Eurodam- Would you book a second cruise

[sapper1]

We loved our 26 day Baltic and Transatlantic cruise that we took last month and we will be going back in a few weeks for another 14 days to cruise from Quebec City to Fort Lauderdale---starting to get excited again but had better start to get organized and make up some lists etc.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

What do you think the age group will be at Christmas time.. .Dec 19th sailing..?? thanks

And do you think they will provide additional activities that time of year? :-)

I was on the Christmas sailing of the Eurodam last year. It was definitely a mix age of people with several multi generations. It definitely did not feel old or feel there were too many children but rather a good mix.

You might want to read my Thread from the 2 wee B2B we did that includes Christmas week because I went into detail of the activities.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=887981

[ANSalberg]

Yes, I would book a second cruise (actually third if you count the pre-inaugural as a seperate cruise) on the modified Vista, Eurodam in a L.A. minute! Really like the addition of the Tamarind and Silk Den and can most definitely live with the somewhat smaller (narrower) aisle in front of the "buffet line" in the Lido. If you like the four Vistas, you will like Eurodam and, as of next summer, Nieuw Amsterdam!:) Hey, you learn real fast on what rung you find yourself on the HAL ladder of importance. You might think you are someone important but you discover that during inaugurals, there are a lot of folks more important than you in the eyes of Seattle;) So what do you do? You get your little size 10 1/2 feet back on terra firma, pick up your pack and move on, good to go! No biggie, next! Btw, HAL dished out lots of goodies on those two cruises last year: Eurodam book, Eurodam inaugural plate, Eurodam inaugural plate of the dedication by Queen Beatrix, the Art of Cruising book, Eurodam inaugural tile, HAL Mariners tile, not too shabby:cool:

 

I have never thought of myself as a VIP- more importantly, EVERY gift was simply that; a DELIGHTFUL surprise. We cruise mostly the longish cruises now that we're retired & have the time to see this wonderful world we live in. Many of the "grand" cruises are chock-a-block with gifts. Its like CHRISTMAS on a weekly basis! APPRECIATE the gifts and they become even more dear!

 

Copper; You wear size 10 1/2?????? Good grief! I hope you meant shoes!;)

[jjb415]

I wouln't hesitate to sail aboard the Eurodam again. Currently though I've been concentrating on Royal Caribbean - I like their Crown & Anchor loyalty program.

[Copper10-8]

...................

Copper; You wear size 10 1/2?????? Good grief! I hope you meant shoes!;)

 

Yes Ma'am, for the feet!;)

[moethetoe]

Is it just me or do others have reservations about booking the Eurodam a second time.

 

I Booked the Westerdam for Thanksgiving because I was just not that impressed with the Eurodam. We had a SA suite and the service/food was great BUT I felt very crowded in the Lido and at the pool. The tents reduced the pool space and the LIDO was to narrow/ to many people. IT was a constant marathon to get a table and then go back and forth for food and beverages. IT was more work then casual RELAXED dining..

 

Don't get me wrong- the ship is beautiful, the crew and sevice were great, the two specialty restaurants were outstanding but it just didn't have that wow factor and everday was a grunt in the LIDO.

 

SO what do others think???

 

Ditto!!

[PROCRUISE]

Took the Baltic Sea cruise on The Eurodam this past June. Loved our spa cabin 10004 because we knew a balcony was not needed. This was only our second cruise with HAL, but we both noted that for a ship this size, everything seemed cramped together. Big complaint seemed to be The Lido, which we seldom used. I think we also would use The Eurodam for Europe but not The Caribbean-no place to sit by the pool.

We are booked on The Noordam for March 25th, Southern Caribbean, so we'll see how that ship measures up!! We're also booked on The Carnival Dream for Dec 3rd, and one thing you can say about Carnival, their ships have lots of open space and room to move around, and find a place at the pool.

[jhannah]

Sure I would. I'm more interested, though, in trying different ships. But like most everyone else, if price and itinerary were good I'd go.

 

Copper 10-8 well expresses my sentiments. There were some potholes in those first two paying-passenger cruises ... but we still had a great time.

[tkwbear]

I sailed the Eurodam in April and loved it. Everything worked, the cruise director, Johnny Quinn, was the best, the crew was outstading. The restaurants were all top quality. I wasn't thrilled with the Zuiderdam or the Noordam, but this is an excellent ship.

 

I used to like the S-class ships the most, but after being unable to control the heat and a/c in my cabin on the Veendam and Maasdam this summer, I wonder what HAL's intentions are for these ships. The Veendam had been through a "$10M renovation" but the money evidently wasn't spent on the a/c or elevators, or other things that are worn out, but on new cabins. It's the only HAL ship I wouldn't cruise again.

