Eurodam - Not My Cup of Tea

[Middle Aged and Happy]

I just got off the Eurodam on a seven day eastern Caribbean itinerary. As background, I am in my late 40s and have had great experiences on HAL on the Amsterdam, Statendam and Maasdam in Alaska and Canada/NE. Based on my great experiences, I had high expectations, probably too high. I’m not sure if it was the ship or the destination or the combination but it just was not the cruise for me or the others that traveled with me. I previously purchased another cruise to the Caribbean on the Westerdam in January for me, hubby, our four children and two of their cousins. I am so hopeful that it will be better. Based on my experience on the Eurodam, if I could get a refund and apply it to an Alaska cruise, I would do it in a heart beat.

This boat seemed too big for us, not well decorated, too big for strong personal service and not well laid out. We found the art work to be depressing and uninspiring. While the boat was bigger, it seemed more choppy. The walk around deck was by far the most narrow deck, so much so that I did not walk around it as two people could not walk at the same time. To make matters worse, shuffle board was right in the middle of the deck so no one could walk when anyone was playing shuffle board. For someone that previously enjoyed walking 4-5 miles each day, being sent to the gym to stand in line for a treadmill wasn’t to my liking. In the dining room, the tables were very close together, there was no live music and it was not decorated with much character. We were seated right behind the service station, which I guess someone has to. Based on no music and eight guys very busy serving individuals, it was noisy and distracting at best. We never saw the captain, even at the Mariner’s lunch. The boat just big and impersonal.

The focus on the boat seems to be sun, gambling and drinking, contrary to scenery, wildlife, or history. On the Maasdam the week prior, I enjoyed watching elderly couples ball room dancing in the bar. On this boat, there is no way that would be found, but the boat probably made more money on drinks and slot machines.

As for the ports, the Caribbean is not Alaska, Nova Scotia or Maine. In San Juan we walked around Old San Juan and then we did the Bioluminent Bay kayaking excursion. The excursion was 1.5 hours away via a bus ride. Outside of the immediate port area, San Juan is dirty and not well maintained. The tour guides did not provide any education about the excursion. They simply drove us there, accounted for the 50 people on board and delivered us to a tour guide that could not speak English. We kayaked in the dark through garbage with guides that could not explain the details as their English was limited to “Go right, Go Left”. In St Thomas, we took a cab to shop but bought nothing as there just did not seem like anything worth buying. In Grand Turk, we rented a golf cart from Nathan and drove to a beach. The golf cart broke down and then when we returned they wanted to argue about how much gas we put in the vehicle (we put $10 in it because it was on less than a fourth of a tank when we got it). Grand Turk, outside of the immediate tourist zone was also dirty and people just did not seem to take pride in their community. I just could not get over how much garbage was everywhere and how many starving dogs, horses and donkeys were wondering around in the streets. If I could have trusted anyone, I would have given them money to get some of these animals some medical attention, or at least spayed or neutered.

We did love Half Moon Cay. It was clean. The animals were well cared for. The people were happy we were there. It was the location we thought of when thinking of the Caribbean. Based on the other locations, I would suggest HAL park a ship at HMC for a couple of days and forget the other locations all together.

As for improvements on HAL, we did like the cabin. It was large and the air conditioning worked well. We liked that HAL moved the shampoo to the wall instead of all those little bottles. We liked that Fox News was added to the line up on TV. The food was consistent with prior cruises and the service was ok but not great.

Maybe we just did not plan well. Maybe the Caribbean on a large ship was not the best fit for us. Maybe we should stay on smaller ships in destinations where the focus is not on drinking, gambling and laying in the sun. We just seemed like fish out of water. I just hope that our next cruise (a Christmas/Graduation gift to my college aged children) is a better experience.

[piscesgal223]

I like the artwork on the Eurodam.

 

 

San Juan was one of my favourite stops on our cruise-one of the safest places in the Caribbean,IMO. In my experience, it helps to know at east a little Spanish, but everyone we interacted with spoke English-and fluently.

