A Lot of Positives about the Koningsdam, But.....

[cruisen cracker]

We just returned from a 11day cruise aboard the Koningsdam, our first HAL cruise in about four years. All cruises intervening have been on Celebrity including a couple of TA's. I couldn't help but compare and also wanted to list some positives about the K-dam and a But..

Just before sailing I got a up sale offer from HAL to go from a Vista Suite to a Neptune B. the cost was about 33% of the difference between what we had paid and the listed cost at the time for the NS. I took it for a 50th gift for myself and my wife. I'm glad I did but probably wouldn't in the future. It was nice but the cost difference could have bought a lot of Mimosas. We got one of what I will call the Mini-Neptunes at the back of the ship, a little smaller than I believe the mid-ship suites are but with a nice wrap-around balcony. It was a long walk to the Neptune Lounge so we only took advantage three or four times during the entire cruise. The outstanding thing abut the lounge was the coffee machine, I just wish it had closed a little later that 8:30PM as we usually weren't finished supper until after that and an after-supper cappuccinos or two would have hit the spot.

THINGS I ENJOYED:

The Suite- The room service breakfasts were great. The steak and eggs with the morning Mimosas can really spoil you. They were on time and the food was pleasantly warm. So good in fact that we only visited the Pinnacle for breakfast twice during the whole cruise. The suite was nice and the stewart outstanding. Only two little disappointments: HAL doesn't seem to know what a Memory foam pillow is and the large couch taking up so much space is almost impossible to use for anything but to lay things on as it really is designed a as bed (too wide).Advantage HAL

Lido Market- Very good food and outstanding service for this venue. I kinda like Celebrity's layout (one big room) but we seemed to always find a good table with someone there right away asking if they could bring us tea or other drink. The problem is the temptation of trying a little of everything including the custom stir-fry and pasta. Also to my country taste, the sushi was great. That is something Celebrity is trying to capitalize on with an expensive sushi venue and they have eliminated it in the dining area. Advantage HAL

Dining Room- Very good food and service. We took advantage of the free choice and usually ate at 8:00 or after. We only had to wait more than five minutes twice and while sitting with our pager in the hall leading to the dining room, were offered a glass of wine. A nice touch.

Advantage HAL

Entertainment -With four primary venues, I think HAL has done it right on this ship. The world stage is the most impressive show stage I have ever attended on a ship and we have been on about twenty different ones. Also a big plus-three shows a night most nights. This makes it so much better with the off-hours dining times. The Lincoln Center is real class and the Billboard lounge was great. The two entertainers playing and singing songs I actually know the words to was a highlight, I only wish they had played Sweet Caroline all the way thru. BB King's was packed almost every night and I can see why with such a high energy band. So different from the almost dead entertainment that I remember from past HAL cruises. Advantage HAL

Pools and decks-As others have commented there is somewhat limited seating at the pools and the aft pool whirlpools are very small. It just isn't comfortable to be in them with anyone else. I was, however, able to find both a chair and an empty whirlpool on three port days. Service was good without any hard sale of drinks. Advantage Celebrity

Outdoor food venues- Both the Dive in and New York Pizza were great. The burgers, dogs and fries were "Five-Guy's" good and it was so nice to get a custom dressed burger and dog. Pizza's made to order with good salads topped the slices Celebrity serves, mostly made some time before and left to warm. Both took a little waiting time at peak hours but were worth it. Big Advantage HAL

Culinary Arts Center- We were invited as suite guests to dine here on the first night. It was a different experience and the food was interesting and tasty. Our main was Tenderloin of Beef and it was not only very good but an awfully big serving. I think it was about two hours from start to finish, a lot longer that we usually can sit for but certainly worth trying once. Celebrity has nothing like this so I can say Advantage HAL. We didn't try any of the other speciality restaurants.

Shops and Other Areas- Mainly way too upscale for country folks, with limited real sales of things we could afford. The art auction was like on the other ships we have sailed on, selling nice limited and open edition reproductions mostly for far more than their e-bay cousins. The ship's staff was friendly and helpful in our limited interaction. Saw the ship's officers only in passing a couple of times. Liked the instant access to on-board charge statements. No Real Advantage to neither line here.

AND NOW THE BUT!! HAL still allows smoking in the Casino. For someone as sensitive to smoke as my wife, that made playing the slots or even walking thru there impossible. And with that nice wide staircase leading down from the Casino to the Lincoln Center and Billboard areas and with the smoke stench that drifted down, she could even sit thru a performance in either area. As a former smoker (32 years ago) I have always tried to be tolerant of smokers but as I have gotten older, I can't hardly stand the smell anymore either.

Big Advantage Celebrity and probably why this might have been our last HAL cruise. It's really a shame and I wish HAL would limit smoking to an aft bar. I do remember when they allowed smoking on the balcony's. One one cruise we could hardly use ours at all due to the neighbors. I guess they feel that was a far as they needed to go. But that is their decision. Maybe in the cruise marketing world, with other lines really limiting smoking, HAL figures it pays to be Smoker Friendly.

