Suffering from Eurodam Withdrawal Syndrome...

[MovingForward]

As I came home from a stressful day of work, I entered into my home to find my bed not made up. No chocolates, and no cheerful towel animal. I dragged myself to the kitchen table to partake of a meal that consisted of Church's chicken and a cup of water. That's right, vacation is over. I'm no longer on the wonderful Eurodam.

I sailed on that lovely dam ship 12/11/2010-12/18/2010. Demographically, I’m probably in the bottom percentile of Holland travelers. 27 years old, male, solo. Despite what many people think, I found people of all ages on the Eurodam. I fortunately didn't encounter any rudeness. Everyone was either nice or nothing. Many people (staff and other passengers) would call me by name as I wondered around the ship. I think the size of the Eurodam suits me perfectly. Not too small that it feels cramped (I dislike crowds), but not so large that the personal touch is lost.

The ship herself is beautiful. I think it was very tastefully decorated. The Christmas decorations were just icing on the cake. The only thing I didn't like was the big pink nipple/jellyfish/chandelier eyesore hanging in the atrium. It was just weird and ugly. But the rest of the ship was elegant and comfortable. It was also very clean. The staff did a great job of keeping things tidy and ship-shape (pun intended). That can't be an easy thing to do with so many people to clean up after.

Stateroom - I had an ocean view stateroom. Nice large window, very comfortable bed. My room stewards were very nice. (warning to ladies or very private people - please use the secondary lock on the door. Otherwise, a service person will knock and come right in. I'm a fully clothed kind of dude so this didn't really bother me much) I would choose this room again. I travel alone so the space seemed perfect for me. I wouldn't like this room as much if I had to share it though. I'm a Texan so plenty of space is important to me. I had room 1010 on the main deck. Very close to the MainStage but I never had a problem with noise. The bathroom only had a shower - no tub. A/C worked as it should.

Food - In the MDR the food was delicious and service great. Tamarind - food and service was excellent! I only went to the Lido one day for lunch. I don't like buffets or crowds and it seemed to be highly populated all the time. But, the lunch was good. I had two fajitas. Very fresh and tender meat. However, the fruit punch was like syrup. Better than tasteless though, you can always add water. I did not go to the Pinnacle grill, or any of the Lido pool venues. In room dining was my favorite for dinner. I love to eat dinner and watch a movie. The burgers on the room service menu was not to my liking. However, ordering room service from the MDR menu is wonderful! In room breakfast was good.

Entertainment & Activities- The comedian was funny. The magician was entertaining. I wish there was more of him. I felt like his act was just a tease. They should give him more nights and more time. The singing and dancing in the mainstage was ok.(especially if you have a few drinks ) I think Piano Man Michael should take the stage a couple of nights. He'll have you rocking and jamming all night! The casino looked fun but I didn't play. I will next time. Art auction was interesting. I went to one Kitchen demonstration (crab cakes) but it felt rushed and not very interesting. The cook couldn't get the stove to turn on so we had to clap (or in my case roll eyes) to a demonstration of raw crab cakes. I was expecting a more Food Network experience. The singing competition in the Queens lounge was fun and sometimes painful to listen to, but over-all entertaining. I think the queen's lounge could use more space.

All the bars had good service. My favorite bar was the Explorer's bar. Valentino was very courteous and made me feel most welcome. It also didn't hurt to have the Adagio string quartet playing in the same area. Very nice.

Explorations cafe had a decent selection of books, chess, nice sitting/sea viewing area, and treats that smelled very good.

 

Embarkation/Debarkation: Very organized and painless.

People I remember -

Valentino/Explorer's Lounge - Great!

Jason/Cruise Director - Funny!

Jill/Party Planner - Great!

Danielle/Port Expert - Great and Funny

Bobby/Room Steward - Great!

I'm terrible with names, but all of the room stewards, waiters, maître d, etc. were cheerful, courteous, and went out of their way to ensure I had a pleasant experience.

Half Moon Cay was beautiful and a wonderful way to end this cruise.

Over-all:

I didn't mean to write this much, but the thoughts came flowing. I very much enjoyed the Eurodam and will definitely cruise Holland America again very soon. This was my first cruise and I was not disappointed. See you again soon Eurodam!

[terigo]

I understand, entirely.

First time I had to get my own dang meal....devastating experience! :)

We were on the week before you....I thought that "chandelier" was kinda strange too... but overall the ship was so beautiful, we gave that bit of whimsy a pass....

 

We found the age group very varied as well... including a surprising number of (well-behaved) children.

 

Loved just about everything about our cruise, the staff, and our cabin... I just wish HAL would get with the program on "interactive TV" in the cabins, like other cruise lines.... so much useful info could be obtained without calling a concierge or front desk!

[MovingForward]

Interactive TV would be great!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome Home!!

 

Hope you put down a deposit for a future cruise!!

 

Glad you had a wonderful cruise.

[High Flyer]

You forgot to mention the wonderful weather we had in Grand Turk and St. Thomas. :)

[terigo]

You forgot to mention the wonderful weather we had in Grand Turk and St. Thomas. :)

Probably because it is more noteworthy when the weather *isn't* wonderful in the winter...

[MovingForward]

The weather was beautiful! I even got lucky in San Juan as it didn't start raining until after my excursion was over. I'm sure I forgot to mention a whole lot. Charge it to my brain. I'm going to post another note under the Ports section soon. I was just making a few comments on the Eurodam while it was still fresh in my head. :)

 

BTW - Happy Holidays to everyone!!!!!

