Konigsdam - Is it as bad as the reviews?

[seapointer]

Having originated this thread, I want to thank those who answered, particularly thhe ones who have sailed K. My conclusion is that the ship has strengths and weaknesses and is probably still working out some of the kinks. It seems that the major logistics problem is the crowded Lido, which is not overly important since there are other places to eat, or alternate times to try it.

 

Complaints of poor attitude from dining room employees reminded me that the only prior cruise we experienced this was on the Veendam, but it wasn't such a big deal and was only a one time problem. The lack of a library and better promenade deck are flaws I can live with.

 

Every cruise ship we have been on seems overstressed in the MDR and can be brusque simply because they have so many people to serve. We can live with that.

 

My main concerns seem to have been eased: the cabins are well designed, the food is good, and the entertainment options are varied. So, I think we will give it a try.

[sldispatcher]

Will wait until 14 days are up, but the K has a few issues but still think they can get there. Will be interesting if MDR repeats the same issues on the next first day out (this Sunday) as it was flooded with guests this past Sunday.

 

The Lido is easy. Be there a few minutes before it opens. Port days are a breeze. The different stations are very well lit and a joy to walk and look at.

 

No complaints overheard much, but I don't speak Dutch. They are too busy running over you to get to the elevator, theater or dining room to really complain too much. :p

[OceanPatter]

We were on the Koningsdam in May, and gave it a 5-star review. This was our first HAL cruise, having recently cruised with Crystal. We stayed in a Neptune suite, and were wowed by the hospitality of the Indonesian and Filipino staff ... we also ate well, and slept well. Nice touches were the assortment of dried fruit placed outside the MDR after dinner, the minimal announcements, and the staff lining up to say goodbye as we disembarked.

 

In the end, we thought the cruise was of 'good value,' and cannot understand the spate of negative reviews. We read on our iPads, so didn't care about the absence of a traditional library. We work out in the gym, so didn't care about the narrow Promenade deck. It was not Crystal, but neither were the prices. We had a lovely time, and that's what matters.

[dmcfad2]

I was on the K May 9th for 24 days and loved it. My favorite ship! We eat late breakfast in the lido and never had lines. We had open seating at dinner, went about 6pm and never had to wait. Embarkation and debarkation were easy. Loved the Dutch cafe. I really had no complaints. In fact, I'm sailing on her again in December and I can hardly wait.

[igraf]

The Cruise Critic reviews are applied in the same manner to all ships of all cruise lines. One would expect all biases to apply equally to all ships of similar capacity, which is the best way to compare ships.

 

You can cheer for your brand as you wish, but the fact is that the Koningsdam will be a different than your 4-star Mariner experiences on the smaller HAL ships. Bigger is not always better.

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, you can't please everyone.

On a 3000 passenger ship, there will always be 100 or so who complain about something, maybe 10 or 15 who complain about everything. Some of the mlldly negative reviews contain personal problems/ issues, and I respect those.

A forum like this (again unfortunatly) gets a lot of the complainers. We are going on the K in September, and as long time, 4 star mariners, we fully expect to enjoy it as we always have on HAL.....

[Ken the cruiser]

We are getting ready to go on the K'dam Artic Circle cruise in a couple of weeks and can't wait! As everyone else we have been reading the K'dam mix reviews and I personally can't wait to write a glowing review once we get back. For us cruising is all about your state of mind. Instead of complaining about crowded seating in the lido, we simply expect it and make friends with the folks we wind up sharing a table with. When going to the evening show, we take a deck of cards with us and go 30-40 minutes in advance, depending on the show, so we can get good seats. Waiting until 10-15 minutes before the show starts to show up just isn't a smart decision most of the time. We like to go for walks on the promenade to burn off calories, so has long as there is a covered promenade, we're happy. Not worried too much about quiet places to read because we always get a room with a balcony. But, one of the main things we love about HAL cruises is that being in our early 60's, we're the kids on the ship. What I mean by that is if we want to play ping pong or do some other sporting activity, there's usually no waiting in line because there's not a lot of competition as there are very few young people on their longer cruises. So if you're like us and just want to have a great time on a cruise with some very cool itineraries, then we highly recommend giving HAL a try!!

