Eurodam - July 15th Review - Very Poor

[Sidekick32]

Hi All,

 

Let me preface this rather scaring review with some context. I've been on over 30+ cruises in my life. With, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Seabourn, Windstar, Celebrity, Norwegian and of course; HAL.

 

Of the HAL ships, I've been on the Rotterdam 2x (both the old one & new one), Zuiderdam, Koningsdam, and just recently disembarked the Eurodam on an Alaska trip on July 22nd. My previous cruises with HAL were pre-pandemic and were absolutely wonderful, except for some plumbing issues on the old Rotterdam ship. The (new) Rotterdam and Koningsdam stay in my mind as top five cruises I've ever been on (beating out Sebourn when you consider value for $). However, I don't know what happened on the Eurodam and I do hope that this is not fleet wide, but I seemingly has whip lash after the very, very poor experience I just recently had on the Eurodam:

 

In succinct: atrocious staff attitude, poor dining experience, poor ship cleanliness, poor live music choices.

 

Usually on a cruise, if a staff member is rude, that one rude experience sticks with me; however, on the Eurodam the opposite was true. There was only a few experiences the entire 7-day voyage where a staff member was actually polite and courteous that stuck me with me. Instead, I was met with a standoffish attitude from nearly every single member of the vessel. The absolute worst offenders were those at the Explorations Cafe; how nice would it be to at least be acknowledge or greeted at 7am in the morning while ordering a specialty coffee? Well, not on the Eurodam. When I got to the front of the line the staff taking the order would just look at me, and I would proceed to order - what an odd occurrence I thought to myself, perhaps it was just because of the turn day weariness. No, this cavalier attitude continued throughout the entire voyage. A specific example, when I asked if they had skim milk I was greeted with a "No", there was no substitution offered, when I asked if there was whole milk, again "No" at lease this time though they said they had 2%. Okay, got it, they call themselves a "Coffee Bar" but literally only have one (1) type of milk - this lasted for the entire voyage. Even McDonald's will give you skim milk if you ask for it. 

This staff "attitude" just continued throughout the whole voyage, it was quite bizarre. I don't know if they were frazzled out, nearing the end of their contracts, or missed home the poor attitude of the staff was just beyond me. They were just genuinely unhappy folks. The only positive experience I have is of the server up in the Tamarind bar - he gave recommendations on cocktails and actually seemed happy - cool!

 

I will make the other disappointing items quick (no order of importance):

 

1.) No pastry selection in Main Dining Room Breakfast - the bread plate was there, but no one ever came around to offer pastries
2.) Pinnacle Grill experience was awful. Fayth (server) did her best, but the steak I had "Medium" was tough as leather, I had trouble cutting it even with those huge Pinnacle grill knives - what? Also the Key Lime pie dessert was awful, and the sides absolutely pitiful, the side of "beets and bleu cheese" was literally 2 slices of beets, quartered and sprinkled with blue cheese. The "Wedge Salad" had dirty lettuce (not wash) and an uninspired dressing
3.) Filthy buffet, tables were bussed quite promptly I will say; however the carpet, tables, chairs, and window ledges were filthy. So many crumbs underneath the table, even at breakfast! That made me wonder, was it even cleaned at night?
4.) Dining Room Food for dinner portions were absolutely laughably small. I realize the "Petite Fillet" would be small, but four tiny (overcooked) slices of beef is an insult. Another example: the "Roasted Cauliflower" at lunch, was you guys, literally a stalk of Cauliflower, one stalk about 1.5 inches tall, cut in half and served roasted - what (this was served on a large plate too, and it really was quite a funny photo)
5.) Ocean Bar had the same soundtrack 4 songs, that repeated, over, and over, and over. The poor staff working there, like change up the music.
6.) The pools were filthy. I have photos of rust, calcium or other "mysterious" build up around the edge of the water in the pool. This was especially bad in the seaview aft pool. 

7.) No more Lincoln Center Stage, that area was absolutly dormant except for the the "Art" Auctions, of over-priced giclee's. There was a Piano on the stage there, that was covered the entire time - how sad. 

 

I loved HAL for its yummy food, upbeat and friendly staff, and great live music - but none of these expectations were met. I don't know if this is indictive of the entire fleet (someone please tell me I am wrong), but I cannot recommend HAL to really anyone after this experience.

 

P.S: The Wifi was actually fantastic, download speeds were awful. But for facetiming, texting, web browsing and streaming everything was A-OK. 
 

[colbe]

1 hour ago, Sidekick32 said:

Hi All,

 

Let me preface this rather scaring review with some context. I've been on over 30+ cruises in my life. With, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Seabourn, Windstar, Celebrity, Norwegian and of course; HAL.

