, but as no one had evening tour plans, we did everything on the itinerary and got back to the ship at 7 PM. There are almost no shopping opportunities on these tours--we stopped at a souvenir store, prices were less than those in port or for similar items aboard ship--we got a 3% Alla tour discount. The store accepted US credit cards. The first day is a sack lunch that we ate on the bus; the second day was in a restaurant--the food was delicious! Our guide was Valentina, very knowledgeable, excellent English, but she didn't laugh or joke--very serious. Big supporter of Putin's policies.

 

 

We did the Baltic cruise on the Eurodam last August - just fantastic. We also had a lovely upgrade which made it even better. We sailed from Amsterdam but I think HAL is curtailing it as an embarkation port and now using Ijmuiden. Anyway, we also did tours with Alla in St Petersburg, Tallin and Berlin. What a coincidence, we also had Valentina who was just as you describe her. Sounds like they have improved on the lunch venue as ours was so basic you wouldn't believe it. Still, a wonderful tour (ours was the Grand Tour too) and I would recommend Alla.

 

Ozcruizer

[Cruising-along]

Love your review, thanks! We will be on the same cruise in 48 days! :)

A few questions --

did you go to the Tamarind Restaurant?

Was the BB King band on your cruise?

We just printed our boarding passes today and see there are only 2 formal nights (no surprise there) I'm assuming they are the 2 sea days?

Did you go to Gothenburg and if so, what did you do there?

 

Thanks!

[PatriciaF]

Love your review, thanks! We will be on the same cruise in 48 days! :)

A few questions --

did you go to the Tamarind Restaurant?

Was the BB King band on your cruise?

We just printed our boarding passes today and see there are only 2 formal nights (no surprise there) I'm assuming they are the 2 sea days?

Did you go to Gothenburg and if so, what did you do there?

 

Thanks!

 

We did not go to Tamarind after our somewhat disappointing experience with the Pinnacle Grill. It was not open for lunch either sea day.

 

BB King Band was our go to spot after dinner. Great band; good dancing. We didn't go to any other venue at night. The band was the headliner in the theater one night.

 

Yes--both formal nights were the sea days. Most women had on short dresses or pants with a sparkly top. Men mostly in suits. Few tuxes and even fewer long formals. I think the luggage limitations has severely limited what people will take that distance to wear two nights.

 

Sorry--we stayed in Stockholm both days. We didn't get to see as much as we wanted as the city was packed with people sightseeing--it was a long weekend holiday and the Stockholm marathon was that Saturday. the line into the Vasa museum on Friday afternoon was about two blocks long. With the cold and rain, we wouldn't stand outside that long but plenty were doing so. We did go to Skansen the day before--we would give it a C+ as an attraction.

[erewhon]

Enjoyed your review.

Thank you.

[Cruising-along]

We did not go to Tamarind after our somewhat disappointing experience with the Pinnacle Grill. It was not open for lunch either sea day.

 

BB King Band was our go to spot after dinner. Great band; good dancing. We didn't go to any other venue at night. The band was the headliner in the theater one night.

 

Yes--both formal nights were the sea days. Most women had on short dresses or pants with a sparkly top. Men mostly in suits. Few tuxes and even fewer long formals. I think the luggage limitations has severely limited what people will take that distance to wear two nights.

 

Sorry--we stayed in Stockholm both days. We didn't get to see as much as we wanted as the city was packed with people sightseeing--it was a long weekend holiday and the Stockholm marathon was that Saturday. the line into the Vasa museum on Friday afternoon was about two blocks long. With the cold and rain, we wouldn't stand outside that long but plenty were doing so. We did go to Skansen the day before--we would give it a C+ as an attraction.

 

Thank you!

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[Copper10-8]

That's a great review! Thanks for taking the time! B.B. King's All-Star band rocks nightly on NODM, NADM and EUDM + more to come!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

Wonderful

Glad you had a great cruise.

Lots of useful information.

[Keith1010]

Enjoyed your review.

 

Keith

[robertmartha]

PatriciaF

Thanks for the great review and the glad you had a great sailing. Was looking at the Eurodam for next summer and after reading quite a few member reviews on the board...which were all so negative I was starting to second guess our possible choice. I know reviews are completely subjective but just seems every review posted recently was worse then the prior one.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report! Glad you had a good time. The Baltic is amazing.

[Kenato]

We were also on this cruise and I agree with all the comments and observations that PatriciaF has made.

This was our second cruise on the Eurodam and our first in a suite thanks to a sweet upgrade! May have trouble switching back. We could not find fault with anything on the cruise. Staff were friendly and attentive, food was good and we never felt we had to wait too long for food or wine service in the MDR. We were on open sitting and met some great people who we enjoyed talking to and the meals never felt too long. Food was good and contrary to other reports I have read, I thought there was an excellent and varied selection.

We rarely saw our room stewards but they did an excellent job and our room was usually done while we were at breakfast.

I was not as happy with the entertainment as PatriciaF. While the Dancers and Singers were good the shows seemed repetitive and while the music and style were a bit more modern than last year I still felt dated although the technical lights and effects were the most modern. We enjoyed Jimmy in the Piano Bar and he always had a good crowd. The BB King Band was great but did not seem to be as popular as last year when you could never get a seat.

Agree Pinnacle food is not worth the extra but service was good. We went to the Tamarand and as we did last year, thoroughly enjoyed it. Food is good and service is best on the ship.

Embarkation and Disembarkation were fast and easy (there was a lack of taxis on disembarkation) as was getting on and off the ship at all the ports. We knew St. Petersburg would be more difficult but it all went smoothly.

Front Desk staff seemed better trained and more friendly than in the past and judging from short line-ups on last couple of days, the number of billing problems must be way down.

We used TJ Tours in Tallin, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Stockholm and Berlin and can not speak highly enough about all the guides. Very knowledgeable, good English, small groups, clean vehicles with good drivers. I would totally recommend them to anyone taking this cruise in the future. We enjoyed all the ports and saw a great deal of history.

 

All in all, a very good cruise on an excellent ship

[Big Al B.]

I'd just like to add my agreement to PatriciaF and Kenato's comments. We were really satisfied with all aspects of this cruise.

 

We were among the first group off the ship in St Petersburg and were through customs in less than 20 minutes. They are using a new system where you just show them your passport and proof of tour membership. They print up a landing paper and give it to you with your passport. Upon return the first day, you turn the paper back in, they stamp your passport and the next day you just use the passport and tour proof. It was very easy.

 

We were thinking the Tamarind was having trouble getting diners because the girl from there was touring the Lido every day trying to get reservations.