LIVE from the Eurodam! Our 1st Cruise! July 5th to 17th - Mediterranean Tapestry

[SLOTheta]

The day is finally here! We are heading on our first cruise!

 

We had a late start to our day. We started with breakfast at our hotel, we stayed at the Four Points in the Poblenou. Poblenou has its own Ramblas - a great area of Barcelona with lots of wonderful restaurants and bars, but all low key.

 

We left our hotel at 1:40pm and were at the port by 2. 20€ cab ride including tip. We were dropped off right in front of the baggage drop off and were quickly greeted. Our bags were picked up immediately and we were sent on our way.

 

The security check was a breeze, they saw our case of California wine and sent us over to pay corkage. The bartender on the ship opened up our carrier and asked how many bottles. We paid for 5 corkage fees and were given two free. What a deal. We have some of our favorite aged wines from California and a few French champagnes to celebrate our special occasions while on the ship. Super easy and fast process.

 

The checkin process was seamless, we maybe waited 5 minutes.

 

From dock to room, it was a quick 30 minutes. Coming late has its advantages, there were very few people in any of the lines.

 

We were shown to our room by several very nice ship attendants. We are in a lovely verandah room, the room was actually more spacious than we expected. My husband is 6'7" and he fits comfortably. I'll post pictures when I get to wi-fi (I'm burning my data package now).

 

Paul is lounging on our verandah and we are going to head up to the deck for our first sail away! We leave in about 10 minutes.

 

What I learned so far is that we WAY overpacked and I am scared to try to unpack. Two large suit cases, a roller bag, duffle, case of wine, 12 bottles of Pellegrino and water.

 

So far, so good! We are very exited!

[guinnesshalfpint]

Bon voyage and have an amazing time. I can't wait to hear more.

 

 

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[DeeniEncinitas]

The day is finally here! We are heading on our first cruise!

 

We had a late start to our day. We started with breakfast at our hotel, we stayed at the Four Points in the Poblenou. Poblenou has its own Ramblas - a great area of Barcelona with lots of wonderful restaurants and bars, but all low key.

 

We left our hotel at 1:40pm and were at the port by 2. 20€ cab ride including tip. We were dropped off right in front of the baggage drop off and were quickly greeted. Our bags were picked up immediately and we were sent on our way.

 

The security check was a breeze, they saw our case of California wine and sent us over to pay corkage. The bartender on the ship opened up our carrier and asked how many bottles. We paid for 5 corkage fees and were given two free. What a deal. We have some of our favorite aged wines from California and a few French champagnes to celebrate our special occasions while on the ship. Super easy and fast process.

 

The checkin process was seamless, we maybe waited 5 minutes.

 

From dock to room, it was a quick 30 minutes. Coming late has its advantages, there were very few people in any of the lines.

 

We were shown to our room by several very nice ship attendants. We are in a lovely verandah room, the room was actually more spacious than we expected. My husband is 6'7" and he fits comfortably. I'll post pictures when I get to wi-fi (I'm burning my data package now).

 

Paul is lounging on our verandah and we are going to head up to the deck for our first sail away! We leave in about 10 minutes.

 

What I learned so far is that we WAY overpacked and I am scared to try to unpack. Two large suit cases, a roller bag, duffle, case of wine, 12 bottles of Pellegrino and water.

 

So far, so good! We are very exited!

 

Welcome to the Eurodam!!!

Nancy, you learn with packing over time! LOL.

Been there done that, and always saying next time we are

Taking less.

This trip for 2 months will be a carry on 22 and our large oversize 2nd bag.

Made sure it fit in a United carrier!!

Glad you enjoy your stateroom!

Both you and Paul enjoy your time.

HAL allows 2 free bottles of wine or champagne

Without a corkage fee.

BON VOYAGE!

Denise:)

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for taking us along on your cruise.

Can't wait to read all about everything.

Hope you have a wonderful time.

Bon Voyage!

[RuthC]

HAL allows 2 free bottles of wine or champagne

Without a corkage fee.

No, HAL allows one free bottle of wine or champagne per adult age 21 or more.

That is not the same thing.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Looking forward to your Live reports.

Bon Voyage!!

[Lady Arwen]

We're doing this cruise in April/May on Oosterdam. Looking forward to reading your experience, so thank you for taking the time to share it with us.

[DeeniEncinitas]

No, HAL allows one free bottle of wine or champagne per adult age 21 or more.

That is not the same thing.

 

That is what I ment! Sorry Ruth😀

Denise:)

[Clarea]

Following, and Bon Voyage!

[RuthC]

That is what I ment! Sorry Ruth

Denise:)

I knew that was what you meant, but the phrasing said something else. I'm always concerned that someone who may not know the difference could read that, believe it, and then be confused or (worse) upset when reality rears up.

[mollyanne]

How did you like the hotel? Considering this one for our October cruise.

