Eurodam is a perfect name for a new cruise ship, especially in Europe during a summer when every American vacationing on the other side of the Atlantic is talking about the damn Euro.

One Euro, the currency in most European countries, costs more than $1.50, so my cup of coffee earlier this month in Copenhagen, Denmark, at 4 Euros, actually cost me $6.

That $6 cup of Joe — which at that price should be called a cup of Joseph — was $6 more than my breakfast coffee, an hour earlier, on the deck of the Eurodam, a new ship that began cruising out of Copenhagen in early July (seen in Flam, Norway, right).

I should have had my fill of coffee on the Eurodam before heading ashore — a good lesson in economics for travelers who are about to cruise Europe or are considering a future cruise.

While cruising is hardly the cheapest way to vacation in Europe, it is far less expensive — starting at about $100 a day per person for two — than any comparable accommodations or meals on land. And coffee is included.

Meanwhile, on land, prices in Europe seem exorbitant, at least double what Americans would pay at home for the same purchase, from coffee to a nice dinner.

The best way to beat that currency imbalance — when the dollar is declining in value compared to the Euro and the English Pound — is to buy your foreign vacation in dollars ahead of time. That works well on all-inclusive package tours and on cruises.

Of course, the opposite is true for Europeans, who are smiling as they buy goods and services on U.S. cruise ships. My $25 haircut on the Eurodam was only 16 Euros. That’s one reason you will see so many Europeans cruising this summer. For them, the exchange rate is an extra gift.

"We’re making Starbucks look cheap," says Micky Arison, chairman of Carnival Corp.,  which owns Holland America Line. Eurodam is the 14th of Holland America’s active ships.

Next blog: Cruisers look at the new Eurodam

For a free subscription to Travel Maven, type your email address in the box at upper right or add an RSS feed.

Molyneaux is editor of TravelMavens.net. CLICK for articles on cruising, golf, Florida, Europe, adventure and travel gear and gadgets.