Eurodam 3 Night U.S. Introduction - First Impression

[Mike2131]

I'll post a full review, but I must say there is no WOW factor to this ship. They wanted to offer the features of a 100,000 + ton ship in a much smaller package and it just does not work.

Positives:

Service - The crew was unfailingly friendly and willing, even when they did not quite deliver. I'll chalk those glitches up to inexperience.
Tamarind - Delicious food, soothing decor, and great service. A set dim sum lunch (no charge but reservations required) is an absolute steal.
Canaletto's - Very good food and service (dinner) for no surcharge was another great plus.
Silk Den - The most attractive bar/lounge on the ship. A decor that is a calming extension of Tamarind.
Screening room - A great place to see a movie, but it only seats 36!Negatives

Overall decor - A mish mash that, in some instances, is already showing wear. Some of it works and some just makes you scratch your head.
Small public rooms - Again, a factor of trying to put too much into too small a space. The Explorer' Lounge, for instance, seems to be a passage with a long narrow lounge attached. Just odd.
Northern Lights Disco - A small, oddly decorated space that just does not work.
Casino - Small with occasional rap music? The light fixtures seem to be discards from a machine shop.
Atrium - Small with a really odd chandelier. Not a focal point of the ship.
Dining Room - Very hit and miss. Thin pancakes (same as in the Lido for breakfast, but thinner) are not the basis for Crepe Suzette. The Rack of Lamb, however, was excellent. Go figure.
Shops - A setting like a cheap mall with those same pull down gates.
Overall organization - Disembarkation was awful!

[Jade13]

Mike, Our disembarkation was simple! We walked out of our cabin at 9:30am, down to Deck 1, off and across the street to a taxi stand with no wait and were at the train station by 10:00am. HAL lets you stay in your cabin and leave when you wish, just had to gone by 10:00am. What time did you walk off?

The Casino is the largest we have been to on a cruise ship, but this is also the largest ship we have been on. We prefer HAL's smaller 1,200 passenger ship (Veendam), but thought the interior decoration on Eurodam was great (with the exception of the wood thing in the center of the dining room). We loved the Decor in the Tamraind, Silk Den. Lido (green colors), beautiful chairs in the Rembrandt Dining Room and over million dollars in art, very eclectic. I did the ipod tour. Ode to Rembrandt in the middle stair case, beautiful traditional Stephan Card paintings up the forward staircase. Lots of antiques plus modern art too. I assume the ceiling in the atrium is a Dale Chahuly.

[Theresa522]

Hi Mike & Debbie! It was very nice meeting both of you.

I have to agree with Jade that Disembarkation was very easy for us. We were one of the first 20 people off the ship and were home by 8:45 am. :D

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank your for your quick report -- looking forward to the full report.

[mamaofami]

I forgot to write about disembarkation. We left our cabin at about 9:30, took an aft elevator to deck 2 and wound up on a forever line that went no where very slowly. It took forever and there must be a better way. perhaps if you started out mid ship it would have been faster.

[eskaypee]

Mike, Our disembarkation was simple! We walked out of our cabin at 9:30am, down to Deck 1, off and across the street to a taxi stand with no wait and were at the train station by 10:00am. HAL lets you stay in your cabin and leave when you wish, just had to gone by 10:00am. What time did you walk off?

The Casino is the largest we have been to on a cruise ship, but this is also the largest ship we have been on. We prefer HAL's smaller 1,200 passenger ship (Veendam), but thought the interior decoration on Eurodam was great (with the exception of the wood thing in the center of the dining room). We loved the Decor in the Tamraind, Silk Den. Lido (green colors), beautiful chairs in the Rembrandt Dining Room and over million dollars in art, very eclectic. I did the ipod tour. Ode to Rembrandt in the middle stair case, beautiful traditional Stephan Card paintings up the forward staircase. Lots of antiques plus modern art too. I assume the ceiling in the atrium is a Dale Chahuly.


I don't think it is Chahuly, because I asked on another ship and they said that the material used for these sculptures is a special resin, one made to endure the constant vibrations of the ship. They are not glass, and I believe Chahuly only works with glass.

