'Twas the Week Before Christmas - Live from the Eurodam

[BruhnSisters]

Thanks kindly! Any menus posted would be fun to read.

[Emoliash]

Curious to know what your thoughts are on the Elite package wines

 

 

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[POA1]

Glad to hear that you got your beverage package upgraded.

 

Thanks KK. Mere words cannot express our happiness. Try to imagine me doing a "happy dance."

 

Strike that. It's probably a terrible image. :D

 

Rest assured that we're happy campers now.

[POA1]

So who eventually made the decision to allow it, and how far did it have to be escalated? This really sounds like a ship to ship policy/test market right now based on all the varying outcomes we have been getting reports of.

 

I'm not sure. The upgrade came through as a normal entry on our shipboard account. I could tell you who acted as the catalyst, but I don't want to get anyone in trouble in case this isn't a normally allowed things.

 

All I can say is that we had a server who said - and I quote - "Have some drinks while I take care of this. People are in a meeting." I kinda zoned out on the second sentence, but the first one definitely caught my attention.

[POA1]

The dinosaurs... They post among you.

 

DW joked that I was going to be the only person in a tuxedo tonight. I was not. However, if the tuxedoed population exceeded 75, I'd be surprised. Suits were the most common outfit in the MDR - probably north of 60%. Jacket and tie followed close behind,then jackets w/o ties. Collared shirts slacks bought up the rear, with a fairly small representation.

 

Now for the ladies -- I have never, ever, in my life seen this many long gowns. Huskerchick is kicking herself for packing only cocktail length dresses. She left gowns galore at home. All I can say is that this cruise is waaaay out of the ordinary. All in all, it seems to be a very nice group of people. But there are many, many families and many, many first time cruisers.

 

Expect a more detailed update when we hot Grand Turk and I have cellular data tomorrow.

 

===============

 

Thanks to a suggestion from Roger Jett (Crew News) I sent a letter to the Culinary Operations Manager/Food & Beverage Manager asking for both the Eastern and Western 7 Day Caribbean cruise menus. Everything looks like a "GO" so the menus should be forthcoming. We haven't been very rigorous about taking food pictures. (Read this as if I said, "Wanna take a photo of your shrimp cocktail? Heck no!) We'll definitely work on pix of De Librije, but I can't guarantee much else.

 

============

 

From the "Department of Glass Half Full" - A lot has been made of the fact that there are premade sandwiches. (For the record, we have both premade and made to order sandwich options.) The DoGHF* realized that the premade sandwiches would be excellent, no-brainer, late night snacks. Sadly, our lab assistants plowed through the test sandwich around 6:45 PM, so we cannot field test this theory. We've applied for an emergency grant extension, and we hope to run another set of experiments tomorrow.

 

 

*Department of Glass Half Full

 

===============

 

[Vict0riann]

Attention: VictoriAnchovy:

 

 

Anchovies are available in the Lido Market salad bar at lunch. Hip, hip, hooray!

 

I knew Eurodam had one over Prinsendam! :D:D

[kazu]

POA1 - so glad to hear that your perseverance paid off and you got your beverage package upgraded :D

 

I am sure you can be very persuasive - especially when it comes to wines ;)Did you tell the person who helped that you might be thrown overboard if you didn't get it? ;):D

[Mz11378]

Ok - you are such a detailed person to all of our enjoyment - thank you for that for I will be on the Eurodam from 1/7 - 1/28 - learned from one of your scans I only have to muster once - but if you dont mind what is your profession - you must be great at it - thanks for all you do - glued to this

[POA1]

 

Every time we go to Grand Turk, I tell myself that I should tour the Salt House Museum. This trip will be no exception. I should definitely tour the Salt House Museum! Maybe next time.

Edited December 19, 2016 by POA1

[POA1]

After two full days on the Eurodam, here are our thoughts:

 

 

Both Huskerchick and I really find the decor to be appealing. We like the colors fabrics and overall look at the ship. The new staterooms are very nicely done and have a chic, modern look and feel to them. My DFIL is in a VA verandah cabin and it really feels like it's got more space than the one he had on the Nieuw Amsterdam last time we sailed together (12/2014.)

 

 

The ship is, as is typical of Holland America, really well maintained. We haven't spotted any worn or torn anything. We saw one dinged up elevator button. (It was a 3 in case you're keeping score at home.) The Eurodam is, in our opinion, a truly beautiful ship. DW prefers the decor of the Nieuw Amsterdam, but certainly wouldn't mark any points off the Eurodam.*

 

 

I'll give proper staff shout outs and attaboys later, but so far everyone has been from good to great. Our room stewards have done a nice job and easily managed to work around our schedule. Our two dining room stewards have been fast, friendly, and efficient.

