RevNeal's LIVE Eurodam Report

[lettienets]

Very Well said, Brian!!!!!!!! I agree with EVERY word. As you know, I have written Seattle a very, very long letter stating my disappointment with my Eurodam cruise. I have 610 days on Hal and have been sailing with Hal since 1962. This was , by far, my worst cruise ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Will let you know if Hal even responds to my letter. ..!!

Hi Adele, I was sorry to hear your cabin troubles on the Eurodam and hope you get an apology from the company. Well the Voyage of the Good Nuts should cheer you up. See you then. Lettienets loretta@hwcn.org

[CalGal777]

[/b]

Hi:

 

If you have had bad service, bad food, bad seas & bad passengers (cruising) over the years, what, in fact, would you consider to be a bad cruise???

All the above was not on the same cruise, A bad cruise is if the ship sinks while I am still aboard. Every cruise I have been on the good has out weighed the bad. Maybe I am just easy to please.

[SakeDad]

Very Well said, Brian!!!!!!!! I agree with EVERY word. As you know, I have written Seattle a very, very long letter stating my disappointment with my Eurodam cruise. I have 610 days on Hal and have been sailing with Hal since 1962. This was , by far, my worst cruise ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Will let you know if Hal even responds to my letter. Not holding my breath. I am gold on Cunard, which is less cruises and days than gold on Hal. I get so many more perks with them and the service, even in Hal's best days has been far superior. I may be switching to Cunard. We can always sail with the gang on Cunard!!!!

 

Adele! I just loved meeting you. Would love to see that letter too:rolleyes: You know, and were a 1st hand witness, of all my problems as the Stage Manager on the Eurodam. So as I doubt I will EVER cruise HAL again as a passenger I sure would be interested in joining you, Scotty, Brian and all the others on a Cunard sailing in the future.:D

Hope you are well and settling back into land life....I know I am! Laying in my pool, tanning, swimming and getting well deserved massages! Feel free to email me anytime! (email is in profile)

Nathan

[longtimecruiser]

If Seattle and Stein Cruise were so oblivious to peoples' needs when they were on board, what hope is there that they will even answer you with more than a form letter? I read about your horrible bathroom experiences and felt awful for what you had to endure. I do hope you get some response, but wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a reply. By the way, I look forward to meeting you on the Noordam in January.

 

I sail on the Eurodam this month but have lowered my expectations to zero and am just going with the idea that is will be a nice weekend on the water and that's that. Better than not being on the water.

I am looking forward to meeting you too on the Noordam. Any cruise is better than no cruise. Hope you have a great cruise on the Eurodam. At least you know what you can expect, which is more than we had before we sailed. Adele

[longtimecruiser]

Adele! I just loved meeting you. Would love to see that letter too:rolleyes: You know, and were a 1st hand witness, of all my problems as the Stage Manager on the Eurodam. So as I doubt I will EVER cruise HAL again as a passenger I sure would be interested in joining you, Scotty, Brian and all the others on a Cunard sailing in the future.:D

Hope you are well and settling back into land life....I know I am! Laying in my pool, tanning, swimming and getting well deserved massages! Feel free to email me anytime! (email is in profile)

Nathan

I will email you a copy,dear!!!!!!

[bepsf]

[/b]

If you have had bad service, bad food, bad seas & bad passengers (cruising) over the years, what, in fact, would you consider to be a bad cruise???

 

A bad cruise was when the ship was a complete dump, our accommodations were shoddy (to the point that the beds were sagging, fabrics were threadbare and the water in the shower wouldn't hold anything close to a steady temperature), the jacuzzis were frigid, the food was lousy and the service standoffish - the staff essentially didn't care - the entertainment was amateurish to the point of being comical, and the captain was a drunk...

...and after less than two days on an 11 day cruise, I couldn't wait to get off the ship.

 

Don't get me wrong: I enjoyed the cruise on Eurodam despite everything - but it was certainly nowhere near my best cruise, especially considering what we spent.

