Eurodam cruise 11/29/-12/7, 2015 comments

[luv2travel06]

This was our first HAL cruise since our b2b cruise on the Eurodam 2 years ago. In the interim we sailed RCCL Navigator OTS and Legend OTS, NCL Pearl, and Celebrity Infinity. We very much appreciate the larger cabins and more storage space on HAL ships. While we throughly enjoyed our Pearl cruise, we thought the cabin extremely small....until we sailed the Legend. On that ship, one side of the bed was against the wall, and there were exactly zero shelves in our closet, even though with 2 bunks it could have been a four person cabin. The shower was also very small. We would sail Celebrity more often, but we get better deals and shareholder credit with HAL.

 

While on board, we booked a 14 day cruise on the Koningsdam for next November, a 14 day cruise on the Rotterdam for March 2017, and bought an extra FCD as we are thinking about going back to Bermuda in May.....maybe.

 

We had flown to FLL 2 days early for the best deal we could get on airfare. We stayed at the nearly new Comfort Suites on Stirling Rd. in Dania Beach for almost free with hotel points. The breakfast isn't terrible there, but they do charge for the shuttle to the port. We rented a car for a day, a 2016 Dodge Challenger with only 3400 miles. That may have been one of the most fun parts of the trip, and it only cost +/- $57 with Enterprise at the airport because of our discount. We went shopping at Sawgrass Mills Saturday morning, enjoyed an amazing lunch at the Grand Lux Cafe there, and drove to the state park to watch the sailaway late Saturday afternoon, waving in excitement and encouragement as the Westerdam sounded its horn all the way through the channel.

 

The 10:00 shuttle took us to the pier. We breezed through check-in and were given #3 for boarding, which began at 11:30 and included the obligatory boarding photo, which other lines we have recently sailed now omit. Cabins were ready when we boarded, so we stowed our carry-ons, which contained the allowed 2 bottles of wine. Our luggage was brought to the room before the standard HAL safety drill on the Promenade Deck. We find the safety drills that take place in inside assembly areas on the other lines we have recently sailed less annoying. While we were supposed to be the first ship to depart, we ended up being the last as the Celebrity ship docked ahead of us was delayed.

 

For the length of the cruise, the weather was perfect!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The ports were :

 

Amber Cove: We were only the 10th ship to visit this new port. We did a HAL tour. Tours will get better organized as time goes on. With little time left after the tour because the ship departed at 3:00, we were unable to spend any time in the pool area, but it looks very nice, although prices for sports equipment rental seemed outrageously high--nothing we would ever pay. Lots of work was going on to improve the city of Puerto Plata.

 

St. Thomas: We did a little catching up and interneting on our cell phones, some shopping, then a couple hours at Morningstar Beach after we bought some sodas at the nearby grocery store to take back to the ship. The Carnival Sunshine and Freedom OTS were also docked at Havensight, Regal Princess and Westerdam were docked at Crown Bay.

 

St. Kitts: The last time we visited the island we did a catamaran sail to Nevis through the ship with lunch and beach time. On this cruise we booked a HAL tour of Nevis, thinking we would see more of the island. In reality, the island tour was brief, and we spent a couple hours on the beach again. The Thomson Celebration (former Noordam) was also in port, as was the Aida Luna, which apparently does not restrict the use of the nudist deck area while docked, lol.

 

San Juan: More catching up and interneting on our cell phones, then the free trolley to El Morro, where we took lots of photos. Trolleyed back to the market area just up the hill from the pier where we bought a souvenir and enjoyed a free Starbucks. We also booked a room at the Sheraton across from the pier for our April 2016 pre-cruise stay, and bought more sodas at the nearby CVS. Celebrity Constellation was also in port.

 

Half Moon Cay: Perfect weather!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Since we were there last, they added a sheltered area for waiting to return to the ship.

 

This sailing was the last for the Eurodam before a two week drydock, but all areas were functioning and available, with few indications of the impending work.

 

We had originally booked an inside guarantee cabin, but ended up with a verandah on deck 4, port side, past the aft staircase, after paying an extra $50 for an upsell. As mentioned previously, plenty of room to move around and plenty of storage. The cabin was satisfactorily maintained by our cabin stewards. The showerheads in the cabins are better than the showerheads at home. The two outlets at the make up desk are adequate for charging all our devices with the addition of the multi outlet adaptor we brought along, which we always unplug when we leave the cabin. There is also an outlet in the bathroom.

