At Home on Holland America Line's Eurodam for the Malt Shop Memories Cruise

To board a Holland America ship is to enter a floating bit of maritime history with a modern twist. For over 135 years, the line has remained true to its mission, “Through excellence, we create once-in-a-lifetime experiences every time.” Quite simply, Holland America offers premium cruising at its classic best.Embarking upon Eurodam is like coming home and, in this case, it’s going to be even more fun than usual. We're on board for the Malt Shop Memories Cruise 2012, hosted by Entertainment Cruise Productions.

Once on board we quickly settled in and made ourselves comfortable in our deluxe oceanview stateroom with verandah. Although there aren’t many drawers for storing folded garments, each closet features drop-down shelves and we found plenty of room to stow everything, including in the deep drawers at the foot of the bed.

The décor is soothing in tones of grey and cream with jewel toned accents. One of my favorite features is the vanity/desk with its lighted magnifying mirror. It’s perfect for those of us who crave lighting and need a bit of magnification to apply mascara.

A home at sea, our Verandah Outside stateroom is similar in design to outside standards, including most bathrooms with tubs, but the verandahs add real usable space. Furnished with two wicker-style chairs and a table, there is still plenty of room to move about; standard staterooms, either inside or outside are functional and comfortable. For budget accommodations with a bit more room, book an inside on Main Deck.

All categories are outfitted with "Signature of Excellence" amenities that include the plush Euro-top Mariner's Dream Bed, deluxe waffle weave/terry cloth robes, Egyptian cotton towels, flat panel televisions, DVD players, lighted make-up mirrors, hand held hairdryers, massaging shower heads, personal safes, refrigerators, and closets configured for hanging and/or drop down shelves. This is Holland America Line and a full ship music theme charter at its best..

Our 7-night Eastern Caribbean cruise includes port calls at San Juan, St. Thomas, and one of our favorite destinations—Holland American’s private island, Half Moon Cay. Oh yes, and we’ll have days at sea to simply relax and enjoy the shows and camaraderie of our Malt Shop peers. We hope you’ll follow along here in the Cruise Diva Blog.