[bepsf]

If you didn't like the Eurodam, you probably wont like the Westerdam either - only a 188 passenger fewer capacity.

 

Considering that's approx 10% more passengers on what is essentially the same size ship - It makes a Huge Difference.

 

Sure, Tamarind and Silk Den are nice - But they're just not worth the crowded conditions in the Lido, Dining Room and elsewhere.

 

I'll gladly book Noordam and the R-Class ships again over Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam

[Copper10-8]

I sailed the Eurodam in April and loved it. Everything worked, the cruise director, Johnny Quinn, was the best, the crew was outstading. The restaurants were all top quality. I wasn't thrilled with the Zuiderdam or the Noordam, but this is an excellent ship.

 

I used to like the S-class ships the most, but after being unable to control the heat and a/c in my cabin on the Veendam and Maasdam this summer, I wonder what HAL's intentions are for these ships. The Veendam had been through a "$10M renovation" but the money evidently wasn't spent on the a/c or elevators, or other things that are worn out, but on new cabins. It's the only HAL ship I wouldn't cruise again.

 

Just a heads up, when a ship goes through dry-dock, everything gets looked at, and if necessary, gets repaired incl. heat, a/c and elevators.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Considering that's approx 10% more passengers on what is essentially the same size ship - It makes a Huge Difference.

 

Sure, Tamarind and Silk Den are nice - But they're just not worth the crowded conditions in the Lido, Dining Room and elsewhere.

 

I'll gladly book Noordam and the R-Class ships again over Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam

 

Brian I honestly think your view/feelings of the Eurodam are a bit blinded due to the fact you sailed her during her Inaurgural. In all honesty when I was on her for our B2B including Christmas week it did not feel the least bit crowded. I actually still feel far more crowded on S Class ships than I do on the Vistas or Signature class. I think you should give her a try now that she is settled into routine.

[Mary Ellen]

We were with Brian on the Inaugural (and for another 10 days after he disembarked). How would our cruise being the Inaugural affect the stipulations we would put on ever sailing on that ship again? All 23-days were crowded - even after the 'VIPs' left. The physical layout insures congestion in certain areas. That hasn't changed since the Inaugural.

 

The E'dam is the only ship where I couldn't wait to disembark.

 

We're also not planning a second cruise on the E'dam. Your reasons are the same as many of ours. IF (and that is BIG if) we were it would only be because of a fantastic itinerary, great pricing, AND because friends were also sailing. This would also necessitate the date not being during a school holiday. We would also not book a cabin on a deck that had a good number of triple and quads. We loved the Tamarind and Silk Den, but not enough to make us return without the above conditions.

[byucougs]

Well, I've been watching this thread, since we're sailing Eurodam in November. It's good to have differing opinions, to get a "feel" for each cruiseline and ship. Every ship we've sailed has had negative as well as positive comments posted. However, we have had a great time on each and every cruise.

 

So far the biggest complaint we've read is about the Lido being crowded. We'll adjust our eating times and venues in the Lido if we find it too crowded. The only other unique complaint seems to be the cabanas on the Lido deck. I do like to sun bathe and so have booked a Retreat cabana. I love the idea, because I hate getting up early to find a lounger to relax in and read a good book, due to "chair hogs".

 

I look forward to the Silk Den and the Tamarind restaurant.

 

Happy cruising everyone!

[onapea]

Went on the maden voyage for 13 days, and I would not go again.

[suse]

I am missing something here. How on earth can you hate a cruise? I need details, other than it seemed a little crowded. It would be helpful if you would let the rest of us know what you know. Was the food awful? Was your room terrible. Was the entertainment iicky? What was so bad?

I love a cruise and have a hard time understanding these complaints.:confused:

[byucougs]

I am missing something here. How on earth can you hate a cruise?

 

Maybe these people are hard to please

:D:D:D

[Copper10-8]

Maybe these people are hard to please

:D:D:D

 

[LSEA]

I was excited about sailing on the Eurodam, and although I enjoyed the cruises (we did two back to back 10 days), I was not impressed and would agree to sail again on her ONLY if i was an exceptional value. I wrote about it at length on my travel blog (check it out: www.travelpod.com/members/ohiolair). The ship is a departure from HAL's former standards, adding more cabins and changining things dramatically towards the end of her construction. I felt her rooms were too open and the public space was awkward. The service was amazing and they went to great lenths to correct things that went wrong, but ultimately I was disappointed. The Noordam was and continues to be my favorite of the HAL ships........