 

 

Grand Turk was gorgeous-I think I could happily spend a few days there-and at Half Moon Cay, too.

[Boytjie]

Sorry to hear your Bioluminent Bay excursion was a disapointment. We did the same excursion through HAL off the Eurodam in 2009 and it as very good. No garbage to kayak through, just mangroves, and all instructions and information was provided in English. It was a highlight of our cruise.

 

Not all areas of the Caribbean are picture perfect and groomed by the cruise lines, some islands are rather poor. It's a reality of life that some places may not be as neat and clean as where you come from, but that makes it interesting to me. I enjoyed rustic Roatan more than the cruise line built port areas such as the one in Grand Turk (and of which a copy now also exists in Roatan too, I hear).

 

But people like different things ad cruise for different reasons. Viva la difference. :)

[piscesgal223]

I loved taking a tour of St. Thomas,up through the winding roads(which was quite a thrill) but once you're headed back to he ship, you see the "real" St. Thomas-it's very sobering.

[Hobbsey]

It is interesting, and telling, that you found the sanitized, made up, Caribbean more to your liking than the real life places you visited. Perhaps staying with locations made up of well funded communities with more anglo centered values is more your style.

 

Certainly being in he sun and enjoying the beach is part of the plan on any sun centered destination and if it weren't for bars and the casino the ship would be charging you much more for your cruise.

 

If you are looking for something else as an alternative to Alaska and Canada you might try Bermuda as a sunnier alternative - but go before the end of the 2012 season or you be on a bigger "boat" once again.

[lovetocruise2020]

I just got off the Eurodam on a seven day eastern Caribbean itinerary. As background, I am in my late 40s and have had great experiences on HAL on the Amsterdam, Statendam and Maasdam in Alaska and Canada/NE. Based on my great experiences, I had high expectations, probably too high. I’m not sure if it was the ship or the destination or the combination but it just was not the cruise for me or the others that traveled with me. I previously purchased another cruise to the Caribbean on the Westerdam in January for me, hubby, our four children and two of their cousins. I am so hopeful that it will be better. Based on my experience on the Eurodam, if I could get a refund and apply it to an Alaska cruise, I would do it in a heart beat.

This boat seemed too big for us, not well decorated, too big for strong personal service and not well laid out. We found the art work to be depressing and uninspiring. While the boat was bigger, it seemed more choppy. The walk around deck was by far the most narrow deck, so much so that I did not walk around it as two people could not walk at the same time. To make matters worse, shuffle board was right in the middle of the deck so no one could walk when anyone was playing shuffle board. For someone that previously enjoyed walking 4-5 miles each day, being sent to the gym to stand in line for a treadmill wasn’t to my liking. In the dining room, the tables were very close together, there was no live music and it was not decorated with much character. We were seated right behind the service station, which I guess someone has to. Based on no music and eight guys very busy serving individuals, it was noisy and distracting at best. We never saw the captain, even at the Mariner’s lunch. The boat just big and impersonal.

The focus on the boat seems to be sun, gambling and drinking, contrary to scenery, wildlife, or history. On the Maasdam the week prior, I enjoyed watching elderly couples ball room dancing in the bar. On this boat, there is no way that would be found, but the boat probably made more money on drinks and slot machines.

As for the ports, the Caribbean is not Alaska, Nova Scotia or Maine. In San Juan we walked around Old San Juan and then we did the Bioluminent Bay kayaking excursion. The excursion was 1.5 hours away via a bus ride. Outside of the immediate port area, San Juan is dirty and not well maintained. The tour guides did not provide any education about the excursion. They simply drove us there, accounted for the 50 people on board and delivered us to a tour guide that could not speak English. We kayaked in the dark through garbage with guides that could not explain the details as their English was limited to “Go right, Go Left”. In St Thomas, we took a cab to shop but bought nothing as there just did not seem like anything worth buying. In Grand Turk, we rented a golf cart from Nathan and drove to a beach. The golf cart broke down and then when we returned they wanted to argue about how much gas we put in the vehicle (we put $10 in it because it was on less than a fourth of a tank when we got it). Grand Turk, outside of the immediate tourist zone was also dirty and people just did not seem to take pride in their community. I just could not get over how much garbage was everywhere and how many starving dogs, horses and donkeys were wondering around in the streets. If I could have trusted anyone, I would have given them money to get some of these animals some medical attention, or at least spayed or neutered.

