Live Eurodam Enroute to Vancouver for Alaska Season

[Crew News]

This starts my Eurodam live thread where I will be collecting menus (hopefully for 7-day Alaska season, too), gathering crew information, answering any CC HAL questions, and giving my impressions of the ship.

 

This Pacific Coastal cruise was scheduled to stop in Victoria BC where I could at last complete my photographs of Butchart Gardens.  Two days ago all passengers received an email announcing that the ship asipods had become entangeled in unmarked fishing nets and would have to postpone the stop in Victoria as well as delaying departure until the following day sos that repairs can be made.  As a result, every passenger will receive a refund of port fees for Victoria as well as $50 refundable OBC.  The ship is planning a sail away party for our noon Tuesday departure.

 

As reported in another thread, the Eurodam is arriving Sunday evening in San Diego rather than at 7:00 AM on Monday so that repairs can be started early.  Hopefully, with departing passengers in port early, we new passengers can board at 11:30 AM.

 

The good news is that our Tamarind Bar Meet & Greet now coincides with noon departure on Tuesday, so 46 of my fellow roll call members will have both a great view as we sail away and our own private bar.  Last night, I received an email upgrading me to a Neptune Suite (first-ever free upgrade in all of my cruising years).

 

I have urged my fellow roll call members, many first-time cruisers, to use this thread to give their impressions as we spend four days of relaxation aboard the Eurodam.

 

Weather forecast for four days is temp in the 60's, two-foot waves for every day, and lots of sun.  There is a possiblity of a quick shower in Vancouver a we disembark.

 

This will be my first time aboard the Eurodam so I will be comparing it to both the Nieuw Amsterdam and my last cruise on the Konigsdam.  Hopefully, this thread will be informational for those on subsequent Eurodam cruises.

[*Miss G*]

Fishing nets make me sad.  ☹️

 

Congratulations on your upgrade!  That is awesome.  Looking forward to following along!

[ski ww]

Great up grade, looking forward to reading your posts. We just got off her at the beginning of the month. Enjoy your cruise.

[puppycanducruise]

Congrats on the upgrade.

Hope you have a wonderful cruise.

Looking forward to reading all about it.

Thanks.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sorry to hear that your cruise will be delayed because of fishing nets and you will miss Victoria.

 

Congratulations on the upgrade to a Neptune Suite.

 

Looking forward to your reports.

[Nsteph3]

I’m so excited to follow along with your post! We board the Eurodam on Saturday in Seattle for a week in Alaska! 

 

Im a little confused by the repairs though, will this delay our embarkation or will they be caught back up by the time we board on the 4th? 

[grsnovi]

Here's a Butchart photo from a week ago... 

[DaveOKC]

Congrats on the upgrade!  We were just in a Neptune suite on the Eurodam and REALLY liked it, as it has been upgraded since our last visit.  Large cabin, great TV on the wall and very nice sized balcony.  Bathroom is large, with two sinks and a spearate shower (which is a bit too small however for us plus sized people!).

 

Be sure to have at least one meal in the Tamarind - great food, excellent views and fantastic service!

[ricko999]

Looking forward to your experiences on the Eurodam. This June we take our first "ship" cruise on the Eurodam and our first to Alaska.

regards,

RO

Edited April 29, 2019 by ricko999

[Crew News]

1 hour ago, ricko999 said:

Looking forward to your experiences on the Eurodam. This June we take our first "ship" cruise on the Eurodam and our first to Alaska.

regards,

RO

Feel free to post any Eurodam questions and I will find the answers for you.

[Overhead Fred]

I am sure it is already on your to-do list, but any updates on drink price increases would be nice. Also, has the drink price limit on the EBP gone up or is it still $15? Both of these questions would relate to deciding on whether to upgrade the SBP to Elite. 

 

Thanks for maintaining your website with menus, pictures, and such. It is a very useful resource!

[slidergirl]

enjoy!

 

I was hoping to do this one again.  But, when I put in for the vacation time back in January, I found that my 2 upper managers already put in for their vacation time during these 2 weeks PLUS the new morning Guest Services manager (my equal) took the job with the promise that he gets this week off for his brother's wedding, so I'm stuck at work, waiting for the end of May for my vacation 😥  I guess that's one of the perks of being a higher-up manager - first pick (one going to Belize on a dive trip, one going to Puerto Rico for 2 weeks).  

[Crew News]

6 hours ago, Overhead Fred said:

I am sure it is already on your to-do list, but any updates on drink price increases would be nice. Also, has the drink price limit on the EBP gone up or is it still $15? Both of these questions would relate to deciding on whether to upgrade the SBP to Elite. 

 

Thanks for maintaining your website with menus, pictures, and such. It is a very useful resource!

 

The piece of paper in my hand says EBP drinks up to $15 and SBP at $9.

 

I have started scanning beverage menus already and will have them all before I leave the ship.

