Blogging Live from Holland America Eurodam

Dear Friends,

I am writing to you from beautiful St. Thomas, having sailed here aboard Holland America Line's newest ship, the ms Eurodam. We are mid-way through a 7-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary featuring Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas, and Half Moon Cay (Bahamas). I will be writing the next few posts about the ms Eurodam, what it has to offer, its service levels, and my thoughts as to how it compares with other cruising options.

I have sailed many cruises on many different cruise lines, but this is my first actual cruise aboard Holland America Line. I did a one-night inaugural on the ms Noordam when it debuted a couple of years ago, but as I have discovered, an inaugural and an actual cruise are two very different things.

We boarded the ship in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday. On the Noordam during the inaugural, we had been escorted to our stateroom by attendants in white gloves. The stateroom had featured a welcoming bowl of fresh fruit. This time, it was a bit different. There was no attendant to show us to the room. There was no awaiting bowl of fresh fruit. Nevertheless, I was immediately struck by the ship's decor. True to Holland America's ships, the Eurodam is eloquently and very tastefully decorated with rich, yet subdued colors of burgandy's and neutrals. The stateroom was about standard size, but the bathroom has perhaps 25% more room than on most cruise ships, and features a tub/shower combo. In the days to come, I will be posting pictures of the Eurodam, and have much more to say. For now, it's off to Megan's Bay.