 

Of the HAL ships, I've been on the Rotterdam 2x (both the old one & new one), Zuiderdam, Koningsdam, and just recently disembarked the Eurodam on an Alaska trip on July 22nd. My previous cruises with HAL were pre-pandemic and were absolutely wonderful, except for some plumbing issues on the old Rotterdam ship. The (new) Rotterdam and Koningsdam stay in my mind as top five cruises I've ever been on (beating out Sebourn when you consider value for $). However, I don't know what happened on the Eurodam and I do hope that this is not fleet wide, but I seemingly has whip lash after the very, very poor experience I just recently had on the Eurodam:

 

In succinct: atrocious staff attitude, poor dining experience, poor ship cleanliness, poor live music choices.

 

Usually on a cruise, if a staff member is rude, that one rude experience sticks with me; however, on the Eurodam the opposite was true. There was only a few experiences the entire 7-day voyage where a staff member was actually polite and courteous that stuck me with me. Instead, I was met with a standoffish attitude from nearly every single member of the vessel. The absolute worst offenders were those at the Explorations Cafe; how nice would it be to at least be acknowledge or greeted at 7am in the morning while ordering a specialty coffee? Well, not on the Eurodam. When I got to the front of the line the staff taking the order would just look at me, and I would proceed to order - what an odd occurrence I thought to myself, perhaps it was just because of the turn day weariness. No, this cavalier attitude continued throughout the entire voyage. A specific example, when I asked if they had skim milk I was greeted with a "No", there was no substitution offered, when I asked if there was whole milk, again "No" at lease this time though they said they had 2%. Okay, got it, they call themselves a "Coffee Bar" but literally only have one (1) type of milk - this lasted for the entire voyage. Even McDonald's will give you skim milk if you ask for it. 

This staff "attitude" just continued throughout the whole voyage, it was quite bizarre. I don't know if they were frazzled out, nearing the end of their contracts, or missed home the poor attitude of the staff was just beyond me. They were just genuinely unhappy folks. The only positive experience I have is of the server up in the Tamarind bar - he gave recommendations on cocktails and actually seemed happy - cool!

 

I will make the other disappointing items quick (no order of importance):

 

1.) No pastry selection in Main Dining Room Breakfast - the bread plate was there, but no one ever came around to offer pastries
2.) Pinnacle Grill experience was awful. Fayth (server) did her best, but the steak I had "Medium" was tough as leather, I had trouble cutting it even with those huge Pinnacle grill knives - what? Also the Key Lime pie dessert was awful, and the sides absolutely pitiful, the side of "beets and bleu cheese" was literally 2 slices of beets, quartered and sprinkled with blue cheese. The "Wedge Salad" had dirty lettuce (not wash) and an uninspired dressing
3.) Filthy buffet, tables were bussed quite promptly I will say; however the carpet, tables, chairs, and window ledges were filthy. So many crumbs underneath the table, even at breakfast! That made me wonder, was it even cleaned at night?
4.) Dining Room Food for dinner portions were absolutely laughably small. I realize the "Petite Fillet" would be small, but four tiny (overcooked) slices of beef is an insult. Another example: the "Roasted Cauliflower" at lunch, was you guys, literally a stalk of Cauliflower, one stalk about 1.5 inches tall, cut in half and served roasted - what (this was served on a large plate too, and it really was quite a funny photo)
5.) Ocean Bar had the same soundtrack 4 songs, that repeated, over, and over, and over. The poor staff working there, like change up the music.
6.) The pools were filthy. I have photos of rust, calcium or other "mysterious" build up around the edge of the water in the pool. This was especially bad in the seaview aft pool. 

7.) No more Lincoln Center Stage, that area was absolutly dormant except for the the "Art" Auctions, of over-priced giclee's. There was a Piano on the stage there, that was covered the entire time - how sad. 

 

I loved HAL for its yummy food, upbeat and friendly staff, and great live music - but none of these expectations were met. I don't know if this is indictive of the entire fleet (someone please tell me I am wrong), but I cannot recommend HAL to really anyone after this experience.

 

P.S: The Wifi was actually fantastic, download speeds were awful. But for facetiming, texting, web browsing and streaming everything was A-OK. 
 

The pastry selection is on the breakfast menu. You simply ask for what you want when you order.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Welcome to Cruise Critic and thanks for the review.

[canadianbear]

That is worrisome.  We have a 10 day cruise booked on Eurodam but not until November.  We’ve always loved that ship & staff so hope it improves soon.  It’s especially surprising about the staff as normally they have been excellent.  

