What Do You Want to Know About Eurodam -- Cruise Critic Onboard June 27th

[editor@cruisecritic]

...re sports court. Thanks for clarifying!

 

Carolyn

 

Carolyn, thanks for the feedback, your effort to inform us is much appreciated!

 

That area above the Crow's Nest was also less used on the Zuiderdam in the Caribbean in February. This was on a charter where a lot of activities were organized around the aft pool so more people were hanging out there, or at the Lido pool.

 

The Eurodam's deck plan shows a basketball and volleyball court on the Sports deck - same as the Vistas

[AtlantaCruiser72]

Carolyn - do Spa Stateroom/Suite guests have access to the Hydrotherapy Pool and Thermal Suites included as part of the stateroom amenities or do they still have to purchase packages like other cruisers would?

[Jade13]

Carolyn - do Spa Stateroom/Suite guests have access to the Hydrotherapy Pool and Thermal Suites included as part of the stateroom amenities or do they still have to purchase packages like other cruisers would?

 

And, sorry if I missed the answer, but are the 10 Observation Deck Juliet balcony cabins part of the spa category?

[hulamoon]

Carolyn can confirm this, but the VT's are part of the spa group but do not include use of the hydrotherapy and thermal suite. I did read somewhere, but not on a HAL site, that they may have their own special spa packages, but for purchase, and then you get the spa aminities. Sorry I can't get my spell ckeck to work on this site.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

Ok, so if access is not technically included, then what is to prevent one from coming down the spiral stairs and hopping in the hydro pool anytime one wants, and then wandering over to the thermal suites for a steam/sauna? hehehehehe

 

On another note - is HAL allowing smoking in cabins on the Eurodam?

[hulamoon]

Yes smoking is allowed, and the thermal suite and hydropool require a special key checked out at the spa reception before each use.

 

I assume this is true for the Eurodam as it was for the Z when out of dry dock.

[hulamoon]

I do believe there is a free sauna that Carolyn sent pictures of in on her thread. Of course, there are free hot tubs too.

[Boytjie]

And, sorry if I missed the answer, but are the 10 Observation Deck Juliet balcony cabins part of the spa category?

 

I believe so.

 

From the HAL website:

"These are the hallmarks of the ms Eurodam's spacious new Spa Staterooms, located on the Panorama and Observation decks include special spa amenities."

[editor@cruisecritic]

That's actually a great name for those balconies -- hadn't heard it before but knew exactly what you meant! The answer is...Yes!

 

Carolyn

 

And, sorry if I missed the answer, but are the 10 Observation Deck Juliet balcony cabins part of the spa category?

[editor@cruisecritic]

A little weird to have that title -- spa and smoking, a bit of a paradox.

 

You can't get in, the facilities are key-only (and they're not connected so you enter each one separately). And here's the thing and maybe this is changing in cruise travel and I just don't know it. But on many ships if you buy a full treatment you get access to places these for an hour or so before or after your treatment. Here? Nothin'. You have to pay.

 

I was ready to splurge on that Friday sea day, thought it would be a good way to bypass more crowded areas and $20 to me, okay a bit pricey, is worth it for the pool and the thermal suite. But then they told me it was $20 EACH. And I don't know, my value-ometer is set pretty high (my onboard bills are probably higher than many) and I don't mind paying for stuff that's worthwhile. But $40 for the day seemed rather high for the value offered, scorchingly high, and I was a bit disgusted and just said "skip it," no thanks.

 

My value-ometer also wouldn't let me book a Lido-level cabana, LOL, but I will say that one family had rented one and it was a good choice for them. They packed a lot of stuff in there -- stroller, toys, etc.

 

The whole spa concept (and I outlined what's included in a very early post on this thread) seems to me to not be terribly well thought through. It's not the great incentive or value that you'd find on, say, Costa, which has a dedicated spa eatery and special spa amenities, not just cabin amenities, that come with the extra tariff you pay.

 

Re smoking. There was an ashtray in my cabin so I assume it's okay.

 

Carolyn

 

Ok, so if access is not technically included, then what is to prevent one from coming down the spiral stairs and hopping in the hydro pool anytime one wants, and then wandering over to the thermal suites for a steam/sauna? hehehehehe

 

On another note - is HAL allowing smoking in cabins on the Eurodam?

