RevNeal's LIVE Eurodam Report

[Kane]

Gee, I hope I don't get flamed to badly on this but the "external beauty" of the Eurodam is somewhat underwhelming ... the inside, however, seems quite spectacular.

 

Not to pick on RevNeal's photo (because others convey similar impressions), but E-dam somewhat resembles a container ship ... which it what it really is with modules that passengers dwell in.

 

It just seems modern ships, of which E-dam is only one, no longer resemble the sleek and graceful liners of yesteryear. (I admit to being a geezer.)

 

 

The standard HAL white trim on the promenade deck just seems to accentuate the boxyness of the superstructure.

 

[auntibe49]

Absolutely gorgeous pictures! I have really enjoyed reading about your cruise! Thank you for taking the time to share your adventure with us!

Beverly

[The Big Booper]

Gee, I hope I don't get flamed to badly on this but the "external beauty" of the Eurodam is somewhat underwhelming ... the inside, however, seems quite spectacular.

 

Not to pick on RevNeal's photo (because others convey similar impressions), but E-dam somewhat resembles a container ship ... which it what it really is with modules that passengers dwell in.

 

It just seems modern ships, of which E-dam is only one, no longer resemble the sleek and graceful liners of yesteryear. (I admit to being a geezer.)

 

 

The standard HAL white trim on the promenade deck just seems to accentuate the boxyness of the superstructure.

 

 

The only "modern" ships that have any hint of streamlining are the RCI Radiance class, which is also where HAL got the idea of the glass exterior elevators.

 

It appears that Carnival is now corrupting all it's captive lines (Costa, Princess, HAL) in terms over overcrowding, etc. The Carribean Princess class was the Grand Princess series with one more passenger deck added and no additional common area provided. Now the E-Dam is the Vista class........

 

So we will be using our half million Marriot points to try the Vista class, we LIKE big ships but not overcrowded ships.

 

All the live threads here make the Norwegian itineraries sound interesting.

[cruisinbulldog]

Gee, I hope I don't get flamed to badly on this but the "external beauty" of the Eurodam is somewhat underwhelming ... the inside, however, seems quite spectacular.

 

Not to pick on RevNeal's photo (because others convey similar impressions), but E-dam somewhat resembles a container ship ... which it what it really is with modules that passengers dwell in.

 

It just seems modern ships, of which E-dam is only one, no longer resemble the sleek and graceful liners of yesteryear. (I admit to being a geezer.)

 

 

 

The standard HAL white trim on the promenade deck just seems to accentuate the boxyness of the superstructure.

 

 

I have to agree.. The first time I saw a pic of the E-Dam, my first thought was she looked top-heavy..:(

 

Bulldog

[HeatherInFlorida]

Greg, as usual your photographs are simply superb. Thank you so much for taking the time to share them with us. Just awesome scenes.

 

The Tamarind looks like it would be a favorite for me. The food looks scrumptious.

 

The ship, both from my previous perception and your descriptions, would not be for us. I'm glad we cancelled our 10/1 cruise because it's just too large and crowded for my taste.

 

But the itinerary is so amazing and I am just so envious. As hard as it is to say good bye to old and new friends, I think you have some new CCers coming on tomorrow! So more fun begins:) .

 

Thanks again for all your reports. I am so enjoying them.

[thomasale]

Greg great pics and I have enjoyed all of this so far!!

[Spender Nui]

Just a wonderful review. Thanks and keep it coming.

[FloridaGram]

What's wrong with the aft-end of the tender imaged in this picture?

 

 

Hint ... most of the tenders still have this error, but the ship doesn't.

 

And ... a shot of me at Edenburgh Castle, where I got to see the crown Jewels of Scottland and the famous, historic "Stone of Destiny" (a.k.a. "Jacob's Pillar.")

 

 

The ship is not registered in the Bahamas?

 

I love your pictures of the fjords. They are so beautiful that I cannot imagine what they would have been like in person. It is a beautiful world that God created for us.

 

Thanks for the time you spend posting so that we can see what we are missing!

