The ship itself, is a deviation from the Carnival Pride class of ship.
These ships, with modifications have evolved into the Vista-class of ships
for Holland America and the Queen Victoria for Cunard Line. In many ways
the Eurodam reminds me of the Queen Victoria, with her warm and soothing
color scheme and feeling of intimacy. The ship has a very upscale feeling
which is triggered by the use of warm beiges, brass and extensive
use of accent lighting.
The Eurodam is the 80th ship built for Holland American and the 14th
ship in their current fleet.
The ship has a wrap around promenade, which is a flashback to the past.
The broad deck has plenty of room for lounge chairs as well for
people to walk. It provides an opportunity for passengers to enjoy the
vast ocean views and presents the perfect location for passengers to
relax, read or listen to music.
The Eurodam has an extensive pool area, with two pools. Located
mid-ship, on the top most deck, is the Lido Pool. A second pool, the Sea
View pool, is located aft and is reminiscent of the past lido areas on
ships of yester-year. Both pools are large and offer a substantial amount
of adjoining deck space for relaxing.
Holland America has introduced new private cabanas, which are available
to reserve by the day or by the cruise. Available on two decks, they are
tastefully decorated, filled with amenities and provide an
poolside retreat.
The Retreat cabanas are the ultimate place to relax
surrounded by healthy refreshments and luxurious amenities.
DINING
The main dining room on the Eurodam is the
Rembrandt Dining Room:
which
features quality service and an extensive wine list. Five-course menus
include continental cuisine, vegetarian and low-carb options. This 2
level dining room is located aft and provides expansive views of
the sea. Capable of seating 1,114 people per seating, the Rembrandt
Dining Room is open and airy.
For a further upscale dining
experience, there is the Pinnacle Grill: This
intimate venue offers an elegant, sophisticated dining experience, featuring premium Sterling Silver Beef®, inspired seafood dishes and
many select wines rated "Excellent" by Wine Spectator — as well
as distinctive Bvlgari® china, Riedel stemware and Frette® linens.
Dining in this restaurant is available at an additional cost of $15 per
person for lunch and $30 per person for dinner.
Lido Restaurant: offers a
relaxed ambiance for all three meals and features a variety of buffet
and fresh,
cooked-to-order specialties. At the Lido Restaurant, I found the food to
be very tasty and a wide selection to choose from.
At night, part of the Lido Restaurant is cordoned off to create
Canaletto's - a special, family style, Italian dining room, featuring
the essence of Italian cooking. Menu items are prepared in lighter sauces and
fresh, unique spices. Camaletto's seats 70.
Tamarind Restaurant and Silk Den
Lounge are Holland America's new Pan-Asian restaurant and lounge
with panoramic views of the ocean and Lido Pool area. Named after an
exotic seasoning often used in Asian cooking, Tamarind offers an
intriguing mix of Chinese Southeast Asian and Japanese dishes including
sushi and sashimi. Tamarind is free for lunch and there is a $15 per
person additional charge for dinner.
These eating venues are in addition to the Terrace Grill for poolside
dining such as hamburgers, french fries, hot dogs and more. There is
also pizza available at the Slice Pizzeria.
PUBLIC ROOMS AND ACTIVITIES
In total, there are 26 public rooms onboard the Eurodam.
The Mainstage Show Lounge is a two tier show room
that can accommodate over 890 people and is the main show
lounge on board the Eurodam. Talent featured in this venue includes vocalists,
dancers, illusionists, comedians and variety acts.
The Crow's Nest offers
sweeping 270° views during the day, and a hip, fashionable nightclub
each evening.
The Queen Lounge converts into a show lounge by Night offering Dancing
and music.
The Casino and Casino Bar offers all of the standard games of chance,
gaming tables and slots.
The Northern Lights Disco offers a large dance floor, flashing lights,
private lounge areas and an all white-decor.
The Sports Bar is ideal for the sports minded. You will not need to miss that
important game at sea. You can enjoy a drink in this sport venue.
Additional Bars include the Pinnacle Bar, Ocean Bar, Piano Bar,
SeaView Bar, Explorer's Bar and Lido Bar.
