Zaandam, Noordam, or Koningsdam for Alaska 7-day Round-Trip from Vancouver

[Sea-n-Ease]

Looking for tips for choosing which ship to book for our first Alaskan cruise.  We're doing the R/T out of Vancouver.  All three ships appear to take the true "inside passage" all the way to Glacier Bay and back, which is important to us.

 

Gut instinct is to go with Koningsdam simply due to her age.

 

Zaandam - Launched 1999, Capacity 1,432

Noordam - Launched 2005, Capacity 1,916

Koningsdam - Launched 2015, Capacity 2,650

 

Thoughts?

[CruiserBruce]

Depends on your tastes. Some people like the small ships. Some like the large ships.

 

One thought occasionallymentioned here...book the one that sails on a weekday. There might be smaller crowds in the ports.

[Alberta Quilter]

I don't think you would go wrong with any of them.  One thing to note is the Koningsdam has more dining venues. My personal favourites are the Grand Dutch Cafe and Tamarind.  The other two ships don't have either.  But Bruce raises a good point about weekday departures...  

 

Look at the arrival/departure times for each proposed itinerary, too.  And if you have tentative dates, check how many ships are in port at each of the ports.

[YourWorldWithBill]

33 minutes ago, Sea-n-Ease said:

Looking for tips for choosing which ship to book for our first Alaskan cruise.

Gut instinct is to go with Koningsdam simply due to her age.

Zaandam - Launched 1999, Capacity 1,432

Noordam - Launched 2005, Capacity 1,916

Koningsdam - Launched 2015, Capacity 2,650

Personally I think as you do; I like the newer ships. We were on the Noordam last September for an Alaska cruise. The ship was nice, but we were a bit disappointed in the food. We're on the Rotterdam next month, and really looking forward to what others have reported as excellent food. As @CruiserBrucesaid, however, it depends on tastes. Many prefer the older ships.

 

In any case, Alaska is amazing!

[pintail1]

We sailed on the Zaandam through the inside passage for our first ever cruise back in 2003. The size of the ship was very much to our liking. The ship's itinerary included a day of cruising into Tacy Arm, which was a wonderful experience. Unfortunately, I don't think any of HAL's ship make that diversion any longer, but you can book an excursion from all three of the ships you are considering. You will transfer from your vessel to a tour boat while underway just outside of Tracy Arm and rejoin the ship at the dock in Juneau. Whichever ship you choose, I would recommend you book that excursion- it was the highlight of our first cruise!

[RMLincoln]

Zaandam and Nordam have more open Promenade decks. Koningsdam has the lifeboats in the way so extremely limited viewing. But you might not care so that’s personal preference. 
 

Id take the itinerary with the most glacier viewing options because sometimes they don’t all work out for weather or too icy if early in the season. 
m—

[Haljo1935]

Agree with others about taking the itinerary into consideration and leaving weekday vs weekend for less crowding.

I've not been on Zaandam, so can't comment on her from experience. But I think there are fewer balcony cabins (IMO import for AK) and no true aft cabins, which we prefer for AK.

As for choosing between Noordam and Koningsdam, agree there are more food choices on Koningsdam, especially love Grand Dutch which Noordam doesn't have. But we really like the smaller size of the Noordam when going through AK. So it's a tough decision - but a nice problem to have as any cruise to AK is a great trip.

We leave in 2 days (April 29) on the Eurodam for AK - I am already missing the Grand Dutch!!

Enjoy your trip - looking forward to an update on your final selection and what the deciding factors were.

[julia]

My choice would be the Noordam, no question.

[OlsSalt]

On an Alaska cruise, a smaller ships lets you move around a lot more easily when wildlife sightings are announced -from side to side and front to back.  

 

The wide open promenade decks and the open front bow for glacier viewing makes the smaller Zandam my choice too, plus the midweek departure getting you away from the Sunday-Sunday crowds. 

 

Having the Tamarind and Dutch Cafe on Konigsdam would never tip the balance for me. The ship was just too big and hard to get around, and simply did not shine as special in anyway - except for the terrific extra cost gelato. I like the closer intimacy of the smaller ships, when the views of Alaska itself are part of the experience.  

[fraj1]

Did you decide between Koningsdam and Zaandam? If so what was your conclusion? Am facing the same dilemma so any further thoughts helpful! 

[Mary229]

I am prettily sure the Zaandam is committed to the Atlantic the next few seasons. 

[Alberta Quilter]

54 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

I am prettily sure the Zaandam is committed to the Atlantic the next few seasons. 

Zaandam is on the west coast for the summers of 2024 and 2025

[DTtravelers]

On 4/27/2023 at 2:34 PM, Sea-n-Ease said:

Looking for tips for choosing which ship to book for our first Alaskan cruise.  We're doing the R/T out of Vancouver.  All three ships appear to take the true "inside passage" all the way to Glacier Bay and back, which is important to us.

 

Gut instinct is to go with Koningsdam simply due to her age.

 

Zaandam - Launched 1999, Capacity 1,432

Noordam - Launched 2005, Capacity 1,916

Koningsdam - Launched 2015, Capacity 2,650

 

Thoughts?

Hi Sea-n-Ease:

I am guessing that you are talking about 2024?

Both Koningsdam and Zaandam do 7 day round trips to/from Vancouver.

If you have the time, Noordam does 14 day "collector" round trips to/from Vancouver (Vancouver to Whittier + Whittier to Vancouver).  Big plus: Noordam stops at Hubbard Glacier and the others do not. 

If you have both time and money, consider HAL's close cousin, Odyssey, especially if you are interested in kayak or zodiac excursions.

