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Koningsdam 10- day Southern Caribbean Review

acrowe

By acrowe,
in Holland America Line

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acrowe

acrowe

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Our first cruise was on the Nieuw Amsterdam a few years ago as my parents took 18 of us on a cruise for their 50th wedding anniversary. At the time I had no interest in ever cruising. Boy was I wrong. It was over Christmas and it was wonderful. We ranged from 6 years old to..well, a lot older. Five Neptune Suites in a row with one large open balcony. It was going to be hard to beat.

 

 

We decided this year to try out the Koningsdam. With our youngest now out of high school and the ability to be a bit more free from all the activities that have kept us busy for years we were looking forward to going away together, just my wife and me. We are used to great service ala the Four Seasons and the Ritz. Expectations were high.

 

 

As I did my research, I came across Cruise Critic and to say reading the Koningsdam reviews scared me a bit was an understatement. Expectations got lowered.

 

 

We had booked another Neptune Suite, a guarantee SC, so we were slightly afraid again when we were assigned room 5196, an aft wrap around suite about 14 days out. One review even said to stay away from that specific cabin!

 

 

It was still a suite. It had to be pretty good right? I mean, how much time should we really spend in the cabin? The poster said it was small. People said the design was poor. Ugh.

 

 

We arrived at embarkation after spending 2 days in Fort Lauderdale at the Westin Beach Resort. If you plan to arrive early, I highly suggest eating at the Casablanca or Serifina by the Water. If you want authentic Italian and a romantic environment, the latter is the place. Even our waiter was from Capri. Casablanca is flat out great. The Westin is pretty nice too and a short shuttle ride to the port.

 

 

We visited Total Wine in Fort Lauderdale where I purchased 8 bottles of wine, knowing I would have to pay the $18 corkage on 6 bottles. It was an experience in itself. I found they asked a lot of questions about likes and pointed me in the direction of value over price and we ended up with some fantastic selections. Even adding the corkage, we did very well on getting quality wines on board to enjoy with our meals…and in our cabin….but I digress.

 

 

We arrived at Port Everglades around 11:30 am and the process was fairly straight forward to get our keys and board the ship. It took about 45 minutes, but only because they couldn’t find our keys and have to have them reprinted. We made our way to the suite in the aft of the boat, fearing what we might find. Well, to say we were wrong was an understatement. The cabin was incredible. The balcony massive. A downside to the previous Neptune Suite was there is no dressing area for my wife, so she used the desk in the room, which was separate and away from the bar area. She generally had her privacy while getting ready, as I was often sipping pinot noir on our balcony.

 

 

The aft balcony was almost wind free at the very back. We hardly felt the movement of the ship as others had said, even though on the last night the ship had bigger seas and winds over 30 knots. The engines didn’t cause much noise and spending time there was pleasurable, especially departing ports.

 

 

This suite and balcony was so nice, we opted to have breakfast there most mornings and only ate at the Pinnacle for breakfast the first morning and our last. Room service was great. My wife fell in love with the Swiss Muesli. Everything was always brought promptly and piping hot. The coffee was great too. An important thing for me. En suite was a good coffee machine as well and we made a lot of use of the “free" laundry and dry cleaning. I would say the shoe shine was not up to par, but that is nit picking.

 

 

Our first stop was the Neptune Lounge where we met our 2 concierges, Joyce and Jazz. They were incredible. They thought ahead of any needs and were incredibly accommodating to anything we requested. We met several other couples, shared a few glasses of sparkling wine and traded travel stories. The ship was beautiful and well appointed. We walked all over it, exploring and making sure we figured out what was going to be our next step. No longer was there any concern about the Koningsdam and what this cruise would be like. It was going to be an awesome 10 days.

 

 

We ate at the Dining Room our first night with pre dinner drinks at the Crows Nest. I like Bombay Sapphire gin martini's and it was good that evening, but had miniature olives...it was not until our first dinner at Tamarind, the following night, that I was told they could use large olives, stuffed with blue cheese or normal non-stuffed large olives, but I had to ask to have them used. Glad I learned that our second night aboard! The first night at the Crow's Nest I was told that the small olives were all they had...although that server asked me if I wanted a double when I asked for a martini...I just smiled and said "no, a single will be fine”.

 

 

We had only 4 meals at the Dining Room, but all were very good. The service was fast and attentive. Our servers were gracious and accommodating, even when I asked for more as I prefer an appetizer, soup or salad, a main and a dessert. The menu only specified that on gala evenings. Most meals lasted about 75 minutes, which was perfect as we like to linger a bit over glass of wine or a cup of coffee. We had late dining at 8pm at table 208. Great location as we were on the upper floor of the dining room at the rail with tables far enough away we felt it was private. The wine steward was great as well, even though i brought my own wine most evenings. Rarely did we have to pour our own glass.