[Karennella]

A positive attitude is a very good thing in general and you obviously have the right temperament for cruising.

I have to say that on the second part of our cruise you could hardly befriend people you sat with in the Lido or elsewhere unless you were fluent in Dutch. i am fairly introverted and not so good at striking up conversations with strangers, but no one in twenty days said more than a good morning when in the elevators to us.

And that is possibly why the Lido was overwhelming to me. I just felt that if I wanted to be somewhere like that I may as well be in the food court at my local mall.

[Ken the cruiser]

A positive attitude is a very good thing in general and you obviously have the right temperament for cruising.

I have to say that on the second part of our cruise you could hardly befriend people you sat with in the Lido or elsewhere unless you were fluent in Dutch. i am fairly introverted and not so good at striking up conversations with strangers, but no one in twenty days said more than a good morning when in the elevators to us.

And that is possibly why the Lido was overwhelming to me. I just felt that if I wanted to be somewhere like that I may as well be in the food court at my local mall.

 

I can understand. I'm the chatty one whereas my wife is the quiet one until I get the conversation going and she sees a comfortable opening to jump in at. Plus being in the military for 20+ years, you learn the art of striking up a conversation with complete strangers. "Hi there. Where are you folks from" is always a good starter. The thing you have to remember about people you see on a cruise is that everyone is from some other place, they are all looking to have a great time and chances are you'll never see them again after the cruise. So as Savoy Brown once said at a concert back in the early 70's to people continuing to sit in their seats, "Hey! You paid the admission fee, you might as well get up and kick hell out of the wall while your here".:D

[edgekid]

After reading thru the replies on this post, it would appear that most of the negatives are directed toward the lack of a library, the promenade, and the long lines…wow, there’s a lot more to an enjoyable cruise than those minor issues..plus, I am sure that there is a considerable difference in the demographics when the ship sails to the Caribbean, at which time the favorable responses will increase..I am certain that we will enjoy this ship as much as our prior cruise line experiences with Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Celebrity and Princess… it’s all about attitude…

[Psoque]

We did a 7 night Norway cruise aboard Koningsdam in May. We had a fantastic vacation despite the ship and its annoying shortcomings.

 

In terms of interior design, it is obvious that the whole ship was designed by a committee, piece by piece without thinking about the ship as a whole...it's a rather dizzying mixture of too many design themes, making the whole ship look a bit chaotic and not luxurious. The design themes throughout the ship does not flow well together. Instead, it clashes very badly in some areas. The ship was, in my opinion, not very classy.

 

Another big issue is that Holland America basically staffed Koningsdam, a ship much bigger ship, as though they were staffing a smaller more typical Holland America ship. This resulted in major service breakdown issues in both the main dining room and the lido.

 

Also, there are a few poorly executed design in both the cabins and the public rooms (placement of toilets too close to the glass shower door, location of Lincoln Center Stage too close to the casino, the annoying columns blocking the Lincoln Center Stage, column in middle of men's locker room), which I hope they will not repeat in their next ship of this kind.

 

The food in main dining room/lido were quite typical of other mainstream cruise lines, not great, but good enough for what we paid. To eat anything better than that, we had to pay more (by going to alternative restaurants). It reinforces the notion that you get what you pay for. But on Konigsdam, Holland America tried too hard to maximize revenue, and that sort of backfired on them. I sincerely hope that the execs in Seattle will take the low ratings seriously.

 

However, the we really enjoyed the itinerary, and had a blast. So I would not worry too much about the ship.

[Karennella]

I really did not like the decor at all but that is simply a matter of taste and it did not influence my reaction to the cruise.

As we had 1700 Dutch on the second segment as well as many other nationalities, I wonder if some nationalities use room service less, causing more crowding in the Lido. We rarely use room service ourselves. We actually only got a room service breakfast once. It wasn't very comfortable in the room. We went about two or three times to breakfast in the dining room and it was really slow and they messed up our orders. So it was back to the crowded Lido.

