Having been on numerous cruises, we thought we knew what to expect for our first cruise with Holland America. We had been on 3 prior Alaska cruises (Celebrity, Princess, and Royal Caribbean) and knew Alaska cruises have very little nightlife and more multigenerational families. Overall, the Eurodam exceeded our expectations. We arrived in Seattle two days early and rented car. On cruise day, we returned the car to the airport and caught a shuttle for the 30 minute ride to pier 91 (*cruise tip: Several local companies offer airport transfers for less than the cruise line…*cruise tip: the local companies charge a few dollars less for a ride from the SEATAC car rental location then from SEATAC so have them take you to/from the car rental and then catch the free shuttle to the airport). The Eurodam uses pier 91 which holds two ships. Although there were about 5000 people at the pier between the two ships, boarding went very fast and took 25 minutes (at about 12:45) from dock to room. Our luggage arrived 20 minutes later and was placed in our room by our cabin attendant. We selected a balcony room on the 4th floor, right side, of the ship. We choose the lower floor so we could be closer to the icebergs as the ship sailed Glacier Bay. The right side was the way to go. As the ship sailed Glacier Bay, it hugs the right side near the land. On this cruise, it gave us an excellent view of 4 bears walking on the shore. Once the ship reaches the glaciers, the right side is positioned first to view the glaciers. Although the ship will eventually turnaround for the left side people, who wants to want for the great view? The room, which comes with a bathtub, had enough spaces to hide everything we brought onboard. The only drawback was that the air vent is located above the bed which causes air to fall on us as we slept. On prior Carnival and Princess cruises, the first night “show” was a waste of time. On the Eurodam, the first night show gave a good sample of what to expect during the week. Although the Eurodam does not have the normal game shows (Newlywed game, Quest, etc) the entertainment kept us happy for all 6 nights (no theater show on the last night due to being in Victoria). We found the food to be near the top of the 25 cruises we have taken. We expected the food to be bland and mundane, but found it to be the opposite. On our Princess cruise in March, we had a hard time selecting dinner entrees on several nights due to nothing sounded appetizing. This was not a problem on the Eurodam (*cruise tip: the shrimp taco appetizer at dinner, and the Banoffee pie in the lido at lunch, were OUTSTANTING). During every meal in the lido they had small plates of cut fresh fruit, and fresh sushi, which was a nice touch. They even had whole litchi fruit available one day (a first for us on a cruise). Several cruisers asked us what it was thinking there were sea urchins on our plates. In Juneau we took the pier bus to Mendenhall Glacier. By taking the pier bus, and not the shore excursion, we were able to save a few dollars and spend as much time as we wanted at the glacier. On our first Alaska cruise years ago, we felt like there was too little time at the glacier on the excursion to enjoy the hiking trails. For the other ports, which we have been to several times, we just walked around town and enjoyed Alaska. We knew Holland America has an older demographic. Before the cruise we joked about the halls being cluttered with parked walkers. Although the average age was about 60, with only about 50-70 kids on the ship, we found the other cruisers to be active and sociable. Although we would not pick Holland America for a Mexican or Caribbean cruise, it was a perfect fit for Alaska. You cruise Alaska to relax and view the beautiful scenery. We were happy to play board games with our 21 year old daughter and watch Alaska sail past us at night (it does not get dark until very late at night). For those wanting to stay in their cabin, Holland America has one of the best selection of free movies available on television and room service is free 24 hours a day (other brands charge for late night delivery and some even charge for movies). When it comes time to disembark, you are allowed to stay in your cabin until your number/color is called (no lugging suitcases to the lido for breakfast and then sitting in a room waiting to be called). Overall Holland America exceeded our expectations. The crew was exceptionally friendly and the ship was in great shape. The food was excellent. Holland America would definitely be our first choice for Alaska. For the party itinerates (Mexico, Caribbean), we would pick Royal Caribbean which has the best toys (rock climbing, zip lines, ice skating, Flowrider, etc) at sea. Read Less

