We were on an Alaska cruise on the Eurodam in Sept, 2019 and loved, loved, loved it. I don't know if it would be for everybody, though and I specifically don't know if a teenager would enjoy it as much as we did. But we would go back in a heartbeat.
What we loved about it was the smaller size, the kindness of the crew, the almost universal niceness of the other passengers, and the vibe it gave off of being kind of a throwback to an old-fashioned ocean liner rather than a city on the sea. It was not a geriatric cruise by any means, but it did seem to cater to adults of all ages and there weren't that many kids that we could see.
We had no complaints at all about the food. We ate at two of their specialty restaurants, the Pinnacle Grill and the Asian inspired Tamarind. We enjoyed both but we especially liked the food and the quiet, intimate atmosphere of the Tamarind.
It wasn't Holland America's fault at all, just the weather that rolled in, that prevented all passengers on all ships to miss the excursion we were most looking forward to - Dog Sledding on Mendelhall Glacier. Helicopters were grounded and there wasn't anything anyone could do about that. Going through Glacier Bay the next day brought our spirits right back up, though. It was beautiful. Juneau was just "meh", but we found the history of Sitka really interesting.
We didn't expect much of Ketchikan, so on that day we had reserved in advance a 4 person Lido cabana on the (covered, warm) pool deck for ourselves and our friends who were traveling with us. We did scurry off the ship to make a quick tour of the touristy shops in Ketchikan, as much to stretch our legs as anything, but we hurried back to the ship and enjoyed one of the best, most relaxing days of the trip just lazing around in the cabana. The ship had emptied out, the servers kept coming by to bring us anything we wanted, the pool was right there and I really enjoyed playing endless ping pong, which I used to love but hadn't done for ages.
Finally, one of the best things about the ship was that we were able to book a reasonably priced Signature Suite. It was a nice size - more like a hotel room rather than a "cabin", and it had a good sized bathroom with 2 sinks, a bathtub and a separate shower. It was just heaven to stand on the balcony and watch the world glide by.
I guess I would sum up by saying that, when you look up at the other ships docked next to the Eurodam, it looks a little sad and old next to the glitz of some of the others. But once on board, I would choose it again every time because it was small and charming rather than big and attention-grabbing. It was perfectly clean and well maintained, but if you could compare it to clothing, the Eurodam was more classic and subdued, rather than flashy and up to the minute. As we stood on our balcony and looked over at the larger ships docked next to us, we weren't jealous at all, just really glad we'd chosen the cruise we had.
By the way, you'll be glad your departure and arrival port is Seattle. They are very well organized!
