LIVE - Koningsdam Oct 17th - ¡Mexican Riviera!

[zgscl]

1 hour ago, Navybikermom said:

I don’t see the Adagio at all, how very sad… ☹️

I believe Adagio Strings has been replaced fleet wide by Live from Lincoln Center. 

[Navybikermom]

1 minute ago, zgscl said:

I believe Adagio Strings has been replaced fleet wide by Live from Lincoln Center. 

Well, boo 🤨

[zgscl]

1 hour ago, aring75 said:

“Host of new benefits?” Am I missing something? I didn’t think you actually got anything until you were more like 4-star and above. 

Don't forget the complimentary ship photo, annual cruise planner & discount in the gift shop! Really exciting stuff! 

[Cruzmama]

Did you have to wear a mask at any of the ports?  On the beach?

[cruise kitty]

11 hours ago, aring75 said:

Just wanted to check in with everyone!

 

We made it back to San Diego safe and sound, even if we are a little disappointed that our cruise is over. 
 

I have all of my photos and info from Puerta Vallarta and our last two sea days. I will work on getting everything uploaded soon. 
 

Thank you for being patient! And just in case you didn’t already know, the WiFi onboard was okay the first two or three days, and then it was terrible. I couldn’t even run a speed test before it timed out. 
 

If you need to connect for any reason while you are onboard, I would suggest finding a WiFi hotspot ashore. Or perhaps just make sure your cellular service will cover the amount of data you might need while in port.

 

Back later everyone!

Thank you so much for your lovely trip report! So helpful to those of us who will be onboard soon...  may I ask which internet plan you had?  My husband & I will both need decent internet to do some work while on our cruise....  I believe we have the middle plan right now, but I'm happy to upgrade it for a less frustrating experience....

 

Safe travels home!

[madera1]

2 hours ago, Navybikermom said:

Well, boo 🤨

On our September cruise the classical group still,performed but listed as Lincoln Center

[cat shepard]

11 hours ago, Navybikermom said:

Well, boo 🤨

I suspect you will like Live from Lincoln Center, if you liked Adagio Strings.  Be sure to check it out at least once on your next cruise. 

[cat shepard]

@aring75

 

Thank you for such a great travel documentary! 😎

[albingirl]

Awesome review.  Thanks so much.

[riverrat]

On 10/20/2021 at 7:05 PM, san diego spartan said:

This is one reason I'm  preferring HAL over Celebrity  right now.  With all these breakthrough cases it seems reasonable to have this policy. 

 

agree! Just spent two weeks onboard and came home healthy!

 

Internet:

We bought premium internet the week PRIOR to boarding at ~$110 a week and it worked perfectly. We live streamed two VA one hour classes we needed to attend from Phoenix.

Edited October 25, 2021 by riverrat
spelling error

[riverrat]

10 hours ago, madera1 said:

 

 

Edited October 25, 2021 by riverrat
oops

[zgscl]

On 10/24/2021 at 5:49 PM, Navybikermom said:

Well, boo 🤨

Good news is they are very similar, still a classical group but rebranded. Hopefully you like them! 

[zgscl]

15 hours ago, riverrat said:

 

agree! Just spent two weeks onboard and came home healthy!

 

Internet:

We bought premium internet the week PRIOR to boarding at ~$110 a week and it worked perfectly. We live streamed two VA one hour classes we needed to attend from Phoenix.

Thanks for sharing this, I bought the premium internet package so hopefully will have similar success. Thankfully I am not working this trip (assuming everything goes to plan), but I have always found that slow wifi doesn't help disconnect but actually just makes the experience more frustrating and take a lot longer. 

[ajcathy]

On 10/24/2021 at 3:24 PM, Cuedon said:

 

I heard from one of the MDR staff that they were at "1390-something". With an official passenger capacity of 2650, that's just over half.

 

 

Something is up at the Pinnacle Grill on this voyage... I ordered the boneless ribeye and they subbed in a porterhouse  (which I don't think was even on the menu?) without asking me instead. And they gave me a different vintage of wine than listed (and by extension, ordered)... technically, a superior year, admittedly.

 

  

 

Not the OP, but nope. Get your own test before you board, show it to them at boarding, and then no mention of anything thereafter. (I've been told by other lines that if you're running B2Bs, they'll give you a test onboard a day or two before each subsequent leg.)

 In the ask the captain session, Captain MacBeath said there were 1300 passengers on board.  I will say it was heavenly and spoiled me for full ships. All in all it was a great cruise and the new normal is not that different from the old normal.  Now have three more cruises booked and am optimistic about all of them.  

[zgscl]

5 hours ago, ajcathy said:

 In the ask the captain session, Captain MacBeath said there were 1300 passengers on board.  I will say it was heavenly and spoiled me for full ships. All in all it was a great cruise and the new normal is not that different from the old normal.  Now have three more cruises booked and am optimistic about all of them.  

We loved our Alaska cruise so much in part because of the lower numbers onboard. Although I know it is not sustainable in the long term I am very happy to take advantage of it as long as it lasts.

[soxfan1]

If I may, I'd like to ask about the disembark process.  Another string (referring to the inaugural cruise of the Koningsdam post-Covid), called the disembark in San Diego a nightmare with long lines and waits faulting the Customs officers for the delay.

[ajcathy]

13 minutes ago, soxfan1 said:

If I may, I'd like to ask about the disembark process.  Another string (referring to the inaugural cruise of the Koningsdam post-Covid), called the disembark in San Diego a nightmare with long lines and waits faulting the Customs officers for the delay.

We had no issue but we were in one of the first groups to disembark.  There was no wait at immigration at that time and I was impressed with how many port or HAL employees were there to help.

[soxfan1]

Good to hear - thanks!  Probably the initial cruise was simply start-up glitches.

 

[san diego spartan]

1 hour ago, ajcathy said:

We had no issue but we were in one of the first groups to disembark.  There was no wait at immigration at that time and I was impressed with how many port or HAL employees were there to help.

Do you remember if they had a separate line for people with Global entry? 

[hbsurfcitycruiser]

Thank you so much for taking the time and posting so much! This is an absolutely lovely review. We will be on this exact cruise a month from now and this has eased my concerns and answered all my questions. It it greatly appreciated!

 

And PS - That PV Walmart is my most favorite Walmart ever. That's where I buy my Tequila every cruise. Highly recommend!

[ajcathy]

2 hours ago, san diego spartan said:

Do you remember if they had a separate line for people with Global entry? 

It just wasn't necessary.  there were four stations, all moving really fast.

[vms]

Thank you for taking us along with you. It sounds like the cruise was delightful.  I agree that San Diego is a great port to depart from- so close to so many things, and small enough that things move quickly, at least in my experience.

 

Many thanks.

[KroozNut]

On 10/24/2021 at 11:21 AM, aring75 said:

Lunch was a very extensive buffet. Lots of choices!

 

I had chicken fajitas. They let you choose your ingredients and then cook everything together served with white corn tortillas. 
 

 

 

They also had a fresh salad bar and several light desserts to choose from. 

 

Are you sure those were white corn tortillas? They sure look like flour tortillas to me.

 

Either way, looks delish!

 

[san diego spartan]

2 minutes ago, KroozNut said:

 

Are you sure those were white corn tortillas? They sure look like flour tortillas to me.

 

Either way, looks delish!

 

ha ha I agree on further look it does look like flour tortillas.  But agreed either way I'm sure they were delicious. 

[zgscl]

@aring75 I hope you had a safe and easy trip home! One quick question - how was your disembarkation process and what time did you actually make it to the airport?