Don't book Koningsdam cabin 10054 unless . . .

Unless you go to bed after midnight EVERY night, you should avoid cabin 10054 on the Koningsdam like the plague! We just completed a 28 day Collectors Cruise that left Ft. Lauderdale on April 2. For the transatlantic segment, we were in this cabin and I can say without hesitation that this was the worst cruise we've ever experienced, which was all due to the cabin's location. Before someone asks, we booked a guaranteed veranda with a partially obstructed view. We were "upgraded" to a spa cabin. Unfortunately, our cabin was at the end of the hall and the closest to the lido pool movie screen. A movie is shown every evening at 10 PM. While the sound didn't cause the bed to vibrate, it might as well. A door leading to the upper deck of the pool area is right next to the cabin door. When someone opens that door while the movie is playing, the sound level in the cabin quadruples, which means the noise level in the cabin varies significantly.

 

In addition to the movie noise, the door leading to the lido pool deck is a powered door operated by a push bar on the nearby wall. This door makes more noise than the automated doors that lead to the pool area from the lido. As the cruise progressed, more and more people on deck 10 learned of the convenience this door provides, which means you hear the noise more and more at all times of the day.

 

The next noise generator comes from the service room directly across from this cabin. Although not usually a problem, one night we heard dishes rattling around after 1 AM. After the worker was told that some people were trying to sleep, we didn't have a repeat occurrence during the middle of the night again, although there was some noise during the day, but that wasn't a real problem for us.

 

The last noise issue only occurred one night, so I don't know if this was an isolated situation that was caused by high winds, etc. or what. We were scheduled to pass Gibraltar after 1:30 AM. Prior to 1:00 AM, there was a loud wind noise that had a metallic factor to it, like a piece of sheet metal constantly flexing- that's the best I can describe it. After hearing this noise for at least an hour it seemed like the ship either changed course or slowed. Everything quieted down and we were in a perfect cabin until morning when people started activating the powered door.

 

If we had been a few cabins forward, I think everything would have been fine. Personally, I think a design flaw occurred in this area of the ship. Obviously, no effort was made to dampen the noise from the movie. In addition to the noise issue with the powered door, I believe it also presents a safety issue. Early on, while swiping my key card to unlock the cabin door, someone coming in from the pool area pressed the button to open the door. This entrance door swings open into the hall and, if you are opening your cabin door at the same time, the door will hit you. Fortunately, I'm still agile and I was able to quickly move, with the the door only slightly brushing me. Needless to say, we were always on alert thereafter when entering the cabin.

 

Other than the above, I really liked the cabin! Everything has a fresh appearance and, although we never unrolled the yoga mat, we did enjoy the Bose Bluetooth speaker that a spa cabin has. The bathroom is on the small side, but I found the glassed shower to be an improvement over the traditional tub/shower.

 

Fortunately, we were finally reassigned to another cabin, so the second segment of our collectors cruise was much, much better.

 

Will I book a guarantee again? Yes, but I'll choose a higher category to avoid being "rewarded" with an upgrade to a spa cabin that might be close to the movie speakers.

Thank you for letting us know. I wonder if the site that can't be mentioned could create a list of problem cabins and reasons for cruisers who are looking for information.

Will I book a guarantee again? Yes, but I'll choose a higher category to avoid being "rewarded" with an upgrade ...

Unfortunately HAL ranks the VQ at the top of the class, so to avoid getting 10054 you would have to book at least a SZ suite. We have done 9 veranda guarantees in the past, but will never do so again.

Thank you for this information.

Glad you had a different cabin for the second part of your cruise.

Other than your first cabin noise, hope you had a great cruise.

Thanks for the warning - obvious design flaw. Hope they remedy this ASAP.

Wow, I don't know which would annoy me more, the noise or nearly being hit by a door! I'm glad you were able to get a different cabin for the second segment.

Sorry it was so bad. We don't book guarantees for that reason; I don't want any surprises. Although the price is right, especially with long cruises, I am convinced that you get what you pay for sometimes.