Digital Workshop, powered by
Windows® provides the tools for guests to “show and tell" their
vacation memories, learning how to share all their digital memories
through email, blogging and social networking — so friends and family
can see where they've been cruising even before they return home. Free
workshops taught by Microsoft-trained "techsperts" make it easy and fun,
even for novices.
The Explorations Café, powered by
The New York Times is a comfortable, coffee house
environment where you can browse through an extensive library, surf the
Internet and check email or simply read the morning paper. Adjacent to
the Exploration Cafe is an area for coffee, pastry and cookies.
The Culinary Arts Center, presented by
Food & Wine magazine, is Holland America's
state-of-the-art demonstration kitchen for gourmet presentations,
tasting events and intimate cooking classes.
Greenhouse Spa & Salon
features heavenly beauty and wellness rituals. Enjoy a facial, hot stone
massage, steam in a thermal suite and have your hair and nails done for
a special evening.
The Fitness Center features state of the art fitness equipment and
aerobics classes.
CHILDREN'S PROGRAM
Club HAL®: Is Holland America's dedicated youth
facilities with activities for kids ages 3 to 12; activities are
supervised and age appropriate. For younger children, there is story
time, arts and crafts, movies and more. Older kids - sporting events,
games, scavenger hunts and more. This area features large play areas, a
lounge, dance floor, video screens and computers for various games.
The Loft: designed exclusively for teens to have
fun, socialize and hang out with people their own age, includes
a new video editing facility for teens.
Outside of the Club HAL, is an enclosed sport court which is suitable
for basketball, volleyball, tennis and badminton.
Holland America tends to attract a more mature crowd, therefore the
number of children on board can vary. A large number of children can be
found on
board during holidays, summer vacation and winter breaks.
STATEROOMS
In total, the Eurodam offers 1,052
cabins. The Eurodam is the first ship to be built with all of the
Signature of Excellence features.
All of
Eurodam’s 1,052 staterooms provide the line’s “Signature of Excellence”
premium amenities of plush Euro-top Mariner’s Dream beds, deluxe
bathrobes, plush Egyptian cotton towels, flat panel TVs, DVD players,
make-up mirrors with halo lighting, massage shower heads, hair dryer, personal safe, refrigerator, and closets configured for hanging
and/or drop down shelves.
The Eurodam offers an entirely new category of stateroom for Holland
America - Spa Staterooms. Located on the Panorama and Observation
decks near the Greenhouse Spa and Salon, these accommodations offer the latest trends in spa
design and feature special amenities such as organic bathrobes, slippers
and yoga mats. A special Spa concierge is available to set up your
appointments for facials, messages, aromatherapy and more.
The design and decor of every stateroom category has been completely
well thought out. Clean lines and specially selected woods and
fabrics add to the ship's boutique look.
Inside staterooms feature blonde wood and lighter colors that create
an open and airy feel.
Outside stateroom utilize Cherry wood and warm hues while suites
utilize even darker wood for a feeling of warmth, sophistication and
ambiance.
All cabins offer ample storage space for personal belonging. Balcony
cabins offer average size balconies - just big enough for 2 chairs and a
small round table.
Bathrooms, like all cruise ships, tend to be compact but functional,
offering just enough space and comfort for your short time aboard.
The Eurodam is very elegantly decorated. The ship features artwork
which represents the past history of Holland America (HAL). The passenger
areas have photos and artwork of famous HAL ships throughout the company's
history. The public rooms are elegantly decorated, warm and welcoming. The
lighting, on board the ship, adds to the ambiance.
The ship is well laid out and not confusing. There is ample public
spaces. The outdoor spaces on the Eurodam are exceptional and welcoming.
The retractable glass cover over the Lido pool, allows passengers to swim
in any weather conditions.
Food onboard is good. There is a wide selection of menu items from
other countries - especially at the buffet. Presentation of the food is very
appealing. The lido buffet also offers many made to order dishes and
sandwiches.
In general Holland America attracts vacationers 50+, especially
on European and Alaska Sailings and sailings longer than 7 days.
Caribbean sailings will have more of a mix of various age groups.
Entertainment onboard is good and offers various talents to appeal to
the masses.
Cabins are quite comfortable and the Signature of Excellence amenities
are a nice touch.
Service onboard meets expectations and passengers are welcomed with a smile.
Overall the Eurodam offers an above average experience at a reasonable
price.
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