Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

"Home for the HALidays" ~ Live from the Eurodam - December 22nd to January 5th

Infi

By Infi,
in Holland America Line

 Share

Recommended Posts

Infi

Infi

Posted
Posted
On this "Cruise-mas Eve", I thought I would begin my first ever live-from the Eurodam, December 22nd-January 5th. There have been many live froms done aboard other ships recently, but I haven't seen as many reports from the Eurodam lately so hope this can provide some insights into life aboard this ship. 
 
Tomorrow morning, we will board the Eurodam for two B2B cruises to the Eastern and Southern Caribbean. We have sailed over Christmas and New Years every year since 2008, so needless to say, we are very much looking forward to being back "home for the HALidays". This will be our first pandemic cruise, as our last cruise was a 2019 holiday cruise through the Panama Canal on the Amsterdam. Little did we know at the time that that would be the Amsterdam's final holiday cruise for HAL, and that it would be two years before we would board a ship again! Hindsight is truly 20/20. Since then, we have had 4 cruises canceled, and even this one was not in our original plan for this year. We were booked on a 14 day holiday cruise aboard the Zaandam, but as we all know, she will not return to service until next spring. A few months ago, HAL moved us over to this B2B instead. We prefer the smaller HAL ships and a true 14 day cruise over a B2B, but beggars can't be choosers, so here we are today. It has been a long road to get here and we are very much looking forward to boarding and finally being back aboard a dam ship tomorrow. 
 
Eurodam-itinerary-M.png
 
The reason for the live from is twofold: one, I've learned a lot from recent updates from the other ships' reviews and live froms and hope to give back to future Eurodam cruisers. As COVID protocols and even ports change on a weekly basis, these current reports have been so helpful as we return to cruising again. And two, we've had a series of major price drops after our final payment and thanks to our super TA, these have resulted in receiving a free internet package (among other benefits) from HAL. We have never purchased the internet packages before, so it will be a new adventure to try this out on this sailing. (On that note, any tips and tricks for efficient internet usage are much appreciated!)
 
I will try to keep this report updated as much as possible and try to answer questions folks have, so please feel free to post any here. Looking forward to sharing a taste of the holidays onboard with you all!
  • Like 11
  • Thanks 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites
wldflr

wldflr

Posted
Posted

Bon voyage Infi! We have friends sailing with you Dec 22-29 - if you run into a funny Irish guy drinking in the Crow's Nest with his blond wife, ask them if they are from Cleveland. He will have the best stories. And do not try to out drink him...he is a professional musician!

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
SusieKIslandGirl

SusieKIslandGirl

Posted
Posted

We were on the Eurodam last month and had the internet package for the 1st time. It was the basic one device plan so we had to keep logging off so the other person could log on. Sometimes it worked very well but others, not so much. Of course we were in the middle of the Atlantic part of the time so that could have been part of the problem. It was our 1st time on the ship but found it very familiar and easy to get around. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Infi

Infi

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Monday, December 20th

Monday = the big test day. From planning to execution, I can't even count how many hours I spent worrying about this day. I have the ability to get regular, medically supervised PCR tests through my employer so I do get tested fairly regularly for my own peace of mind. These tests also provide results usually within 12 hours, but I also thought HAL likely wouldn't accept them. As the cruise requirements shifted from testing 3 days prior to 2 days prior, from PCR tests only to rapid antigen tests accepted, I stayed glued to the HAL website to follow the instructions to a T. The switch to rapid antigen tests was a relief because I had been worried about getting results back in the new 2 day window, especially around the holidays. 
 
On December 7 (13 days prior), CVS opened their appointment slots for our required date, December 20. Even though I logged on early that morning, there was very limited availability. I snagged two appointments, one at 12 and one at 12:30. If you're making an appointment through CVS at peak times like the holidays or even now with increased fears due to Omicron, I would recommend doing this as early as possible. Making an appointment is pretty cumbersome, as it requires lots of documentation that must be completed in a 20min window, including providing a screenshot or upload of your insurance card, so be sure to have all your IDs and documents on hand. 
 
When we arrived, the signage directed testers to both a side door and the pharmacy drive-through - not very helpful. After our trip through the drive through, we learned that PCR tests were done there, while rapid tests were done by an NP at a side entrance. We waited at the side entrance until our designated time, and then called a number to let them know we were ready. Again, more scanning of confirmation codes and IDs took place, this time on the NP's mildly sketchy cell phone.
 
The rapid antigen test was a self-swab: 7 times around each nostril, "high enough so it's uncomfortable but not painful." What a difference from those early days where the swab used to practically touch your brain tissue! We were told we'd have the results within 2 hours, and a text message would prompt us to log on to a secure portal. 
 
One of our results came back within 40min, while the other came back a nerve-wracking 30min after the first. Still well within the promised window, but enough to make you wonder why one took so long and the other didn't. We've never been so happy to be negative before! It felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off our shoulders. Though the text message-entry portal provides an immediate result, if you want the full, official result, you must log on to/activate the CVS MyChart portal within 24 hours to print out your results, so be sure to act quickly. I'm not sure if HAL will accept the phone version, but we'll have to wait and see. I am eager to see how quickly the vaccination card/COVID test check goes at the terminal. 
 
