Best *DAM* cruise ever - Eurodam 12-19 August to Glacier Bay Alaska

Thought the Holland America faithful would enjoy reading the review of the most recent cruise on the Eurodam - 12-19 August r/t Seattle destination - Glacier Bay National Park. And might be of some assistance to those not familiar with Holland America or the Eurodam.

*Summary* Best damn cruise we have ever been on. Exemplary crew from start to finish. The itinerary is pure Alaska and Glacier Bay National Park should be on everyone's bucket list.

The entire cruise we encountered nothing but individuals who were happy with their work, and happy to ensure your time on their ship was exemplary. Our cabin, 5193 AFT Verandah, was as advertised.Getting on and off the ship was a breeze.

*Details*

*Intro* We are two 60-somethings, with a few cruises on HAL/Princess/NCL under our belt. This was a local embarkation for us out of Seattle. The Alaska itinerary to Glacier Bay National Park is amazing. We prefer the smaller ships of HAL and had some trepidation re the size of the Eurodam.

*Embarkation* We live about 30 miles from the port, and thus drove down and parked at the Pier 91 parking lot (protip: purchase parking online and save $7). You can either drop off your luggage and then go and park your car, or just park the car and muscle the luggage onto the shuttle bus - we chose the former, many chose the latter).

Once we had the luggage turned over to the port crew, we walked into the Embarkation area and had our boarding passes checked (multiple times) and our travel documents (multiple times) filled out the obligatory wellness attestation, and then hit security. No waiting ... we passed our carry on, medical device, and an ample selection of Washington wines through the security check. We were directed to the bar table, and paid our "corkage fees", continued into the waiting area to learn that our group had just been called, proceeded onto the Eurodam and walked directly to our cabin which was READY. We dropped off our belongings and walked down to the Dining Room for the Mariner Luncheon. Total elapsed time 60 minutes from parking the car to siting down to lunch.

*Cabin* We were in AFT cabin 5193 - we have sailed in more luxurious cabins (Penthouse, Neptune Suites, etc.), and found the experience outweighs the cabin --- use it as your bed room and the ship as your living and dining room.

This room has many pluses and a few minuses ...

The good - the view is spectacular the entire cruise - there is no WIND on the balcony and while others are being blown off their's you can enjoy yours. Plenty of storage. The newly configured cabin is much to our liking with USB charging ports in three locations. Electric outlets, however, are limited (to the desk area) .. we used an extension cord for the medical device we operated in the room in the evening - no difficulties.

The wall mounted TV, while not a "smart" tv, does have ample choices for those moments when you want to chill -- The On Demand selection was more than we expected.

The not so good - vibration vibration vibration. After the first night, it was hardly noticeable. The unique configuration of the aft cabins (they squeeze a bit) meant that the overhead lights don't illuminate the closet adequately (we have older eyes).

For this specific room would recommend bringing a puck-light to stick on the door.We took breakfast in cabin every day.

*Dining* We are not food snobs. We live to eat, however, and enjoy our food tasty, and hot. We were originally assigned open seating (late in the game reservation found that with a ship selling out the early/late dining had filled). Every meal was as advertised. We spoke to our waiter (Hananto) and assistant (Kuswana) and explained we are never in a hurry, we enjoy our meals, and we would appreciate every plate coming as hot as possible -- they never failed, and the kitchen did magic. We took all our dinners in the main dining room. We found the Lido great for lunch and loved the small plate quick grab feature .. like a tapas bar.

Breakfasts were all in-room-dining. We filled out the menu card and the food came on time as ordered ... the room service team always followed up with a call to ensure service was up to par. (protip: if you want a carafe of coffee write it in, similarly, if you prefer a side of bacon, or mushrooms for the complete breakfast, ask for it with a write-in.)

Assigned open seating and want that changed?* We did. We like to sit alone and enjoy the meal together. We visit with fellow travelers elsewhere. We wrote to the Eurodam's ships coordinator, and requested consideration for a reservation for a two-top for the early window 5:15-6:00pm. We were delighted to learn, upon checkin, that we had been assigned to a two-top in the open-seating area (Deck 2 - lower level). They passed the request on to the Dining Room Manager and he did his magic. We thanked him personally and learned the key, is to stay out of the core hours of open seating - 6-8pm and they will make every effort to accommodate requests.

