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Holland America Rotterdam

Crew Tries Hard, But Eurodam Disappoints

Split

I have been on 3 cruises before, two to Alaska and one to Hawaii, all on Princess.  The first trip was amazing.  The next two cruises showed signs of cutting corners to save money, like no fresh cookies at promenade eatery and over half of the lights burned out in the string that goes from bow to aft, little things.  So decided to try a Holland America cruise to Alaska on the Eurodam.  There were some nice things that I will hit first.

Pros

1. Muster was fast and simple.  Listen to an announcement, view a video in your room, see the guy on deck who pointed to where your meeting place would be.  NICE.

2.  People were amazingly friendly.  All the crew I met were almost gushing with friendliness.  

3.  The Crow's nest - deck 11 - top front of the ship.  This place had a panoramic view of where we were going but what made it stand out was all the board games and jigsaw puzzles available.   And great game/puzzle tables to sit at.  Really brought people together.

4.  Dinner in the formal dining room.  Every dinner we had there, 6 out of 7 days, was great.  And our server, Widodo, was super great.  

Now for the not so nice things I have to say.

Cons

1. Breakfast & Lunch buffet:

    A. Most of the food we had to wait for the people behind the counter to serve us.  This caused a big back up and longer wait times.

    B.  Lack of variety.  Breakfast was the same every day.  Lunch had more variety but the only fresh fruit were apples and pears.  The only other fruit was fruit salad with melons and pineapple.

    C.  Hours - The hours open were less than I'd come to expect on Princess and they were sporadic, changing from day to day.  I tended not to pay attention to the hours for the first few days and found them closed about half the time I went there.

2. Other dining - the only other food options that didn't cost extra were the hamburger joint and the pizza place.  We ate  a lot of pizza as this was the only place open after 8:00pm except for 10:30pm-11:30pm when the buffet was open for an hour.  If you wanted ice cream, you had to go when buffet was open.  The hamburger joint opened at 11:30am and closed at different times, all by or before 8:00pm.  But they had good burgers and GREAT fries.

3.  Times in Port were short.  We did the Juneau, Glacier Bay, Icy Straight Point, Sitka, Ketchikan, Victoria itinerary.  Juneau would have been all day but that was cancelled due to rough waters and high waves.  Not Holland America's fault.  We got into Icy Straight Point at 5:30pm and left at 9:00pm.  But it got dark at 7:00pm.  Sitka was 8:00am to 1:00pm.  We got into port and off the ship and most of the stores were still closed.  Ketchikan was from 7:00am to 12:30pm.  Victoria was from 8:00pm to 11:30pm but that's the way it was for both the Princess cruises I took as well so that was to be expected.

4.   Activities - Things to do around the ship were ok for the first half of the cruise but tapered down to almost nothing for the last half, especially the last full day.

5.  Tea - the offerings for snacks at tea were minimal compared to what I experienced on Princess.

6.   Promenade - the promenade was very lack luster.  3 floors with the first only being customer service, the second a dining restaurant and the third was a bar next to the casino.  There were only two stores, the Effy jewelry store and the everything else store.  The centerpiece of the promenade was a tacky looking thing that was like an ice stalactite made of white plastic flowers with some Christmas lights behind it.  I posted two pics of this.  No staircases or anything like that.  Just lacking.

In summary, if this was my first cruise, I'm sure I would not have noticed any of these things.  Did I get to Alaska and see some wonderful things?  Yes.  Did I have a good time?  Yes.  Will I take Holland America cruise line again.  No, absolutely no.

Cruise to Alaska was Wonderful but Holland America...Not So Much

I have been on HAL ships 6 prior times and always impressed with the quiet elegance.  This trip, I took an elderly gentleman fiend who wanted to go to Alaska, could well afford to go, but could not do it on his own.  

God must have been watching over us, because the views form the ship at the John Hopkins Glacier were amazing.  The Park Service naturalist who boarded that day to narrate the Glacier Bay portion said it was the best viewing day he'd seen in his 6 years at Glacier Bay.

The ship was grand, but the people were the stars in their own quiet ways.  We wanted to take our cabin steward home (I know I always want to) because of his cheerful manner and a anxiousness to take care of us.

The big things went swimmingly, and the glitches were small (please, when you cruise, put things into perspective, let your little problems remain small) and my buddy enjoyed his trip as well as his health allowed him to.

Humorously, we had the HAL Unlimited Laundry service.  I sent out a bag containing button-down shirts, slacks, and white undies. The box I checked was for hangers, not folded.  Everything was done to perfection every time, however, in  their attempt to be perfect, they pressed and put my white tee-shirts on hangers also.

Taking great service above and beyond.

