Page 166 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL FALL 2020 South Africa

We boarded the 2,100-passenger Eurodam in
Ft. Lauderdale and sailed into San Diego two
weeks later, relaxed, replenished and relieved to
be home on March 1, as news of Covid-19 filtered
through the news.
Surveying the Ship
First things first: the B.B. King's Blues Club was
everything I'd hoped and so much more. The eight-
piece band rocked for three sets nearly every
night—and the first set started at 8:30pm. Holland
America is known to attract a senior clientele; I
bet our fellow passengers' ages averaged around
65, with many in their 80s. It wasn't a late-night
crowd, but even the early diners were able to
catch the first set. I would gladly have stayed up
till midnight to hear singers Indigo Jones and Ja-
son Barnes rock through a repertoire covering
rock, disco and blues. We stopped by most nights
to catch a few songs, and hit the dance floor for all
three sets on a few occasions. Holland America
aced that requirement.
The Eurodam was comfortable, easily navigated
and enjoyable. The vibe was definitely low key and
mature, as one might expect on a two-week sailing
with several sea days during the school year. I
have a hard time imagining it as a party ship,
though you never know who your fellow guests
might be.
The decor was understated, lacking glitz and
pizazz. Walls were decorated with copies of Dutch
Master paintings, historic photos and nautical
paraphernalia and noise was muted for the most
part. We settled into a comfortable, casual routine
I enjoyed the spacious fitness center's stretch
classes and always-available treadmills. We
walked many laps on the open-air promenade with
a steady stream of fellow guests. One morning,
hundreds boasted T-shirts from the On Deck for a
Cause 5K walk, a Holland America fundraising tra-
dition. The promenade became my favorite fresh-
air reading and daydreaming hangout, though the
teak lounge chairs grew scarce on beautiful days.
Lounge chairs also edged the wall-length win-
dows in the sky-high Crows Nest, home to a

We thoroughly enjoyed the band at the
B.B. King's Blues Club on Gala Night.

166 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE 2020