Norwegian Fjords on the Koningsdam-review

Embarkation

Traveling 7 day leg from Amsterdam with mobility impaired family member. Smooth embarkation process. A storm in the North Sea resulted in a delayed sailing until the next afternoon and we were given a revised itinerary at check-in. We were bringing extra wine on board so after going through security we declared our bottles and were given a receipt to bring along to dinner with the wine. Our luggage arrived soon after and we were off to lunch and to explore the beautiful ship.

Ship

We loved the modern look of the ship and ease of navigating it. Neutral tones with an accent color in each area...deep blue in the Dutch Cafe, plum in Tamarind, burgundy and maize in MDR etc. The music theme carried throughout the ship but also a nod to both the nautical and Dutch heritage.

Staterooms

We had two V cabins on Gershwin Deck 5, (5150 and 5152) the latter being an HC. The accessible cabin around the corner was configured to easily accommodate a mobility scooter and rolling walker that we rented from Special Needs at Sea. Our cabin (5150) was a bit smaller than previous verandas on other ships but allowed for plenty of storage. The walk in shower with glass enclosure was a big plus and the slightly angled commode was not an issue. Having USB and US/Euro plugs above the nightstand was very convenient. Safety vests were stowed in cabinets above the sofa and luggage fit under the bed along with the two bed drawers. Once the divider was opened between the cabins, the balcony was huge! Each had two chairs and a small low table.

Demographics

Sailing out of Amsterdam brought many Dutch travelers. Equally represented were North Americans. The remaining mix were other Europeans and Asians. Being summertime, all ages were represented, including tweens. Based on the singing in the dining-room, a lot of birthday celebrations were going on.

The Subjective Dining Element!

Lido-offered a wide variety of food for everyone including bread pudding! A busy place indeed but having the servers bring juice and coffee around was a big help. If you can't find a table, walk out to the Lido pool area for one. Hand sanitizers, hand washing stations, and being served kept us well.

NY Deli & Pizza

A favorite "go to" when the Lido was full offering breakfast sandwiches, toasted bagels, and a variety of toasted sandwiches at lunch. You can have a breakfast croissant if you ask for it. You place your order at the counter and are given a beeper. Wrinkle at this venue is it is understaffed. One person (who did a great job with a smile despite a long line) takes the order, fills showcase requests and drinks, answers menu questions, does the beeper/food exchange. At peak times, tables were not cleared in time to meet the demand of new people and there was no place to put the dishes if you wanted to clear them yourself.

MDR

Great blend of elegant and smart casual. We had My Time Dining and once on the ship made reservations for nights we planned to eat there. Times offered for a requested four-top were either early or after 8 and the later worked for us. We also were told we would have to share a 6-top on two of the nights but that didn't end up happening. Seating for MTD was on both levels and there was an elevator close by when we were escorted to another level. All favorites were still on the menu and we thought the food was very good. Service was polite and efficient. Breakfast in the MDR we found to be very, very, slow and less co-ordinated so we only went once.

Tamarind Delicious food, excellent service. Try satay sampler, spring rolls and Tamarind Chocolate for dessert!

Pinnacle

The great food and service you have come to know!

Sel de Mer

great ambiance, attentive service, delicious food. They will filet your fish at the table if you like. A few meat options are available if you do not like seafood. Portions are generous. It is a la carte pricing. You are not able to add a tip so bring cash if you want to add a little extra.

The Dutch Cafe

Hope this idea spreads to all of the "dam" ships! All of your favorite Dutch snacks, sandwiches, and sweets in a great space. However, woefully understaffed to meet the demand. The Dutch speaking staff behind the counter were answering questions, taking orders, delivering food to tables and expected to clean the tables. This was a recipe for disaster, especially when they ran out of apple taart! The staff definitely lacked the customer service skills to deal with a crush. Perhaps they should spend some time with Panji in the NY Deli!

Canaletto

An attractive space within the Lido but with more definition. We didn't have a chance to try it but seemed popular at dinner

Culinary Art Center

The two menu options seemed interesting but we didn't think the stark appearance or higher tables with lower chairs seemed inviting and gave it a pass. If you are interested and are considering the Blend wine mixing activity, look for afternoon specials at Blend (located opposite CAC) that include a complimentary dinner along with the wine you have blended

Entertainment & Activities

BB King Blues Club-our favorite night spot. Talented performers filled both levels of the Queen's Lounge each night. Dance floor was decent size for a ship. Three shows most nights.

