No lounge chairs on Kdam veranda deck ?

Say it ain't so that there are no lounge chairs on the Veranda Deck on the Koenigsdam. It is my favorite place on all the Dam ships, peaceful, quiet place to read, nap or watch the walkers.

I often go out there after dinner and listen to the rush of water as the ship sails on. It is a signature part of sailing HAL.

Doubt that I will ever sail on the Kdam

There is no Veranda deck on KDam. Do you mean the Promenade Deck? As discussed here frequently, the Promenade Deck is much narrower than on other HAL ships. Thus, if there were lounges, there wouldn't be room to walk.

Say it ain't so that there are no lounge chairs on the Veranda Deck on the Koenigsdam. It is my favorite place on all the Dam ships, peaceful, quiet place to read, nap or watch the walkers.

I often go out there after dinner and listen to the rush of water as the ship sails on. It is a signature part of sailing HAL.

Doubt that I will ever sail on the Kdam

 

These moments happen when your 81

There are still 13 other HAL ships that have deck chairs on the Promenade deck. I personally love the Koningsdam and probably will only cruise on her in the future.

 

I don't recall ever sitting in a deck chair on my HAL cruises, except on my own cabin verandah.

No there are no loungers on the promenade deck ... Personally I liked that as I always hated feeling watched as I did my thrice daily laps

True that some folks never use the Promenade deck, but for the ones who do, the design direction of the Kdam is lamentable.

 

We Promenade afficionados must voice our opinions loudly, and often, so that HAL ship designers will reinstate a decent promenade (in future designs).

Say it ain't so that there are no lounge chairs on the Veranda Deck on the Koenigsdam.

There are a few, very few, benches that you can sit on. The view when I tried was not good. Still better than being at work!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

True that some folks never use the Promenade deck, but for the ones who do, the design direction of the Kdam is lamentable.

 

We Promenade afficionados must voice our opinions loudly, and often, so that HAL ship designers will reinstate a decent promenade (in future designs).

 

 

i just spent 37 days on zaandam and there were a LOT of people walking and sitting on the deck most all day every day except a few windy days....what a shame to build a big new ship with no deck chairs and too narrow for walking....for many the prom/LP deck is our very favorite part of the entire ship....something that sets holland apart from many of the floating shopping malls with no proper walking decks....shame on the powers that be at holland that have apparently decided to eliminate these classic features....fortunately most holland ships still have the nice deck with chairs....i will stick with those ships as long as they exist.

Say it ain't so that there are no lounge chairs on the Veranda Deck on the Koenigsdam. It is my favorite place on all the Dam ships, peaceful, quiet place to read, nap or watch the walkers.

I often go out there after dinner and listen to the rush of water as the ship sails on. It is a signature part of sailing HAL.

Doubt that I will ever sail on the Kdam

GOOD! More room for the rest of us!

So sad that the on the K-dam (as the entry into the newer HAL ships) HAL has opted to downplay deck chairs, walking room on the Promenade, libraries, and ... - thus turning the new HAL ships into a commodity instead of an adventure. As Captain Mercer has said, the K'dam is a 'blue water' ship - may she stay in the Caribbean - not a 'black water' ship that are built for longer, trans-ocean cruises.

... K'dam is a 'blue water' ship ...

This is the crux of the matter: If you're doing it right, you build things for how they're going to be used, not based on how predecessors were once used. There are, and perhaps will always be, a number of people who want black water cruising experiences. There are a number of ships built that way. They're expensive, but that's not unusual in the case of the rare or rarefied. Trying to get a black water cruising experience on a blue water cruise is naturally problematic: Besides the cruise itself, the crafting of the cruise experience will naturally be related to the typical blue water cruiser - purpose built for purpose.

 

I find the most strained offerings are those that are shoe-horned in where they don't necessarily fit. Consider QM2 Deck 7, which I suspect you'd consider the prototypical promenade cruising experience on a modern ship. First of all, it's not on Deck 3; it's on Deck 7. What we see on blue water cruise ships is the result of trying to shoe horn a black water cruising experience onto a blue water cruise ship, and it doesn't necessarily fit. Up higher, it would fit better, and to the extent there is interest in sitting in lounges at the edge of the ship, there's room for that on the aft portion of K'dam Deck 11. There's not much of it because, I suspect, there's not much interest in it.

 

And that's consistent with my experience. My spouse and I have taken advantage of the promenade on sea days on previous cruises, on blue water cruise ships onto which this accommodation has been shoe-horned. We never had a problem finding a spot. That's at prime time on a full cruise ship. That's a signal of a problem. Unless you're cruising a luxury brand like Cunard, one should not be expecting anything other than your own cabin to be practically always available, as if reserved just for you. Beyond that, our promenade lounging experience was compromised, I feel, by its incompatibility with the nature of the ship and the cruise - compromised aesthetically and with regard to the space being respected as being placed there for the purpose we were using it, rather than being part of some mixed-use offering along the lines Lovely other alluded.