[AD5ZA]

Goo review, thanks.

 

 

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[ilovhywd]

We agree whole-heartedly with the original poster. The Koningsdam is a lovely ship with 3 unique venues (especially the World Stage); but the smoking situation was unacceptable.

 

 

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[Aquahound]

I totally agree with most of your post, especially about smoking.

 

My opinion only differs with the entertainment. I too thought World Stage was good, especially the last show with all the graphics, but the lead female singer was awful and all but ruined the shows. But this was a month ago. You might have had a different cast.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review and doing a comparison between HAL and Celebrity.

We also have problems with the smoking on HAL ships -- especially me.

[Lady Arwen]

We just spent 2 marvelous weeks on Koningsdam and I couldn't agree with you more. The ship, food, entertainment and service were exemplary. However, we too were so disappointed with the smoke in the casino. This is the one thing that Celebrity does so much better than HAL. Hopefully, if enough of us speak up, HAL will change their policy regarding smoking. It happened with balcony smoking, so there is hope.

[Reagan0712]

Thanks for the review. I must have been on the K cruise with the least amount of smokers. Thank goodness. Went to the casino almost every night and was never bothered by smoke. Maybe I went too early in the evening.

[easyboy]

Very informative review! Thanks for the comparison!

 

 

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[AmazedByCruising]

The Casino is the only area where people can smoke inside. The Casino might not be the best place, but when outside decks are closed there has to be some place where people can smoke. Even the crew has a special inside smoking area.

[Lady Arwen]

The Casino is the only area where people can smoke inside. The Casino might not be the best place, but when outside decks are closed there has to be some place where people can smoke. Even the crew has a special inside smoking area.

I understand your point. However, Celebrity has NO inside smoking. Period. Smokers seem to be able to find outdoor areas where they can enjoy their cigarettes, even in inclement weather. I'm quite sure that HAL and most, if not all, of the other cruiselines will follow suit in the near future.

[BSR]

Thanks for your review. I will be sailing on her in a couple months.

 

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[ski ww]

Thanks form sharing your review, haven't sailed on her yet but hope to in the future.

Allan

[puppycanducruise]

Thank you for taking the time to post your comments.

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

[cruisemom42]

I understand your point. However, Celebrity has NO inside smoking. Period. Smokers seem to be able to find outdoor areas where they can enjoy their cigarettes, even in inclement weather. I'm quite sure that HAL and most, if not all, of the other cruiselines will follow suit in the near future.

 

Celebrity's itineraries are more limited than HAL's -- not sure they go as many places where weather might be less than ideal.

 

I agree smoking should not be allowed in an open indoor area, but there does need to be somewhere that smokers can smoke when HAL closes the outdoor decks, as sometimes happens.

[Aquahound]

Celebrity's itineraries are more limited than HAL's -- not sure they go as many places where weather might be less than ideal.

 

For the most part I agree. But many people tend to forget about a segment of ships Celebrity has.....Xpedition, Xperience, Xploration, and Flora. HAL can't touch those itineraries and yacht size ships.

[DeeniEncinitas]

Thank you for your review.

Denise:)

[idiebabe]

AND NOW THE BUT!! HAL still allows smoking in the Casino. For someone as sensitive to smoke as my wife, that made playing the slots or even walking thru there impossible. And with that nice wide staircase leading down from the Casino to the Lincoln Center and Billboard areas and with the smoke stench that drifted down, she could even sit thru a performance in either area. As a former smoker (32 years ago) I have always tried to be tolerant of smokers but as I have gotten older, I can't hardly stand the smell anymore either.

Big Advantage Celebrity and probably why this might have been our last HAL cruise. It's really a shame and I wish HAL would limit smoking to an aft bar. I do remember when they allowed smoking on the balcony's. One one cruise we could hardly use ours at all due to the neighbors. I guess they feel that was a far as they needed to go. But that is their decision. Maybe in the cruise marketing world, with other lines really limiting smoking, HAL figures it pays to be Smoker Friendly.

 

There are HAL Ships that have no smoking in the Casinos. Since you enjoyed Koningsdam so much with the Lincoln Center, Billboard, etc. and you're only negative seems to be the limited Smoking in the Casino why not book on a HAL Ship that has No Smoking in there such as the Signature and Vista Class Ships that have been remodeled with many of the features you enjoyed on the Kdam. No reason to stop sailing with HAL!

[stickey_mouse]

why not book on a HAL Ship that has No Smoking in there such as the Signature and Vista Class Ships that have been remodeled with many of the features you enjoyed on the Kdam. No reason to stop sailing with HAL!

Will the Nieuw Amsterdam's casino be smoke free when it gets out of dry dock?

