I’m dumbfounded and not sure where to start my review of this “dam” ship - Eurodam. As a disclaimer, remember – this review is only my opinion and commentary. As a qualifier, I am well cruised and love all the things about cruising that make addicts out of so many of us. My kids have grown up cruising – often on HAL with really terrific experiences and memories in the past. Unfortunately, things have changed for the worse with HAL. For a reference point I am writing this as a veteran of 79 cruises (including this one) and have cruised on lines such as Princess, Seabourn, Oceania, Regent, Crystal, Premier (defunct), Celebrity, Chandris (defunct), Royal (defunct) Royal Caribbean, Holland America, NCL, Carnival etc. My personal favorite remains Oceania and Regent as the experience on board is exactly the flavor of cruising I look for.

This cruise on Eurodam is our 11th Holland America Cruise. After our last Holland America cruise 1.5 years ago – which was an awful experience - I made my wife promise that if I had a break with reality and chose HAL again to stop me. Well, here we are by circumstance on the Eurodam and my wife warned me and reminded me, but fell short of stopping me. I wish she had been more vigilant. How quickly one forgets!

Don’t get me wrong – I vacation and cruise to enjoy myself and will always have a good time. In fact, we had a great time on Eurodam because the choice of being miserable is never a choice for me or my family. This does not preclude me from citing my observations and experiences which I hope are helpful to those contemplating a Holland America cruise. Vacation time is precious and because there are choices we should be able to make an educated decision when it comes to choosing a cruise that is a good marriage between our expectations, desires, and pocket books. Certainly, there are many brands to choose from when it comes to cruising and HAL will be for some and not others. I’m certain HAL is no longer for me. Read more