[KLLund]

I again have to say this has been an amazing journey with you Greg .. and you answered my nagging question about putting a couple hundred more passengers in the same amount of public space .. I noted this to my chagrin on the Carib Princess after having so enjoyed the Sapphire .. and I was afraid the same effect was present on the Eurodam compared to my favorite Oosterdam. I am not likely to be booking this ship .. unless the itinerary is so good I cannot pass it up .. I think I will stay with the tried and true.. But it has been fabulous to hear all about it from a non-biased reviewer.

 

Cannot wait for your Baltic reviews .. love that area.

[vince b]

I couldn't agree more with the above container ship comment. Just look at this shot from the E-dam news blog:

 

Sadly, this is the way of modern cruise ships. The only ship I can think of that was built in the last 10 years with classic lines is the QM2. She's a beautiful ship on the inside and out.

[fireman845]

Great Pics Greg!!! Thank You!!

[innlady1]

Greg, just a reminder...when you disembark the Eurodam, don't forget to log off CC! You might recall that some of us forgot (me included!) forgot to do that on the Noordam...and then, from the comfort of our own homes, saw our names appear in "live from" threads! Maybe you can pass the word to Ruth, too. :eek:

[DFD1]

Thanks, Greg. You do beautiful work, both pictures and writing, and it brings many of us much pleasure. Best wishes for a continued safe and exciting trip.

DFD1

[Boytjie]

Greg, just a reminder...when you disembark the Eurodam, don't forget to log off CC! You might recall that some of us forgot (me included!) forgot to do that on the Noordam...and then, from the comfort of our own homes, saw our names appear in "live from" threads! Maybe you can pass the word to Ruth, too. :eek:

 

Did that happening while using HAL's computers? I think Greg has a laptop with him.

[innlady1]

Did that happening while using HAL's computers? I think Greg has a laptop with him.

 

Yes, it did. I had some time remaining, and forgot to log out. You can imagine the surprise when someone logged on as innlady! I guess a laptop is the way to go! ;)

[Boytjie]

Yes, it did. I had some time remaining, and forgot to log out. You can imagine the surprise when someone logged on as innlady! I guess a laptop is the way to go! ;)

 

I remember reading posts about that. I am always signed on to CC at home and work but try to remmeber to log out after use everywhere else. :)

[sail7seas]

When I use the ships computers, I never click 'remember me' when I log in. Even still I try to rememer to specifically log out after each use. I think if someone came behind me and went to CC page, they probably would find me still logged in if I didn't specifically hit log out.

 

[Estelle]

Another thank you for the great pictures and review! I hadn't checked this thread in the last week and just ahd a chance to catch up.

 

The fjords have been high on our list for a while but and your pictures make me think about changing our plans for the Med next fall.

 

Have fun on the Baltic cruise!

[jtl513]

Greg, just a reminder...when you disembark the Eurodam, don't forget to log off CC! You might recall that some of us forgot (me included!) forgot to do that on the Noordam...and then, from the comfort of our own homes, saw our names appear in "live from" threads! Maybe you can pass the word to Ruth, too. :eek:

But both Greg and Ruth have another 10 days before they have to remember that! :)

[innlady1]

But both Greg and Ruth have another 10 days before they have to remember that! :)

 

Very true...but, I may not remember to post the "reminder" in ten days! ;)

[RevNeal]

Greg

Wonderful report!!

Love the pictures.

What about the Mariner's Party/Brunch?

What are the Mariner Tiles like??

 

Howdy!

 

The Mariner's Reception was held on the last day of the cruise -- July 14 -- in the Main show lounge in two large section. They had to do this because, as the captain joked, there were 2084 people aboard, of which 2083 were Mariners!!!!!! :D It was, essentially, a return to the old pattern (well, not-so-old ... we didn't do it in the evening prior to dinner, but in the morning and early after noon). No brunch for us this time.

 

We've got a bet going as to how many Mariner are aboard for the July 15th cruise, and wether or not we'll have the brunch or the reception.

[RevNeal]

Gee, I hope I don't get flamed to badly on this but the "external beauty" of the Eurodam is somewhat underwhelming ... the inside, however, seems quite spectacular.

 

Not to pick on RevNeal's photo (because others convey similar impressions), but E-dam somewhat resembles a container ship ... which it what it really is with modules that passengers dwell in.

