Thoughts on on Mexican Riviera Cruise Eurodam

[Tinker's mom]

The biggest take away from our Mexican Riviera Eurodam cruise (we just got home last night) is that we are not southern climate cruisers at all.  While we like sitting around a pool in the sun, reading our books, and having a drink, we found the concept on a cruise ship just too darned crowded and noisy.  Comparing this cruise to our past sun holidays to the Mayan Riviera stays at the Royal Hideaway, this turned out to be a bust for us.  We like things quiet and no crowds and this was not at all what we found on the Eurodam.

 

Overall the staff on board were lovely and very helpful (one big exception will be mentioned later concerning the Spa).  Our room stewards were beyond excellent.  Our booking at the Retreat Cabana for the week was hit and miss for service. We found service there  slow generally to the point that we would go get our own food and drink.  When one fellow was on shift, service was as described on CC. However the one big plus was it got us away from the crowds and noise so I shouldn't complain about lack of service. It was our haven from the hub bub on the ship.

 

We found the noise level in the main dining room uncomfortably loud for fine dining.  My husband has hearing issues and the noise made it uncomfortable sitting through a meal.  Food was pretty good, but not excellent. Service was excellent and timely.  Lido was fine for breakfast. We had one meal in the Pinnacle. Service was excellent, but food not as good as the main dining room.  My Salmon was a huge serving of bland salmon that I assume must have been farmed salmon versus wild salmon. We are from the Pacific Northwest and know our salmon. My husband had a mediocre steak. We observed a fellow at the next table who had ordered a 23 oz. mega sized steak leaving most of it due to grizzle. 

 

On our past Alaska cruise, we booked the Thermal Suite package and used it at least twice daily.  We bought it for this cruise and used it twice only due to malfunctioning ceramic beds (the best part of the package for us).  We reported it twice to Spa staff  on our first day who told us that two of the beds had no heat on purpose and the beds were not malfunctioning.  Two of the beds were so hot that one had to put heavy layers of towels down to keep from being burned.  So that left two working beds. So lineups for the beds weren't tolerable and we abandoned using our pass after two attempts. The General Service Desk called when we went down to complain and said the clerk said she would call the the Spa Manager and told me to tell her my concerns as they were a franchise and they could do nothing. After having a loud public conversation with people staring at me whilst they waited in line (phone was line breaking up and I couldn't hear her and wound up speaking so loudly that it was embarrassing to deal with in public), she said her manager would call me. She did and bottom line said no refund.  Terrible in my opinion that HAL wouldn't advocate for us over the issue.  So buyer beware concerning spa services.

 

Disembarkation was fast and organized.  A little tedious getting on.  Our hotel the Wyndham Bayside was very convenient to the ship (right across the street).  Very noisy room as we asked for the view and I tried to sleep with the patio door open as I am not a fan of air conditioning for the whole night.  Room was nice and comfortable and staff were pleasant.  However, they have two people in the lobby that sell travel packages that accost people each and every time they walk by morning til night.  It was to the point before we walked by I would say to my husband "look the other way and and avoid all eye contact".  It was horrible and I'm not sure why the hotel allows it, but it seems to be connected to their rewards system.  

 

We spent one more night at the Wyndham Bayside before flying home and fasted the same sales pitch each time we walked by the lobby. We were going to tour Old Town and when we arrived at Old Town we found my husband's wallet was missing.  We had sat outside the hotel at a patio table while waiting for Uber.  So we promptly called Uber and headed back to the Wyndham and by the Grace of God, my husband's wallet was sitting at the back of the chair he had sat in.  Using Uber in San Diego was our first Uber experience and we were quite impressed with its speedy arrival and reasonable price.  Getting hubby's wallet back was a highlight of the cruise  lol. 

 

We flew home on Alaska Air first class and decided as we sipped our drinks that we perhaps just aren't cruise people. Even though we loved our Alaska Cruise on HAL last year. This cruise had a very crowded feel from the get go, and just wasn't suited to us.  I am not a whiner and really don't have unrealistic expectations, but we paid a lot of money for this cruise and it was probably a 5 on the scale of 1 to 10.  We are both 70 years of age so maybe all of my comments are based on getting old?   My advice to people is to think about whether you are a cruiser personality or not.  We are very quiet people and this just wasn't  to our liking. It seemed to me the biggest activity on board was people eating non stop, and we found we ate too much out of boredom.  I would rather stay at a nice resort and take day trips.

 

We did love San Diego.  Loved our tour of USS Midway and I shed more than one tear talking with the veterans on board.  It was a beautiful city and next time I think we would just fly down and stay at the del Coronado Hotel and relax. 

