Tips for new travelers on eurodam

[mollybax]

I just returned from a wonderful week of relaxation and Caribbean sun on the Eurodam. This was my first HAL cruise and as such I thought I would post some tips/information for those of you that may help in your packing and/or preparation for your cruise. This is not your typical review, but rather helpful information.

1) Cabin - ASSOME! We had 8th floor Aft Veranda (not a suite, but the largest cabins prior to the suite category). It was great; large veranda which you think being so high up that you won't feel close to the water, but that is not the case you feel like you could reach out and touch the water, the wake is a wonderful (but noisy) view is very relaxing. The veranda was large with 2 wicker chairs, 1 wicker footstool, small round side table, and a lounge chair. You can't really hear any noise from above floor (sea view pool), but if you are a lite sleeper such as myself you can hear them moving the chairs in the mornings around 6am on the lido deck above.

2) Bathroom - Shower/bath tub, very spacious. At first I thought there were no outlets in the bathroom, but half way through the cruise I discovered one in the ceiling above the mirror. Light switch for the bathroom is on the outside. Shower is difficult to understand (for me anyway), don't make the same mistake I did. One knob turn counter clockwise = bath, turn back clockwise = shower, in between = off (no water). It is a bit odd at first to fine the middle ground to turn the water off. I kept going between shower and bath. The second knob is for hot and cold, be careful. There are little stainless knobs on the handle that you must push in to turn the knob further. We apparently broke ours which resulted in 2 days of cold showers because we broke the thermostat and had to have it replaced.

Toilet = a little smelly. Understanding, this is recycled water no other way to do it, but in the future I will probably bring an air freshner for the bathroom to assist. Always keep the lid down helps with the odor and if you hit rough water you don’t’ have toilet water all over your bathroom floor.

Bed = Very small, but very comfortable. Pillows are a good thickness and foam (love it).

Storage = TONS, 2 bedside tables with drawers, 3 closes with shelves. The desk had a cabinet with hairdryer, room to store other items. Also your wine glasses (red, white, & champagne glasses) and wine opener can be found in there. As suggested by other cruisers we had the mini fridge/cooler cleaned out so that we could store the wine, diet coke and water we brought on-board. We had more space than I expected. I was able to store 2-3 bottles of wine, 3 waters and 2 bottles diet coke. The fridge is not very cold and there is no thermostat to adjust, but after 24-48 hours the beverages cooled down well.

Back to storage, 2 large drawers under the foot of the bed.

Coffee Table – It pulls up and down for different heights and usage (very cool).

Room Service – Yes you can write in what you want if not on the menu and get it (example: Oatmeal).

Room Lighting – Decent. Ladies I did my make-up it the bathroom (the best lighting). I did my hair at the desk, more outlets). The bed(s) have a light on the corns for reading and the veranda has a good light too. I was able to read at midnight on the veranda.

THINGS YOU DON’T NEED AND THINGS YOU DO NEED.

1) Hairdryer – provided, good heat, 1675 watt.

2) Clock – NO CLOCK. This was my biggest disappointment, so in saying that if this was the only issue with my cruise I had an amazing time. As I said I am a lite sleeper and I tend to wake up a lot and want to know what time it is. If you are like me and not in a suite then bring a travel clock. I left my cell phone on and kept it by the bed for reference.

3) Night Light – for the bathroom or room if you need some light.

4) Shampoo/Conditioner/Bath Gel – It is provided, but if you have a hatred of Spearmint such as I do bring something else. The bath gel is extreme Spearmint.

5) Reading light – Don’t need one. There are reading lights on the beds and veranda (as stated above).

SODA & WINE CARDS: We had a 20 pour wine card and a 20 pour soda card. Tip; if you want the full can of soda they will punch your card twice. The wine card is one brand (house brand) I read prior to my trip mixed review, I liked it. I am a chardonnay drinker and though it was not the smoothest of wines I though it was a descent table wine (Equal to Barefoot Chardonnay). I will admit I did not like the house reds, but I only like really smooth red wines and I did not feel the cabernet was as smooth as I would have liked. Final note on these, don’t do what I did and save them up to the end, I saved a soda punch to use the morning of disembarkation and was told that the bar was closed. I also ended up with 3 pours left on my wine card. I asked my cabin steward if I could leave it for the next guest but was told no. I went ahead and left it in the bedside table, but I am guessing it was found and discarded. I did not see anyone else using the cards and I did not see them being sold on the ship, we bought ours prior to sailing and they were in our room.