[mcrcruiser]

That is a sad review .We also hope that this is not carried over time on Eurodam or any ship of the  HAL fleet  . Un the cases that the OP stated I believe should be addressed to the Hotel Director personally ,so that HAL has a chance to  clean up those matters

[CafeBruno]

Not trying to minimize the OP's experience, but we were on the Eurodam last month on the same 7 day Alaska cruise from Seattle, with likely mostly the same staff, and did not at all experience the service issues the OP described. I did not notice any cleanliness issues. In fact we had a GREAT cruise and found the food, beverages and service fabulous and up to the HAL standards we enjoy.

 

On our cruise the Lincoln Center stage area was in use every day, including Trivia, coffee with the Cruise & Travel Director presentations, Art history & auctions, the port talks, and spa promotional talks.  

 

Yes, the food portions in the MDR have decreased on every HAL ship, compared to pre-Covid, so that's nothing new. On our cruise, our portions sizes were not "insulting" at all, we thought they were fine. And you can still get additional entrees for free in the MDR, no problem. 

 

I'm sorry you had so many bad experiences on your cruise. For others with future cruises scheduled on the Eurodam, you may not have the same issues, as our experience was very different and completely positive, just a month earlier than the OP. In fact we have 21 days on her scheduled for January and we are looking forward to it very much. For context, we are also experienced cruisers and close to 5 star on HAL. 

Edited July 24, 2023 by CafeBruno
spelling error

[Radbooks]

We were on the Eurodam at the end of June and loved it! Sorry this poster had such a bad experience, but it certainly was a lot different than our 7 day Alaska cruise.

[Oakman58]

I ditto what CafeBruno said.  I was on the Eurodam June 17 - 24 for our Alaskan cruise.  We were impressed with the friendliness of the crew, the food was good but I did experience some minor hiccups.  Our room steward was awesome and I thought the ship was very clean and fresh.  I not going to doubt the original posters experience but to me, it sounds like a Karen.

 

I posted a trip report with pictures of my cruise in the Alaskan subforum.  Here's a link.  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2948920-alaska-trip-report-holland-america-eurodam-jun-17-jun-24/#replyForm

[ROUS]

We loved our Eurodam experience.  This info just doesn't seem to make sense to me.

[Andi Land]

I was on the Eurodam June 24-July 1. We had a great cruise overall and really enjoyed the ship. It was our first time on that ship. 
 

I will agree with the OP that the service in the Explorations Cafe was subpar. We experienced the same disconnect with the staff that was mentioned. We also had mediocre service from the main bartender in the Lido bar. The feeling I had was that the staff was tired and needed some time off to recoup. 
 

We dined in the Pinnacle 3 times and had two very good meals and one average meal. The service was also hit and miss here. We ate at the Tamarind twice and the food and service were exceptional. 
 

Overall, we had a really good experience and would cruise the Eurodam again. 

[Crew News]

Hopefully, the OP took the opportunity to use the "Let us know" feature of the Navigator app to report the issues.  Any corrective actions should be reported ASAP so that corrective action can be taken while the incident is fresh in the minds of all concerned. 

 

This is true for reporting kudos as well. 

Edited July 25, 2023 by Crew News

[Lido deck main]

6 hours ago, canadianbear said:

That is worrisome.  We have a 10 day cruise booked on Eurodam but not until November.  We’ve always loved that ship & staff so hope it improves soon.  It’s especially surprising about the staff as normally they have been excellent.  

Why worry. Zero credibility first post. I don't believe a word they are saying. 

[mightycruisequeen]

Welcome to Cruise Critic, Sidekick32 . 

Sorry to read such a sad review on Eurodam; it's one of my favorite ships.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Wow, what a disappointing experience! And not to doubt the OP, but my cruise on Eurodam last winter was not like that at all. The ship was always clean. I had breakfast at the Lido most mornings, and I did not see detritus from the previous day. 

 

I do agree that waiter service by the Lido pool was slow, but I just went to the bar to get drinks instead of waiting for a server to be available. Service at the Explorations coffee bar was less than wonderful the few times I went there. But I discovered that I could get my mid-morning coffee treat at one of the midship bars (Pinnacle Bar, maybe), where the service was better. 

 

Beef portions at dinner were very large. It was the fish portions that were small on my cruise. 

[SilvertoGold]

Surprising to us all the attitude on this ship as the General Hotel Manager is a nice guy and well liked from what I can tell. He leads and his officers follow.

We have found that the bar guys and ladies who man the Explorations Cafe do not seem to be too positive about serving coffee and eats.  They are all well-trained bartenders and servers and seem to prefer doing the job they are trained for.  We have seen this on and off on multiple HAL ships over the years.  Some are excellent, some not so much.  Maybe it all comes down to personality?

[sunviking90]

8 hours ago, Lido deck main said:

Why worry. Zero credibility first post. I don't believe a word they are saying. 

