Live Review Koningsdam Feb 17-March 23, 2024. Hawaii/Tahiti

[canadianbear]

42 minutes ago, ljgordon54 said:

@canadianbear I read on whatsinport a description of the island and it sounds lovely. It is also the last stop for several days. I hope by next year they smooth that out.

 

It was rough seas this morning so we didn’t even know if we’d get into this port.  I’m not sure even if we were on time if that would help the tender process.  I know my husband only waited about 15 minutes and after I left him I was walking through different areas of the ship and couldn’t believe the number of people waiting.  
 

I heard them calling tender tickets well past 2pm. Crazy.  
I would advise if you are not 4* and above or Club Orange to sign up for a HAL excursion as they get on first. 

[ljgordon54]

2 minutes ago, canadianbear said:

It was rough seas this morning so we didn’t even know if we’d get into this port.  I’m not sure even if we were on time if that would help the tender process.  I know my husband only waited about 15 minutes and after I left him I was walking through different areas of the ship and couldn’t believe the number of people waiting.  
 

I heard them calling tender tickets well past 2pm. Crazy.  
I would advise if you are not 4* and above or Club Orange to sign up for a HAL excursion as they get on first. 

We are just now 4* so I guess that helps. But there are lots of priority folks these days.

[Haljo1935]

2 hours ago, canadianbear said:

It is 2:40 here now & they are still calling tender tickets.  
MrBear was back & we relaxed at aft pool & only a couple others on the pool.  Was wonderful.  

That is awesome. Sounds like the return clearly was much easier than going out. 

And your pictures are great!

Edited March 15 by Haljo1935
Typo

[BermudaBound2014]

I hung out at the pool. Had a few margaritas. Had lunch with some friends. Another margarita. Took a shower. Headed to bbkings at 2:30. Figured it would be clear by then. Couldn’t believe I still needed a tender ticket. The first tender went off around 10 and tender tickets were needed until after 3, so a full 5+ hours to get folks off. 
 

The story I have by playing the cruise ship telephone game is that a lady got injured getting off the tender. She needed an ambulance. That slowed things down. There are sketchy steps to navigate so, please, if you use a cane or are unsteady on your feet please beware here. I later saw luggage on the pier so not sure if the lady was left behind or not. 
 

By the time I got off the tender it was 3:30 and the market was closed. I meandered down to the grocery store and picked up my monoli oil but couldn’t find liquid vanilla. Lots of tikis and black sand beaches near the port. Next year I may take a ship excursion because those folks did get priority tendering to be the very first off.  Nuka hiva is a very pretty port but there were issues tendering last year too, so I’d bet on them in 2025. There is only room for one tender at the pier and guests must be able to navigate the stairs. 

 

It’s 6:30 and we are sailing away. As I look in the rear view mirror at the experiences I have had here in French Polynesia I am in awe and am absolutely overflowing with gratitude. I take not one minute  of this experience for granted. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 15 by BermudaBound2014

[Haljo1935]

OMG @BermudaBound2014 your sunset pics are stunning!!

[canadianbear]

We enjoyed another lovely dinner at the Canaletto tonight-our 3rd time on this cruise.  The food has been delicious & the service perfect.  
 

I haven’t figured out how to leave a space & insert what the food is before each photo 🤦‍♀️

 

Appetizer was the grilled tiger shrimp.  My main course was the broiled lobster tails with spaghetti with garlic.  Dessert of course was tiramisu.  

 

[Haljo1935]

@canadianbear they have the best (and 2nd prettiest) Tiramisu. Your picture of it is beautiful.

[d9704011]

3 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

@canadianbear they have the best (and 2nd prettiest) Tiramisu. Your picture of it is beautiful.

OK, I'll bite - so to speak.  Where is the prettiest tiramisu?

[riverrat]

13 hours ago, canadianbear said:

It was rough seas this morning so we didn’t even know if we’d get into this port.  I’m not sure even if we were on time if that would help the tender process.  I know my husband only waited about 15 minutes and after I left him I was walking through different areas of the ship and couldn’t believe the number of people waiting.  
 

I heard them calling tender tickets well past 2pm. Crazy.  
I would advise if you are not 4* and above or Club Orange to sign up for a HAL excursion as they get on first. 

 

I took alot of videos of the tenders trying to safely complete that mission. Frustrating work battling the sea, wind, current etc safely. 

 

On Tales of South Pacific 10/23 Fakarava was rain out. Several tenders went over and some brave soles walked down the road in the rain but our excursion was cancelled. The tour guide did come tell us under the eave where we sheltered from the warm pounding rain. LOL 

 

Nuka Hiva was dry and our last connect to social media and we sat drinking in portside in open restaurant/shop area listening to the island band in the shade. This trip was soul touching for us and we were sad to be headed back. The islands, the customs just wonderful to breathe in from a cabin on the side of a big blue ship. 

