Ms. Alpha

Back now from 18 days on the Koningsdam. I used the Thermal Suite almost every day and only once or twice were all the Thermal Loungers full. I'd go in the steam room for a few minutes and when I checked again there was one availabe. A couple times there were only 2 or 3 in use. I usually went mid afternoon and showered there, then went back to my cabin to dress for dinner. The first time I tried the Thermal Suite there was a special price offered for the last 7 days of a longer cruise. This past cruise there were a couple specials offered for single use at a specific time. I guess the offerings depend on how many full cruise passes are sold.

Your itinerary will also influnce dining line ups. We were in some ports till later in the evening so not everyone was back on board for early dining and we were sometimes seated in the upper (Fixed) DR so it was helpful to arrive after the seating window for Fixed and have a chance at unclaimed tables.

Just off the Koningsdam 18 day Hawaii (RT from Vancouver) last month. In the past we have mostly had fixed dining, but booked to late to get that this time. We missed having the same waiter each night who learned our preferences for beverages, but we had a great experience. We considered trying to make a reservation to get the same table each night, but didn't bother since we had planned to use speciality restaurants some nights. In the MDR we had a 2-top a few nights and shared tables on the other night ranging from 4 to 8-tops. We had wonderful dinner companions each time (even had the same couple twice - completely random). There always seemed to be a line up when the MDR opened, but if you waited 30 minutes or so it eased up. We were given pagers 2 or 3 nights but never had to wait long. One night the pager went off before the glass of wine I ordered in the Ocean Bar arrived! A party of 5 might take a bit longer to seat so I would look into reservations if you are concerned.

I sailed on this same cruise and think the OP did a FAIR review. I have sailed on the Koningsdam before and was also disappointed with the "disjointed" function of the Crows Nest. On previous cruises on Kdam and other HAL ships we enjoyed the Crows Nest as a quiet place to sit and admire the view (during daylight) and just read and relax while enjoying coffee and a cocktail. The shore excursions dept was operating out of the computers opposite the coffee bar, that in the past were the remains of an internet cafe. In other words they were passenger accessible computers - something that seems to have gone the way of the dodo. With the library still under renovations in the old Microsoft Studio (between the World Stage and the Rolling Stone Rock Room) the Crows Nest functioning as a library/card room/puzzle area as well as a cafe/lounge. Hopefully this will be sorted out once the renovations are complete. We love the forward facing seats by the windows but found the chairs themselves very low and awkward to get in and out of. I was also surprised to see the port side of the Crows Nest operation as an Art Studio with several different types of classes. I didn't participate but the classes seemed to always bwee full and I heard several people say you had to be there 30 min early to get in as they limited capacity. Overall we enjoyed our second trip on this ship, but did notice that staffing levels are below what they should be. We got used to standing in line a lot on the first few sea days but things got better as the passengers adapted to the routine. That being said EVERY crew/staff member we interacted us were very friendly and helpful and always greeted us with a smile and a good morning/evening, even if just passing by. Thanks for your review and videos, luv2cruzuk! Looking forward to more.

On board now and happened to notice the sign today said 3‘4” but we are halfway to Hawaii so it was sloshing around LOL!

On Koningsdam right now and was disappointed to not see the usual rotation of Lincoln Center Stage.We will have to wait and see if there are any classical show on the World Stage