Yes, another 3-day NYC Eurodam review

[Jade13]

Hi

We are planning on going on the Noordam in a couple of months but after our experiences on the Eurodam last week, we are having second thoughts. Curious to know what problems you encountered on the Noordam? Last year we sailed on the Volendam and loved the little extras that made our vacation a ten. Your help would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

What happened to you on Eurodam?

[goldblades]

All in all, very worth it. (I will note that there were several empty tables, so it bothered me that I read that someone on here couldn’t get reservations. We had at least 4 empty tables near us).

 

Although we adored the Eurodam, this was strange to us also. Early Saturday morning we tried to make reservations for the Pinnacle and Canaletto only to be told they were booked solid, sorry. As we strolled by they had lots of empty tables both Saturday and Sunday in both restaurants. I felt lucky to have made reservations for the Tamarind online for Friday although that wasn't full either.

[ptcandy]

What happened to you on Eurodam?

 

 

Hi

It seemed to us HAL has cut back on staff and management primarily in the dining rooms and entertainment.

 

We found the service in the dining rooms as well as the lounges left a lot to be desired. There were a foursome and during every evening meal and every course, at least one of us had to wait several minutes for our plate. It's awkward to eat while someone is waiting for their meal and it spoils the dining experience. They seemed unable to serve four people at once! There was no one in charge. No head waiter came to us during the entire cruise and introduce him/herself. No wine steward either. Even during our wonderful dinner at Tamarind, were all the courses served properly.

 

 

By the way, we experienced the same issues with reservations at the specialty restaurants , all booked up but empty. Walk in's were welcome. Had a wonderful lunch at Pinnacle one day and the restaurant was 3/4 empty at 1 PM. I suppose many passengers made reservations and didn't keep them. That's not the boat's fault.

 

Our friends are still waiting for their breakfast in the dining room that never came one morning. The waiter finally showed up 40 minutes later to announce that they were out of bagels. When they tried to order something else, the 'kitchen is closed'.

 

Bar service was equally bad. We enjoy a martini before dinner but for some reason it wasn't meant to be. Waited twenty minutes in the Ocean Bar one evening and couldn't even get the waiter's attention. I tried to order from the bar with the same result. Walked out after half an hour still thirsty and figuring we would have our drink at the table. No one from the bar came to us in the two evenings we ate in the dining room.

 

 

When you were able to get a drink, it took maybe fifteen or twenty minutes to get it. Don't get me wrong, the staff were busy all the time but it seemed as if there were not enough of them. Consequently, I had a bigger bar tab at a Bill W. cruise than on this one.

 

We were happy to be invited to the post cruise mariners brunch in NY on Sept. 1. We had the unfortunate luck again of sitting at a table that had no waiter. (maybe it was us?) We watched as other tables had their orders taken and were being served. I went to the front of the room and found a head waiter who finally straightened things out. The appropriate ending to this cruise. You would think that with all the head muckity-mucks from the home office in attendance, the staff would be on their best game.

 

There seemed to be cut backs in the entertainment staff, too. No music or activities poolside at all even though we were at sea for two days and the weather was great. (No music in the dining room either). The cruise director was on her own at any activity we attended. No Sailaway party even though we left from one of the most exciting harbors in the world.

 

We also noticed other small things that were eliminated like fresh fruit in the cabins every morning, even the little basket to put your shoes in at night to get them shined, never saw an h'or deuve during the evening. These were little touches we had on the Volendam that were missing here.

 

I wrote to HAL on Wednesday morning with my concerns about these

perceived cut backs being fleetwide or just a fluke. After sending the email twice, I got a short note on Thursday morning saying that they are looking into it. It is now Saturday morning and no response to my inquiry. I guess they have cut back on customer service staff as well.

 

ON THE PLUS SIDE

 

The ship is beautiful and tastefully decorated. My only complaint was with the pool area being enclosed. Some ships we were on have sliding panes that allow fresh air into the area. That isn't the case here. The glass panels on the rails are fixed but the roof can be retracted. The first day was muggy and sitting in the pool area was like being in a fish bowl. Didn't care for the cabana's either. Sitting in one made you virtually on display like Macy's window. Every passerby would look in. Very wierd. The cabana area on deck ten was more private and suitable. The furniture was very nice as the pools themselves.

 

The Silk Den across from Tamarind was a delight. Wish I had more time to spend here.

 

Our Cruise Critic group had a meet and greet in the Crows Nest with about 75 in attendance. A Yeoman job for setting it up, Carol. THANKS! Plenty of everything including h'or deorves, and drinks. This was one of the highlights of our short cruise.

 

Our Stateroom was functional and had plenty of storage . The beds and bedding were extremely comfortable. We could have stayed here for a month without any problems. We never met our cabin steward but the job was done everyday while we were out. He/she could have been living under the bed or in the closet for all we knew. I would have liked to thank him/her personally.

 

Didn't spend much time at the Lido Buffet but when we did, the food was good, fresh and hot.

 

Prominade deck was made of real teak and there were plenty of deck chairs. I couldn't understand why the maintenance crew decided to paint the railings (on a six week old ship) while we were at sea making one side

uninhabitable due to the fumes. Also found empty paint buckets stashed behind chairs in the evening. Lack of supervision again?

 

Overall, I would say we found this cruise a 6 or 7 out of 10. Perhaps we expected too much. I realize these seem like petty issues but, over the entire cruise it took a lot away from the experience. I'm looking forward to our next cruise in November but would like some assurances from HAL that they havn't cut back on staff. If our next cruise will be a continuation of this one, we will jump ship while we can.

 

Sorry for the long reply but you did ask.

 

Thanks

[Jade13]

Hi

 

We also noticed other small things that were eliminated like fresh fruit in the cabins every morning, even the little basket to put your shoes in at night to get them shined, never saw an h'or deuve during the evening. These were little touches we had on the Volendam that were missing here.

 

 

Our Cruise Critic group had a meet and greet in the Crows Nest with about 75 in attendance. A Yeoman job for setting it up, Carol. THANKS! Plenty of everything including h'or deorves, and drinks. This was one of the highlights of our short cruise.

 

Thanks

 

We had the fruit basket but now you have to fill out the form if you want it. We also gave our shoes in the basket to our steward at 3:00pm on Friday to have shined, and had them them back soon after.

 

Sorry we missed meeting you at the M&G.

[ptcandy]

We had the fruit basket but now you have to fill out the form if you want it. We also gave our shoes in the basket to our steward at 3:00pm on Friday to have shined, and had them them back soon after.

 

Sorry we missed meeting you at the M&G.

 

 

same here. perhaps our paths would cross again.

 

 

We had no form, no basket and no steward. (neither did our friends down the hall).

 

glad to hear however it was an oversight and not a cut back

[Sayyadina]

Sayyadina:

 

Thanks for sharing your perspective.

 

I am begining to wonder if there are two Eurodams, given some of the different experiences being reported from the same cruise. Actually, it demonstrates that no two people have the same expectations and all experiences are subjective.

 

Pink cotton candy is a gem.

 

You know, last week I was thinking the very same thing, are there two ships? Was I on the same ship? Sure didn't seem like it. It is interesting to me how that happens.