 

 

We ate at the Tamarind twice. Superb. Food and service. The servers found out the second time we ate there that the following night was my wife’s birthday and they wanted in on an early celebration. Even after the wonderful desserts of donuts as well as sorbets (basil flavor seemed an odd choice, but it was delicious), they delivered a beautifully decorated chocolate torte. We ate just enough that we didn’t appear ungrateful, but it was a nice touch. The sushi is incredible as was the laksa soup. It was perhaps one of the best I have ever had. We did try the fortune cookie dessert too…not sure we missed much on that menu. They served the sake in a carafe that was iced in the blown glass. Nice touch as so many spots forget that those that like cold sake like to keep it cold.

 

 

My wife turned 45 on the cruise and I am 48 so we were the “young uns” for sure, but given the energy of many we spoke with and the dancing witnessed on the Queen’s Lounge dance floor, there were many that are young at heart. So many great conversations and smiling faces. The Koningsdam was a place of happiness and there seemed very few frowns. Even though we wanted to spend much of our time alone, we made many friends and shared much laughter with others.

 

 

On her birthday, we ate at the Pinnacle for dinner. It was good, but not great. We had an early evening as we had a busy day and retired early to our suite. I had had the 18 oz bone-in ribeye so I was in a bit of a meat coma after dinner. We watched a movie from the on demand selection and had a great sleep. I will say that the on demand addition is fantastic. We often had a pretty full day and just chilled for a movie prior to getting ready for dinner. That evening, when we returned to our cabin, there was a colorful “Happy Birthday” sign complete with balloons on the ceiling. Nice touch from the Neptune Lounge ladies.

 

 

The following night we ate at De Librije in the Pinnacle and although it was interesting and fun, we would not attend again. We thought that there was not enough selection and that the tastes of most courses were not astounding and wowing, they were just good. There is only so much foie gras one can have in a single sitting.

 

 

During the 3 sea days, we reserved a cabana at the “Retreat”. We loved it. We spent almost no time in the cabana, as it was rather windy in a side cabana, but we like roasting ourselves and it provided a very comfortable and quiet area to sunbathe and read and get that 15 SPF glow. I burned though a couple of books quickly and compared to the noise and activity of the lido pool, it was perfect for us. We particularly looked forward to the daily sparkling wine, frozen grapes and chocolate covered strawberries each afternoon and even more for the cool towels they passed out. The menu was quite broad, but the attendants were willing to get anything requested.

 

I did leave my books in the Neptune Lounge for others to enjoy as they had a growing collection for those the miss the library. I did steal one Robert Ludlum book that was also returned.

 

 

We only ate at the Lido twice. Early port departures caused us to be aboard the ship. It was crowded, but not overly. We still found seating quite easily. Most of the chaos seemed to come from individuals just walking to the front of the line instead of where it clearly stated the line started. Nevertheless, it never took longer than 5-10 mins to get what one wanted and that was only the ice cream line during prime time.

 

 

The Dutch Cafe. Bossche Ball filled with Chantilly cream. Insanity. We only made it there once and enjoyed sharing one with cappuccinos. I wish we had done that more. Small cost for the coffees, but the desserts were delicious. I did have a big slice of apple pie too.

 

 

We dressed to the nines for both gala evenings. I in a tuxedo and my wife in 2 beautiful evening gowns. Our nights in the Pinnacle were somewhat dressy as well with suit and tie for me and my wife looking classy as always. Only about half the men wore even a sport coat for the gala nights, but we didn’t mind in the least. It’s their vacation. We didn’t see anyone without at least slacks and a collared shirt in the dining room, although we were not really looking. I can say that with the way my wife looked, I wasn’t looking elsewhere at much else. We still love getting gussied up. To us, it just makes the evening more special and more memorable.

 

 

For excursions we did quite a bit. In Bonaire, we boarded a small sailing yacht where there were only 8 people. We went sailing and snorkeling and had a great time. The boat was owned and operated by a couple from Holland and it was a ton of fun. Great snorkeling and they got the boat leaning with the wind. Next up was Curacao where we went 4x4ing in little dune buggies. Again,we had a great time. We got incredibly dirty in a very fun way. The beach after the ride was called “Cabana Beach” and it was very commercialized. They charged us a couple of bucks for our chairs even though the excursion stated they were supposed to be included. No biggie, but it wasn’t the best beach and I am glad I brought a few more bucks other than what I planned to tip the guides.