Overall it was wonderful. As always a few minor glitches, nothing to complain about. The staff and crew were all amazing.

MY FAVORITE = TAMRIDE (went 3 times)

LEAST FAVORITE = SPA (expensive and a little noisy) I should have waited until the end of the cruise and booked early in the morning to get the best deals. Small robes they are different then the ones in the rooms.

Now for me back to the real world and work. I hope this info helps. If you have any specific questions just let me know I will check this post for the next few days.

 

Enjoy your cruise it goes by so fast. :)

MollyBax

[sapper1]

I just returned from a wonderful week of relaxation and Caribbean sun on the Eurodam. This was my first HAL cruise and as such I thought I would post some tips/information for those of you that may help in your packing and/or preparation for your cruise. This is not your typical review, but rather helpful information.

 

1) Cabin - ASSOME! We had 8th floor Aft Veranda (not a suite, but the largest cabins prior to the suite category). It was great; large veranda which you think being so high up that you won't feel close to the water, but that is not the case you feel like you could reach out and touch the water, the wake is a wonderful (but noisy) view is very relaxing. The veranda was large with 2 wicker chairs, 1 wicker footstool, small round side table, and a lounge chair. You can't really hear any noise from above floor (sea view pool), but if you are a lite sleeper such as myself you can hear them moving the chairs in the mornings around 6am on the lido deck above.

 

2) Bathroom - Shower/bath tub, very spacious. At first I thought there were no outlets in the bathroom, but half way through the cruise I discovered one in the ceiling above the mirror. Light switch for the bathroom is on the outside. Shower is difficult to understand (for me anyway), don't make the same mistake I did. One knob turn counter clockwise = bath, turn back clockwise = shower, in between = off (no water). It is a bit odd at first to fine the middle ground to turn the water off. I kept going between shower and bath. The second knob is for hot and cold, be careful. There are little stainless knobs on the handle that you must push in to turn the knob further. We apparently broke ours which resulted in 2 days of cold showers because we broke the thermostat and had to have it replaced.

 

Toilet = a little smelly. Understanding, this is recycled water no other way to do it, but in the future I will probably bring an air freshner for the bathroom to assist. Always keep the lid down helps with the odor and if you hit rough water you don’t’ have toilet water all over your bathroom floor.

 

Bed = Very small, but very comfortable. Pillows are a good thickness and foam (love it).

 

Storage = TONS, 2 bedside tables with drawers, 3 closes with shelves. The desk had a cabinet with hairdryer, room to store other items. Also your wine glasses (red, white, & champagne glasses) and wine opener can be found in there. As suggested by other cruisers we had the mini fridge/cooler cleaned out so that we could store the wine, diet coke and water we brought on-board. We had more space than I expected. I was able to store 2-3 bottles of wine, 3 waters and 2 bottles diet coke. The fridge is not very cold and there is no thermostat to adjust, but after 24-48 hours the beverages cooled down well.

Back to storage, 2 large drawers under the foot of the bed.

 

Coffee Table – It pulls up and down for different heights and usage (very cool).

 

Room Service – Yes you can write in what you want if not on the menu and get it (example: Oatmeal).

 

Room Lighting – Decent. Ladies I did my make-up it the bathroom (the best lighting). I did my hair at the desk, more outlets). The bed(s) have a light on the corns for reading and the veranda has a good light too. I was able to read at midnight on the veranda.

 

THINGS YOU DON’T NEED AND THINGS YOU DO NEED.

 

1) Hairdryer – provided, good heat, 1675 watt.

2) Clock – NO CLOCK. This was my biggest disappointment, so in saying that if this was the only issue with my cruise I had an amazing time. As I said I am a lite sleeper and I tend to wake up a lot and want to know what time it is. If you are like me and not in a suite then bring a travel clock. I left my cell phone on and kept it by the bed for reference.

3) Night Light – for the bathroom or room if you need some light.

