We chose this cruise for the itinerary and the schedule worked. Have cruised mainly on Royal Carribean and have done a couple on Carnival. We decided to try Holland America. We booked on the Eurodam for 3/25/17 through 04/01/17. On departure day we arrived at the port upon opening. The departure process was pretty well organized and the ship opened swiftly. Embarkation photos were taken but did not include the ship in the background that was used. The buffet on the Lido deck was open and as we would learn the ships team served all passengers at the buffet they would do this the entire week. We were excited to learn that the staterooms were open already-around 11:30am. However, the ships team was still cleaning them Holland should revisit this. Staterooms should not open until cleaning is 100% done. The food in the main dining room and the buffet I would rank as very good I felt better than both RCCI and Carnival. I had an inside cabin on deck eight. The cabin was average very little drawer space and the bathroom had no shelf space. My package included one night in the premium steak house the Pinnacle Grille The food and service was beyond reproach.

In terms of things to do on board the ship I would rate RCCI as stronger.I was disappointed that on our sea days there was no pool deck activities and no entertainment in what would be called the centrum although Holland does not refer to the area around the center of the ship in this manner. I realize that Holland is catering to an older clientele. I was also disappointed to hear that the hydro pool was an additional charge. I did make use of the spa and found that they offer all the standard services The spa was very comfortable and the service very good. the casino for this average size ship was well suited The slots seemed to payoff early in the week. From a night time entertainment standpoint I found the eurodam to outshine Carnival cruise ships but while very good not quite as good as RCCI. The ship featured live entertainment nightly in four locations.