HAL Eurodam 11/08/15....First HAL cruise

Greetings everyone!

I am going to TRY to do a review! I kinda feel like it would be a good idea especially since this was our first Holland America cruise AND we are SLIGHLY(Me, only slightly! :) ) out of their perceived demographic. Ashlee is 32 and me, GASP, 53. Yeah I'm doing good!

I'ved been fortunate to have cruised a good bit. We both have. We both work and get basically two 7-10 day vacations a year and we choose cruising.

Obviously in no way are we cruise-line specific. I remember my first move from Carnival to NCL... Wow was I apprehensive! Now I know, cruise lines are more alike than different. The difference really IS in the details.

My cruise vacation started off to well...not the best start. Alarm goes off at 3:15AM. I get up to use the bathroom....toilet won't flush!:mad: At 3:15AM the morning of a flight! Oh well...move on! NEXT? Loaded up the truck and on the way to my 6AM flight(about 4-415am) and INSTANTLY the truck tells me LOW FUEL! So yeah I risk it all the way to the airport! FINALLY....a trip that is supposed to land me in FLL at around noon lands at 430PM! Couldn't land in CLT due to fog and had to go to Asheville, NC to refuel so I missed my connection AND the first alternate! At any rate, I got to FFL in one piece!

Ft Lauderdale, IMO is a great place to cruise out of. The airport is so close it really makes it easy. A short taxi ride from FLL to Avis at Hyatt Pier 66 was quick and easy. I HIGHLY recommend this Avis. Perfect all the way around. We had planned on meeting some folks also on the cruise BUT due to the fight issue it never panned out. Well into dark thirty before we got to Lago Mar.

The FLL Boat Show was in town. Traffic was HORRENDOUS. North on A1A anywhere around the Bahia Mar was a joke. Two places we ate at were Forks and Balls AND 15th St Fisheries. Both were GREAT! We ended up in Forks and Balls completely by accident while trying to go to Rocco's Tacos. But it was GREAT and a huge surprise! I LOVE it when it turns out that way! Next day the plan was to eat late lunch/early supper to avoid the traffic. Worked out GREAT! We ate at 15th Fisheries Dockside. Great location and ambiance IMO. I got Fried Shrimp. The shrimp were huge and it was really good!

ASHLEE got Joe's Sizzler Skillet. That's what I should have gotten. It's what ANYONE should GET!! It was AWESOME! Yeah we SHARE! Especially when Ashlee's is better than MINE!

I think it may have sloshed around a little more it got to us. GREAT nevertheless and a pretty big portion!

Lago Mar.... First, the location is FANTASTIC, second to NONE, AWESOME, etc. We got a beachfront suite. Very nice room. Great balcony, which is the main reason we got it. Lots of room. The view and beach is probably as good as it gets in Fort Lauderdale. Easy walk to the cruise port entrance, Stranahan River.

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So far so good Chuck. I appreciate you taking the time to share your trip with all of us. I think you'll like HAL. It's not a party ship atmosphere but it's not boring either. The crew is what sets HAL apart for me warm friendly and kind. Hope you enjoy your vacation and the weather is fantastic. Looking forward to reading about the rest of your adventure.

Thanks,

Michael

Looking forward to hearing more of your HAL experience.

Love your review.

Looking forward to the rest.

All one has to do is just walk south on the beach and you WILL get to the entrance/exit for the cruise ships. I'm kind of a cruise ship fanatic and get into all that so it was great. A LOT of folks obviously head down to this area and it was pretty crowded. A few pics....

Getting to the ship was EASY. We loaded up and drove the rental car back to the Avis at Hyatt Pier 66 and loaded up on the shuttle to the ship. Easy and waited only about 30 minutes for the shuttle. Getting aboard was EQUALLY easy and fast. At the very least TIED with the fastest I've ever been aboard. Funny thing though...while checking in and getting our cards and all the lady who checked us in told us there would NOT be a Mariner's Lunch in the MDR and to go to the lido to eat lunch. This was one of the main reason's I kind of rushed to get on the ship was to get to eat lunch in the MDR. Asked here again and she said that NO LUNCH IN THE MDR(Later to find out that YES, they DID have lunch in the MDR.) So away to the lido we went.

FIRST stop was to check out the CABIN which was IMMEDIATELY ready! This was a FIRST in my history of cruising! And we were aboard early too! Walked to the cabin about 1230. We had Neptune suite 8162. We were surprised that along with the alcohol we ordered pre-cruise to be in our cabin, we got a bottle of champagne from HAL! So now we had three bottles! SCORE!

Enjoying your report and photos.:) Keep up the good work!

The cabin was GREAT! Really a good size with plenty of room.

The cabin was GREAT but the balcony was AWESOME! One of the main concerns I have with some other lines is the size of the balconies. Some, barely large enough to fit two chairs and a small table. This even with some suites. To me, the ocean is THE reason for cruising. A nice lounge chair is a MUST. WOW! To say the Eurodam delivered is an UNDERSTATEMENT! WHAT A BALCONY!

