Live Eurodam Enroute to Vancouver for Alaska Season

[Crew News]

The day began and ended under heavy, overcast, skies with very smooth seas.  Weather for tomorrow is sunny with a high of 59 degrees.

 

The Meet & Greet started after the Passenger Safety Drill and was attended by about 15 roll call members.  The delayed sail-away party conflicting with the deck party probably affected attendance. 

 

The Passenger Safety Drill was only for the 1100 new passengers, so it went quickly and the Eurodam departed at around 1:40 PM. ship.  A highlight was sailing past the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier for some good pictures.

 

I completed scanning every bar menu and Specialty Restaurant on the ship with a goal of making them available this weekend.

 

Key staff officers are:

• Captain – John Scott 
• Hotel Director – Wesel Von Oorschot
• Cruise Director – Christine Streets
• Food & Beverage Manager – Ron Van Vliet
• Dining Room Manager – Rizc Horsyadhu
• Lido Market Manager – Rechly Tasin.

 

My chicken wings arrived at 7:00 PM and are now being put in a Ziploc bag for a quick chill before late-night consumption. 

 

Daily Observations:

• The wall-mounted toilet seat bumper is no longer present
• There is now a pillow spray located with the Elemis products in the bathroom.
• Neptune Lounge changes food/snack offerings several times a day so will be reporting the schedule as well as photos of the offerings.
• New blackout curtains are great with enough overlap to no longer need pants-hanger clips to ensure daylight happens only when desired.
• The new green salad bowls are ideal for filling with nacho chips for room snacks.  The Lido Market taco chips disappear during dinner service but reappear for the late snack. 
• Canaletto service took less than one hour which beat all of my past Canaletto dining times by a mile.
• The SBP package cannot be used in conjunction with Happy Hour prices.
• The bathroom ceiling nightlight is a new addition.  The new motion-activated night lights across from the Konigsdam bathroom doors should be the real standard.
• I learned that HAL employs around 30 baristas with only one on each ship.  This small group is very close-knit and they enjoy hearing about their fellow baristas’ activities around the fleet. I will be seeing Michelle from the Veendam on my Nieuw Statendam cruise in December.
• The Eurodam crew is very friendly, right up with the Westerdam's reputation.

 

Tomorrow will be my first PG lunch in several years and another visit to the Tamarind for dinner.  More later.

Edited May 1, 2019 by Crew News

[Crew News]

33 minutes ago, san diego spartan said:

Are you still here in San Diego or have you left for Alaska? 

 

We are indeed on our way to Vancouver and sailing over very smooth seas.

[Copper10-8]

5 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

From what little I know, the planes on USN aircraft carriers leave their ship for a land based naval air station before the ship arrives in port and are not retrieved until after the aircraft carrier is at sea once again. 

 

100% correct. A carrier needs wind over the deck in order to launch and/or recover the aircraft of her air wing. Secondly the physical position of a carrier "parked" alongside a naval station dock/pier, as well as the presence of nearby fixed obstacles (cranes, towers, buildings, etc.) makes the launching and recovery of aircraft an even greater hazard than that cycle is at sea 

[Crew News]

12 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

100% correct. A carrier needs wind over the deck in order to launch and/or recover the aircraft of her air wing. Secondly the physical position of a carrier "parked" alongside a naval station dock/pier, as well as the presence of nearby fixed obstacles (cranes, towers, buildings, etc.) makes the launching and recovery of aircraft an even greater hazard than that cycle is at sea 

 

Just for clarification, the carrier was at sea 12 miles from the Naval Air Station.  The Captain made several announcements about the distance and the fact it was built at the Bath Works in Maine.

[liketraveling]

4 hours ago, Crew News said:

The day began and ended under heavy, overcast, skies with very smooth seas.  Weather for tomorrow is sunny with a high of 59 degrees.

 

The Meet & Greet started after the Passenger Safety Drill and was attended by about 15 roll call members.  The delayed sail-away party conflicting with the deck party probably affected attendance. 

 

The Passenger Safety Drill was only for the 1100 new passengers, so it went quickly and the Eurodam departed at around 1:40 PM. ship.  A highlight was sailing past the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier for some good pictures.