Hope you will find this information helpful in planning your Alaska visit. This was our (wife and self)14th cruise over many years, with 5 cruise lines, and yes we did enjoy it despite some rocky seas on Sunday while in the open ocean prior to entering protected waters near Juneau. If you are prone to seasickness I would suggest departing from Vancouver via the "inside passage". We flew in from Florida one day prior to the cruise. Took a Taki Cab to Motif Hotel in downtown Seattle and the fee was $48 + tip. Cab from hotel to Pier 91 on Saturday morning was $18 + tip. Motif is excellently located just 5 easy walking blocks from Pikes Market and the hotel s super clean with a nice glass of complementary Wine in the lobby following check-in. Castle and Elephant Restaurant is located at the base of the hotel which made for a convenient place for dinner. Directly across the street is the Specialty Bakery and Cafe for Breakfast, etc. All stores are very close for easy walking. Embarkation was the best experienced to date...hats off to Port of Seattle and its smiling staff. Holland America also had its act together at check in. We arrived at port at 11:35 AM and were aboard by Noon and immediately directed to the cabin. Ships staff seem happy the entire cruise. Disappointed that staff did not push hand sanitizing prior to and anywhere else on the ship. Although, restrooms have a sign "please use towel to open restroom doors when leaving". Especially enjoyed the Observation Lounge (crows nest) and Coffee Cafe on the 11th deck. Beautifully appointed with new furnishings and carpet. Ship was in a 10 day drydock before heading to Alaska and I believe the public area carpets were mostly replaced. In Juneau, with a light rain, we took the ships shuttle bus ($45) reserved to Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls. We walked to the falls and back which took about 20 minutes each way...don't you miss this great opportunity. Then visit the visitor center which has a nice movie and convenient restrooms in the building. The $5 entry fee is included in the Shuttle cost. Shuttle time was 3.5 hours round trip with about 30 minutes travel to and from the ship. Driver provided much information on both legs of the trip. Glacier Bay was magnificent on a mostly sunny day. Saw quite a bit of calving of the Margerie Glacier and the ship was maneuvered much closer to the glacier than expected. Thank you Captain. In Sitka, a shuttle to town is provided from the pier which is about 5 miles from town. Weather was clear. We visited the Russian Bishop House (no fee) and very interesting. Run by the National Park Service and very close to the shuttle exit point. Also visited the Sheldon Jackson Museum ($7) which is probably a 10 minute walk beyond the Russian Bishop House. The museum is very large with many historical artifacts. Also visited the St. Michael's Cathedral ($5) which is kind of run down and not that interesting. In Ketchican the weather was sunny and clear. Went directly to the Lumberjack Show ($37) and got seated for the first performance at 8:45AM. Interesting but Kids would enjoy it more than adults. Kind of silly! We then went to the Visitors Center which is run by the National Park Service...a beautiful building, exhibits and movie. $5 entry fee unless you are a National Park Pass holder. Walked Creek Street and did a bit of shopping. In Victoria, Canada, with a light rain, the ship was about 40 minutes late to the dock. We took a pier taxi for about $9 each way to and from the ship. There are many taxi's waiting at the pier and this was the quickest way to the city which is about a 20 minute walk from the pier. On return the taxi's are mostly located near the hotel by the visitor center. In general, the ship doesn't offer much in the way of entertainment. Two main shows, dueling piano's, BB King lounge for music and limited dancing, some cooking show, computer lab, etc. Rather older crowd with a lot of far Eastern passengers. The Seattle Port Authority offers "Port Valet" baggage service in conjunction with the cruise ships and most airlines. This is how it works: The ship will around wednesday send information to your cabin. Simply complete to forms authorize a charge to your onboard account for $25 (per bag) that you want routed directly to you airline and your bag(s) will be delivered to the baggage carousel when you arrive at your destination. The ship also checks you in for your flight and prints your boarding passes. Wow this is a wonderful service and was flawless for us. We walked off with two carry on bags. Disembarkation was a breeze. Walked off the ship at 7:30AM, went directly to the Taxi Cab line and were on our way to the airport. The cab fare is a fixed flat rate from the pier to the airport for $40. Our drivers Prius was hitting 90 mph most of the way. Arrived spooked but in one piece. Let me know if this write up was helpful to your planning and don't miss Alaska. Read Less

