Eurodam Review 13-20 November sailing

[madcat444]

Well been back almost a week now and thought I would add a short review from from recent sailing on the Eurodam.

 

Flew into FLL from Scotland on the Friday and stayed overnight at Springhill Suites near the airport. Was ideal as it provided a shuttle service (complimentary) from FLL and also on check-in I signed up for the, also complimentary, shuttle to Port Everglades the following morning. I also paid $8 for return shuttle service to the airport on my return. Shuttle are run by KSA Tours and the guy, Thomas, who books your shuttle is a charmer and a cutie to boot!

 

The hotel was well situated and had a few stores closeby, including a K-Mart, should you require any last minute purchases. There are also a few fast food places next to the hotel. The hotel was really comfortable,clean and provided a free breakfast which is always good.

 

Following morning made the trip to Port Everglades and arrived about 12:30 and I was expecting a huge wait but was pleasantly surprised as only had to queue for a few minutes to get to the main door and inside wasn't crowded at all. Waited a few minutes to check in but the procedure was pretty fast on the whole. Got onboard and made my way to Lido which, not surprisingly, was pretty busy so had a walk around and went back a bit later when not as conjested. Didn't hear any announcements about cabins being ready but by the time I ventured to check mine out it was ready but made up as two twins. Cabin steward, Daniel, introduced himself and I asked if he could change bed to a double which was no problem and was chaned over by the time I got back.

 

First night I wasn't too hungry so just grabbed a couple of pizza slices late on and was pretty tired so didn't make the first night show as I fell asleep and didn't wake till 1am! Needless to say I figured the show would be over by then so stayed in bed.

 

Sunday was a sea day and boat was kinda rocking so donned the sea bands and took some sickness pills as prevention is better than cure in my book. Was fine though didn't attempt the treadmill in the gym as reckoned I'd be shot across the gym if I ventured exercise without holding on to something stable! Eliptical and bike were the winners that morning!

Had lunch in the MDR with some solo's which was really good and decided I'd brave the MDR for dinner one night as enjoyed the service etc. I travelled alone and would normally choose the buffet option most, if not all, of the time but because of my good experience at lunch I decided to change that. However, as Sunday was formal night I gave it a miss as I don't really do the whole formal scenario. I ate in the Lido that night and it was fine, no problems with lines etc. Went to the Mainstage show but wasn't too enamoured with it. Music was a bit "old" for my taste and wasn't particularly impressed with the lead singers. I preferred the voice of the other guy who did solos to be honest. Show probably suited most people so no real complaints.

 

Monday was Grand Turk and decided to go snorkelling. Was pretty good and saw quite a few fish and an old cannon(!) Talked to the drummer from the Neptunes on the beach and he was a really nice guy. Heard them play a couple of times on the ship and they sounded pretty good so go check them out if you're onboard. Ventured into MDR for dinner, not quite knowing what to expect but got seated at a table with people from the Spy Cruise. Enjoyed it so went back most nights after this. Table was three couples, two from Florida, one from Denver and a guy from San Fransisco. All interesting people so made dinner enjoyable.

Think this was the night of the magician, James Cielen, who was really good

 

Tuesday sailed into San Juan and did my own tour of the city. Pretty nice place and managed to sniff out the CVS where I had to purchase more SPF50 sunscreen and Aloe Vera after getting my combination of ginger hair and fair skin a bit roasted on Grand Turk the previous day :eek:

MDR again tonight

 

Wednesday was St Thomas, apparently the best for shopping in the Caribbean but it's certainly no Mall Of America. Okay I suppose if it's jewellery or fake handbags you're after but apart from that......

Beaches were good though and much preferable to the shops for me. Yes, this coming from a female! I'm not really into shopping.

MDR again

 

Thursday was sea day so chilled a bit around the ship, watched a couple of movies etc and basically just relaxed. Formal night again so gave MDR a miss and ordered "in-room dining" which arrived on time, was hot and correct (unlike the two times I ordered breakfast which, both times, had missing items-maybe the waiter got hungry on the way!)

I ordered from that night's dinner menu and luckily I knew that was possible prior to the cruise as there was nothing to indicate this was available in my cabin. Infact there was no cabin directory at all for the first couple of days and only got one when I asked if there wasn't one! Also had to ask for shampoo on the first day and for replacements toiletories later in the cruise. Thought this would have been automatically done but maybe not! :confused:

 

Friday was Half Moon Cay and the beach is gorgeous. Talcum powder sand and turquoise blue water. Not great for snorkelling though as I didn't see a single fish! Did my one and only excursion here which was horseback riding by land and sea. It was fab!!! I've never been on a horse before in my life so totally new experience for me - LOVED IT!!! Going into the ocean with them was brilliant, what an experience. Try it if you can. Incidentally, when I went to enquire about it at the Shore Excursion desk I was told "the only information I can give you about it is it's fully booked!" I was told I could ask about cancellations on shore which I was going to do. Then, when passing the automated shore excursion machines, I decided to have a look to see if paragliding was available as a back-up plan and found availability for horseback riding ( :eek: ) so booked it straight away! Incidentally I think the paragliding was cancelled due to wind conditions as I didn't see anyone in the air that day.

