Thoughts on 2/14/16 Eurodam Cruise

[blueboro]

Returned this past Sunday from our 7-day Western Caribbean on the Eurodam. This is an annual brothers/wives trip (8 total) and was our first cruise on HAL since a 2011 Nieuw Amsterdam cruise. The past several years we have cruised almost exclusively on Celebrity. So, just wanted to give some random thoughts on the cruise without hopefully going into excruciating detail.

 

EMBARKATION

With 7 ships leaving FLL we wanted to get an early start and arrived at 10:20 at the port. Doors were opened and we breezed thru security and check-in. Boarded about 11:45 and were able to go to the cabin. This is one thing I really love about HAL since on X you wait until after 1:00 to get in to the cabin. Now, let's start taking advantage of that Explore 4 Drink package.

 

CABIN

When entering, the cabin seemed smaller than the standard verandah cabin on the S-class X ships. Was surprised there was no table on the balcony...not sure if this is a recent development. I think Celebrity wins on cabin design. Their cabin doors are recessed back so the cabin door opens out, plus the closet (while a tight squeeze) is on the wall next to the bed. This frees up the entry into the cabin from the mess where you have the cabin door, closet doors and bathroom door all opening into the entry.

 

PUBLIC AREAS

Don't know what the casino and surrounding area was prior to drydock, but they really did a great job blending the dueling piano bar, casino and new Gallery bar together for a nice, open space. And the fact there was no smoking in the casino was a great decision IMO. We feel the MDR on this ship was so much prettier than that on X. Loved the colors and it seemed much quieter than the MDR on X.

 

We do like the atrium on X better than on HAL as it seems to provide a central hub for everything while making the ship seem more open and bright. Overall we prefer the design, layout and flow on X as HAL has a smaller and more closed in feel to me. Also, the cabin hallways and public restrooms seemed very utilitarian on HAL while they are much prettier on X.

 

The Lido on Eurodam seemed to be an improvement over our previous NA cruise, but still if you want an omelet and bacon you have to stand in two lines. We prefer the separate stations and open feel on X as on the Eurodam there were times that the walkway was impassable with people in line for food, people behind them looking to see what was at the station and everyone trying to walk by.

 

HAL wins on wrap-around promenade deck and aft pool.

 

FOOD AND DRINKS

We found the food to be very good for the most part. There was a night or two where the MDR menu seemed to be lacking in choices but what I ordered was served hot and tasty. We ate in Pinnacle, Tamarind and Cannelleto with Tamarind being the best of the three. While food was good in Pinnacle, it should not take over 3.5 hours to get thru a meal. The Lido food was good with a nice variety of choices. Loved the new salad bar and all the choices. Was surprised that we were not able to serve ourselves in the Lido as staff did it the entire cruise. Maybe this is standard procedure or there had been a Noro outbreak. After seeing that most people do not sanitize their hands upon entering the Lido, I was glad the staff served us.

 

The Dive-In had great burgers, dogs and fries but the wait can be 25 to 30 minutes. Same with the New York Pizza since they are made to order and can take a while to get. Just wish you could get a slice.

 

We had the Explore 4 drink package included. Drinks were very good and we felt they were better than on X. It did seem the service was slower than on X as they don't seem to have the experience with the drink package that X does. Seems they go to a lot of extra work by asking for your card each time you order more than one drink at the same seating and having to print out the receipt each time. You get no receipts on X if you are on the drink package. The wine service in the MDR was very slow and you were lucky if they got the order correct.

 

SERVICE

While service was good, we notice that HAL is like other lines in that they now have fewer staff in the MDR and they are so busy as to not give the personal attention one received in the past. And if you order coffee after dinner expect that it will come after dessert has been served and you are ready to leave. There were few times in the Lido someone actually brought us drinks as we typically just went and got our own instead of waiting.

 

Our cabin steward failed to service the cabin on the first evening so I had to track him down the next morning to get beach towels and the bag they provide prior to tendering at Half Moon Cay. Cabin service was slightly below what we have experienced in the past as dirty glasses brought back to the cabin were not always removed and water glasses were not always replaced. Also, some days we got wash clothes and some days not. But, in their defense, they have so many cabins to service I am surprised they do as well as they do.

