Lessons Learned/Review of our Eurodam Adventure

[borasue]

Just back from our 7 Day Western Caribbean trip on the Eurodam. Here’s my review… and a few things I learned.

 

The Ship - Embarkation went very smoothly. We were onboard between 12 – 12:30 and our stateroom was ready as soon as we boarded. Our luggage arrived shortly afterwards. The ship was all decked out in her Christmas best and she was very festive! I learned on the second night that Wang Wangs are every bit as good (and strong) as I’ve read. :D If you go to the morning movie, just know there is a strong likelihood it will be interrupted by shipboard crew drills. Yes, it might be annoying but I’m happy to know the crew is prepared in the event of a true emergency. And, the announcements aren’t NEARLY as annoying as the passenger that will run you over when the tray of popcorn arrives. :eek: We had a Signature Suite, which was quite lovely and very spacious. The balcony was much larger than the one we had with our Vista Suite on the Maasdam. Our neighbor was a smoker but I got a whiff of it maybe twice, very briefly. I’m not a smoker, but still, it wasn’t a problem. The assault on my sinuses from the overly zealous application of perfumes & colognes bothered me more. ;) Fortunately, the Eurodam is a big ship and there’s plenty of space for everyone to move around to find a comfortable spot. Sail7Seas is right about those club sandwiches. One of the most relaxing evenings we had was enjoying one of those, a salad and a cup of French onion soup on our balcony, on Formal Night #2, even though they were serving lobster in the dining room. BB Kings Blues Club was very lively and the musicians were great. We also loved the classical elegance of Adagio.

 

Half Moon Cay – I learned that even though everything you buy on Half Moon Cay goes on your room card, you still should have a few singles available for tips. The water is as beautifully turquoise as everyone says and the pictures show. It’s so clear you can see the fish swimming around your feet. About that horseback riding excursion… even the best of riders can end up “in the drink.” Lots of fun, though, and I’d certainly recommend it! We loved the BBQ on the Island. We may have to book another Caribbean trip just to return to HMC!

 

Montego Bay - One should always stick with your instincts. While we had planned to just stay onboard, having a starboard stateroom that faced the terminal and seeing everyone go ashore lulled me into rethinking “the plan.” We ventured off the ship and into the terminal, took the bait and joined a HAL sponsored hop on/hop off tour-shuttle around town. We were told it would be a sightseeing loop and would last about 1 ¾ hours. We decided to do it, just to take the ride. After departing the terminal the driver stopped on a side street to grab some lunch then continued on. No narration, except to announce the stops. There was no loop. It was just the drive down Hip Strip out to Rose Hall and back on the same route. At least he was courteous enough to offer to share his lunch. The whole trip took about an hour. Frankly, that was enough. Our departure from this port seemed to be delayed by about 45 minutes. All aboard time was 3:30, but tour vans were still returning with passengers as late as 4:15!

 

Grand Cayman – A shopper’s paradise, but it was very crowded with 5 or 6 ships in port at the same time. Absolutely loved HAL’s Captain Nemo’s Snorkel Safari. There was plenty of room to roam around from side to side on the submersible to take pics of the fish and the shipwrecks. And for those of us who are novices at snorkeling, Dennis was a great instructor and instilled a genuine sense of security and confidence! I would totally do this excursion again.

 

Key West – Even though this isn’t a tender port, consider booking private excursions with a cushioned start time of about an hour after arrival time! Everyone, whether or not they are going ashore, must clear Immigration. No one is allowed off the ship until this process is complete. It took them a while to round up the 60+ passengers who didn’t initially comply. We didn't do an excursion here. I had a Groupon coupon for one of the HOHO's, then we just walked around, taking in the sights and we enjoyed a drink and lunch at Sloppy Joe's. We definitely plan to return and spend more time in Key West.

 

Kudos to the staff at all the ports for being there with big smiles, cups of water and those welcomed washcloths! Such a nice touch!

 

Disembarkation – Very well organized, but with the backups at Customs our scheduled 9:15 – 9:30 departure translated into getting off the ship about 10:15, and thru Customs around 10:45.

 

This is just our second cruise and we’re definitely sold on HAL. There’s always a lot of discussion about the age of HAL cruisers. We’re late 50’s, early 60’s. We saw a wide range of ages, from babies to one lady who out lasted most on the dance floor, even though she was celebrating her 90th birthday. I chuckled when I saw people much older than me at the excursion desk signing up for zip line adventures. :) These folks were out to have a good time. Food onboard was well prepared with a very good variety and an excellent presentation. The crew was just outstanding. Captain - John Scott. Hotel Director – Don Habets. Cruise Director – Dave Shea. These guys are great, but it’s the room stewards, the servers and all the rest of the staff that keep the ship running smoothly and looking spectacular.

