First HAL Cruise - Eurodam - PROS & CONS

[bandp407]

My Husband & I just returned from 7 nights onboard the Eurodam. A little background - we are seasoned cruisers ( ages 61 & 71) and have sailed primarily on Celebrity, Aqua Class & RCCL on the Oasis & Allure. We enjoy an elegant ship, comfortable & clean balcony accommodations, good food & service and good dance music.

 

PROS: BB King Blues Club Band - FANTASTIC, The BAND( replaced HAL Cats), Greenhouse Spa - the Hydro Pool ( amazing & the weeks pass of $249 well worth it) , Tamarind-wonderful food, service & decor, MDR the food and service were excellent! We had open seating but made reservations for 7PM each night and they accommodated us in the same table each evening with the same wait staff. No lunches or breakfast in the MDR except the morning of disembarkation. Best disembarkation breakfast of any cruise. Our same table, they did NOT rush us and the service and food were excellent. Our favorite port - Half Moon Key is one of the prettiest, cleanest beaches. Disembarkation - very smooth

 

CONS: Embarkation was very chaotic as was the muster drill - both unlike anything we have seen. The LIDO for breakfast & lunch ( we enjoy eating outside - reason for not going to MDR) was the worst of any buffet on any of our cruises. The set up, food selection( more mass than quality) , lack of silverware - should have been on the tables but most times was not, nor was it replaced when taken away. Very, very frustrating to say the least. One of our biggest complaints was the sewage odor in our cabin bath. It was awful & most obvious in the evening getting ready for dinner. Putting it mildly it was the most obnoxious smell. In addition many of the public bathrooms had a urine odor. Never saw an attendant cleaning! This crew is spread way to thin. We had the Signature Beverage Package & while not expecting top wines to be included the Santa Carolina was awful. HAL you need to do a lot better on this one!!! Last but not least the officers were the least warm & friendly of any we have sailed with.

 

Our hope was to sail on the Nieuw Amsterdam same time next year ( our 30th Anniversary ) however, we are not sure and may keep our Celebrity sailing. Some of the things I've detailed were quite unexpected & left us with a bad taste. Yes, I did complete the survey & also contacted guest relations primarily re the sewage issue. Coincidentally came home with a nasty cough.

[Friend100]

Thanks for sharing your feedback. We sailed Eurodam last Christmas and our experience at the Lido was very different from yours. It was never busy. My party of 6 never had trouble finding a table and silverware, and we enjoyed the food there. I hope your next cruise on HAL will be better.

[bandp407]

Also, I neglected to thank all of you for answering my many questions in advance of this trip. It was most helpful in the planning process and in selecting our cabin - which by the way was a great choice - VD on deck 7 by the aft elevators. If anyone has any questions please let me know.

[madera1]

Too bad about the odor. That happened to us once on a cruise and now we always bring a car freshener and bang it in the bathroom as better to be prepared. I love the BB Kings group and Half Moon Cay. The Lido is always pretty hectic but we often found space outdoors on the aft deck to eat on our most recent trip. Thanks for sharing.

[headhunterke]

I love HAL, but I have to agree with you on the officers. That was the case on my B2B in Jan. aboard the Noordam as well. Don't get me wrong, the staff we deal with directly were (mostly) all superb, but a lot of officers/senoir staff had a very nasty attitude.

 

Unless they have changed the crew numbers, I have to say HAL usualy does a pretty good job with its cabin stewards. I have always found my cabin in clean condition and if I had any requests, these were met asap as well.

 

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Edited April 8, 2015 by headhunterke

[cbr663]

Thank-you for your review of your recent cruise. I was hoping that you would clarify something for me. You mentioned that you found the Lido on the E'dam to be disappointing. You had mentioned that silver wear was not on the tables nor was it replaced when taken away. Is this service usually available on X? The reason I ask is that we recently sailed on X, The Reflection, and did not have this level of service in the Oceanview Cafe. We frequently had to search for silver wear (it wasn't available at every food station) and we never seen silver wear on the tables or replaced when taken away.

