Just off Eurodam. My Honest Review.

[ski ww]

11 hours ago, Aquahound said:

One little thing I enjoy finding on cruise ships is the wall full of plaques awarded at the ports of call.  On Eurodam, this is not in an obvious area.  It's kinda hidden in a rarely used stairway.  Kudos to anyone who can say where this is.  

 

 

 

It's in the aft stair well on Panorama Deck, I also took a picture. I agree it is out of the way & not a very well used stair. 

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for your review.

Great pictures and comments.

[jimbri]

Enjoyed your review.

[cat shepard]

Thank you for your review and pictures. Very balanced. Not easy to do. 

 

I also appreciate your humor - e.g. the swimming suit comment.

[summer slope]

Thank you for your review.  We will be on her in February and, as always, look forward to a cruise on HAL.

[travelnap]

Thank you for review.  Great Pictures.

[esimon]

thanks for the review - happily your negatives don't really bother me so I'm excited about my next HAL cruise

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

15 hours ago, Aquahound said:

One little thing I enjoy finding on cruise ships is the wall full of plaques awarded at the ports of call.  On Eurodam, this is not in an obvious area.  It's kinda hidden in a rarely used stairway.  Kudos to anyone who can say where this is.  

 

 

 

 

I always look for these. It's such fun to see where the ship has been. Isn't there a special name for these plaques? 

 

Thanks for the review!

 

[Mary229]

Great review, well balanced. 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Just got caught up on all your reports.

 

Great pictures.

 

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

17 hours ago, Aquahound said:

One little thing I enjoy finding on cruise ships is the wall full of plaques awarded at the ports of call.  On Eurodam, this is not in an obvious area.  It's kinda hidden in a rarely used stairway.  Kudos to anyone who can say where this is.  

 

 

 

 

We also like to find and see all the various plaques the ships have received at ports.

 

I can't remember which ship we were on, but the plaques were way down on a deck where the infirmary was.  I think it may have been Noordam.

[Aquahound]

4 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I always look for these. It's such fun to see where the ship has been. Isn't there a special name for these plaques? 

 

 

I've only ever heard them referred to as "ceremonial plaques."  If there's another name, I'm not aware. 

[cruisun]

Thanks for the review and great pictures!

 

We sailed with Captain John Scott on Noordam many times and I believe Nieuw Amsterdam or Eurodam a few times. He was always out and about and friendly, striking up conversation with passengers.  I felt he always made for a “Happy” ship.

 

Eurodam still looks beautiful and Noordam, Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam used to be our favorites but we “jumped ship” many years ago when the cutbacks started to become quite apparent.  

 

Sad they ruined the Crows Nest(s) to try to generate more revenue and now as you pointed out they’re still underutilized yet the beauty and serenity of them has been compromised.

[Mutumbojimbo]

On 9/29/2019 at 2:44 PM, Aquahound said:

 

 

Main Dining Room:  This is where it really goes down hill.  We had open seating.  Apparently, gone are the days of waiters introducing themselves, explaining the menu and offering suggestions.  On one night, the introduction was "what'll it be?" When we did ask for suggestions, it was always the same answer....the $29 seafood dish....as though that's what they were instructed to say.  I thought this experience was very disappointing because HAL sorta has a reputation for great service.  At least, it HAD one.  

 

 

 

We took the same cruise last year on the Eurodam and I discussed the constant upselling in the MDR a couple times with the Assistant Maitre D'. He said they are really pushed to upsell people on the specialty restaurants and the dishes with upcharges. We had open seating but managed to sit with the same 2 teams all the nights and enjoyed both of them. Maybe there were fewer people using open seating on our sailing, because we had a great time chatting with the servers at dinner.

[boom_boom]

Aquahound - Thanks for the review. We're embarking on Eurodam on the 15th for a short 4-day trip down to San Diego.  Hope we have a better MDR experience. Our last 3 cruises have been on Celebrity, so haven't tried HAL for about 5 years. Used to be my favorite line. Guess we'll see if things have changed.

 

Still, a less than perfect cruise is better than no cruise at all.

[Aquahound]

10 minutes ago, boom_boom said:

Still, a less than perfect cruise is better than no cruise at all.

 

Thanks for making this statement.  I appreciate the good reception from everyone despite my gripes about this cruise.  Complaints aren't always well received on these boards.

 

I do not regret booking this cruise at all and despite the problems, DW and I were still able to disconnect from the world for a week and get in some serious relax time.  We recently moved to Seattle and being from the South, we're having some serious adjustment issues.  This getaway was very badly needed. 