[Mike2131]

Jade and Theresa:

I am glad yours was easy. This was our first time taking our own luggage off (which we thought was a real plus) since we were headed for Penn Station and did not have transfers. My point about the poor organization was that I believe the instructions indicated there would be timing by decks. To my knowledge there was none. In addition, there was no indication which deck would be utilized and whether it would be mid-ships or forward. We have never sailed out of NYC, but our experience has always been that the ship advised what deck, which entrance, timing, etc. Maybe this is a standard process for HAL, but better communication would be preferred.

Based off the stated desire to clear the ship by 10:00 (I wonder if that really occured), we decided to go down to deck 2 (we guessed) between 9:00 and 9:30 to wait for some announcement. Once the flow started toward the gangway we just joined the tide. It was a little chaotic at the exit with one small child running around with a cruise card and no parents in sight. Security was a little distracted and the process was not well organized.

[Mike2131]

Mike, Our disembarkation was simple! We walked out of our cabin at 9:30am, down to Deck 1, off and across the street to a taxi stand with no wait and were at the train station by 10:00am. HAL lets you stay in your cabin and leave when you wish, just had to gone by 10:00am. What time did you walk off?

The Casino is the largest we have been to on a cruise ship, but this is also the largest ship we have been on. We prefer HAL's smaller 1,200 passenger ship (Veendam), but thought the interior decoration on Eurodam was great (with the exception of the wood thing in the center of the dining room). We loved the Decor in the Tamraind, Silk Den. Lido (green colors), beautiful chairs in the Rembrandt Dining Room and over million dollars in art, very eclectic. I did the ipod tour. Ode to Rembrandt in the middle stair case, beautiful traditional Stephan Card paintings up the forward staircase. Lots of antiques plus modern art too. I assume the ceiling in the atrium is a Dale Chahuly.
We did enjoy the antiques (many of which I presume hearken back to the trading days), old photograps, ship models and the "theater" pieces. Much of the rest was not to our taste.

While the chairs in the dining room were indeed attractive, some of the chairs, for instance in the Culinary center, looked to be straight out of the Jetsons. Also, where were the cushions for the benches and chairs in the elevator lobbies? Just a lot of strange choices.

[RuthC]

Also, where were the cushions for the benches and chairs in the elevator lobbies?
Another thread mentioned they are out for repairs. Already.
Seems the kids that HAL refuses to keep in check destroyed them.

I guess the little darlins' on the second cruise set the bar, and subsequent groups of kids are surpassing it. :rolleyes:
Serves HAL right for not setting limits and enforcing them.

[Boytjie]

Based off the stated desire to clear the ship by 10:00 (I wonder if that really occured)

No, at 10 am there were still passengers walking off the ship as we waited to board for the Mariners brunch. I think we boarded around 10:30 am.

[Copper10-8]

Couple of questions please: This wasn't by any chance a "silent disembarkation" was it? I am not familiar with "timing by decks." Disembarkation is usually based on what the pax fills out (your individual transportation plans after you disembark the ship) on the disembarkation form that is delivered to your cabin. Realizing that this was a "special" 3-day cruise to nowhere, were those not delivered? Was no PA announcement made where (on what deck) the gangway was located? Thanks for taking the time and effort to write a review!

[Jade13]

I don't think it is Chahuly, because I asked on another ship and they said that the material used for these sculptures is a special resin, one made to endure the constant vibrations of the ship. They are not glass, and I believe Chahuly only works with glass.

He only does glass sculptures (but does paintings too). If that is the case it would not be his work, but the shapes would than be a copy of his chandelier on Noordam and Westerdam. I still want to know what is up with the Rembrant Dining room center "sculpture" (I can't call it a chandelier as it has no lights).

[Jade13]

Couple of questions please: This wasn't by any chance a "silent disembarkation" was it? I am not familiar with "timing by decks." Disembarkation is usually based on what the pax fills out (your individual transportation plans after you disembark the ship) on the disembarkation form that is delivered to your cabin. Realizing that this was a "special" 3-day cruise to nowhere, were those not delivered? Was no PA announcement made where (on what deck) the gangway was located? Thanks for taking the time and effort to write a review!