[bandp407]

Cbr663 - we sailed the Reflection 2x and always found silverware at the various stations on trays . They constantly replaced as the supply went down. Same experience on the Silhouette. Sorry you had the problem you did. Our experiences were always good & not the case at Lido. Perhaps just an off week for the staff on both??

[cbr663]

Thanks for clarifying. I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the Tamarind and the MDR on the E'dam. Half Moon Cay is also one of our favourites.

 

Sorry to read the terrible experience of smelling a sewer odour in your cabin. This comment seems to make a regular appearance on these threads and it is a problem that HAL needs to address once and for all. We spend a lot of time in our cabin and would not want to have to endure such an offensive experience. It would certainly be enough reason for me not to sail again.

[Estella]

Usually on bathroom floor is a covered drain. The time there was a smell, I found that by covering the drain with a wet face towel corrected the smell in the bathroom.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for your report. Sorry something's did measure up. I can attest to the fact that many of Hal's officers are quite personable with the passengers. Sorry you got ones that were not. Hope you try Hal again sometime.

[Califonria cruiser]

Thanks for sharing! What floor were you on that you noticed the sewer smell?

 

Jenn

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for your review.

Sorry that you had to deal with sewer smells in your bathroom.

We rarely see any officers out and about on HAL ships.

[summersigh]

In March we were a few cabins back from where you were on the starboard side. We had a funky odor only once for an hour or so then it was gone.

 

The cruises after ours must have taken a toll on the cleaning crew as we saw a lot of cleaning going on. That being said, I agree that the crew seemed stretched very thin and though unfailingly polite looked pretty tired.

 

We've never found the officers on HAL to be particularly friendly - not rude but more than a nod of the head doesn't seem to happen out and about the ship. On RCCL they have an invitational cocktail party where the officers actually mix with the passengers for some nice chitchat. Those parties weren't just for high cruise level passengers as we were asked starting with our 2nd RCCL cruise.

[lastlook]

Thank you for taking time to write about your experience on the Eurodam. It is a shame that you had to endure that odor in your cabin's bathroom and that it wasn't resolved during your cruise.

 

Fortunately, we've never had problems with odors, plumbing, AC, etc. on any of our HAL cruises and hope that will be the case for you if you decide to try the Nieuw Amsterdam, which is a very nice ship. (As you can see from my signature below, we've sailed on her once in the Mediterranean and once in the Caribbean.)

 

We avoid the Lido altogether and enjoy breakfast, and sometimes lunch, in the MDR. (I really dislike buffet/cafeteria style dining for a number of reasons - especially on vacation!)

 

We now book a Retreat Cabana on the HAL ships that have them, and we enjoy lunch there if we are onboard (menus are provided and your Cabana Steward brings lunch to you.) If you decide to book the NA for your 30th, perhaps a Retreat Cabana would be a fun way to celebrate/splurge? They do tend to sell quickly and so I try to book one as soon as I book my cruise.

 

I hope you will give HAL another try as I think you would enjoy the Nieuw Amsterdam.

[VioletHorse]

Usually on bathroom floor is a covered drain. The time there was a smell, I found that by covering the drain with a wet face towel corrected the smell in the bathroom.

 

It's easier just to pour several cups of tap water down that floor drain to alleviate the odor. It works every time.

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for taking the time to post your review.

[DaveOKC]

It's easier just to pour several cups of tap water down that floor drain to alleviate the odor. It works every time.

 

Thanks for the tip - will try it next time it happens. We also take a room freshener with us - helps alot.

[bandp407]

Thanks for clarifying. I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the Tamarind and the MDR on the E'dam. Half Moon Cay is also one of our favourites.

 

Sorry to read the terrible experience of smelling a sewer odour in your cabin. This comment seems to make a regular appearance on these threads and it is a problem that HAL needs to address once and for all. We spend a lot of time in our cabin and would not want to have to endure such an offensive experience. It would certainly be enough reason for me not to sail again.

