Thoughts on 2/14/16 Eurodam Cruise

[cat shepard]

I appreciate your review. I will be on this ship in May, and will be better prepared thanks to you taking the time to share your experiences.

[borasue]

Thanks for your review and comparison. :)

[1teach53]

Returned this past Sunday from our 7-day Western Caribbean on the Eurodam. This is an annual brothers/wives trip (8 total) and was our first cruise on HAL since a 2011 Nieuw Amsterdam cruise. The past several years we have cruised almost exclusively on Celebrity. So, just wanted to give some random thoughts on the cruise without hopefully going into excruciating detail.

 

EMBARKATION

With 7 ships leaving FLL we wanted to get an early start and arrived at 10:20 at the port. Doors were opened and we breezed thru security and check-in. Boarded about 11:45 and were able to go to the cabin. This is one thing I really love about HAL since on X you wait until after 1:00 to get in to the cabin. Now, let's start taking advantage of that Explore 4 Drink package.

 

CABIN

When entering, the cabin seemed smaller than the standard verandah cabin on the S-class X ships. Was surprised there was no table on the balcony...not sure if this is a recent development. I think Celebrity wins on cabin design. Their cabin doors are recessed back so the cabin door opens out, plus the closet (while a tight squeeze) is on the wall next to the bed. This frees up the entry into the cabin from the mess where you have the cabin door, closet doors and bathroom door all opening into the entry.

 

PUBLIC AREAS

Don't know what the casino and surrounding area was prior to drydock, but they really did a great job blending the dueling piano bar, casino and new Gallery bar together for a nice, open space. And the fact there was no smoking in the casino was a great decision IMO. We feel the MDR on this ship was so much prettier than that on X. Loved the colors and it seemed much quieter than the MDR on X.

 

We do like the atrium on X better than on HAL as it seems to provide a central hub for everything while making the ship seem more open and bright. Overall we prefer the design, layout and flow on X as HAL has a smaller and more closed in feel to me. Also, the cabin hallways and public restrooms seemed very utilitarian on HAL while they are much prettier on X.

 

The Lido on Eurodam seemed to be an improvement over our previous NA cruise, but still if you want an omelet and bacon you have to stand in two lines. We prefer the separate stations and open feel on X as on the Eurodam there were times that the walkway was impassable with people in line for food, people behind them looking to see what was at the station and everyone trying to walk by.

 

HAL wins on wrap-around promenade deck and aft pool.

 

FOOD AND DRINKS

We found the food to be very good for the most part. There was a night or two where the MDR menu seemed to be lacking in choices but what I ordered was served hot and tasty. We ate in Pinnacle, Tamarind and Cannelleto with Tamarind being the best of the three. While food was good in Pinnacle, it should not take over 3.5 hours to get thru a meal. The Lido food was good with a nice variety of choices. Loved the new salad bar and all the choices. Was surprised that we were not able to serve ourselves in the Lido as staff did it the entire cruise. Maybe this is standard procedure or there had been a Noro outbreak. After seeing that most people do not sanitize their hands upon entering the Lido, I was glad the staff served us.

 

The Dive-In had great burgers, dogs and fries but the wait can be 25 to 30 minutes. Same with the New York Pizza since they are made to order and can take a while to get. Just wish you could get a slice.

 

We had the Explore 4 drink package included. Drinks were very good and we felt they were better than on X. It did seem the service was slower than on X as they don't seem to have the experience with the drink package that X does. Seems they go to a lot of extra work by asking for your card each time you order more than one drink at the same seating and having to print out the receipt each time. You get no receipts on X if you are on the drink package. The wine service in the MDR was very slow and you were lucky if they got the order correct.

 

SERVICE

While service was good, we notice that HAL is like other lines in that they now have fewer staff in the MDR and they are so busy as to not give the personal attention one received in the past. And if you order coffee after dinner expect that it will come after dessert has been served and you are ready to leave. There were few times in the Lido someone actually brought us drinks as we typically just went and got our own instead of waiting.

 

Our cabin steward failed to service the cabin on the first evening so I had to track him down the next morning to get beach towels and the bag they provide prior to tendering at Half Moon Cay. Cabin service was slightly below what we have experienced in the past as dirty glasses brought back to the cabin were not always removed and water glasses were not always replaced. Also, some days we got wash clothes and some days not. But, in their defense, they have so many cabins to service I am surprised they do as well as they do.