 

 

The next day we arrived in Aruba..Scuba on a WW2 wreck followed by a day at Palm Beach. We did drive back to the boat by Eagle Beach and it seems less crowded and commercial, although the water is turquoise and the sand wonderful at both.

 

 

We didn’t think we even wanted to get off the boat at Amber Cove as the water was brown and we are beach people. It turned out to be a great day. We stayed at the pool and enjoyed it a lot. I liked that prices were reasonable for a drink (we guzzled water all day). I can see that if multiple boats were at port it could be very crowded. We were the only one, so it was not full. We spent the day at the beach at Grand Turk. It is obvious that they were hit pretty hard by the hurricane, but my greatest disappointment is that it appeared to be much more developed than our last visit and it was hard to distinguish between the “for sale” chairs vs the “free chairs”. We encountered one couple who had been scammed out of $20 to sit at their chairs. We had really been looking forward to that port and it turned out to be our least favorite. Our last excursion was horseback riding on Half Moon Cay, but I will get to that later.

 

 

I cannot say enough about Lincoln Center Stage. It is incredible. We attended many of their concerts. It was the quintet’s last cruise as they had been aboard for 4 months and had given 297 concerts. Only 3 left their last day, so the last was 300 and we were very happy to have attended it on our last evening on the ship. They performed a Brahms concerto that was outstanding. They showed such passion and love for music and were all tremendously talented. They had an afternoon hour where the audience was able to ask them questions and since we had a port visit cut short we attended.

 

 

My worst mistake of the cruise was Sel de Mer. We ate there once. We should have eaten there at LEAST another time. It was AMAZING. The salt encrusted branzino was unbelievable. In the shell escargot, white and dark chocolate truffles and a crepes suzette i am still dreaming about. The service was outstanding. My wife wanted a steak and had a filet with a green peppercorn she said was one of the best she has ever had.

 

 

The entertainment was very good. I laughed out loud way too many times at the juggler as he was very funny. Dancers were great. We loved Frozen Planet. We missed only 2 shows as we decided to retire early a couple of nights. My wife enjoyed the mentalist and the last evening was a tribute to Billy Joel/Elton John which was obviously a very talented family of performers. The ship singers were just average. For those late nighters, I did “misbehave” one evening and stay out too late, but the casino was rocking and rolling into the late hours. I made my contribution to the casino so that we could get more great sailing offers. For those that had commented in other threads or for the few on the ship that said they were bored, we just didn’t or can’t understand that.

 

My wife went to the gym most days and I only a couple. It had great equipment and the latest technology to allow biking against competitors and adjusting to selected terrain. One of the best on land let alone at sea. It was too warm in the gym though and the bubbler water was always warm.

 

 

Our last stop was at Half Moon Cay. We awoke to rain. What a disappointment. We knew it was the most beautiful beach of the trip. However, around 9am, the clouds seemed to break and we took a tender to the island. Because of the weather, not many people headed over, so it was like our own private island. We had about and hour to walk the beach until we had to check in for our horseback excursion. It was beautiful. The only downside was it was our last full day.

 

 

We headed to the horses. About half way though the ride, at the peak of the island, the clouds and the mist rolled in again. Offshore, the ship looked like a pirate ship waiting in the fog…it was beautiful. The rain then started. It poured. Some may have thought that was bad. It wasn’t. It was awesome. We took the horses into the surf on almost a full gallop in the pouring rain. Everyone was awed. What an experience. Unfortunately, the captain called everyone back to the ship due to the winds, but it was quite a day.

 

Upon debarkation, the ship was about an hour late docking due to some customs issues apparently. There were many stressed out folks lined up to get off the ship. We had invested in the Luggage Direct program. It was the best choice ever. It was $25-35 dollars as we left our luggage outside the door our last evening and we picked it up in Chicago once we arrived home. When we left the ship, we grabbed a cab for $15 to the airport with only our carry ons. A fitting end to an incredible trip. Will we be back on the Koningsdam? Yes, as soon as possible.

Edited by acrowe
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Sea42

Sea42

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haha no, but I learned the term in IL as I am originally from Canada but married a beautiful Wisconsonite...and it was the first place I lived when I moved to the USA
Well then you are an honorary Wisconsinite! So glad you enjoyed your cruise.
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acrowe

acrowe

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I forgot to add we also ate at Caneletto. Main was good. I ate the lamb. The rest of the meal was just ok. The presentation wasn't good either. Felt that it seemed more like eating in the Lido as the noise from it overwhelmed the seating and it just wasn't good. Would pass on eating there again.

