Joe Palko is back with some updates from onboard the Holland America Line cruise ship, ms Eurodam. He’s on a 7-day Caribbean cruise out of Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale, FL) with stops in Half Moon Cay, Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, and Key West.
Joe has graciously agreed to provide updates and photos of his adventure onboard my favorite ship, the “Mighty E.” In case you missed his first installment, you can read it here.
Day 3 – At Sea
“There’s nothing like a day at sea to provide one with a sense of relaxation you can’t experience anywhere else. As with all my Holland America cruises, service was top-notch around the ship. We all have been commenting on the great crew and how each one is super friendly and will go out of their way to take care of our every need.
We spent a few hours at the pool with our new friends from Ontario, Kathy, and Diana. Diana was with her daughter Kathy and she is leaving this cruise on Sunday and immediately boarding the Norwegian Epic that is sailing from PortMiami for another 7 days. Can you say “lucky?”
Tonight was formal night and we had 8pm reservations for dinner in the main dining room. We arrived at our appointed time and did not have to wait for our table. The food came quickly, was served at the proper temperatures and it was highly enjoyable. Here are some photos from our meal:”
Day 4 – Montego Bay, Jamaica
“We woke up early for our Holland America Line shore excursion, Bobsled Jamaica & Dunn’s River Falls. I was actually expecting Jamaica to be more “third world” than it actually was. The port was easy to access and the usual Caribbean experience of panhandling was somewhat minimal as the vendors were in an area you could choose to walk through or avoid. Not like some of the other islands where you are forced to walk through their “marketplace.” My thoughts on panhandling will change somewhat later in the day, but at least at the port of Montego Bay, it’s not bad.
Our excursion was planned for Ocho Rios, about 2 hours away by bus. We boarded the bus early, and our tour guide Charmin was a fun local woman with a lot of energy and was super entertaining. Montego Bay looks overall like a lousy port. The streets I could see down looked pretty dingy and packed with people. I can’t say that if I were going on a vacation to Jamaica that I would choose this city for vacation, but Ocho Rios was positively much nicer. Our tour guide at the conclusion of the tour said “please come back to Jamaica and visit us again, but don’t go to Montego Bay, stay in Ocho Rios,” so that confirmed my first impression.
The Dunn’s Falls were fun. At first, I was a little scared, because they look much bigger than they actually are, but once in the water, it was fun. The tour guide for the falls was highly energetic, and a ton of fun. It took a lot of energy to climb these falls, and literally – you are really climbing a big waterfall. 45 minutes later, I was exhausted.
At the end of the waterfall, you are pushed into their “marketplace” before you can exit. It is made up of lots of street vendors selling crafts. They are so pushy, and thankfully because I live in South Florida, and am totally used to pushy people, it was easy for me to say “no thank you” and walk on even as they chased after me trying to make deals. I apparently don’t look like someone who does drugs, but others on the cruise told me that they were continually offered marijuana.
After a short 5-minute drive we arrived at the Bobsled ride. This required taking a chair lift to the top of a mountain and then riding halfway down the mountain on a mini individual rollercoaster in the shape of a bobsled. The chair lift was higher than any chair lift I had ever been on, and I’m a skier. I don’t normally mind chair lifts as I have ridden thousands in my life, but I’m terrified of heights. Do not take this lift if you are scared of heights. They stop it continually and it moves really slowly.
The Bobsled ride was fun, but I assumed it would go to the bottom of the mountain. Nope, it goes halfway down, and you stay in it while it takes you back to the top. You are forced to take this same ski lift down the mountain. The good news is that the chairs are on top of one another instead of side by side, so going up is about 25 feet higher than that trip down. Still horrible for someone with a height problem, but more manageable.
It was now time for our 2-hour ride back. The ride was basically through the countryside, and I’m pretty impressed with Jamaica’s infrastructure. The road was in good condition and had signs. The drivers are a little on the insane side though. Either driving really slow or really fast. Much like South Florida.
It’s now 5 PM and we’re going to get ready for dinner. I’ll send more updates later!”
Thanks again Joe for providing my readers with this update from onboard the ms Eurodam. I look forward to more photos and more updates from the Mighty E!
Personal Day-By-Day Eurodam Cruise Review:
Photo Tour of the Eurodam:
Preserving memories through photography is an essential part of any vacation, and my cruise was no exception. I took numerous photos showcasing different parts of the ship, including the interior design, swimming pools, and my own cabin. You can find these photos in the Eurodam Photo Tour and in the daily cruise review at the links provided above.