Poor Port Substitution
Eurodam Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean
24 Night Magic Of The Mediterranean (Venice To Barcelona)
Sail date: September 27, 2016
Ship: Eurodam
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 7099
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 8 years ago
Review summary
The strength of Holland America are its excellent ships, food & some of the best people (crew) that you will meet anywhere. They will always do a little more than you expect. The weaknesses are a thin entertainment schedule & a poor choice of substitution ports once the 2 days in Istanbul & the 2nd Turkish port were cancelled. It is obvious few ports will replace Istanbul but with 4 to 6 weeks prior to sailing I at least expected them to try to find another high quality destination. Instead we get a 2nd day in Athens (other than the Acropolis, a generally dirty & poorly kept city) & the addition of Albania. Given the lack of effort I suspect the ship was probably close to fully booked at the time.
With regards to the entertainment, at our favourite club, the BB King Allstars played 10 of 12 nights. They were a great band to listen to but can't you find another group in addition to them for a 12 night cruise?
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
Food on the Lido deck for dinner is identical to that of the formal dinning room. For a quicker more casual night consider dining there occasionally. Additionally on the Lido deck dinning, if you want an extra lobster tail your plate, or a you can request it from the person immediately at serving.