Second Alaska cruise with friends who had never been before. Have sailed on the Eurodam five times in the last eight years and was excited to see that the common areas had been refreshed and repurposed to keep up with the times. Cabins have not been updated and furniture is showing a lot of wear and the "Mariner" bedding is old and uncomfortable. Embarkation and debarkation a breeze. Port to airport luggage program is wonderful! Service in the dining room is haphazard and since we had anytime dining, the caliber of service changed with each new table. The changes in the Crows Nest are beautiful, but I miss the happy hour in that venue during sailway with its 2 for one drinks and accompanying hot appetizers. Wifi and drink packages seem cumbersome and expensive. Last sailed with Celebrity which "bundles" drinks, wifi, gratuities and shipboard credit in a one package. Read Less

We were with Our mom and dad on this cruise. Our rooms were nice but not The best. The staff was great. The service if we needed anything was great. The food was OK, just OK. They set times for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This included the buffet. If you wanted anything after the times you had to order off room service and that was limited. We watched one show and it was pretty good. The boat had some music, but not a lot. This Is NOT A PARTY BOAT by any means. No games either. Oh there was bingo. We did have on board movies in our rooms and trust me we watched them. The staff in the bar by the casino was great. The bar staff and the staff that cleaned our room was the best part of the ship. We loved the ports that we were at. We visited Juneau, Sitka, Ketchika and Canada. The places were pure beauty. We visited Glacier Bay. This was amazing also. I would love to cruise here again, but not on this cruise line Read Less

Holland America is amazing. Ship was in great shape and spotless. All crew members were the most helpful, kind, and professional from the service desk to the cleaning crew. Explorations café staff knew my name after the second day, and it only took my favorite bartender one day (thanks Angelo). Must do the bar crawl, loads of fun! My cabin staff (Anon & Sri) were the best. Never wanted for anything. Ate lunch at the Pinnacle (only $10 compared to $35 for dinner) it was excellent. Our favorite of all was the Tamirand. If sailing on Holland America you must try this place. Wonderful food and great staff. We enjoyed it so much we made a second reservation. Our three shore excursions through Holland America were fantastic! Must try the dog sledding. Norris Glacier (Juneau) was beautiful and staff was the best. My daughter talked me into zip lining in Ketchican and I had the best time ever! I am 64 years young. Overall we had a fantastic cruise! Read Less

I chose this particular cruise since it went to Sitka and not many other lines go there. My family and I have been on 13 other cruises on various lines. Our ages are from 60 to 27. This was our first cruise on Holland and our first to Alaska. Embarkation and disembarkation were a breeze. We had a signature suite and it was easily the nicest suite we have ever had. The ship itself was very classy; however, I found all inside areas to be dark and dreary. The food was horrible, both in the dining room and the buffet. Tasteless. Best food was the pizza and hamburgers/hotdogs. Buffet was worse than any buffet I have been to on land and deserts were a joke. Almost every desert had prunes, figs or raisins or was a pudding of some sort. You can tell the age group the line caters to. Other than the BB King group, the entertainment was also pretty bad. Very little activities in the evening and if there wasn't such beauty to be seen in the Alaskan inside passage, we would have been bored. Crew seemed exhausted and service was very spotty. In summary, I would not chose Holland America again. Just was not the line for me or my family. Read Less