[Copper10-8]

A bad cruise was when the ship was a complete dump, our accommodations were shoddy (to the point that the beds were sagging, fabrics were threadbare and the water in the shower wouldn't hold anything close to a steady temperature), the jacuzzis were frigid, the food was lousy and the service standoffish - the staff essentially didn't care - the entertainment was amateurish to the point of being comical, and the captain was a drunk...

...and after less than two days on an 11 day cruise, I couldn't wait to get off the ship.

 

Don't get me wrong: I enjoyed the cruise on Eurodam despite everything - but it was certainly nowhere near my best cruise, especially considering what we spent.

 

 

X - Kinda like a rat in your hotel on the Damrak in Amsterdam;)

[mchell810]

Rev Neal, Thank you for taking the time to post your travels and pics...I have enjoyed logging on and reading your posts and enjoying your pics these past several weeks. I know that you have spent a great deal of time and effort on your posts..just want you to know that I appreciate your efforts.:D

 

Ditto! It's great to get a good look at the Eurodam. The colors schemes are good.

 

thanks RevNeal your dedication is appreciated.

[alonzo14]

Many thanks to Rev Neal for all your pics!!!!

 

I have canceled my cruise on the Eurodam for next year. If I get another chance to cruise after next year I will still consider HAL just not the Eurodam. I am making plans though to still cruise in 2009 but no final plans just yet.

[RevNeal]

BTW - Greg, your photo gallery has a couple errors:

 

The model displayed in the Meet & Greet area is not the 1957 Statendam(IV)...

...but the 1952 Ryndam(II)/Maasdam(IV) "Economy Twins".

 

Correct ... I had forgotten to take a photo to show the identification plate on the wall to the right, and so was going from what the ship looks like. :)

 

Capt Card's painting of Rotterdam is not #III but #IV

 

While I know that such must be the case (the pictured ship is a 2-stacker and the Rotterdam III was a single stack ship) ... the plate identifying the painting claims it is called "Rotterdam III". I didn't get a good shot of the name plate, but it did show up in one of my photos ... here's an enhancement:

 

 

So ... it would appear that the Eurodam has more than one signage problem!! :D

 

And the desks in the Verandah Cabins are the exact same size as those in your Cat G stateroom.

(Joyce's VT just had more "Spa Junk" piled on it)

;)

 

Actually this is not correct. The desk in the G-category outside -- as is true for all the outsides on deck 4 which have the floor-to-ceiling window and the bed configured close to the window rather than close to the door -- is actually 6 inches longer than the desk found in a VB category. I also have photos, somewhere, of the desk in a VA category cabin as configured close to the door ... the set-up is noticeably smaller than what was present in my G-category outside.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Greg, I had the chance to just finish reviewing the photos and I have to say that this picture with the view of what I am guessing is a late sunset is absolutely stunning. I only wish we could always have this time of view from the the ship.

[RevNeal]

Greg,

Do you think the structural issues so impact the overall enjoyment of the ship that those of us who are booked on her later this year and next will be sorely disappointed? I'm asking because those of you whose opinions that I respect seem to be disappointed in E'dam. Appraising individual issues aside, I'm looking for a general feel; are you disappointed?

 

In all honesty, and as an over-all assessment, I'm disappointed with the ship. I will not mince words here: she is not as well configured as the Noordam. However, this being said I can still say that I had a good 23 days aboard her. I enjoyed the cruises themselves, the ports-of-call, being at sea, the crew, and even the ship herself ... all even despite her inadequacies. However, what really made those 23 days the most enjoyable were the people I was with. I had a wonderful time with my dear friends, and do not regret the time or the money spent to experience the Maiden Voyage. I believe I'm a realist: a a maiden voyage is going to be a mixed bag, with service snafus and equipment problems. That's just part of it being a new ship on it's first for-pay cruise. Some of these problems will be solved by the time you, and others, board later this year or early next year. Other problems can't be solved so easily ... and those may present a problem for some.