Port side

Aft side

Folks, this balcony was a religious experience! DO yourself a favor.... If you've never stayed in one of these cabins, do whatever it takes. It's worth it for the balcony ALONE!

To lunch...

I thought the Lido Restaurant was good enough. Of course we had fish and chips and several other things. Food quality was certainly above average. Of course, as is usually the case for lido dining, finding a table seemed to always be an issue as was navigation around those in line for food. Usually it's a little tight. Of any ship I've been on Jewel of the Seas and Ruby Princess had the best and most thought out Lido situation. Never the less, we MANAGED to say the least!

NEXT...to the Crow's Nest!

Sooo.. Pretty long line to get into the Mariner's Embarkation meet. BUT it was a lot of fun! Talked and met a lot of folks. One thing....it seems as if the majority of Holland America cruisers have been on a LOT of cruises! Holland America took good care of us here with eats and drinks! The champagne seemed to always be only a few feet away!

I thought this was a good time! We both enjoyed it. This kind of set a continuing theme, and that was HAL fellow cruisers are great. OVER and OVER we both said to each other how GREAT everyone was, crew AND PASSENGERS! Enjoyed talking and meeting everyone. And HAL showed NO skimping on the champagne! You know, that makes for some pretty good conversation! HAHA!

So DOWN to our cabin/balcony for our OWN sail away toast, courtesy of the EURODAM!

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Really enjoying your review so far. Can't wait for the next episode!:D

OH MY GOD IT'S MARIA!!!!

Maria is the BEST steward I've ever known. Also the most courteous and fun one too. I email with her somewhat often, so nice to "see" her again!

Awesome report! Again, sorry about the traffic.

Hello Chuck,

We're taking a B2B on the Eurodam in 2016 can you tell me if there was much noise coming from the deck above your cabin. Like dragging the loungers around in the morning or anything. We have the same cabin but on the sixth deck, yours on the eighth is also available but I was worried about the chances of lido deck activities. I appreciate your help and look forward to the rest of your review. So far it looks like you were having a blast.

Thanks,

Michael

Enjoying your review.

Hello AGAIN! :)

Next it was OFF to the Neptune Lounge! Looking forward to our first embarkation reception. It TOO was a lot of fun. Mimosa's and champagne left and right. Nice folks everywhere. I'm now going to have to plug our concierge's, Kim and Ice. They were AWESOME! They did ANYTHING and EVERYTHING one could ask of them. I've had concierges on both NCL and Royal Caribbean....these two were far and away the best.

Finally...we are off to the MDR for dinner! We met our servers, Arif and Hary(I BELIEVE this is how they spelled their name.) WONDER servers! THE BEST! Here's our first night's menu:

A good selection and lots that I like! As a starter, Ashlee picked the Heart of Romaine Lettuce Nicoise and I picked the Bay Shrimp Cobb with Celery Slaw:

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(1st day MDR dinner con't)

Next up was French Onion soup....it too was pretty good....

For our entrees....Ashlee got the Grilled Salmon with Ginger Cilantro Pesto and I got the Shrimp, Andouille, and Grits:

Both were GREAT!

Dessert? Was one of the many "crisps" that were offered....enjoyed it:

These two entrees were PARTICULARLY good! I love Cajun cooking and my entree was my favorite of the cruise. The salmon entree is served several nights and was really good.

So I'm not planning on going thru a night by night every night description of the MDR. I just want to give a representation of the food and the experience. And that food and experience in the MDR was GREAT! I have to say it was the best MDR I've ever had. The servers never seemed hurried or overwhelmed. Orders were PERFECT every time. Wait time for ANY kind of service was the best I've ever experienced on a cruise ship. Course to course was promptly served. OVERALL...I'll give Holland America and our servers the best on the seas award for dining room SERVICE and FOOD.

After dinner, we went to The MainStage for SHOWTIME: Live from the BB King's Blues Club! All I can say is WOW! I was so IMPRESSED! A REAL BAND! NO CANNED MUSIC! This group consisted of a drummer, keyboards, bass, guitar, trumpet, and sax with two singers! I wasn't expecting this to be THIS GOOD but it WAS! This show kept getting better and better! Really, it's not to be missed! And REALLY....EVERY type of entertainment we saw here was GREAT! Comedian/Magician Fred Moore was one night and comedian Wayne Cotter was another night...both had first class shows and were GREAT! Absolutely nothing wrong with HAL entertainment!

So....our first day and night aboard our first Holland America cruise aboard the Eurodam is coming to an end. So what are our initial impressions and thoughts? We both thought the Eurodam was probably the EASIEST to navigate of any ship we've been on. Anywhere you wanted to get to was a breeze. The food so far...very good to REALLY good. Next, we've had a good bit to drink today and and so far, it was ALL on HOLLAND AMERICA! SCORE TWICE! Lastly... AGE of fellow cruiser. All we could say is that it is such a NON ISSUE. We thought our fellow passengers were simply GREAT!

