Koningsdam - November 9 to 13 Sailing

[Crazy For Cats]

Embarkation went smoother than expected but was understandably not typical. This was due to the fact that this was the Koningsdam’s first visit to the United States. The ship and staff had to go through extra protocols before passengers could be allowed on board. One week prior to sailing many, not all, of us received an update stating that boarding would begin at 3 pm and not before. They were using deck numbers to board. A few days later another update arrived requesting we add our cell phone number to our boarding information and HAL would send us a text message if boarding could begin earlier. Since we flew in on the same day as sailing we grabbed a late breakfast at the airport and then took a cab to the pier. When we got there we were given the choice of checking in early and then taking a free shuttle to a local mall. We opted to stay in the waiting area, found an outlet and played with our devices. HAL did provide a bag with a bottle of water and some snacks for those of us who did not go to the mall. At 1 pm we were advised that boarding was beginning and that we could go to the lido deck as cabins were not yet ready. By 1:15 we were having lunch in the newly designed lido with all of the attention one could want at lunch time. I never received a text message from HAL but others on the roll call did report getting one. I just chalked not getting one to us being checked in. By 2 pm, with drink in hand, we were told that our cabins were ready!

 

The cabin, we had 4119, was bright and well laid out. The closets by the bathroom were spacious enough for the two of us and had a nice new feature, the pole to hang your clothes on lights up when you open the door. The seating area was spacious enough and the desk/vanity had plenty of space and an outlet, along with a USB port. The bed was close to the balcony with the TV hanging for good viewing from bed. The view from the sitting area was less than ideal. This did not really pose a problem for us. On each side of the bed was an outlet and a USB port. The balcony for this cabin is narrower than what we have become accustomed to on a Vista cabin. It had two chairs, a foot rest and a very small table. There is no provision for anyone to lay out on this balcony.

 

 

The bathroom is perhaps the most interesting change. The outlet is close to the vanity top so I could plug in my sonic toothbrush without any trouble and keep it charged. There is no tub but the shower is nicely done with gray tiles on the floor. The showerhead is a nice change as the stream of water is very invigorating. (I wouldn’t mind this one at home) The biggest problem with the bathroom is the toilet. The angle does not easily accommodate a person with long legs.

 

 

I did have two additional flaws that would make me try a higher cabin category when we sail on this ship again. The first was that we could hear our neighbors chatting away at all hours, not sure if it was the people or thin walls. The second issue I had was that there was a fair amount of light coming through the cabin door and there was no curtain to block the light. Overall I would say that this cabin is nice and efficiently laid out but felt smaller that what we have become used to in this category. I also found that the cabin service was not up to the standard that we have become used to on other ships. The beds were made up at lunch time and taken down after 9 at night. I assumed attention was diverted to all of the special people on board for the first sailing.

 

One night we did not get next day Daily Navigator and, horrors no chocolate! The next morning I asked for a planner and received one in Dutch, at least I could figure out when Happy Hour was.

 

 

In the cabin the TV programming did leave a bit to be desired. Live TV was MSNBC, CNN, Fox News and BBC. You could choose some movies to watch and then some TV shows from a small select choice. “Big Bang” episodes were offered, but only season 2. (I needed some comic relief after this year’s election)

 

 

On the Koningsdam they do offer a Navigator page that can be viewed on your phone or tablet. It was easy to sign up and see your shipboard account. On the first day I was able to quickly verify my OBC and mariner credits were applied. You could also view the daily activities and in theory add them to your personal itinerary. This feature didn’t work for me but for a four day cruise I wasn’t too concerned. You are also able to book dining and shore excursions using this web page. You could also sign up for paid internet but I choose to go internet free four the three days out of port. The one improvement that I would like to see is a messaging feature. It would be nice to tell traveling companions were you are at or to let them know of something that they might want to see or do.

 

 

The lido was nicely reimagined on this ship. The first thing you notice is how bright everything is throughout the dining area. The food stations make getting what you want to eat easier. One example is the pasta station. There were portions of the lasagna, mac & cheese or whatever the “special” was for the day in dishes that you could just take away. No more waiting for a scoop of something while someone had their made to order dish cooked. There was plenty of staff pouring coffee, tea orange juice or water so you didn’t need to run and get that for yourself. There are mini bar stations in the lido so that they could make mimosas and have the wine and beer close by.

 

The Canaletto and Tamarind were both real nice. The food and service in both venues was perfect and worth the price of admission. On this cruise I had prebooked the dinners and that was a very good thing. All of the dining options were sold out during the four day cruise. Just a reminder that if there is a special day you want book it ahead of time. My mariner discount was applied for all on the first day. I could see this on the new ship board web page.