 

Do I think you'll be disappointed? Perhaps. If you really like Vistas -- if prefer them over the S & R ships -- then you'll probably not be disappointed with the Eurodam. If you much prefer the smaller S & R ships, and accept the Vistas as a compromise for being able to sail on a HAL ship, then you may not be at all pleased with the Eurodam. People are so very different on these issues that it's hard to predict how people will react. I remember not being too pleased with the prospect of the Vistas when they first came out. I feared they feel too large and be too crowded. Then I cruised on the Oosterdam, the Westerdam, and finally the Noordam. Yes, I found these ships larger than I would prefer, but I found the crews well-adjusted, I found the equipment (mostly) sound and serviceable, I found the decor pleasant and enjoyable, and I found the deck layouts to be -- in some ways -- an improvement over the older ships in the fleet. I still prefer the smaller ships, but I liked the Vistas for what they are -- short-haul mass market vessels. The Eurodam pretends (in its marketing) to be more "upscale" ... i.e., a "signature ship." I found her to be less-so than the Noordam.

 

I know decor and service problems can be corrected. The kids issue could and does happen on any ship, HAL or otherwise, and it's too maddening for me to even consider in this post.

 

Correct. I suspect that, once the crew has sufficient time to shake down and get used to functioning as a team, that the service will undergo a significant improvement. However, some things simply can't be corrected.

 

Correct me if I am wrong, but weren't you also on the Noordam's inaugural cruise? If so, were there similar issues to a greater or lesser degree? And also, do you think the inaugural cruise being in Europe impacted the experience overall?

 

I was on the Noodram's inaugural sailing out of New York in 2006. The principle difference between that cruise and the Eurodam's inaugural sailing, however, was that the Line and the crew had a full 2 weeks to get into sync with the Noordam ... the Inaugural sailing of the Noordam was out of NYC and the crew had been at full strenghth and was learning how to work with each other while the ship was still in Europe ... and then they had a full two weeks to cross the Atlantic to get up to speed together. By comparison, the Eurodam had NO time to shake down her crew; the staff had very LITTLE time to develop into a coherent, efficient, operational team. This impacted their operations severely -- especially at the Front Desk and in other Administrative and middle-management departments. Channels of communication were terribly non-functional, staff in one department didn't know what the staff in another department was doing, was supposed to do, or (as was the case) wasn't supposed to be doing. Things were, often, a mess.

[Copper10-8]

Well said, Rev! A+

[jhannah]

Yes, Lisa, the Tamarind is absolutely lovely. And the food ...

 

[Nghthawke]

Here's a G-category cabin, the Mainstage show lounge, the Gym, and Captain Card's paintings in the forward stairwell.

 

http://homepage.mac.com/revneal/eurodam2008/PhotoAlbum276.html

 

Can you give us some info about one of the rooms on this page please? The photo is sandwiched between the last photo of the gym on the right and on the left the caption reads "And elevator lobby ..." It is the photo in the centre of those two I'm curious about.

[Susie51]

With HAL I have only sailed on Maasdam and Zuiderdam, and I like Zuiderdam better. In Dec. I'll be on Oosterdam and I'm expecting to really love it. DH and I will probably book our 2009 cruise while on the Oosterdam. From all of the great comments about Noordam, I hope there is an itinerary we both will enjoy.

 

He only wants to sail Hal, but I'm waitlisted with a group tour a TA that my mom really likes has formed. My mom, sister, and I are first on the wait list for Sept. 2009 on a Celebrity Solstice Med. 11 night cruise.

 

Thank you RevNeal for continuing to post on this thread.

[bepsf]

X - Kinda like a rat in your hotel on the Damrak in Amsterdam;)

 

Oh, Poor Mr Ratty...

...I hope he eventually got his breakfast.