 

I completed scanning every bar menu and Specialty Restaurant on the ship with a goal of making them available this weekend.

 

Key staff officers are:

• Captain – John Scott 
• Hotel Director – Wesel Von Oorschot
• Cruise Director – Christine Streets
• Food & Beverage Manager – Ron Van Vliet
• Dining Room Manager – Rizc Horsyadhu
• Lido Market Manager – Rechly Tasin.

 

My chicken wings arrived at 7:00 PM and are now being put in a Ziploc bag for a quick chill before late-night consumption. 

 

Daily Observations:

• The wall-mounted toilet seat bumper is no longer present
• There is now a pillow spray located with the Elemis products in the bathroom.
• Neptune Lounge changes food/snack offerings several times a day so will be reporting the schedule as well as photos of the offerings.
• New blackout curtains are great with enough overlap to no longer need pants-hanger clips to ensure daylight happens only when desired.
• The new green salad bowls are ideal for filling with nacho chips for room snacks.  The Lido Market taco chips disappear during dinner service but reappear for the late snack. 
• Canaletto service took less than one hour which beat all of my past Canaletto dining times by a mile.
• The SBP package cannot be used in conjunction with Happy Hour prices.
• The bathroom ceiling nightlight is a new addition.  The new motion-activated night lights across from the Konigsdam bathroom doors should be the real standard.
• I learned that HAL employs around 30 baristas with only one on each ship.  This small group is very close-knit and they enjoy hearing about their fellow baristas’ activities around the fleet. I will be seeing Michelle from the Veendam on my Nieuw Statendam cruise in December.
• The Eurodam crew is very friendly, right up with the Westerdam's reputation.

 

Tomorrow will be my first PG lunch in several years and another visit to the Tamarind for dinner.  More later.

Glad to hear that the service is still great on the Eurodam.  I was on her in October and goi g to be on her 10 days.

 

Thanks for the reviews.  Very helpful as usual.

[Copper10-8]

2 hours ago, Crew News said:

 

Just for clarification, the carrier was at sea 12 miles from the Naval Air Station.  The Captain made several announcements about the distance and the fact it was built at the Bath Works in Maine.

 

Thanks for clarifying! Just an FYI for Capt. Scott  All current USN carriers were built at Newport News, VA. Bath Iron Works has built many, many naval ships for the USN however, the largest size-wise have been cruisers and destroyers, incl. some of the current Ticonderoga-class Aegis guided-missile cruisers and Arleigh Burke-class (DDG) destroyers

[Krazy Kruizers]

Glad you are finally sailing towards Alaska.

 

Wonderful report on staff and what is new on the ship.

[IRL_Joanie]

On 4/29/2019 at 9:15 PM, RMLincoln said:

Congratulations on your upgrade to NS!  What category were you upgraded from?  Have a grand time and thank you for all the great information you gather to share!  

Greetings to Joanie too, I know she is following! 😉 m--  

 

LOL, You know I am:)

 

Joanie

[Crew News]

The day began and ended with sunshine and a slight haze.  Seas remained very calm throughout the day.

 

My Room Service breakfast arrived 10 minutes early and the steel-cut oatmeal was still hot even though I am quite a distance from the Room Service kitchen.

 

Lunch was in the Pinnacle Grill for the first time in quite a few cruises. Time was spent there talking with the Restaurants Manager about the inability to release the Alaska 7-day menus until the season starts next week.  I will get them the first week of June on my Westerdam cruise-tour.

 

The day was spent taking photographs of the ship and waiting for the Future Cruise Deposit person.  After waiting and chatting with other CC members, I was told about a drop box for completed forms. 

 

An invitation from Americas Test Kitchen inviting Five Star Mariners for a small-group tea/chat was delivered this morning.  Feeling special to be invited to join this small group, I inquired about the number of Five Star Mariners aboard and discovered that the “small-group” was actually 46 strong.  Since the time corresponds with the regular 3:00 PM tea time, it is probably a way generate more interest.

 

My chicken wing order arrived at 3:00 PM followed by another delivery at 7:00 PM.  The minibar now has 10 chilled chicken wings begging to be eaten. 

