Finally, Alaska!
Eurodam Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 55
7 Night Alaskan Explorer Via Glacier Bay (Seattle Roundtrip)
Sail date: July 29, 2017
Ship: Eurodam
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 8044
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 7 years ago
Review summary
After so many Caribbean cruises, we finally made it to Alaska. So happy we upgraded to a balcony because the scenery from our verandah was spectacular. So many items checked off my bucket list, including many I didn't know should've been on there: Alaska, Canada, Helicopter, Dogsledding, Seaplane, etc.Embarkation
Since the previous cruise had an outbreak of the Norovirus, boarding was delayed while the ship underwent a thorough disinfecting. Surprisingly, embarkation still went smoothly.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
We ate almost every meal in the Dining Room because they were aware of my wife's dietary restrictions; no gluten, dairy, soy, or eggs. Holland America is the first cruise line we experienced able to meet these restrictions and still offer amazing food choices. They were ready for us every time we arrived at the dining room. Bravo!
Onboard Activities
We stayed busy when we were on the ship. I understand Holland America has a contract with America's Test Kitchen, which hosted at least 5, (maybe more), cooking demonstrations. I made it to three of them. There was almost as many men as there was women at these demonstrations. There were daily movie screenings of recently run movies, or you could watch them on demand in your stateroom. There was a huge list of movies available on demand and our TV was huge for a cruise ship. Didn't make it to the workout facilities as planned but they looked well equipped. The usual spa facilities and art auctions were available.
Entertainment
The entertainment was a big surprise. The shows in the main theatre were better than I expected. The comedian was very funny and the jokes were surprisingly clean. Another night was an illusionist which I was skeptical about may have been the best I ever saw. He too was funny. Another evening was a BBC film of Alaska with a live 9 piece orchestra accompaniment. Wow! That was fantastic! The final night we saw the singers and dancers perform. They were talented but we would've enjoyed it more if they did songs we recognized. The live entertainment in the lounges was limited but very good in B.B.'s, which had a large group of talented entertainers that played mostly good old Motown. The dueling piano act was not as good as I've seen on other ships.
Children's Programs
No children with us.
Service and Staff
Our room stewards were very thorough and found a way to clean our room without ever being invasive. Our waiter in the dining room, (Usman), was outstanding who always had a smile and was very attentive to our special dietary needs. The Assistant Dining Room Mgr, (Job), made sure all went perfectly and we were happy. Indeed we were.
Ship Quality
After cruising many different lines, Holland America is probably the easiest to navigate. You didn't have to change floors to get from one end to the other. They did a complete disinfecting cleaning before we boarded the ship and kept it clean and sanitized throughout the cruise.
Cabin / Stateroom
Our room was spacious enough and the bathroom was plenty large with bathtub/shower you didn't have to adjust water temp once you found your perfect setting. The bed was very comfortable and the balcony had nice chairs with foot stools and a table for your drinks or binoculars. As mentioned, the TV had a larger screen than I have experienced on other cruise lines and even had a better sound system.
Ship tip
Don't come on the Eurodam expecting a raucous party atmosphere, (at least not on the Alaskan cruises). As huge as the ship was, it felt cozy, never crowded. This was an older group of passengers on average. There were plenty of younger teens and children on the ship but we never seemed to see them. But we didn't spend much time on the Lido deck.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
Since our embarkation was delayed, we were able to take advantage of an unexpected free bus tour of Seattle offered by HAL from the airport, which ended at our cruise ship. We were able to leave all of our luggage with the HAL representative and trusted they'd arrive at our staterooms. No problems. We enjoyed our stop at a major commercial Fisherman's Wharf area where we enjoyed a delicious fish and chips lunch
Rather than arrange our excursions through HAL, I went on-line to book our activities. Although all the activities were great, the one in Juneau was the best. We took a helicopter to the Frazier Glacier, (in stead of the Mendenhall Glacier that so many of the cruise passengers go), to be met by our musher and our dogsled lesson and ride. Afterwards we got to hold puppies which was icing on the cake. The entire experience was fantastic, but expensive. $500+ for each of us for a once in a lifetime experience.
The plan was to enjoy the shops and do a casual walk around what had been described as the prettiest town in Alaska. But on the pier we saw several tours offered and we chose to take one which had multiple stops.We thoroughly enjoyed the Fortress of the Bear which was an area made for orphaned bear cubs. We stopped at an area that featured totem poles and could see wood carvers on the site. The tour included a few scenic area stops for pics. All in all, a good day.
Another pre-arranged excursion. We were met at the pier for a sea plane flight through the Misty Fiords. This was awesome and we landed on a secluded body of water in the mountains where we could step out onto the pontoon to stretch our legs. Only a few of the 6 of us chose to do this. By the time we returned to the pier there wasn't enough time to check out the shops on Creek Street or see the lumberjack competition. We could've used a little more time in port.
In port 6pm to midnight. My wife was content to stay on the ship and get some more of her novel read but I had to set foot in Canada for the first time. I boarded one of the many continuously running double-decker shuttle busses for $20, (includes return trip to pier). Victoria was a beautiful city with many monuments and well manicured gardens. I purchased some souvenirs, listened to some of the many street musicians, had my fist gelato cone, (I've led a sheltered life), and returned to the ship. Beautiful city, nice time.
Disembarkation
We had purchased transportation from the ship to the airport which had a late flight back to KC. SO after placing our luggage outside our staterooms the night before, we only had to deal with our carry-ons. We had a leisurely final breakfast in the dining room before casually heading to the waiting busses for our trip to the airport.
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