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acrowe

acrowe

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Great review. I would like to try the Koningsdam someday. Did you get a chance to enjoy BB Kings performance?

 

We did. Several times. They were very good. Many folks danced and made me consider perhaps I should invest some time in ball room dancing! From my observation, they were very popular and played a nice cross section of tunes. It was nice to have the Queen's Lounge 2 levels as one could easily walk past, listen to a song or two and move along....or sit at one of the many tables.

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Sundagger

Sundagger

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I'm very glad to see a review of the Koningsdam that matches what we experienced on a Southern Caribbean itinerary. We were across the hall from the Neptune Lounge, so used that coffee machine instead of the one in the suite. I think the Lincoln Center is a terrific addition to the entertainment. I ate/drank at the Dutch Cafe often, but seating was a problem there. We managed to avoid the Lido except at the beginning or ending of the lunch hours, so it wasn't terribly crowded at those times. We also went to Gelato daily for dessert or whenever the mood struck.

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doone

doone

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Thank you for your wonderful detailed review. I have booked the Koningsdam for my entire family and some friends who want to join us, we are sailing March 2019. I, too, have had a few concerns after reading a few reviews, but now I know we chose the right ship for our family/friends cruise. Thanks so much.

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Divi

Divi

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The Koningsdam is my new favourite HAL ship, it’s beautiful. We started the cruise in an ov and , after two nights, were moved to a balcony. Whatever the reason, we were happy.:)

Like the Prisendam, the seating area is at the window so you don’t have to kneel on the bed to look at that beautiful sea.

The 'fridge keeps everything (= white wine) cold, not just cool. There is lots of storage and the walk in shower is wonderful.

We tried every dining venue from Dive In to Sel de Mer and enjoyed them all. Service everywhere was excellent.

We did miss not sitting on the promenade deck but we still walked it.

The lido has some lovely, cushy seating areas.

There are lots of choices for entertainment, all good.

This was the biggest ship we have been on and the only time it felt crowded was at the Beatles show in the Billboard lounge featuring two pianos. It was great:D

We did talk to a couple who missed ballroom dancing in the Ocean Bar and overheard someone else that was complaining that their oatmeal was served in a black bowl:rolleyes: but our only complaint was having to disembark.

Great captain, great crew, great ship.:hearteyes:

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Lido deck main

Lido deck main

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We were on Koningsdam November 8th to 29th. Love the ship. Ate in main dining room Gala nights only, ate at New York Deli, Dive In, Dutch Cafe, Canaletto, Tamarind, and Pinnacle, and Lido the rest of the time. Enjoyed all of our meals. One time while listening to duelling piano's in Billboard there was a Notes (whiskey tasting going on at the same time which interrupted the sound from the Piano's) and of course the problem with people walking by and interrupting Lincoln Stage Productions. BB Kings is great, (last show starts at 10:30 pm). Other than that enjoyed all the entertainment. We were supposed to go into Cap Cana (tender port) was advised by the captain that two other ships could not get into Cap Cana for the last two previous day's so the captain managed last minute to get us into La Romana instead (Kudo's to the Captain), so we took a Holland shore excursion to Santo Domingo, which we enjoyed. All in all this is a great ship, we had a great time, and met some great people. There is plenty to do. We are in our mid fifties. Have been on 13 cruises so far with God willing many more for us in store for the future.

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acrowe

acrowe

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We were on Koningsdam November 8th to 29th. Love the ship. Ate in main dining room Gala nights only, ate at New York Deli, Dive In, Dutch Cafe, Canaletto, Tamarind, and Pinnacle, and Lido the rest of the time. Enjoyed all of our meals. One time while listening to duelling piano's in Billboard there was a Notes (whiskey tasting going on at the same time which interrupted the sound from the Piano's) and of course the problem with people walking by and interrupting Lincoln Stage Productions. BB Kings is great, (last show starts at 10:30 pm). Other than that enjoyed all the entertainment. We were supposed to go into Cap Cana (tender port) was advised by the captain that two other ships could not get into Cap Cana for the last two previous day's so the captain managed last minute to get us into La Romana instead (Kudo's to the Captain), so we took a Holland shore excursion to Santo Domingo, which we enjoyed. All in all this is a great ship, we had a great time, and met some great people. There is plenty to do. We are in our mid fifties. Have been on 13 cruises so far with God willing many more for us in store for the future.

 

we may have bumped into you as we disembarked on the 29th!

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