 

 

We only ate in the MDR for the Mariners lunch. Again the dining area is bright and cheery. The service was excellent for the lunch and the food choices, while limited, tasted very good.

 

 

The World Stage is something that should be experienced first hand. The walls are made up of 12 million LED lights and immerse the audience in the experience. The dancers have been kicked up a notch and are far superior to what they had during “Dancing With the Stars”. At times you forgot that there was singing going on, they were that good. The singers themselves were good but not outstanding. The BBC show was essentially the “Frozen Planet” series condensed into an hour and was accompanied by the band members from other venues. We left halfway through as we had watched the series on TV.

 

The Koningsdam itself is a wonderful ship. I found that the ship had a HAL feel but that it was updated to a more modern era. Everything seemed to be brighter and cheerier. It even had that new ship smell when we first boarded. There are more shopping opportunities on decks two and three. The promenade deck is a bit of a let down. At some points I noticed that the walkway is very narrow and could be a challenge for those on a scooter. Definitely two people might not pass at the same time. There were some benches located outside but the view when sitting down was disappointing.

 

 

All in all I found that if the Koningsdam is the future of Holland America I will remain loyal. The improvements are what I was hoping for in future cruises. I am curious to see what lessons learned are applied to the Nieuw Statendam when she comes out in 2018.

[johnlcruise]

Thanks for taking the time to report on your adventure.

Looking forward to trying this New Ship in the near future.

[Sea-Larke]

Great report. We'll be on board for 17 days starting Feb. 12/17. Looking forward to this ship.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[canadianbear]

Thanks for all the info. How great to be able to take a short cruise and see how you like the ship.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for your review.

Glad you like the ship.

[golfusaofcs]

We were on the same sailing. First time Hal. As cruisers in our mid 30's we certainly can see the changes being made to attract a younger cleintale. It had a very celebrity feel. The lido was truly the nicest pool area I have ever experienced in a ship. We will be trying Hal again mostly because my wife won jackpot bingo "free cruise". Only disappointed was not getting to try specialty restaurants as they were sold out despite our daily persistNce.

[slabeaume]

Nice to hear a good review. We'll be on the Koningsdam in about 3 weeks. Can hardly wait!

[jtl513]

We were on the same cruise in a VE cabin.

 

Our TV was wall mounted ... but I didn't try to see if it would swivel.

 

Our closet hanger bars did not light up ... or they weren't working.

 

I think the "narrower cabin" is an illusion because there is no mirror over the bed. I did not measure inside, but our balcony was 9'4", just like Vista and Signature Vx cabins. The space between the foot of the bed and the wall was the same. Picture below.

 

The Sel de Mer "catch of the day" corvina purchased in Nassau was excellent.

 

Compared to the Signature ships, much of the deck 2 & 3 corridors are wider, and that gives the impression that there are fewer people IMO. In the Lido the "marketplace" concept helps traffic through there. It has a wider aisle, and there are no small tables along the aisle. Oddly, in the MDR downstairs there is no clear aisle on the port side, so if they put you back by the stern you have to weave through tables. I think on the starboard side there is more of a definite aisle, but I didn't go check. To me it feels less crowded than the N.A.

 

The show lounge is smaller than Signatures (I think I read around 700) and with the center stage you're closer to the action even in the back row. To compensate for the smaller space they have 3 shows per night, typically 7:15, 8:30, and 10:00, but even with that not everyone could get to a show if they wanted to. There were shows going on at the same times in the three Music Walk venues.

 

Internet is still slow. Pricing is the old standard scale: 1000 min for $250, 500 for $175, 250 for $100, 100 for $55, or p-a-y-g $0.75/min. There also end-of-cruise 30 and 15 min blocks for $12 and $8.25 respectively. I don't remember any 1st-day bonus minutes being offered.

 

The Gelato is very good and just $1 for a cone or small cup (2 scoops) with our 50% discount. They add a 15% service charge like it's a beverage.

 

Gala night was the final night, which is pretty unusual. Surf and turf was offered in the Lido as well as MDR. I think some things were different because Orlando Ashford was aboard. Normally I would expect a Gala on the second night, but Mr. Ashford hosted a party in the Sel de Mer that night.

 

There’s an ATM in the casino! $6.50 flat fee. Front desk is still 3% fee for cash advance, so if you want more than $216 it’s better to use the machine. The front desk person I talked to said there is now one on the N.A. also, and they will be added to all ships.

