Being Spoiled Rotten on the Eurodam; 12 day Baltic Adventure

[Rosethorn40]

Currently on the Eurodam for our 12-day Baltic Adventure, and I must say HAL is making it very difficult to even consider another cruise line for our next trip. I love how the staff greets you by name, almost from the very first day! We are always greeted with a smile (And sometimes a hug!).

 

I surprised my husband by booking a signature suite. It feels so large and airy compared to what I am use to and the bathroom is huge, for a cruise ship. How will I ever go back to a interior????

 

Loving the Greenhouse Spa's thermal suite. Favorite all time thermal suite. DH even joined me for a couples massage.

 

Our first sea day, which was my birthday we got a lido cabana and were waited on hand and foot (Even if we did sleep most of the day away). Service has been good in every dining venue we have tried.

 

There was a small issue with a shorex that was not only resolved within half an hour, but we even got a partial refund, which I didn't even ask for. (Funny story, but will have to wait until I can use less expensive internet).

 

Anyway, promise a full review on my return to my home. Ask questions if you have any, and I will try to answer them. Next two days are St. Petersburg, and we have a very busy 2-days planned, so I probably won't have another opportunity to write until Helsinki, Finland.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for checking in.

Glad you are having a wonderful time and being spoiled by HAL.

Happy Belated Birthday.

[sail7seas]

What an upbeat, happy post.

We enjoyed some wonderful cruises on Eurodam. I think her a lovely ship.

Happy Belated Birthday..... Thanks for checking in with us...... Continue to Enjoy ! :)

 

[kazu]

thanks for checking in and sharing with us.

 

How wonderful you are enjoying it all.

 

A late happy birthday to you and you will indeed, be very busy the next two day in St. Petersburg. enjoy every second of it :)

[bjarrett7]

Great to hear! Happy birthday! [emoji512]

[GradUT]

Thanks for posting! We're doing the same itinerary next month, so I'm looking forward to your comments about the ship and the ports.

 

Outside of SPB, we're touring all the ports on our own, so I'd enjoy any advice/information if you do the same. I'd also appreciate information on the ship for us "peons" who aren't in suites. :)

[paganwoman]

Took this cruise last year and loved it. Also loved the Eurodam and all her wonderful staff. Have a great rest of the cruise.:)

[jmps]

Thanks for the update. We sailed on the Eurodam a few weeks ago. We loved it as well. We needed a relaxed time in Helsinki after the hectic two days in St. Petersburg. :-) Please keep us posted on your experience.

[sunsetbeachgal]

We disembarked the Eurodam the day you got on! We were also spoiled as we splurged on a very attractive upsell to a beautiful Neptune Suite, an aft wrap that was once in a lifetime! The staff was incredible and we consider it one of our favorite cruises ever.

 

Have a wonderful time!

Edited June 16, 2015 by sunsetbeachgal

[POA1]

Happy belated birthday!

[HELENPSL]

We also took this cruise and disembarked on May 20. We loved the ship and loved the itinerary but JMPS is correct...you will need a day of rest after 2 days in St. Petersburg. (Hi JMPS...how are you doing??) We had a very cute experience when we went into the casino. As soon as we walked in, the casino supervisor came up and said "I know you guys." He was working on the Nieuw Amsterdam when we took our 2014 cruise. There were hugs all around and it was a nice feeling to be treated as family. On the other hand...maybe we're just spending too much time in the casino!!

[kftw]

Looking forward to your review. Happy Birthday & have a great cruise!

[ORCRUISER]

Can't wait for your next posts. We are on this cruise in August. Any comments about Copenhagen also appreciated.

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for checking in.

Glad you're off to a good start.

I hope you have a great cruise.

Looking forward to reading more later.

[cruisersMandW]

So glad you're enjoying your cruise. The Eurodam has become our favorite ship. We thought we had the best experience on her in Oct for the Quebec City- FLL trip, so we booked her again in April for the FLL-Barcelona transatlantic. That was even better. Great crew and some of the nicest passengers on those longer cruises.