While it is OPs first post, I find it a credible review, mostly disappointing but a few good points too. People have different patterns on cruises and interact with different crew, may patronize the Lido at busier times (hence the crumbs and mess, which I’ve often seen myself) and therefore have very different experiences. It’s possible the crew are getting burnt out in a very busy Alaska season, and Alaska is not a favorite of most crew anyway. 

[DaveOKC]

Two weeks on the Eurodam in Feb.  Crew was great and ship clean.  Food was good, but portion sizes have been reduced (OK for me).  Pinnacle good, Tamarind great.

 

[slidergirl]

I did the first Eurodam to Alaska this summer.  Very, very little of the OP's comments are what I would say.   

The only thing was the poor servers for coffee at the Explorations Cafe.  They kept running out of supplies and had to send someone.   The guests were, IMHO, part of the problem.  They would step up to the register and order 5 beverages, all different and all with special orders, just like they thought they were at Starbucks.  The line was out the door, out the hallway.  The poor girl at the register was trying to do the best she could, but she was bombarded with rude people wanting their special "latte, nonfat, extra shot, 2 pumps vanilla, whip" kind of things.  Even when the Bar Manager came over to give her a break he had trouble.

 

 

[RAS4331]

I found the portions on our recent Eurodam cruise rather small, but I actually thought they were just right.  At home we don’t eat a meal with an appetizer, bread and butter, and dessert every night.  I’m a “clean my plate” kind of person, so if the portions were large I definitely would have over eaten.  My husband is a big guy, and he sometimes ordered two portions of the main dish, and they were happily served to him.

I enjoyed every bite (not a single meal was disappointing), did not deny myself anything, and didn’t gain a single pound so to me the portions were spot-on, especially since you can ask for more.

Edited July 25, 2023 by RAS4331
clarity

[OlsSalt]

4 hours ago, slidergirl said:

..........The guests were, IMHO, part of the problem.  They would step up to the register and order 5 beverages, all different and all with special orders, just like they thought they were at Starbucks.  The line was out the door, out the hallway.  The poor girl at the register was trying to do the best she could, but she was bombarded with rude people wanting their special "latte, nonfat, extra shot, 2 pumps vanilla, whip" kind of things.  Even when the Bar Manager came over to give her a break he had trouble.

 

 

 

Interesting observation. The only consistently subpar service experience we had once was at the outdoor , aft deck pizza station on one of the smaller HAL ships.

 

This was shortly after HAL introduced the 'build your own" pizza station,  with a large array of ingredients. This also probably also overwhelmed those pizza staffers too, as people fired off all sorts of combos. But only after meandering all over the list, before finally making up their minds.

 

I thought the pizza staffers were uniquely unhappy because they had to work out doors in the cold on that cruise. Maybe there is more to the story now. The downside of "unlimited choices" in a small, closed setting.

 

Just happily give me Grab and Go, and I am gone. 

[Guest ldtr]

On 7/24/2023 at 4:25 PM, canadianbear said:

That is worrisome.  We have a 10 day cruise booked on Eurodam but not until November.  We’ve always loved that ship & staff so hope it improves soon.  It’s especially surprising about the staff as normally they have been excellent.  

I would not worry about it.

[canadianbear]

5 minutes ago, ldtr said:

I would not worry about it.

No I won’t.  Everyone has their own experiences and expectations.  It will be our first cruise since the pandemic so I’m just hoping all goes well.  Plus our friends are coming too and haven’t been on this ship or itinerary.  We are in a Neptune so will wine & dine them in our cabin if things aren’t going great-but I’m sure they will! 

[RedneckBob]

18 minutes ago, canadianbear said:

No I won’t.  Everyone has their own experiences and expectations.  It will be our first cruise since the pandemic so I’m just hoping all goes well.  Plus our friends are coming too and haven’t been on this ship or itinerary.  We are in a Neptune so will wine & dine them in our cabin if things aren’t going great-but I’m sure they will! 

I will be sailing with you on the Eurodam. Not worried at all. Always had good sailing experiences on the Eurodam as long as the Lido has Grey Poupon. 😀

[canadianbear]

5 minutes ago, RedneckBob said:

I will be sailing with you on the Eurodam. Not worried at all. Always had good sailing experiences on the Eurodam as long as the Lido has Grey Poupon. 😀

Good to see you’re still alive & entertaining on here! 

[Guest ldtr]

2 hours ago, canadianbear said:

No I won’t.  Everyone has their own experiences and expectations.  It will be our first cruise since the pandemic so I’m just hoping all goes well.  Plus our friends are coming too and haven’t been on this ship or itinerary.  We are in a Neptune so will wine & dine them in our cabin if things aren’t going great-but I’m sure they will! 

Things were definitely impacted early in the restart, but for the last year pretty much back to pre Covid. Keeping in mind that during any 4 year period there will be some changes just as their was before covid.