Also we got fairly ordinary weather except in Norway. I wonder if less people eat lunch aboard on shore days when it is fine and sunny. Our tours were mostly half day and we would go back on for lunch.

[Pukkepuk]

Unfortunately, you can't please everyone.

On a 3000 passenger ship, there will always be 100 or so who complain about something, maybe 10 or 15 who complain about everything. Some of the mlldly negative reviews contain personal problems/ issues, and I respect those.

A forum like this (again unfortunatly) gets a lot of the complainers. We are going on the K in September, and as long time, 4 star mariners, we fully expect to enjoy it as we always have on HAL.....

 

I do agree that complainers go to a forum like this faster, but having said that, that should apply for all ships and there are a lot of ships with much better ratings. That means there is really something wrong there!

[vjblk]

My sister and I just got off the Koningsdam on Friday. The ship was fine for us. We didn't eat in the MDR except for the Mariners lunch on the last sea day, so I can't speak to service there. But we did eat most meals in the Lido. Yes it can be crowded on port days as everyone is trying to eat and get off for their excursions but that happens on every ship. But we never had a problem getting a table. The stewards were always there clearing tables as soon as someone left. And you have to be willing to share. Not a lot of tables for 2 but plenty of larger tables to share. Yes the chairs were heavy but not immovable. There never seemed to be much of a wait at any of the stations. We ate dinner there every night too. Food was good and there were a lot of choices. I liked that they had 3 showtimes in the World Stage theater. That made it easier to eat dinner and get to the 2nd show and still get a seat. And yes the promenade deck is not as nice as their other ships but it still was nice for a stroll. We hardly ever sat out on that deck anyway, so we didn't miss the deck chairs there. We didn't miss the library either. It wasn't a big deal for us as we brought our own reading material and when there were bigger libraries, we never used them much. The cabin did feel smaller but was manageable. it would have been nice to have better drawer space. The drawers they had were way too narrow to fit much in. But there was plenty of closet space. The bathroom was better than expected. Really liked the shower with the glass enclosure vs the shower curtain. The water pressure was great! WE are short so didn't have a problem with angle of the toilet but could see where it could be an issue for a taller person. Yes they only had 3 shelves in the bathroom but it was plenty of space for what we needed to keep in there.

 

We choose our cruises based on itinerary and price. Would we sail on the Koningsdam again? Yes if it goes to where we want to go and the price is right.

[borasue]

Just got off the K'dam on Wednesday in Civitavecchia. We loved her! The only time we experienced crowds in the Lido were on the sea days and, of course, disembarkation day. We found the service in the DR and Lido to be outstanding (anytime dining), and we loved the fact that the Lido is no longer self-serve! It's much more hygienic and we have seen enough in the past to appreciate that! :eek: Yes, the Promenade deck isn't as roomy... yes, the library isn't stocked the way some ships have been, and yes, you can tell there is a movement to appeal to a little broader clientele. Loved that you can pull up the daily program on your mobile device.... loved they had a little more regional entertainment. And about that "movie screen under the stars," it's definitely not as obnoxious as I've seen on other lines and we found it quite enjoyable and relaxing. All in all, from our perspective, it's a great dam ship! Bring on the Nieuw Statendam!! :D

[Ken the cruiser]

For you folks that have just finished sailing on the K'dam and like to walk laps on the promenade, have they put up directional signs yet so lap walkers know which way to walk or were lap walkers still going in both directions and running into each other in the "narrows"?

[OceanPatter]

Thank you vjblk and especially borasue, for your positive reports. We agree wholeheartedly, and find it so refreshing to read upbeat reviews from cruisers who have positive attitudes. Happy cruising!

[Ken the cruiser]

All of the issues and there are a few we had on our packed 14 day Norwegian cruise in July are resolvable. And to that end we have already booked a 17 day Caribbean cruise on the K'dam in February in hopes they have resolved most of them. However, if a majority of those same issues have not been resolved, then the chances are we will not book the K'dam again if there are other HAL ships doing similar itineraries.

