Eurodam first time questions

[deano cav 32]

Hello there, As we are from New Zealand can you please advise if the excursions are in American dollars or euros? Also how does one go about booking the tamarind or the pinnacle? I have searched the holland america site but to no avail. many Many thanks:)

[PattiG]

Was on the Eurodam in October and loved it. Best food of any ship I've been on thus far. Excursions and everything else are in U.S. Dollars. Once you get onboard, you can call from the phone in your room for reservations at the Tamarind and/or Pinnacle. Haven't been to Tamarind, but the Pinnacle was great. I know you can make reservations before you board, but don't know exactly how to go about it.

[deano cav 32]

thanks so much, Its a bit saunting when I look at the Holland America website. Do you think it is necessary to book excursions and restaurant reservations in advance?

[travel09]

In reply to your questions, booking the resturants is not necessary, plenty of time when on board, not usually crowded as so many options for dining . The shore excursions are available, on the HAL website, under the heading For Booked Guests, or just in the place where you can access your cruise details you can click on to the Ports and they come up. To access " For Booked Guests", you need to register, and persevere, as you need to do an on line check in, before you go, which is in depth, but saves a lot of hassle when you check in, it is not too difficult really.
Shore excursions, the very popular ones, sometimes are booked out in advance, but often you are waitlisted and mostly, when you arrive in your cabin,for the first time, the ones you wanted are booked and waiting on your bed. Some Ports it is advisable to do the Ships excursions,see this site , opening page, top,under Ports Of Call, which you are able to print off and give you extensive information, some you can make your own way around with ease. remember if you are on a Ships excursion, they will never leave you behind, if you are not and late...well they say they will !!.
Eurodam is wonderful, and we are ready to go again in June, and very excited to be doing so, you will love every minute, and well worth coming from the other side of the world to Cruise, enjoy.!

[Grandma Gilly]

Regarding booking of speciality restaurants, I would advise doing this before boarding. I was on the ship in November and had booked Tamarind in advance via the website. I had quite a problem getting a reservation at Pinnacle and had to beg!!
I am sure you will have a great time on the ship. I don't know your itinerary but if there is not too much sightseeing I highly recommend booking a retreat cabana (for the week). It was my highlight!!

[G&G]

Pre-booking at the restaurants depends on the length of the cruise. I always pre-book at the Speciality Restaurants for a 7 day cruise. For cruises longer than 10-12 days I have never had a problem booking when I get the ship.

[sjaak]

To book online you need to go to the "For Booked Guests" menu then choose "On Board Gifts". You then need to log on and you will be able to make reservations for Tamarind or The Pinnacle Grill.

[Krazy Kruizers]

When we did back-to-back cruises on the Eurodam we were able to book the Pinnacle for the first week -- but the second week it was completely sold out except for a couple of times on the lasy night of the cruise at 8:30 and 9 which we don't like. And we were trying to book ahead!!

We always call 1-800-541-1576 to make our reservations before we cruise.

The Tamarind is very popular and also fills up quickly.

[Huey]

We also booked online for both before our 7-day. We loved the Tamarind after eating there the first night, we were able to rebook for a few nights later easily. However, when trying to change our Pinnacle reservation time, it was impossible. We ate there our last night - it was a great way to end our cruise. We also saw many people turned away. We absolutely loved both restaurants and disliked anytime seating- we wished we would have booked more nights before our cruise.

[PSP]

I had the pleasure of sailing on the Eurodam last August from Copenhagen to Copenhagen and really enjoyed this new ship. I think that previous posts have already answered most of your questions. When I sailed on her, as soon as I got on the ship, we went to the reservations desk for the speciality restaurants and made our reservations without any problems. However, if you want assurances you can book in advance. Both Tamarind the Pinnacle are excellent restaurants. In choosing your nights you might want to take into consideration which nights will be your formal nights as you may wish to be in the Main Dining Room. In regards to Pinnacle dining you may wish to inquire about the "Special Wine Pairing Dinner". It is more expensive, and very limited in number but a wonderful dining experience. Make a point of having a cocktail in the Silk Den before or after dinner at Tamarind, which by the way is free for lunch. You should also try Canneletto Restaurant which is free, but you need to make reservations.