Day one sure was a GREAT START to a GREAT CRUISE!

Hello Chuck,

 

We're taking a B2B on the Eurodam in 2016 can you tell me if there was much noise coming from the deck above your cabin. Like dragging the loungers around in the morning or anything. We have the same cabin but on the sixth deck, yours on the eighth is also available but I was worried about the chances of lido deck activities. I appreciate your help and look forward to the rest of your review. So far it looks like you were having a blast.

 

Thanks,

Michael

 

 

Hi Michael!

I was a little concerned about noise when I booked this cabin. Deck 6 and deck 8 corner Neptune suites were available at the time I booked. I knew there would be a possibility of some noise when I booked this cabin and there was...a little. The only time I heard it was 6-7am SOMETIMES. And even then it wasn't much and didn't last long. I ALSO knew that the aft portion of the balcony was deeper on deck 8 so for ME at least, it was a no-brainer. I would probably book this same cabin if I had it to do over again. One floor up to everything on the lido deck is SOOOO CONVENIENT!!!

We were on that cruise with you. It was a great time, wasn't it!?

Loving your review, looking forward to more!

Thanks for taking the time to post this.

I'm enjoying living vicariously through you on your first HAL cruise. So glad you are having a good time.

So....now to our first port, Key West.

First thing.....Head to Pinnacle Grill for BREAKFAST!

WHY didn't I take any pictures here??? This really WAS a great suite perk! I didn't know how nice it was until we went to the lido buffet to try it out. NOW....I can't say enough about this benefit. No hustle, no bustle. No fuss, no muss. It was GREAT! No hunting for a table. Everything was really good too.

Next is a little Key West/Outer Mole rant....

The only other time I cruised to Key West we docked at what is called "Pier B." Easy on and off. This time we docked at the "Outer Mole" pier and docking here sure lessens this port of calls cruise experience. Once off the ship you basically just board a trolley to Mallory Square. To return to the ship you get on a trolley where you were dropped off at Mallory Square back to the ship. Doing all this takes a good bit away from your time in port. Probably about an hour at least. So even though we were in port from 8a to 330p, the amount of time you are actually standing on Key West soil is going to be a good bit less. ALSO.... Things in Key West don't get going as early as they do in some other ports. Most restaurants and bars open not before 11PM. In saying all this...It would have been GREAT if our departure time would have been an hour or more later. It would have made a huge difference for us.

We did City View Trolley... Overall it's a good way to do it. I will say that it DOES matter who your driver is as he's the tour guide too. Getting on and getting off you probably will have a different driver. Some are just better at being tour guides than others. We noticed a big difference.

We got off at the Butterfly Conservatory. It is really good! A little pricey for admission but really good. Lots and LOTS of butterflies and even BIRDS! It was neat.

Our PLAN was to do our own "Key West Pub Crawl." So our FIRST stop was naturally at the:

It was OPEN as they served breakfast too!

This is a coconut mojito and ??... I like this place. If we hadn't filled up at the Pinnacle Grill we would have eaten some breakfast here....maybe next time. Of COURSE we went to the Southernmost Point next... We have a total of THREE cameras and the best picture is on the camera Ashlee has but I'll give you the picture I have:

Afterwards back on the trolley. We rode around to stop #7 as it was close to several bars we wanted to go to. We tried several and finally found one of the ones on our list that was OPEN. It was Schooner's Warf Bar which was a nice little place.

By NOW it was a little past 11AM.....so BACK to the one of the places we had tried earlier that was closed, Bo's Fish wagon. By now with all the walking around we were pretty hungry! It was a no brainer that seafood was going to be the food group of choice! So I had previously done a good bit of research of where the best "dives" were in the area and this seemed to be IT! So conch fritters and fish tacos were our choices. Can't wait...but while we DID wait:

And when our food was ready:

WOW! It was GREAT! I mean GREAT! HIGHLY recommended!

Next up was Sloppy Joe's....I bet Ashlee has the pics from here too. It was a pretty fun place. Lots of people and a guy playing the piano that was pretty good.

Next up was Hog's Breath.... It was okay but really nothing special. Afterwards we did a little shopping but no buying. WOW were we surprised how expensive stuff is in Key West! Buy the time we got thru shopping....time to board the trolley back to the SHIP! :( So that's what we did....

Got aboard the ship and went to the cabin.... It was kind of funny see the Carnival Conquest at the good pier. The Conquest was sitting right were it was when I was aboard her the other time I was in Key West....

I love this review! Thanks for posting.

LOVE all the happy CAPS!:D

Love your enthusiasm. We love Eurodam too. Just an all-around fine ship.