 

 

 

[OlsSalt]

Did you go to the open lounge deck above the Tamarind Restaurant - I understand  that is very private and quiet. Sorry this was an unhappy trip. Did you like the ports - what did you do in town.

Edited November 13, 2018 by OlsSalt

[Loreto]

Thanks for reporting on the Eurodam Mexican Riviera Cruise!  We will be on her at the end of the month and look for feedback.  Glad your husband got his wallet back...that is amazing! That is interesting about the Thermal Suite...I avoid the spa since they are outside contractors.  We know what the ship will be like (not our favorite ship, but doing it for the itinerary) and plan to have a good time!

 

Karen

[grsnovi]

1 hour ago, Tinker's mom said:

Even though we loved our Alaska Cruise on HAL last year... We are both 70 years of age so maybe all of my comments are based on getting old... We are very quiet people and this just wasn't  to our liking.

Sounds like you had an awful time - I wonder how this trip differed from your Alaska experience? We've done Alaska 3x (and have booked yet again for next summer) and the Mexican "Riviera" 1x and other than the specific itineraries they were both similar enough that we knew what we were getting into with Mexico after doing Alaska the first time (both were Oosterdam which isn't that much smaller than Eurodam - which we've done 2x and which we're booked on for Aug'2019). I also tend to prefer quiet but I wouldn't expect "library" quiet anywhere on a cruise ship (and you don't really get library quiet in libraries any more either). I wonder about your age comment but of all the mass-market cruise lines I'd guess HAL would be the line most targeted by an older crowd. Maybe you'd better like a smaller, more exclusive line? Fewer people generally means more expensive. Sorry you didn't enjoy Mexico.

[pc_load_letter]

Great review. SD native here. Yes, it's a great city and we love The USS Midway, Old Town state park and what I think is the highlight of San Diego, Balboa Park and the SD Zoo.

 

I see the Eurodam almost every weekend when the wife and I walk the dogs along the waterfront. I always tell her to get us booked! Hopefully soon. I am tired of driving to Long Beach for our short cruises.

 

I hear they are moving a Carnival ship (Sunshine I think) for a semi permanent itinerary out of SD. Would be a good excuse to come back! 

[OlsSalt]

You did not mention what ship you took to Alaska, but the HAL cruise experience changes dramatically once you move into their larger ships like the Eurodam or even the compass point named  Vista ships - Noordam etc. 

 

The HAL we always enjoy for its low-key calm are the smaller ones - the R and S class ships- preferably well under 2000 passengers with room enough to accommodate them all easily and still with the lovely dedicated libraries, spacious public rooms and hideaway nooks. Our picks are always: Maasdam, Veendam,  Zaandam, Volendam, Rotterdam and Amsterdam, in that order. 

 

I am heading out on the Eurodam myself over the holidays and did enjoy a prior sister ship experience, but not enough to choose these ships over the prior list of smaller ships.  But when the time comes and all the older ships are finally gone from the HAL fleet, there are things to like about this size ship -- however that is mainly the Tamarind  and its out of the way open deck.

 

We are taking an aft-cabin on the Eurodam so it will be interesting to see if this is a good way to have our own "retreat" for the price of admission.

Edited November 13, 2018 by OlsSalt

[Tabbymom]

We were on the same cruise and I recently submitted a review. Title is: “In a word, underwhelming.” The only reason I went on this cruise is that we moved to San Diego from the Chicago area in 2015, and I liked the idea of no flights, hotels, etc. There were definite highlights, but so much was blah that I most likely won’t ever cruise on HAL again. Best food was Tamarind, MDR ranged from decent to inedible. Re service, there was a big show of it, and most staff was very friendly and wanted to please, but once you moved outside their expected service parameters we ran into lack of comprehension and other issues.

 

I’m 67 so should be their demographic. But I don’t think I am really. Yesterday I tracked down my pictures and review from my 2008 cruise on Mariner of the Seas and it was way way better. I was on the Noordam a few years ago on my mom’s last cruise and remember it as somewhat better than the Eurodam but I was mostly involved in making sure Mom was happy. She was a 4 star Mariner so HAL was her preferred line.

 

Yes, come back down to San Diego for a vacation. I haven’t once regretted moving here. But if you don’t like crowds, maybe avoid the Hotel Del because it’s a huge tourist attraction and will be crowded. 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sorry The Eurodam didn't meet your expectations.

 

We always book a balcony -- have our privacy and quiet.

 

How were your ports?  What did you do in them?

 

Do agree about the Tamarind restaurant -- love it.

[canadianbear]

We haven't been on the Eurodam for probably 9 years but are heading on her at the end of this month for 10 days.  I'm sorry to read you found it too crowded and noisy.  Glad to hear though that the staff were mainly great-it is one thing we love about

HAL is their staff.

