Short review of Thanksgiving week on the Eurodam

[moggi1964]

I came home to a flood in the basement so I need to keep this to bullet points:

 

Stayed in Westin Diplomat night before: great value at $80 through Priceline

 

Boarding procedure at the port was very efficient and the wait time only 30 minutes or so.

 

Didn't hear any announcement when cabin was ready so just went down at around 2pm and found people heading to their cabins; did the same.

 

Cabin 5049 was very spacious; comfortable and quiet.

 

Cabin steward was brilliant and he entertained out 9 year old with towel folding displays. Cabin was always clean and ready for us.

 

Food in the Pinnacle on the first night was very good; service matched the food.

 

Food in Lido for lunch was fine. Nothing outstanding but nothing that I was not willing or able to eat (from the choices I made).

 

Food in MDR was good with the odd dish being very good. Service was prompt and apart from the odd uncertainty about what was on the menu (the nightly Fruit Crisp was not correctly described on two occasions early in the cruise) we were happy with our waiter and his assistant.

 

Food in Tamarind on last night was excellent as was the service.

 

Wine was fairly priced and we made a point of trying quite a few different ones. Our wine waiter (Joshua) was knowledgeable and helpful. He entertained our son on the second formal night with tricks and puzzles and our son responded likewise :D (He's a bright kid).

 

Shows were good and the magician in particular was very good.

 

Our son enjoyed Club Hal though did say the events they did were too short to really get into them. There were 300 kids on board apparently but you wouldn't have thought so.

 

Daily events on board were entertaining to watch and/or participate in.

 

Bingo was fun and we had a small win which meant our son could buy the magicians DVD/trick pack (a promise we had made given that we were not willing to spend $85 on the pack unless we got lucky at bingo). We actually won the bingo cards at one of the Trivia evenings so the game of bingo was free too :cool:

 

Jason the CD was very entertaining and a natural at his job.

 

All the staff were friendly and helpful.

 

Long sleeve shirts are recommended when indoors as they do keep the ship on the cooler side; perhaps a little too cool?

 

We could not dock at Grand Turk due to high winds but we were forewarned and kept up to date by the Captain so it didn't come as a surprise. Every other stop worked out well and I can recommend the Stingray adventure on HMC; quite an experience.

 

You would never have believed there were 2100 other passengers on the ship with you; there was lots of space and seldom a wait.

 

Disembarkation was efficient and we chose a late departure so just had breakfast in the MDR them hung out in the Explorer Cafe till our call.

 

Niggles:

 

Pool towels left on Lido loungers by people who had left the deck. One could never be sure the lounger was available as a result.

 

Poor photography by the on-board photog's. They seemed inexperienced in getting appropriate backdrops and engaging you in a manner that would produce the best results.

 

Announcements by the Captain were not audible in the MDR.

 

The port of call sheet focused too much on 'recommended shopping spots' and could have provided more information on alternatives.

 

Ian, the tour guide or whatever his title was, just wasn't very good at it. I think he gets by on having a British accent and a half-decent script. Time for a change of face for that role I'm afraid :eek:

 

 

We stayed an extra day in FL and had booked the Riverside on Las Olas for $65 on Priceline. Wouldn't have wanted to have paid much more, the room was musty and reminded us of the motels we stay at on a road trip from NJ to IN. Location was good though and we ate a small French restaurant on Las Olas Broadway that was simply divine (the one on the same side as the hotel).

 

Went on an Everglades Air Boat ride which was fun and good value. You can organize it through the Concierge at the hotel.

 

Overall, we had a fabulous time and the tiny niggles were NEVER something that caused any regret of choosing HAL or the Eurodam. We are already dreaming of our next cruise :cool:

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[Himself]

Your review was crisp and to the point. Thanks for sharing it and I hope your basement never floods again.

[moggi1964]

Thanks.

 

Second time in a month; first time toilet overflowed as ballcock got stuck open (so I replaced with a more modern setup) and then this time the fridge water supply sprang a leak :eek:

 

Problem is it never floods enough to get us a nice new basement :rolleyes:

 

Guys are here now checking on the blowers and dehumidifiers they installed late last night...................and I still have the vacation laundry to do!!!!

 

Who cares; I just had the most wonderful vacation :cool:

[erewhon]

Moggi1964,

 

Thank you for your easy to read review.

 

Pleased that you had a good holiday.

 

Hope your basement is dried out, and you are able to deal with your laundry.:)

[Alcarondas]

I think your house must have gotten jealous, and decided to arrange a little "cruise" of its own. ;)

[sail7seas]

Thanks for your review. I love the 'bullet points'.

 

We were on Eurodam again in October and really enjoyed ourselves.

Very sorry your missed Grand Turk and especially sorry you came home to a flood. Happy it is now under control.

 

Welcome Back.