Two Midwesterners escape winter on the Eurodam.

[omago4th]

this is a passenger playing bag pipes?

[ottahand7]

Correct.  Never saw him just heard him. Others witnessed him.

[oakridger]

5 hours ago, ottahand7 said:

Correct.  Never saw him just heard him. Others witnessed him.

 

Oh Geeeez.  Between people bringing their untrained pet dogs onboard and random passengers playing their own music at high volume I would go berserk!  Bagpipes or any music played in public without headphones is rude and against the rules!  And I actually like bagpipes (for a little while) and dogs, but they have to be in the right setting and with permission of all people around them.  It doesn't sound like that was the case with these.

 

~Nancy

Edited February 25 by oakridger

[ORTravelGal]

Ugh...playing music in public without headphones, watching videos on their phone without headphones (and they always seem to be political in nature, as if they really do intend for everyone else to hear the video) and phone calls via FaceTime or on speaker phone in public (where they always talk louder than their normal voice) drive me batty!  Why don't many people have a sense of awareness of their environment and what it takes to be courteous to others?  /off soap box

[ottahand7]

On one of the first days of our cruise a woman Face timed during dinner in the MDR nearby. It was bad enough but she started baby talking with the grandkids.  It was only like day 5, can't you wait?  

[sail731]

Nancy,  Thank you so much for taking the time to review and post your journey.  I have been following along and just shared with my daughter.  We are going next month and are super excited!  Safe travels back to Michigan.  Weather here has been mild.  So hopefully it will not be a shock to your system.

[ottahand7]

I lost a 2 pack of rum that I had bought in Amber Cove.  Brugal Anejo which was a great deal at $24 per pack.  They logged me in to the log book when I came back aboard but I kind of wondered their ability to handle B2BS.  On Friday morning my 2 bottles of Don Julio bought in Cozumel were delivered but no rum.  I contacted the concierge and they said they would get on it.  An hour later I visited the lounge to see if any progress, no.  After 2 hours I sent message through Navigator.  Within minutes I got a call from the concierge they have contacted the the Maitre d because they keep the booze and give it to housekeeping to return. We were enjoying our last dinner in the MDR and a "suit" showed up and started going over the housekeeping log for delivery.  I asked to see the log I signed in Dominican Republic.  He had a log for Roseau Dominica.   First course ruined.  Finally at 8:30 I got a call from the Cellar Master Rodel it was gone possibly delivered to the wrong cabin two cruises earlier.  He apologized.  A few minutes later John took a call from our concierge saying we would be refunded our $25 times 2 since they lost my rum. 

If you are on B2BS and surrender alcohol I would have them write in marking pen your cabin number and departure date and hold onto your receipt.  $50 may buy me two 750ml (not litres) if I can find them.  Caused too much stress last day of a beautiful cruise. 

[ottahand7]

We are back home in Michigan after spending three days in Florida before heading north through Alabama.  We stopped in Huntsville and then made it all the way to northern Indiana to South Bend.  It was a long haul but I wasn't the driver so I went along with the choice to dead head for a comped casino room.  We arrived home on Thursday afternoon.  

 

Some final comments before signing off.  

We had the sommelier package 3 and really enjoyed several bottles on that list.  We loved the Chamisal Stainless Chardonnay and really liked the Willamette Valley Whole Cluster Pinot Noir.  We tried the Rodney Strong and it was not good in our opinion.  We tried to get the Arboleda Cabernet but that was unavailable and Rodel gave us a Decoy Cabernet as a substitute so I cannot comment on it.  Two winners in that package, one red and one white but we did not try all of them.  

 

Since I returned home I got a second survey from HA about the voyage.  It said it was brief so I started it before an appointment.  It was mainly the first part of the one we get when returning home with some questions about dining and crew.  I let them have it about Canaletto and said Pinnacle and Tamarind suffered either from kitchen output capacity or disorganization.  Even dining at the very early hour of 5pm did not ensure smooth service.  After I completed the survey they asked for more time which I didn't have.  

 

We were awakened from our final sleep on the Eurodam around 4am by a sound along the outside of our cabin that sounded like the high pressure spray in a car wash, thank goodness it only lasted 30 seconds.  

 

Two trips to St. Lucia and both times the wind or some other reason kept us from doing scenic cruising in Soufriere Bay which has always been a highlight for us. 

 

Overall we had a good cruise on the Eurodam, some of the joy affected by the crowding in the casino and the Lido and the casino.  

 

Thanks for following along.  We will be beating winter in 2025 with 70 days on the Koningsdam doing three back to backs to Hawaii and the South Pacific.    We both avoid flying but we will have to fly to San Diego to get to Hawaii.  I went there three times in the last century and I truly loved Hawaii and I thought I would never see it again due to the flight.  Thanks to HA we can return again.  

 

[sterling2]

Thank you for your live thread. I really enjoyed it. You are a great writer. Loved your trip report.