LAFFNVEGAS LIVE from the Premier Sailings of the MS Koningsdam

[freestyling]

Prices for 7 day couple on thermal suite seem quite high. Thought we paid 399.00 on our 21 day cruise recently.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Yes they include everything in the Thermal suite with the Steam and Saunas, Hydro therapy? Single cost is $199 couples cost is $350.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Prices for 7 day couple on thermal suite seem quite high. Thought we paid 399.00 on our 21 day cruise recently.

 

 

Going to be a lot higher for the Koningsdam because of what all it offers.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[InTheWASide]

I would much rather have a seat in the shower than a bar to shave my legs.

 

 

You can ask for a shower stool on any ship in any room at any time. So now you get both [emoji2]

[steilkurve]

Going to be a lot higher for the Koningsdam because of what all it offers.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

 

 

Were you able to book your thermal suite pass before the cruise?

[Carnevale]

Can you do the thermal suite by the day or hour? I've never tried it and would want a shorter arrangement than buying for the full cruise.

 

Love your posts! Thx so much for doing this in spite of the IT challenges you are having.

[OlsSalt]

What do you think the nationality mix is for this special cruise?

 

 

We feel we are on the Star Trek Enterprise with you, going where no "man" has gone before. ;)

Thanks for the detailed reports. And you do emphasize you are on the "beautiful" Konigsdam. That is good to hear.

Edited April 10, 2016 by OlsSalt

[Sryat]

Why does it matter?

Edited April 10, 2016 by Sryat

[wdw1972]

Loving your LIVE FROM and the great pictures! Hope your phone problems get fixed soon - that's so frustrating. I'm not happy to hear Koningsdam has the same old crappy internet. I really thought it would have the Westerdam internet, being a new ship & all. Looking forward to my cruise in early December, except for the internet!

 

Sue/WDW1972

[OlsSalt]

What do you think the nationality mix is for this special cruise?

 

Why does it matter?

 

Let me see if I can explain this.

 

The nationality mix does not "matter" in anyway except to learn where is the developing niche is for this new, larger more "modern" HAL cruise ship. When a new ship leaves from a European port, it often carries a larger number of Europeans than the more typical HAL mix of US/Canadians. So I was curious what this one was like.

 

I was also curious to learn if Europeans were equally caught up with a new maiden voyage experience, or whether the mix was mainly past N/A HAL cruisers.

 

I see on our own next cruise leaving from Copenhagen shore excursions are being offered in Spanish, German and Dutch as well as English indicating obviously a more international mix will be on board.

 

Loved our maiden voyage itinerary to Indonesia a few years ago on the Rotterdam which was about half Dutch. It was a terrific cruise and fully bi-lingual with a very talented bi-ligual staff who had us all saying (tote zeit sp.????) by the end of the cruise. (And more Dutch passengers spoke English than North Americans spoke Dutch for sure)

 

I personally find it fascinating to see the expansion of different nationalities into the HAL cruise world mix. Which we have witnessed over the past 8 years. It is also a way to take the "economic temperature" of the world too. Who has the discretionary money to go cruising in today's global economy is just one more part of this fascination.

 

Plus having a dual-language cruise experience may be something cruisers like to know up front, because it is different than the again more typical all-English language cruises which we have found on most of HAL cruises we have been on.

 

Just curious. Pretty much like learning how many men wear black tie on "gala" night.

Edited April 10, 2016 by OlsSalt

[SilvertoGold]

 

Let me see if I can explain this.

 

The nationality mix does not "matter" in anyway except to learn where is the developing niche is for this new, larger more "modern" HAL cruise ship. When a new ship leaves from a European port, it often carries a larger number of Europeans than the more typical HAL mix of US/Canadians. So I was curious what this one was like.

 

I was also curious to learn if Europeans were equally caught up with a new maiden voyage experience, or whether the mix was mainly past N/A HAL cruisers.

 

I see on our own next cruise leaving from Copenhagen shore excursions are being offered in Spanish, German and Dutch as well as English indicating obviously a more international mix will be on board.

 

Loved our maiden voyage itinerary to Indonesia a few years ago on the Rotterdam which was about half Dutch. It was a terrific cruise and fully bi-lingual with a very talented bi-ligual staff who had us all saying (tote zeit sp.????) by the end of the cruise. (And more Dutch passengers spoke English than North Americans spoke Dutch for sure)

 

I personally find it fascinating to see the expansion of different nationalities into the HAL cruise world mix. Which we have witnessed over the past 8 years. It is also a way to take the "economic temperature" of the world too. Who has the discretionary money to go cruising in today's global economy is just one more part of this fascination.

 

Plus having a dual-language cruise experience may be something cruisers like to know up front, because it is different than the again more typical all-English language cruises which we have found on most of HAL cruises we have been on.

 

Just curious. Pretty much like learning how many men wear black tie on "gala" night.

 

This is a good post. Thanks.

 

On our last Rotterdam cruise, TA plus Med, the Dutch guests counted for 75%

on the TA and 80% on the Med.

I loved the delightfully enhanced selection of cheeses in the Lido!! More Dutch food in the Lido and once in the MDR. Yum!

[OlsSalt]

......

I loved the delightfully enhanced selection of cheeses in the Lido!! More Dutch food in the Lido and once in the MDR. Yum!

