Konigsdam - Is it as bad as the reviews?

My wife and I were interested in booking the Konigsdam for a Caribbean cruise, but the recent reviews have given pause to that plan. A 51% approval rating on CC is actually pretty shocking for a HAL ship, particularly a new one. The major complaints seem to be overcrowding, long lines, and excessive nickel and diming, and MDR service. These issues never came up on our 4 previous HAL cruises.

Any feedback from recent passengers would be appreciated.

As the ship just sailed for it's first time in April, any reviews you see are very recent...

I take reviews with a truck load of salt, unless I see consistently the same complaints. It is much easier to complain than complement, especially on an anonymous process like Cruise Critic.

So, is it as bad as the reviews? I seriously doubt it.

We were on the May 29th cruise and loved it! Yes, we did experience a few issues, but nothing that hampered our enjoyment. The positives far outweighed the negatives and the new food venues were awesome! I would not hesitate to sail on the Koningsdam again.

Most of the negative comments I've read have no particular impact on DW and I. For example, the promenade deck shortcomings, the library issues and the lack of ballroom dancing have all been discussed at some length here, but would never get us to cancel our November booking. I'm not saying that these aren't important issues for some, just not for us. So don't look just at the approval rating percentages, but at the reasons behind them.

We were on the first voyage and really enjoyed the new ship. Sure, there were minor issues since it was new, but by the end of the trip, things were running normal.

Hmmm... I lurked for a while on the Viking Ocean Board during its inaugural season, as I was considering a Viking itinerary. It seems to me the initial reviews were quite low, averaging in the 65% range. However, I do not recall ever seeing an average for a mainline cruise brand quite as low as that of the Koningsdam.

My particular concern involves reports of long lines and overcrowding in the "fast food" and informal eating areas, as I prefer to take most of my meals aboard in those venues.

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My particular concern involves reports of long lines and overcrowding in the "fast food" and informal eating areas, as I prefer to take most of my meals aboard in those venues.

it is too bad people don't put in the time of the day when they run into the longer lines. We don't go to the Lido at high noon, but closer to 1pm and never had had lines.

Early breakfast is often empty ..... or late. Each ship probably has its own rhythm with each group of passengers choosing their preferred dining times ... but if you can readjust your own clock and wait or go early chances are there will be no real lines.

We have recently been cruise shopping and all the various TAs we have spoken to regarding HAL cruises on lots of different ships have reported very positive feedback from their clients for Koningsdam. Not so much for some other HAL ships so I'm sensing some objectivity. We have not sailed her yet so cannot provide first person experience. We did book a Baltic cruise and are excited about giving her a try.

it is too bad people don't put in the time of the day when they run into the longer lines. We don't go to the Lido at high noon, but closer to 1pm and never had had lines.

 

Early breakfast is often empty ..... or late. Each ship probably has its own rhythm with each group of passengers choosing their preferred dining times ... but if you can readjust your own clock and wait or go early chances are there will be no real lines.

Excellent. I usually eat lunch late.

We were on 5/29 sailing and like it very much. I think you have to decide how important 'negatives' are to your enjoyment of the cruise. We love the new Grand Dutch cafe, World Stage shows and Movie by the pool. Both service and food were good.

Give a HAL time. New ship, new crew dynamics. This is a bit of a departure for HAL. It may take a little time to get it right and to harmonize staffing levels.

Just one of the reasons why we avoid new ships for the first little while. I would assume that all is well by now.

I have no doubt that HAL will make this a success. They have to....it is their future.

it is too bad people don't put in the time of the day when they run into the longer lines. We don't go to the Lido at high noon, but closer to 1pm and never had had lines.

 

Early breakfast is often empty ..... or late. Each ship probably has its own rhythm with each group of passengers choosing their preferred dining times ... but if you can readjust your own clock and wait or go early chances are there will be no real lines.

This seems to be the pattern on nearly all of our HAL cruises. It seems like a large majority of HAL cruisers want to eat lunch at noon, dinner at 5:30, go to the early dining shows, etc. On the other hand, those of us who go to the Lido for lunch after 12:45....or who are happy to dine after 7:30....and go to the late sitting shows have few lines or waits.

What is even more interesting is when we see folks lining up for the early dining fixed sitting (when they already have an assigned table) or standing in line at 11:30am for lunch in the MDR when the MDR does not open until noon. If those same folks walked in at 12:10 there would be no lines.

On our recent Prinsendam cruise, the evening shows for the early diners were often packed with few decent seats available to anyone not willing to go 20+ min early. But the other show was never more then half full, one could walk in at the last minute and find a great seat, etc. If one wants to avoid lines and crowds, sometimes it makes sense to alter your normal habits to take advantage of the onboard situation. One of our tablemates, actually made the statement "you cannot get the old dogs to alter their habits." She had a point. So folks would continue to fight the lines (and this was an 8 week cruise) and also continue to whine about the lines.

Hank

Give a HAL time. New ship, new crew dynamics. This is a bit of a departure for HAL. It may take a little time to get it right and to harmonize staffing levels.

 

Just one of the reasons why we avoid new ships for the first little while. I would assume that all is well by now.

 

I have no doubt that HAL will make this a success. They have to....it is their future.

Big favorite / like button here. -----

Any new restaurant, hotel, business will have incidents that are part of growing pains.

I'm willing to wait and cruise with a great ship and crew.

