LAFFNVEGAS LIVE from the Premier Sailings of the MS Koningsdam

[Adoremus]

Thanks for doing this live! We sail in December

 

 

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[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for the pictures.

No chairs in the living room to watch the TV??

Where is the safe?

Doesn't look like there is a lot of closet and drawer space???

[Topsham]

The sofa looks like something from K-Mart. Cheap cushions already with a slight sag, much too thin. Just a cursory glance around the room, from Lisa's photos all the furnishings look cheap. The TV is in a totally useless spot. And I could not find a Mini-bar or Fridge anywhere??

 

 

 

At left... hinges of the door. The door might be hiding the fridge.

 

What is the table for near the bathroom? Something to bump into during the night.

 

Lot of shelves to take just two glasses.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Good Evening from the Beautiful Koningsdam.

Overall it has been a good day but not perfect. The most frustrating part is my iPhone went whacky while we were out and about taking pictures on the ship. It acted like I needed to do a hard boot. It will not let me get to my home screen and it is trying to reset me up. I am not so sure it does not have to do with the very poor internet on board. First we do not have the great deal the Westerdam has, this has the normal painfully slow internet. With many areas in several of the public areas that there is no coverage at all. Our cabin is one area that runs with with low to no bars. I am writing off line in hopes this will post. The pricing is the same over priced with no unlimited plan. I paid $250 for 1000 minutes. The seven day unlimited on NCL IS $199.00 with drastically faster internet. I honestly had high hopes for this to be better.

This evening we had dinner with friends that just got off a 91 day cruise on the Volendam. We dined in Tamarind. It has been since the Nieuw Amsterdam's inaugural year that we last dined in Tamarind. We always would go the first night knowing the fish was brought on fresh. Let's just say I was very disappointed in the Sea Bass and sashimi. After our 2 and a half hour dinner we went walking around the ship I was taking pictures and we were checking everything out was when my phone went wacky.

It wants me to activate my iPhone then says it cannot be activated since it cannot find an activation server.

So right now cannot post any of my Pics. ☹️ Using my iPad to write.

I had pre paid for a week in the thermal suite and they charged me in advanced the usual $149. The price is actually $199.00 they are not sure yet if they will charge me more till tomorrow[emoji15]. Then they want me to sign for what I pre paid for on Thermal Suite and my Head to Toe massage and facial claiming they need to charge me but then it will credit back so I will not be double charged.......hmmm not so sure about that.

 

Answers to the TV, correct no extra chairs and you have to lay in bed to watch, yet I feel it is too far away despite it being large. There is a dressing table at the window but if you use a curling iron on your hair there is no where to plug it in there because the type of plug used will not fit into but there just one plug in the whole cabin and that will work and it is by the high sofa type table by the mirror in the main cabin. Not sure what you can plug in for the bathrooms. Unknown what for sure what some of the fixes will be.

 

Well I am extremely tired so will write a lot more tomorrow, hopefully phone will work to post pictures.

 

 

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[LAFFNVEGAS]

Actually lots of drawer space just hidden, more than Vista class has. The fridge is under what looks like a hutch. The safe is in he closet. The room itself feels smaller as well as the balcony

Ok signing off will fill you all in with more tomorrow ...... I hope [emoji45]

 

 

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[innlady1]

It was close to $1100 pp, just under. The same flight at the lowest from Delta was about $150 more pp.

 

Wow...it's gone up a lot! Wasn't it about 600 pp when we flew Boston to Barcelona, Lisa? Maybe even less...

Edited April 8, 2016 by innlady1

[Just_a_cruiser]

Thanks for the updates and the pictures. Sorry that things are sort of shaky.

[sppunk]

I'm pretty pissed they are using the ancient internet tech.

[innlady1]

Thanks for your photos, Lisa. And your travelogue. Inaugural cruises always seem to be somewhat shaky...but fun, I am sure! I'm thinking back to the Eurodam especially lots of CCers reporting from that cruise. Does your friend, Brad, work for HAL? Lucky guy to be on the pre-Inaugural trip!

[3rdGenCunarder]

Ohh, sorry to hear about your phone. I know how frustrating that kind of thing is. Thanks for what you've been able to post so far.

 

I cannot believe a new ship is using the old/slow internet!!!!!! That will take a chunk out of the "wow" for new cruisers lured to HAL by the shiny new ship.

 

Dressing table by the window? So no more dressing area outside the bathroom? I would miss that!

 

Sounds like a lot of little startup confusions with the charges. Hope they get it right for you.

[jtl513]

Does your friend, Brad, work for HAL? Lucky guy to be on the pre-Inaugural trip!

He used to. Remember the username DutchByAssociation? He's now a TA.

 

See http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1712183

Edited April 9, 2016 by jtl513

[cbr663]

Interesting comments on there being no extra chairs in the Neptune Suite. On HAL's website, the mock ups for the Suite has 2 extra chairs. Perhaps they are simply not available at sailing? Perhaps the concierge might know what has happened to the missing chairs?

[3rdGenCunarder]

Interesting comments on there being no extra chairs in the Neptune Suite. On HAL's website, the mock ups for the Suite has 2 extra chairs. Perhaps they are simply not available at sailing? Perhaps the concierge might know what has happened to the missing chairs?

 

You're right about the website. And Lisa's photos do look like there would be room for chairs. But wouldn't it be odd that the chairs didn't arrive with the other furniture?