 

But speaking of disconnecting, don't even get me started on the cell phone users/texters in the theater. 

Edited September 30, 2019 by Aquahound

[sevenseasnomad]

22 hours ago, Aquahound said:

One great feature of this ship that is sadly disappearing on new HAL ships is the outdoor promenade.  I love the traditional look with the wood decks and furniture.  During this cruise, we enjoyed using the promenade to walk fore and aft, and to take in the sights.  A really nice touch was the blankets laid out on the chairs.  Post Pinnacle Class, I hope HAL returns to including these on their new ships.  

 

 

One-hundred per cent agree.  I don't believe we can count on the newer ships that come after the Pinnacle Class having a wide Promenade Deck.  A shame for those of us who love a traditional ship.

[*Miss G*]

6 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

Thanks for making this statement.  I appreciate the good reception from everyone despite my gripes about this cruise.  Complaints aren't always well received on these boards.

 

I’ve noticed that has a lot to do with how the negatives are presented.  Most people can tell the difference between an observation and an attack..... or just plain unreasonableness.  Recent threads can attest to that.  😅

[Jsosure23]

@Aquahound were there many kids on this ship?  My family is taking this same cruise in June and we picked it because of the smaller size ship and i read alot that it seems less crowded than other ships.  However our son is going along, he's 9, i worry about him being bored in the kids club or just around the ship if there are no other kids around.

I appreciate your honest review.  Even if it has me stressed out a bit that i made the wrong choice of cruise lines and ships for our trip.

 

[Aquahound]

1 minute ago, Jsosure23 said:

@Aquahound were there many kids on this ship?  My family is taking this same cruise in June and we picked it because of the smaller size ship and i read alot that it seems less crowded than other ships.  However our son is going along, he's 9, i worry about him being bored in the kids club or just around the ship if there are no other kids around.

I appreciate your honest review.  Even if it has me stressed out a bit that i made the wrong choice of cruise lines and ships for our trip.

 

If I had to guess how many kids were on this cruise, I'd say somewhere between 20-30.  But remember, this was late September.  June will be a different story.  About 5 years ago, I cruised Zuiderdam to Alaska in July and I seem to remember there being many more. 

 

I do not have kids so can't give first hand testimony, but I will say that HAL probably isn't the best choice with kids.  Then again, I'm not sure what the Club HAL activities look like.  You and he may very well love it. 

[julia]

Aquahound:. I enjoyed your review, both the positive & negative aspects.  Can you comment on the drink service in the MDR?  We always cruise with a bev package (mostly on Celebrity) and enjoy several glasses of wine with dinner.  Were wine stewards readily available, or just the overworked wait staff?

[Aquahound]

4 minutes ago, julia said:

Aquahound:. I enjoyed your review, both the positive & negative aspects.  Can you comment on the drink service in the MDR?  We always cruise with a bev package (mostly on Celebrity) and enjoy several glasses of wine with dinner.  Were wine stewards readily available, or just the overworked wait staff?

 

Good news in that regard.  We were always approached by the wine steward within minutes of sitting down, whether it was in the MDR or the specialty restaurants. 

 

However, there was only one glass of wine that was $11.  I don't remember the label but we did think it was a decent glass.  It was a cabernet. 

 

For the most part, we got good use of our beverage package.  However, be aware that HAL does not allow you to pay the difference for a glass that costs over $11.  If you want a $16 glass of wine, you'll pay $16, not $5.  I did mention that one in my post-cruise survey because I don't like how they do that. 

[madera1]

Thank you for posting a review. Glad you got the needed rest. Your Glacier Bay experience was awesome!

[*Miss G*]

38 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

Then again, I'm not sure what the Club HAL activities look like. 

 

100% of the Club HAL reviews I’ve seen have been positive.  It sounds like the biggest problem is getting the kids to leave.  lol

[julia]

27 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

 

Good news in that regard.  We were always approached by the wine steward within minutes of sitting down, whether it was in the MDR or the specialty restaurants. 

 

However, there was only one glass of wine that was $11.  I don't remember the label but we did think it was a decent glass.  It was a cabernet. 

 

For the most part, we got good use of our beverage package.  However, be aware that HAL does not allow you to pay the difference for a glass that costs over $11.  If you want a $16 glass of wine, you'll pay $16, not $5.  I did mention that one in my post-cruise survey because I don't like how they do that. 

Yes, I'm aware that you cannot just pay the difference... thx.  You say ONE glass was $11... can I assume there were more choices at a lesser price (like $8-$10 range?)