 

cbr663 - with all of my pre-cruise reading on these boards, I never saw the threads about the sewage issues. I guess I did not do all my homework!! You are so right that HAL should be addressing this issue. We all look forward to our cruises and should not have to deal with this. I wonder if it is location specific - deck or line of cabins or specific ships within the fleet - that seem to have the problem. Anyway, hope other than the Oceanview Cafe you enjoyed your time on Reflection & all future cruises!

[bandp407]

Thanks for sharing! What floor were you on that you noticed the sewer smell?

 

Jenn

 

we were on Deck 7 - cabin 7091 - right by the Aft elevators. I don't know if the problem is deck or line specific?? Other than the sewer smell, the cabin was a perfect choice for us.

[bandp407]

Usually on bathroom floor is a covered drain. The time there was a smell, I found that by covering the drain with a wet face towel corrected the smell in the bathroom.

 

Wish we had thought to cover the drain!!! Oh well - hopefully there won't be a next time to try it!!

[bandp407]

Thank you for taking time to write about your experience on the Eurodam. It is a shame that you had to endure that odor in your cabin's bathroom and that it wasn't resolved during your cruise.

 

Fortunately, we've never had problems with odors, plumbing, AC, etc. on any of our HAL cruises and hope that will be the case for you if you decide to try the Nieuw Amsterdam, which is a very nice ship. (As you can see from my signature below, we've sailed on her once in the Mediterranean and once in the Caribbean.)

 

We avoid the Lido altogether and enjoy breakfast, and sometimes lunch, in the MDR. (I really dislike buffet/cafeteria style dining for a number of reasons - especially on vacation!)

 

We now book a Retreat Cabana on the HAL ships that have them, and we enjoy lunch there if we are onboard (menus are provided and your Cabana Steward brings lunch to you.) If you decide to book the NA for your 30th, perhaps a Retreat Cabana would be a fun way to celebrate/splurge? They do tend to sell quickly and so I try to book one as soon as I book my cruise.

 

I hope you will give HAL another try as I think you would enjoy the Nieuw Amsterdam.

 

lastlook - thank you so much for your encouragement about the Nieuw Amsterdam. The retreat cabana sounds like a nice option & perhaps we would consider the splurge!! We will need to compare pricing for the Nieuw Amsterdam with Celebrity as they include so much for us - a great beverage package, spa, etc.... and no sewage issues. I am not holding my breath but curious to see what HAL comes back to me with. I would truly like to know which cabins are experiencing this problem before we can honestly make our final decision. We do book way ahead so it won't be long before we decide.

 

I noticed you sailed the RSSC Diamond - we did as well many years ago in the Med - our one and only. Very interesting ship with the twin hull!!

 

Thank you again & enjoy the Prinsendam!

[summersigh]

It's easier just to pour several cups of tap water down that floor drain to alleviate the odor. It works every time.

 

Good to know ... thanx:D

[ithaca gal]

My friend and I sailed on the Eurodam March 22nd to 29th. We did not notice any problems with the Lido but we didn't not go there very much, so I can't compare experiences.

 

I just wanted to tell the OP that we have cruised on the Nieuw Amsterdam four times in the last year and a half and highly, highly recommend it! This was our first time on the Eurodam and it just wasn't quite the same. While it is certainly a matter of taste, I am quite taken with the New York décor on the NA and the décor on the Eurodam was rather boring, IMHO.

 

I can agree with you 100% about the muster drill. Please know that the drills on the NA are NEVER like that! (Well, at least not on our four experiences.) My friend had never sailed HAL and she couldn't believe how disorganized it was. It was a total waste of time. I'm sure that no one benefitted from attending as they were calling names and cabin numbers THROUGHOUT the safety announcements! Worst ever in twelve HAL cruises.

 

We, too, had the Signature Beverage Package and though I don't drink wine, I warned my friend that Cruise Critic posters have said the wines available through the SBP were awful. She still was stunned. She called it "swill" -- not to any crew member, just to me. She said the Merlot was SLIGHTLY better but she didn't order it again.