;)

[bepsf]

Correct ... I had forgotten to take a photo to show the identification plate on the wall to the right, and so was going from what the ship looks like. :)

 

 

 

While I know that such must be the case (the pictured ship is a 2-stacker and the Rotterdam III was a single stack ship) ... the plate identifying the painting claims it is called "Rotterdam III". I didn't get a good shot of the name plate, but it did show up in one of my photos ... here's an enhancement:

 

 

So ... it would appear that the Eurodam has more than one signage problem!! :D

 

 

 

Actually this is not correct. The desk in the G-category outside -- as is true for all the outsides on deck 4 which have the floor-to-ceiling window and the bed configured close to the window rather than close to the door -- is actually 6 inches longer than the desk found in a VB category. I also have photos, somewhere, of the desk in a VA category cabin as configured close to the door ... the set-up is noticeably smaller than what was present in my G-category outside.

 

I could be wrong there - I didn't break out the measuring tape on that one, but it did appear to be the same size as M&D's stateroom.

:o

 

That wasn't the only artwork that was "incorrect" - Among the black and white photos in the corridors depicting HAL history, I found a photograph of what appears to be the stern of a Vista in the building drydock at Marghera - but if you look closely, one can clearly see the word "Southampton" welded on the stern - designating what eventually came to be the P&O liner Arcadia. Another photo shows a similar side view of Arcadia in the building drydock (as identified by her single angled funnel). Then there was a photo of what would appear to be bow of Eurodam in the same drydock - but one look at the solid oval funnel identifies the ship as Costa Luminosa which is due to sail this coming spring.

[innlady1]

Yes, Lisa, the Tamarind is absolutely lovely. And the food ...

 

[ATTACH]86682[/ATTACH]

 

Since the Tamarind has been such an obvious hit on the Eurodam, I wonder if HAL will try to work it in somehow/somewhere on the other ships during retrofits? :confused: :rolleyes: :confused:

[RevNeal]

I could be wrong there - I didn't break out the measuring tape on that one, but it did appear to be the same size as M&D's stateroom.

:o

 

It may be that, since those aft VAs have more space than the size Vs they put the larger desks in them. I don't know. I DID get photos of the inside of Jim Hannas's cabin. I'll have to root through some of my photos and find 'em. If I do, I'll add them to my gallery collections. I've still got to find and process photos of the Northern Lights. No ... no video of you dancing. :) Maybe a still or two! ;)

[RevNeal]

Since the Tamarind has been such an obvious hit on the Eurodam, I wonder if HAL will try to work it in somehow/somewhere on the other ships during retrofits? :confused: :rolleyes: :confused:

 

It will, of course, be included on the next Signature newbuild (the Whateverdam). I don't know if the Vistas could be retrofitted with a topside restaurant ... that would be a major retrofit, including a major re-do of the elevators. But ... I suppose it could be done. It would make more sense to add more public space, too ... given that they've ruined the Vistas with more cabin space.

[innlady1]

It will, of course, be included on the next Signature newbuild (the Whateverdam). I don't know if the Vistas could be retrofitted with a topside restaurant ... that would be a major retrofit, including a major re-do of the elevators. But ... I suppose it could be done. It would make more sense to add more public space, too ... given that they've ruined the Vistas with more cabin space.

 

I think I was having a Tamarind moment! Thinking they could retrofit the Vistas with the Tamarind...using the Oak Room and part of the Crow's Nest! :eek:

[RevNeal]

I think I was having a Tamarind moment! Thinking they could retrofit the Vistas with the Tamarind...using the Oak Room and part of the Crow's Nest! :eek:

 

:)

Sadly, they've already decided to take up the Oak Room and part of the Crows Nest for the Explorations Cafe on the Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, and Westerdam. I'm praying they'll change their minds and not so-mutilate the Noordam.

[mamaofami]

Sounds like we need a "Save the Noordam" group.

[SakeDad]

Then there was a photo of what would appear to be bow of Eurodam in the same drydock - but one look at the solid oval funnel identifies the ship as Costa Luminosa which is due to sail this coming spring.

Brian,

FYI I have pics of us (Eurodam) in Venice next to Costa Luminosa being built. We were next to each other in Maghera so it may be that the angle of the pic made it seem like it was the same ship. In fact, when we sailed the entire crew/ship builders on the Luminosa came to the bow to watch...I have a great picture of it! Unfortunatley my PC is coughing like I was and I have to fix it before I can put more pics up!:mad: