'Twas the Week Before Christmas - Live from the Eurodam

[pspehar]

It looks like that bear in your bag chose an interesting shirt for the trip!

[POA1]

It looks like that bear in your bag chose an interesting shirt for the trip!

We got it at a little store in Key West. We spotted them in the window when we passed on to shuttle from the Nieuw Amsterdam. I regret not buying more of them because Poohby Joe is hard to fit.

[POA1]

Initial impressions - This is a pretty young crowd at first glance. Not Carnival or Royal Caribbean young, but definitely skewing younger than normal. Not a whole lot of kids, but quite a few families.

[POA1]

There are both pre made and made to order sandwiches in the Lido. If you are are standing on the ledge getting ready to jump because of the lack of made to order sandwiches, you can step away from the ledge now.

[lakemurraykid]

Please tell those of us who don't know what a Wang Wang is. My curiosity is peaking. I hope ya'll have a fabulous cruise. We will be on the Eurodam for New Year's. Can't wait.

[pspehar]

The young kids are just napping. They need plenty of rest so they can ruin everything for everyone later in the day.

[unclerich]

Please tell those of us who don't know what a Wang Wang is. My curiosity is peaking. I hope ya'll have a fabulous cruise. We will be on the Eurodam for New Year's. Can't wait.

 

1/4 oz Vodka

1/4 oz Gin

1/4 oz White Rum

1/4 oz Scotch

1/4 oz Bourbon

1/4 oz Tequila

1/4 Triple Sec

1/4 oz Brandy

 

Top it off with Pineapple and Orange Juice

 

Add a splash of Grenadine

[ski ww]

That sounds like a powerful drink and one sounds like it will do the trick. I'll have to remember to try one for New Years Eve.

Allan

[POA1]

Checked in at our cabana. It's a nice day with a lovely breeze. The new cabana decor is nice. Earth tones, Retreat robes, and some pretty deluxe slippers. I don't want to give too much away because we have a Poohby Joe's Guide to Cabana Living coming out later in the week.

 

 

All our luggage arrived and everything is put away. We skipped the Mariner Reception which was held from 1:30 - 2:30. We'll probably hit the Crow's Nest before the lifeboat drill to see if we recognize any research associates from our previous work.

[POA1]

Muster drill is at 3:15. We're continuing our 5 year streak of always being in the shade during the drill. Perhaps, despite the MDR table mix up, our "bubble of awesome" is intact.

[POA1]

Our drill was about 22 minutes. Ironically, the only people who couldn't stand up the whole time were a group of 3 twenty somethings behind us.

 

We have now managed to lose my father in law twice in an hour. Once was during the lifeboat drill, which is understandable because it's kind of crowded. The other time was between the cabana and the Crow's Nest. That doesn't bode well for the next 7 days.

 

This cruise looks to have an average age in the upper 40s / lower 50s. There are quite a few families and an above average number of kids. I attribute that to it being the week before Christmas.

[kazu]

LOL POA1, you might need a GPS locator for your FIL.

 

Good news on the muster drill and LOL at who was weary from it ;)

 

Better news on the sandwiches too. Not about to jump off a ledge or cancel a cruise but if the made to order are back on our cruise - kazu will be a very happy camper ;). 30 days is too long for just premades. YMMV of course.

[POA1]

Better news on the sandwiches too. Not about to jump off a ledge or cancel a cruise but if the made to order are back on our cruise - kazu will be a very happy camper ;). 30 days is too long for just premades. YMMV of course.

 

Glad to be the bearer of good news.

[POA1]

The bubble of awesome popped. According to the front desk, you CANNOT upgrade the Explore 4 SBP UNLESS you pay the full $55.95 per day. We should have brought our usual wine allotment from home. DW is not a happy camper.

[POA1]

On a more positive note, we really like the ship's decor and the redesigned interior spaces. The new bar and MDR uniforms (at least at lunch) are sharp.

 

Also, Maker's Mark is less than $8, so I'm a happy camper.

[ger_77]

I'm amazed at the amount of luggage the 3 of you are taking for this trip . . . and not even any wine! DH and I were away for a month and only used 2 rolling duffles and 2 carry-ons and had everything we needed including his tux & finery, and my sparklies. It seems that Poohby Joe hasn't learned the art of mixing and matching his clothing and must be bringing a ton of stuff. I can understand he's hard to fit - it's those broad shoulders and short stature that make buying shirts a real bear. :rolleyes:

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[POA1]

Ger_77 - You're a much better packer than we our. A lot of the luggage belongs to the bear. He has a tuxedo and likes to dress for dinner.

 

On the SBP front, we haven't given up. We're still working on the purchased upgrade. However, the official word is "no" at the present time. To employ a Galaxy Quest qoute: "Never give up!Never surrender!" For planning purposes though, I would not count on being able to upgrade.

[POA1]

We're on the move now, so I'll check in later.

[ski ww]

Just watched you sail out, no toot. it'll be our turn in two weeks. Bon Voyage, fair winds & smooth seas.

Allan

[kazu]

The bubble of awesome popped. According to the front desk, you CANNOT upgrade the Explore 4 SBP UNLESS you pay the full $55.95 per day. We should have brought our usual wine allotment from home. DW is not a happy camper.

 

Well DAM :(

 

I am sure you will persevere ;). At least I hope so. Fingers crossed for you.

 

Yup, always bring on good wine. Worth it's weight in gold :)

[Skipper's Mom]

And bottled water by the case. Just put a luggage tag on it.

 

Sent from my XT1064 using Forums mobile app

[Mr. Boston]

Bon voyage POA1, will be following your reports diligently as we'll be on the same ship and itinerary in February. I always enjoy your positive and entertaining reports. Can't wait for the Poohby's cabana lowdown. Safe travels.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[auntibe49]

Have a great cruise!! I love your writing! I'll be anxiously waiting to read each of your updates!

[wdw1972]

Finding a live report from POA is an early Christmas present! Looking forward to each installment :-) I just got off the Koningsdam this past Wednesday, and board Eurodam for the "tropical" itinerary in late March. It'll be interesting to see from your photos if the Eurodam changes match what's on Koningsdam (such as the new uniforms, etc).

 

Sue/WDW1972

Eurodam 3/25/17

Nieuw Amsterdam 12/16/17

Koningsdam 3/7/18

[AtlantaCruiser72]

On the SBP front, we haven't given up. We're still working on the purchased upgrade. However, the official word is "no" at the present time. To employ a Galaxy Quest qoute: "Never give up!Never surrender!" For planning purposes though, I would not count on being able to upgrade.

 

There seems to be inconsistency from ship to ship on this. I seem to remember (though the little grey cells, they are not what they used to be) reading on another thread that the ability to process the upgrade is all dependent on the onboard POS (point of sale) system getting a software upgrade. As the software upgrades affect multiple departments, and possibly not all ships have the same systems, it could take awhile as the system engineers come aboard each ship to install, test, and bug fix the systems. Then again the ability to upgrade could also just be a beta-test on select ships/sailings. HAL has been very tight lipped about the Elite package, when/where it's available and if we can upgrade to it or not from the Signature package (Regardless if included as part of Explore4 or purchased).