[Haljo1935]

5 hours ago, d9704011 said:

OK, I'll bite - so to speak.  Where is the prettiest tiramisu?

Carnival Venezia Il Viaggio (their version of Canaletto). But Canaletto is #1 for taste.

 

 

[canadianbear]

@Haljo1935

 

that is a very strange looking….tiramisu.  Mr Bear is Italian & makes a very tasty (Kahlua added) tiramisu. 
We really enjoyed the taste of it in the Canaletto and are usually very picky when it comes to any restaurant serving it.  Pretty photo though that you posted-thanks. 

[Hogladyrider]

We were on the Koningsdam sailing just prior to your cruise.  I will say IMO the one tender port was a nightmare.  We were told no tender tickets needed when we arrived at BB Kings go down to 2.  Well folks were backed up on 2 and waiting and  waiting and getting frustrated for sure.

 

The excursions also were not managed well IMO.  But we didn't let any of this distract from our time and enjoyment.  Just  two things that could use some improvement for sure.

[Overhead Fred]

10 hours ago, canadianbear said:

I haven’t figured out how to leave a space & insert what the food is before each photo 🤦‍♀️

 

Place your cursor to the right of the picture (it might be a little hard to see) and hit return a couple of times. You can then put text in the space created between the photos. It took me a few postings before I figured it out 😁

[canadianbear]

2 hours ago, Overhead Fred said:

 

Place your cursor to the right of the picture (it might be a little hard to see) and hit return a couple of times. You can then put text in the space created between the photos. It took me a few postings before I figured it out 😁

Does this work if I only have an iPhone.  I’ll try next time. Thanks.  

[RuthC]

16 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

The story I have by playing the cruise ship telephone game is that a lady got injured getting off the tender. She needed an ambulance. That slowed things down. There are sketchy steps to navigate so, please, if you use a cane or are unsteady on your feet please beware here. I later saw luggage on the pier so not sure if the lady was left behind or not. 

Nuka Hiva is one port where I would be begging the medical staff not to leave me  behind. There is pretty much nothing there, and I would want to be evacuated to civilization for assistance. 

Even getting ashore there isn't much to do. Everything worth seeing is quite a walk away. 
It wasn't as built up when I was there, either. 

[BetsyS.]

Canadianbear - Thanks for your reports and great pictures! 😊

       Are you and bennybear related?

[canadianbear]

1 hour ago, BetsyS. said:

Canadianbear - Thanks for your reports and great pictures! 😊

       Are you and bennybear related?

No relation to bennybear other than maybe our love of bears?! 

[BermudaBound2014]

Fakarava - hard to believe that was 5 days ago. I had minimal expectations for this stop and was very pleasantly surprised. 
 

I booked with Fakarava excursions and went to both the blue and green lagoons. We were the first ones to the blue lagoon and had it to ourselves for an hour or so. Do the morning trip if you want easy snorkeling from beach. The afternoon snorkel is more open water and was quite rough with white caps at times. This trip is only for strong swimmers. I’m booked on both trips next year too. I believe he is close to full for next year already. There just aren’t that many tour operators here.

 

I should note that if you do book with christophe’ you must be in the first couple of tenders. I got into line for tickets about an hour before they were handing them out and made it in the second tender. There isn’t a mad rush to get off here, but if you book a tour you will need to be assertive. By the time I got on island there was already 4 people waiting to see if those with reservations were going to show up. Christophe ended up waiting until the fourth tender and then left behind 4 people who had reservations as there were plenty of others ready to take their place. 

 

For those going next year I can’t stress this enough, many of the tours down here are not like the USA with regular steps and safety rails. There are three rather large steps to get into the boat and one lady had to be physically carried. I’m sure she was embarrassed and it didn’t look like the crew was all too happy. If you walk with a cane, most (all) of the tours I have done will require careful reconsideration before booking. No such thing as Ada laws for tours here. If you are unsure, take a ship tour because they are very experienced in helping those with some physical limitations.

 

Fakarava is basically a giant sand bar. Very rustic and remote. There were a few tables of trinkets at the tender area. There are very minimal cabs. You can rent bikes (see below). You must be able to walk on uneven surfaces and sand as sidewalks aren’t paved. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 16 by BermudaBound2014

[GTVCRUISER]

🙂 Great Photos 🙂 

[BermudaBound2014]

Some rambling thoughts. Obviously  just my opinion. Ymmv

 

 The biggest complaint I am hearing is entertainment options. IMO the entertainment options are simply the worst I have ever experienced. With that, I am not HALs target audience. The newest comedian had the entire audience in stitches. I chuckled a few times. He did some impressions of Tim Conway that were cute but I’ve heard the skit before on other lines and didn’t think Tim Conway was that all funny when I watched him on Mary Tyler Moore reruns as a child.  I believe that some of my entertainment disappointment is due to my age. I like a higher energy fun vibe. That’s not what HAL passengers want. I would guess there are less than 5% of passengers under 60. As such, The entertainment is skewed for a much older crowd because this ship has a much older demographic. That makes sense. I knew that going in. But some of the entertainment isn’t appealing to even the older crowd as it’s, well, just very poorly executed. I didn’t come on this ship to be entertained (and you shouldn’t either).