It was definately silent. HAL left a letter in the stateroom to just disembark by 10:00am. They actually assumed most people would take their own luggage and requested that those who wanted assistance and to leave luggage out the night before contact them for the "special tags". I thought it was clever on their part but could be confusing to someone new to HAL or cruising (they knew a large part of the ship was made up of TA and past guests). We just guessed and went straight to Deck 2 (I need to check my letter as I still have it), but when we arrived a signed pointing down the stairs said "Gangway", so we took the elevator down one more floor and walked off in the area by the front desk. They was a line in front of the elevator but it went very quickly. Once off in the terminal someone directed passengers with their luggage one way and those who needed to picked up luggage in another direction. I was really surprised we did not have to go through a security scanner but walked right off into the street. I know we went to Nowhere but were on a foreign flagged ship and US security not concerned something that should not be brought into the US could have be loaded by another ship along the coast. Perhaps someone with military, security knowlege could explain this to me?

[Mike2131]

Couple of questions please: This wasn't by any chance a "silent disembarkation" was it? I am not familiar with "timing by decks." Disembarkation is usually based on what the pax fills out (your individual transportation plans after you disembark the ship) on the disembarkation form that is delivered to your cabin. Realizing that this was a "special" 3-day cruise to nowhere, were those not delivered? Was no PA announcement made where (on what deck) the gangway was located? Thanks for taking the time and effort to write a review!
...but it just stated what I indicated before. I believe only if passengers had HAL transfers were bags to be collected and disembarkation would be timed to coincide with transfer times (there was undoubtedly an arrangement if a passenger could not handle their own bags). If you did not hold HAL transfers, you were assigned Expedited Disembarkation and were to take your own bags off. We actually thought this was a real plus since we would be taking a taxi to Penn Station.

It was to be cordinated by deck, but that was the last communication. There were no further details or even an indication where the preferred waiting area was to be. In any case, the ship was to be cleared by 10:00 AM. With what I believe was a late docking (how does that happen on a cruise to nowhere?) that seemed a real challenge. It just seemed poorly coordinated.

[Copper10-8]

Thanks for clarifying what happened!

"Silent disembarkation" still has some growing pains to overcome

[twinkletoes4445]

He only does glass sculptures (but does paintings too). If that is the case it would not be his work, but the shapes would than be a copy of his chandelier on Noordam and Westerdam. I still want to know what is up with the Rembrant Dining room center "sculpture" (I can't call it a chandelier as it has no lights).

I love his work! It's so amazing. :)

I'm always looking at his work on his website, and here are some of his pieces that are on ships.

Disney Magic
http://www.chihuly.com/installations/public/disney1.html

Disney Wonder
http://www.chihuly.com/installations/public/disney2.html

Celebrity Millennium
http://www.chihuly.com/installations/public/celebritycruises01.html

Celebrity Infinity
http://www.chihuly.com/installations/public/celebritycruises02.html

[Jade13]

I love his work! It's so amazing. :)

I'm always looking at his work on his website, and here are some of his pieces that are on ships.

Disney Magic
http://www.chihuly.com/installations/public/disney1.html

Disney Wonder
http://www.chihuly.com/installations/public/disney2.html

Celebrity Millennium
http://www.chihuly.com/installations/public/celebritycruises01.html

Celebrity Infinity
http://www.chihuly.com/installations/public/celebritycruises02.html

I really need to stop by my cousins house when I am visiting my parents. Her and her DH collect his paintings and so have a number of originals in their home. I really do prefer his glass of course.

[twinkletoes4445]

I really need to stop by my cousins house when I am visiting my parents. Her and her DH collect his paintings and so have a number of originals in their home. I really do prefer his glass of course.

I LOVE his glass work. We stayed at the Bellagio hotel and I could stand for hours looking at his work there (if my neck wouldn't cramp in the process). His paintings are amazing. Like you, I prefer the glass. He certainly is a talented man. I wouldn't be surprised if the work you saw on the ship was his.

[JPH814]

I'll add my 2 cents to the review of this cruise. I enjoyed it thoroughly. There were many plusses:
excellent spa
loved the T Pool and Thermal suite;
great bed;
very good to occassionally excellent food (nice shrimp! lamb chops);
sorry, but the casino looked pretty big to me - I never had problems getting a spot at the craps table or a seat at roulette. Maybe the card games were more crowded.
Service was the best of any of my cruises.
On monday we were in our state room at 9:40 and at the curb at 9:55. Can't compain there.