[DeeniEncinitas]

I knew that was what you meant, but the phrasing said something else. I'm always concerned that someone who may not know the difference could read that, believe it, and then be confused or (worse) upset when reality rears up.

 

👍😀 I Always look up to you and Sails even as a new 4'star I should of clarified it like you.

Have a great day!

Looking forward to Nancy's adventures!

Denise:)

[nimiq]

We will be following this thread with interest as we are the ones picking up this ship after you July 17th in Venice.

Can't wait to here about the food,entertainment,bars and ship in general.

Have a nice trip and thanks for letting us follow you on this trip.

Sea ya

Eric

[erewhon]

Thank you for reporting Live from the Eurodam.

Have a fabulous cruise.

[SLOTheta]

No, HAL allows one free bottle of wine or champagne per adult age 21 or more.

 

That is not the same thing.

 

 

We were allowed two free corkage fees and paid for 5. It worked out great! Brought a bottle of Veuve, Cordiniu and 5 other special California Napa wines. We can't wait to enjoy!

 

 

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[SLOTheta]

How did you like the hotel? Considering this one for our October cruise.

 

We really like the Four Points. I'm a SPG platinum member and they always treat us well. It's more of a business hotel and doesn't have all the typical frills, but it works and is close to the Poblenou and all it's great places to eat. Easy trip to the port

 

 

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[SLOTheta]

First Day on the Ship

 

Room:

5152

 

 

Muster Drill:

The muster drill was about 30 minutes long. We gave our room number and hung out in a clump while our group number gathered. The staff member checking us in was a funny fellow. He cracked jokes and tried to make the drill as easy and fun as possible. While we were walking back, we saw several guests in robes and we had to laugh, it seemed like they were caught off guard and were a bit disheveled. Guests were given a good hour warning that the drill was coming, but I suppose a few didn't pay attention.

 

Ship:

After the drill, we took a tour of the ship. Even though the Eurodam isn't a mega ship, it sure felt huge to us. We walked along through the Lido and out the back, it was a bit of information overload. There was so much to see, we resisted stopping to eat at the Lido, we wanted to catch the sail away and the sangrias on deck. We The drink of the day was a tasty sangria ($6.95) we stopped by the Crow's Nest to check out the library. My husband, the history teacher, was impressed with the wide election of books and maps. I popped over to the Explorations Cafe to check out what they had to offer. I wasn't ready for a drink, but the nice counter attendant offered me mini egg salad sandwich and olives. Tasty!

 

After our drink, we headed to the Ocean Bar where they were serving Tapas and the drink of the day. The cheese was good, but after we saw the NY Pizza sign, we had to check it out. We ordered a chicken, mushroom and olive pizza. We enjoyed the sail away while sipping sangria. We were going to stay and eat our pizza on the deck, but we realized that we were in a smoking area. Buzzer rang and we took our pizza to our verandah where we sipped a little wine and ate our pizza in luxurious silence. My husband is quite enjoying the peaceful moments on our verandah.

 

Room:

 

More room than we thought we would have. Our luggage was delivered around 6pm. Perfect timing to unpack and get ready for dinner.

 

The storage was adequate, we managed to unpack our hefty 70 lb suitcases. Again, I realized we brought too much! I took a CC tip and brought an over the door bathroom organizer, that's helps with space conservation.

 

I noticed you can hear just about everything in the hallway and in the rooms next to us (above and to the side) - walking, voices, carts, etc. It's good our neighbors are out and about.

 

Our wedding couple delivered champagne for us, but since we we boarded late, all the ice had melted. I Dialed 90 to get ice. I had to wait for 30 minutes on hold to reach an attendant.

 

 

Our room attendant, Andri came about 30 minutes later and we let him know that the AC does not work. He was kind enough to bring us a fan.

 

I was excited for our first meal in the MDR. We have a group of 50, so we occupied a nice little area of the restaurant. Unfortunately, the food was not great, I would say on the bland side, or overly salted. I love salt, but the Scallops were far too salty. Salmon was tasteless. Creams brûlée was runny. But, the wine steward and our table attendant were very attentive and helpful. I have allergies and they brought the menu for the next day for me to select from and have a few dishes altered.

 

The Casino was dead, but I loved the $5 craps. The groom to be and I had a few rounds and made a little money, but then gave it all back not long later.

 

At 11:30, dueling pianos played. A guy and a girl combo. They were funny and had a good sound - great singers. Their song choices were great. Sadly, They only played for about an hour so I hit the table again.

 

I played 3 card poker at $15 a hand and hit a 3 of a kind. 30-1 on the Bonus bet. Yahoo! No free drinks, but really nice Pitboss from South Africa and friendly enough dealer from Zimbabwe. At 1am, there were 3 people.