We just got back from an 7-day Alaska cruise on the Eurodam. The service was impeccable. The food isn’t gourmet, but it’s quite good for mass produced fare. (Except the steaks at Pinnacle Grill were as tough as hockey pucks. ) We stayed in a verandah room with a balcony. There is plenty of room for storage. But the cabin is showing signs of wear (chipped furniture, moldy shower curtain, rusty balcony fixtures) and could use some refurbishing. The biggest negative about the cruise is the short amount of time in port. (Averaging about 5 hours). We didn’t have enough time to explore Sitka, Ketchikan or Victoria as much as we wanted to. If you don’t want to feel rushed, take another cruise. Another negative about the cruise are the crowds. The Lido buffet, the Observation deck and the Thermal spa are wall-to-wall people. The Thermal spa is not worth the extra fee unless you enjoy feeling like a canned sardine. The entertainment in the BB Kings blues club is awesome. Very talented folks! Overall, on a scale of 1-10, I’d give the cruise a 6.

Some pros. Some cons.

Well....I figured Holland was on the upper end of the cruise lines so we booked a 7 day to Alaska on the Eurodam.  I gotta tell you, I go on cruises to enjoy the hell out of the food. This was a MAJOR disappointment!  I will say that the "sit down" Dining Room food overall was pretty good, but we like to do the buffet mostly. Holland (at least on this ship) has one of the crew "serving" people...and they are very stingy with the portions. I'm not buying the whole "Oh, its a Covid thing". The quality of the food was just not that good either. Almost everyone we spoke with agreed. As an example, a friend in our party ordered a hamburger from the "Dine In" on the Lido Deck, and the burger was way overdone and almost cold, with the cheese on top not melted. The French fries, although tasty, came half filled in the container....every time. This happened SEVERAL times throughout the 7 days, many people were complaining. When the buffet servers would put food on your plate it was MINIMUM portions. It was totally obvious they were trying to serve as little as possible. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a total pig, wanting heaping portions....but come on, seriously, people want to eat!  We still had a lot of fun on the cruise, but super disappointed with the food.  We've been on 15+ cruises with different cruise lines and I understand that each ship is a little different, but probably will not go on another Holland.  I hate to say it, but even the food on Carnival was better.

Pros:  Very clean ship, very nice crew, the drink/internet package was worth it....but the wifi was EXTREMELY slow, I mean it was ridiculously slow.  The embarkation and debarkation was the smoothest I've ever seen...very organized and quick.

OVERALL:  Like I said...Holland totally "cheaped out" when it came to the quality and quantity of food. On what I considered to be an upper tier cruise line, we were very disappointed.

Very clean ship, crew was great, the food was not good

My husband and I chose this Cruise because of  family. From the reviews I have read recently. it seems that all the lines are having trouble post Covid.  

This was our first time on Holland America, and to be fair, the service was excellent even if short handed. The waiters and room staff worked very hard to please everyone. 

We found the food to be awful. Tasteless, overcooked, and mostly cold.  The other problem was finding our way around the ship. Signage was poor as far as directions and hours of operation for the different venues. 

Our cabin was a Neptune Suite and was wonderful.

Because of health reasons, I doubt we will be cruising anymore, but if we had the opportunity we would give Holland America another try. As I said. I believe that very few of the Cruise Lines have  recovered from Covid. Sad, as we loved to cruise.

Post Covid Dilema

We chose this cruise because our local AAA office hosted a Holland America‘s presentation. One of the benefits they claim of booking with Holland America was that they were the only ship that actually docked at port, without having to tender passengers to land. This was actually not true, many other cruise ships were able to dock without tendering their passengers.

My first negative experience with Holland America was trying to book a massage using my onboard credits. It was explained to me that I could only use the onboard credit when I was indeed on board. I fully understood that, but the customer service representative was completely rude and condescending. He could’ve just explained the policy without talking to me like I was a child!

The next negative experience we had was embarkation day. We were required to reserve a time to embark however, at the port, it was a complete free-for-all and appear to be operated on a first come first serve basis. Likewise, debarkation day was just as confusing. We reserved a time for the shuttle but upon exiting the terminal, there were literally hundreds of other people, some from other cruise lines, trying to board one of the many buses operating on a first come first serve basis.

 On our cruise, guest relations were completely unhelpful. The first couple of times contacting them I was told to “ask someone else” so I never bothered, trying to attain their assistance after that.

Upon entering our cabin, we read the instructions on how to download their Navigator app and follow the instructions exactly to no avail, not to mention that being office cruisers, we were never advised to download the app prior to boarding. Upon going down to the customer service area there were dozens of people who were also having difficulties logging onto the app. We were told that the internet was down, seriously the first day of the cruise and your Internet is not working, what a joke! It didn’t get any better after that, throughout the cruise, the navigator app was spotty at best.