 

Dinners were in the MDR, where the two of us enjoyed a 4-top table next to the window by ourselves at the late seating. Having only 2 at our table minimized any delays in the service from our very pleasant stewards. Of everything, we enjoyed our desserts the most, especially the creme brulee and desserts containing fruit. It is embarassing to admit, but one night there were six desserts on our table.

 

We had met Hilman, one of the dining room managers, on our previous Maasdam cruises, and enjoyed chatting with him throughout the cruise. He said this is his 30th year with HAL! When we asked about the dessert extravaganza we used to enjoy, he indicated that it had been discontinued, and we discussed the amount of food that was wasted at the event and the amount of time that was required to prepare for it. There was a Lido BBQ by the aft pool on the St. Thomas port day. On the evenings of the two sea days, the dress code was "gala attire."

 

When we ate breakfast, it was in the Lido--(the waffles are the best!!), lunches were usually also from the Lido, although we did enjoy the hot dogs, burgers and fries from Dive-In. DW enjoyed the pizza the one time she had it. The addition of the signs indicating the beginning and end of the lines at the various Lido serving stations was helpful. On our RCCL cruises, attendants would offer to get water, tea, etc. for us. This has rarely happened on our HAL cruises. We rarely dined inside, choosing instead to sit outside by the aft pool, even though we were often asked 3 times in 5 minutes if we wanted something from the bar. On our recent Celebrity cruise, the bar staff would lay the drink menu down instead of leaving it standing as an indication that we were not interested in what they were selling so they would not ask us repeatedly.

 

However, that is not to say we never partook. We did take advantage of HAL's happy hour, which is not available on the other lines we have recently sailed. In the Crow's Nest and Ocean Bar from 4-5pm, drinks are buy one, get the second for $1 (except on embarkation day). Most nights, the Northern Lights Bar had happy hour 10-11pm, and the Piano Bar did one night. We made only one purchase from the Explorations Cafe, using the coupon from the book provided on embarkation day. The Legend OTS had a punch card that got you a free beverage after you purchased five or six at their coffee venue.

 

As mentioned in a previous post, we were disappointed to find that fresh strawerries were not available, nor was pineapple readily available. Except for an occasional mixed fruit (melon?) salad, fuit was served in cups or on saucers, not in large serving bowls.

 

We only went to one production show, which one of us slept through. One show was a piano player we had heard before, which one of us slept through. Although we had seen him before we did go to see the "Action Comedy" show, but did not go to hear the stand up comedian. There was a steel pan player who performed each day throughout the ship and gave lessons a couple of days. The B.B. King All Stars performed three sets several nights, and we were often able to catch two of them after dinner. We attended the crew show and took photos of our MDR steward playing the harmonica. We had the photos printed in the photo gallery and gave him several copies, which he was happy to receive and share with his friends who were also on stage.

 

We did not use the casino at all, but it appeared to be busy. Nor did we spend much time in several lounges where various musicians played. We did not use the spa services or the upcharge restaurants. Our Mariner lunch was at 11:00 on the second sea day, and tiles titled "Eurodam & Nieuw Amsterdam" were passed out.

 

Puzzles are available each morning in the library. NYT news briefings in several languages are also available there, with additional English versions available in the Lido. We did not attend any trivia contests or the many well-regarded Microsoft and digital photography workshops. The Hotel Manager is a professional photographer, and he gave a slideshow and talk one day.

 

Captain John Scott was very visible throughout the ship. Any questions we asked at the front desk were answered quickly, politely, and accurately.

 

We did the self-disembarkation, which began at 6:45am. Customs was a little slow with only 2 agents available, but we were soon in a taxi on the way to the airport, the fare for which was only $20 including tip.

 

Overall, we enjoyed the cruise, and we consider HAL our primary cruise line. However, cruise lines and cruise ships are like houses. Unless you are building your own, you choose the one that has the amenities you find most important to you and compromise on some others.

Edited December 11, 2015 by luv2travel06
additional information

[Keith1010]

Enjoyed reading your review.

 

Keith

[erewhon]

Thank you for reviewing your Eurodam cruise.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

Glad you had a wonderful cruise.

[IRL_Joanie]

This is what I consider a very well balanced review with the good, the bad and the not so bad. Thank you:)

 

I like your final 2 sentences:

 

QUOTE "However, cruise lines and cruise ships are like houses. Unless you are building your own, you choose the one that has the amenities you find most important to you and compromise on some others." UNQUOTE

 

Joanie

[puppycanducruise]

Thank you for taking the time to post about your cruise.

Glad you enjoyed it.

[cat shepard]

First, thank you for a great review. I too am a dessert lover!:D

 

But perhaps the most important part of your review is the closing. You very eloquently put into words what I think after reading reviews.