 

Just finished reading your entries from the Eurodam. Fantastic!! I think I need to book something! Looking forward to your next journey.

[moethetoe]

Is it just me or do others have reservations about booking the Eurodam a second time.

 

I Booked the Westerdam for Thanksgiving because I was just not that impressed with the Eurodam. We had a SA suite and the service/food was great BUT I felt very crowded in the Lido and at the pool. The tents reduced the pool space and the LIDO was to narrow/ to many people. IT was a constant marathon to get a table and then go back and forth for food and beverages. IT was more work then casual RELAXED dining..

 

Don't get me wrong- the ship is beautiful, the crew and sevice were great, the two specialty restaurants were outstanding but it just didn't have that wow factor and everday was a grunt in the LIDO.

 

SO what do others think???

 

The Eurodam is an absolutely beautiful ship, very nicely decorated throughout. The best thing about the ship was the Captain, you could not ask for a more informative, forthright, pleasant and approachable person. He always kept us abreast of what was happening, what would happen and how and why we were changing our destinations due to Hurricane Bill. The destinations in the Baltic and once we left the Baltic to NYC were amazingly breath taking and we are still in awe of the sights and sounds that this trip allowed us to enjoy. But Cornerbrook; Cornerbrook should not be on any ships itinerary. We took a cab downtown, most of the shops were closed, I think the people of Cornerbrook have left Cornerbrook. The Cruise Director talked too much, too often and every night before the show she would say almost the same old thing. Also for her wind up she told the same jokes that all the cruise directors tell and about 85% of the people on board have cruised many times before, just a little STALE.

 

The three specialty restaurants; The Pinnacle, the food was absolutely wonderful; you would never get a better steak cooked to perfection like the ones we were fortunate to have here. The service, starting with the maitre d’, was very poor, he had no idea of his job description or how to treat paying guests, the staff behind him were also not properly trained and were like any servers in a family restaurant in the USA.

 

The new addition, The Tamarind, a Thai restaurant, had amazing soup to start the meal but the staff did not inform us about the sauces on the tables or what they were for. The main course that I ordered sounded like a shrimp scallop stir-fry, but when it arrived it was in a broth, I personally hate my main course to be soup again. So personally this was definitely not my favourite meal. The maitre d’ in this restaurant was personable and charming, the staff serving were very good except for the lack of explanations.

 

The last specialty restaurant, The Canaletto, was the hidden gem of all the restaurants, good food, pleasant professional maitre d’ that knew his job and vey professional friendly servers.

 

The Dining Room had reasonable food, not as good as we have had on other Holland American Ships like the Statendam, but again we found the staff to be not trained well and this was also for the servers in the Lido, they seem to enjoy talking amongst themselves more than serving their customers. We were fortunate to have a Trio of servers that were undoubtedly the best on board this ship starting with the wine steward Randy, the dining steward Putu and his assistant Radzil, this young man also has taken on a second job working for the Lido boss doing scheduling of the staff to help out his position on the ship. A real smart cookie. People sitting near their serving area saw what they were missing. So special Kudos to the three of them.

 

The Lido food servers, behind the counters were unfriendly, never smiled and didn’t want to answer any questions. Just place your order and move on, I’m busy. This was totally different from any of the other ships. In the Lido they have also got rid of the trays and moved tables close to the serving area which makes it very crowded and with some people trying to carry a plate and a drink was a task that a paying customer should not have to go through.

 

With this big new ship we also got the feeling they were nickel and diming you to death. First of all on the walking tracks of their other ships, there were drinking fountains, not this ship you had to make sure you bought a bottle of water to keep yourself from dehydrating. At the Lido pool they have cut the walking and seating area on one side by about 2/3 and put in cabana’s, also you cannot walk from the 10th deck to the top front of the ship because they have it all roped off for more cabana’s and tables and chairs that of course you have to pay dearly for. These Cabana’s were used about 5% of the time. A complete waste of space.

 

The biggest rip-off on the Eurodam is they have removed the self serve Laundromats, after a 10 hour air flight it is so nice to be able to give a quick press to the special items in your wardrobe but don’t plan on that on the Eurodam, you have to buy a pressing contract with their laundry, so you are forced to pay for the pressing and also the washing of your garments because they to do your laundry. All our whites came back a dingy yellowy white colour and then I had to soak all the whites overnight in Oxy Clean and Tide Bleach when we arrived home. A real nuisance.

