Eurodam Review
Rating by category
Additional details
This was our first cruise and we really enjoyed ourselves.
Embarkation - We got to Seattle a day before (unrelated - Hyatt Olive 8 was an excellent hotel) and took a shuttle from our hotel to the port. A porter took our luggage within 2 minutes of getting off the shuttle, and we walked towards the terminal building. It was a little chaotic getting into the building to show our passports, but it was smooth from that point forward. We showed our passports, went up the escalator, and got into the very short priority line to get our key cards. We boarded quickly, and were able to go to our room right away. I don't know when our bags arrived as we were at lunch, but we had them pretty quickly.
Ship - The ship is understated but elegant. There had been some mechanical repairs done a few weeks before our cruise and there was a lot of vibration in the MDR. There were ample options for getting out on deck to view scenery/glaciers/wildlife. I loved the Explorations Cafe area and the lounge chairs up by the front windows, but it could be hard to get those as they were very popular. We were able to grab two for the morning of sailing into Glacier Bay, but we also got up there before 6 AM and it was starting to fill up already.
Cabin Review
Neptune Deluxe Veranda Suite
We got very lucky and were upgraded to a Neptune Suite a few weeks before the cruise. The cabin was spacious with more than enough storage, the bed was very comfortable, and the balcony was roomy. The bathroom had both a tub/shower combo and stall shower, as well as double sinks, and there was a separate vanity area between the entrance and the bathroom door. Our stewards were excellent - very friendly with superb attention to detail. We enjoyed the suite perks including Neptune Suite, no charge laundry (they put far more effort into laundry than I do at home - everything arrived neatly pressed in a basket wrapped in tissue paper!), the option to skip the craziness of the Lido for breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill, and speedy embarkation/disembarkation.
Port Reviews
Seattle
We got in a day early. The light rail was a very efficient and inexpensive way to travel from the airport and our hotel was walking distance from the Westlake station. We walked to the Chihuly museum which is worth seeing, then took the monorail back. We also stayed another day after the cruise and walked around Pike Place Market.
Victoria
We arrived in the evening and didn't want to get too far from the ship, so we just walked along the pier next to the cruise ports. There were many, many options for transportation to get downtown available at the port even for those who didn't book excursions.