*Entertainment*

BB King All-Stars was our favorite. They entertained the guests ... we've all experienced venues where the artists were entertaining themselves with music they enjoyed, in this instance, they gauged the audience and entertained. First shows are often standing room only, the latter shows have ample seating. Be prepared to dance ... the music will lift you out of your seats.

America's Test Kitchen

Attended the Salmon cooking exhibition. Excellent in so many ways. Can't wait to try the recipes at home.

Billboard - twin pianos. The artists were excellent the venue was not to our liking (your mileage may vary) as the casino lights made us feel as if we were siting in the middle of a pinball machine - we tried it three times sitting in different locations and the result was the same.

Evening Shows -- we went to two shows and enjoyed them both . About 30-45 mins in length, they entertain. Ample information on the shows are provided in the daily bulletin to determine if you will enjoy. Arriving a little early gets seat choices, a little late and it is a tight squeeze.

*Libations and their venues*

We brought our dinner wine on board with us and paid the corkage. This way we were never disappointed with a wine we had with our meals. We knew that every night there would be sea food and a meat offered. We also bought the Elite Beverage Package .. and .. while we did not consume the maximum number of drinks on any of the days (not even close) we thought the package to be a good value. If you get yours with a promo, then it is a nice inclusion, we purchased ours prior to cruise and saved 10%.

Most tranquil bar: Tamrind Bar -- great views, feels like a private club.

Most crowded bar: Queens Lounge when the BB King All Stars are playing. The crew there did a great job of keeping up

Pinnacle bar offers appetizers from 6-7pm each night, ask for them, they aren't sitting out.

SeaView bar is next to the only "smoking" area on the ship

Lido Bar is quick service and the delightful background noise of young ones having a blast does not take away from the comfort at all

*PORTS*

We took this cruise for the visit to Glacier Bay National Park .. it was fantastic. Strongly recommend planning on viewing the entire transit in proximity to an outside viewing locale. Glaciers, whales, bear, mountain goats, moose, otters were all to be seen during the transit. (Protip: Set your in cabin tv to the bridge-cam channel and the commentary from the national park ranger can be heard).

Juneau, Sitka, Icy Straight Point, Ketchikan, and Victoria were the ports of call. We walked about the locales and enjoyed visiting at our own leisurely pace. If you use a wheel chair or walker, be sure to ask for assistance at the Sitka port. More than one traveler found themselves stuck trying to get their wheelchair up the incline at the port ... fellow passengers jumped in and got them over the top.

*Disembarkation*

Have breakfast and wait in your room until you are called. Holland America has broken the code for efficiency in getting us all off the ship. The night before we placed our luggage outside the door and that morning we ate in our room. At about 30 mins prior to the anticipated call, we hear our color and number, we gathered our personal belongings and walked to Deck 2 midships. No waiting exiting the ship, found our luggage straight away, and walked through customs stopping only to have the CBP officer inspect our passports. Into the shuttle to the parking lot and in our car in less than 30 mins.

Miscellaneous -- someone have a birthday while cruising -- the HAL system alerts the crew. A spouse might amplify it ... crew magic occurs in the dining room and beyond as the birthday celebrant is greeted with Happy Birthday the entire day ... nice touch.

*Conclusion*

The Eurodam might be the larger of the Holland American line and carry a greater number of passengers, it never felt crowded to us. We continue to speak of this cruise as our most favorite, and are so pleased with every aspect of the experience, we are looking forward to our next opportunity to visit another locale on the bucket list.

Enjoy,

Christopher

Thanks for your review. I'm glad you had such an enjoyable cruise.

thank you for the review - am back on the eurodam in november and glad to hear she is in great shape

thank you for the review - am back on the eurodam in november and glad to hear she is in great shape

You bet .. we would return to the Eurodam in a heartbeat.

Thanks for your review. We haven't been on the Eurodam since 2011 and loved her then. Glad to hear you enjoyed your cruise!