 

 

Our wine steward is very good. The wine stewards on the Eurodam take your order on a tablet, which transmits the order to some magical wine elves somewhere. The elves then dispatch a wine runner (not an actual job title) with your order. The wine steward takes both the by the glass and bottle orders. The process is very efficient, and we try to help by having our pairings ready to go before we even enter the dining room.*

 

 

The bar staff has been friendly and helpful. There have been a few standouts and I'll talk about them later. All in all, we haven't had to wait for a drink. However, we are able to avoid happy hour owing to the fact that we have the beverage package. The SBP or SBP+ (Elite Beverage Package) essentially renders the whole point of the $2 second drink moot.*

 

 

The food has been very good overall. Proteins have been well cooked and on temperature. Our one quibble is that we'd like to see our sous vide meats finished with a good sear. I'm not sure if this is really possible at cruise ship volumes, but if they hit our steak and lamb with 45-110 seconds of a hot oil sear to finish, it would have taken our meats to a whole new level.*

 

We only managed to catch the end of the Billboard on Board show, so I can't really comment on the quality of the performance. It's not exactly dueling pianos per se, but more like a duet. According to our research associate, Ronelio at the Billboard bar, it's been pretty packed.

[POA1]

 

The Eurodam's current BB King line up is excellent. Probably the highest energy crew we've ever seen. (If I had to pick nits, I'd couple the 2014 Nieuw Amsterdam band's version of "Shout!" with the current band's intro.)*

 

 

I owe you guys names because the band is THAT good. On embarkation night, they closed with the Isley Brothers' "Shout!" When I tell you that they had the full on Sunday Revival, "Come to meetin'," "Hallelujah Jesus" vibe going on, it's not an overstatement.*

 

 

On Sunday night, we managed to catch the last set. Think "Brick House," Earth Wind and Fire's "September," the Dazz Band's "Let it Whip." *Also in the mix was a fair amount of Stevie Wonder, mostly from the "Songs from the Key of Life" era.

 

 

The band closed with "Jungle Love" by Morris Day and the Time. (Oh ee oh ee oh.) *I can't wait until we hear tomorrow's set. I've been put on notice that dancing will be involved.*

 

[ger_77]

It's so good to see that Poohby-Joe was dressed to impress.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[POA1]

It's so good to see that Poohby-Joe was dressed to impress.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

 

He wears a tie, even on smart casual nights. As a celebrity, he needs to always look his best in case the paparazzi are lurking.

[Skipper's Mom]

Just off the K-dam on the 14th. There was a woman we spied towards the end of the cruise who carried a Barbie doll with her and sat her on the table while she dined. Quite a character! :D

 

We thoroughly enjoyed the BB King Blues Band on the K-dam. They had the place rockin!

Edited December 19, 2016 by Skipper's Mom

[POA1]

The first Gala night was relatively galalicious. The female passenger contingent, in particular, was very dressed up. Almost everyone stayed dressed for the whole night. Somehow, the pony-tailed guy in the tuxedo print t-shirt seems to be missing. There's usually one on every cruise I'm on. I chalk his absence up to cutbacks.

 

He had breakfast in the Lido this morning before we did our obligatory walk around Grand Turk. DW and Poohby are off to the cabana and I'm doing some work while I have fast data.

 

I want to apologize if some of my posts are out of order. I write some of them on the PC and some on my phone. Then I try to cobble them together in some sort of order. It may not always work out as planned.

[POA1]

Here's the bar menu. This one's from the Crow's Nest.

 

http://www.evernote.com/l/AFg_FxOGUN9PE4QKOs1LJmhSwjECwymgoOw/

 

In a bit of a departure from what we've had in the past, the cocktail menu is simplified, listing only the alcohols and each bar's signature drinks. Gone is the list of all the specialty cocktails. They still make everything but you would have to know what to ask for. Most drinks are covered under the SBP, including all the frozen and sugary things people have come to know and love.

[POA1]

The Daily Program "Where & When" from the Eurodam on 12/19/2016. Port of Call - Grand Turk

 

http://www.evernote.com/l/AFgMTT2RVmhKYLtVzZLokhZUem9seK9iIkE/

 

The smaller daily programs are starting to grow on me. They're easier to scan and the interactive televisions have additional information on everything.

 

I may try to take some photos of the interactive TVs when I get a chance, because nothing says "vacation" like sitting in your stateroom taking pictures of the televison.