Billboard

A larger space for this popular concept. We did not care for the female piano player's voice so only give it a try

Lincoln Stage

Somehow the show times conflicted with our schedule so will have to try next time

World Stage Theater-We loved the layout and design of this round space and hope it is utilized even more. The singers and dancers only performed one night. Other entertainment included a juggler, mind reader, talented variety musician, Mario, but his songs were from an era too far removed, and a BBC Frozen Planet musical/visual show which we did not attend. Three shows each night was a big help in enabling guests to see a show that won't interfere with dinner or a pre or post drink

Happy Hour

This event occurred each day between 4-5 pm in the Crow's Nest and Billboard. Drinks were Buy One Get One for One $. It must be the same kind of drink/wine/beer etc but wasn't a problem for two people to drink them. Hot snack plates with three items were also served during the hour. The Crow's Nest was a very popular space with whimsical furniture and panoramic views. If you want a seat at HH you must stake out your spot much earlier in the afternoon:)

If you wanted a HH drink in your stateroom or at one of the other bars, it was almost impossible to find a peanut or chip snack to go with it. The Lido closed at 4pm and Dive-In only had french fries....what happened to the tortilla chips and salsa? One day at the Ocean bar we went back to our room to retrieve a bag of peanuts. Another solution is to go to the Dutch Cafe for a cheese plate or to order bitterballen

Their were some free activities (towel folding, luggage tag making, stretching, Windows 10) but many more fee driven. In the Fitness Center Yoga $12, Indoor Cycling $20, TRX $20;

The Spa was $307 for a 7 day couple pass and I believe $200 for one. We were told at the Open House on embarkation that capacity was 60 people and if there was availability you could use the facility for two hours $40. The spa area did look nice and everything was functioning. We did not sign up though. I was unsuccessful in my attempts to have my nails done as they were booked.

A lot of wine or martini tastings ($4-5) Premium wine tasting ($35) Blend ($129)

The usual art and jewelry events

Ports

The delayed sailing gave everyone more time in Amsterdam. However, Alesund was dropped from the list. Very heavy rain for Bergen so that day was switched from Tuesday to Thursday. The storm slowed us down and we did not stop at Hellesylt either but went straight to Geiranger that day. The captain's wise decision to trail the storm still included 10-12 meter swells and 54 knot winds but the ship handled it well. Any cruise that includes the North Sea for me is "Bonine, don't leave home with out it!" This part of the world is often drizzly and cold but we were rewarded in Bergen with warm temperatures and sunny blue skies.

Of note-Geiranger was a tender port. My MIL, being able to walk down a few stairs and short distances was able to come ashore with her rolling walker. We rented the two seater Twizy electric cars to explore the area. The two seats are one behind the other so the back seat person must straddle the driver seat. You can book online. When you arrive, their office is inside the visitor center and the cars are parked in an adjacent lot. They were a lot of fun. You can choose different routes from one-three hours. You are given GPS audio guide which is available in five languages as well as a blanket. One of the routes goes past the Fjord Center and another the Westas Farm for waffles.

MobilityIf you or your traveling companion has mobility issues HAL is prepared to assist you in most circumstances. Renting some of your equipment means it is compatible with the ship's requirements and is delivered and picked-up from your stateroom at the beginning and end of your cruise. Having the mobility scooter onboard allowed my MIL to go up the funicular at Mt Florin in Bergen which is accessible and travel on the wooded path around the lake and do some shopping in town. She also was able to use the scooter to check-out the immediate area in Eidfjord. In Geiranger, while we explored around in the electric cars she was able to store her rolling walker at their office.

Misc

An Officer Reception was held on the covered pool deck the first night at sea with wine and Prosecco. Captain Bowland attended this as well as an "Ask the Captain" session

Mariner Lunch the last sea day and Inaugural Tiles were given

Sun loungers and towels looked nice but the pools looked small. Of course the climate encouraged only a few takers. Sailing in the Caribbean will be the real test. The Retreat Areas were not used either due to the weather.

