HAL Eurodam to the Caribbean Oct 17

I was on vacation last week and took a one-week cruise on HAL's Eurodam to the Caribbean, stopping in Grand Turk, San Juan (just before the explosion at the gas repository), St. Thomas, and Half Moon Cay. Here's a short report.

I had open-seating dining, and I never had to wait except for one night for a table for two (about 20 minutes .. I was given a beeper). All in all, the food was outstanding. I ate at both Pinnacle Grill and Tamarind, and both were very good. Tamarind was really outstanding and memorable. Strangely, both were really empty for the entire cruise. I also ate at the Italian restaurant in the Lido, and the food there was also very good. My only complaint about HAL in terms of cuisine and wine is that wine is particularly egregiously overpriced. Drinks are pretty reasonable .. mostly $5.50 to $6.50, but wines are marked up over 4x the retail price, and that's something I have a hard time stomaching since HAL gets everything probably duty-free. I did have a wine card, which brings the prices down to a much more reasonably priced $3 a glass, but the choices were very limited: Merlot, Cabernet, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, White Zinfandel. All the wines were acceptable, but I got tired of them, and we ended up buying a couple of bottles at Pinnacle and Tamarind (Pinnacle's wine list included only very expensive bottles, which was a huge disappointment ... Tamarind was much better and more wide-ranging.)

Entertainment was ok. Not great, but not bad either. We skipped the shows most nights to go to one of the lounges for the string quartet or the band (of which there were two). The piano bar was also nice.

We didn't take any shore excursions except for a stingray snorkel at Half Moon Cay, which is the best of the private islands as far as I am concerned.

I did hate to dock in Crown Bay in St. Thomas. It costs $4 per person to go into Charlotte Amalie, and as one person on the safari taxi-bus remarked ... that's over $30 for a family of four. It's hard to stomach when you know there's a great mall and even activities within walking distance at Havensight.

Cabins on this ship and the ship's layout were great. We only experienced the long Lido lines a couple of mornings. At other times, it was quite manageable.

I rented a private cabana on the Retreat deck, which was a welcome luxury and a respite from the crowds. Most days we had lunch up there brought to us by the attendants, who were tremendous. Ice cream, chocolate-covered strawberries, and Champagne every afternoon. Evian misters to keep us cool. My only grip there is that it's not convenient or particularly easy to get to either of the pools. You'd think a cruise ship could have a set of stairs straight down to the pool from that deck. Bad planning in my opinion.

The spa was great and surprisingly reasonably priced. I had the best massage I've ever experienced on a cruise ship there.

All in all a very great cruise for a decent price. Very pleased and happy with the experience, and I'd certainly cruise HAL (and the Eurodam) again, despite the mixed reviews the ship gets on Cruise Critic.

I'd be happy to answer anyone's questions about HAL or Eurodam.

I did hate to dock in Crown Bay in St. Thomas. It costs $4 per person to go into Charlotte Amalie, and as one person on the safari taxi-bus remarked ... that's over $30 for a family of four. It's hard to stomach when you know there's a great mall and even activities within walking distance at Havensight.

True, but it's the same distance from Havensight to downtown as it is from Crown Bay to downtown. I've done the walk from Havensight (two years ago), and while it is doable, it's not a "pretty" walk. I think less so is walking from Crown Bay; we took the taxi just a week ago. I also think when Crown Bay is finished - there were a couple of vacant stores - it won't make much of a difference where the ship docks.

And while it does add up, isn't the $4 per person one-way cheaper than in other Caribbean countries?

We will be on the Eurodam (HAL ship) which is docking in Crown Bay this December. We were thinking of shopping/browsing in St Thomas and I am a bit confused about things.

Sounds like there isn't much shopping in Crown Bay. Is that correct? If there isn't good shopping in Crown Bay area, is a taxi easy to get to Charlotte Amalie?

We were cruising in St. Thomas years ago but don't remember where we stopped or shopped then but know for sure it wasn't Crown Bay. Is Charlotte Amalie where the shopping is or Havensight? Is Havensight a mall within Charlotte Amalie? I've tried to research online, but I'm even more confused now.

Any opinions on best beaches to visit would be appreciated.

Thank you-

Taxis are plentiful in Crown Bay. All one needs to do is walk toward the front of the complex and there'll be a whole line of them. Just tell them where you want to go: Downtown, Havensight, or wherever. They're the open sided bus/taxi vehicles.

There is some shopping in Crown Bay, as in Havensight. Both are the port complexes as a part of Charlotte Amalie. Think of either as the stores within an airport: You can do some shopping there, but you can also do your shopping in the city.

Personally, I would do my shopping downtown, in Charlotte Amalie proper. There's more variety and more stores. Can't help with beaches, though, as we're not a beach-going people when we're on a cruise (that's what we get from coming from the Jersey Shore. :D)