 

ENTERTAINMENT

All I can say is the BB King Band was the best band we have ever heard in all our cruises. We were there every evening and sat thru at least two sets each night. Not sure why they aren't on the big Mainstage at least once during the cruise. The only show we went to in the Mainstage was a comedian who was one of the worst we have seen on a cruise unfortunately. We heard the piano bar performance on several occasions while in the casino. Some of their selections seemed odd for a piano bar and we found we could only take the singing voice of the male singer in small doses as it had a stranqe quality to it. We heard the string quartet in the Lincoln Center a few times while passing thru and they seemed good...but we were having too much fun at BB Kings to go anywhere else.

 

PORTS

HMC, Montego Bay, Grand Cayman and Key West. Did not get off the ship in MoBay as we got a notice from HAL that because elections were happening soon there had been random violence. There is nothing at the port so we had a nice sea day. The BIG problem we had was with the immigration procedure when arriving in Key West. Those who had HAL excursions were to be in line at the Queens Lounge at 7:20. The line wrapped around back to the dining room and the other side. Before the line began moving, they made an announcement that guests on decks 1 and 3 could proceed to the lounge. So, they thought they could just break line since they were "called" even though a mass of people had been in line for 30 minutes. There were NO HAL staff to direct people and it almost caused a riot. The CD admitted it was a cluster...

 

CONCLUSION

We had a really good cruise and would not hesitate to return to HAL. While we were concerned about smoking, the only time we smelled smoke was on the aft pool deck where it is allowed on the starboard side. We found some things we like better on X and some things we like better on HAL. So our future decisions will probably be based on pricing, itinerary and extras like the drink package that can help sway a decision.

 

 

Thanks!! Agree with all of your review!! We were on this cruise, it was the second week of our 14 days.

BB King was the very best, loved it!!!

SO glad they have done away with smoking in the casino.

Yes, the Key West immigration was a huge CF!!! I rook pictures & posted on Twitter #HAL. Never should have called all those decks at the same time.

Thanks again we had a great time too !! :)

[3rdGenCunarder]

Thanks!! Agree with all of your review!! We were on this cruise, it was the second week of our 14 days.

BB King was the very best, loved it!!!

SO glad they have done away with smoking in the casino.

Yes, the Key West immigration was a huge CF!!! I rook pictures & posted on Twitter #HAL. Never should have called all those decks at the same time.

Thanks again we had a great time too !! :)

 

It seems that Immigration sends too few agents and things back up (at least that's the "excuse" the ships offer). Immigration inspection is the one thing that Cunard does poorly. It's always is a mega-CF. Everyone knows it, so people get in line way before their assigned time, leading to major delays. I wonder if part of the back-up on your cruise was from people going too early instead of waiting their turn.

 

As soon as the line starts to back up, staff should be sent to work the line and keep order.

Edited February 27, 2016 by 3rdGenCunarder

[1teach53]

We did not use the internet so sorry I can't answer that.

 

Forgot to mention , the Internet was horrible !!:mad:

SO slow, really could only load an email & that took forever!! Loading anything else forget it, we wasted our money on Internet minutes & wont buy it again!!!

I went to the front desk to complain & said I wanted a refund, nothing, not even a sorry. FD said ," we will send your request to the librarian ". What?!?!?!? Really?!?!? This was the only big negative of the cruise.

Moral of the story, don't waste your $$$ on the internet you will be frustrated big time!!!!

[SeaBands]

as for no balcony table, the new chairs have a slide out extension the can make it a lounger or use it as a table. The Key West immigration was very poorly handled and it looked like half the ship was on the line when we got there and had to walk half the ship to get on the line and then doubled back 2X. Disembark was great with lots of customs agents and went very fast and they didn't question that we were somewhat over the allowance. Had an aft cabin and a great steward. Had anytime and rarely got the same waiter but tried.

[blueboro]

as for no balcony table, the new chairs have a slide out extension the can make it a lounger or use it as a table. The Key West immigration was very poorly handled and it looked like half the ship was on the line when we got there and had to walk half the ship to get on the line and then doubled back 2X. Disembark was great with lots of customs agents and went very fast and they didn't question that we were somewhat over the allowance. Had an aft cabin and a great steward. Had anytime and rarely got the same waiter but tried.