We did love Half Moon Cay. It was clean. The animals were well cared for. The people were happy we were there. It was the location we thought of when thinking of the Caribbean. Based on the other locations, I would suggest HAL park a ship at HMC for a couple of days and forget the other locations all together.

As for improvements on HAL, we did like the cabin. It was large and the air conditioning worked well. We liked that HAL moved the shampoo to the wall instead of all those little bottles. We liked that Fox News was added to the line up on TV. The food was consistent with prior cruises and the service was ok but not great.

Maybe we just did not plan well. Maybe the Caribbean on a large ship was not the best fit for us. Maybe we should stay on smaller ships in destinations where the focus is not on drinking, gambling and laying in the sun. We just seemed like fish out of water. I just hope that our next cruise (a Christmas/Graduation gift to my college aged children) is a better experience.

 

Hi MiddleAgedAndHappy-

 

At the Grand Turk cruise center, there is a place called the Dizzy Donkey.

The items there are made by locals and the money goes to the potcakefoundation. (www.potcakefoundation.com)

Alot of islands have potcakes, and many people go home with them, and adopt them, through a local agency. The horses and donkeys you see are wild and native to the island.

Also, you will always see work going on in Grand Turk, as they are always repairing something, I have noticed. Last week it was work from the hurricane, that was about a month or so ago.

 

in San Juan there is a cat rescue group that feeds them (you might see alot of cat food out in old san juan) as well as gives them medical care and snips thier ear, so people know they are a cat of "Old San Juan" and have been "fixed" etc. Also there are dog rescue groups in San Juan, that ask you to "escort" dogs home that have been adopted, as someone on a flight has to sign for them (they can't fly under the plane without a human, and the group meets you there)

 

Its all very interesting. Theres alot that can be done to help, if you love animals.

 

Something to think about, for all that love animals.

[tcook052]

This boat seemed too big for us, not well decorated, too big for strong personal service and not well laid out. We found the art work to be depressing and uninspiring. While the boat was bigger, it seemed more choppy. The walk around deck was by far the most narrow deck, so much so that I did not walk around it as two people could not walk at the same time. To make matters worse, shuffle board was right in the middle of the deck so no one could walk when anyone was playing shuffle board. For someone that previously enjoyed walking 4-5 miles each day, being sent to the gym to stand in line for a treadmill wasn’t to my liking. In the dining room, the tables were very close together, there was no live music and it was not decorated with much character. We were seated right behind the service station, which I guess someone has to. Based on no music and eight guys very busy serving individuals, it was noisy and distracting at best. We never saw the captain, even at the Mariner’s lunch. The boat just big and impersonal.

 

I found the opposite to be true from my Caribbean sailing abaord the Eurodam as I saw the Captain often, and he made himself availble for a Q & A session with the cruise directorin the Crow's Nest, I found the public decks quite walkable including during a busier Walk for the Cure, and had no troubles with personal space in the MDR.

 

To each their own I suppose and thanks for your update.

[Cruiz'nBaers]

We were on the Eurodam in March 2009 and sailed the Eastern Caribbean itinerary and enjoyed it very much. We walked around OSJ and then did the bio bay in the evening (in clean water with English speaking guides), enjoyed a snorkeling excursion and the cruise terminal on Grand Turk, visited Magen's Bay on St.Thomas, and enjoyed a day at the beach on Half Moon Cay. We are returning to the Eurodam Saturday and are looking forward to it. To each his own.

