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On 8/23/2023 at 1:15 PM, Haljo1935 said:

Thanks @Machta for the update, glad you enjoyed it. Guessing you didn't snap a picture of the Chicken Wire Art?

I also loved that sculpture!  It was really hard to get a good picture because of the reflections. 

On 9/14/2023 at 10:42 PM, Babr said:

 

 

 

Just be sure the unvaccinated ones are in the same cabin. HAL does not protect double or multiple occupancy rates. In other words, if one cancels, the remaining passenger(s) will be refared.

Just curious, does anyone know when this policy went into effect?  Right before the pandemic, my partner had to cancel a cruise at the last minute but based on having HAL’s insurance I was able to go and wasn’t charged a single supplement. 

Yes you should be fine. We got two apps, a main, and a dessert each last week. 

In previous years (before they reorganized the menu) you could get even more if you wanted. They’re pretty accommodating. Enjoy!

On 9/24/2019 at 9:13 AM, sldbolt2 said:

I've found plenty of great reviews on Spencer Ambrose tours.  Has anyone taken the Anse Chastanet & Jalousie Beach tour?  Originally our thought was to take the Jalousie/Sugar Beach tour - but this second option gives me the black sand beach.   Any thoughts on the 2 different tours?  

Also, what are the chair/umbrella options?

I did the Anse Chastanet/Jalousie Beach tour with Spencer last year. The snorkelling was good and the company was professional. Take beach shoes!  Forgetting them on the boat was my one regret. On a 21 day cruise this was the only stop I really wanted them for. 

Could you provide any more details on Lili's please?  How long it took to get there, if you pay a cover or would be able to just order drinks and swim, etc?  I followed the link but thought their website wasn't that informative...

Thanks!

On 7/8/2019 at 8:09 AM, ontheweb said:

Did you ever inquire about the discrepancy between the printed menu and the smaller menu that you were allowed to order from?

I didn’t. I regret that a little but I didn’t want to inconvenience anyone and I got lazy.

I find that the regular menu works pretty well for me (except on any gala or formal night) and I can usually make substitutions that work for me. I also found that you can ask to see the next day’s menu when you’re leaving the dining room. I’d do that, then if the regular menu didn’t have anything for me, I’d order off the smaller vegetarian menu. Please let me know how it goes for you guys with the printed menu. I’d like to make an effort to use it this year. 

On 5/19/2019 at 10:15 PM, *Miss G* said:

Here is the Vegetarian Menu from @Crew News‘ site.  Your alternate dining options will depend on which ship you’re on.

When I asked about the vegetarian menu on the K’dam last November this is what they provided but when it came to actually ordering each night for the next day they gave me a photocopy of a different (smaller) menu to circle my choices on. It was a little disappointing as I was excited to try the expanded options. 

Some clarifications here...In order to allow the new pax on, they will be pushing you off by 9:30. They latest scheduled debarkation time might be 9:45 (and you can stay in your cabin until then), but they will move these along very quickly, and you will not have a debarkation time after 10. They are "last calling" before 10am.

Yes as she mentioned her parents have been on Carnival before I'm sure they're aware how disembarkation times work. I was attempting to share a cool fact about how HAL advertises you won't have to clear your room as early as the other lines make you.

10am wasn't intended as a specific example but they do always end up behind on disembarkation. On the Koningsdam in the past, I've had a time slot just before 10, been told to leave my room sometime after 9, and not had my group called to disembark until almost 11.

Hi! I've been on the Koningsdam a few times and really liked it. Things I haven't seen mentioned yet are that HAL will let you stay in your stateroom on disembarkation day...to a point. They usually ask you to clear out by 10 even if you've got a later disembarkation time, so it's good but not perfect. I've also read you can order room service breakfast on the last morning though I've never tried it. Also the buffet closes at strange times - last year it closed for the night at 8pm which seemed really early to us. There are other options open later like the main dining room, the pizza & sandwich place, and room service. Also the New York Deli (aka the pizza & sandwich place) does a nice breakfast if you're in the mood for something light (bagels, breakfast sandwich, fruit salad) and don't want to deal with the buffet crowds.

We've gotten off the Koningsdam twice around December 10th with no decorations in sight. It was...disappointing.