[sambamama]

I am on this cruise and was on the previous 16 day Hawaii cruise. The ship has handled this very badly. I missed one Hawaii port and Ensenada, and now spend two nights docked in San Diego and also lose Victoria. We also had to report to immigration last night during dinner. To top it off, a crewman cleaned my balcony and glass doors at 8am this morning unannounced, and I had my curtains open, which came very close to being really embarrassing for me. I've now lost three of my 7 ports and a total of 2 sea days. I got no additional compensation than that which the 16 day cruisers received. It turns out the fishing net has been on for 6 weeks. So I am not happy about how quickly we were informed and the compensation I got! 

[Crew News]

San Diego is under overcast skies with a misty rain.  My plane landed at the airport at 11:15 and I was aboard the ship a few minutes after noon.  The biggest holdup was the small table where all of the incoming passengers were completing their Canadian Customs forms. 

 

For the first time, I noticed that taxis were allowed to enter the gated terminal area and drop of passengers with luggage.  The Security Screening went quickly and I witnessed no confiscations.  I also did not see a wine check-in table.

 

Passengers were told to be back on the ship by 11:30 PM.  The Passenger Safety Drill will be tomorrow at 11:00 AM which conflicts with my Meet & Greet but the ship will put up a sign announcing the start at 11:45 just before sail away.

 

The Restaurants Manager made the mistake of coming into the Lounge and I think I convinced him to provide me with the 7-day Alaska menus when they become available this week.  We also discussed mutual culinary staff. 

 

New beverage menus are in use and I will start scanning them tonight.  The Concierge is gathering the Specialty Restaurant menus for me to scan tomorrow.

 

I have posed the question of upgrading the Explor4 Signature Beverage Package to the Elite Package for a small fee but have yet to get a firm answer.  I will keep trying.

 

My two free PG dinners for being a 5* Mariner were traded for a PG Lunch and only a $14 upcharge for Rudi' Sel de Mer on Thursday Night.

 

First impressions:

• crew is very friendly and helpful
• Lido Market food was well presented and the servers very cheerful
• At each elevator bank, there are now markings on the carpet pointing forward.
• Furniture around the elevators is missing.
• The elevators are really spiffed up.
• The Lido Market chairs are still too heavy.
• The number of bus-persons in the Lido Market was adequate to keep the tables clean and quick beverage deliveries to each guest.
• There was an ample supply of chocolate chip cookies during lunch which is not always the case on HAL ships.
• The Bose speaker on my stateroom table is so close to the only two US AC outlets that only the most flexible of cords and be bent to insert the prongs of the connector.

Dinner tonight is in the Tamarind.

 

More later.

 

 

 

 

[Caribbean Chris]

Looking forward to your review. Any sign of a Club Orange space for suite passengers? Or have you been advised that breakfast is in the Pinnacle Grill?

 

So far, it seems the only Clubs Orange (Club Oranges?) are on the K-dam and Nieuw-Stat.

[tonyinoc]

12 hours ago, Nsteph3 said:

I’m so excited to follow along with your post! We board the Eurodam on Saturday in Seattle for a week in Alaska! 

 

Im a little confused by the repairs though, will this delay our embarkation or will they be caught back up by the time we board on the 4th? 

I hope not i board the 4th too 

[DAllenTCY]

The reason that the table was set up in the check-in area is because last year, guests were advised to bring the forms to Guest Services.  Those forms were among several other flyers found in the staterooms.

 

Many did not understand that Canadian Immigration documents needed to be collected within 24 hours.

 

So, in order to alleviate the inconvenience and speed up the process, this table was suggested.

 

Such will be the case tomorrow for the Oosterdam.

 

David

[sambamama]

I can tell you that dacquiris and margaritas are the same price. The Pinnacle and Tamarind have been half full or less the nights I went to eat there. The Pinnacle has the new David Burke menu and there has been no surcharge for 2 entrees. The food in the MDR has been very good but a bit eclectic. The Lincoln Center Stage Group is superb-the best classical group I've ever heard on HAL, and the service in Lido very good. The late fixed seating has been practically empty. 

[Crew News]

Just now, DAllenTCY said:

The reason that the table was set up in the check-in area is because last year, guests were advised to bring the forms to Guest Services.  Those forms were among several other flyers found in the staterooms.

 

Many did not understand that Canadian Immigration documents needed to be collected within 24 hours.

 

So, in order to alleviate the inconvenience and speed up the process, this table was suggested.

 

Such will be the case tomorrow for the Oosterdam.

 

David

 

Good idea but not enough tables and pens for the number of passengers to complete the forms.

[Crew News]

1 hour ago, tonyinoc said:

I hope not i board the 4th too 

 

We leave tomorrow so Alaska will be fine.  Enjoy your cruise planning.

[RMLincoln]

Congratulations on your upgrade to NS!  What category were you upgraded from?  Have a grand time and thank you for all the great information you gather to share!  

Greetings to Joanie too, I know she is following! 😉 m--  

Edited April 30, 2019 by RMLincoln

[Crew News]

50 minutes ago, RMLincoln said:

Congratulations on your upgrade to NS!  What category were you upgraded from?  Have a grand time and thank you for all the great information you gather to share!  

Greetings to Joanie too, I know she is following! 😉 m--  

 

Upgraded from a VA.  I thanked my HAL PCC but she replied that it was not her doing.