[YOW]

It's too bad that you didn't enjoy your holiday. :( I'd agree that it does sound like a case of expectations vs. reality, but for whatever reasons, I'm always sorry to see people spend valuable time and money, only to be disappointed. Sometimes a few things seem to go poorly, and the rest is a case of negative momentum taking over (seen it countless times, having worked in the travel business). Also unfortunate that you've got another Caribbean cruise already booked on a similar ship -- any chance you've not reached the final payment date and would cancel that one?

 

Vive la différence, indeed. Our favourite ship is Celebrity Solstice, nearly 50% bigger than Eurodam. We like travelling the world and experiencing different cultures and environments, even when they stand in stark contrast to the comforts and conveniences we're accustomed to at home. And a welcome addition on the TV for us, in order to find out what's actually going on in the world, would be BBC or CNN International (not the regular CNN and definitely not Fox News). But those are just our tastes and pleasures, not at all insinuating anything or anyone to be superior or inferior.

 

Hope you have better travels ahead.

[CowPrincess]

OP -- on my last cruise I experienced on the of the larger HAL ships for the first time -- the Oosterdam -- and found that the Promenade Deck on it was not to my liking, either. I also didn't like the location of the Explorations Cafe and library. Having them up by the Crowsnest felt like the "heart" of the ship had been moved to Siberia ;)

 

If DH and I continue to sail on HAL, we are going to have to accept the things I found jarring on the Oosterdam. I'm finding the smaller ships' pricing getting outside our comfort zone.

 

As for the neglected and abandoned animals, we make a donation to whatever animal charities we can find in the places that we visit. It doesn't solve the problem, but we feel we've done something. It isn't too late now for you to find an organization that assists animals in the ports you visited and make a donation, if that idea works for you. I "get" it -- I'd bring home every animal in need that I encountered if I could.

[Loreto]

I agree with the OP about the Eurodam...compared to other HAL ships, it was a disappointment. Dining/open Seating was crammed together and the seats in the showroom were very uncomfortable. Our AFT verandah, however, was lovely. The crew was great, which made up for the missing niceties. DH doesn't want to sail the Neuw Amsterdam because it is like the Eurodam.:(

 

Karen

[LSEA]

Middle Aged and Happy,

 

Thank you for taking the time to post about your Eurodam cruise. I appreciate reading about both good and not so good experiences. I hope that your upcoming Westerdam cruise is better. You certainly have something great to celebrate.

[RuthC]

I certainly can understand your disappointment in your cruise. I, too, was not enthralled by the E-dam, and really don't care to sail any of the larger ships if I can avoid them. Thank goodness HAL still has those comfortable smaller ships.

And the Caribbean is not the best destination for everyone. Different tastes take us to different places.

I hope you can lower your expectations for your next cruise, and just relax and enjoy. Then, go forward with different choices that will make you happier.

[Middle Aged and Happy]

CowPrincess and Surfergirle -

 

Thank you for your suggestion to contribute to an animal charity. I have done so as it is such a worthy cause. As an individual who owns a hobby farm/animal sanctuary and originally being from Dakar, I have a real soft spot for animals in need as they can't fend for themselves. Thank you. I already feel a little better about the trip as hopefully something positive will result.

[Jemima]

We've sailed R, S, Vista and Signature class ships and prefer the R and S classes. The only plus to the Signature class is the Tamarind restaurant.

We've done two Caribbean cruises and it ranks last in areas we've cruised.

[Mary Ellen]

We're also not fans of the larger HAL ships. The "art" in our cabin gave me the creeps. Usually it is just 'there', but on that ship I found it disturbing. Our friends' cabins had OK art, but I wouldn't book the same one we had before, just because of the art. Well, we probably wouldn't book that ship anyway. Like you, we found it too crowded for our taste.

 

Not really fans of the Caribbean either. Other than a stop at HMC on a trans-Atl, DH hasn't been to the Caribbean since 1994. Thankfully HAL does have a large variety of ships and itineraries. Sorry your cruise wasn't up to your expatations, but like us you've now learned what to avoid.