 

Hope to do the Baltics on her sometime soon so I'd love to hear details when you get back.

[jmps]

We also took this cruise and disembarked on May 20. We loved the ship and loved the itinerary but JMPS is correct...you will need a day of rest after 2 days in St. Petersburg. (Hi JMPS...how are you doing??) We had a very cute experience when we went into the casino. As soon as we walked in, the casino supervisor came up and said "I know you guys." He was working on the Nieuw Amsterdam when we took our 2014 cruise. There were hugs all around and it was a nice feeling to be treated as family. On the other hand...maybe we're just spending too much time in the casino!!

 

Hi Helenpsl! We liked this cruise to the Baltic so much we just booked Auckland to Sydney in March 2016 on the Noordam.

[HELENPSL]

Hi Helenpsl! We liked this cruise to the Baltic so much we just booked Auckland to Sydney in March 2016 on the Noordam.

 

We also loved everything and just booked 2 shorter cruises - 11 day Panama Canal in January 2016 and 12 day Atlantic Coast cruise in Oct. 2016. These are both on the Zuiderdam. Haven't even finished working thru my pictures from the last cruise and I'm ready to go again. BTW - Angelo said to tell you hello!!

[Ricktan]

Thank you for posting! Can't wait to hear more! Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!

[Califonria cruiser]

Glad to hear you are enjoying yourself. We will be on there next month and am wondering a few things...

 

What shows/events did you particularly enjoy? Which nights were formal night? Also, we are DIY and wondering if there is a mad rush to get off the ship or if Eurodam has certain passengers off first? Are you noticing anything I should know about? We want to get off at St Petersburg fairly early with DIY and wondering how much of a mad house it is with customs and everything.

 

 

 

Jenn

[HELENPSL]

Glad to hear you are enjoying yourself. We will be on there next month and am wondering a few things...

 

What shows/events did you particularly enjoy? Which nights were formal night? Also, we are DIY and wondering if there is a mad rush to get off the ship or if Eurodam has certain passengers off first? Are you noticing anything I should know about? We want to get off at St Petersburg fairly early with DIY and wondering how much of a mad house it is with customs and everything.

 

 

 

Jenn

 

Hi Jenn,

 

IMHO - I would strongly suggest not trying to do St. Petersburg as a DIY. There are several issues. Not sure where you live but if you are a US resident you need to get a visa to enter Russia. Last I read the visa was $300 per person. If you use a local tour company you go in under their visa and just pay the price of the tour. We paid $300 per person for a 2 day tour in SPB and it was wonderful. Secondly, not very many people speak English. Should you get lost it will be difficult to communicate. What really struck me when we were there was that I couldn't even read the street signs since it's a totally different alphabet. You can pretty much do the rest of the ports as DIY but St. Petersburg is the one port I would suggest going the tour route.

 

Helen

Edited June 19, 2015 by helenpsl

[Rosethorn40]

St. Petersburg was amazing! But now we are exhausted. We have been very lucky with the weather. Some clouds, a few drops of rain, but mostly blue skies. Even today (Helsinki) the forecast was for rain, but we have mostly blue skies, and some clouds.

 

When it comes to Russia one must have patience; with passport control officers, traffic, and crowds. I have never seen such crowds. My favorite part of St. Petersburg had to be the ballet. We went to the Mariinsky Theater and saw "Giselle." this was no tourist ballet, but the real deal.

 

More later. The ship's internet is so expensive.

[Califonria cruiser]

Sorry for the confusion we are not DIY in St Petersburg, we are going on a private tour with an outside company not with the cruise line. Everywhere else we are DIY. I meant we aren't going with the cruise lines. I do think getting your own visa would be bonkers for just the 2 days.

 

I've been to Russia before, albeit in 1991 so am familiar with how it was then. AN amazing country and I've heard has changed a bunch, looking forward to seeing it!

 

Did you happen to notice if there is a laundry deal on the ship?

 

Jenn

[chefestelle]

I have a friend travelling to Russia soon and he says the visas are a nightmare. So if you can get someone else to handle it, that would be way easier!