Need Eurodam info please

[kimbasox]

Hi all!

 

My awesome mom has just booked a cruise on the Eurodam as a Christmas gift for my dad, who has been battling cancer but is in remission and doing very well. She booked the 10 day cruise on the Eurodam out of Copenhagen leaving in May of 2009.

 

So, I have a bunch of questions.....tell me all of the dirt, please! Should she do a set dining time or dine as you wish? Are there huge lines everywhere for meals if she chooses that? Or huge lines in general? Any decks to avoid? Any rooms to get/not get? (She has booked a superior suite)

 

Any highlights or misses for shore excursions?

 

Can she bring vodka on the ship? (Kidding, kind of...:))

 

Any insider tips would be soooo appreciated. I know a lot of you have been of hundreds of cruises but I have been on a grand total of 1 and this will be my parents' 2nd!! I just want them to have the best time possible.

 

They both love to travel..my mom at 71 can run circles around me. My dad at 70 is a little slower due to some health issues but is by no means unable to get around.

 

Thank you soooo much for any advice you can give me!

 

Happy travels!

 

Best,

 

Kim

[COLLEYBERRY]

What a wonderful gift ! So glad your Dad is feeling better. :)

I have been on a grand total of two cruises as well ,so I don't knog to cow how valuable my opinion will be ?

AYWD worked very well for us. Dining was adapted to the rythm of our day and how we felt on any particular evening, Given your Dads' health issues, this option may work very well for your parents.

We seldom had to wait more than a few minutes if at all Certainly not huge line ups. You can make reservations with AYWD before or after 7.00 -8,00 pm ,that window is left open for walk ups. ( you can of course walk up,any time you wish. )

Hope they have the most wonderful cruise. What a nice DD looking out for them.

[Boytjie]

A lot of what you ask advice on depends on what your parents may like. Such as eating at a fixed time and table or having flexibility. Or what deck to be on; some may prefer lower and middle due to motion issues, others may prefer higher decks with better(?) views.

 

Same goes for which rooms to get or not get. It all depends on what they would prefer: view to the side, view of the wake, view kinda looking forward, view kinda looking back (the 'zigzag' cabins).

 

As for huge lines to eat, once again it depends! If you want to eat in the Lido when most others want to eat you may find yourself in a long line. There's always the dining room, room service or eating earlier if it's long lines are an issue.

 

Shore excursions... once again, it depends on what your parents like to do. Some may prefer to go shopping (why, I myself don't know!) while others would rather hike up a mountain. (For more information on excursions check out the Ports Of Call threads on CC)

 

As for bringing vodka on the ship: no. You can bring as much wine as you want to but know alcohol. She could just order a bottle of vodka for the cabin from the ship's supply.

[bepsf]

Since your folks are taking a Superior Suite, be sure to avoid staterooms are adjoining another stateroom, as she'll loose 1/3 of her closet space in an adjoining stateroom.

 

If they prefers to dine between 6.30 and 8PM - they're better off taking Traditional seating, as these are prime dining hours and the lines waiting for a seat in the dining room can be quite long, tiresome and annoying. Best to have a set table, a set time and a set waiter.

 

Also, be sure that they arrive in Copenhagen a couple days in advance because the jet lag will hit them hard. Have your TA book them into a nice hotel for two days and arrange for a private driver to meet them at Kastrup, then to take them to the ship, and finally meet them at the ship when they return to take them to Kastrup. If you need a recommendation, I'll try to find the info for the lady who drove us in Copenhagen in her spacious and clean Mercedes minivan (an 11am pickup time at the pier was perfect - no hordes leaving the ship and minimal little luggage to sift through looking for our bags)

 

And lastly - Have your parents fly a foreign airline rather than a US carrier - the service is night and day. I highly recommend SAS Economy Extra - it's more than worth the cost.

[cool change]

What is SAS Economy extra and what does it include? I am very interested as we are also planning this cruise next summer. Thanks ahead of time. Also, how can I determine if the cabin is an adjoining one? We will be booking an SS stateroom as well.

[jhannah]

Also, how can I determine if the cabin is an adjoining one?

It will have a door in the wall.

 

Sorry, I couldn't help myself. ;)

 

Look on the deck plans. There will be a plus sign off to the side of cabins that connect. The layout drawing will also show the opening where the door is.

[SF Cfan]

What is SAS Economy extra and what does it include? I am very interested as we are also planning this cruise next summer. Thanks ahead of time...

 

Full descriptions of SAS service by class are included on their website, http://www.flysas.com/en/Travel_info/On_board/Comfort2/

 

Two significant enhancements versus standard coach are 6" of extra leg room to a 38" pitch and one less seat per row as well. SAS has a very nice feature; when you do a flight search it displays every airfare available for the flight making it easy to compare the options.

[goforfun]

Hi Kim,

 

Your dad has a pre-existing medical condition. If the trip was just booked, your mom and dad have about 2 weeks from their first payment to be covered for that by trip insurance. It also covers cancellation should any other family member have a medical emergency. That said, nothing's going to happen!

 

By the way, we may be on the same sailing with Mom and Dad--sailing from Copenhagen on May 23rd. We're a mere tad younger than they (mid 60s), but who's counting?