I came for the islands and they delivered a grand slam home run. 
 

For me, BBKings band, Grant (activities director) and yello (spelling that wrong) are terrific and are carrying the lions share of entertainment offered.  High energy. Warm. Welcoming. The rest of the entertainment consists of things like movies in the theater (daily at 2:00), foot analysis, 5 minute facials, guess the diamond, etc… Lots of lectures which I may enjoy, but when the weather is nice I’m a 💯 outside girl.  Hubby would love the lectures as there is one in the theory or relativity today. That requires far more brain cells than I contain. Last night i did attend the star gazing at 9 which was quite interesting.
 

It seems the art lady is well liked. I did go to the “dam dots” session. I thought we were going to make a picture using dots of color like Picasso. Instead it was connect the dots (numbers). There is adult coloring (which could be very relaxing but I don’t consider that actual entertainment and certainly not something I’d leave my playpen for). I think the painting classes looked fun, but so far the times haven’t worked out for me. This is nothing against the lady running arts and crafts as I have a couple friends who enjoy it very much, but imo there is clearly a budget cut on the part of HAL when it comes to entertainment offerings.  
 

I’ve been a bit negligent in posting dinner menus for those that asked. I still haven’t made it to the MDR. I am VERY happy with hot fresh grilled items on the buffet. While I think the entertainment is lacking, I have absolutely zero complaints about the food and think the service is outstanding! This cruise is a solid 9/10 for me (as I believe no cruise can ever be a perfect 10). Anyway, Here is tonights menu: 

Edited March 16 by BermudaBound2014

[BermudaBound2014]

Whoopsie- i forgot to include above. Here’s the Fakarava tour info. This sign is located just off the tender. 

[Hogladyrider]

@BermudaBound2014 thoroughly enjoying your review.  While we are the age demographic HAL is geared to,  retired in our 70's I tend to agree with you regarding the entertainment.  We love a good comedian and we are "regulars" at BB Kings as well.

 

We had this cruise booked for 2025 and moved over to Alaska instead BUT we still would like to do this cruise, especially NOW after your wonderful review.

 

I switched because I was having difficulty finding things to do in  the ports.  We are snorkel and beach folks and you have really highlighted that.

 

When you get home I would really love to see your pdf or spreadsheet you used to prepare for this cruise.  Honestly I don't have the patience to go thru the Roll Call pages  it is so LONG!

 

Hope you have smooth sea days heading back to San Diego.

Susan

[GTVCRUISER]

I have cruised on the Koningsdam 13  times and I have 5 more booked , I like the BB King and the Rolling Stone Rock Room and all the good food  and the Happy Hours 🙂 

[danogg]

2 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Fakarava - hard to believe that was 5 days ago. I had minimal expectations for this stop and was very pleasantly surprised. 
 

I booked with Fakarava excursions and went to both the blue and green lagoons. We were the first ones to the blue lagoon and had it to ourselves for an hour or so. Do the morning trip if you want easy snorkeling from beach. The afternoon snorkel is more open water and was quite rough with white caps at times. This trip is only for strong swimmers. I’m booked on both trips next year too. I believe he is close to full for next year already. There just aren’t that many tour operators here.

 

I should note that if you do book with christophe’ you must be in the first couple of tenders. I got into line for tickets about an hour before they were handing them out and made it in the second tender. There isn’t a mad rush to get off here, but if you book a tour you will need to be assertive. By the time I got on island there was already 4 people waiting to see if those with reservations were going to show up. Christophe ended up waiting until the fourth tender and then left behind 4 people who had reservations as there were plenty of others ready to take their place. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are booked on the snorkel excursion next year with Christophe as well.  That was my main concern with booking the morning tour….getting off the tender in time.  Hopefully, we’ll be on one of the first tenders since most passengers are unlikely to have a booking to get to.  Looking forward to meeting you next year.

On a side note, I’ve noticed that lobster, escargot, and prime rib have showed up in the Lido Buffet a few times on your cruise.  Do they post a menu beforehand?  Sounds like a better option than dressing up for the MDR.

[crystalspin]

9 minutes ago, danogg said:

lobster, escargot, and prime rib have showed up in the Lido Buffet a few times on your cruise.  Do they post a menu beforehand?

You can see it on the day it will be served, in the Navigator (breakfast, lunch, dinner). Menus are arranged by the station the items are found at, potentially reducing the milling around!