[editor@cruisecritic]

So, it's time to wrap up our Eurodam blog but before I vanish away -- and my memories dim -- I do want to know if there's something I haven't answered (or that you haven't been able to get answered elsewhere) yet. I've got plenty of collateral materials here so I'll do my best -- and also am waiting, since Friday, for responses to questions I gave to HAL P.R. (who told me while I was still onboard -- it'll be faster for me to get answers for you if you just send them all to me -- but who hasn't responded to a series of phone calls and a follow-up email, some four days later. Grrrrrr).

 

So I'll do my best and we'll plan to wrap this thread up by Friday at the latest.

 

Thanks for your patience, great questions, terrific enthusiasm and superb input along the way.

 

By the way, here are the questions I believe I haven't yet posted answers to (my request for a tour of the ship's special features for the disabled was ignored by the way).

 

Carolyn

 

*For physically disabled passengers, what has been done to make the pool area, lounges, and restaurants more accessible (cabins are covered). Do the physically disabled have to pay to use the thallasotherapy pool? One reader wanted to know if there were tables in the dining room that can be accessed without taking a step up.

 

*Are there cabins modified for "poor walkers" (this reader has mobility issues but does not necessary need a cabin for handicapped)? I'm guessing no -- but he wants to know if there is seating in the theater, public rooms etc. that can be reached without steps. If there's a particularly good option in the dining room for this type of passenger, if there's a particularly good bar that's all flat (thinking ocean bar?) and finally, the area of the theater that they should aim for….

 

*Will popcorn be served during showings at the Screening Room, like at the Wajang Theater?

 

*Is there a public viewing area on decks 5, 6 or 7 forward? I haven't been able to find one but readers swear it's there.

 

*What's public space ratio, passenger-crew ratio?

 

*Are VD balconies larger than VA - VC?

 

*Is there a special dress code for Pinnacle Grill (one reader mentioned it would be formal every night) or does it follow ship-wide codes…?

 

*What type of tiles will mariners receive (I have no idea what tiles are). Is there a special inaugural edition?

 

*I've used wireless in the pool area -- is it ship wide? Or limited? Please describe.

 

*Somebody wants to know what the furnishings are on VT category balconies.

 

*At this point, what reservations can be made online (restaurant, spa, cabanas?)

 

*Craps table in the casino? What table games?

 

*Are spa packages available to spa cabin guests? (have already given a rundown of what is included with these cabins except for this). Also what is the price premium to book a spa cabin (10 percent above identical cabin category, etc.)?

[Jade13]

That's actually a great name for those balconies -- hadn't heard it before but knew exactly what you meant! The answer is...Yes!

 

Carolyn

 

Hi Carolyn,

 

Thank you, and they should call the VT's the "Juliet balcony" staterooms.

 

I saw the questions that you sent to (Seattle?). Was this you first HAL cruise? If not you should have received a tile as a gift. It is really HAL's only past passenger perk (which I have never minded because on Celebrity as an example their perks seemed to be things you could already get on HAL on your very first cruise, such as stuff all you can laundry in a bag for $12.00 - $20.00 on HAL but recently on Celebrity was $20.00 to past passengers with a coupon. You also do not need a special disembark lounge as on HAL, as you know, you can stay in your stateroom the last morning and enjoy a full breakfast. On HAL the kitchen tour, back stage tour (if offered) and Royal Dutch Tea are open for everyone (while on Celebrity as an example - I tried the Century - these were all Select and/or Elite passenger perks including the Formal "Elegant" tea in the dining room).

 

As far as the forward decks, I do not think Seattle will answer. You just walk right through where it says "Crew Only". There are apparently some crew cabins, possibly the captain, on some decks between the two doors but once out the space is public. Our cabin steward just smiled and waived us right through.

[mamaofami]

Caarolyn, I've enjoyed reading your report. Wondered how you get to Tamarind. Is there a direct elevator? Forward or aft?

[Boytjie]

Caarolyn, I've enjoyed reading your report. Wondered how you get to Tamarind. Is there a direct elevator? Forward or aft?

 

According to the deck plans its the mid ship elevators (inside and scenic).

[Oceanwench]

DH canceled the cruise we had booked for this fall on the Eurodam because he could not get firm answers about the bedding planned for the HC cabins.

He is unable to access the pillowtop mattresses, which are just too high.

On other HAL ships, we've had success with getting a lower mattress placed in the cabin.

 

We've found Vista ships very accessible, and I have to think the Eurodam would be much the same. DH has never had problems accessing the various venues.

[Wine Taster]

Carolyn, thanks for all the info. I am wondering about 120v outlets in the cabins. On the Oosterdam (SC suite) I had only one outlet and it was over the desk which is on the opposite side from the head of the bed. I have a CPAP machine for sleep apnia which has to be plugged in and I had a difficult time. I finally unplugged the DVD player and was able to barely reach the table by the bed with the extension cord.