 

To me, the foot rest would be too small for a room service breakfast and it is very low. We would have just moved the table in the cabin to the balcony but ended up never ordering room service breakfast. I was surprised about the Key West immigration problems since this was not a first stop for the season. The problems arose from the HAL staff as their communication and lack of staff to direct passengers was the cause.

[I_r_a]

Thanks for sharing, BB

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[doone]

Great review, thanks for sharing.

[sjn911]

Thanks for review...it is great to know on the whole..the cruise lines you like are relatively good given the cutbacks all are doing. Thanks for review that there was some good music too. I would have enjoyed the BB King. Something like that makes my cruise. And oh no..... I may have to gamble just a tiny bit now...lol.

[SLOTheta]

 

CABIN

 

When entering, the cabin seemed smaller than the standard verandah cabin on the S-class X ships. Was surprised there was no table on the balcony...not sure if this is a recent development.

 

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

We had a really good cruise and would not hesitate to return to HAL. While we were concerned about smoking, the only time we smelled smoke was on the aft pool deck where it is allowed on the starboard side. We found some things we like better on X and some things we like better on HAL. So our future decisions will probably be based on pricing, itinerary and extras like the drink package that can help sway a decision.

 

 

Which room were you in? Did all the balconies not have a table? Did you have a 6 ft or 4.5 ft balcony? We were looking forward to eating our breakfast on the balcony.

 

You said you only smelled smoke in one area. Did people smoke much on their balconies?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[doone]

Smoking is allowed on the balconies, not in the cabins, last I knew.

 

I don't recall having a table large enough to eat breakfast on on the V, VB, VE, VD, verandah cabins I have had in the past, I do know that the mini suites and suites have nice tables and chairs for breakfast. We usually just have coffee on our balcony and then head upstairs to the Lido for breakfast.

 

Hope this helps.

[blueboro]

Which room were you in? Did all the balconies not have a table? Did you have a 6 ft or 4.5 ft balcony? We were looking forward to eating our breakfast on the balcony.

 

You said you only smelled smoke in one area. Did people smoke much on their balconies?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

Was in VD 6032 and family had 6030, 6026 and 6024 with no tables.

[gelo7]

Nice review.

[roses313]

Hello

 

We were on the Feb 7th and Feb 14th Eurodam cruises.

 

In our opinion, the Lincoln Center musicians are a very welcome addition to the entertainment line-up. We enjoyed their performances...really talented professionals. They have become a victim of their own success, what with people standing in the passage way.

 

The line-up at the MainStage was a sorry mess...poor selections.

 

We found the upgrades to the ship were very good...nice decor in the lounges.

 

Guess we missed the whole Key West mess. We were on Deck #8, and our processing took, maybe all of 10 minutes.

 

All in all a wonderful cruise.

[blueboro]

Hello

 

We were on the Feb 7th and Feb 14th Eurodam cruises.

 

In our opinion, the Lincoln Center musicians are a very welcome addition to the entertainment line-up. We enjoyed their performances...really talented professionals. They have become a victim of their own success, what with people standing in the passage way.

 

The line-up at the MainStage was a sorry mess...poor selections.

 

We found the upgrades to the ship were very good...nice decor in the lounges.

 

Guess we missed the whole Key West mess. We were on Deck #8, and our processing took, maybe all of 10 minutes.

 

All in all a wonderful cruise.

 

Just curious, what time did you go down for immigration? We were on a HAL excursion and were told to be there by 7:20am. Unfortunately they started calling decks down BEFORE they even started immigration procedures for those on HAL excursions and it was mass confusion and tempers flared.

[roses313]

We are non-Americans, so were called to the Hudson room on Level 3. We were not on a shore excursion. i recall we were called shortly after 7:30am and thought it was rather soon, and as i said, we were probably in the Lido having breakfast by 7:45am.

[blueboro]

We are non-Americans, so were called to the Hudson room on Level 3. We were not on a shore excursion. i recall we were called shortly after 7:30am and thought it was rather soon, and as i said, we were probably in the Lido having breakfast by 7:45am.

 

Thanks...I am sure the lines for non-US citizens were not an issue as they were for US citizens. It was mass chaos.