I was on an Oprah cruise last year (O themed without her actual presence) and we worried beforehand but honestly we couldn't tell the difference. There were a few events that anyone could attend (we weren't interested so didn't), a free magazine and inspirational quotes on the bed a few times, a free t-shirt, and an extra option in the MDR at dinner. It was the second half of a back-to-back and for us both halves were essentially the same.

I've been in an inside cabin on the Koningsdam on deck 11. It felt smaller to me than any other inside cabin I've had on other lines. I remember if you pulled out the desk cube (no room for a full chair) it touched the bed and I had to throw a leg over the top to sit down. And there was barely enough room to shuffle along the far side of the bed. As a single it was fine, with two people it would be cosy. The bathrooms are lovely though and make up for the small room size.

I was surprised to find that HAL didn't change their production shows at all from one year to the next. We did back to backs on the Koningsdam two years in a row, and the shows were the same on each section (which was packaged as a 21 day cruise, not a b2b) and then repeated the following year. I know I probably shouldn't have surprised me and that staging a production is a big undertaking, but we didn't think the stage shows were all that great the first time around. I think overall HAL could definitely stand to improve their nighttime entertainment.

I regularly cruise with my parents but in my own room, and we've found twice now on the Koningsdam that the single cabin was more expensive than paying the single supplement for a two-person inside cabin. It sounds insane to me but having the extra space is nice.

Sort of - on the Koningsdam if you've got one of the later disembarkations, they'll ask everyone to leave their rooms via intercom at around 9:30. At that point you do have to go to a lounge for the rest of the time. In my experience it's better than other cruise lines but still not perfect.

I can confirm that noise under the fitness centre wasn't a problem. I went and paced it out - 8015 is right under where they were holding soul cycle classes in the morning and I didn't hear a thing. I either got lucky and no one wanted to pay the up charge for classes or they've done a good job soundproofing. I've got no complaints at all about cabin 8015. It was a great choice for me.

I think I have heard people say that being under the fitness centre can be a bit noisy, especially if you are under the treadmills. But I have not stayed in that area so can't confirm that. But I think it does have the potential to be a bit noisy.

I don't think the cabin on deck 8 is close enough to the bridge to be affected in any way.

For what it's worth, I think I would choose the cabin on deck 11.

Thanks a lot for the replies! I was sure that no one would answer and I really appreciate that you did. I called HAL today and before I could even say yes or no 100%, I'd been moved to 8 so I'm just going to roll with it. I'll let you know how noisy it gets...

The 8th floor is a bit close to the bridge too

I agree both look adjoining to me and I'm pretty sure the Crow's Nest is carpeted. Generally speaking does being near the fitness centre on a cruise ship make people complain? I've heard about under the buffet and the pool deck being bad but I'd never considered the fitness centre...

Hi all,

Wondering if you can help me out - does anyone have advice on Koningsdam cabins? I'm currently in 11010 and have the chance to switch to 8015 which is considered a downgrade, but would mean having a little extra space between myself and my parents which might be nice.

Has anyone stayed in those rooms or in those categories? The HAL rep says they're the same but higher floors are more desirable so they charge more for them and consider them a higher category.

When I sailed on the Koningsdam as a solo this time last year, it was actually less expensive to book an inside room and pay the double fare than it was to book a solo cabin. This year we're going on the Koningsdam again and I didn't even really look into the solo cabins. I'm resigned to overpaying when I travel alone/with my parents.

I've done this tour too and wouldn't recommend it. I mean it was fine but nothing special - the bus ride to the resort takes about 15 mins, they give you a quick orientation and then set you lose to use the pools, beach, restaurant and bars. When I did it it was a morning excursion so you couldn't get your money's worth out of the drinks and it was a half day excursion so the time at the resort didn't seem to justify the cost. At the time we just wanted to swim in a big pool and relax, we had no idea about the free pool complex at Amber Cove. I'm going to the same port in November and plan to just hang out in Amber Cove for free. Again it wasn't a bad tour to take, I just feel like I can get the same thing in Amber Cove and not have it cost as much.

Does anyone know if these would work to go from the Port of Ft. Lauderdale to the Port of Miami? We're looking at possibly getting off of one ship and onto another. Trying to figure out if there's a cheaper/better option out there for 3 people. Thanks!