A 51% approval rating with repetitive complaints of crowding, lines, lack of seats and poor service would scare me off, plenty of other ships to choose from.

Some of the "negatives" involve changes made on this ship that are very different from other HAL ships. Might want to wait and read a few more reviews to see if some of those "new ship" issues have been corrected. The "K" does not appeal to us, certainly will to others. HAL going a somewhat different direction here and trying to appeal to a younger demographic.

A 51% approval rating with repetitive complaints of crowding, lines, lack of seats and poor service would scare me off, plenty of other ships to choose from.

You have no reason to take this ship then.

But then most HAL reviews on CC are loaded with negatives for as long as I have been reading them -- and picking HAL for almost 350 days - not a clinker in the whole pack of them. Satisfaction across the brand: 100%

We cruised on Koningsdam April 15 to May 9, 2016. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Loved the Main stage entertainment and the Lincoln Center musicians. Felt the Lido set up worked very well - if seating was tight usually found spots near the lido pool or on the back deck. Disembarking in ports went very smoothly - liked fact that excursions usually went off on different gangplank so there was no big back up getting off ship. Don't always depend on reviews - I think people with negative reactions are more apt to voice opinions.

We just got off the Koningsdam not too long ago. Sure there were things that could have been done better, just like on other HAL ships. I've yet to take a perfect vacation! We did have a great time though...it's really what you make of it. Koningsdam's food was probably some of the best we've had across the fleet...and it really was a beautiful ship.

Sorry, but we were on the K for twenty days in May, Christening cruise and then to Norway. The second cruise, in particular was very crowded.

The main part I really disliked was Lido. I did like no self serve as it is much more hygienic. I do not mind the food stations either. But it was so crowded and difficult to find a seat most of the time. Reminded me of our local shopping mall food court.

Another aggravation was that at the food stations there were generally no queues. The staff did not seem to take note of who should be next to be served. It is usual here in Sydney for people to indicate if it is not their turn and point out who should be served. That etiquette did not seem to exist and as I am short, I often found the staff serving tall people ahead of me. Americans were not at fault there and one who did queue jump on me was very apologetic when she realised.

We went to the MDR a couple of times for breakfast but the service was extremely slow, even by Aussie standards. they often did not understand any variations we asked for, so we gave up and went back to the Lido after that.

They seemed to close the Lido very early at lunch time, well ahead of the time listed on the daily news sheet.

Ww would not say we would not cruise again. However it will only be where it is the only practical way to see a region. It certainly will not be for the on board experience.

We just got off the Koningsdam not too long ago. Sure there were things that could have been done better, just like on other HAL ships. I've yet to take a perfect vacation! We did have a great time though...it's really what you make of it. Koningsdam's food was probably some of the best we've had across the fleet...and it really was a beautiful ship.

Totally agree. I've sailed on several cruise lines and if pressed I'd probably say that Koningsdam was the best. Food, service, ship, cabins were all excellent. The World Stage was superb, most shows were professional grade, there were free movies and snacks.

There were some queues in the Lido especially but on the whole the experience was superb.

I would imagine that by the time the winter cruising season starts,the kinks will be ironed out. There are many dedicated HAL cruisers who have booked for its first season in the Caribbean. HAL has lots of competition for the winter travelling crowd so it's in their best interests to fix any problems.And really, in the scheme of things,it's a really small percentage of people who post reviews on CC or any other site,for that matter.

Many years ago when I first started cruising, the accepted wisdom was to never sail on a new ship until she had at least 6 months on her. It takes time to get things up and running smoothly, especially on a ship that has a completely new design, like Koningsdam.

I'm not sure why everyone likes to jump right on a new ship and then complain when things are a bit off. :cool:

I also suspect that some HAL cruisers who like the older HAL ships and may not be fond of the larger new build may also be critical. But 'different' is not necessarily 'bad' for everyone.

My particular concern involves reports of long lines and overcrowding in the "fast food" and informal eating areas, as I prefer to take most of my meals aboard in those venues.

I can't speak to the Koningsdam BUT .... on Carnival ships with a Guy's Burgers there are frequently complaints about "terrible lines". We sat out at a nearby bar where we could see Guy's 3 different times. Each time people started lining up 30 minutes before it even opened. Once it opened the lines moved pretty quickly and by the time it had been open 30-40 minutes the line was consistently a 2-3 minute wait for a customized burger. The problem wasn't with Guy's but with the fact that lots and lots of people were determined to be in the line with it opened rather than waiting 30 minutes having a nice umbrella drink and relaxing. Part of the complaints about long food lines/waits may be something similar in venues on the Koningsdam.

..... The problem wasn't with Guy's but with the fact that lots and lots of people were determined to be in the line with it opened rather than waiting 30 minutes having a nice umbrella drink and relaxing. Part of the complaints about long food lines/waits may be something similar in venues on the Koningsdam.

I remember when the HAL Dive-In started using the individual buzzer call system when the order was ready which eliminated its lines, there was a complaint because the poster liked standing in line and chatting with the other passengers. :cool:

I remember when the HAL Dive-In started using the individual buzzer call system when the order was ready which eliminated its lines, there was a complaint because the poster liked standing in line and chatting with the other passengers. :cool:

Well, I suppose the person could still just stand there and chat anyway. Amazing what people will complain about! Sheesh! :D