crusinthrough

Overall, it was a nice way to explore a new cruise line and Vancouver. The weather was perfect for the two days. I have no real complaints, but I probably will not rush to book another HA cruise. The casino being closed on this sailing was a bummer and the food was nothing speculator. Truthfully, food quality is declining on all cruises lines since the restart after the pandemic. I'm sure the experience is different on a longer itinerary. I also did a 3N Princess r/t Seattle cruise recently. The casino was opened part of the trip. 3N was perfect to relax and get away. I can probably do a 2N as well but 1N felt short. An advantage of short cruises is that they are a less expensive and quicker way to build loyalty status on cruise lines.

Somewhere between Vancouver and WA.

Vancouver I left my luggage at the valet desk for the Pan Pacific hotel located in Canada Place (Port of Vancouver). It costs $5 a bag (Canadian or USD cash only). Walked around Vancouver for the day hitting some major tourist attractions. I took the SkyTrain from the Waterfront station at Canada Place to Main Street - Science World station (4 stops). It cost around $4. I walked a half block to the Pacific Central train station and caught the late Amtrak train to Seattle ($50 for coach). Amtrak was on time with no delays along the way. It was a scenic and quite four hour train ride.

Disembark There was a surprise Canadian inspection the morning we disembarked, and the last call to disembark was 9:30 am. Of course, you had to keep your luggage with you. Breakfast was available in the Lido Market (buffet) and MDR. HA saved the winding gangway for the departure. Going down is much easier than going up. Customs in Vancouver was efficient and fast. Handed a Canadian Customs Officer a Canadian declaration form and kept walking.

This bar wasn't popular. I believe it was the Ocean Bar.

The Daily

Entertainment Comedian: He was moderately entertaining to me BB King’s Blues Club: This was the hot spot in the evening. A live band played 3x for one hour sessions. It was crowded. Billboard Onboard: a dual piano bar playing the top 100 by request. The two pianists were really good. I enjoyed the few songs I heard.

I would consider this a good option to avoid international flight. I agree. Vancouver itineraries are better than Seattle. Seattle itineraries are limited. They are usually to Vancouver or Victoria and Alaska. I wouldn't consider it a cruise but a one night get away, Tamarind seemed like the best option for something different than the typical Italian and steak restaurants on cruise lines. I tried 😂. Cruising was definitely a better option than flying and a lot less hectic. With less than 24 hours, there is no time for grass to grow under your feet. You have to be read to party from embark. 🙂

I did not see pizza in the Lido Market but I wasn't looking either. You are correct. it was the New York Pizza venue on deck 8 aft near the Sea View pool.

For dinner I ordered shrimp tempura, lobster shrimp potstickers and panning red curry coconut chicken. I enjoyed all the dishes. The cucumber mojito cocktail was excellent.

I took a nap and missed anything that happened before 8:30 pm. I ate dinner in Tamarind (Pan Asian cuisine). I noticed the pre cruise price for the restaurant increased by $10 in the cruise planner. I'm not sure if the increase is permanent or because pricing is dynamic and increased closer to sailing.

Casino notice

Nice view of Seattle from deck 9

The weather was nice and people were sitting outside on deck 9 in the Seaview pool area. These non dishwasher safe cups were around $13 without alcohol or it could be filled with a pre made alcoholic beverage for $17.

Since I am on dining, I’ll mention breakfast. It was better but the service was as slow as lunch. People were getting agitated waiting. I saw a few people walk out because they only received a cup of coffee in an hour. I ordered OJ and never received it. I was surprised by the one piece of bacon.

I heard good things about HA pizza. I tried a piece after my salad. It wasn't the best or worst cruise pizza I had. Princess is still my favorite.

Dining - hit and misses. There was nothing memorable. Since it was only one night, I did not have the chance to try a lot. The MDR was opened for lunch on boarding day. Princess also has this option, which I like. It's a nice way to start a cruise. Unfortunately, lunch service was slow and wasn’t satisfying. The Beecher's Mac and Cheese was nothing short of awful. I did not like the tomato aioli or bacon jam on the cheeseburger. I ventured up to the buffet. It was crowded but because it was late seating was not a problem. had a made to order salad, which was good.

