Assorted questions

[Hllb]

We are booked on Eurodam this summer for Alaska. I have some miscellaneous questions.

 

1) Why choose fixed dining over anytime? We did anytime on our one Carnival cruise and liked that - rarely waited more than a few minutes for a table and we’re always sat in our requested section
2) Someone mentioned that you don’t self-serve in Lido market. Is that true? That would make me happy - people are gross lol.

3) I’ve seen reference to no production shows. What exactly does that mean? WhT kind of shows will there be? 
4) I saw reference to the MDR may be open for lunch on embarkation day and you should go there as Lido will be crazy. Is room service available for lunch during embarkation? 
5) someone said HAL, for the most part, has glass enclosed showers but that’s not what I’ve seen on Eurodam balcony cabins. Is this something they’re switching?

6) someone mentioned making a reservation for time for anytime dining on the first day. Is that expected? I thought you could just show up whenever, not that you had to make reservations ahead of time
 

I’ll probably think of more questions later.

Edited February 27, 2023 by Hllb

[Banditswife]

I am no expert, I am sure there are others who will answer better.

1) we choose anytime dining, it is a matter of what you prefer.  I think Carnival does "anytime" better due to the HUB app allowing you to request a table through the app.  I hope they will add this feature to Navigator app, but didn't find it last Dec when we cruised with HAL

2) True, very little self serve on HAL- much more sanitary.  There are a few things like cookies & deserts & pre portioned items that you help yourself to.

3) We found the shows lacking on N Statendam.  There was a "step one" dance company show,  BBC earth, & an executive talk.  All were ok, but not up to the old standards.  In Alaska I would hope they would still provide a naturalist speaker- we enjoyed those while sailing through the Canal on N Amsterdam.

4)Not sure, never tried.  But we felt Lido was much better on Embarkation day than what a Carnival cruise would be.  HAL does the buffet well on all days- IMO.

5) the newer ships have bigger showers w/ glass doors.  If I remember correctly the N Amsterdam (sister ship) had the plastic curtain.  I've never been on Eurodam, but our balcony room on N Amsterdam had a bath tub which I loved.  So that probably would depend on your specific cabin.

 

Hope this helps, used to sail Carnival a lot, but have switched to HAL lately.  Have enjoyed our 4 HAL cruises & hope you will as well.

Edited February 27, 2023 by Banditswife

[AFNavigator]

15 minutes ago, Banditswife said:

I am no expert, I am sure there are others who will answer better.

1) we choose anytime dining, it is a matter of what you prefer.  I think Carnival does "anytime" better due to the HUB app allowing you to request a table through the app.  I hope they will add this feature to Navigator app, but didn't find it last Dec when we cruised with HAL

2) True, very little self serve on HAL- much more sanitary.  There are a few things like cookies & deserts & pre portioned items that you help yourself to.

3) We found the shows lacking on N Statendam.  There was a "step one" dance company show,  BBC earth, & an executive talk.  All were ok, but not up to the old standards.  In Alaska I would hope they would still provide a naturalist speaker- we enjoyed those while sailing through the Canal on N Amsterdam.

4)Not sure, never tried.  But we felt Lido was much better on Embarkation day than what a Carnival cruise would be.  HAL does the buffet well on all days- IMO.

5) the newer ships have bigger showers w/ glass doors.  If I remember correctly the N Amsterdam (sister ship) had the plastic curtain.  I've never been on Eurodam, but our balcony room on N Amsterdam had a bath tub which I loved.  So that probably would depend on your specific cabin.

 

Hope this helps, used to sail Carnival a lot, but have switched to HAL lately.  Have enjoyed our 4 HAL cruises & hope you will as well.

We were on the Eurodam in December 2021.  Nice ship in excellent condition...much better than we had feared for a 13+ year old ship.

 

I'll add to response 3 that our experience with the "Step One Dance" troop was that they were excellent.  This is a 3 woman/3 man dance troop who performs in front of--and interact closely with-- large video display panels.  Very well performed.  They performed 4 times when we were on the Eurodam, 3 times last Dec on the Nieuw Statendam.

What HAL does different entertainment-wise on most of their fleet is their Music Walk. That's multiple live music venues you can hop between all evening.  Pending changes, the Eurodam has Lincoln Center Stage classical music, BB Kings Blues Club, and Billboard Onboard dual pianos.

 

For question 5, expect a tub with shower curtain on the Eurodam for virtually all balcony cabins.  The new large glass enclosed showers are standard on the Pinnacle Class ships only...and those showers are great! 

[POA1]

3 hours ago, Hllb said:

1) Why choose fixed dining over anytime? We did anytime on our one Carnival cruise and liked that - rarely waited more than a few minutes for a table and we’re always sat in our requested section

 

We typically choose a fixed dining time (Late) over open seating. I don't think that there's a particular advantage of one versus the other.

[rubytue]

3 hours ago, Hllb said:

Why choose fixed dining over anytime? We did anytime on our one Carnival cruise and liked that - rarely waited more than a few minutes for a table and we’re always sat in our requested section

It’s totally preference, although, I would guess if you were in a large party, having a set time and table that you wouldn’t want to wait for would be good. It’s generally just the two of us, and we have never had problems. 
 

Fixed dining and reservations are totally a personal preference things. Having reservations anywhere stresses me out, because what if something goes wrong? What if I’m not in the mood or hungry at that time? But, I have a friend who gets stressed out without reservations. 

[highscar]

Sorry to contradict but recently on the K I found the shower to be very small width wise.  Also the floor was quite slippery.  I asked for a rubber shower mat.  There was a folding seat.  The bathroom itself is much smaller than the older, Eurodam etc,   Other than that, a great ship.  

[The Other Tom]

We always choose anytime dining because we don't like to be tied to a schedule, but some people like to eat with the same people every night and be served by the same wait staff, so they go with fixed dining.

[AKJonesy]

If there is one good thing that came out of covid it is less self service.  

[WannaSea]

3)  No broadway shows, but if you're new to HAL the mainstage entertainment is okay. I liked the dancers and the BBC films set to live music on Eurodam as my last cruise was years ago. The mainstage shows haven't changed in a long time so frequent cruisers are bored with "same ole". But Music Walk provides a variety of entertainment venues in addition to the mainstage concept.

 

4) Eurodam MDR was open from noon to 1p on embarkation day. If you're able to board early enough I highly recommend it. We were advised as we boarded that our cabin wasn't ready so we headed directly to the MDR, out of the crowded noise and confusion of boarding, into a nice quiet space seated at a window table and served a tasty meal with champagne. (Room key wasn't required, just gave room#.) Great way to start to the cruise. Also a good time to talk with MDR maitre d about evening seating options. 

 

5) Eurodam had shower curtain rather than glass door, but it was fine.

[rodndonna]

19 hours ago, Hllb said:

We are booked on Eurodam this summer for Alaska. I have some miscellaneous questions.

 

1) Why choose fixed dining over anytime? We did anytime on our one Carnival cruise and liked that - rarely waited more than a few minutes for a table and we’re always sat in our requested section
 

 

We've done both and like both for different reasons -  

 

The main advantage of 'anytime' is more obvious - no fixed schedule. We have never had an issue getting a table for 2 with anytime, but we also dine on the later side (never before 7)

 

The advantage for for fixed dining for us is that the service seems to be much better, and creates a nicer dining experience.Your servers get to know you (surprisingly quick) and then automatically know your preference such as if you like your meal courses paced slower or faster. I mention that one as we like to take our time when we dine (we aren't big show people), and sometimes with "anytime" it can just feel like the clock is ticking to get you through the meal.