 

Surprisingly,  my laundry, picked up at 9:00 AM, was returned at 4:00 PM.  Quite impressive.

 

There will be no Gala Night this cruise in spite of the revised Express Docs that included the itinerary deviation calling for one evening.

 

My Dinner was at the Tamarind where I recommended the Wasabi Tenderloin to another CC member.  My ten Comment Cards have been submitted to the Front Desk.

 

Observations:

• I visited the Ocean Bar and learned of a Louis XIII cognac (not on the menu so need to request) for $100 a shot and during Happy Hour, the second shot would cost only $2.
• There are only five Tamarind Managers in the HAL fleet so there is a high probability you will see one of them on future cruise.
• I saw approximately 100 books on the book-swap shelves in the Crow’s Nest with lots of games available. I have yet to see a computer work station that is normally found near the Crow’s Nest.
• The internet connection speed is not the greatest.
• There are no cooking classes, only demos, but I did get an apron.

 

Tomorrow is the Mariner Luncheon but no medal ceremony.  More later.

Edited May 2, 2019 by Crew News

[Happily@Sea]

When I was on Zaandam last year for the April repositioning to Alaska, The medal ceremony was at the MDR mariner brunch just before the meal was served. We only had one or two recipients.

[Btimmer]

When you go to the 5 Star America's Test Kitchen presentation, be sure to ask about the red aprons if they are not offered to you.  We received them on the Nieuw Statendam's inaugural cruise.  Have a great time on the Eurodam; we enjoyed a very nice transAtlantic voyage on it a few years ago and fell in love with the Tamarind. . . 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Interesting that they cancelled the only Gala night you were scheduled for.  No great loss there.

 

Glad you got the apron for a class that won't happen.

 

Interesting about the special tea for the 5* Mariners.

[Crew News]

11 hours ago, Btimmer said:

When you go to the 5 Star America's Test Kitchen presentation, be sure to ask about the red aprons if they are not offered to you.  We received them on the Nieuw Statendam's inaugural cruise.  Have a great time on the Eurodam; we enjoyed a very nice transAtlantic voyage on it a few years ago and fell in love with the Tamarind. . . 

 

I received my apron yesterday but on the Konigsdam last December, there were no aprons.

[Crew News]

Just learned that arrival in Vancouver will probably be delayed one hour.  This is a prime example to only book post cruise flights leaving Vancouver in the afternoon to be safe.  Not sure all passengers know this possible late arrival.  Of course this may change.

[Krazy Kruizers]

You are right.  Your arrival in Vancouver may be even later than a 1 hour delay.

[Crew News]

3 hours ago, Crew News said:

Just learned that arrival in Vancouver will probably be delayed one hour.  This is a prime example to only book post cruise flights leaving Vancouver in the afternoon to be safe.  Not sure all passengers know this possible late arrival.  Of course this may change.

 

Just learned that 4&5 Star Mariners and booked excursions may disembark at 9:00 followed my HAL airport transfers at 9:10, then general disembarkation.

[DaveOKC]

41 minutes ago, Crew News said:

 

Just learned that 4&5 Star Mariners and booked excursions may disembark at 9:00 followed my HAL airport transfers at 9:10, then general disembarkation.

Unusual that they mention 4 and 5 Star for disembarkation.  Usually its just colors.

 

[Crew News]

16 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

Unusual that they mention 4 and 5 Star for disembarkation.  Usually its just colors.

 

Indeed.  The Revised Disembarkation paper was a first in my experience.  There was also no mention of early disembarkation.  Every category has a color starting with Black 1 for the 4 & 5 Star Mariners and President's Club (two on board).

[Crew News]

Egads!  Even after cancelling my chicken wings order, another order just appeared.  Three full orders of wings are still waiting to be eaten and no legal way to take them with me on disembarkation!!

[gigianne]

The computers that used to be in the Crows nest are now on the main deck and there are only 3 or 4 of them.

 

[gigianne]

I hope your disembarkation goes better then ours did in San Diego - the confusion was on the ship and I am sure that a lot of us voiced our displeasure when we completed our end of cruise survey.  Even some of the staff looked frazzled at how it wasn't working.