[Aruba]

What a great (ie. interesting) review -- thanks!

[Aruba]

By the way, I've cruised solo this year also. I too am a man but alas cannot even remember being 27. Did you experience any issues as a solo traveler if you don't mind my asking? Any uncomfortableness?

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[MovingForward]

By the way, I've cruised solo this year also. I too am a man but alas cannot even remember being 27. Did you experience any issues as a solo traveler if you don't mind my asking? Any uncomfortableness?

 

The only thing I really didn't care for as a solo traveler is eating in the main dining room on the second formal night. I ended up dining at a table alone so it was just a little awkward because I seemed to be the only one doing that. However, the food was delicious and the servers spoiled me rotten! I ate alone in the Tamarind as well, but the Tamarind is smaller and has a more calm ambience than the MDR so it didn't feel awkward to me.

 

The first formal night, I dined at a table with two sisters from New York. They had kids my age, but we got along just fine. The food was delicious and I enjoyed the conversation.

 

I attended the lunch for solos in the MDR. It was very nice. I'm a very quiet person, but the conversations were interesting. I had the opportunity to speak with some more experienced cruisers. It was interesting hearing different stories and views.

 

So my tip would be to request to be seated with others, especially on formal nights. It would be a more enjoyable experience that way. Other than that, i'm a very self-entertaining person who can take or leave company. I will cruise solo again in a heartbeat! And most definitely on the Eurodam!

 

...... In addition, the staff and other passengers treated me very well. I felt very pampered throughout the cruise. I had people to remember my name (eventhough I embarrassingly couldn't remember theirs :D). Other passengers would ask if I would like them to take a photo of me, etc. This was my first solo vacation, and my best so far.

[m steve]

now how can I convinced myself to pay $4000 for a deluxe suite after paying $1100 on that cruise.

[HeftySmurf]

Feb 19-26 will be my first time on a cruise ship. I've noticed many of you stating that getting off the ship is "a breeze". Time wise, arrival to port is scheduled for 7:00am Saturday morning...around what time can I expect to be in a taxi cab on my way to the airport? Thank you in advance.

[MovingForward]

Feb 19-26 will be my first time on a cruise ship. I've noticed many of you stating that getting off the ship is "a breeze". Time wise, arrival to port is scheduled for 7:00am Saturday morning...around what time can I expect to be in a taxi cab on my way to the airport? Thank you in advance.

 

At the advice of a Holland America Rep, I booked a 2:55p flight. Our ship docked at 7am. I purchased luggage direct and was off the ship around 8:30a. I was not happy having to sit in the airport so long. However, it beats being like some of the other people I saw - frantically running through the airport only to find they missed their flight (and the next few flights were full).

 

I was told that there are many things that could go wrong such as the ship not being able to dock for some reason, delays getting through customs, etc. I don't know how long it usually takes, but I can tell you that Luggage Direct and passengers who opted for Priority/Express Disembarkation got off first. Hope this helps.

[Alcarondas]

Solo traveller tip: Try to get the fixed-seating option for dinner. You'll have the same table companions for the entire cruise. If you request (and it's only a request, but I've always had it granted) a large table (6-8), the odds of ALL your table companions abandoning you on any given night for some alternate venue are fairly low. You lose the flexibility of dining whenever you want (more or less), but for me that's actually a plus. I view dinner in the MDR as a form of traditional ship-board entertainment; a time to catch up with your fellow passengers on what they've been doing, etc. There's also a bit more pageantry to it, with the steward ringing a little gong to announce the (fixed) meal times and a general movement from the lounges to the dining room.

 

I took my first solo cruise at 31, so I know where you're coming from. I'm very comfortable cruising by myself and never had any issues of any kind due to that. 12 years and 8 cruises later I'm still having fun, and amazingly, I'm still 31! Not sure how that happened... :rolleyes:

[Aruba]

The only thing I really didn't care for as a solo traveler is eating in the main dining room on the second formal night. I ended up dining at a table alone so it was just a little awkward because I seemed to be the only one doing that. However, the food was delicious and the servers spoiled me rotten! I ate alone in the Tamarind as well, but the Tamarind is smaller and has a more calm ambience than the MDR so it didn't feel awkward to me.

 

The first formal night, I dined at a table with two sisters from New York. They had kids my age, but we got along just fine. The food was delicious and I enjoyed the conversation.

 

I attended the lunch for solos in the MDR. It was very nice. I'm a very quiet person, but the conversations were interesting. I had the opportunity to speak with some more experienced cruisers. It was interesting hearing different stories and views.

 

So my tip would be to request to be seated with others, especially on formal nights. It would be a more enjoyable experience that way. Other than that, i'm a very self-entertaining person who can take or leave company. I will cruise solo again in a heartbeat! And most definitely on the Eurodam!

 

...... In addition, the staff and other passengers treated me very well. I felt very pampered throughout the cruise. I had people to remember my name (eventhough I embarrassingly couldn't remember theirs :D). Other passengers would ask if I would like them to take a photo of me, etc. This was my first solo vacation, and my best so far.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing your story.

[Himself]

I was on this ship last Octboer and I still miss this wonderful ship. By the way, thank you for a nice review!