 

Not good about the Thermal package and the malfunctioning ceramic beds.   I would not be happy if that happened. 

 

Interesting about the Wyndham-that is where we usually stay and I appreciate the heads up as we haven't encountered that before about the hard sell on travel packages. 

 

I agree about San Diego-it is one of our favorite cities and we always spend a few days prior to the cruise exploring it. 

 

Thanks for your review and appreciate your opinion on it all.  I'm not concerned about our upcoming cruise on the Eurodam as we love cruising and will be with friends which will make it lots of fun. 

[Tinker's mom]

2 hours ago, grsnovi said:

Sounds like you had an awful time - I wonder how this trip differed from your Alaska experience? We've done Alaska 3x (and have booked yet again for next summer) and the Mexican "Riviera" 1x and other than the specific itineraries they were both similar enough that we knew what we were getting into with Mexico after doing Alaska the first time (both were Oosterdam which isn't that much smaller than Eurodam - which we've done 2x and which we're booked on for Aug'2019). I also tend to prefer quiet but I wouldn't expect "library" quiet anywhere on a cruise ship (and you don't really get library quiet in libraries any more either). I wonder about your age comment but of all the mass-market cruise lines I'd guess HAL would be the line most targeted by an older crowd. Maybe you'd better like a smaller, more exclusive line? Fewer people generally means more expensive. Sorry you didn't enjoy Mexico.

We loved our Alaska trip on the Noordam.  We had a balcony on the Alaska trip, and one on the Mexican Riviera trip.  We used our balcony more on the Alaska trip than the Mexican one as the heat and sun was  too much on the return trip as we had a port side balcony. With the Alaska cruise we could sit out coming and going.  We would do Alaska again.  We didn't expect library quiet, but it was noisy. The MDR really surprised us with the noise level.   My husband and I both commented this morning it was so nice to be home and have the quiet again.  We never noticed it being overly noisy on the Alaska trip. 

[grsnovi]

2 minutes ago, Tinker's mom said:

My husband and I both commented this morning it was so nice to be home

No matter where we go, I'm always glad to get home...   I burn really easily so from that perspective Alaska is more my cup of tea than Mexico. I can't say that I have ever found the noise level in the MDR to be that bad but I can imagine being seated near a door into the service area with staff coming/going and having that be an issue. I'm probably bordering on needing a hearing aid so maybe in a few years it will be a problem for me too?

[OlsSalt]

Did you ask the maitre d to seat you in a less noisy section?  Hearing issues are real in those sorts of  large, busy settings and they could probably find a way to accommodate this common problem.

 

Both DH and I have hearing problems and we would not do well at all at a larger table or in the center of the room. We always ask for a table for two and they are most always along the wall and often in the back - we do just fine there.  Plus we use fixd dining in the upper dining room which is typically less busy - but agree the Eurodam/NA dinng rooms are more active than on the smaller ships. 

[DaveOKC]

OP - if you sail out of SD again, try the Springhill Suites/Residence Inn right next door to the Wyndam.  New hotel, nice rooms, free and good breakfast and great staff.  Plus a very easy short walk to the ship.

 

 

[saskacruiser]

We, too, were on Eurodam in mid-October and the 2 ceramic beds were not working then, either. One of the steam rooms (of 3) was permanently not in service, and another did not work for a full day/night.  Incidentally, while on the Konigsdam last year, the large steam room was not working for the majority of the 11 day cruise. As much as I love the spa pass (mainly for the steam), I doubt I will purchase one again as the proper maintenance of its components does seem to be lacking.

 

We spent a few extra days at the end of our trip in San Diego and loved the city and it's very friendly residents. We stayed at Best Western Plus Bayside and couldn't have been more pleased with the room, view and location. We are looking forward to returning to SD in 2019 to embark on our Panama Canal cruise. 

[Tinker's mom]

3 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

Did you ask the maitre d to seat you in a less noisy section?  Hearing issues are real in those sorts of  large, busy settings and they could probably find a way to accommodate this common problem.

 

Both DH and I have hearing problems and we would not do well at all at a larger table or in the center of the room. We always ask for a table for two and they are most always along the wall and often in the back - we do just fine there.  Plus we use fixd dining in the upper dining room which is typically less busy - but agree the Eurodam/NA dinng rooms are more active than on the smaller ships. 

We did ask for table for two, but usually wound up in the middle of things at a table for four (not occupied by anyone but us). 

[TiogaCruiser]

1 hour ago, saskacruiser said:

We, too, were on Eurodam in mid-October and the 2 ceramic beds were not working then, either. One of the steam rooms (of 3) was permanently not in service, and another did not work for a full day/night.  Incidentally, while on the Konigsdam last year, the large steam room was not working for the majority of the 11 day cruise. As much as I love the spa pass (mainly for the steam), I doubt I will purchase one again as the proper maintenance of its components does seem to be lacking.

