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Good Cruise by
Brittany M from Washington, DC Sailing date: May 2013Pros: Food, Ports, Staff, Room, Decor Cons: Entertainment The ship was excellent. Great food. We didn't really participate in many of the activities/entertainment because we are younger (a couple, 25 and 30 years old) and felt they were definitely geared toward an older audience. This is fine and was understandable, considering much of the ship was retired and 65+ years old. We took the cruise to see the different countries, not to hang out in a lounge, so we were really happy with everything. Our room was small but definitely enough for us. Very clean. The staff was great. Our only complaint is that we didn't know about something in the fine print--that we would be charged 10.50 per day, per person (not stateroom) for a "mandatory tip." To me, it isn't a tip if it's mandatory. They waited until the last day to tell us this. We didn't fight it because it was in the fine print we signed, but we felt a bit mislead. Had we known that we would have an additional bill of 200+ U.S. dollars, we would have cut 200 off of our spending elsewhere during the vacation. Ship Quality
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  Relaxing cruise! by
Iris M from florida Sailing date: Mar 2013Pros: The food and service was beyond excellent Cons: Not enough entertainment. This cruise is mainly for those who want to relax and not be extremely active Wonderful cruise, excellent ports, puerto rico was the best port Ship Quality
Dining/FoodFood was excellent, even in the lido deck
The staff went out of their way to serve you
Hand sanitizer was offered multiple times to keep down germs Stateroom Quality
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Excellent Cruise! by
A Traveler from Bloomington, IN Sailing date: Mar 2012Pros: Great food Cons: Not attracted show That was a great cruise for the place you go and the food you eat. But the show on ship not really attract young people. Ship Quality
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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A very enjoyable vacation by
A Traveler from North Georgia Sailing date: Mar 2012Pros: Great cabn and food service Cons: Tour guide of the island of Grand Turk was hard to understand and tour consisted of nothing but seeing a hurricane ravaged island. Great crew in all departments who make you feel very much at home. Ship QualityImmaculately clean and very similar to other Holland America ships on which we have sailed. Dining/FoodGreat food overall. However, the Caesar salad was not very good on day 1 of the cruise and only slightly better on day 6 of the cruise Stateroom QualityBest cabin we have ever had with the best cabin stewards. Ship Staff QualityMiles of smiles from all crew members. Entertainment & ActivitiesGreat variety of programs. We especially enjoyed the Chef's optional cooking school. 2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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This was truly and AWESOME cruise! by
A Traveler from Waterford, MI Sailing date: Mar 2011Pros: The ship was immaculate, the staff was amazing, and all of the ports of call where well planned out, and interesting. I would highly recommend this ship and cruise to anyone! Cons: Traveling with children during Spring Break time, meant that the small pool that was alloted to families was VERY crowded. There were 250 children on board, with their families, and probably 100 chairs by the small, family pool. During times like these, I would suggest swapping the adult pool for The ship was beautiful, and very clean. Very impressed with the ship, and of the staff for helping everyone to remember to wash their hands and keep everything sanitary. The only negative thing was the size of the family pool. There were 250 children on board and about 100 deck chairs. It was a struggle on at sea days to get a chair on the deck. I recommend switching the family pool for the adult only pool during spring break times. Ship Quality
Dining/FoodThe appetizers, salads, and main entrees were fabulous. The desserts were not great at all. But, one can live without desserts! Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff QualityWait staff was absolutely amazing! Dede Maman was the best, and so great with the kids! Entertainment & ActivitiesPiano bar singer was terrible, the impersonator show was terrible. The Crows Nest singer was fabulous as were Charlie and the Hal Cats. Children's Programs
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Grand Turk Island
Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Cruiseline Private Island)Amazing, amazing, amazing!
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.
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Nice cruise, but know your crowd! by
A Traveler from Baltimore, MD Sailing date: Feb 2011Pros: Excellent staff/service, food was great Cons: nothing special (bells and whistles) on ship The cruise was very nice. My fiancee and I wanted a week off, away from it all and had both cruised before. We were warned that it would be an older crowd on the ship, and this was very true. I can't say that this was a bad thing, because I wasn't looking for a big party atmosphere (Carnival), or that I wanted this cruise to be especially social. However, do know the majority of the cruises are 55+. The food was overall very good. There was a decent variety of foods and restaurants available. The staff was superb! Very friendly and attentive. Ship QualityA very nice ship, but no bells and whistles like on other cruise lines. (No putt-putt, water slide, etc.) Dining/FoodCanaletto (separate Italian restaurant) was fabulous. And mind you, when else will you eat braised lamb one night, then filet and lobster, then crab legs, and then duck a l'orange? High end food, prepared well. If you regular major foodie cities (NorCal, Philly, NYC, Chicago) this may not completely live up to that...but you don't pay over $100 for dinner either. Put more simply: Better food than any chain restaurant, by far. Stateroom QualityHad a balcony, great room, decent enough room for a ship. Room very clean, but by the end of the cruise the toilet was quite smelly. Ship Staff QualityFantastic staff (from Indonesia+Philippians) They were very friendly, courteous, and helpful (even when some customers were rude, which seemed to happen for no reason quite often on our cruise) Entertainment & ActivitiesThe magician was truly amazing. Comedian quite funny. The song and dance shows were more geared for the older crowd. The movie "theater" was a nice spot for rainy days.