 

Has the Eurodam more outlets and specifically one closer to the head of the bed? If not, I will have to bring along a much longer extension cord.

 

Thanks again

[Boytjie]

Carolyn, thanks for all the info. I am wondering about 120v outlets in the cabins. On the Oosterdam (SC suite) I had only one outlet and it was over the desk which is on the opposite side from the head of the bed. I have a CPAP machine for sleep apnia which has to be plugged in and I had a difficult time. I finally unplugged the DVD player and was able to barely reach the table by the bed with the extension cord.

 

Has the Eurodam more outlets and specifically one closer to the head of the bed? If not, I will have to bring along a much longer extension cord.

 

Thanks again

 

I have seen this picture of 2 outlets - seems to be by the desk:

 

 

 

Picture by Dellas1000

[FloridaGram]

Carolyn, thanks for all the info. I am wondering about 120v outlets in the cabins. On the Oosterdam (SC suite) I had only one outlet and it was over the desk which is on the opposite side from the head of the bed. I have a CPAP machine for sleep apnia which has to be plugged in and I had a difficult time. I finally unplugged the DVD player and was able to barely reach the table by the bed with the extension cord.

 

Has the Eurodam more outlets and specifically one closer to the head of the bed? If not, I will have to bring along a much longer extension cord.

 

Thanks again

 

We were on a Carnival ship in June and a friend had a CPAP. They had a 25 foot extension cord you could get at the purser's desk to use. I would think HAL might have this too because there have to be many first time cruisers who would not know about the plug situation on a ship. This would save you having to pack one.

[whenzuc]

Carolyn- So let's discount the growing pains associated with any new ship; I assume that every ship experiences this. Let's discount all the hype around the maiden voyage of the Eurodam.

So now that your home again, would you say that this ship is any more special than a let's say a Westerdam? Would you pick this ship over any of the other HAL ships given a similar itinerary? Is there anything truly memorable about this ship compared to the rest of the fleet?

On to another topic- how seriously does HAL take your written commentaries given the size if CC's readership?

[Gsel]

Absolutely wonderful questions! Would love to know the answers myself. All the "hype" about the cabanas, etc. is just that, but until the Eurodam has a few cruises with real passengers under her belt we really won't know how things shake out. I wonder how much HAL looks at what has been written here by all the posters and how much weight it really has. I would be willing to bet those TAs that were on board those first few days and what they saw will have much more weight. We will be on the Eurodam in December, I am going to wait and make my decision then.

[SueOverend]

Carolyn,

 

Can you let me know how much drawer space there is in the cabins. We're in a Balcony - having sailed in SA Suites on our last two HAL trips, I'm anxious to know just how much storage space we will have in comparison. I'm going to really try to take less, but I'm worried! Thanks for all your informative posts. Sue

[editor@cruisecritic]

oops made a mistake, read next post.

[editor@cruisecritic]

Hi, Wine Taster. There are two now -- a pair each of U.S. plug and a European plug. I have similar challenges -- between laptop, phone, etc. But the hairdryer does plug into the European outlet, so that's something.

 

The plugs are all gathered at the same place, however (unlike a hotel room where you might have others running along a different wall).

 

Carolyn

 

 

Carolyn, thanks for all the info. I am wondering about 120v outlets in the cabins. On the Oosterdam (SC suite) I had only one outlet and it was over the desk which is on the opposite side from the head of the bed. I have a CPAP machine for sleep apnia which has to be plugged in and I had a difficult time. I finally unplugged the DVD player and was able to barely reach the table by the bed with the extension cord.

 

Has the Eurodam more outlets and specifically one closer to the head of the bed? If not, I will have to bring along a much longer extension cord.

 

Thanks again

[editor@cruisecritic]

Once I discovered the drawer space under the beds -- big ones -- and the fact that the little love seat for the desk has a top that lifts up so you can store stuff inside -- I was fine. Plus the beds are high enough that you can store even bulky suitcases out of site. Mine are high plastic Samsonite suitcases (great, very durable but often too high for under-the-bed) and so they wind up consuming closets). The closets have shelves in the one with the safe, adjustable, and then two full hanging closets.

 

The bathroom on the other hand is pretty poor in terms of storage. There's shelves lined up on one side rather than both sides, of the sink. And they're shelves, not closed cabinets. Kind of tacky IMHO.