Edited April 9, 2016 by 3rdGenCunarder

[innlady1]

He used to. Remember the username DutchByAssociation? He's now a TA.

 

See http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1712183

 

Yes, I do remember DBA or DutchByAssociation, John. It's been a long day today..I will read your link tomorrow when I'm not tired!

[dfish]

Good Evening from the Beautiful Koningsdam.

Overall it has been a good day but not perfect. The most frustrating part is my iPhone went whacky while we were out and about taking pictures on the ship. It acted like I needed to do a hard boot. It will not let me get to my home screen and it is trying to reset me up. I am not so sure it does not have to do with the very poor internet on board. First we do not have the great deal the Westerdam has, this has the normal painfully slow internet. With many areas in several of the public areas that there is no coverage at all. Our cabin is one area that runs with with low to no bars. I am writing off line in hopes this will post. The pricing is the same over priced with no unlimited plan. I paid $250 for 1000 minutes. The seven day unlimited on NCL IS $199.00 with drastically faster internet. I honestly had high hopes for this to be better.

T

After our 2 and a half hour dinner we went walking around the ship I was taking pictures and we were checking everything out was when my phone went wacky.

 

It wants me to activate my iPhone then says it cannot be activated since it cannot find an activation server.

 

So right now cannot post any of my Pics. ☹️ Using my iPad to write.

I had pre paid for a week in the thermal suite and they charged me in advanced the usual $149. The price is actually $199.00 they are not sure yet if they will charge me more till tomorrow[emoji15]. Then they want me to sign for what I pre paid for on Thermal Suite and my Head to Toe massage and facial claiming they need to charge me but then it will credit back so I will not be double charged.......hmmm not so sure about that.

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

There seems to be a rash of problems with iphones tonight. All my family who have them are complaining of problems that the phone won't work.

 

Very disappointed to see the old internet plans. With a new build you'd think they would have the best. I really liked the internet on the Westerdam last September.

[cbr663]

I just went through Brad's twitter pics and his live pic of a Neptune Suite has 2 leather chairs, a coffee table and couch in the "sitting" area of the cabin. It would appear that Lisa's chairs are missing.

[cruisun]

The sofa looks like something from K-Mart. Cheap cushions already with a slight sag, much too thin. Just a cursory glance around the room, from Lisa's photos all the furnishings look cheap. The TV is in a totally useless spot. And I could not find a Mini-bar or Fridge anywhere??

 

The sofa looks especially cheap, actually looks like a poor reupholstering job:eek:

[chefestelle]

I had the same billing problem with the spa, only they never told me there was going to be a charge and credit process. So I saw the charge and looked for the credit. Wasn't there. Had to chase down a correction. It got quite confusing for a while. The guest services sorted it for me though. I actually think the cabins look quite nice. If the sofa is comfy and the chairs materialize, it would be perfect!

 

 

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[Lizzie68]

I absolutely do NOT like the positioning of the TV. It makes no sense whatsoever. Did no one consider that most people watch TV from a couch or a chair? Not always just from in bed at night?

[mllewis48]

I absolutely do NOT like the positioning of the TV. It makes no sense whatsoever. Did no one consider that most people watch TV from a couch or a chair? Not always just from in bed at night?

 

 

 

I pointed this issue out over six months ago when I first saw pictures of the Koningsdam didn't understand it then and still do not!

[Boytjie]

Looking at Lisa's pictures and the basic layout of a SA cabin, I can't see any other place for the TV to go, except maybe for on the wall next to the bed.

 

 

The sofa is across from the bed, so the TV cannot go on that wall and you cannot stick the TV next to the balcony door - glare and taking away cabinet space. Options are limited in small spaces like ship's cabins and hotel rooms.

 

The layout also shows two chairs that can not be seen in the pictures. Not the most convenient seating for prolonged TV watching but an alternative to the bed.

Edited April 9, 2016 by Boytjie

[Boytjie]

(deleted)

Edited April 9, 2016 by Boytjie

[AZNative2000]

Thanks for posting Lisa! Have a great cruise.:)

 

Definitely not a fan of the "new" SA cabin layout. Losing the dressing room and having to, perhaps, haul balcony chairs inside to watch television will deter me from this ship.

 

I am interested to see if the wine tower in the MDR is the only thing they "borrowed" from Celebrity S-Class or if there truly are side-facing windows in the aft-corner suites as well.

 

Cheers!

[canadianbear]

I feel like I'm tagging along with you on this cruise! Thanks so much for doing this-I love your honest opinions of what is good and what could be improved on.

 

I don't think I'm a fan of where the TV is either. On the only Princess cruise we've been on we had a mini-suite and it had 2 tv's in it!

 

 

Love your photos too. Looking forward to your next posts-hope your phone issue gets sorted out.

[Karennella]

There seems to be a rash of problems with iphones tonight. All my family who have them are complaining of problems that the phone won't work.

 

Very disappointed to see the old internet plans. With a new build you'd think they would have the best. I really liked the internet on the Westerdam last September.

 

I am home in Sydney and went to babysit yesterday at my daughter's house. Discovered that the data on my iPhone was not working. When my husband arrived he found the same. We gave up and occupied ourselves with the dynamic eighteen months old grandson. By the time we got home it was working again but it looks like it was off for about twenty four hours.

But unfortunately we are used to poor internet even in the suburbs of Sydney so it doesn't faze us too much.

We will buy an Italian sim before our cruise as we did last time. The global roaming version should suffice to use on port days. We won't be buying any for the ship unless some major emergency comes up at home.