 

It just seems modern ships, of which E-dam is only one, no longer resemble the sleek and graceful liners of yesteryear. (I admit to being a geezer.)

 

 

The standard HAL white trim on the promenade deck just seems to accentuate the boxyness of the superstructure.

 

 

You'll get no argument and no flames from me!

I much prefer the S and R ships, which retain the look and "feel" of an Ocean Liner, even though they're not. The Vistas and, now, the Signature ship all look like container ships to me. :( But ... they are pretty inside.

[RevNeal]

Greg, just a reminder...when you disembark the Eurodam, don't forget to log off CC! You might recall that some of us forgot (me included!) forgot to do that on the Noordam...and then, from the comfort of our own homes, saw our names appear in "live from" threads! Maybe you can pass the word to Ruth, too. :eek:

 

Thanks for the reminder, and I will remind Ruth.

However ... I'm using my own laptop, so that's not really an issue for me. :D

[RevNeal]

Copenhagen, Denmark

The Eurodam Baltic Cruise -- Cruise Part 2 (or is it 3??) of the Eurodam Inagurals

 

Today was a mixed up, annoying, hectic, sad, happy, and crazy day. We said goodbye to many Cruise Critic Friends, including John and Susan, Copper and his lovely DW, Jim H and Bill S and their DWs, Christopher, Joyce, and Brian. There are others who departed, and I'm not forgetting them either, it was just a significant roll call of folk who left ... and I was sad to see them all go. Especially Christopher. We played cabin-fizbin; Scotty was supposed to have received an upgrade for us, but that turned out to be yet another administrative SNAFU ... Seattle had sold it and hadn't told the ship's staff! And, most frustrating, I had already moved. SO ... I had to move back and unpack. :( Needless to say, Scotty and I were not happy campers about this. It made for a hectic morning, by the end of which I ended up back where I began -- in 4104. Only, this time I have Scotty as my Cabin mate rather Than Christopher! This should be fun! :D

 

We had a death aboard ship this morning. They alerted "Bright Star" at about 10:20 am, and everybody went running. I'll not divulge details, but suffice it to say prayers have been said for the deceased and their family.

 

After we got the cabin situation sorted out Scotty, Emily, Adele and myself all got a taxi and with to see the Little Mermaid and then on the Tivoli Gardens. Tivoli gardens is an amusement park, and it looks like a lot of fun. But, it was crowded -- with a lot of people on HAL tours, as well as tours from an MSC ship, a Costa tub, and the Carnival Splendor (their newest ship ... a ginormous barge). Scotty and Em pushed the puke factor on several rides while Adele and I watched, had a bite to eat, and did a little "power shopping." Sadly, Adele didn't find anything she wanted to buy (surprise!).

 

We then visited the Hard Rock Cafe for a few drinks, then took a Taxi back to the ship, where we boarded at about 3 pm. I then unpacked and got ready for the Life Boat Drill which, this time, was much more efficiently planned and executed than the last one. It ended more quickly, too, and then we were off for the sail away festivities on the aft pool deck.

 

This cruise is VERY different from the prior one. At least, the passenger base is different. The first 3 day cruise (July 2) was heavily German, Dutch, Norwegian, English ... and a few Americans and Canadians. The first 10 day cruise (July 5) was more heavily American, Canadian, British, and some other European mixes. However, this group was also older, and even the children aboard (and there were about 20 or 30 of them) were mature-acting, well behaved, polite, quiet, non-obtrusive, and a true pleasure to be around ... as were most of those on the July 5th Inaugural sailing. And then, there's the July 15th crowd.

 

Already it is possible to say that this is a very different group of people: not in the nationality mix ... in the age mix. There are swarms of children and youth on this ship. Packs of wild, running, screaming children could be heard pounding up and down the passage ways on Deck One this afternoon ... banging into each other, running into older passengers, tripping on canes and walkers, etc. Ruth, Karl, Mary Ellen, Adele and Emily all reported the noisy disaster with descriptive words to pain the picture. At one point Ruth stepped out into the hall way, was nearly run down by a couple of pre-teen boys, and politely told them to "stop running." They appeared to be a bit startled by her directive, but they stopped running. Later, it was overheard from one of the kids that they were telling each other that one of the passenger had told them to not run in the halls. We'll see if it sticks or works. Thus far, tonight, the prospects for some peace and quiet aboard ship appear to be slim. As we left the main dining room we passed through the Atrium only to have our progress interrupted by a swarm of 9 children, all pre-teens, all unsupervised, winding their way around the Atrium and running down the glass stairs. <sigh> I guess I'll just have to learn to close my ears to the high-pitched shrieks of laughter and the vibrating thuds of young legs running in the corridors.