This was a birthday celebration for my daughter. My second cruise to Alaska, first time on HAL; her first cruise experience ever. Embarkation was fast and efficient. Probably the quickest encountered. We arrived around 1pm, and was surprised to be on board and have immediate access to stateroom in under an hour. (which was a bonus not having to lug the carry on around with you to lunch or explore the ship) Late May is early in the season and quite unpredictable weather wise. Our "at sea" days were rainy, cold and windy. As long as you plan ahead and pack clothing to layer as needed it is not a major issue. We were extremely fortunate, and the weather cooperated in all of our ports. Glacier Bay was magnificent and did not disappoint. We had a full hour at the famed Marjerie glacier. Juneau was the only port where it was drizzling on arrival, but let up to allow enjoyment of the sights and excursions. Since Alaska itineraries are more about the scenery and ports, we noticed that while there were activities on board, these are not to the same extent experienced on other itineraries. Did not experience much interaction with the cruise director at all. The ships main stage entertainment was not as good as we have seen on other lines, but the ship does offer a wide ranging assortment of venues ranging from classical, to Billboard hits and blues. In addition, the headline acts for the sailing, illusionist Joseph Réohm, and comedian David Crowe were exceptional. Dining: Very happy overall with dining options on board. One thing to note about this itinerary is due to late port cells in Juneau and Victoria, if going ashore you will have somewhat limited dinner options in these two ports. Not complaining, but something to be aware off. Lido Market: Very nicely arrange and good variety of options available. This is not self service for the most part, so in addition to finding tables during peak times, there are also significant lines at the more popular food stations. Table service in Lido could be better- do not rely on staff to bring drinks during peak hours... They are too busy clearing tables. We decided it was best to get our own drinks first, then our meal. Tamarind Restaurant: we took advantage of the embarkation day special! The discount price of $18 per person this night made it an amazing beginning. There are so many options, but would strongly recommend the Laksa soup and Baramundi! The tamarind chocolate and sorbet trio were outstanding ends to the meal. Chef's Table: part of Holland's Food & Beverage Aficionado series, we were fortunate to participate in the evening with Chef Ethan Stowell on our sailing. This five course dinner with wine pairing was one of the highlights of our cruise. This program is NOT available on every sailing and has limited capacity. We highly encourage those fortunate to be on one of these sailings... Do NOT hesitate! It is well worth the cost, and an amazing experience. Main Dining Room: No complaints with either the menu or service. The views looking aft from the dining room are exceptional. Disembarkation in Seattle also provided a new experience. The port in cooperation with SeaTac Airport have a program that allows for passengers flying later in the day to have their bags collected, taken to the airport, and checked in for the flight. This is an exceptional program and allowed us to avoid the hassles and lines both at the pier and the airport! All details are provided earlier in the cruise, and made for an enjoyable last day before an evening flight home. Everything went smoothly and our bags were right there when we landed back home. A fabulous cruise from beginning to end. Read Less

I chose this cruise for the Neptune suite aft balcony room for 3... which I thought to be fairly reasonably priced looking at other luxury cruises. However, the suite was small, but amazingly clean and comfortable, I would highly suggest that it be for just 2 people. It was my husband and me, along with our 6'6" 20 year old son. And he was highly bored, no kids his age.... a few younger children... and a few 26 year old types.... who looked as bored too, ha. I was hoping he could meet some great friends like he has on other cruises. So, if it were just me and my husband, I would highly go on Eurodam again for an Alaskan cruise. No real activities for 20 somethings, and the only "nightclub" experience starts at 11:30 at night.... and with most people having a 3 hour time difference... that was just too late to start, and no one would show up. (comfy sleeping was the call during that time.) Embarkation was fine, and we were one of the last ones off, and disembarkation in Seattle was a breeze. The ship itself is a nod back to old-time classier cruising which my husband truly enjoyed. Everyone of the staff could not have been any friendlier and responsive. Knowing that they work normally 6-7 months at a time, I'm impressed by the smiles. Our cabin, Aft suite, 6164, was comfortable. The solo futon type bed needed help though. The staff brought in a permanent new mattress, and that did the trick. The bathroom was sizeable, with a nice whirlpool bath, and nice Elemis amenities. The comforters were great,,... and we had 3 different types of pillows to choose from. The suite and the whole ship was spotless. Thank you Rif and Catur, our room Stewards. We never went to the Main Dining Room, but enjoyed the Pinnacle and the Tamarind.... and really enjoyed the Lido....especially when it wasn't busy. I found the food there to be pretty amazing, and cooked and served on the spot. Be sure and check your daily schedule for restaurant hours, because they change everyday due to being in port or at sea. We also enjoyed the Dive-in hamburger on the Lido, and the New York pizza. We loved the Caprese salad at the Pizza Place. We enjoyed the BB Kings Blues club, and the Singing shows. Not a big stage, but the singers and dancers made good use of it, and I always wonder how they manage to dance while the ship is rolling. Speaking of rolling, The first day at sea is usually on a fast pace to reach Juneau and put some mileage behind us. So usually 20-22 knots speed, no matter the wave conditions. I had brought ginger and herbal medicines... I also saw alot of people with patches. We did rock and roll more than I had anticipated, but the ship puts out its stabilizers and tries to maintain its best.... but it is on the high seas. Just note to be aware. This was the most movement I had ever felt on a cruise so far. I was pretty proud of myself to attend a yoga class while at sea and maintain a pose in that movement, ha. I wish the dueling pianos had more playing time. We attended one of their trivia games and that was pretty cool. We did an exclusive behind the scenes tour that only 6-8 people go on, and it was fantastic! Let me just say that Eurodam and its crew runs a tight, clean ship. Impressive. That tour was one of the highlights of the cruise. Fascination how a Hotel at sea is operated. We did make use of the Neptune Lounge which is one of the reasons I choose Holland. The concierges were great, especially Miss Sarah. However, the lounge did not compare to some of the other cruise lines that I have been on. They have an honors bar (not free drinks), and you are unable to put them on your signature beverage package. They do have a great coffee machine and canapes throughout the day, but they have placed it into the interior of the ship. No view or anything. Plus, there is no priority seating in the theatre. However, I did like the breakfast available to suite guests in the Pinnacle Grill, and we took advantage of that many times. The weather was unfortunately bad in Juneau, (40 mile an hour winds with gusting rain). Luckily, we had pleasant weather in other ports with sunshine. It was colder than I had thought, and glad to have layers and a rain jacket in my luggage. Wished for longer times in port....especially Ketchikan and Victoria. too rushed. Read Less