 

[DAllenTCY]

Disembarkation is pre-planned according to the needs of guests onboard.  Do you recall that you have been asked about your post-cruise intentions?

 

Recently, I see more and more out of sequence people on the gangway and proceeding through the terminal.  Depending on your cruise line, either colored or numbered luggage tags are distributed.  

 

Unless and until the ships stop you from doing your own thing , it will not go smoothly.

 

Many similar issues have been posted on the RCCL, Celebrity, and Carnival CC boards regarding poor disembarkation experiences.

 

It is the ship's responsibility to enforce the plan that they created.

 

David

Edited May 3, 2019 by DAllenTCY

[Crew News]

7 minutes ago, DAllenTCY said:

Disembarkation is pre-planned according to the needs of guests onboard.  Do you recall that you have been asked about your post-cruise intentions?

 

Recently, I see more and more out of sequence people on the gangway and proceeding through the terminal.  Depending on your cruise line, either colored or numbered luggage tags are distributed.  

 

Unless and until the ships stop you from doing your own thing , it will not go smoothly.

 

Many similar issues have been posted on the RCCL, Celebrity, and Carnival CC boards regarding poor disembarkation experiences.

 

It is the ship's responsibility to enforce the plan that they created.

 

David

 

A form was sent for all to complete with their disembarkation plans before luggage tags were issued.  This was the first time that I have seen 4 & 5 Star Mariners departing, if they wished, before the expedited disembarkation.  There was no "expedited" category available.  Giving the HAL airport transfer its own category  as well as excursions their own was new, too.  The last category was "post-cruise" hotel.

 

It must be noted that each color has a 10-minute window and it was stressed that a colored luggage tag had to be shown to disembark. 

 

If I was not in the first group, I would be interested to see how it all works out.  Hopefully, others will post their thoughts of their disembarkation experiences here.

[Crew News]

The day began and ended with overcast skies and seas that increased in bumps as the day ended.  The ship has been running at 20.5 knots against 20-knot headwinds to try and make up for our lost port time in San Diego.

Only a few passengers appeared for the Mariner Lunch at 11:30 where I was seated with both a silver medallion awardee and a lady from Juneau in the President’s Club with 2180 sea days.  She owns a fishing boat in Juneau, Alaska and sails on HAL when fishing season is not running.

I copied the last menu from the BB King Bar and finished my photos of the ship. Everything is transferred to my laptop and backed up.  There was a chance to try out my GoPro, purchased with OBC on my December cruise.  I have a lot to learn but the Photo Gallery really helped.

The ship has a serious vibration from running engines at maximum capability that can be felt mainly amidship.

I did find the few computers on Deck 1 but saw no signs that they were available for passenger use as they were behind a glass screen.

Dinner at the Sel de Mer was spent talking with 8 other CC members from Montana, Idaho, Wisconsin, and Colorado.

It feels strange waiting to pack on Disembarkation Day since I have only carry-on luggage.  No camera gear, no heavy coats, no tripods, no rain gear, etc. saves a lot of time.

Final cruise thoughts:

• Good food but ate too much

• New CC friends

• All new menus but sadly none for Alaska

• Great Concierge support

• Overrun by cold chicken wings pleading to be eaten

• Two remaining chocolate truffles from Sel de Mer that cannot be taken off the ship

• Smooth seas up until today with only a bit of wind movement added.

• Great stateroom

• Louis XIII cognac only $110/shot but second shot only $2 at happy hour

• Great laundry service.
• Need to bring a mouse pad on next cruise on drydocked ships as the desktops are too reflective
• Quick check-in
• Chairs in the Lido Market are still too heavy
• Tamarind remains top notch
• New Photo Gallery with many work stations is impressive
• Too many Future Cruise Deposits to allow confirmations while on board
• Most of the desk electrical outlets are used my coffee pot, Bose speaker, and light but found two outlets under desk where old DVD player used to be.
• I miss the wall-mounted toilet seat bump stop
• Fast hot water
•  Effective blackout curtains with good overlap
• Minibar temps a little warmer than other ships

More later.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for your thoughts on the Eurodam.

 

It is a shame you wasted those chicken wings and truffles.  Not good about the mini cooler being warmer.