 

ENTERTAINMENT

All I can say is the BB King Band was the best band we have ever heard in all our cruises. We were there every evening and sat thru at least two sets each night. Not sure why they aren't on the big Mainstage at least once during the cruise. The only show we went to in the Mainstage was a comedian who was one of the worst we have seen on a cruise unfortunately. We heard the piano bar performance on several occasions while in the casino. Some of their selections seemed odd for a piano bar and we found we could only take the singing voice of the male singer in small doses as it had a stranqe quality to it. We heard the string quartet in the Lincoln Center a few times while passing thru and they seemed good...but we were having too much fun at BB Kings to go anywhere else.

 

PORTS

HMC, Montego Bay, Grand Cayman and Key West. Did not get off the ship in MoBay as we got a notice from HAL that because elections were happening soon there had been random violence. There is nothing at the port so we had a nice sea day. The BIG problem we had was with the immigration procedure when arriving in Key West. Those who had HAL excursions were to be in line at the Queens Lounge at 7:20. The line wrapped around back to the dining room and the other side. Before the line began moving, they made an announcement that guests on decks 1 and 3 could proceed to the lounge. So, they thought they could just break line since they were "called" even though a mass of people had been in line for 30 minutes. There were NO HAL staff to direct people and it almost caused a riot. The CD admitted it was a cluster...

 

CONCLUSION

We had a really good cruise and would not hesitate to return to HAL. While we were concerned about smoking, the only time we smelled smoke was on the aft pool deck where it is allowed on the starboard side. We found some things we like better on X and some things we like better on HAL. So our future decisions will probably be based on pricing, itinerary and extras like the drink package that can help sway a decision.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

[Laurino]

Thank you for your review. I recently cruised on Eurodam and also like Celebritys Solstice-class, so I enjoyed your comparison of the two.

 

Staff serving hot food (and salads) is standard procedure in HAL's Lido restaurants. I also prefer it that way, IMO more hygienic and also the food is more fresh (than sitting in trays under heat lamps). But I get what you mean regarding better logistics with the serving islands in X's Lido.

Edited February 26, 2016 by Laurino

[Keith1010]

Excellent writeup.

 

Thank you.

 

Keith

[Lizzie68]

Thanks for a very detailed review. Sounds like you had a mix of good and not-so-good but had a good cruise anyway. Interesting about the staff in the Lido serving the food throughout the cruise, and not just the first few days. I think I would prefer that, too.

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[puppycanducruise]

Thank you for taking the time to post your review.

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

[nutensteve]

Thanks for your detailed review. Glad you enjoyed your cruise. We also enjoyed the Eurodam and the BB King band and likewise we were there every night. On our cruise they did play one night on the mainstage and it was a packed house.

[blueboro]

Thanks for a very detailed review. Sounds like you had a mix of good and not-so-good but had a good cruise anyway. Interesting about the staff in the Lido serving the food throughout the cruise, and not just the first few days. I think I would prefer that, too.

 

Actually it mostly all good and the not so good was minor and did not take away from the cruise. I always hate it when one or two minor things causes someone to say the entire cruise was bad. I am not perfect and don't expect my cruise to be.

[Clarea]

Thanks for the review.

[TYMAN]

Thanks for the review. Will be on the Eurodam in three weeks!

 

Hey Bob! Hope all is well. We'll also be on the 11/27 Oasis, can you make it? :)

[POA1]

Thanks for your review!

[canadarocks]

Thanks for the great review. I didn't know that the casino is non-smoking, that's great news!

[taxmantoo]

ENTERTAINMENT

... We heard the piano bar performance on several occasions while in the casino. Some of their selections seemed odd for a piano bar and we found we could only take the singing voice of the male singer in small doses as it had a stranqe quality to it...

 

Thanks for your review.

 

While it is good to read your impression of the "piano bar" entertainers, adding their names to the review would definitely be a plus.

Edited February 26, 2016 by taxmantoo

[rkacruiser]

Many thanks for your review of the "new" Eurodam. It sounds to me that HAL's new concept of the Gallery Bar, piano bar, and casino is much like what they did when the MIX area was created on some of the ships. And, that was a very good concept.

[cormike1]

I enjoyed reading your review as I was on doing our second week at that time also. I agree with most of what you said. We listened to the piano players in Billboard and the funny thing was the woman's voice kind of bothered us lol. Amazing how people's tastes are different eh! We thought the Lincoln Center did not give the musicians a really proper place to play as there was always people walking by on their way to other areas and you had to be quiet going by. I think it would be distracting for the musicians. Our room stewards were excellent but I found the balcony very small and missed having a table. We like eating breakfast outside but were not able to do that. All in all we loved the ship especially the size...not huge. We found the décor was nice and staff were all friendly and helpful. We really had a great cruise!

