Eurodam Review
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Our extended family took a spring break cruise on the Eurodam March 30-April 6, 2013. The eight of us ranged in age from 28-66 years old and we all had a great time!
Before the cruise, I was worried how our group would do on HAL. Out of the eight of us, four of them had never been on HAL before. They have only ever been on RCL and NCL, which to me are VERY different compared to HAL. They hadn't ever been on such a small ship either.
Most of all though, I was worried about how my mom would enjoy her HAL experience. For years, my mom worked as a social director on board HAL ships in the 1970s. She talks so fondly of her time on the Rotterdam and some of the other ships. She always talks about the elegance, how much she enjoyed the smaller ships with only 500 passengers, about the attention the staff would have even with the smallest details and most importantly to her, the high degree of personal service. I've been on HAL once before (the Statendam in 2007) and though the trip was amazing and much better by far than my experiences on NCL and MSC, I was worried that the larger ship, more passengers and less formal cruise ship culture of today would disappoint my mom who is used to the HAL of the 1970s.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Ocean-View Verandah Stateroom
My mom and I were in 8026 on the Navigation Deck. Our room was a handicapped deluxe verandah. The room was great. It was large enough for my mom's scooter even with the beds separated into two beds. The bathroom was huge and it was all one level with a walk in shower. The shower has a drop down bench that comes down from the wall, so there's no need to request a shower bench as we discovered.
Our favorite part of the room was the verandah. It was much bigger than the standard ones. This had to do with the fact that our room was one of the few that has an angled balcony. This made for a great view because you could look out to the bridge and you could see everything as you looked back to the stern of the ship. My mom has already decided that if we go on the Eurodam again, she wants the same room because that balcony was so spacious and the view was so neat. Also, the verandah does have a ramp to it so you can enjoy it even if you are in a wheelchair.
There were only a few small downsides to the room. Due to the layout of the room, there were only two closets. The other people in our party of eight had three closets in their rooms, but they were not in handicapped rooms. The room does have two drawers under the beds and two footstools that have storage in them though, so having that did help, but more area to hang items would have been nice. Also, this room doesn't have a clock in it so remember to bring a watch or have your phone on you to check the time. Finally, it would be nice if there were a couple more power outlets in the room. Other than the shaver outlet in the bathroom, in the main room there was just one outlet by the desk.
Even though we were one level below the Lido deck, the room was nice and quiet. Even when there would be parties or a band playing a level above us, we didn't hear it at all - even if we were on the verandah.