4) Shampoo/Conditioner/Bath Gel – It is provided, but if you have a hatred of Spearmint such as I do bring something else. The bath gel is extreme Spearmint.

5) Reading light – Don’t need one. There are reading lights on the beds and veranda (as stated above).

 

SODA & WINE CARDS: We had a 20 pour wine card and a 20 pour soda card. Tip; if you want the full can of soda they will punch your card twice. The wine card is one brand (house brand) I read prior to my trip mixed review, I liked it. I am a chardonnay drinker and though it was not the smoothest of wines I though it was a descent table wine (Equal to Barefoot Chardonnay). I will admit I did not like the house reds, but I only like really smooth red wines and I did not feel the cabernet was as smooth as I would have liked. Final note on these, don’t do what I did and save them up to the end, I saved a soda punch to use the morning of disembarkation and was told that the bar was closed. I also ended up with 3 pours left on my wine card. I asked my cabin steward if I could leave it for the next guest but was told no. I went ahead and left it in the bedside table, but I am guessing it was found and discarded. I did not see anyone else using the cards and I did not see them being sold on the ship, we bought ours prior to sailing and they were in our room.

 

Overall it was wonderful. As always a few minor glitches, nothing to complain about. The staff and crew were all amazing.

 

MY FAVORITE = TAMRIDE (went 3 times)

LEAST FAVORITE = SPA (expensive and a little noisy) I should have waited until the end of the cruise and booked early in the morning to get the best deals. Small robes they are different then the ones in the rooms.

 

Now for me back to the real world and work. I hope this info helps. If you have any specific questions just let me know I will check this post for the next few days.

 

Enjoy your cruise it goes by so fast. :)

MollyBax

Thank you for your notes----love the Eurodam myself. A tip for next time is to leave the wine card with leftover punches in the Bible. CC members know to look there to see if they are lucky enough to find one and the steward will not see it and remove it.

[schoolinmy3]

Glad to hear your positive comments on the Eurodam. I do have a question. I was wondering if you noticed any smoke that was bothersome and if so what areas of the ship. My daughter (10yo) has asthma and is bothered by smoke and by perfume. My oldest son and I also have asthma. We will be on the Eurodam in May. I was on the Westerdam to Alaska in 2008 and in the balcony next to ours someone was smoking a cigar at times. I did take note of it but it did not impact our enjoyment of the cruise :). However, I am not as bothered by smoke as my daughter. We will have medication and inhalers, etc with us but would like to know ahead of time what areas to avoid. Obviously at 10 years old smoke in the bar and casino will not be a problem :D

 

diane

[Carol28]

I have not heard of a wine card before. How much is it? Can it be used anywhere on the ship?

[jtl513]

I have not heard of a wine card before. How much is it? Can it be used anywhere on the ship?

$41.40 for 10 glasses of house wine, $77.63 for 20 glasses. Prices include the 15% service charge. Choices are two white, two red, one rose, one "sparkling". Can be bought from any bar staffer, and used anywhere. They've been around about 4 years but will be replaced "soon" by a "universal" beverage card good for wine, cocktails, soda, or Explorations Cafe specialty coffees.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for taking the time to write your report.

 

We used to always buy thw wine cards. But I knew that the house brand was changed last summer. So before we bought one for our Oct/Nov cruise we tried the new house wines -- found them to be bitter. Sadly the wine cards are being phased out.

[Boytjie]

Toilet = a little smelly. Understanding, this is recycled water no other way to do it, but in the future I will probably bring an air freshner for the bathroom to assist. Always keep the lid down helps with the odor and if you hit rough water you don’t’ have toilet water all over your bathroom floor.

 

We have done two cruises on the Eurodam and did not experience any problems with the toilet - smell or spillage, even when we had two days of very rough seas. I wonder what caused the smell.

 

On a behind-the-scenes tour in 2009 we were told that recycled waste water is pure enough to drink - but is not used for that! They do not mix the different types: black water (from sewage) and gray water (from sinks, showers etc). Grey water is used to wash decks etc, and I believe teh black water is dumped in the ocean.

[Typhoon1]

Just keep an unused wine or soda card for your next voyage.

 

In 2008 someone gave me a card he bought and never used on the last day of the cruise. I used it the following year.