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Grand Turk Island
Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Cruiseline Private Island)
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.NOTE: this port is far from anything you would want to do. Plan early because you need transportation to downtown, the beaches, and other scenic areas. We didn't know this. We certainly made the most of the day, but more than any port I had ever been to, this one NEEDED advanced planning (you don't need to do things through the ship, but still plan on leaving the ship early to get to wherever you want to go)
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An overall good time by
JCC from Connecticut Sailing date: Jan 2011Pros: Great snorkeling and good food. Cons: Nightlife was almost non-existant. We had a great time, and I would recommend the cruise, but only to certain people. Be warned, if you are under 50 and looking for a party, this is not for you.
The service was great, the food was very good and we made some good friends. We booked Holland America based on their reputation for service and the lack of young children. We got exactly what we were looking, but maybe overshot our goal! The average age on our cruise was probably about 70 and the entertainment/nightlife was geared toward that age group. The bars (there are a lot) were nearly always empty and the pools close by 10 making it awkward to hang out after a late dinner. Ship QualityEurodam is a large ship, but not a mega-ship. It was roomy, but had a more intimate feel. It was very clean and well appointed. The pools were small, but there were always chaises available even on the at-sea days. The dining room had a lot of engine vibration. Dining/FoodThe main dining room had very good food and courteous service. Open seating was definitely the way to go. As we met people, it gave us the opportunity to have dinner together. Tamarind (the Asian specialty restaurant) was fantastic. The food was delicious and the staff was best on the ship. Stateroom QualityWe had a veranda suite which was very spacious and spotless. The housekeeping attendants were awesome. Ship Staff QualityThe staff was great. They got to know us and were friendly, courteous, and truly wanted to help. Out of all the staff I had interactions with, I only found two who did not meet my expectations. My expectations can be quite high. Entertainment & ActivitiesThe excursions were good with some of the best snorkeling we have ever done, but as I said, the nightlife was dull.
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Grand Turk IslandNever left the cruise center, but the snorkeling excursion was awesome, and the beach to the south was beautiful and we had it to ourselves. -Avoid the one to the north which was very crowded.
Don't Miss: Ultimate Snorkelling Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Cruiseline Private Island)Beautiful beach
San Juan, Puerto RicoDidn't take any excursions, but Old San Juan seemed dirty with little to do.
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.Don't Miss: Great snorkeling via catamaran to St. John 7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Of 4 courses this was the worst! by
Steven W from Fairland,IN Sailing date: Oct 2010Pros: The Fitness Center & Spa Facilities Cons: The Stateroom no airconditioning all week. Also the smoking situation. This was my 4th cruise with Holland America. I cruised on the Ryndam, Maasdam, Zuiderdam, and now the Eurodam. I was impressed with all ships except for the Eurodam! Not impressed with the management team on this ship at all! Ship QualityStateroom very small & stuffy! Dining/Food
Stateroom QualityNo A/C all week long! Notified cabin steward 3 times. He stated he was trying but to no avail! Ship Staff QualityThe cabin steward did the best he could with the hand he had been dealt! The front desk wasn't to helpful on this cruise! Entertainment & Activities
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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an enjoyable cruise by
A Traveler from San Francisco, CA Sailing date: Oct 2010Pros: the food was generally excellent; the service was generally excellent Cons: everything shuts down too early; no food available after 11 pm We were cruising to celebrate our mother's 80th birthday. We dined at Rembrandt Restaurant and the wait staff who sang her an Indonesian birthday song was so lively and entertaining! We simply loved it! Overall, we had a wonderful time. Ship Quality
Dining/FoodThe food generally was quite delicious and tasty. In the mornings we ate at Lido; in the evenings, we generally ate at Rembrandt. There was a lot of choices. Our one dinner at the Pinnacle Grill took three hours -- for an 8 pm sitting, the waiters did not take our orders until 8:45 pm; we did not get entrees until about 10 pm. Although the size of our group may have been a factor, we all thought three hours for dinner was excruciatingly long. Our dining experience at Tamarind was excellent -- great service and delicious food! Stateroom QualityVery comfortable, even though there were three of us in one stateroom. There was a problem with the hot and cold water handles in the bathroom -- sometimes the only water that came out was hot or extremely hot. Luckily, two of us purchased spa tickets, which allowed us to shower in the spa area. But overall, the stateroom was clean and comfortable. Ship Staff QualityBut for one waitperson at the beginning of the cruise, most of the staff were extremely friendly and wanting to be helpful. Entertainment & ActivitiesThe ship's singers were terrible -- they destroyed every song because they cannot carry a tune. So they get a "not recommended" rating. However, the guest performers such as Joel Mason and the magician were excellent. Mason tore the house down with his performances of Elton John. Jason the cruise director was also excellent -- very amenable and talented. He and Mason get "the best" ratings, which brings this to average. The shore excursions were wonderful -- Latin Traditions exposed us to a wonderful flamenco guitarist and his lovely dancers; we also parasailed and snorkeled at the Half Moon Cay.
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Grand Turk IslandWe had a wonderful time getting lost on this tiny island.
Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Cruiseline Private Island)The snorkeling was the best!
Don't Miss: snorkeling San Juan, Puerto RicoLatin Traditions was excellent! -- this was an excursion in the evening.
Don't Miss: Latin Traditions Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.Too many jewelry shops.
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A very busy cruise. by
Carol E from Florence Ky. Sailing date: Sep 2010Pros: The staff was very helpful and polite. We were very pleased with everything, all of the places that the ship docked werre interesteing. The food was very good, and the slections were great. Ship Quality
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Gloucester, Massachusetts
Newport, Rhode Island
Ville Saguenay, Quebec
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Quebec City, Quebec
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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