The minuses were not fatal
The show was not to my liking (enjoyed the piano bar much better). Communications could have been better, but that could have been the function of a 3 day cruise - no real rhythm to the routine I guess.
Not knowing when the life boat drill was going to be made dinner friday a guessing game...We scheduled a 8:30 dinner at Pinacle and it worked out fine.
Speaking of Pinnacle, yes the soufle was un-remarkable, but my bigger issue was the steak....great strip steak, but hit my plate a little too blond - no grill marks or searing. SO much for their ballyhood "1600 degree oven" .

By the way, my wife and I did the Ipod art tour within 2 hours of boarding the ship. Very highly recommended. A nice way to get a feel for the ship and learn a little about the artwork.

[jtl513]

I don't think it is Chahuly, because I asked on another ship and they said that the material used for these sculptures is a special resin, one made to endure the constant vibrations of the ship. They are not glass, and I believe Chahuly only works with glass.
It is definitely not Chahuly ... but it might be Chihuly! :)

I was told once that the dining room ceilings on the Noordam and Westerdam are by Chihuly, but they are made of resin because the ship designers were worried that glass would not stand up to constant vibration and possible occasional violent movements on a ship.

[shipcafe]

Northern Lights Disco - A small, oddly decorated space that just does not work.

What doesn't work with the Northern Lights? I'm just curious as I find the layout to be much better than the Vista and many have told me that they like the new layout.

[cruiserking]

What doesn't work with the Northern Lights? I'm just curious as I find the layout to be much better than the Vista and many have told me that they like the new layout.

We spent about seven minutes in the Northern Lights aboard Eurodam this past weekend. DJ Glen was in the middle of giving a line dance instruction to a horde of people on the floor. The bar area was completely mobbed and frankly it just didn't seem like an appealing place to hang out so we opted for the Ocean Bar instead.

We prefer the Northern Lights set up on the Noordam, there are many more booths and the bar area is set apart. Both lounges are small but, the vista design is nicer in our opinion.

Jonathan

[cruisecrasy]

Plse correct me if I have anything wrong here:

Embarkation for 'S' suite pax has a 'suite' line & is expediated?

U can dine in the dining room instead of the Lido once onboard specific ships?

U are allowed to remain in your cabin until u depart the ship?

Luggage for suite pax doesn't have to be placed outside the door late nite but must be by 6 am morning of disembarkation?

Disembarkation time is whenever u wish to leave the ship as long as u leave by 10 am?

Have happy cruisin'!

[Jade13]

Plse correct me if I have anything wrong here:

Embarkation for 'S' suite pax has a 'suite' line & is expediated?

U can dine in the dining room instead of the Lido once onboard specific ships?

U are allowed to remain in your cabin until u depart the ship?

Luggage for suite pax doesn't have to be placed outside the door late nite but must be by 6 am morning of disembarkation?

Disembarkation time is whenever u wish to leave the ship as long as u leave by 10 am?

Have happy cruisin'!

Yes to all. There was a expedited line in NY for Suite pax, but there was a very short line for everyone at 11:00am on Friday. On this short cruise they just left a letter to leave by 10:00am. On the longer cruise (We got off Noordam in August) we had to check off 7:30-8:30, 8:30-9:30 or 9:30-10:30am, so you basically could go when you wanted but needed to tell a time so your luggage tags matched and luggage would be in the terminal when you arrived. For the short cruise they assumed most would walk off with their owns bags.

[Mike2131]

What doesn't work with the Northern Lights? I'm just curious as I find the layout to be much better than the Vista and many have told me that they like the new layout.
...so I cannot offer a comparison with other HAL ships. It is literally right off the Casino - not a plus in our opinion. We also found the decor and design somewhat bizzare, the size (like some other venues on the ship) quite small, and the long corridor for the "back door" entrance a bit strange and a space waster.

Jonathon noted the crowding for the line dancing (we weren't there) and it was really packed for the karaoke session Sunday night. Too bad - if it was a larger and better designed venue it would be more inviting.

