Cruising on Holland America’s Eurodam

11/29 – 12/3/2008

Ft. Lauderdale – Grand Turk – Tortola – St. Thomas

 

I had the opportunity to sail on the new Eurodam for a few days in conjunction with a client site inspection for 4 days.  We had previously sailed on the vessel in October on a special three night itinerary which was good but very quick and now my second time around, I was able to really kick the tires so to say.

 

The Eurodam is the first of Holland America’s Signature Class vessels which are and expansion on the very successful Vista Class ships.  Basically, these are Vista Class ships with a few more berths and some enhancements and additions.

 

The ship décor is very contemporary and the staterooms are very much like finer hotel rooms.  Like the Vista ships before her, the Eurodam is predominantly verandahs with only two decks of standard ocean view of which one is the promenade and the other deck 1.  Staterooms are very comfortable all with upgraded bedding and standard amenities we expect from HAL – safes (large enough to fit laptops), mini bars, flat panel TVs, DVD/CD player, phone, and fresh fruit replenished daily.  The bathrooms are spacious for ships and most feature a bathtub and shower.  

 

The public areas are again very similar to the Vista ships with the Mainstage lounge forward on decks 1 – 3.  Deck 2 features the Piano Bar, Casino, Northern Lights Disco, Queens Lounge, Pinnacle Bar and the Pinnacle Grill.  On Deck three is the new Cinema, and expanded shopping area, a more open Ocean Bar, the photo shops and the Explorers Lounge.  On decks 2 and 3 aft is the Main Dining Room.  There is also a King’s Room on deck 2 starboard, which is used for private dining.

 

Up to deck 10 where the lido pool is now adorned with cabanas.  The cabanas are available for rental by the day or week and are a great way to privatize your lido pool experience.  Champagne and strawberries are served to each cabana owner daily – a nice touch.  There is also an area on deck 11 forward called “the Retreat” which feature additional cabanas.  The lido pool is still protected from inclement whether by the retractable roof.  The pool itself features a cascading fountain and wooden frame sculpture which very nice at night in conjunction with the colored lighting embedded in it.

 

The lido buffet is also divided into different stations like the Vista ships with there being Italian and Asian themes as well as the various hot lines, sandwich/omelet stations, desert area and salad bar.  The mid portion of the lido restaurant starboard is reset with white tablecloths and becomes “Caneletto” Italian Restaurant in the evenings.  This is a reservations required restaurant but there is no upcharge.

 

 Aft of the lido buffet is the aft pool deck where the new layout is very nice.  The pizzeria and bar are here and under an awning – very nice.  The aft pool deck is spacious and is there are two Jacuzzis here as there are on the lido pool.

 

New on the Eurodam is the addition of two decks in the midship corridor which is home to my personal favorite areas of the ship – the Silk Den and the Tamarind Restaurant.  These are Asian themed.  The Silk Den is a great bar and a perfect place to gather before a meal in the Tamarind Restaurant. The Tamarind, like the Pinnacle Grill, is an upcharge reservations required restaurant and is well worth the very reasonable $15 dinner charge.  Lunch in the Tamarind is reservation required but no upcharge.  If you enjoy Asian fare, this is the place to be.  Dishes vary from regions and are very tasty and fresh.  Sushi and sashimi are available as appetizers or main courses and were very good.  Service here was impeccable and I dined here 2 of my four nights.  Obviously I highly recommend it.

 

The Crows Nest now features a combination with the library and internet café as well as the Explorations Café which features specialty coffees, espressos, and lattes.  A great place to start you day without a doubt.

 

So all of this very nice hardware would not be complete without the software.  The Eurodam crew was fantastic in providing us with the very high level of service you expect from Holland America Line.   This ship is a winner for incentives and groups and is nicely placed in the Caribbean for season.  If you’d like to chat about the ship or better yet get a quote for you next program – give me a ring, I’d be happy to talk to you about it.