[piscesgal223]

Someone mentioned the "groomed" Caribbean-I'd rather see the real Caribbean-even the not so great- than be at a resort for a week...I've looked into it and it isn't my thing.. YMMV.

[hal lover]

I too was on this cruise last week. I was very disappointed with the MS Eurodam. I usually take longer cruise's and found this ship not a match for me. The crew did not seem like a very happy bunch. Thankfully, my DH and I are cruising on the MS Maasdam in December. She's still our favorite and always has a happy crew.

[YOW]

Just to show that it's different strokes for different folks:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1513545

 

Some people can be on the same ship at the same time and still have vastly different experiences.

[I like Pina Coladas]

We were seated right behind the service station, which I guess someone has to. Based on no music and eight guys very busy serving individuals, it was noisy and distracting at best.

 

Hi all! We had open seating in the dining room and one night it was just the 2 of us, we were seated right at a service station. My husband and I were exhausted with visiting all week so it was nice to just sit there. I remember thinking the view of the service station to be like watching a dance. I remember being impressed at how beautifully orchestrated serving so many people was. I found it to be great dinner entertainment that night.

 

:) Reading that sentence in the quote above reminded me of all this. Hope it's okay to share!

[avalong]

I just got off the Eurodam on a seven day eastern Caribbean itinerary. As background, I am in my late 40s and have had great experiences on HAL on the Amsterdam, Statendam and Maasdam in Alaska and Canada/NE. Based on my great experiences, I had high expectations, probably too high. I’m not sure if it was the ship or the destination or the combination but it just was not the cruise for me or the others that traveled with me. I previously purchased another cruise to the Caribbean on the Westerdam in January for me, hubby, our four children and two of their cousins. I am so hopeful that it will be better. Based on my experience on the Eurodam, if I could get a refund and apply it to an Alaska cruise, I would do it in a heart beat.

This boat seemed too big for us, not well decorated, too big for strong personal service and not well laid out. We found the art work to be depressing and uninspiring. While the boat was bigger, it seemed more choppy. The walk around deck was by far the most narrow deck, so much so that I did not walk around it as two people could not walk at the same time. To make matters worse, shuffle board was right in the middle of the deck so no one could walk when anyone was playing shuffle board. For someone that previously enjoyed walking 4-5 miles each day, being sent to the gym to stand in line for a treadmill wasn’t to my liking. In the dining room, the tables were very close together, there was no live music and it was not decorated with much character. We were seated right behind the service station, which I guess someone has to. Based on no music and eight guys very busy serving individuals, it was noisy and distracting at best. We never saw the captain, even at the Mariner’s lunch. The boat just big and impersonal.

The focus on the boat seems to be sun, gambling and drinking, contrary to scenery, wildlife, or history. On the Maasdam the week prior, I enjoyed watching elderly couples ball room dancing in the bar. On this boat, there is no way that would be found, but the boat probably made more money on drinks and slot machines.

As for the ports, the Caribbean is not Alaska, Nova Scotia or Maine. In San Juan we walked around Old San Juan and then we did the Bioluminent Bay kayaking excursion. The excursion was 1.5 hours away via a bus ride. Outside of the immediate port area, San Juan is dirty and not well maintained. The tour guides did not provide any education about the excursion. They simply drove us there, accounted for the 50 people on board and delivered us to a tour guide that could not speak English. We kayaked in the dark through garbage with guides that could not explain the details as their English was limited to “Go right, Go Left”. In St Thomas, we took a cab to shop but bought nothing as there just did not seem like anything worth buying. In Grand Turk, we rented a golf cart from Nathan and drove to a beach. The golf cart broke down and then when we returned they wanted to argue about how much gas we put in the vehicle (we put $10 in it because it was on less than a fourth of a tank when we got it). Grand Turk, outside of the immediate tourist zone was also dirty and people just did not seem to take pride in their community. I just could not get over how much garbage was everywhere and how many starving dogs, horses and donkeys were wondering around in the streets. If I could have trusted anyone, I would have given them money to get some of these animals some medical attention, or at least spayed or neutered.