 

Edited November 16, 2016 by jtl513

[POA1]

Thanks for your report!

[jtl513]

I just noticed in the picture I posted above that the stuff on the bed appears twice. That's a failure in the stitching of two pics to make a panorama. This is how it actually looked:

 

[jtl513]

It just dawned on me that when OP said "The balcony for this cabin is narrower than what we have become accustomed to on a Vista cabin" she probably meant door-to-railing, not side-to-side. Our VE was 5'8" door-to-rail, same as on Vistas and Signatures.

[Crazy For Cats]

It just dawned on me that when OP said "The balcony for this cabin is narrower than what we have become accustomed to on a Vista cabin" she probably meant door-to-railing, not side-to-side. Our VE was 5'8" door-to-rail, same as on Vistas and Signatures.

 

 

You are correct, I was talking about the depth not the width.

 

Jake

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Clarea]

Thank-you for the interesting and detailed report.

[Delmerboy]

Report very informative. Looking forward to sailing on the Koningsdam Feb. 12 - 19, 2017.

[kazu]

Very interesting. Thank you for taking the time to share, Jake. Very enlightening. And thanks to JTL for added input.

[Boytjie]

It just dawned on me that when OP said "The balcony for this cabin is narrower than what we have become accustomed to on a Vista cabin" she probably meant door-to-railing, not side-to-side. Our VE was 5'8" door-to-rail, same as on Vistas and Signatures.

 

If I had realized that you were on board with your measuring tape. I would have asked for the cabin door measurements! Door decorations are a big thing on our RSVP cruises. :)

 

I am assuming it's the same as the Eurodam's since what you measures seemed to be similar to Vista/Signature class ships.

[SilvertoGold]

Thanks for the review: very interesting and informative!

 

Any info, comments on the Dutch Cafe? I have yet to see a readable menu on this board (although I could have missed it), so am wondering how good this is for an alternative lunch spot.

[oliver1821]

Very nice review, sailing K-Dam in December and your review was very helpful!!

 

Thank you!!!

[Crazy For Cats]

Thanks for the review: very interesting and informative!

 

 

 

Any info, comments on the Dutch Cafe? I have yet to see a readable menu on this board (although I could have missed it), so am wondering how good this is for an alternative lunch spot.

 

 

I didn't get the chance to try the Dutch Cafe. Only so much time on a short cruise. The food is complimentary and it looked very good. Every time I walked by it was fairly busy.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[SilvertoGold]

I didn't get the chance to try the Dutch Cafe. Only so much time on a short cruise. The food is complimentary and it looked very good. Every time I walked by it was fairly busy.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Thanks! From what I've read, it sounds like a place to try for sure.

[Jade13]

Thanks for the review: very interesting and informative!

 

 

 

Any info, comments on the Dutch Cafe? I have yet to see a readable menu on this board (although I could have missed it), so am wondering how good this is for an alternative lunch spot.

 

 

Almost everything has ham in it. There is no fee for the food (for some reason I thought it was going to be a fee base restaurant). You just pay for drinks. It is well placed across from the main desk.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[catl331]

We only had coffee and choc. pastry. They have HAL reg coffee choices and something called Amsterdam drip. I think snacks like bitterballen did have a charge. You get a Dutch cookie with the coffee.

 

The staff is Dutch, young and very personable. There were flowers on the tables in Dutch themed vases. We were able to buy the vases-$17.50-2 for $30. There is a quiet area along with windows nearby with a blue Dutch theme.

 

The Dutch cafe gets an A+ from me.

Edited November 17, 2016 by catl331
tense

[jtl513]

If I had realized that you were on board with your measuring tape. I would have asked for the cabin door measurements! Door decorations are a big thing on our RSVP cruises. :)

 

I am assuming it's the same as the Eurodam's since what you measures seemed to be similar to Vista/Signature class ships.

Correct - 27", just like Vista and Signature ships. :D

[jtl513]

Any info, comments on the Dutch Cafe? I have yet to see a readable menu on this board (although I could have missed it), so am wondering how good this is for an alternative lunch spot.

 

I think snacks like bitterballen did have a charge. You get a Dutch cookie with the coffee.

Alcohol, coffees, and some snacks have a charge, but pea soup, sandwiches, crepes, etc are all free. Most times when we walked by it seemed very busy. The Explorations Cafe was never busy whenever we were there.

[Boytjie]

Correct - 27", just like Vista and Signature ships. :D

 

And height? :D