THE ABSOLUTE WORST THING happened in Juneau, our first port of call. We had booked an excursion to the dog mushing camp which was the THE MAIN REASON that we wanted to go to Alaska in the first place. We have seen many documentaries about the Iditarod, and actually met people who had competed in the Iditarod; and being dog lovers, it was a dream of ours to participate in that particular excursion. We were repeatedly told that the excursion was at 2 o’clock, but when we arrived to meet the tour at 1:30 we were told that it had already departed… AND we were told that there were no other tours when I knew darn good and well that there WAS a later tour! After arguing with the excursions staff hours later a supervisor finally intervened, and indeed got us on the second tour. To say that I was upset, is putting it mildly. My spirit was crushed, and I broke into tears. But you need to understand I am not that kind of person! I am ALWAYS the “glass half full”, “let’s brainstorm ideas to deal with this problem” kind of person. And the last time I cried, was nine years ago when my mother passed away. To emphasize this point I DO NOT CRY!!! But the callousness with which we were told that we missed the one tour that we were so hoping to attend, and that there was nothing we could do about it was just too much for me to bear! Although the supervisor Adrian REALLY CAME THROUGH FOR US it really tainted the rest of the cruise. Don’t get me wrong. We really enjoyed Alaska and met some lovely people, but we have really decided to do it again next year on a different cruise line.

In closing the most minor negativity on the Holland America Eurodam was the way they listed their ground chicken hamburger. It’s on the menu as a “grilled chicken breast” sandwich. It’s a minor annoyance and something we laugh about now, but in what universe is a ground chicken hamburger characterized as a “grilled chicken breast” sandwich? Unbelievable!

Incompetent excursion staff

Our 1st time on a cruise. Not real impressed with the physical condition of the ship.

It supposedly was remodeled or updated in 2015 but it doesn’t show it! Many places & common areas smell bad~like urine & old sour mop water! The pool towels and third viewing deck blankets smell like mildew ALL OF THEM EVEN AFTER MENTIONING TO GUEST SVS.!

I constantly held my nose navigating from one floor to another. It really stank! In our upgraded cabin top floor veranda the furniture was beaten up and in bad shape many awful things like sharp trim made of wire that caught my clothing & skin~Ouch! carpet in cabin needs cleaning or replacement, bathroom counter was ruined by either burns or something chemical! Toilet seat badly stained & floor as well. The shower was nice and hot so that was a plus. Also the beds were comfortable & pillows good.

I did read multiple 4/5 reviews so I hoped for so much more for our $$$ & got real excited when the Mr. Booked the 7day Alaska cruise. 

But for the price I expected more luxury and better faster service! Room service takes forever so does guest svs to answer phones.

Our cabin was on level 11 forward with spectacular views of the horizon, glaciers and coastal towns along the way~ this was awesome to experience. Movement was rough a time or two but I didn’t get sea sick at all.

I did get a dose of food poisoning 2nd to last day pretty bad! So I spent one wasted day in bed recovering and by the way there is no over the counter remedies sold in store so you suffer thru it if you get a sore throat or headache etc!

We were close enough to the Explorations bar for morning coffee & ice just steps away from our room so it was easy to check the weather and destination map or just sit in the viewing area for a bite.

Meals at Lido buffet were confusing and way too crowded! Food servers do not listen very well when I asked for very little they would still pile it on my plate (i hate wasting food)but they will carry your plates to your table if you’re disabled or need help. Hint grab your table first then get food! Otherwise you’re standing around waiting for a table while your food gets cold!

Dining room has exactly same food as lido buffet but you get complete table service but be prepared for a LONG WAIT! The only way to get a table by the windows is if you agree to share a table with other guests!

Cabin stewards were great and so accommodating-they kept ice bucket full, room tidy and towels were always replaced.

I recommend tipping servers/workers yourself and adjusting the ‘service appreciation gratuity’ on your statement which is preset for $17/person per day! That’s a lot to be forced to pay! Make sure you take it off before they settle your account!We chose to do our own tipping according to service quality & our own % we chose…if you have a waterpik DO NOT PLUG IT INTO bathroom outlet~it blew mine up! Overall I had fun at all the ports & enjoyed the comedy show and music! If you like people watching like I do you’re going to have a great time laughing and watching!!!

School already started I guess so there was not too many kids around another+!

All in all~Cannot give more than a 3 review~so it was okay. We had a good time.

I would definitely try a newer ship next time! If comfort is important to you like it is to me- I won’t mind paying more.