 

Ohhh, what a memory you just brought back about our 51 day half-Dutch Rotterdam cruise. The cheeses were fantastic in the Lido every day. I thought it was a new HAL standard but alas, never saw such a delicious array with wonderful crackers on any later HAL cruise. So disappointing. You have me thinking now about a new cruise selection criteria - how many Dutch will be on board if it means cheeeeeeeeese!

[Karennella]

There are always Australians; there are six of us in our group on the cruise in May. I believe our market is the fastest growing for cruising but as there are only 24 million of us it still does not make a huge number.

i had noticed the excursions in Dutch and did ask someone whether they are likely to dress more or less formally than others. On our last Med cruise there were some South Americans, not sure from which part, but they were really dressed up on the formal nights.

[chefestelle]

I saw on another thread that the Europeans tend to "dress" for gala so if it were to be 75 or 80% you might want to think about packing at least one long sparkly!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[sppunk]

I saw on another thread that the Europeans tend to "dress" for gala so if it were to be 75 or 80% you might want to think about packing at least one long sparkly!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Not anymore in our experience, Europe in general has gone as casual as America in the last few years.

[kazu]

I saw on another thread that the Europeans tend to "dress" for gala so if it were to be 75 or 80% you might want to think about packing at least one long sparkly!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

 

been my experience in Europe too. although my ships have been the Prinsndam ther as of last and Oceania (and while the ship may be "country club casual" I did find they dressed nicer than was let on in the brochures).

 

My mantra - wear what's comfortable, makes you feel good and makes you feel like you look good and all is well :)

 

Thanks Lisa for the LIve thread. Am enjoying it immensely.

[Overtime4me2]

I am enjoying your posts as always. Thank you for taking the time and $$ to do this on your vacation! I hope you get your phone working soon! :)

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Were you able to book your thermal suite pass before the cruise?

 

 

Unfortunately you can only purchase the package for your full voyage. But they will take you on full tours to see it to see if it is something you want.

I did pre purchase mine. It was not available on line so I called Hal Guest Services. That was part of my first problem with the spa because Seattle charged me less than what the ship was charging. The Spa is actually owned by Steiner not Hal.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[LAFFNVEGAS]

What do you think the nationality mix is for this special cruise?

 

 

We feel we are on the Star Trek Enterprise with you, going where no "man" has gone before. ;)

Thanks for the detailed reports. And you do emphasize you are on the "beautiful" Konigsdam. That is good to hear.

 

 

Interesting you should ask because that was a conversation that I had with Tom my DH just last night. The Hotel Director spent quite a long time talking with us last night at dinner last . I said next time we see Stan we need to ask him the nationality demographics.

Shockingly my observation has been I hearing language spoken most sounded like they were from North America meaning Canada or US. While yes I have heard other language spoken but predominately English. Announcements were only done one time right after we boarded in Italian and it was asking Fincantierri workers it was their final announcement to disembark. From that point forward no other were a different language but English.

I will definitely ask the Question because I want to know as well.

Also while yes people were dressed up but not nearly as formal as a few years ago. We are traveling with friends that just got off the 91 day Rotterdam and they had mostly Dutch passengers and he said towards the end you could not tell any difference between Gala or not nights because it was always pretty casual.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Porky55]

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.

 

 

Fancy that - all our iPhones working in far North Queensland. Enjoying this review of Koningsdam - booked for 10th of July cruise!!!!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Edited April 10, 2016 by Porky55

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Can you report back as to the smoking restrictions, if any, in the casino? Just wondering if it's allowed and, if so, if there are any smoke free tables or non-smoking evenings.

 

Thanks, and I'm enjoying the live ship review!

 

Sent from my Galaxy S7 Edge using Tapatalk

[steilkurve]

Unfortunately you can only purchase the package for your full voyage. But they will take you on full tours to see it to see if it is something you want.

I did pre purchase mine. It was not available on line so I called Hal Guest Services. That was part of my first problem with the spa because Seattle charged me less than what the ship was charging. The Spa is actually owned by Steiner not Hal.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

 

 

Thanks LAFFNVEGAS. I shall call them ahead of our July cruise to avoid the mad rush to the spa once we board. Oddly, right now, I can book shorex and dining (except Sel de Mer) online but no spa services whatsoever. Perhaps they are trying to fix the pricing discrepancy you experienced.

[jagger16]

LAFFNVEGAS - Thank you for taking time to share your special voyage with us. It’s so exciting to hear all the new Koningsdam news. I am enjoying your daily updates. You had mentioned a little bit about the dressing area in your cabin and I wondered if you encountered the same problem that I did on the Eurodam. We were in a Signature Suite this past December after the Eurodam came out of dry dock. I could not dry my hair at the vanity because the outlet placed there was so low, the plug from the hairdryer cord did not fit. The plug bumped into the top of the desk. Fortunately I had a really long dryer cord and I could plug it in next to the bed and get as close as I could to the mirror.

 

I would like to second the request for a picture or any feedback (if at all possible) of a Vista suite. That’s what we’ll be in for a Christmas cruise this year.

 

Thank you again for all of your information and for taking the time to do this. Enjoy your cruise!

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Greetings from Croatia, we had perfect weather today and an excellent excursion called Riviera Highlights. We were very impressed, it even took us to a restaurant for a snack with wine. Beautiful scenery and it ended in Old Town where we had gem to shop before we were brought back to the ship..

Here are some pictures from today.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Here are some pictures of the Neptune Lounge.

Edited April 10, 2016 by LAFFNVEGAS