Holland America Eurodam

[RedSox68]

Anyone ever travel on the Eurodam -- or ANY Holland America ship?

We found a great itinerary for next year that would combine our back-to-back Disney cruises, give us more ports and cost half the price!

But I've heard reports of HAL being geriatric?

 

[bicker]

We did a Holland America cruise in February 2008. It was very nice; not quite the same as Royal Caribbean, but far less "geriatric" than we were led to believe. And beyond even that, just keeping up with the discussions in the Holland America forum on Cruise Critic a bit over the past year and a half, it sure seems like Holland America is, at least in certain ways, continuing to move closer toward its competitors, and not clinging so strongly as before to its stodgy reputation.

 

[RedSox68]

In comparison -- why is RCCL better than HAL?

 

[bicker]

It felt to us that Royal Caribbean was further along the way towards fostering a more entertaining and enjoyable cruising experience. It is one of those things that you can only gauge by comparing direct experiences. In the end, the main point is that, while yes Royal Caribbean is "better", perhaps, the difference is not as big as some people would have you believe. I got the impression that Carnival realizes that it needs a brand between Carnival on the low-end and Princess on the high- (though not highest) end, and they're repurposing Holland America to serve as that.

 

[KathyTX]

"More enjoyable and entertaining" is in the eye of the beholder!

We've sailed several times on Princess and several times on Holland America (including on the Eurodam), as well as a couple of trips with DCL.

Here's my take:

RCCL is a much more active cruise ship experience, with activities including the rock-climbing walls and other interests geared toward the athletic and active family. This line has a LOT of fans.

Princess was fine, but I wouldn't characterize it as upscale in comparison to RCCL and HAL. Activity and entertainment-wise, it's probably between the more energetic and athletic RCCL and the more sedate Holland America. Lots of smaller eateries on the newer ships, LOTS of annoying announcements about bingo.

Holland America ship decor (at least on the Eurodam, Westerdam and Zuiderdam) is more sedate and traditional than the other two, but still quite varied and interesting. The entertainment was good, very similar to the shows and variety on Princess. We prefer Holland America's main dining room and the premium steakhouse to the Princess model of lots of smaller venues, but that's strictly a matter of personal preference. I think the quality of dining is very comparable on the two lines.

We're not the athletic-vacation types. Give us some quality stage/music/variety/magician shows, nice pools and bars, a few ship tours and lectures, a place for the teenager to meet and hang out with new friends, a comfortable library where you can relax or read or play board games or watch the waves pass by, and we're happy. We'll get our exercise at the ports.

We've got another cruise booked on the Eurodam right now. We'd also happily book Princess or RCCL if they were going to places we're interested in at a time we'd like, IF we could get a nice room at a fair price.

 

[binny]

I worked for HAL for 2 years and now Im a TA, I will tell you that geriatric is going to depend LARGELY upon your destination. People that tend to take HAL to Alaska range more in that geriatric stage, people cruising the Caribbean are not as apt to be in that age range.




I love the HAL product and always have, it does tend to be more traditional but it is classy as opposed to "old" does that make sense?
RCCL also provides a great product but I agree with Kathy that it tends to be geared a lot more to the active cruisers.

 

[Saphire]

We cruised on the Eurodam last winter and absolutely loved the ship and itinerary! The service was excellent and unobtrusive, unlike NCL and RCCL, which seemed to always be pushing drinks and services. The ship has subdued colors and recessed lighting, very classy.

The majority of the people were older, but there were kids, teens, young couples and lots of people in our age group (40's-50's). It did not have a 'party boat' feeling at all. The stage shows did cater to the older crowd, and that was the only thing we didn't like. They sang poppy stuff from the 60's and 70's which was pretty bad. (No 80's music at all.) But there was other music that we enjoyed...jazz at the Ocean Bar and a string quartet at the Explorer's Lounge.

If you have any other questions I would be happy to answer. Enjoy planning your trip!

 

[RedSox68]

Thank you all so much for your candid answers

For those of you who mentioned that you actually sailed on the Eurodam, which sailings did you do?

We are booked next June on the 20-day Ultimate European tour which includes European capitals like Disney's 12-day, but also includes Norway and Scotland. The 20 day HAL is costing us less than the 12-day Disney with all the same ports (except including Helsinki and Talinn but excluding Oslo)!!!!