Easy to print a copy of your account with a swipe of your card at the kiosks in from of the Customer Service desk

I haven't posted any pictures but for those looking for more information I did find a blog by Peter Knego at maritime matters dot com that had a lot of pictures that mine wouldn't do justice to:D I'm happy to answer questions

Happy Sailing!

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Thanks for taking the time to post your comments.

Sounds like a good itinerary.

Thank you for taking the time to write your wonderful review.

Very informative.

You answered many of my questions about my upcoming sailing.

Thank you for sharing your experiences. Great review!

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Thanks so much for the review...planning this for next summer.

Did the K only offer Happy Hour in the Crow's Nest from 4-6? On other Dam ships there is a second HH from 6-7.

I meant 4-5.

I meant 4-5.

The 4-5 slot was the only one

The 4-5 slot was the only one

Thanks. How about the evening Sip and Savor offered on other ships?

Thanks. How about the evening Sip and Savor offered on other ships?

Sip and Savor ($4) was offered at 5pm in CAC on the three port days

Sip and Savor ($4) was offered at 5pm in CAC on the three port days

Nice to know.

Thank you for comprehensive review. It would appear ship has some wonderful features. Perhaps, they did not allow enough space in some areas for the larger number of cruisers. There is another post about overcrowding in spa area, no card entry system. Did you use spa or locker rooms?

What a brat review, thanks for sharing!

We sail her in three months from today!

Thank you for a very informative review. The ship sounds wonderful and I like that HAL has finally given us more restaurants on board.

Thank you for comprehensive review. It would appear ship has some wonderful features. Perhaps, they did not allow enough space in some areas for the larger number of cruisers. There is another post about overcrowding in spa area, no card entry system. Did you use spa or locker rooms?

I only went to the Open House on embarkation day. It looked very nice but didn't feel we would use it every day to off-set the weekly cost. There was no discussion by staff of how they control access and at the time I didn't think to ask. I only found out about a one time entry fee by asking. Equal amount of time was spent showing you the treatment rooms and promoting different types of massages, acupuncture, facial analysis etc. There was a nice barber area for the gents and across the way a salon. The promotion being offered was 10% off 1st treatment, 20% off 2nd, and 30% off your 3rd. A facial party sign-up sheet was also being promoted with a give-away of some sort. If you wanted a simple manicure or pedicure the only time open when I tried a few days into the cruise was 8am:eek:

Great review, thank you.

We were on the same trip and your impressions mirror ours to a large extent. A couple comments.

Cabin

We were in Neptune Suite 7083 and though the cabin was fabulous and the service provide by the two guys taking care of us was exceptional. It was our first ever cruise and I was happy to see that they cleaned the salt off the windows and decks every morning we were not at sea to make the outside space more usable (lots of salt for deck 7!).

Food

We thought Tamarind was great, Pinnacle Grill and main dinning room were good. We did not have good experiences in Sel de Mer (horrible food) or Canaletto (very average food, very poor service). We only went to the Lido when we simply wanted a salad for lunch. We ate at Pinnacle Grill twice and it was nice but not exception (in our opinions). We were a foursome (our 2 friends convinced us to come on this cruise) and we never reserved a table in the MDR and never had to wait more than 2 minutes for a table. We often got Table 36 (right by the windows) when we requested it.

Ports

We would not recommend the HAL tour of Waterfalls and Waffles, the guide was nice but the tour was only 1 stop to view 2 waterfalls, 1 stop to look at a dam and hydro power lake (yawn) and 1 stop for cold, limp waffles that were made well in advance because of the number of tour busses being pushed through the place.

Geiranger was fabulous and we highly recommend the RIB boats to zoom out to the waterfalls. We wished we had more time there. We also did a non-HAL activity by renting little electric cars to drive up to lookout points. It worked well but getting in and out of the cars is not easy and if you are overweight you likely will not fit or be comfortable.

In Bergen we had a private guide arranged and had a great walking tour and then we did the funicular. We were sad that our time there was a few hours less than planned.

We were on the same trip and your impressions mirror ours to a large extent. A couple comments.

Thanks for sharing your experience as well. Hope this was the first of many future cruises:)