 

As OceanTraveller4ever suggested, the only way to change from the direction supported by the typical purchaser is to be loud. Things are changing as a reflection of passenger purchasing and utilization behaviors. That's real data that translates to real money. Short of actually making one's rarefied personal preference the personal preference of the vast majority, how do you convince a business to blind itself to such trends? By making clear that there is a coincident and opposite trend that exists, within which people with a less popular preference are so much more willing to pay more for what they want than the typical purchaser, and so much more willing to walk away and do without than the typical purchaser. If the benefit to the typical purchaser is modest enough, the downside of disappointing the purchaser with a rarefied preference may overcome the obstacle represented by the impact of satisfying the rarefied preference on what is offered to satisfy the typical purchasers.

Edited December 8, 2016 by bUU

No there are no loungers on the promenade deck ... Personally I liked that as I always hated feeling watched as I did my thrice daily laps

 

Agree. I like walking around the promenade deck but the people who sit in the loungers seem to act as if the loungers/chairs are their personal property. They sit in them all day. They glare at you when you block their sun. Too much entitlement if you ask me.

So sad that the on the K-dam (as the entry into the newer HAL ships) HAL has opted to downplay deck chairs, walking room on the Promenade, libraries, and ... - thus turning the new HAL ships into a commodity instead of an adventure. As Captain Mercer has said, the K'dam is a 'blue water' ship - may she stay in the Caribbean - not a 'black water' ship that are built for longer, trans-ocean cruises.

 

 

There are so many private verandahs with deck chairs on the Koningsdam that you have to make a hard effort not to get one....

 

So a lot of people have a place to sit outside on their deck chairs on the K.

 

The walking room on the promenade is very adequate and more 'private' than when loungers keep looking at you...

 

The library, I bring my own books.

 

Unless you have an inside (sorry an interior cabin) and keep saying : we do not spend lots of time in the cabin (wonder why ????) most everybody on the K has room to sit and enjoy the sea in their own private chair. :)

We enjoyed cruising on the K'dam very much, but then again we had a balcony and we loved seating out there every chance we could. We just hope by the next time we cruise on her in February they have painted a ONE WAY sign somewhere on the promenade deck so folks know which way to walk when doing laps. They hadn't when we cruised on her in July and it was a mess with people walking in both directions going through "the narrows" at the bow and stern where it is only about 5 feet wide at best.

The Promenade on the K is more than adequate for "promenading".

I have been on the K. On this ship "promenade" is a misnomer. It is too narrow and too ugly. Alleyway would be a more fitting name.

There are probably a lot more lounge chairs on the K in other public areas(the upper decks) than on any other HAL ship.

And almost all of them are out in the sun with no view of the water. Edited December 8, 2016 by jtl513

There are so many private verandahs with deck chairs on the Koningsdam that you have to make a hard effort not to get one....

 

So a lot of people have a place to sit outside on their deck chairs on the K.

 

The walking room on the promenade is very adequate and more 'private' than when loungers keep looking at you...

 

The library, I bring my own books.

 

Unless you have an inside (sorry an interior cabin) and keep saying : we do not spend lots of time in the cabin (wonder why ????) most everybody on the K has room to sit and enjoy the sea in their own private chair. :)

 

 

The list of MS Koningsdam cabins includes a total of 912 balconied accommodations (164 Suites and 748 Balcony staterooms), which means that 69% of all cruise rooms are with a private veranda view. The other cabin types are Oceanview (142) and Interior cabins (277, without windows

 

so about 900 people do not have private verandahs....and yes many of us do like to sit in a deck chair on the LP deck and watch the ocean....even if we do have a private verandah the views and sounds are simply better from a LP deck chair IMO.

The list of MS Koningsdam cabins includes a total of 912 balconied accommodations (164 Suites and 748 Balcony staterooms), which means that 69% of all cruise rooms are with a private veranda view. The other cabin types are Oceanview (142) and Interior cabins (277, without windows

 

so about 900 people do not have private verandahs....and yes many of us do like to sit in a deck chair on the LP deck and watch the ocean....even if we do have a private verandah the views and sounds are simply better from a LP deck chair IMO.

 

Totally agree. No Koningsdam for me.

 

Dan

And almost all of them are out in the sun with no view of the water.

Neither of which is desirable to this cave dweller who loves to sit outside and watch the ocean.

Neither of which is desirable to this cave dweller who loves to sit outside and watch the ocean.

On the shady side! We get enough sun at home! :)

I have been on the K. On this ship "promenade" is a misnomer. It is too narrow and too ugly. Alleyway would be a more fitting name...

Thank you, jtl513. I shall always think of Koningsdam's deck 3 as the alleyway deck.

Agreed!

 

The Kdam has an alleyway deck. Very apt :)

 

OH, and calling a somewhat failed design a turkey should not diminish in any way folks enjoying said turkey.....;)

Edited December 8, 2016 by OceanTraveller4ever

The smaller promenade made way for Grand Dutch Cafe.

 

Point, Koningsdam!

The smaller promenade made way for Grand Dutch Cafe.

 

Point, Koningsdam!

 

So I can eat the delicious fries and peanut sauce they serve and then just pop outside to burn off the calories ... Result :D

So I can eat the delicious fries and peanut sauce they serve and then just pop outside to burn off the calories ... Result :D

 

Make sure to pick up that almond cookie for a mid-walk snack. :)