 

Cruising is a privilege and those of us lucky enough to partake should regularly acknowledge that. Even when things don’t go as planned, I try to just consider it a lesson learned and smile, knowing I’ll have another great story to tell.

 

One final thing I learned: It doesn’t hurt nearly as much to put your luggage in the hall on that last night… when you’ve picked up a Future Cruise Certificate onboard. :p

[Skipper's Mom]

Thanks for sharing, nice review.

 

We, too, don't care much for Jamaica and would skip getting off the ship on any future voyage.

 

Glad you enjoyed a wonderful cruise!:D

[esimon]

Thank you for the laid back - honest - post

 

Open minded in all directions - and understanding that being able to vacation is a blessing and to set too high of expectations or a sense of entitlement is really out of place.

 

Thanks again -- would love to sail with a ship full of you all

 

cant a wait till mine in Feb

[Friend100]

Thanks for the update. We will be sailing her in 4 more days. Yeah!

[portofrome]

Thanks for the review.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for taking the time to post your review.

Glad you had a good cruise.

[nutensteve]

Great review ... Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

[sail7seas]

What a great review. So fun to read and happy to hear you not only enjoyed your cruise on Eurodam but the club sandwich as well. ;) :)

 

I like Eurodam a lot and hope to sail her again.

Welcome Back and thanks for your review.

 

[Mtn2Sea]

Thanks for your informative review. Sounds like you had a great cruise.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for taking the time to write and post your Eurodam review. Sounds like you had a good time.

[HALMariner23]

Great to hear a review from a fellow passenger! My husband and I were also on the Eurodam last week, which was our second cruise with HAL (and our second cruise ever). We were sold on HAL and cruising when we went to Alaksa on the Westerdam last summer.

 

Your post is on point. Just a few things I would add:

 

The "snorkel by boat" excursion at Half Moon Cay was perfect. The crew were extremely friendly and helpful. 45 minutes was a perfect amount of time that built up our hunger for the delicious BBQ. We also fell in love with Half Moon Cay and hope we can go back eventually.

 

We were slightly traumatized by Montego Bay. OK, maybe that's an over-reaction, but our time there was not pleasant and we returned to the ship as soon as possible. It started with confusion at the cruise port terminal about what taxis go where and for how much. When we finally got to the "hip strip," we were constantly bombarded with offers for weed and even followed by several people. After wandering around on the strip, which is not very long, we paid $6 for access to a beach which was not that great, especially just coming from Half Moon Cay. After spending an hour there, we decided to head back to the ship. The first cabbie who approached us wanted to charge us twice the amount we paid to get there. We moved on to another who was more reasonable, but then proceeded to lead us through traffic and into a dark alley, which would be sketchy anywhere. We turned around at the alley and finally found a good cabbie to take us back. The best thing about Montego Bay for us was the liquor store at the cruise port terminal. They have a decent selection of rums plus other liquors and cigars for very reasonable prices. For example, a 200 ml bottle of Appleton Reserve rum was $7 at this store, while one of the stores out on the hip strip had it marked as $35!

 

The new Dive-In grill on the lido deck is excellent. We tried several of the different burgers, dogs, and fries and were very impressed. It appears they're trying to be a Shake Shack-type place and they do a pretty darn good job of it.

 

The food and service at Tamarind were also excellent. Definitely worth the extra $20 pp and we will be repeat customers on our next cruise.

 

Finally, the BB King band truly blew us away. We saw at least one of their sets each night they played. I can't say enough good things about them.

 

We're hoping to book another cruise soon, but this time we're going to try to score an Explore 4 deal for that sweet sweet signature beverage card.

[bshow]

Nice review, borasue. We were on the same cruise and had a great time.

 

At Montego Bay I did the Chukka ATV safari and I had a blast! Met some nice folks and got to drive (fast!) through the lush hills. Weather was fantastic! I agree, though, that the town looks a bit sketchy...

[Vict0riann]

Thanks for your interesting report. Nice that others from your cruise are chiming in.

[POA1]

Thanks for the review!

[eldercruser]

Thanks for your perspective. We will be boarding in 10 days. Good to hear all the positive comments.