 

The Eurodam is rated as being capable of servicing 2400 passengers in her life boats. This is supposed to "well exceed" the compliment of the ship. However, with the large number of triple and quadruple occupancies that must be present aboard this ship, it seems a fair bet that we're close to that capacity, if not well over it.

 

Which brings me to dinner. Boy, was it fun! :D No, I'm serious. We had a great deal of fun. Seven of us are at table 65, which is the table we requested up near the entrance to the upper level of the main dining room. We have a fabulous view of the dining room and of people as they enter and leave. We enjoyed a quick, efficient meal, noting that we were actually finished with dinner and were ordering dessert by 9 pm. The meal wasn't without its mishaps or its entertainment, though. :D I'll deal with the mishaps first:

 

1. My Water glass sat empty for as many as 35 minutes during the meal ... TWICE.

 

2. The Wine steward never even stopped to say hight and give us a wine menu until ... count 'em ... 45 minutes into our meal. We had completed all but the main course, and were about to be served it, when we were asked if we wanted wine or soda with our dinner. I understand that this is first night, but ... 45 minutes??? I'm sorry, that's just wrong.

 

3. The Drama of the Hot Tea continues, and HAL is batting a ZERO right about now. It has been a continuing problem, ever since we boarded, that Adele and Mary Ellen simply cannot get tea. Either they don't bring the hot pots, or they don't bring the cups, or they don't bring the tea bags but they DO bring the hot pots and allow them to cool for a great many minutes. Tonight, however, they thought up a new one: dirty tea pots. No, not dirty on the outside. On the outside they are a lovely silver sheen; but, on the inside, they must have been used already that evening because without having tea bags or tea leaves placed in them they were already pouring a brownish-colored liquid. It was horrible, and was pointed out to the dining room manager.

 

Now for the funny part:

The 4 tables to port of us were occupied by a large family-type group with kids and youth. One of them was a boy of about 10 years of age. He spent most of the dinner walking around among the adults, standing behind each and/or to their sides, getting in the way of the dining room stewards while typing on a small hand-held device; it looked like some kind of game-boy or other toy electronic instrument, and the adults appeared to join in with him in on the game because each had their own hand-held devices. Ruth suggested that the boy was downloading software to the old folks' pacemakers, updating their settings for "whoopy." That produced a fabulous laugh from our table, and from one of the other tables (not their's) in the room. I hope to have more details as our nights progress: if the boy keeps wandering around and interfacing with the adults in their group, I'm sure it will be "interesting."

 

And, finally, some may remember Mark Zeller from prior cruises, seving as F&B Manager. Well, he's received a promotion to Hotel Manager! Yes, that's right, he's taken Stan's job! He looks a little overwhelmed, but I'm sure he will do the job well ... after all, it's in his blood (for any years, his father was a fabulous HM).

[RevNeal]

A few photos:

 

Ruth, on our last Formal evening of the July 5th cruise, was presented with a plate of chocolates by John Mulvaney. She was very pleased that he remembered her from many prior cruises.

 

 

After the last formal night dinner of the July 5th cruise we all went up to our favorite haunt (the Crows Nest) where Copper John, RuthC, and myself were photographed.

 

 

At dinner on the last night of the July 5th cruise we ate in the Canaletto in order to avoid the horrific "Master Chef Disaster." The meal was fabulous, with the veal scaloppine being perfect and the Lasagna being wonderful (I had a half-order of each so I could try them both), and the desserts were spectacular! Here's a photo of my favorite -- two brownies standing guard over the ice cream!

 

 

This evening, as we departed Copenhagen, we spotted the lovely old Saga Ruby, departing the port. Wow, what a lovely old ship!

 

 

And, after dinner, we were treated to a lovely sight: the sunset filtering through multiple layers of clouds!!!!!!