My wife and her parents had experience with Holland America. I decided to travel with HAL's Zuiderdam on our honeymoon 10 years ago. Loved it so much we celebrated our 10th anniversary with HAL as well. I had been worried because of some of the negative reviews. But upon boarding the Eurodam I was quickly put at ease. Everything is just like I remember. A great ship, great service, great food, and great entertainment and activities. The only negative is that you have to pay for pop, which can add up, and everyone over 21 in each stateroom has to purchase the same beverage package. I drink more than my wife but she had to purchase the same package and we definitely lost money on that deal. The cabin was the perfect size. Was pleasantly surprised to find all the on demand TV shows, movies and live TV available. I must also mention Captain Eric made a great decision due to poor docking conditions at a port. We were supposed to visit the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. But due to the storm in the northeast, the water in the Caribbean was too choppy and we could not port at the Dominican Republic, giving us an extra day at sea. We were scheduled to be in San Juan the next day, but there was no guarantee the port would be open. Instead of risking that and facing another at sea day, Captain Eric secured a spot at St. Thomas. Good call as San Juan remained closed. As far as entertainment goes, the shows were bad. However the comedian, juggler and BB King All-Star Band were fantastic. The dueling pianos at the Billboard Onboard were a lot of fun. Also, the Lincoln Center Stage musicians were incredible. Foodwise, everything was amazing. HAL changed the buffet procedure from self-serve to being served by the staff, but that wasn't a huge inconvenience. We still got as much of whatever we wanted. Some things were still self serve. The sailing wasn't as smooth as I would have liked, but there is nothing that can be done about that because of the storm in the northeast. Also, HAL is not just for senior citizens anymore. I will guess it was 60 percent folks 60 and older, but there were plenty of younger people and families so it didn't feel like I was on a geriatric special. I wouldn't hesitate to bring my kids, both of whom are under 10.
The cabin was great. I love having a room at the back of the ship. Such a great view. Everything worked well, the stewards kept it clean and it was plenty big enough for two of us.
Didn't spend much time there pre-cruise.
Shopping was great. Had a nice time walking around. Did not go to a beach.
The perfect place to relax. Beach was gorgeous. Lunch buffet was good too.