Elevators - The middle set of elevators has three different elevators banks. You have to request each elevator bank separately, which is annoying. There is no good place to stand to get to all elevators quickly. Just be prepared to move quickly when the doors open. Elevators were small and could get cramped quickly. The rug is pretty much the interior of the elevators.

Drinks - Disappointing that a one night drink package, wasn't offered. The average cost for a cocktail is $13. Internet – Wasn’t worth the money for less than 24 hours. Surf: $29 a day or Premium: $34.99 a day. I suffered through no cell phone coverage for the few hours I was on onboard.. lol. It was hard. I had social media withdrawals. I know I did not miss anything. 🙂 Photos - Photographers taking photos inside the terminal and around the ship. Most were candid shots and not the standard cruise pictures and stale poses cruise photographers love. Only one size photos (5x7) for sale at $19.99 each. The only digital option is a five picture package with digital prints for $99. It's 2023 digital should be the main option. I shouldn't have to search for pictures on a wall anymore. Despite this inconvenience, I found my pictures and yes, I purchased some. I know, I could have saved my money but purchasing pictures feels like a tradition on a cruise ship.

Stateroom - Oceanview (6004). Room keys are left outside of stateroom. The room was spacious. I was pleasantly surprised there was a bathtub in the bathroom. There were two bathrobes in the closet nicely folded in a bag. I'm accustomed to bathrobes only being in suites or for passengers with high tier loyalty. Definitely a plus for the room. I thought I did but I did not take any pictures of the bathroom. The room is always forward. It's the last room in the hallway. The area outside of the window is only for crew. A con was the long walk to the room and aft of the ship.

You walk on the gangway turn left and then you are on the ship.

Port of Seattle - Smith Cover Pier 91. I was told this wasn't a picture taking moment,. Good grief. I like the date in my pictures. My memory isn't what it use to be. lol

Recently back from my first HA cruise. A one night cruise on the Eurodam. It cost about $275 for an oceanview guarantee as a single. In retrospect the price was a bit much for one night on an older and small ship. The itinerary was Seattle to Vancouver. Unfortunately, the ship never sailed into international water and the casino did not open. This was a bummer for many. A quite casino is never fun to see. There isn't much you can experience in one night but here are my thoughts and a few pictures. Overall, the ship feels a bit dated especially the stateroom but it’s in good shape. I'm not sure I would try a longer HA cruise. There wasn't enough of a wow factor for me. Perhaps I need to try a new ship. Passengers were of all ages with few, if any kids. For those of us on the one night, it was considered a party cruise. The one night itinerary was a part of multiple other sailings through the month of October departing from either Seattle, Vancouver or San Diego. Pre check in was easy from my computer. I did not try using the app. Check in at the pier was simple if you had a passport. Those without a passport had to go to a different line and talk with someone at the counter. You did not have to walk up a winding gangway to get on the ship. My check in time was 12:30 pm. I arrived around noon. There was no line. I was on the ship and eating lunch by 1:00 pm. Rooms were ready when boarding. I dropped my bag off in the room and headed to lunch. App - I had no problems with the app. I wish there was a countdown clock like Princess and Carnival. Only mentioning these two lines because it's the same parent company. I could not figure out how to add my boarding pass to my Apple wallet. I think this is always a convenient option and I like saving my expired passes in my wallet as a memory. Kudos to the app feature of saving entertainment events pre cruise. This has not been an option on Celebrity or Royal Caribbean, Crew Appreciation - $16 a day. I never saw my stateroom attendant. I'm sure on a regular cruise this is not the case. Muster - You have to watch the safety briefing on your stateroom tv. Should be an option to view on your cell phone. Having to walk back to my room to watch the video wasted time.

Nice addition if seating around the bar is also added. This is one of the things that makes Michael's Club better, imo. I also don't get why Celebrity opted to change the martini bar on the Edge class ships. Why not having the ice coverage surface? It's a nice signature feature to make you feel at "home" when trying a new class of ships.