We did love Half Moon Cay. It was clean. The animals were well cared for. The people were happy we were there. It was the location we thought of when thinking of the Caribbean. Based on the other locations, I would suggest HAL park a ship at HMC for a couple of days and forget the other locations all together.

As for improvements on HAL, we did like the cabin. It was large and the air conditioning worked well. We liked that HAL moved the shampoo to the wall instead of all those little bottles. We liked that Fox News was added to the line up on TV. The food was consistent with prior cruises and the service was ok but not great.

Maybe we just did not plan well. Maybe the Caribbean on a large ship was not the best fit for us. Maybe we should stay on smaller ships in destinations where the focus is not on drinking, gambling and laying in the sun. We just seemed like fish out of water. I just hope that our next cruise (a Christmas/Graduation gift to my college aged children) is a better experience.

 

My sister sailed on the Westerdam several months ago & really liked it. She just returned from a cruise on the Eurodam & didn't like it nearly as well. Some of her reasons for not liking it were the same as yours. So, take heart, you may well enjoy the Westerdam.

[SwissMyst]

I suspect a lot of your disappointment was due to the Caribbean which can be a very unappealing destination for ports. I think its biggest appeal is that it is warm and sunny, for those living in winter climates. That could have a very big effect on the overall enjoyment of this cruise. But we are small ship fans too so I know what you are talking about.

 

And we found the lucky few times we were able to be in a Neptune suite, the small ships felt even cozier and personal. These are all parts of each person's cruise enjoyment and sometimes you have to take a few and try a few to know what works best and what is worth holding on to, even if it means fewer cruises.

 

Some find the smaller ships deadly dull, and they are compared to the buzz on the larger ships. So each gets to choose what works best - but like you HAL ships are not necessarily interchangeable experiences. Thanks for sharing your personal observations.

 

And be sure to follow kazu on her "Elegant Explorer" thread where she shares the real joys of small ship cruising on the Prinsendam.

[IRL_Joanie]

Not having been on the Eurodam, but have been on her younger sister in the Caribbean, I think I can speak fairly....

 

I'm with you about the ports that you mentioned and the ship being different than the Vistas and the smaller ships in HAL's fleet.

 

I enjoyed the Nieuw Amsterdam but not half as much as the Westerdam, Oosterdam and Zuiderdam:(

 

I agree that the verandahs and the decks (Promenade and top deck) are smaller (is narrower the best way to describe them?)

 

I found that the only thing I wanted to do on the Nieuw Amsterdam was laze on my verandah and bask in the sun.

 

After going to the Caribbean the first time, I have learned to only get off the ship in a couple of ports, such as St Maarten's and HMC. I mentioned in my review a coupkle of years ago about how dirty I found many of the ports, and extremely disappoining. If I wanted to see slums, I coud see them anywhere in the US:( But our thoughts when wwe dream of the Caribbean I think were colored by Pirate Movies and such, and the disappointment was very palpable for me:(

 

Anyway, just a bit of reassurance that I hope you will enjoy the Westerdam and not let your disappointment with the Eurodam sour you before you leave.

 

Thank you for the honest review.

 

BTW, we are going back to the Caribbean in March, but on a Vista class instead. I want the larger verandahs:)

 

Joanie

[momatibm]

I've only sailed on HAL's small ships. I have a cruise booked on the Eurodam coming up -- My only concern is that it is a 'big' ship. I hope the usual HAL ambiance is present.

[tcook052]

If I wanted to see slums, I coud see them anywhere in the US:(

 

Slums? :eek: Sorry Joanie but having been to the Caribbean many times by both sea & air I've seen poorer areas but they don't come close to what I would call a slum like you'd see in Delhi, Cairo or even Rio with its favelas. Just MHO, of course.