No matter which you choose, Alaska is a special place.  You will want to go back.

 

[Susanmaz]

My preference would be the Zaandam, due to the smaller size and intimacy and ease of getting around (we just did 5his trip on sister Volendam and loved it). Second choice would be the Noordam. It’s a lovely ship, good size a also has an ease of movement. We did the Konigsdam last November, and found it too busy,with too many people always around and around much motion. There was always crowding in the Crows Nest, Grand Dutch Cafe and narrow passage ways. Unless you are familiar with larger ships and lots of people, I would go with the smaller options.

[OlsSalt]

1. Zaandam

2. Noordam

3. Stay home

4. Konigsdam

[fraj1]

Thanks everyone for very helpful (and amusing!) responses. As smaller and quieter would suit us best as well as the dates of sailing mid week we think it’ll be Zaandam! 
 

Any advice on best cabins for the Inside Passage cruise? Would like a balcony so seems Vista Suite is the minimum to get this. Just wondering what the difference is between vista suite on Zaandam and basic verandah on Konigsdam? Good news is cabin availability for early July 2024 seems good at the moment so I can take a little longer planning our whole trip to include  4 nights Banff, Rocky Mountaineer to Vancouver, 5 nights Vancouver then take the cruise. 
 

thanks again…all comments welcome….much appreciated…

Jan 

[Alberta Quilter]

If I may comment on the Rocky Mountaineer, please consider the three night itinerary from Jasper to North Vancouver, over the two night Banff to Vancouver.  I’ve done both and found the three night itinerary to be the better of the two.  Not sure you need 4 nights in Banff unless you’re using Banff as a base from which to go hiking or do some day trips but that could mean a lot of driving.  I suggest a stay in Lake Louise, too, preferably at the Chateau Lake Louise, if your budget allows.  Some RM packages include stays in Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper which might make logistics easier but more expensive.

 

Since you seem to have a generous schedule for this trip, I would also suggest a one night stay in Calgary to help with jet lag, then go to Banff, etc.  You may also want to consider a trip to Victoria and Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island but this might be best after your cruise.

 

[Haljo1935]

Hey @fraj1 congrats on selecting a ship - every stage of a cruise is exciting and you seem to be thoroughly working through each of them and I have no doubt yoh will be rewarded with a fabulous trip.

For cabin location, we prefer a true aft as the wake views are simply stunning. In AK, we've been blessed with whale sightings during breakfast and sail a way more times than I can count. I also find the sound of the water very soothing, so aft is perfect.

Safe travels - enjoy your cruise!

[YourWorldWithBill]

Just a note to agree with what @Alberta Quiltersaid: Lake Louise is one of the most beautiful spots I have every been to! Walking out of Chateau Lake Louise, I could have stood for hours just looking out over Lake Louise!

[crystalspin]

8 hours ago, fraj1 said:

Any advice on best cabins for the Inside Passage cruise? Would like a balcony so seems Vista Suite is the minimum to get this. Just wondering what the difference is between vista suite on Zaandam and basic verandah on Konigsdam?  

You are correct, there are no "regular" verandahs on the Zaandam. We took a paid upgrade ("upsell" in CC usage) to a Zaandam vista suite travelling with my mom. LOTS of room for three adults, notably three banks of drawers, plus lots of closet space. Subsequently my husband and I sailed in a vista suite on the K'dam. Much smaller, only one bank of clothing drawers. Fortunately we have learned to travel more lightly in the meantime, so it was fine for us!

 

There is a lot of comment that the Vistas on the Pinnacle Class ships (of which K'dam is one) are not appreciable larger than their verandahs. Both the Zaandam VS and the K'dam verandahs have the sitting areas next to the balcony, whereas the VS on the K have the bed near the balcony. 

 

To see for yourself, look at https://halfacts.com/

Zaandam is an R class ship, Noordam a Vista class, and Koningsdam is a Pinnacle. Note that the Vista Suites for the Pinnacle ship are not tagged correctly. Most are just labelled "V", although some are "MS" for Mini-Suite. So if you see the bed by the window, it is actually a VS not a Verandah! Any "V"s on the R-class ships are Vista Suites as well.

 

ETA: as far as Port or Starboard, there is no right choice. Or rather there is no WRONG choice! The views are everywhere and if your view is ocean for a while, you might see whales!

Edited July 23, 2023 by crystalspin

[Cruising Is Bliss]

On 7/23/2023 at 6:12 AM, fraj1 said:

Thanks everyone for very helpful (and amusing!) responses. As smaller and quieter would suit us best as well as the dates of sailing mid week we think it’ll be Zaandam! 
 

Any advice on best cabins for the Inside Passage cruise? Would like a balcony so seems Vista Suite is the minimum to get this. Just wondering what the difference is between vista suite on Zaandam and basic verandah on Konigsdam? Good news is cabin availability for early July 2024 seems good at the moment so I can take a little longer planning our whole trip to include  4 nights Banff, Rocky Mountaineer to Vancouver, 5 nights Vancouver then take the cruise. 
 

thanks again…all comments welcome….much appreciated…

Jan 

 

Vistas on Zaandam (and sister ship Volendam) are 100 square feet bigger than basic veranda & vista veranda on Koningsdam. Zaandam and her sister ship still have an actual Explorations Cafe and a spacious Crows Nest that did not get invaded by the shore excursions department. The wide promenade deck has a lot more outdoor real estate for viewing scenery. Zaandam would be my pick, no contest. I've cruised in a vista on Zaandam and I'm booked on Volendam next year in a vista.