[Jade13]

...so I cannot offer a comparison with other HAL ships. It is literally right off the Casino - not a plus in our opinion. We also found the decor and design somewhat bizzare, the size (like some other venues on the ship) quite small, and the long corridor for the "back door" entrance a bit strange and a space waster.

Jonathon noted the crowding for the line dancing (we weren't there) and it was really packed for the karaoke session Sunday night. Too bad - if it was a larger and better designed venue it would be more inviting.

Mike, what size ships have you been on that you are comparing to Eurodam? This is of course a mid-size ship. It is really about the same size as Noordam and Westerdam and actually had less passengers (2,104) this past weekend than my last Noordam and Westerdam cruises. The difference being made up of the number of triples in cabins.

[Jade13]

...so I cannot offer a comparison with other HAL ships. It is literally right off the Casino - not a plus in our opinion. We also found the decor and design somewhat bizzare, the size (like some other venues on the ship) quite small, and the long corridor for the "back door" entrance a bit strange and a space waster.

Jonathon noted the crowding for the line dancing (we weren't there) and it was really packed for the karaoke session Sunday night. Too bad - if it was a larger and better designed venue it would be more inviting.

On Noordam they held the Karaoke/Superstar in the Theater. So, HAL can adjust the location on normal length cruises if necessary.

[Mike2131]

Mike, what size ships have you been on that you are comparing to Eurodam? This is of course a mid-size ship. It is really about the same size as Noordam and Westerdam and actually had less passengers (2,104) this past weekend than my last Noordam and Westerdam cruises. The difference being made up of the number of triples in cabins.
The closest in size to the Eurodam I have sailed on are the Dawn Princess (launched 1997, 77,000 tons, 1,950 passengers), the Coral Princess (launched 2003, 91,627 tons, 1,970 passengers), and the Summit (launched 2001, 91,000 tons, 1,950 passengers). Passenger/space ratios on the Summit and Coral are larger and the Dawn is a little lower. I sailed on all within 2 years of their launch so they were pretty state of the art. If memory serves, they all impressed us.

The crux of the matter then would seem to rest on the design. Based on the daily ship's bulletin, I counted a dozen lounges on the Eurodam. No wonder they seemed small (not intimate). I don't recall the other three vessels feeling as confined (what seemed to be low ceilings did not help). The feeling of some areas came across as either a pass-through space like the Explorer's or a compartmented space like the Piano Bar. Too bad. It seemed like a meeting room where they decided to put a piano - not inviting to us so we never visited.

I am really glad you and others enjoyed the ship. We had a very good time in spite of our opinion of the ship and the HAL experience. I am sorry the ship just did not wow us - and we don't seem to be alone in being somewhat disappointed.

[avalon1025]

We felt the same way about the Noordam, one long winding hall with small public rooms hiding here and there. I think these ships would have benefited from an increase in ceiling height on the decks with the public rooms. Its amazing how impressive the Queen Victoria's public rooms are in essentially the same hull.

[Nerina]

This was our first experience with HAL.

The ship was nice but their billing is terrible. We have been overcharged almost $320 :confused:. When we tried calling guest relations & on board billing we get a recording that tells us they will call us back within 2-3 days. This is totally unacceptable in my not so humble opinion, not to be able to speak with a rep. And it's now going on the third day today & we have yet to hear from anyone from HAL. Hopefully we will be contacted by a HAL rep today. But we have notified the dispute dept of our credit card. This really leaves a bad taste in ones mouth to have to go thru all this aggravation to correct a bill that should have been correct to begin with.

We have read that other folks who sailed on Eurodam out of NYC are experiencing the same problem. Wonder what the problem is with HAL's billing on this ship. We will certainly think twice about cruising with HAL again:( as we have never had this problem with RCCL:) .

Past Cruises:
2003 Serenade of the Seas – Canada
2004 Voyager of the Seas – Western Caribbean
2005 Jewel of the Seas – Westbound Transatlantic
2006 Explorer of the Seas – Bermuda
2006 Explorer of the Seas – Bermuda
2007 Radiance of the Seas – Hawaii Circle
2008 Explorer of the Seas – Southern Caribbean
2008 Eurodam – NYC Introduction Cruise

Future Cruises:
2009 Explorer of the Seas – Eastern Caribbean

[Jade13]

This was our first experience with HAL.