[ski ww]

I'm not sure. The upgrade came through as a normal entry on our shipboard account. I could tell you who acted as the catalyst, but I don't want to get anyone in trouble in case this isn't a normally allowed things.

 

All I can say is that we had a server who said - and I quote - "Have some drinks while I take care of this. People are in a meeting." I kinda zoned out on the second sentence, but the first one definitely caught my attention.

 

Hope you don't forget this server last day of your cruise. Sounds like he went above & beyond. Looks like you're really enjoying your cruise. Enjoy reading your daily up dates.

Allan

[POA1]

Curious to know what your thoughts are on the Elite package wines

 

 

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They're good. Last night was a gala night which means we are legally required to add Champagne to our normal red and white. We had the Nicholas Feuillatte Brut and the Chablis from the list. DW had lamb and I had the tenderloin. Her red was the Peter Lehmann Portrait Series Shiraz. I had the claret. I had a glass of Graham's Six Grapes Port with dessert. DW had a cappuccino. DFIL had a single, lonely glass of house Merlot with his dinner. He paired his Merlot with sole. I was tempted to leap across the table screaming, "Nooooo!!" but in the interest of family harmony, I refrained. My father in law has the regular SBP, but I'm afraid it's lost on him. He secretly suspects that someone is going to surprise him with a bill, I guess.

[IllinoisGirl1978]

How's the coffee? I like the coffee in MDR over lido only because I end up spilling it.

 

 

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[POA1]

How's the coffee? I like the coffee in MDR over lido only because I end up spilling it.

 

 

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I haven't had any coffee yet. I normally drink mine black and am fairly agnostic about my coffee. My father in law had cappuccino from the Explorations Cafe and DW had it from the MDR. Very good in both cases. I'll suck down a cup after dinner and report back.

[IndyDenise]

Ok - you are such a detailed person to all of our enjoyment - thank you for that for I will be on the Eurodam from 1/7 - 1/28 - learned from one of your scans I only have to muster once - but if you dont mind what is your profession - you must be great at it - thanks for all you do - glued to this

 

 

 

I swear he is Dave Barry. POA swears he isn't

 

 

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[POA1]

I swear he is Dave Barry. POA swears he isn't

 

 

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I'm not Dave Barry. He's much funnier. I'm a technology consultant and formerly a systems engineer with AT&T Labs and Bell Labs. As most people know, engineers are known for their hilarity.

[POA1]

 

It's a lovely day in Grand Turk and there's a nice breeze blowing. We're helping Poohby Joe compile his 2016 updated cabana guide. It's always easiest to do that on a port day. Photo shooting is better when the boat isn't rocking. And, with most people ashore, Poohby isn't constantly mobbed by autograph hounds and other fans.

 

Our two cabana stewards, Brian and Rod are excellent, taking care of everything we need. We had Dive In burgers for lunch and we split an order of fries. (Mostly because one order blew off the table.) Delicious as always. (The food that stayed on the table, that is.) Eating lunch in the cabana saves me from perusing the desserts in the Lido, which is a good thing.

 

 

For the record, Poohby Joe doesn't go to dinner with us. He makes the occasional trip to the cabana, but that's about all. We may be weird, but we're not strange.

 

Someone asked if a cabana was worth the added expense. I'd say yes, at least for us. On a holiday cruise, I'd say 'heck yes." Our cruise has many, many children on it. The Lido pool is a din of their raucous, joyous laughter, screams, and high pitched shrieking. Even though the pool roof is open, most of the happiness is blocked by the overhang. We stopped at the Lido pool bar (aka fish-butt stool bar) yesterday afternoon. The sound of youthful mirth could give Phil Spector's Wall of Sound a run for the money.

[POA1]

If you have time after investigating all of your other very important areas, I would appreciate it if you could scan the Fitness Center schedule. I noticed on the first sea day there was a Pilates class for $12 and an evening stretch class but there were no morning classes listed. If walking to the Fitness Center is going to cause you undue exertion, please don't attempt it since your health and the ability for you to maximize your drinking capability always comes first!!

 

 

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The Institute of Cheer's Department of Scanning Things is pleased as punch and tickled pink to announce that your request has been fulfilled. Kinda makes you wish that you had asked for something better, like a big cash prize or a pony.

 

http://www.evernote.com/l/AFiLwVjtootA3a9km7QkQFePfVVJRHZUfmA/

 

As always, the Dept of Scanning Things runs OCR (optical character recognition) on all its PDFs. That means that most of the text should be selectable and available for copying and pasting. If you have your computer's accessibilty options turned on, you can even even make your computer read the PDFs in a robot voice.

Edited December 19, 2016 by POA1