 

 

So did they tell you the equipment was not working and offer a discount, being it was a known problem according to the post above?

[OlsSalt]

57 minutes ago, Tinker's mom said:

We did ask for table for two, but usually wound up in the middle of things at a table for four (not occupied by anyone but us). 

 

Since this  will be an ongoing problem, you might want to try fixed seating and make sure you get a well-located table and that the dining room manager knows what the necessary accommodation needs to be in your situation.  They really do try to respond to all sorts of passenger special dining needs. And hearing impairment ranks right up there as an impediment as much as anything else in order to fully enjoying the cruise.

 

Time to also  add T-coil to onboard settings where lectures, talks or movies take place. Considering the prevalence of hearing loss and the aging demographics onboard,  I am surprised they have not paid more attention to this very common issue. 

[mcrcruiser]

We will be sailing Eurodam  Dec 9th Mexican Riviera  cruise . We certainly will not use the spa . We are accustomed to larger ships ,so we expect noise in the MDR .That is tolerable as long as the food is good

[san diego spartan]

Thanks for your review and feedback.  We will in April be on the Nieuw Amsterdam from San Diego to the Mexican Rivera.   Hopefully  we enjoy as it has been 11 years since we have been on HAL and have become accustomed to Celebrity.   As we live in San Diego we wanted zero flights and just an uber to the pier. 

 

Fyi.  If you want a pre cruise hotel in SD the Intercontinental is now open and bayfront and super close to the port.

 

 

[cruisingrob21]

I really liked Tamarind as a quiet spot during the day vs the "coffee shop" noise in the Crow's Nest.  I just wished they played lower volume music in Tamarind - or just instrumental.  I find it hard to read when I'm hearing voices in music - maybe just me.  I have a big, multi part photo review of the Eurodam here if anyone is interested.

http://cruisingrobsblog.blogspot.com/2018/10/eurodam-coastal-trip-review.html

 

[dot73]

Thank you for your review. I will be on the Nov 29 Eurodam cruise. I love the thermal spa and spend at least 2 hours during the day enjoying it, especially when we are at sea.  I always book it for the entire cruise.  Now that I have read your post, I will make sure that everything is working before I spend my hard-earned money.

I agree with you about the noise in the dining room.  I will have to figure out whether my hearing aids will help or make it worse.

[WeLoveCruising]

I'm sorry that this cruise didn't live up to your expectations.  We're also booked on the Nov 29th cruise, and really looking forward to it.  We've sailed on HAL hundreds of nights, with many times on the Eurodam, so I have a good idea what to expect.

 

Your comments comparing the ship to a resort on the Mayan Riviera really hit home for me.  A HAL cruise, and a stay on the Mayan Riviera are our two all-time favorite vacations, and we continue to go back and forth over pros and cons.  While in Mexico, we stay at the Grand Velas Riviera Maya, which is a 5-diamond top of the line property.  It's all-inclusive, but when we add up what we typically spend on a HAL cruise (especially if we book a Neptune suite, cabana, etc), the pricing between the two are very similar.

 

Like it seems in your review, we agree that at the land based resort almost everything is better - clearly the food, the room, the pool, the service, the spa, less crowds - certain things you just cant duplicate on a ship.  We could also do the ship probably for less money if we didn't splurge.

 

However, even with all that - we are still "drawn" to a cruise.  There's nothing like being out on the ocean, and we like the different ports and entertainment.  We also like the feeling of totally disconnecting from the world.  I've often wondered if we should try a smaller luxury line, like Seabourn.  My husband worked for HAL (Seattle office) for 10+ years, back when they owned Windstar, so we spent plenty of time on the Windstar ships and loved it.  

 

But for us, HAL carries a lot of nostalgia and the feeling of home.  I like many of the new changes, and there are some that I dont, but I still cross that gangway every bit as excited in 2018 as I did in 1990 when we first started sailing.

[Copper10-8]

Just glad that your sailing wasn't interrupted by bad weather, or a hurricane 

 

I'll be on her for New Year's so we will take a close look 

[WeLoveCruising]

26 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

Just glad that your sailing wasn't interrupted by bad weather, or a hurricane 

 

I'll be on her for New Year's so we will take a close look 

Will you be on the Nov 29th sailing, by any chance?  I think I would be star struck to meet you in real life, after all these years 🙂

[Copper10-8]

Just now, WeLoveCruising said:

Will you be on the Nov 29th sailing, by any chance?  I think I would be star struck to meet you in real life, after all these years 🙂

 

One month later, sorry! Would love to meet you in person also