Travel Weekly Cruise Club travel agents spent a night on board Holland America Line’s latest Signature-class ship Eurodam while it was in Southampton.
Martin Hay of GoCruise in Ribble Valley, Tracy McFall of Accessible Travel in Bath and Sandra Lines of Knowle Travel give their first impressions of the ship.
Martin Hay
Martin HayCabins: Overall the cabins and balconies are of a good size. The cabins have a quality feel with luxurious bedding, plenty of storage, flat-screen TV and mini-bars. Our bathroom was of a reasonable size and featured a small “tub” bath.
If money is no object book one of the two top Penthouse Verandah Suites – they are vast, sleep four and have every mod-con including a hot-tub on the verandah and a separate pantry for your own private butler!
Dining and entertainment: The main dining room is elegant if a little cramped in places. Our meal and accompanying wine were both of a high standard and nicely presented in lovely china and stemware.
The bars and main show lounge are all spacious and well-appointed and there is much fine art and antiques and large fresh flower arrangements throughout the ship’s public areas.
The ship features a lovely open-plan library-come-internet centre, complete with its own Explorations Cafe adjoining the Crow Nest, one of several venues where fresh hors-d’oeuvres are served each evening before dinner – how civilised!
Unusually, the ship features its own culinary arts centre, great for all you foodies out there, and a separate cinema complete with luxurious leather clad business class-type seating and popcorn.
Overall impression: This is not a large mass market product complete with tribute bands, rock-climbing walls and aqua-parks – rather it is designed to (and will) deliver a sophisticated, elegant and traditional five-star cruise experience for discerning international guests.
It suits guests who look forward to dressing up on formal nights, who enjoy good food, wine and company; a good variety of traditional activities and entertainment all delivered with a certain style, sophistication and attention to detail.
Tracy McFall
Tracy McFallAccessibility: I had to be put into a wheelchair to embark as my scooter’s front wheel would not go over the foot supports on the ramp. Staff were very obliging, but it wasn’t the greatest boarding experience. I was also unable to find a lift to get to the sports deck.
Cabins: My suite was very spacious with a nice accessible bathroom with wheel-in shower. It also had a large balcony.
We looked at a standard-balcony accessible cabin, but I wouldn’t recommend it to an electric wheelchair user as it is a bit small, similar in size to accessible cabins on P&O’s Arcadia.
The beds in the accessible cabins are far too high for wheelchair users to climb onto, or for someone to be lifted on to. I found it very difficult as I am only 4ft 10ins. The beds were comfortable, though – we had to tear ourselves away from them in the morning.
Swimming pools: It would be very difficult for a wheelchair user to get into the swimming pool as there was no hoist – I thought all new ships would have one. There was also a hydro pool, which had steps and a handrail – but again, no hoist.
Dining: The staff were generally happy and pleased to be of service. The drinks service was poor, however – we waited 30 minutes for our order at lunchtime. I was helped with my tray, which was going to be difficult when using a scooter.
The food was amazing. It’s great to try things you have not had before, like lobster, knowing that if you don’t like it you won’t go hungry as you can get food 24/7. The formal dining is such an experience. You get treated like royalty, and seeing everyone dressed up is fantastic.
We had breakfast in the self-service Lido restaurant and could not fault it. However, our colleagues waited 45 minutes for scrambled egg on toast and asked three times for a cup of tea in the main Rembrant restaurant.
Overall impression: Eurodam has a very good feel. It did not have the décor of Crown Princess or Ventura but it did have a desire-to-return factor. I would recommend Eurodam, but I would have to point out the accessibility issues before a booking could take place.
Sandra Lines
Sandra LinesCabins: Very upmarket with quite sombre decor. Fittings were of a very high standard and the layouts made the cabins spacious.
Some of the inside cabins were the most spacious I have seen, and would be very good for families. The top suites were very impressive with tasteful colour schemes and beautifully appointed bathrooms.
Public areas: My most vivid memory of Eurodam will be the hundreds of flowers everywhere – absolutely great and very impressive.
Facilities: Although the cruiseline has tried to cater for children I think is more suited to older clients, who will appreciate the more sophisticated ambience.
Dining: The main dining room was very well laid out, not too cramped, with lovely decor, but on the whole the ship lacked a bit of the ‘wow’ factor.
I think self-service restaurants where everyone queues in one long line are a little out of date now – the flow of people was slow. Ships with small individual serving areas have a better feel as people are always on the move and not getting agitated waiting for others to be served in front of them.
Overall impression: There is definitely a good market for a product like this and I hope our agency will now be able to sell it with confidence..
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