[Crew News]

Dinner tonight was in the Tamarind and I recognized the same Manager who suffered through the extreme vibrations on the Nieuw Amsterdam on its first voyage.  I have downloaded the new menu thati is applicable to only the Signature-class ships as well as scanned the Tamarind Bar menu.  I noticed that the long, heavy, knives in the Tamarind are replaced by a shorter version.  Without a separate sushi bar, the Tamarind menu includes sushi offerings.  

Photo packages prices:  silver $89.99 for five images and 8X10 prints, gold package $159.99 for eight images and 8X10 prints with ship USB, and platinum $299.99 for "all your digital file"and 8X10s with a ship USB.

At the noon deck party tomorrow, there will be free selected cocktails and drinks for one hour with all bars having happy hour prices from 1:00 - 2:00 PM.  Could be a wild afternoon on the Eurodam.  We may cut the Meet & Greet short so that all can participate in the free cocktails UNLESS I can convince the Entertainment Manager to let us have our own free drinks in the Tamarind Bar for awhile.

Ship internet speed is not great as it was on the Konigsdam last December.

I have the new MDR beverage menu and must report that the wine packages selections have not changed.

Tomorrow starts my chicken wing appetizers for the rest of the week and hopefully, I will be posting the latest Neptune Suite appetizer list soon.  Some wings for an afternoon appetizer and some for late night cravings for cold chicken.  Now, i just need to find where they put the popcorn before the movies to complete my "munchies" planning.

The schedule for tomorrow is filled with activities.  I am seriously looking at the complimentary tongue analysis in the Greenhouse Spa (loose, acidic, tied, lashed, articulation impediments, etc. possibilities).  I did find an America's Test Kitchen apron on my bed with about 25 large recipe cards and a request that I attend one of their demos.

Of special note for laptop users, an optical mouse has a really hard time with the marble-like desktops in my stateroom.  I will remember a mouse pad next cruise as a piece of paper just does not work.

When not gathering information or scanning, I hope to get a big start on one of my Great Courses, "How to Make Stress Work for You" or "Mental Math."  The latter could be quite helpful calculating how much of my refundable OBC I can cash at the Casino before all of the "not yet posted" charges appear on my shipboard account.

So as I post this, I am contemplating a visit to the Late Snack to begin stocking my now empty minibar.  FWIW my Neptune Lounge honor bar Diet Coke purchase was $2.79 before my minibar was stocked with 5* half-priced Diet Coke.

More tomorrow.

[liketraveling]

38 minutes ago, Crew News said:

Dinner tonight was in the Tamarind and I recognized the same Manager who suffered through the extreme vibrations on the Nieuw Amsterdam on its first voyage.  I have downloaded the new menu thati is applicable to only the Signature-class ships as well as scanned the Tamarind Bar menu.  I noticed that the long, heavy, knives in the Tamarind are replaced by a shorter version.  Without a separate sushi bar, the Tamarind menu includes sushi offerings.  

Photo packages prices:  silver $89.99 for five images and 8X10 prints, gold package $159.99 for eight images and 8X10 prints with ship USB, and platinum $299.99 for "all your digital file"and 8X10s with a ship USB.

At the noon deck party tomorrow, there will be free selected cocktails and drinks for one hour with all bars having happy hour prices from 1:00 - 2:00 PM.  Could be a wild afternoon on the Eurodam.  We may cut the Meet & Greet short so that all can participate in the free cocktails UNLESS I can convince the Entertainment Manager to let us have our own free drinks in the Tamarind Bar for awhile.

Ship internet speed is not great as it was on the Konigsdam last December.

I have the new MDR beverage menu and must report that the wine packages selections have not changed.

Tomorrow starts my chicken wing appetizers for the rest of the week and hopefully, I will be posting the latest Neptune Suite appetizer list soon.  Some wings for an afternoon appetizer and some for late night cravings for cold chicken.  Now, i just need to find where they put the popcorn before the movies to complete my "munchies" planning.

The schedule for tomorrow is filled with activities.  I am seriously looking at the complimentary tongue analysis in the Greenhouse Spa (loose, acidic, tied, lashed, articulation impediments, etc. possibilities).  I did find an America's Test Kitchen apron on my bed with about 25 large recipe cards and a request that I attend one of their demos.

Of special note for laptop users, an optical mouse has a really hard time with the marble-like desktops in my stateroom.  I will remember a mouse pad next cruise as a piece of paper just does not work.

When not gathering information or scanning, I hope to get a big start on one of my Great Courses, "How to Make Stress Work for You" or "Mental Math."  The latter could be quite helpful calculating how much of my refundable OBC I can cash at the Casino before all of the "not yet posted" charges appear on my shipboard account.

So as I post this, I am contemplating a visit to the Late Snack to begin stocking my now empty minibar.  FWIW my Neptune Lounge honor bar Diet Coke purchase was $2.79 before my minibar was stocked with 5* half-priced Diet Coke.

More tomorrow.

They usually put the popcorn at the lowerpromenade entrance to the mainstage.

At least that is where it was when I was on the ship in October.

 

Enjoying your review!