Putting the pleasure in cruising

Next time you come back from the weekly supermarket run complaining about how much you've spent and what a struggle it was carrying it all from the car, spare a thought for Mike van Bokhoven.

So all right, he only shops once every three weeks or so, but when he gets to the check-out tills he has to hand over some $1 million.

You see Mike is the culinary operations manager for the MS Eurodam, the $450m flagship of the Holland America Line and he is shopping for 2,104 passengers and 929 crew and his shopping list is mighty impressive.

Each week the ship gets through 11,830 lbs of meat, 3,814lb of poultry, 4,450lbsof fish and seafood, 137,500lb of fresh vegetables, 7,750lb of potatoes and 300 gallons of ice cream.

He must also remember to pick up a weekly 23,040 eggs, 950lb sugar, 24,000 individual packs of sugar, 3,500lb of rice for the crew plus 3,150lb of flour. He must also remember to pop down to the off-licence to pick up 362 cases of assorted sodas, 332 cases of beer, 450 bottles of champagne and sparkling wine, 1,636 bottles of assorted wines, oh yes, and 280 cases of water, which will be needed every seven days.

But you will not have been long aboard the Eurodam before you begin to appreciate how important is the ship's reputation for fine dining and why the galley, with its staff of 150 backed by 223 service staff, are such an integral part of the cruise experience.

We were just on board for an hors d'oeuvre four-day cruise up and down the English Channel which seem to be becoming more and more popular as a way of introducing people to cruising. It was also part of the shipping line's launch of Dover as a main port of departure next year for eight- to 12-night cruises to the Baltic, the Norwegian Fjords and the Scottish Highlands. In all, the line's 14 ships offer 500 cruises to more than 100 countries with culinary excellence being a main plank of the experience.

The Eurodam is only just one year old and its paint work and fittings still have that brand-new feel as you come on board. And it is a very clever ship, for despite its 11 decks towering over the quayside, it is very easy to navigate your way around it to your stateroom with its veranda, Egyptian cotton sheets and fixtures and fittings which would not be out of place in a five-star hotel.

It is also a clever ship in that it avoids those cavernous central spaces that some shipping lines think essential so that all passengers can be grouped in one place. That is probably the last thing that most passengers want and the Eurodam gets round it by having a series of 24 public rooms and bars dotted around the ship. Within the format it can still accommodate a three-storey theatre featuring top-class international entertainment and the two-storey Rembrandt dining room.

The net result is that the ship never seems crowded. You can stroll about, you can mix with people or you can be private. The choice is yours.

And the same applies to dining – a major feature of your cruise. One can choose between the luxury of the Tamarind and its special Silk Den lounge featuring Asian specialities and the Italian feel to the Canaletto. The Rembrandt, featuring lobster, contrasts with the Pinnacle, which, reflecting the ship's American base, is a showcase for the Pacific Northwest specialities and its steaks are a must. And throughout the day the Lido is offering its huge buffet range of meals to suit all tastes.

We were lucky in that we had Bristol's own Green Goddess Diana Moran on our cruise and she is proof positive that if you look after yourself you can be one of the most glamorous grannies on earth and still enjoy life while you are doing it.

And while she explained her philosophy in the gymnasium alongside the luxury of the Greenhouse Spa, down in the bowels of the ship chief engineer Frank de Vries was just as proud of his 86,000 hp engines which drives the 935ft long, 86,000-tonne floating hotel at speeds of up to 24 knots.

Mind you, the Eurodam does use a bit of fuel compared to the ordinary saloon car. It can manage 21 yards to the gallon, which is why it has 780,000 gallon tank, which gives it three weeks' regular cruising or 12 days flat out.

But enough of the technical. This is a pleasure cruise and the Holland America Line makes sure you are pampered and cosseted from the moment you go up the gangplank at Dover.

You can have a full English breakfast in your cabin, you can swim indoors or out, you can gamble in the casino, get pampered in the spa, you can shop in the mall, see a different show every night, attend cookery demos and go on organised tours at each port of call.

Tour the art gallery, play football on the top deck or just sample all the different bars – there is always something on offer to suit every taste.

But at the end of the day, sitting 11 decks above the ocean looking out of the panoramic windows of the breathtaking Crow's Nest, watching the ever-changing sea is one of the most mesmerising and calming experiences you can undergo and in itself must be worth the ticket price.

HOLLAND America Line's ex-UK 2010 itineraries start from £949pp.

Cruises aboard the Ms Eurodam include the eight-nights Norwegian Fjords and Scottish Highlands route.

Special added value includes $75 onboard spending money per stateroom and three complimentary bottles of wine.

The cruise sails out of Dover, UK; then visits Geiranger, Norway, Hellesylt; Norway; Alesund, Norway; Bergen, Norway; Invergordon, UK; South Queensferry, UK; before returning to Dover.