MDR for final night with waiters "performing" between courses! Hmmm.....

 

Saturday was chucking out time so just a visit to Lido for breakfast. Had a disembarkation time of approx. 9:45am so showered etc and headed upstairs for breakfast and as I planned coming back to cabin to gather belongings etc up. Left the "Privacy Please" card in the door but when I got back the door was open with the cabin steward in changing the bed! Now I understand they are busy on that morning but I felt as though they could have waited or at least asked if they could gain entrance as I had left all my hand luggage out, money, passport etc. Not that I didn't trust them but the door was propped open and anyone could have got in if the steward had nipped out etc. Just felt it was bit of privacy invasion. :mad:

 

Anyway, disembarked with no problems but had to wait over an hour for the shuttle service which was okay as my flight wasn't until 3pm but still a bit longer than I expected to wait.

 

All in the all, really enjoyed the cruise and would definately recommend it, both itinerary and HAL.

 

As I'm not too sure what nights people performed in the Mainstage, apart from Sunday I'll just list them here:-

 

Magician-James Cielen was very good

Comedian-can't remember his name- was more of an impressionist/impersonator which I don't particularly enjoy as I feel if someone's one material isn't funny enough then they do impressions. Just my opinion.......

Dreampark-HAL singers and dancers was okay, not overly impressed but watchable

Livewire-Celtic music with husband/wife due. They were really good as long as she didn't try and be funny. She wasn't and was pretty damn annoying, think Energiser Bunny on speed!!! Music was good though.

Last night was tribute to Broadway but gave it a miss.

 

Well think that about sums it up. No doubt missed something but probably bored you all enough already :D

 

Apologies as initially said it would be a "short" review but got a bit carried away with the typing!!

 

:rolleyes:

[Himself]

Thanks for the review. I am sorry you ran into a day of rough seas. I was on the same ship in mid-October and the seas were great. Downer was a sudden rain storm came up at HMC and a lot of people got drenched. Ship is wonderful and I also enjoyed my cruise and Jame Cielen was teriffic!

[airlink diva]

Great review Madcat444!

Despite a few mishaps, overall your cruise seem to be a great one.

Love reading reviews from other solo cruisers also!

I agree that the room steward should had check prior to cleaning your cabin. Esp seeing your items were still in the cabin and you were not!

Thanks again!!

[Cruizer Bill]

Sounds like you had a good time Thanks for the write-up! Overall, the ship was good, right?

[tcook052]

Flew into FLL from Scotland on the Friday and stayed overnight at Springhill Suites near the airport. Was ideal as it provided a shuttle service (complimentary) from FLL and also on check-in I signed up for the, also complimentary, shuttle to Port Everglades the following morning. I also paid $8 for return shuttle service to the airport on my return. Shuttle are run by KSA Tours and the guy, Thomas, who books your shuttle is a charmer and a cutie to boot!

 

The hotel was well situated and had a few stores closeby, including a K-Mart, should you require any last minute purchases. There are also a few fast food places next to the hotel. The hotel was really comfortable,clean and provided a free breakfast which is always good.

 

Thanks madcat for the review. Is this the Springhill Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport & Cruise Port in Dania Beach? 151 Southwest 18th Court? I'm holding a reservation one-night pre-Eurodam cruise in late January and am hoping it was the same one as you seemed to like it. I found it at a really good rate so it was hard to pass up.

[madcat444]

Cruizer bill......yes, ship was fine and no real complaints, just a couple of jiggles. Would easily and gladly travel with HAL again. They have to cater to various age groups so not everything will suit everyone all of the time but hey, as long as people are willing to accept this it's all good :)

[madcat444]

Tcook.....yes, that's the same hotel. I got it at a great price too which was partly the reason I booked it. There's a strip mall kinda setup just across from hotel with K-Mart, Marshalls, Old Navy etc and few fast food joints like Burger King, McDonalds and Taco Bell real close by. :)

[tcook052]

Tcook.....yes, that's the same hotel. I got it at a great price too which was partly the reason I booked it. There's a strip mall kinda setup just across from hotel with K-Mart, Marshalls, Old Navy etc and few fast food joints like Burger King, McDonalds and Taco Bell real close by. :)

 

Thanks for the confirmation. :) I looked at lots of hotels and priced seemed fairly high until I came upon this Springhill and I knew the brand having stayed at others within the Marriott family of brands previously.

 

I arrive very late (midnight) on the Fri. night before embarking Sat. aft. on Eurodam so won't have tons of time to enjoy the hotel but may make some errands on the Sat. morning nearby so thanks for the input on what's nearby.