The ship was nice but their billing is terrible. We have been overcharged almost $320 :confused:. When we tried calling guest relations & on board billing we get a recording that tells us they will call us back within 2-3 days. This is totally unacceptable in my not so humble opinion, not to be able to speak with a rep. And it's now going on the third day today & we have yet to hear from anyone from HAL. Hopefully we will be contacted by a HAL rep today. But we have notified the dispute dept of our credit card. This really leaves a bad taste in ones mouth to have to go thru all this aggravation to correct a bill that should have been correct to begin with.

We have read that other folks who sailed on Eurodam out of NYC are experiencing the same problem. Wonder what the problem is with HAL's billing on this ship. We will certainly think twice about cruising with HAL again:( as we have never had this problem with RCCL:) .

Past Cruises:
2003 Serenade of the Seas – Canada
2004 Voyager of the Seas – Western Caribbean
2005 Jewel of the Seas – Westbound Transatlantic
2006 Explorer of the Seas – Bermuda
2006 Explorer of the Seas – Bermuda
2007 Radiance of the Seas – Hawaii Circle
2008 Explorer of the Seas – Southern Caribbean
2008 Eurodam – NYC Introduction Cruise

Future Cruises:
2009 Explorer of the Seas – Eastern Caribbean

HAL puts a $60.00 per person hold on your credit card, so that would be $180.00 per person on a 3 night cruise, or $360.00 for two persons. If this is the issue it should be resolved by now. What does your final statement say? What do you think you should have been charged? You mentioned this the other day but never told us the discrepancy. $10.00 per person per day is an auto-tip.

Did you confirm with your credit card company that these charges went through and are not simply pending?

[Theresa522]

HAL puts a $60.00 per person hold on your credit card, so that would be $180.00 per person on a 3 night cruise, or $360.00 for two persons. If this is the issue it should be resolved by now. What does your final statement say? What do you think you should have been charged? You mentioned this the other day but never told us the discrepancy. $10.00 per person per day is an auto-tip.

Did you confirm with your credit card company that these charges went through and are not simply pending?

Jade is competely correct. Thanks for the help with this ;) I also was charged an extra $120 but that has already dropped off my credit card. However, they are charging me an extra $5 which I have no clue why :confused: but do not want to deal with the phone calls again, so I will just call that a loss. (no big deal)

[RuthC]

The ship was nice but their billing is terrible. We have been overcharged almost $320 :confused:.
It's very important to keep all your slips for every purchase, and check them against the preliminary and final bills. If there's a mistake you can take care of it before you leave the ship that way---then double check that it stays resolved.

I've always kept, and checked, my receipts, and never had a problem---until February on the Rotterdam. The preliminary bill had a relatively minor charge from one of the shops. Anyone who knows me would know that couldn't be right. A big charge for jewelry---possible. But costume something in the $20-30 range? Nope.
I went up to have it checked. They couldn't find their copy of the slip and removed it from my bill. It was still off the next morning when the final bill came. I suspect they entered the wrong cabin number for someone else's purchase, and didn't notice that the face on the computer screen didn't match that of the purchaser.

[mamaofami]

Ruth, that's really a good idea to keep all those receipts. I know we have them somewhere, but we usually come home with so many papers that things get lost. Next cruise, I'm going to bring a folder to keep all the papers organized.

Glad to hear someone else has bought jewelry aboard. I bought some really beautiful amber pieces two cruisies ago and haven't seen anything as nice since.

We never received a final bill, and I guess I should go check out my amex card now. As of yesterday, there were no HAL charges at all.

OK. I checked and it's right.

[RuthC]

Glad to hear someone else has bought jewelry aboard.
Let me tell you about the piece I didn't buy.

When I was on the Prinsendam there was something or other I was interested in getting. The shop manager was at my table on formal night and we got to talking; she suggested I come in and she would show me some things that might do.

I was looking in the showcase and spotted a perfectly lovely emerald and diamond bracelet, so inquired about the price.
$95,000.
I gulped. :eek: I knew I had good taste! :D

As I said, I knew I didn't buy costume jewelry on that Rotterdam cruise.