 
It's a relief to have completed this process once, and I feel more comfortable doing it again for future trips. I already feel quite out of practice with cruise prep having not sailed in almost two years, and testing added a brand new consideration to navigate, plus uncertainly about turnaround time. If you're nervous about pre-cruise testing, try not to be - it does add an additional step to the pre-cruise routine, but with careful planning ahead, it can be done pretty easily.
Definitely a few lessons learned here about making an appointment as early as possible on the day your window opens up. A smartphone is essential for this transaction, from the check-in to the portal availability, and I found myself wondering how difficult this would be for some to navigate if they lack one or prefer not to use a smartphone. Our friends are sailing on the Zuiderdam in February, and neither of them owns a smartphone, so I'm wondering what their process will be like, both in terms of testing and aboard ship with the increased reliance on the Navigator app. 
 
 
Next stop - embarkation! 
Edited by Infi
  • Like 5
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Infi

Infi

Posted
  • Author
Posted

On the way to the port for our 12:20pm Group B boarding time. Normally we try to get to the ship around 11am, so this feels very late for us but we wanted to respect the time assigned. Will be very interesting to see how the groups are enforced - my guess is it will be pretty lenient. 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites
MommyLinda

MommyLinda

Posted
Posted

We will meet you for part two of your sailing! So happy to get to spend new year's on the ship again.

Last year was canceled (obviously) so we rented a car, drove two days, just to stick our toes in the sand and pretend we were somewhere tropical. Eurodam, here we come! See you on the 29th!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
surfone

surfone

Posted
Posted
On 12/22/2021 at 6:44 AM, Infi said:

Monday, December 20th

Monday = the big test day. From planning to execution, I can't even count how many hours I spent worrying about this day. I have the ability to get regular, medically supervised PCR tests through my employer so I do get tested fairly regularly for my own peace of mind. These tests also provide results usually within 12 hours, but I also thought HAL likely wouldn't accept them. As the cruise requirements shifted from testing 3 days prior to 2 days prior, from PCR tests only to rapid antigen tests accepted, I stayed glued to the HAL website to follow the instructions to a T. The switch to rapid antigen tests was a relief because I had been worried about getting results back in the new 2 day window, especially around the holidays. 
 
On December 7 (13 days prior), CVS opened their appointment slots for our required date, December 20. Even though I logged on early that morning, there was very limited availability. I snagged two appointments, one at 12 and one at 12:30. If you're making an appointment through CVS at peak times like the holidays or even now with increased fears due to Omicron, I would recommend doing this as early as possible. Making an appointment is pretty cumbersome, as it requires lots of documentation that must be completed in a 20min window, including providing a screenshot or upload of your insurance card, so be sure to have all your IDs and documents on hand. 
 
When we arrived, the signage directed testers to both a side door and the pharmacy drive-through - not very helpful. After our trip through the drive through, we learned that PCR tests were done there, while rapid tests were done by an NP at a side entrance. We waited at the side entrance until our designated time, and then called a number to let them know we were ready. Again, more scanning of confirmation codes and IDs took place, this time on the NP's mildly sketchy cell phone.
 
The rapid antigen test was a self-swab: 7 times around each nostril, "high enough so it's uncomfortable but not painful." What a difference from those early days where the swab used to practically touch your brain tissue! We were told we'd have the results within 2 hours, and a text message would prompt us to log on to a secure portal. 
 
One of our results came back within 40min, while the other came back a nerve-wracking 30min after the first. Still well within the promised window, but enough to make you wonder why one took so long and the other didn't. We've never been so happy to be negative before! It felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off our shoulders. Though the text message-entry portal provides an immediate result, if you want the full, official result, you must log on to/activate the CVS MyChart portal within 24 hours to print out your results, so be sure to act quickly. I'm not sure if HAL will accept the phone version, but we'll have to wait and see. I am eager to see how quickly the vaccination card/COVID test check goes at the terminal. 
 
 
It's a relief to have completed this process once, and I feel more comfortable doing it again for future trips. I already feel quite out of practice with cruise prep having not sailed in almost two years, and testing added a brand new consideration to navigate, plus uncertainly about turnaround time. If you're nervous about pre-cruise testing, try not to be - it does add an additional step to the pre-cruise routine, but with careful planning ahead, it can be done pretty easily.
Definitely a few lessons learned here about making an appointment as early as possible on the day your window opens up. A smartphone is essential for this transaction, from the check-in to the portal availability, and I found myself wondering how difficult this would be for some to navigate if they lack one or prefer not to use a smartphone. Our friends are sailing on the Zuiderdam in February, and neither of them owns a smartphone, so I'm wondering what their process will be like, both in terms of testing and aboard ship with the increased reliance on the Navigator app. 
 
 
Next stop - embarkation! 

Glad to hear CVS in Ft Lauderdale worked for you as we are on this ship next month and will have to get tested down there since we will be driving down 4 days early.  We had good luck with CVS up here in VA for our cruise a few weeks ago out of Baltimore.  We will check with Walgreens down there as well as a backup.  

 

When you hear of the # of approximate passengers please post.  Have a wonderful cruise

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...