Accessibility services are available if too much walking is a challenge…they have scooter & wheel chairs for rent ~Wifi is not free I paid but it was not very good and spotty at best!

Our room safe locked us out at one point and had to be reset by the cabin svs guy.

Keep your luggage on you! We let them check it and my big suitcase was lost for several hours and I just happened to spot it myself in the hallway on another floor (unattended) so I took it! They never even called to ask if we received all our luggage! So that confusion with the shuttle service should be avoided ~ take an uber or cab to your airport or hotel!

7 day Alaska cruise on Eurodam August 2023

We prefer a Holland America cruise ships because they cater more towards adults and not children. They don’t have any many activities for children like some of the other cruise lines do. The crew and staff on every Holland America ship I have ever been on are just wonderful

They take care of the customers very well. The food I Holland America cruises is the best I have ever had. For the first time we were in a mini suite and it gave us more room than a regular cabin. My only complaint was a large step up from the cabin floor into the bathroom because I have difficulty walking. It was a problem for me and I don’t know why there was a step up, I have never had one in any of my other cruises with them. But we had a great king size bed, and a lot of amenities.

Alaskan Adventure 

My family of 7 took our first Alaskan cruise last week. My husband and I are in our mid-40’s, kids are 19, 17, 15, 6, and 3. I know we are not the typical HAL demographic, but we all had a great time. 

We chose HAL and this specific cruise because 1. The dates worked with our tight schedule 2. the itinerary visited Glacier Bay 3. There is typically a Catholic priest onboard so we didn’t have to miss Sunday Mass. 

We had 2 verandah staterooms and 1 interior stateroom on deck 4 forward. The verandahs were a great location, the interior was above a music venue and was a little loud at night.

We loved the itinerary, though I wish we had more time in some of the ports. We rented a car in Juneau, some of us kayaked in Sitka, others kayaked in Ketchikan, some went whale watching in Icy Strait. Speaking of whales, I saw many humpback whales from the ship - including one breaching. I was definitely on the hunt for them, though, and spent a lot of time on deck 11 or on our verandah searching for wildlife.

We don’t really go to many shows, so I can’t comment on those. We enjoyed ping pong and pickleball. My oldest kid (too old for kids’ activities) played a lot of scrabble and learned to play blackjack in the casino. I was annoyed there was almost no scheduled programming in the teen club, but my teens didn’t care. They found friends at the first night meet up and both enjoyed HAL more than Disney or Royal Caribbean because of their small, but very active, friend group. The kids club for my preschoolers was ok. It was better than Disney (Disney’s policy of putting a huge number of kids from a wide age range together is not a good fit for my children), but not as good as RC. The activities were really basic (coloring, playing with blocks) and the daytime hours weren’t great. It could be much better with just a little effort.

Food was pretty good. We ate everywhere except Pinnacle Grill. I thought the food was better than RC’s and about the same as Disney’s. 

Service was good, not great. Wifi was atrocious - so frustrating, but not a surprise. The cabins were nice except for the gross shower curtain situation. I loved the library. My athletic teens liked the fitness center.

Our family is very active and I worried HAL would be too sedate, but it was a good fit for us. My kids are used to National park travel, though, so are fine with missing the blingy aspects of Disney and RC. In fact, we all liked the Eurodam and would be happy to cruise HAL in the future.

My large family’s HAL Alaskan cruise

This was our 10th cruise and 2nd with HAL and we couldn't have been happier. I must begin by saying we had amazing weather all week and did not see any rain which is rare for Alaska this time of year and this also contributed to our overall satisfaction. Even though the ship is a little older it is very well kept and the decor is very classy. 

We did not do any specialty dining but ate all our meals in the main dining room or Lido buffet. All the meals we ate in the main dining room were excellent and I would recommend anyone looking to avoid some of the lineups and chaos in the Lido buffet simply go down to the main dining room for a better meal and more civilized surroundings. The Lido buffet was good, where you could always find something to your liking and breakfast seemed to be the busiest so we would either order room service or go to the main dining room. 

I was very impressed with the entertainment at the World Stage. The "EX" talks were always very informative and worthwhile. The show put on by Step 1 Dance Company were amazing and some of the best I have ever seen at sea or on land. 

The only negatives would be the ports in Alaska can be quite crowded depending on the ships in that day. This is not totally under HAL's control but does diminish the port experience for guests. Juneau was the busiest port on our cruise and places like the Mendenhall glacier visitors center were overrun.  Your can check "Cruise Timestables" to see who is scheduled to be in any port on a specific day and pick your itinerary accordingly. 

Overall amazing week with the crew on the Eurodam.

Great trip with HAL on the Eurodam

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