[madcat444]

Was just typing about minor niggles and remembered a major one! Think I've moaned about it enough to others that it's erased itself from my memory bank :D

Anyway, it involves Lido staff-the ice cream servers to be exact. Instead of being the usual friendly faced cheery chappies that work in the Lido the two who serve the ice cream are the dourest, unfriendliest dudes on the planet :mad: Maybe it's a ploy by HAL to make you feel guilty for ordering ice cream (wouldn't have been a bad thing in my case as I could live off the stuff :D ) but these guys made you feel as if it were a chore yo serve you. So much so I wrote it on both my guest survey questionnaire and also on the "How are we doing?" card that's placed in your cabin midway throughout the cruise. No customer service skills at all and should not be placed at such a happy place as the ice cream station *LOL*

on the other side of the coin the guy serving juice in the morning, Dede, was a joy-always smiling ear to ear :)

 

Also forgot to mention that CD, Jason Venner, was really good from what I saw of him. Good sense of humour and quick witted by all accounts

 

Sorry to drone on again. Hehe

[madcat444]

Cruizer.....jiggles=niggles!!!

Damn predictive text on iPod :D

[madcat444]

tcook.... yeah, don't get me wrong there will be better hotels than Springhill but it's definitely more than adequate for an overnight pre-cruise stay esp. on a budget and travelling alone like me. I use Marriott chains a lot too and would have no qualms staying there again in FLL :)

[Richie2pies]

Do they have smoking rooms at Springhill Suites?

[slabeaume]

Wish we had your weather the week before! We had to miss Grand Turk totally due to Hurricane Tomas and then followed the rain most of the rest of the trip. Did get to see the sun at Half Moon Cay and did the snorkel excursion there. It was great! But snorkeling from the beach there wasn't very good. Did find one rock with about 5 fish by it, but there was so much powdery sand churned up there that it was like looking through milk.

[madcat444]

Ritchie...have no clues about smoking rooms to be honest. Doubt it as I thankfully couldn't smell any ;)

Maybe give you info on their website.

More and more hotels are going non-smoking and I think Marriott is one.

[madcat444]

slabeaume....sorry to hear you were on the week before. Jason Venner was always mentioning how bad the weather had been the week prior to my sailing and you guys had 6 out of 7 days rain :(

That would have put a real damper on things (no pun intended!) I can imagine. I initially had looked at the week of the 6th but flights from Scotland were cheaper the following week, hence my decision to sail on the 13th. Thankfully we we lucky with the weather with only a spot of rain on the tender to HMC.

Glad you got a good day and some sun at HMC and enjoyed the snorkelling. I know what you mean about the sand being churned up when snorkelling from the beach. I only spoke to one guy who had seen any fish - all two of them!! *LOL*

What did you think of ship/food/entertainment etc?

[VermeulT]

Thank you for your review... I board her today and will compare your thoughts with mine along the way. Appreciate that you took the time!

[madcat444]

Hope you have fun VermeulT :)

[jplewis]

Did you do a snorkeling excursion on Grand Turk or go on your own?

[madcat444]

Jplewis.....just snorkelled on my own from the beach as pretty new to it and didn't want to go too deep! I know, I'm a wuss :D

Saying that I did snorkel for my first time on the Great Barrier Reef so that's kinda hard to beat :)

[jplewis]

Madcat, was the beach close to the ship or did you have transportation to get to it? By the way, we love Scotland - at least the parts we've been to.

Patsy

[madcat444]

jplewis......the beach at Grand Turk is literally next to the dock. You get off the ship and only have to walk a couple of ship lengths along the pier to get to the beach. Just go thru Margaretaville. I was a bit dubious about seeing fish being so close but it was fine for a novice like me on my own :)

Glad you like Scotland, not a lot can beat it on the odd occasion we get decent weather *LOL*

[jplewis]

Madcat, Thanks so much. That's one port we haven't been to and do like to snorkle on our own if it's not too difficult to get there.

[canadarocks]

Thanks for the review of the horseback riding at HMC. Hubby & I will be doing this excursion in March! :D

 

Did you by any chance go to Jack's Shack in Grand Turk?

[slabeaume]

slabeaume....sorry to hear you were on the week before. Jason Venner was always mentioning how bad the weather had been the week prior to my sailing and you guys had 6 out of 7 days rain :(

That would have put a real damper on things (no pun intended!) I can imagine. I initially had looked at the week of the 6th but flights from Scotland were cheaper the following week, hence my decision to sail on the 13th. Thankfully we we lucky with the weather with only a spot of rain on the tender to HMC.

Glad you got a good day and some sun at HMC and enjoyed the snorkelling. I know what you mean about the sand being churned up when snorkelling from the beach. I only spoke to one guy who had seen any fish - all two of them!! *LOL*

What did you think of ship/food/entertainment etc?

 

Loved the ship/food/entertainment. I actually have a review of our trip in up in the review section now. I thought it odd, though, that they didn't publish my Dominican Republic or HMC review. Snorkeled in the Dominican, too, but they took us to a place with about a 50 knot current running through it! (ok, maybe I exaggerated a little, but I'm still surprised noone drowned).

[AZNative2000]

Thanks for the review. I know about the "rocking" on your first day as we departed FLL at the same (roughly) time.