We were on the third "official" sailing of this ship, and the second time it did the itinerary of Norway, Scotland, and England. We booked early with a note that we are "medallion" Mariners and a request for a cabin upgrade. We wanted an unobstructed outside room, so we booked an "E" guarantee and hoped for a slight upgrade. Two days before the sailing, our online travel agent contacted HAL and we were given a two cabin upgrade---not bad.
When we arrived at the ship, we were pleased to find that we were upgraded about 8 more categories, into a veranda on deck 8. It was our first time with a veranda, so we were thrilled. (There is another dynamic with our booking. We discovered that just after the final payment was due, HAL lowered the cost of the sailing significantly--about $800 for the "E" cabin we booked. So, we were grateful for the upgrade, and the fact that we redeemed frequent flyer miles for air very early. Given all of the circumstances, we feel that we had a fair deal).
Those familiar with HAL ships were appreciate the layout of the Eurodam. You will generally find things where you expect them to be. There are a lot of improvements over past ships. For example, the Culinary Arts Center and the Screening room are two separate locations. No one knows the future of the Culinary Arts Center, but HAL is giving it a strong support, including classes for children. On a personal note, we are thrilled that the "Master Chef's Dinner" seems to be banished to the past. We thought it was stupid and it certainly interfered with the "Dine as you please" option.
Can have some noise as tables, etc on the Lido deck are rearranged. However, the cabin is otherwise completely silent. Also, the "structure" above the veranda is better for visibility than others on this deck.