 

Now, that's just us. Everyone has their own opinion and I highly recommend you don't listen to ANY of the feedback and book a cruise on the K'dam as there are A LOT of cool new things to do and see on this beautiful ship!!

[Ken the cruiser]

Here's another question for you recent K'dam cruisers. Were there any professional lecturers on board your cruise? When we went on HAL's Panama Canal cruise on the Veendam this past January there were 2 and they both did an outstanding job. When we went on the 14 day Norwegian cruise to the Norfh Cape on the K'dam there was only the Excursion Director and she did the best she could, but nowhere near the quality of a professional lecturer. I know I'm just a whiner, but these little things add up, especially when you continually experience them on other HAL cruises except for on the K'dam. And what's up with calling the show band The Koningsdam Band rather than the HAL Cats? I know, I know. I'm just living in the past. But hey, as of Jan 2017, smoking is no longer allowed on the verandas? Now there is a change I can live with, literally!!

Edited October 16, 2016 by Ken the cruiser

[Carnevale]

Here's another question for you recent K'dam cruisers. Were there any professional lecturers on board your cruise? When we went on HAL's Panama Canal cruise on the Veendam this past January there were 2 and they both did an outstanding job. When we went on the 14 day Norwegian cruise to the Norfh Cape on the K'dam there was only the Excursion Director and she did the best she could, but nowhere near the quality of a professional lecturer. I know I'm just a whiner, but these little things add up, especially when you continually experience them on other HAL cruises except for on the K'dam. And what's up with calling the show band The Koningsdam Band rather than the HAL Cats? I know, I know. I'm just living in the past. But hey, as of Jan 2017, smoking is no longer allowed on the verandas? Now there is a change I can live with, literally!!

 

In May we had a good port guide - found him interesting and informative. Problem was that many of his talks where at dinner time and were not rebroadcast in our stateroom so we missed most of them. It was hard to understand why they didn't schedule these talks at different times.

[vjblk]

Here's another question for you recent K'dam cruisers. Were there any professional lecturers on board your cruise? When we went on HAL's Panama Canal cruise on the Veendam this past January there were 2 and they both did an outstanding job. When we went on the 14 day Norwegian cruise to the Norfh Cape on the K'dam there was only the Excursion Director and she did the best she could, but nowhere near the quality of a professional lecturer. I know I'm just a whiner, but these little things add up, especially when you continually experience them on other HAL cruises except for on the K'dam. And what's up with calling the show band The Koningsdam Band rather than the HAL Cats? I know, I know. I'm just living in the past. But hey, as of Jan 2017, smoking is no longer allowed on the verandas? Now there is a change I can live with, literally!!

 

On our cruise in September from Amsterdam to Rome, there was a locatiion guide who gave 2 lectures on the ports we would visit. She was very informative and I liked the fact that she didn't try and sell you on HAL excursions. She would mention them but would also mention how you could get somewhere on your own. She also would give info over the loudspeakers when we were in a couple of the ports. For example as we sailed out of Amsterdam and Lisbon she talked about what were seeing as we sailed out. And she also talked as we sailed into Gibraltar.

[Ken the cruiser]

Port guides are not the same as lecturers. A professional lecturer, who is usually on board the entire cruise, gives talks about the history of the entire area or on other fascinating topics, not just about specific ports you'll be visiting the next day or two. That's more of what port guides do and some do it very well. However, a professional lecturer might be a retired professor who has a unique way of making history fun. They will give different lectures on sea days and at convent times like around 10 am or 2 pm rather than near dining times. When you leave one of their enrichment seminars, you feel a little wiser than you did before you went in. On our HAL Panama Canal cruise we had both a great lecturer from Canada as well as a wonderful port guide from Wisconsin. But it's nice to hear they are hiring at least professional port guides on the K'dam rather than just having the Excursion Director read from a script.