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Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

Sounds like you had a great cruise.

We have sailed on the Eurodam several times and love the Tamarind Restaurant for dinner and the Silk Den for before and after dinner cocktails.

If you ever get a chance to go back to Alaska -- choose an itinerary with Hubbard Glacier -- it is also great.

Thanks for your review! We're sailing on the Eurodam to Alaska next year. Do you recall what time that the disembarkation process started?

Thank you for the great review! DH and I will be doing this same cruise in mid May 2018. I love to see a review to keep me excited!

Thanks for your review! We're sailing on the Eurodam to Alaska next year. Do you recall what time that the disembarkation process started?

For the self-sufficient (walk all your stuff off the boat) it started at 0700.

We asked for a 0830 disembarkation and were called at around 0800

The Guest Services will send you a form on about day 2 asking what your preference is and you make it known at that time. We were "independent" travelers. There were quite a few groups called before our color/number was called.

Enjoy!

Christopher

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

Sounds like you had a great cruise.

We have sailed on the Eurodam several times and love the Tamarind Restaurant for dinner and the Silk Den for before and after dinner cocktails.

If you ever get a chance to go back to Alaska -- choose an itinerary with Hubbard Glacier -- it is also great.

You might be looking at our notes ... the north to Anchorage is the next Alaska voyage when we do it ... and ... it will include the Hubbard Glacier ... thanks for the tip!

Thank you for the great review! DH and I will be doing this same cruise in mid May 2018. I love to see a review to keep me excited!

Thanks Tananda -- we were 100% satisfied ... as this was a rest and recuperate trip for us, we had no schedule beyond dinner at 5:15pm :D

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

Sounds like you had a great cruise.

We have sailed on the Eurodam several times and love the Tamarind Restaurant for dinner and the Silk Den for before and after dinner cocktails.

If you ever get a chance to go back to Alaska -- choose an itinerary with Hubbard Glacier -- it is also great.

Yes .. the Silk Den --- I forgot the name of the bar across from the Tamarind. Once we discovered it, it was our after dinner hideaway. All with whom we spoke had similar reviews of the cuisine at the Tamarind. We took all our dinners in the MDR and not one plate disappointed. From my optic, the kitchen on the Eurodam was totally squared away. We saw the Food and Beverage Manager visiting all locales and engaging customers (ourselves included) and staff.

Great trip report! We sail her in nine days and this gives us an up to date idea of what to expect!

Question - what Time did you arrive at the pier?

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Great trip report! We sail her in nine days and this gives us an up to date idea of what to expect!

 

 

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Enjoy!!!!!!! Glad you find the info useful.

Great trip report! We sail her in nine days and this gives us an up to date idea of what to expect!

 

Question - what Time did you arrive at the pier?

 

 

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We arrived at the Pier at 1130am ... we were on board, bags dropped off in cabin and seated for lunch before 1230.

Thank you for taking time to write a review.

Glad you had a great time on the Eurodam!

Really nice to live just a drive away from the port, unlike us who needs to fly most of the time.

Thank you for taking the time to post your review.

Glad you had a good cruise.

We love the Eurodam too.

Thanks for the review. We did Alaska this summer on her sister ship the NA & agree Glacier Bay was amassing.

Allan

Wonderful review. Thanks for taking the time!

Thanks for the great review! Helps me to relive some memories and tides me over until my next cruise!

Thanks for the great review! We sail on her Sept 23. First time on her. It's our 50th anniversary, so we have a Neptune Suite, so excited!

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Wonderful review. Thanks for taking the time!

You are most welcome. Glad you enjoyed it. :D:D

Thanks for the great review! We sail on her Sept 23. First time on her. It's our 50th anniversary, so we have a Neptune Suite, so excited!

 

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I am sure the suites are wonderful, our verandah sure was.

Enjoy! :D:D

Thanks for the great review! Helps me to relive some memories and tides me over until my next cruise!

TxCruiser .. we know the feeling ... our next cruise is another on our bucket list .. Panama Canal transit ... should be fun! :D:D