I have had so many fantastic offers coming in lately that I have needed to to post more than one offer a week! I try narrow it down to the best ones, but there are so many out there that are just too good to pass up.
I will start with the cabins as I toured my way from the Penthouse cabin down the standard inside. The penthouse was quite the sight. As you enter the cabin you pass the butlers pantry which would be used to host dinner party served course by course or a cocktail party with your friends and family. The living room has a table for 8 and a large sofa that sleeps two. The living room was quite
comfortable and had flat screen TVs throughout. There was a door to the very spacious balcony which brought me to the outdoor Jacuzzi. That had to be the highlight of the cabin for me, as I would sit out there quite a bit. What a treat to be able to sit outside in my private balcony in the Jacuzzi while sailing the Mediterranean! They had two bathrooms, guest and master. The master bathroom had a split bath and it was gorgeous! There were lots of gold furnishings and even a tub with a fountain shaped like a lion. 
The next level down was the Deluxe Veranda Suite. I highly recommend this category stateroom as it does provide a substantial list of extra amenities, among them the priority embarkation and the Neptune Concierge Lounge. As I boarded the ship I saw a separate area just to facilitate the boarding of the Deluxe Veranda Suites and above. This makes the process stress free with shorter lines and fewer crowds. Once these guests get on the ship they may stop by the 
Neptune lounge to meet the concierge and have a drink and hors d'oeuvres. Some other wonderful benefits to being in a Deluxe Veranda Suite is the complimentary laundry. When cruising with my husband we certainly take advantage of this amenity. By having our laundry done throughout the cruise we don't have to pack as much and can go home with clean clothes while not having to do laundry later myself. As for the cabin they came with a large wrap around couch and terry robes and towels. The veranda was a nice size and had wicker chairs with soft cushions and a foot rest. I liked the colors of these new cabins and the couch was very comfortable and fit in very well with the décor.
The Superior Veranda Suites were also very nice, though a slight drop in size from the Deluxe Veranda Suites. Most of the difference in size seemed to come from the living room area where they replaced a wrap around couch with a smaller couch that sleeps one.
The Deluxe Veranda Ocean views are slightly larger than a standard balcony with a love seat in the sitting area across from a vanity.
The interior stateroom comes in two sizes and if I were to be forced into an inside cabin I would definitely chose the larger stateroom as it has a decent size sitting area.
Next is what I think will be very popular on the Eurodam is the Spa staterooms. They come in inside, ocean view and suite cabins. Be aware of the balcony category that is a spa stateroom which has a French balcony. You can stand outside on it but there is no room for chairs, so make sure to speak with your travel consultant (Jen Mitchell) when choosing a cabin. It might not be so terrible if you like being able to open your balcony door but never sit outside on it. The spa staterooms are in close proximity to the spa and include some extra amenities such as:
Organic cotton bathrobes and slippers
Now moving along to the public areas of the ship…..I just loved the culinary arts center. I have seen it on their other ships, but this one was just fabulous! They have culinary demonstrations as well as other classes such as towel folding. Since I am a total movie buff, I was very excited about their screening room. It had a very large screen and the most 
comfortable reclining leather seats. Speaking of very comfortable seats I would have to say Holland America has the most comfortable seating in their Crows nest and Explorations Café. Something that they tried on the Eurodam that is different from their other ships is putting the Explorations Café up where the Crows Nest is, giving you a great view while you sip your latte and read a book.
On to my favorite part….dinning! The buffet on the Eurodam has a very special restaurant called Canaletto which is a reservations only Italian restaurant which is complimentary for all guests. Tamarind Restaurant and Silk Den Lounge is their new Pan Asian Restaurant and lounge with panoramic views of the ocean and Lido Pool area. Sadly there was no time to try this restaurant but it will be top of my list when I cruise on her for a regular sailing.
The main dinning room was where Holland America was gracious enough to serve us lunch. I had the duck pâté, seafood chowder, mahi mahi with rice and vegetables and a fabulous fruit pastry for desert. I can surely say I left the ship full!
We just loved our most recent cruise on the Maasdam! The weather was wonderful for the week we were there. As for the staff, that was the best experience we’ve had. My favorite things about the ship were the Crows Nest, the Explorations Cafe, and the food! I love how the buffet at dinner offered the same menu as the dining room. I also loved how they had ice cream all the time at no charge. I am embarrassed to say that I ate a waffle cone almost every day! haha
My only complaints were the odor in the room. Holland America explained that it was caused by an Eco-friendly machine they used that caused a mild occasional odor when the balance was off . Our AC was also broken and only had one temperature, but they did fix that for us as soon as I mentioned it. These are just some of the things you might have come up with when you are on an older ship. I have to say though, that I love how this class are smaller in size than their newer ships. They have less guests and are very easy to get around. They also had all new hardware...new beds (oh so comfy), new flat screen t.v.s, and DVD players.
We decided to stay an extra night in Boston and in Montreal. I feel that on a trip that requires air everyone should come in early if they can. 1. It makes embarkation day more relaxing 2. Allows time to spend time in the embarkation port city 3. In case of flight problems you are there early and won't miss the ship. I just loved my time in Boston and wish I had a few more days there. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency which was in the perfect location of downtown Boston. There were plenty of things to do in walking distance from the hotel. We walked some of the Freedom trail and had lunch at Fanuel Hall. I must tell you Fanuel Hall is like the biggest food court I have ever seen. There must have been over a hundred food vendors with food from all over the world. Our choice was the New England Clam Chowder in a bread bowl :) (YUM)
Our favorite port was Bar Harbor. We did a Lobster Bake and an Acadia National Park Tour. The tour guide kept us entertained and was highly knowledgeable. They took us to several scenic points one of which was Cadillac Mountain. Than we had lunch at a great restaurant and had whole lobsters and mussels. That was the best meal of the week by far.
Another port we just loved was Quebec City. This was like being in Europe walking down the old cobblestone streets. Getting off the ship there are all kinds of boutique shops with local artists. Then we walked up the hill (not too bad of a hike) and toured the fort and walked down some more streets of shopping. There is enough shopping to keep you busy if that is your mission! Than we enjoyed High Tea at the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac. It was a beautiful castle with a view of the city! The tea was so well done and enjoyed by all.
In Charlottetown, PEI we did a city tour with a stop at Ann of Green Gables. This was very nostalgic especially for my mother in law who read all of Green Gables books. We did this tour with the cruise line and was a bit full, the trip was on a coach with over 40 people. For this one I would recommend trying a private tour.
Halifax, Nova Scotia was one of the places I did not book a tour. That day we went to the Citadel and they took us on a free tour of the fort. Then we walked to the Maritime Heritage Museum which had a great exhibit of the Titanic.
Sydney was very windy and overcast that day so I decided to spend the day on the ship. I went to the fitness center which had all new equipment, and spent time in the Explorations Cafe. It was like going to a Borders, which is something I just love to do. I had a yummy cafe latte while I sat on a wonderfully comfortable chair and read a book.
Overall I was very pleased with this cruise and highly recommend it. Although fall is the most popular time to go on this trip I think the spring was a great time of year to visit as well. The weather was nice and cool, and the colors of green ranged from light to dark shades of green which created a fantastic view where ever we went. I also love Holland and would rate them very high amongst the other lines I have been on so far.