 

The Shopping area on this ship is one large room with everything in it, plus annoying servers that follow you around constantly. They would have special “SALES” on everyday but they weren’t sales they were the exact same price as they were all the other days they just put lots more out to try and get rid of it. I found the items in this store area to be pricier than on the other ship we just left and if you were quick you could get a bargain in Amber as they had brought on some from another HAL ship and it was 2/3 the price of the Eurodam’s prices.

 

My husband is allergic to cigarette smoke so the Casino and the hall way leading to the Casino were off limits. We tried a short stint in there but it was just too much. I can’t understand how they could launch a brand new beautiful ship and not make it a non-smoking vessel. It was their big chance to make an awesome change and they blew it. The Oceania ships are non smoking except for two areas, one small area inside and a small area out on the deck, no smoking in the cabins at all and that was another thing as you walked down the hall ways in this new ship smoke billows from under some cabin doors, polluting the hallways. Mould was also present in the hallways in certain areas and the corners of our bath tub had a build up of mould. This should have been cleaned away but never was.

 

I will never sail on the Eurodam again, but definitely on a Holland America smaller ship. This service is not typical of HAL and it was a big disappointment.

[enyliram]

oh dear... we are going on the eurodam oct 24th and now i must psych myself to ignore all the negativity about this ship and eagerly anticipate a wonderful vacation.

[fun_seeker]

oh dear... we are going on the eurodam oct 24th and now i must psych myself to ignore all the negativity about this ship and eagerly anticipate a wonderful vacation.

Please don't fret. The Eurodam is a lovely vessel and her crew are pleasant and helpful. We were on her in May for a cruise around the Baltics and had a wonderful cruise. The food in the Lido, MDR, room service, PG and Tamarind was very good. The cabin stewards went above and beyond. The servers in the MDR were every bit as good as what we experienced on the Veendam in 2005. There was no mold in the bathroom and we didn't have any problems in the Lido. Were there things that were less than perfect? Of course, everyone has a bad day now and then. Was the wait staff in the PG not up to the mark? Yes. Were the maitre d's in the PG and Tamarind in need of further schooling in their tasks? Yes. Was there anything that was bad enough to spoil the cruise for us? No. If you start your cruise with the idea that you will have a good time, you will. If you start your cruise expecting the worst, you will find it. Your cruise is what you make it. That sentiment might not be original, but it is still true. We will happily sail on the Eurodam or any of the rest of the 'dam fleet without hesitation.

[byucougs]

The Cruise Director talked too much, too often and every night before the show she would say almost the same old thing. Also for her wind up she told the same jokes that all the cruise directors tell and about 85% of the people on board have cruised many times before, just a little STALE.

 

Well, cruise directors never ever mean a thing to us, so we wouldn't base a cruise on that. They change ships so it's always a surprise who it might be anyway.

 

With this big new ship we also got the feeling they were nickel and diming you to death.

 

Nickle and diming has become a common practice and it has increased on all cruiselines. This wouldnt be a deal breaker either.

 

The biggest rip-off on the Eurodam is they have removed the self serve Laundromats.

 

Many cruiselines have taken out the self serve laundromats. It is a way for more revenue. Many cruises cost less than cruises 15-20 years ago, so they have to make up the revenue somehow.

 

As far as your review of the food venues, it is all subjective.

 

Life isn't perfect. There will always be glitches in every vacation. I did my time with car vacations with the kids and tents and packing food and supplies and cooking. Not much of a "vacation" for me, the mom.

 

I love cruises becuase I can unpack just once, eat meals I dont have to plan or prepare, go to new destinations, have someone else make the bed and turn it down. I can have breakfast on our balcony.

 

We are just grateful we can still afford to have this luxury.

 

[fun_seeker]

Many cruiselines have taken out the self serve laundromats. It is a way for more revenue. Many cruises cost less than cruises 15-20 years ago, so they have to make up the revenue somehow.

 

As far as your review of the food venues, it is all subjective.

 

Life isn't perfect. There will always be glitches in every vacation. I did my time with car vacations with the kids and tents and packing food and supplies and cooking. Not much of a "vacation" for me, the mom.

 

I love cruises becuase I can unpack just once, eat meals I dont have to plan or prepare, go to new destinations, have someone else make the bed and turn it down. I can have breakfast on our balcony.

 

We are just grateful we can still afford to have this luxury.

 

What you say is so true.

 

That cartoon should be the sticky for some of the threads on CC. :D

[mfanderso]

I was on the Inaugural last summer. Was everything perfect? No Was it my favorite ship? No. However, I HAVE booked again. I will be sailing Thanksgiving week with my daughter. She is a teacher and can only sail on school holidays and summer. The dates worked for us. I didn't hesitate to book it. After all -- it is a HAL ship and I will be on it.