Eurodam
I have always liked Holland America Line’s Eurodam and so I was quite pleased to find the ship performing so well when I cruised on her recently.
Eurodam is a mid-sized ship. She is bigger than any of the other Holland America Line ships with the exception of her sister Nieu Amsterdam. However, at less than 90,000 gross tons, she is far smaller than most ships being built today.
But that is how Holland America and its fans like it. They prefer the relative intimacy of smaller ships. The ships are refined with museum quality art and thoughtful décor. The atmosphere is sophisticated, reflecting the fact that the line attracts more educated passengers.
This is not to say that Eurodam is tiny. She is large enough to have several specialty restaurants, a theater, a nightclub, a secondary entertainment lounge as well as two pools and a sizeable spa. What she does not have is things like a water park. Her guests prefer things like the digital workshop or the culinary arts center.
What really struck me about Eurodam, however, was the friendliness of the staff. This was not the type of friendliness that is part of an effort to get an extra tip. Rather, the people seemed to genuinely want the passengers to have a good time.
In order to find out more about what Eurodam is all about, I spoke with Captain Jeron van Donselaar and Hotel Director Stan Kuppens. Both of these individuals were key players in bringing Eurodam into service in 2008. They have continued on with the ship subsequently although Mr. Kuppens left for awhile to bring Nieu Amsterdam into service. Thus, not only are they in a position to speak knowledgeably about the ship but they also yed key roles in forming the ship’s personality.
My interview with Captain van Donselaar is at http://www.beyondships2.com/eurodam-captain-interview.html and my interview with Stan Kuppens is at http://www.beyondships2.com/eurodam-hotel-director-interview.html
Eurodam offers guests a variety of dining choices. Accordingly, I also asked Mr. Kuppens to discuss the various dining options on Eurodam. They are presented along with my own observations in our dining guide to Eurodam. http://www.beyondships2.com/eurodam-dining-guide.html
Along the same lines, we have added a Eurodam menus page. http://www.beyondships2.com/eurodam-menus.html
Also, as a result of this cruise, I have enough material for a new photo essay of Eurodam in various ports. http://www.beyondships2.com/eurodam-photo-essay-2.html
Finally, our photo tour of Eurodam has been expanded and updated with new photos of the ship’s interior. http://beyondships.com/HAL-Eurodam-Tour1.html
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