[Rmt1948]

There are HAL Ships that have no smoking in the Casinos. Since you enjoyed Koningsdam so much with the Lincoln Center, Billboard, etc. and you're only negative seems to be the limited Smoking in the Casino why not book on a HAL Ship that has No Smoking in there such as the Signature and Vista Class Ships that have been remodeled with many of the features you enjoyed on the Kdam. No reason to stop sailing with HAL!

 

Agree with the above. Both my DW and I are prior smokers and gave it up many years ago. Unfortunately a number of seniors in our age range still smoke and hate the inconvenience of having to go outside. While I am tolerant of smokers, I avoid smoking areas if possible. It really bothers my DW.

 

We choose sailing on HAL because of itinerary and the fact that it is a little more laid back than other cruise lines. :)

[stickey_mouse]

My last cruise was on the Norwegian Getaway, a new, beautiful, giant, sparkly ship. The smoking in the casino was horrible, and it made its way into other public areas. The thought of tainting a new vessel with cigarette smoke made me cringe. It really cheapens a place up, in my opinion.

[stratixman]

Very nice review. We sailed the Koningsdam in February andhave many Celebrity cruises under our belt. The K is a beautiful ship; but wethink the Celebrity Solstice class ships are still a better design. My comments on Celebrity pertain to their S class.

 

 

The entertainment on K, both lounges and main shows, wasbetter superior and more varied than what we have experienced on our lastCelebrity cruises. The World Stage is really unique and the idea of three showsper night is smart.

 

 

The K continues the outdated design of single threaded buffet lines in theLido whereas on Celebrity S class the buffet is comprised of multiple,free standing food stations which we find more efficient. Also the Celebritybuffets were far less crowded for seating. We did like the table service in theLido on K; such doesn't exist on Celebrity. K's Dutch Cafe is also unique andhas probably the best coffee of any cruises we have been on. We really likedthe Crow’s Nest; but I see newer refurbs on other Holland ships are making big changes to theCrow's Nest concept - too bad (maybe?). Maindining edge we would give to Celebrity both for quality and service. K was veryslow for service at dinner, every dinner. Maybe that was just an aberration (hopefully) but it was consistently very slow to the point of almost being painful. Open dining experience on both K and Celebrity S - wait times and seating- pretty much equal. We agree on the Dive In and New York Pizza& Deli. Great Pizza and deli sandwiches. Especially liked the Deli for later evening snacks. We dined in Pinnacle once and like it, butthink Murano on Celebrity was better. We did not use the other venues, butcomparing the Canaletto menu and restaurant space to Celebrity’s Tuscan Grillwe think Tuscan wins.

 

 

 

Inside cabin sizes on K struck us as smaller and more confinedthan on Celebrity. They are – 143 sq. feet vs 174 sq. feet on Celebrity. Increasedsize on Celebrity allows for a small sofa, none in the K cabin.

 

 

 

Which line would we sail in the future? Either would be onour list. All things being equal though I suspect we would opt for Celebrity – beautifulships, bigger cabins, slight edge in dining overall. But, as we go forward I suspect things are not typically going to be equal. Celebrity has been bumping up in prices, cutting back on some stuff, andtheir itineraries are getting pretty stale for us. HAL has more interesting for our desired future, western hemisphere destinations. So, we have booked Westerdam this coming February for afull Panama Canal transit. We couldn'tfind a Celebrity offering that really interested us (been there done that) nor a price that we thought we wantedto pay. Westerdam has been newly refurbed so we are quite interested to see how anolder HAL ship measures up to the Celebrity Millennium class ships.

[Jade13]

There are HAL Ships that have no smoking in the Casinos. Since you enjoyed Koningsdam so much with the Lincoln Center, Billboard, etc. and you're only negative seems to be the limited Smoking in the Casino why not book on a HAL Ship that has No Smoking in there such as the Signature and Vista Class Ships that have been remodeled with many of the features you enjoyed on the Kdam. No reason to stop sailing with HAL!

 

 

I thought HAL eliminated smoking inside this year?

 

When was Veendam last remodeled?

 

 

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[RuthC]

I thought HAL eliminated smoking inside this year?

No, HAL eliminated smoking on balconies this year. They also eliminated/reduced smoking in some casinos, as itemized above.

[ilovhywd]

One small correction to Post #21 above. The Koningsdam does have individual food stations. There are 5 or 6 on each side of the ship. It isn’t one single buffet line. However, because the stations are on the sides, it is sometimes difficult to walk through the Lido during peak hours because of the passengers getting their food at the stations. On the Celebrity S class ships, the food stations are in the center of the ship, and they don't interfere with the aisles. The Celebrity design is much better IMHO.

 

 

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[idiebabe]

Will the Nieuw Amsterdam's casino be smoke free when it gets out of dry dock?

 

From what was posted by Copper the NA is to get Music Walk with Billboard, Lincoln Center, etc. in Dry Dock. With the remodel of adding Billboard and redoing the layout of the Casino it will be Non-Smoking. Only Smoking Area will be Lido Aft by Seaview Bar.