Eurodam Review
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Additional details
My best friend and I chose this cruise because of the low price for a verandah cabin in January compared to later months. Also, it left from San Diego which is near my friend's home. It was her first cruise and my second - and first with HAL. My previous cruise was on the Norwegian Jewel 2 years ago - a much longer Miami to LA cruise via the Panama Canal. This short cruise on the Eurodam took me to a place I had been to once - Cabo - and two Mexican ports neither of us had visited: Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. The food in the Lido was better than the equivalent on the Jewel and my friend was very impressed. The optional dinners at the Asian themed Tamarind and steak house Pinnacle Grill were excellent - and the service at Tamarind rivaled that of best restaurants I've ever experienced. We also used the Tamarind to provide us with appetizers and sushi to watch the NFL playoff games in our cabin on Saturday - outstanding! The music from BB King's band was great and the dance floor was filled with people on almost every song - much better entertainment than available on the Jewel. I missed the extra deck space on the Jewel for walking on the top decks and the ship seemed smaller overall. It also seemed less crowded and we did not have to wait very long for food or other service anywhere on the ship - maybe January is better for that as well. On the Jewel my mom and I went on Norwegian hosted excursions but for this trip my friend and I just used taxis and local tour guides to take us around. Highly recommend Alberto Cruz Cota in PV for a great local tour guide - alcruztours@hotmail.com or cell (322) 2277 675 or home (322) 224 58 34. HAL recommended restaurant in Mazatlan Pancho's was excellent - best shrimp we've ever tasted.
Overall cruise highly recommended - just fix the standard beds to equal those on the Jewel.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Ocean-View Verandah Stateroom
We were satisfied with the space in the aft cabin and loved the view - some noise and vibrations from the engine but still no problem getting to sleep. Nice TV and lots of movies to watch late at night. Shower was hot and forceful and there was plenty of space overall - toilet being the exception. The beds were not as requested - two twins - but instead they gave us two XL-twins connected as one king bed so we were ok with that. Unfortunately the bed was very bad on my back and not much better for my friend so we requested foam pads. That brought the bed up to livable for me and great for her - no charge for the pads. Service from Beny and Al was outstanding and better than the Norwegian Jewel - 5-star hotels would be lucky to have either of these guys. plenty of space for all of our stuff with drawers under the bed and room to store suitcases there as well.
Port Reviews
Cabo San Lucas
we went shopping for gifts - stayed in the Marina - not much time in port so we took it easy. Had some snacks and a beer at Señor Frogs - ok food, fun people. Later had some fish tacos at Wizzies - much better food and very nice service people - upstairs with a view of the marina - outside or air conditioned inside. Next time we'll skip Señor Frogs and just eat here...
Mazatlan
As stated in main review, HAL recommended restaurant Pancho's is great - would definitely come back. Got lucky with our second taxi driver - very personable and about half the price of the first taxi from the cruise ship port. They were both open air taxis and that was a delightful way to experience the city. Silver seems to be the thing in this town - shops near Pancho's were MUCH cheaper than similar jewelry found closer to the ship - and the shops were nicer too.
Puerto Vallarta
As stated in the main review, highly recommend private tour guide Alberto Cruz Cota. He took us to Old Town and the Romantic District. He said it reminded him of the French Quarter in New Orleans and I agree. He pointed out good hotels and restaurants for a return visit and stopped and let us wander around a bit. He also directed us to a jewelry store with very nice pieces - my friend did not but but was impressed with the selection and the staff's knowledge. We also saw the rich section in the hills overlooking the ocean and went to a nice restaurant with an amazing view for beer, chips and guacamole - not the usual tourist spot. He was able to take us down narrow streets and alley ways that larger tour buses could not negotiate. He also took us into neighborhoods where the local blue collar workers live to give us a feel for the real PV. Great tour and well worth the money. Plus - he's a Dodger fan! I wore my hat and he did too - also found lots of other Dodger fans in the other two ports. Thank you Fernando Valenzuela!