You will enjoy this new lady.

I have a brother that lives in Auckland and it is my favorite country to visit, can't get there enough. I usually combine a Auckland/Sydney cruise with my visit downunder and have never tired of the vistas of the southern hemisphere.

Valerie

[mtnmusic]

I had the pleasure of sailing on the Eurodam last August from Copenhagen to Copenhagen and really enjoyed this new ship. I think that previous posts have already answered most of your questions. When I sailed on her, as soon as I got on the ship, we went to the reservations desk for the speciality restaurants and made our reservations without any problems. However, if you want assurances you can book in advance. Both Tamarind the Pinnacle are excellent restaurants. In choosing your nights you might want to take into consideration which nights will be your formal nights as you may wish to be in the Main Dining Room. In regards to Pinnacle dining you may wish to inquire about the "Special Wine Pairing Dinner". It is more expensive, and very limited in number but a wonderful dining experience. Make a point of having a cocktail in the Silk Den before or after dinner at Tamarind, which by the way is free for lunch. You should also try Canneletto Restaurant which is free, but you need to make reservations.

You will enjoy this new lady.

I have a brother that lives in Auckland and it is my favorite country to visit, can't get there enough. I usually combine a Auckland/Sydney cruise with my visit downunder and have never tired of the vistas of the southern hemisphere.

Valerie

We were on the same cruise and opted for the free lunches instead of paying the evening surcharges. The only issue was that the Canneletto seemed to have the same menu every day. I did discover one gem of a tip, however. In the main dining room you can special order anything served onboard whether listed on the Rembrandt menu or not. We ordered several meals that were only on the Tamarind menu and were served in the main dining room with no problems whatsoever. HAL doesn't publicize this but you could order surf and turf at every meal if you chose to do so. Also, there was never a problem if we wanted to order two servings of any particular course if you found it particularly appealing. We haven't found this to be true on other cruise lines.

[BBnn]

We are 2 NZers as well, from Welly going on May9th - May 19th!

[tidenik]

Had a wonderful cruise on the Eurodam last October...a beautiful ship and agree that the food is great.
You are in for a fine cruise.

[deano cav 32]

Yes we are getting excited now and are researching for the excursions etc. For the fellow wellingtonians where does your cruise take you to.

[deano cav 32]

We are 2 NZers as well, from Welly going on May9th - May 19th!
Do you plan any stopovers and are flying emirates also?

[Typhoon1]

Phone dining reservations from ANY phone as soon as you board the ship and you won't have a problem getting a reservation.

[BBnn]

We hop on the ship in Rome 9th May and hop off in Dover 29th.
Pre cruise we have a stopover in Abu Dhabi then on to Paris then Rome via Switzerland. After we are driving around the coast to Cowes, then on to Plymouth, doing a coastal walk for a few days with rellos. Then back to Paris and home.

[BBnn]

Sorry, date wrong (9th-29th May).
We are flying Etihad. Stopping over in Abu Dhabi (we have rellos there).

[deano cav 32]

Then we will get to meet as we are on from 29th April until 20 May.

[jtl513]

Hello there, As we are from New Zealand can you please advise if the excursions are in American dollars or euros? Also how does one go about booking the tamarind or the pinnacle? I have searched the holland america site but to no avail. many Many thanks:)The Tamarind is very popular right now because of the novelty. If you don't book it before you board, definitely do so on embarkation day.

[Snowy69]

Can't wait to start eating....

How can we find out which nights are the formal nights on a 10-day cruise?
Also, can we see any menus for the nights sailing? (I'd hate to miss a
particularly good night in the main dining area. Thanks.

[Snowy69]

Thanks for all the help regarding booking dining areas ahead.

[jtl513]

Can't wait to start eating....

How can we find out which nights are the formal nights on a 10-day cruise?
Also, can we see any menus for the nights sailing? (I'd hate to miss a
particularly good night in the main dining area. Thanks.In general, your first sea day is your first formal night, and then after that they are spaced about 3 days apart on sea days or days where you leave port early - say 3:00p or 4:00p.

You can see the evening's menus posted outside the dining room and Lido shortly after lunch time is over. I believe they are also available in the bars, although I have never asked there.