My husband and I took this cruise (Holland America Eurodam (Alaskan Explorer) May 19, 2018) for our honeymoon. Maybe we should have looked at all of the reviews before we chose this line. Let me say this... this is a cruise geared toward a particular crowd, the older mostly retired crowd. This is NOT a cruise for anyone looking for a full selection of onboard activities. PROS: Clean cabin. The crew member that serviced our room was great, he always greeted us and kept us in a clean room. Plenty of storage space in-cabin. Good food selection. Good lido deck hours. The service to have your luggage taken from your room to the airport at the end of the cruise is very convenient. Vegetarian menu (which you have to ask for specifically) is actually quite inclusive and well prepared even though you have to order the night before. However your regular menu will label Vegan items as Vegetarian. Vegetarian you will basically need to look for but typically each meal had something vegetarian which was very nice. I recommend the Vegetarian Jumbalaya. Awesome. In cabin movies had a great selection. It was well appreciated since there was almost nothing offered in the way of on board activities. A LOT of time was spent just watching movies in our cabin. CONS: The CONSTANT barrage of crew offering/pressuring us to purchase more and more services... relentless! The inability of the crew to enforce ANYTHING such as dress code (jeans on gala night, ROBE in jewelry store, ROBE in lido dining, exposed piss filled urine drainage bag in the lido dining!!!!). REALLY?! Maybe the cruise line needs to invest in someone that can actually take some leadership. The toilet in our cabin stopped working, they did fix it promptly. However, we got a call from guest services asking if WE flushed anything we weren't supposed to. I'll keep my initial reaction out of this review. Lido deck overcrowding. There are not enough tables to sit everyone in peak dining times. This means the tables that they do have are crammed so close together that you are hitting someone else's chair to try and move even. Also there overall isn't enough space in lido where people are walking so close to tables to get around people that they end up touching you when you are trying to eat. Also, lines to get food in lido are not organized properly and as noted above there is no one that knows how to have a command presence or even directs any of the chaos. What you have is people pushing their way in when you are trying to obtain food. Dive-In burger shack hours cut off at 5:30 pm. (great food) The severe lack of on board activities. Expensive excursions. Jewelry, jewelry, jewelry, if your life is jewelry you will love this cruise. Also, if you like 75% off Invicta watches, this is the place to go. You never hear the end of it. Read Less

We took our parents for their 50th anniversary. BOY were we the youngest on the ship by far. If you are UNDER 40.... you will feel like you are in a floating nursing home! The staff are amazing, staterooms are quite nice, and the overall ship is good. There isn't much to do by other ship standards-but considering the clientele it is a lot just to get them out of their room after 7 p.m. We got the alcohol drink package, the parents got the soda drink package and it was simple and great. My partner and I also enjoyed the spa for 2 for the week for $250. Along with 3 massage/treatments ea....Worth every penny-(Great escape from the motorized wheelchairs and cantankerous elderly).... The spa had an awkward layout- you dress out- then you pass by the public elevators (in your robe and flip-flops). Not private at all. The gym is very nice as well as the warming benches to pass time. Steam rooms, sauna, and heated private soaking pool were quite nice. Read Less