 

Carolyn

 

 

Carolyn,

 

Can you let me know how much drawer space there is in the cabins. We're in a Balcony - having sailed in SA Suites on our last two HAL trips, I'm anxious to know just how much storage space we will have in comparison. I'm going to really try to take less, but I'm worried! Thanks for all your informative posts. Sue

[editor@cruisecritic]

Hi, whenzuc, know you asked these questions earlier and I wanted to wait until I got off the ship to answer them, LOL, mostly to be able to think things through and gain a little perspective. I'll tackle the is-the-ship-special question first.

 

I've been honest already in this blog in saying that I much prefer the S class of ships, design-wise and I still do. I'm not crazy about Vista class, too dark, glitzy, commercial, crowded. IMHO. At the same time, there are things I like about HAL regardless of the ship design: the service, the generally consistent quality of the food, the entertainment (particularly the musical entertainment -- the Explorer's Lounge is just one of my favorite venues in cruising), and the pool decks which I think are the most beautiful at sea. The Culinary Arts program is fine…. And the Signatures of Excellence program is just first rate. That was one heck of a comfortable bed and I loved getting to catch up on some videos I'd brought from home (thanks to Netflix!) via the DVD that's available in even standard cabins (the ship's library was good too, for disc rentals).

 

I did like Eurodam better than Vista class for its options. What really stands out on this ship, to me, are the dining options. The Tamarind's a winner -- great ambience, excellent food. I frankly forgot I was on a cruise ship when I was dining there (went twice). The Silk Den, which is adjacent, is also a winner and I've noted why (exotic ambience). I also like the Microsoft partnership; it's time that HAL got a little serious about enrichment, beyond the culinary angle.

 

I like the fact that the library/coffee bar area is part of the Crow's Nest (I may be in the minority on that one) because except for really busy times, being away from the general traffic patterns made it more peaceful rather than less (people didn't just wander in; you have to make an effort to get there) and there's also the option of spreading out into the Crow's Nest. I liked being in that space in the daytime as well as at night.

 

I'd still recommend that HAL find somewhere on the public decks 2 and 3 for a small coffee bar so folks who only want an espresso or a latte don't have to trek up to deck 11 for it.

 

Eurodam IS a big ship, however, and big ships are big ships in my book whether they come from Celebrity, Princess, Carnival or HAL. I find on big ships that I spend a fair amount of time looking for quiet spots (paying a'la carte fees to use areas like thallasotherapy pools or dine at alternative restaurants instead of braving crowds) and at some point you have to look at the money you're spending and wonder whether a more upscale, smaller ship that's more inclusive and doesn't have so many crowds to run from wouldn't be worth pricing out.

 

Note-with-no-segue: The proliferation of big ships with their small-ship-within-a-big-one features is one of the reasons why we created an entirely new approach with our luxury micro-site LUXURY CRUISES. It's not so much about appealing to travelers who are already entrenched in the luxury market (though of course they're more than welcome, LOL), but aimed at people "like" me and hopefully you, for whom value is an important factor (for me the most important) in choosing a cruise and who may be ready to graduate to the next step, whether it's big suites on big ships or a smaller ship experience. End of Note-with-no-segue.

 

 

Big ships mean the occasional curt service (as noted, mostly in the purser's arena), and lines. For me -- and this may not affect you at all -- lines on vacation are a deal-breaker. I work really hard and when I'm on vacation I want two things that are somewhat absent from my regular life: no stress and no hassles. (Good food and wine too, of course, go without saying).

 

So the things I like about Holland America I'd still prefer in a smaller package which is where the S Class ships (Statendam and Maasdam) fit. But then I'd miss out on Tamarind and some of the other features already noted.

 

I think the big ship is here to stay, at least as far as this line is concerned. What I'd probably do, again, if I were to vacation onboard Eurodam, would be to book a suite that would give extra space and extra services (concierge for making things easier).

 

What about you? All of you? How does reading about Eurodam in such minute detail (and there's more to come, LOL), make you feel about choosing this ship? Tell us here….

 

 

Carolyn

 

 

 

 

Carolyn- So let's discount the growing pains associated with any new ship; I assume that every ship experiences this. Let's discount all the hype around the maiden voyage of the Eurodam.

So now that your home again, would you say that this ship is any more special than a let's say a Westerdam? Would you pick this ship over any of the other HAL ships given a similar itinerary? Is there anything truly memorable about this ship compared to the rest of the fleet?

On to another topic- how seriously does HAL take your written commentaries given the size if CC's readership?