 

Second Day:

 

Breakfast today: I ordered "off" the room service menu and wrote in smoked salmon, cream cheese and a bagel. The order that came was disappointing. I didn't get cream cheese, I received cottage cheese. The smoked salmon was rather small, but quite tasty. My capers came in a bowl with raw onions. I'm allergic to onions and I didn't order onions and let them know of my allergy, that was a bit of a bummer. The bagel also was an onion bagel. I sent my husband to the Lido to get me a plain bagel and cream cheese.

 

 

Once he delivered the goodies, I was quite a happy camper.

 

Off to explore Toulon on foot!

 

Nancy

 

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Edited July 6, 2016 by SLOTheta

[DeeniEncinitas]

Thanks for the photos Nancy:)

We have learned from past experiences that if we order off the menu card that is in room ( I did not know if you used that or called) it is a hit or miss! I started using my high lighter yellow or orange to explain what we wanted and would give my signature happy face and thank you. Seemed to work.

We would call most of the time and would make a relationship with who ever would be taking our orders and explain what we would like and always never a problem with breakfast or dinner from the MDR. We think the coffee is pretty

Bland so we are always up early to get our fix at the Explorers Cafe.

So enjoy your holiday/vacation!!!

Again thank you for taking the time on this wonderful trip to let us have a an exciting adventure with you!

Let us know who Toulon was. Looked like David and I will just be walking around the port when we go. Curious to know what you thought.

Happy sailings!

Denise:)

[DeeniEncinitas]

Let us know who Toulon was. Looked like David and I will just be walking around the port when we go. Curious to know what you thought.

Happy sailings!

Denise

 

I meant HOW TOULON WAS!

Thanks:)

[RuthC]

We were allowed two free corkage fees and paid for 5.

Your "we" must be two people then. If there were 3 in your party, you would have had one more bottle corkage free (4 people would have gotten you four free bottles).

[Cruising Our Way]

Hi guys,

 

Enjoying your posts. We are on the Eurodam August 15 so interested to hear your opinion.

 

Steve.

[SLOTheta]

Toulon - 1st Stop

A majority of our group arranged for a private wine tasting tour of Bandol that included lunch at a 2 Michelin Star restaurant. We opted out and decided to explore Toulon on foot.

 

We started the day walking through the open market on Lafayette. I tested my French and bought olives from a street vendor, cheese from a fromagerie and a baguette from a patisserie. The map said it was a short 10 minute walk to the beach, Le Mullions. We stopped along the way in a little park next to the water. It really was 20-30 to the beach.

 

 

It was toasty, we decided to have a bottle of rose at a Restuarant, Le Lido. The first waitress wasn't the friendliest and passed us off to the next waiter. The new waiter was quite pleasant and understood my 10 year old French.

 

My husband had a nice little dip in the water. It was a little chilly, but welcome since we were overheating. I dipped my toes in. Refreshing!

 

 

It was gala night and the cruise director announced that we should "dress to the nines" which we all did. It was lovely to see our group in tuxedoes and gowns.

 

I was pleased to see that a good majority of the men were wearing a jacket, most were wearing dark suits, besides our group, I would say 10% were wearing tuxes. People were dressed well. There were a handful of people who were wearing shirts and pants, we did not see any casual dressers. The women we're definitely decked out in gowns and pretty dresses.

 

Dinner was quite an improvement from the 1st night. Everyone at our table ordered shrimp cocktail as their first course. The shrimp was tasty, but many didn't like the cream dipping sauce. We asked for the cocktail sauce which was spicy and flavorful. Several of us ordered a second appetizer - the fois gras on a apple tartin. It was delicious! We all ordered a 2nd one. The first potion of Fois Gras was tiny, but the 2nd was generous. I almost ordered a 3rd.

 

For my entree I had duck. It was delicious. The duck was cooked perfectly and the mashed potatoes were creamy.

 

We ordered chocolate soufflé, very sweet, as expected, delectable. We finished our dinner at 11pm. It was a bit slow device, luckily we weren't in a hurry.

 

 

After our dinner, we ventured to the Billboard Bar that was offering happy hour until 12pm. We learned that happy hour consisted of drinks that were less than $8. Luckily for my husband that was almost all the bourbons on the menu. I discovered a Wine Country Collins which was grey goose and crushed grapes. Delicious! All the specialty cocktails were included in the happy hour.

 

I tried my hand at 3 card again. I was happy to hit a 3 of a kind the night earlier, but I wasn't as lucky my 2nd night of gambling. I pretty much lost my shirt in 15 Mins. $100 donation to CCL.

 

Ended the night at 2am, off to bed. Monte Carlo in the Morning.

 

 

 

 

 

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[estebofarr]

I'm loving your review. I'll be on the Eurodam in December!

[scm1848]

Can you please tell me the name of the tour company that your friends took that included the 2 star restaurant lunch? Thanks.

[cabogal]

Thank you for taking the time to write about your journey on the Eurodam. I am enjoying it and getting some good information. We will be on the Eurodam on August 6 and your review has been helpful. Enjoy!