[cormike1]

Montego Bay is a pretty sad looking port to stop at. I heard that the city tour was pretty disappointing but that is one person's opinion so I am not sure if it really was. Only a few vendors and pretty sad spots for them to have their items for sale.

[ithaca gal]

Thank you for the excellent comparison. We were on the Eurodam the week before your cruise. We thought the singers at the Piano Bar were hit or miss during the same set! At one time it appeared that the male singer felt that singing in a "nasally voice" approximated a British accent! (John Lennon had to be spinning in his grave during the rendition of "She Loves You"!) At times it seemed like the female singer was screeching rather than singing. At other times, both were okay. The amplification of the piano also made it seem like she was BANGING on the keys, rather than playing the piano.

 

Do you remember the name of the comedian? We had two on our cruise and thought they were both very good.

 

We had reservations for the Pinnacle Grill but had to cancel when they were booked solid and we could not be joined by another couple. We switched to the Tamarind (for the second time that week) and it is nearly impossible to have a bad dinner or bad service there! When we were on the Eurodam in November, we had a server who was so-so. After our dinners were served, no one ever came to see if everything was all right. Our server spent his time tidying empty tables rather than following up with us. Very lackluster.

 

As for the non-smoking casino, I have seen no public notice about this, which I found surprising. A friend who works on the Eurodam had told me it was non-smoking throughout, but I didn't believe it until I saw it for myself. What a wonderful change -- especially for the workers who have no choice but to stay in the unhealthy environment.

[ithaca gal]

Duplicate

Edited February 27, 2016 by ithaca gal

[erewhon]

Thank you for reviewing your Eurodam cruise.

[blueboro]

Thank you for the excellent comparison. We were on the Eurodam the week before your cruise. We thought the singers at the Piano Bar were hit or miss during the same set! At one time it appeared that the male singer felt that singing in a "nasally voice" approximated a British accent! (John Lennon had to be spinning in his grave during the rendition of "She Loves You"!) At times it seemed like the female singer was screeching rather than singing. At other times, both were okay. The amplification of the piano also made it seem like she was BANGING on the keys, rather than playing the piano.

 

Do you remember the name of the comedian? We had two on our cruise and thought they were both very good.

 

We had reservations for the Pinnacle Grill but had to cancel when they were booked solid and we could not be joined by another couple. We switched to the Tamarind (for the second time that week) and it is nearly impossible to have a bad dinner or bad service there! When we were on the Eurodam in November, we had a server who was so-so. After our dinners were served, no one ever came to see if everything was all right. Our server spent his time tidying empty tables rather than following up with us. Very lackluster.

 

As for the non-smoking casino, I have seen no public notice about this, which I found surprising. A friend who works on the Eurodam had told me it was non-smoking throughout, but I didn't believe it until I saw it for myself. What a wonderful change -- especially for the workers who have no choice but to stay in the unhealthy environment.

 

Think the comedian's last name was Feingold. Unfortunately no one in our group found him funny. I agree about the nasal voice on the male singer in the piano bar...sorry don't remember his name. I think some of the song choices for a piano bar seemed odd, such as when they did themes each night such as The British Invasion.

[kftw]

Thank you for your review.

[voyageur9]

Actually it mostly all good and the not so good was minor and did not take away from the cruise. I always hate it when one or two minor things causes someone to say the entire cruise was bad. I am not perfect and don't expect my cruise to be.

 

How refreshingly candid and intelligent; as was your review.

 

 

One query: Was the promised and supposedly improved internet system installed during the Eurodam dry dock and, if so, did you notice any significant difference?

 

Thanks in advance.

[blueboro]

How refreshingly candid and intelligent; as was your review.

 

 

One query: Was the promised and supposedly improved internet system installed during the Eurodam dry dock and, if so, did you notice any significant difference?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

We did not use the internet so sorry I can't answer that.

[foodsvcmgr]

Thanks for the excellent and balanced review.

We regularly cruise both HAL and X, just off NA a couple weeks ago and sailing SUMMIT in May.

 

Have to agree with most of your observations and as both are really more similar than different, we also happily choose either line based on itinerary and "deal".