[cruzisme]

Thank you for the wonderful posting, OP

what cabin # did you have as we also have an aft verandah underneath the Lido (yes, we are expecting the scraping of the chairs!) Would ear plugs help cut the noise?

Thanks!

[sapper1]

Just keep an unused wine or soda card for your next voyage.

 

In 2008 someone gave me a card he bought and never used on the last day of the cruise. I used it the following year.

Just remember that if the card has some punches already made in it, don't use it until later into the cruise. If you try to use a punched card on the first day, they will know it is a leftover and will not accept it. After a few days they will not know the difference as the cards are the same fleet wide.

[NewbieGma]

There do you get them???

[Carol28]

$41.40 for 10 glasses of house wine, $77.63 for 20 glasses. Prices include the 15% service charge. Choices are two white, two red, one rose, one "sparkling". Can be bought from any bar staffer, and used anywhere. They've been around about 4 years but will be replaced "soon" by a "universal" beverage card good for wine, cocktails, soda, or Explorations Cafe specialty coffees.

 

 

Does this mean I cannot buy 10 glasses of the red wine? And does anyone know the name of the House Merlot?

[RuthC]

There do you get them???

You can buy one from any bar steward.

[catl331]

I think he meant 2 varieties of red, 2 varieties of white etc. You can get all red or all white whatever. I always wanted an aft veranda overlooking the wake. Why are the beds very small? The ones in my port veranda were standard queen size and comfy.

[mollybax]

Glad to hear your positive comments on the Eurodam. I do have a question. I was wondering if you noticed any smoke that was bothersome and if so what areas of the ship. My daughter (10yo) has asthma and is bothered by smoke and by perfume. My oldest son and I also have asthma. We will be on the Eurodam in May. I was on the Westerdam to Alaska in 2008 and in the balcony next to ours someone was smoking a cigar at times. I did take note of it but it did not impact our enjoyment of the cruise :). However, I am not as bothered by smoke as my daughter. We will have medication and inhalers, etc with us but would like to know ahead of time what areas to avoid. Obviously at 10 years old smoke in the bar and casino will not be a problem :D

 

diane

 

Below our cabin was a guest that smoked a pipe you could smell it only if you were on the veranda. On the pool deck we sat next to two ladies that smoke cigarettes, but somehow we sat in the right direction because I never smelled it. I did not have any other issues with smoke.

[jtl513]

Choices are two white, two red, one rose, one "sparkling".

Does this mean I cannot buy 10 glasses of the red wine?

No. It means you can choose from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, White Zinfandel, or "sparkling".

[jtl513]

... and I believe teh black water is dumped in the ocean.

THIS SITE says since 2003:

 

The discharge of sewage will be prohibited less than 12 miles from land unless via a comminuting and disinfecting system. At more than 12 miles from land the discharge of sewage will be prohibited from holding tanks unless the ship is on route proceeding at more than four knots or the discharge is from a sewage treatment plant.

 

I wonder if HAL dumps raw sewage, or treats it in some way first. Or brings it back to port, for discharge to sewage treatment plants? BruceMuzz, where are you?

[mollybax]

Thank you for the wonderful posting, OP

what cabin # did you have as we also have an aft verandah underneath the Lido (yes, we are expecting the scraping of the chairs!) Would ear plugs help cut the noise?

Thanks!

 

 

I had 8175 (Awesome!!). Ear plugs I am sure would help, but they would drive me crazy. The moving of the chairs is only in the early morning and it is not constant, but as I said I am a very lite sleeper. I wouldn't bother with ear plugs unless you are a lite sleeper.

[cruzisme]

that is our cabin too! we normally do take ear plugs anyway so will use them

did the balcony get any sun? we are going across the Atlantic so maybe this question can't be answered as you were doing the Caribbean?

[jtl513]

... and I believe teh black water is dumped in the ocean.

I found a link to THIS on the HAL site that says "In addition, Marine Sanitation Devices (MSD) are

used to process blackwater with discharge characteristics equivalent to landside treatment plants."

 

In any case, the water used in the toilets may be be desalinated sea water, but it is not "recycled" as the OP stated.

[Cruisin Suzin]

Did you happen to see the Retreat Cabanas? Did you rent one?