[Nerina]

We finally got thru to HAL.:D Seems the charge was for something someone else must have purchased! We were advised it was being removed immediately:). Very happy, but found it quite frustrating to deal with all of this:(, especially after having such a relaxing weekend...
We keep all of our receipts too!;)



Past Cruises:
2003 Serenade of the Seas – Canada
2004 Voyager of the Seas – Western Caribbean
2005 Jewel of the Seas – Westbound Transatlantic
2006 Explorer of the Seas – Bermuda
2006 Explorer of the Seas – Bermuda
2007 Radiance of the Seas – Hawaii Circle
2008 Explorer of the Seas – Southern Caribbean
2008 Eurodam – NYC Introduction Cruise

Future Cruises:
2009 Explorer of the Seas – Eastern Caribbean

[Jade13]

We finally got thru to HAL.:D Seems the charge was for something someone else must have purchased! We were advised it was being removed immediately:). Very happy, but found it quite frustrating to deal with all of this:(, especially after having such a relaxing weekend...
We keep all of our receipts too!;)



Past Cruises:
2003 Serenade of the Seas – Canada
2004 Voyager of the Seas – Western Caribbean
2005 Jewel of the Seas – Westbound Transatlantic
2006 Explorer of the Seas – Bermuda
2006 Explorer of the Seas – Bermuda
2007 Radiance of the Seas – Hawaii Circle
2008 Explorer of the Seas – Southern Caribbean
2008 Eurodam – NYC Introduction Cruise

Future Cruises:
2009 Explorer of the Seas – Eastern Caribbean

Oh, so it really was a billing error. Glad it was resolved. Btw, did you leave really early Monday morning so that that you never saw the final bill? It seemed from the posts you did not have the bill so did not know if it was a bar issue or shop issue or other.

[Mary Ellen]

There were a LARGE number of billing errors on the E'dam on our European cruise. One of our $12 bags of laundry was over $78. When that was 'corrected', we were charged twice for that same $12 bag - another trip to the front desk. There was always a loooong line. :rolleyes: I've never been on a cruise with such lines there as on the E'dam. Our billing error(s) were minor compared to Adele's (LongTimeCruiser). I 'think' her errors were over $500, causing her daughter many trips to the front desk.

What really got me was that the Front Desk had the nerve to tell me it was my fault we were over charged for the laundry. I clearly marked that it was 'by the bag'. I don't know what more I could have done. :rolleyes:

[Jade13]

There were a LARGE number of billing errors on the E'dam on our European cruise. One of our $12 bags of laundry was over $78. When that was 'corrected', we were charged twice for that same $12 bag - another trip to the front desk. There was always a loooong line. :rolleyes: I've never been on a cruise with such lines there as on the E'dam. Our billing error(s) were minor compared to Adele's (LongTimeCruiser). I 'think' her errors were over $500, causing her daughter many trips to the front desk.

What really got me was that the Front Desk had the nerve to tell me it was my fault we were over charged for the laundry. I clearly marked that it was 'by the bag'. I don't know what more I could have done. :rolleyes:

Does that front desk person still work for HAL? I met Gerald and he was as nice as can be. I went to tell him we could not stay for Mondays Mariner Brunch, and he sent the goodie bags to our stateroom.

[Mary Ellen]

Jade - We were among those on at the very beginning - 23 days, the prelude and Inaugural. These were supposed to be experienced HAL personnel on the Front Desk. I can understand service problems in areas where crew weren't used to working together (the dining room), but front desk, billing????? These areas whould be the same from ship to ship. I had hoped the (fairly major IMHO) problems in that area had been worked out since then, but apparently they haven't. Maybe the lines have gotten shorter, we usually saw them out to the mid-ships elevator lobby.

[mamaofami]

Let me tell you about the piece I didn't buy.

When I was on the Prinsendam there was something or other I was interested in getting. The shop manager was at my table on formal night and we got to talking; she suggested I come in and she would show me some things that might do.

I was looking in the showcase and spotted a perfectly lovely emerald and diamond bracelet, so inquired about the price.
$95,000.
I gulped. :eek: I knew I had good taste! :D

As I said, I knew I didn't buy costume jewelry on that Rotterdam cruise.

Only $95,000 ? And part of that would have been duty free. ;) Imagine what the insurance on that gem would cost?