New to cruising and obviously new to HAL!

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hoebekec

New Member
My wife and I have booked our first cruise this fall. Neither of us has ever been on a cruise, so after some recommendations from friends and reading reviews from all over, we decided on HAL. We are a young"er" married couple(she's 23 and I'm 26) so the idea of fewer kids around was just fine with us.

We'll be sailing out of Ft Lauderdale in November aboard the ms Eurodam on the 7-day Eastern Caribbean itinerary.

Any advice for first time cruisers and/or any ideas of what to expect on our voyage?

Also, is it bad that, even though we haven't even gone on our first cruise yet, I'm already working on planning the next?
 
Krazy Kruizers

Krazy Kruizers

Holland America Specialist
Welcome to Cruise @ddicts.

The Eurodam is a very lovely ship -- we sailed on her for 2 weeks in November 2008.

What week will you be sailing on her?

We loved the Tamarind Restaurant -- PanAsian food -- $15 per person.

No -- it is not unusual to be planning another cruise.
 
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hoebekec

New Member
We'll be on her from the 5th of Nov to the 12th.

I'm looking forward to it, my wife is concerned because she gets claustrophobic, but we booked a Verandah, so hopefully it won't be too confining for her.
 
Krazy Kruizers

Krazy Kruizers

Holland America Specialist
That is a good date -- shouldn't have a lot of children on board at that time.

Booking a Verandah cabin is a great idea.

We always book an SA Deluxe as we like the extra larger cabin.
 
Krazy Kruizers

Krazy Kruizers

Holland America Specialist
We have never had to order second of anything -- portions are big enough for us.
 
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earl_m

Social Host
Welcome aboard! Its good to have you here!After your first cruise you will want to book again. fortunely you can book your next cruise on the ship.
for just $100.00.We had a suite on your last cruise, love every minute of it!

HAPPY CRUISING!!!
 
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loved_m

Deck Crew
Oh I just LOVED the Eurodam it was my first HAL ship too and sooo nice, fun, liked the many places to explore. It may only be a little larger than the Zuiderdam but it felt a lot more spacious and newly decorated too. Have FUN!
 
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flatlander

Deck Crew
You will love the Eurodam. We were on the same sailing last December. The beaches at Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk are wonderful. San Juan was our favorite port. So much history. Do a little research to find where you want to go. We went to the forts and churches. There are some good local restaurants. We really enjoyed La Bombonera. St. Thomas was nice but it rained off and on so we shopped and ate. In Hibiscus Alley we ate pizza and had drinks at Calico Jacks. The bars on board are fun and a good place to meet people. I highly recommend the specialty restaurants.
 
Krazy Kruizers

Krazy Kruizers

Holland America Specialist
flatlander said:
You will love the Eurodam. We were on the same sailing last December. The beaches at Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk are wonderful. San Juan was our favorite port. So much history. Do a little research to find where you want to go. We went to the forts and churches. There are some good local restaurants. We really enjoyed La Bombonera. St. Thomas was nice but it rained off and on so we shopped and ate. In Hibiscus Alley we ate pizza and had drinks at Calico Jacks. The bars on board are fun and a good place to meet people. I highly recommend the specialty restaurants.
Click to expand...

Welcome to Cruise @ddicts!!
 
GloBug

GloBug

Senior Flea Coller Tester
I've only been on one HAL, the Amsterdam, so I'm not sure how they compare, but you have picked a cruise line that will spoil you for others. HAL is roomy, gracious, lovely, quiet, serene, and lots of fun and things to do. From the fresh squeezed OJ at breakfast to the complimentary cappuccinos after dinner, you will want to book your next cruise on HAL. Enjoy enjoy enjoy, and please let us know what you think when you return.
 
Doug Parker

Doug Parker

2nd Officer
We taped an episode of Cruise Addicts talk show aboard the ms Eurodam last November on that same exact sailing you were on. The balcony cabins have plenty of space. The Pan Asian venue is worth every bit of $15. When we sailed there was some folks our age on-board but not much (28&30). It's very relaxing, low key, and your not rushed at all. Enjoy the sailing. If you wanted to check out the Cruise Addicts Talk Show we taped last year on-board: ms EURODAM | Cruise Radio

Happy sailing!
 
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