Here are some of the unsung heroes of the Eurodam. The ship is scrubbed, painted and varnished constantly, yet this work is done in a way that doesn’t disturb passengers.
Our family cruised to Alaska aboard the MS Eurodam.
The ship's crew was friendly and accommodating on the whole. But, there was a constant sales pressure onboard that kept us on the defensive, unable to fully relax.
Here is a summary of our experiences with the crew and service aboard the Eurodam:
Housekeeping
Our daughter was excited to find a new towel creature in our room each evening.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Nyoman and Rizal, our room stewards, were excellent. Whenever Nyoman saw us in the hallways, he greeted us by name and asked us our plans. This was more than small talk: He was considering the best time to prepare our room without disturbing us.
Cleaning Staff
Rating: 5 out of 5
The Eurodam is one of the most sanitary cruise ships in the world, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It received a perfect sanitation rating for 11 consecutive years. The ship was spotless during our cruise, including public restrooms.
Room Service
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
We ordered in-room breakfast several times; it always arrived hot. Occasionally, a cup or piece of flatware was missing from our order.
Kitchen Staff
Rating: 4 out of 5
The Lido Market's kitchen staff serves hot food from behind a sneeze guard. We sent our daughter to the buffet line to build her confidence, but the staff didn't acknowledge her when boorish adult passengers pushed in front of her. This was disappointing.
That aside, our meals were always prepared well and beautifully plated.
Maître D'
Rating: 3 out of 5
Our first attempt at a romantic dinner-for-two turned into an awkward dinner-for-six.
That's because the Maître D' liked sitting strangers together at large tables to save space. It wasn't necessary; from then on, we always declined when he offered us a "shared table."
Servers
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
It seems like the servers on the Eurodam are trained to sell.
"Would you like our premium surf and turf meal for $75?"
"Do you know about the wine tasting in the next port?"
"How does an espresso sound?" (Good, if it were free.)
Listening to multiple sales pitches during each meal was an annoying formality. We don't blame the servers, but we do wish that our cruise wasn't so commercialized.
Sales pitches aside, service in the dining room was good, but not great. A server named Widhi was an exception: He was fantastic.
The dining room staff gave our daughter bread and crayons while she waited for her meal.
Bus Staff
Rating: 5 out of 5
The bus staff (especially in the Lido Market) always asked if we were finished with our plates and utensils before clearing them away.
Sommeliers
Rating: 4 out of 5
Sommeliers are in charge of all alcohol purchases in the dining room. (You can identify them by the silver cups that they wear around their necks.) We were grateful that each sommelier respected our wine choice and didn't try to push a more expensive bottle.
We were overcharged for this bottle of Columbia Crest Merlot. An honest mistake, no doubt, but we wish that the sommelier had caught it first.
There are no receipts for alcohol purchases made in the dining room. Unfortunately, we were overcharged for a bottle of wine. We wish the sommelier had caught the error, not us. The mistake was corrected because we flagged it while reviewing our onboard statement.
Bartenders
Rating: 3 out of 5
At the Lido Bar, we ordered a specialty cocktail made with Don Julio tequila. The bartender made the drink with the cheapest tequila behind the bar.
He seemed annoyed when we questioned him about it (and even more so when we rejected the drink). His response was that he ran out of Don Julio, but no bartender should substitute a spirit without asking -- especially when the price difference is so extreme.
Thankfully, this was our worst bar experience.
The bartender at B.B. King's Blues Club remembered us by name and greeted us whenever we passed by. The bartenders in the Crow's Nest Lounge were also friendly (but the quality of drinks varied). Cocktails in the dining room were consistently excellent.
Childcare (Club HAL)
Rating: 3 out of 5
Club HAL is a childcare service that's included on Holland America cruises.
Our daughter loved when Gigi, a counselor at Club HAL, braided her hair.
Sometimes, our daughter was the first kid checked-in. One of the counselors would say downbeat things like "Looks like you're the only one here kiddo. I don't think we're going to get many kids today. It might be pretty boring." Our daughter didn't like this counselor.
By contrast, our daughter loved two of the counselors (Gigi and Lily) and couldn't wait to see them, regardless of how many kids were in the club that day.
Unlike the activity-heavy childcare at Beaches Turks and Caicos and Dreams Punta Cana, Club HAL is more of a babysitting service than a camp.
Excursion Wranglers
Rating: 1 out of 5
In port at Juneau, a man in a Holland America shirt was holding a sign that listed two of the three activities that we had purchased tickets to. We showed him our tickets and asked if we were in the correct place, but he said "I don't know" and blew us off.
Thankfully, the bus drivers (not affiliated with Holland America) helped us find the right bus.
Porters and Valets
Rating: 5 out of 5
Our luggage arrived promptly and completely during embarkation and disembarkation.
Maintenance
Rating: 5 out of 5
Cruise ships are constantly painted and varnished (even at sea) because salt is corrosive. We were amazed by how well the crew maintained the decks without disturbing passengers.
The same was true inside of the ship. For example, the upholstery in the Lido Market is cleaned one booth at a time, one day at a time (in a constant rotation).
Photographers
Rating: 4 out of 5
The Eurodam's photographers take photos in port, on deck and around the dining room. Photos are printed on demand in the print shop. You swipe your room key at a kiosk; then, facial-recognition software finds all the photos taken of your party. (Yes, it's a bit creepy).
Lifeguards
There are no lifeguards aboard the Eurodam, but there should be.
If nothing else, Holland America should simply enforce its pool safety rules.
We saw a boy climb atop the aluminum pool ladder, then dive head-first into shallow water. Another boy cannonballed into a hot tub filled with strangers and then ran away. Young girls walked around the pool kicking water onto random adults.
Parent's shouldn't allow this behavior, but neither should the crew.
Holland America Customer Service
Rating: 0 out of 5
We contacted Holland America twice to confirm our online check-in (because the website seemed to glitch). No one responded to either attempt. Unacceptable.