 

She was so looking forward to the Master Chef's Table that I told her we just had to sign up for. Again, I don't drink wine but was excited for the experience and she was looking forward to the wine pairings. We signed up within five minutes of boarding the ship. It was to be held on Saturday evening at 6 p.m. On Friday morning, we received a call saying that they were going to have to cancel the dinner because only two others signed up. We were very upset because there was NO written promotion of this event at all. It was basically a VERY well kept secret. We told others about it after we got the call and NO ONE had heard about it. Supposedly they were having the wine stewards tell people when they ordered wine, but no one had been told that we had spoken to -- and we had three different wine stewards throughout the week and ... nothing. I don't like to say this, because I am very loyal to HAL, but I just think this F&B department did not want to be bothered with the event. A simple paper put in each cabin would have sold it out in minutes, I'm sure. (They only need sixteen people to have the event!)

 

Having said all of this, please be sure that your anniversary on the NA will be wonderful. Every time we sailed we had an amazing time. By the way, what itinerary will you be sailing then?

[bandp407]

My friend and I sailed on the Eurodam March 22nd to 29th. We did not notice any problems with the Lido but we didn't not go there very much, so I can't compare experiences.

 

I just wanted to tell the OP that we have cruised on the Nieuw Amsterdam four times in the last year and a half and highly, highly recommend it! This was our first time on the Eurodam and it just wasn't quite the same. While it is certainly a matter of taste, I am quite taken with the New York décor on the NA and the décor on the Eurodam was rather boring, IMHO.

 

I can agree with you 100% about the muster drill. Please know that the drills on the NA are NEVER like that! (Well, at least not on our four experiences.) My friend had never sailed HAL and she couldn't believe how disorganized it was. It was a total waste of time. I'm sure that no one benefitted from attending as they were calling names and cabin numbers THROUGHOUT the safety announcements! Worst ever in twelve HAL cruises.

 

We, too, had the Signature Beverage Package and though I don't drink wine, I warned my friend that Cruise Critic posters have said the wines available through the SBP were awful. She still was stunned. She called it "swill" -- not to any crew member, just to me. She said the Merlot was SLIGHTLY better but she didn't order it again.

 

She was so looking forward to the Master Chef's Table that I told her we just had to sign up for. Again, I don't drink wine but was excited for the experience and she was looking forward to the wine pairings. We signed up within five minutes of boarding the ship. It was to be held on Saturday evening at 6 p.m. On Friday morning, we received a call saying that they were going to have to cancel the dinner because only two others signed up. We were very upset because there was NO written promotion of this event at all. It was basically a VERY well kept secret. We told others about it after we got the call and NO ONE had heard about it. Supposedly they were having the wine stewards tell people when they ordered wine, but no one had been told that we had spoken to -- and we had three different wine stewards throughout the week and ... nothing. I don't like to say this, because I am very loyal to HAL, but I just think this F&B department did not want to be bothered with the event. A simple paper put in each cabin would have sold it out in minutes, I'm sure. (They only need sixteen people to have the event!)

 

Having said all of this, please be sure that your anniversary on the NA will be wonderful. Every time we sailed we had an amazing time. By the way, what itinerary will you be sailing then?

 

Thank you for sharing your recent Eurodam experiences. It's good to hear we were not simply being to picky. So many times during our week we felt we had taken many steps backwards by sailing HAL & probably would not return.

 

Appreciate your wonderful comments about the NA. The only reason we sailed Eurodam was because NA was going to dry dock last week. However , the difference between the two Signature Ships should not be that significant. For the sailing we are considering they go to Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, Amber Cove & Key West.

 

We shall see - I need to get over the cabin issue we had & work out the $$$ . The drink package is virtually useless to us unless HAL makes some real changes to their included wines. With Celebrity we do have a great deal - but no BB King Blues Band!!

 

I am so sorry your did not get to the Master Chef's Table. Agree with what you are saying about the F & B department. They put every other advertisement outside your cabin! Hope you can do it on your next cruise