Live from Holland America Line Koningsdam: Hits & Misses

There are other options for exercise, including the jogging track and treadmills.

The library complaints just seem kind of silly to me, again no offense meant here :). The books in the library always just worked as decoration to me while I drank coffee and read on my tablet.

Anyways again, not trying to offend anyone, just really trying to understand/help people find solutions to these issues so everyone can enjoy the new ship.

I enjoy the Promenade deck AND the treadmills. DW uses a Kindle and I prefer paper and ink. One thing about "real" books though, just the other day on Noordam, I started reading a book that someone had put on the return pile in the library. If it was a Kindle, I never would have had the enjoyment of reading that fine book that I never knew existed.

We will be sailing this ship in September 3027. Looking forward to it. I liked reading this thread.

So is there another place to walk besides the promenade deck? Can one walk on the top deck without obstructions? Wouldn't help in bad weather,Mobutu at least you would have scenery. I alway do my morning walks on the promenade deck and enjoy the breezes and views. This is very disheartening to see that that pleasure will not be on this ship. We are sailing her in July 2017

 

 

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I was on the inaugural cruise and was also so disappointed about the promenade deck so I asked about it and it seems that under the international law of the sea, the height of the rescue lifeboats from the water line is set and must be conformed to when building a ship and the Konigsdam height happens to be at the promenade deck level. There was no room for deck chairs either. Probably the biggest disappointment for me.

I was on the inaugural cruise and was also so disappointed about the promenade deck so I asked about it and it seems that under the international law of the sea, the height of the rescue lifeboats from the water line is set and must be conformed to when building a ship and the Konigsdam height happens to be at the promenade deck level. There was no room for deck chairs either. Probably the biggest disappointment for me.

That's too bad. Hopefully their designers in the future will be able to create full width promenades again while accommodating this new law. I'm assuming this is a new law since neither the Eurodam nor the NA have this issue.

ken, correct the other ships don't have that issue because they don't have as many decks above the water line as K'dam.

I don't think we have ever used the Promenade deck except to get from one place to another.....We always book an aft suite on an upper deck and spend most of our time there, love the privacy and peace and quiet.....To us, the added price of these Suites is well worth it......

A perspective the issue of downloading books versus paper books, from a non-American. I find that the cost of a paper book, bought online and delivered from England to Australia, tends to be only slightly more than the cost of an electronic version. I share books with a number of people so prefer to pay that bit extra. I see just as many young people reading paper books on the commuter trains in Sydney as older people though, of course, the vast majority of all ages are glued to their phones.

I noticed that in Europe there were still many more bookshops than here in Australia so there may be a similar issue at play in some other countries.

i certainly would have preferred a bigger library but it was not a major issue for me. Mostly, I found the ship too crowded.

A perspective the issue of downloading books versus paper books, from a non-American. I find that the cost of a paper book, bought online and delivered from England to Australia, tends to be only slightly more than the cost of an electronic version. I share books with a number of people so prefer to pay that bit extra. I see just as many young people reading paper books on the commuter trains in Sydney as older people though, of course, the vast majority of all ages are glued to their phones.

I noticed that in Europe there were still many more bookshops than here in Australia so there may be a similar issue at play in some other countries.

i certainly would have preferred a bigger library but it was not a major issue for me. Mostly, I found the ship too crowded.

I'm done talking about books, whew! Thanks for the input though :)

Mind explaining in what ways the ship felt too crowded? Any tips on avoiding the crowd?

We were constantly looking for places to sit in the public areas. The lido was always full and we would be wandering around trying to find somewhere, just as if we were in our local mall. The Dutch cafe was always packed, it wasn't very good weather so sitting beside the pool wasn't an alternative to the lido on many days.We tried room service one morning but in our standard veranda it was too crowded.

However, it will be interesting to see the reviews once the ship is based in Nth America for your winter. Americans were in the minority on both segments of our cruise. There were many Aussies and a huge number of Dutch and other Europeans. Many of us are guilty of lingering, especially compared to Americans. We all spend many hours at home sitting around restaurants and coffee shops and here when you book a table in a restaurant it is normally assumed you have it for the night.

I suspect a group of mostly Americans might move through the lido more quickly thus minimizing the crowding. Will be interesting to see if the reviews improve.

We were constantly looking for places to sit in the public areas. The lido was always full and we would be wandering around trying to find somewhere, just as if we were in our local mall. The Dutch cafe was always packed, it wasn't very good weather so sitting beside the pool wasn't an alternative to the lido on many days.We tried room service one morning but in our standard veranda it was too crowded.

However, it will be interesting to see the reviews once the ship is based in Nth America for your winter. Americans were in the minority on both segments of our cruise. There were many Aussies and a huge number of Dutch and other Europeans. Many of us are guilty of lingering, especially compared to Americans. We all spend many hours at home sitting around restaurants and coffee shops and here when you book a table in a restaurant it is normally assumed you have it for the night.

I suspect a group of mostly Americans might move through the lido more quickly thus minimizing the crowding. Will be interesting to see if the reviews improve.

Wow! That's an interesting perspective which might explain why everywhere seemed so crowded in the various "open seating" dining areas when we took the North Cape cruise back in July as over 60% of the passengers were either Dutch or from other European countries. It will definitely be interesting to see how crowded the Lido seems in the mornings when we cruise with her next February.

It would also be interesting to know whether some nationalities use room service more than others. Obviously the more that use room service, the less the crowds in the Lido etc.

These thoughts are just hunches but I will be following the reviews out of interest.

i booked a room an deck 4--not knowing it was above the World Theater. Also, the prices had gone down, so today I called and i have a VE guarantee. So we won't know what room we're in until 10 days out. We sail 12/4-14.

Anyone else have a guarantee? Are you concerned? The reviews of this ship are not encouraging.:confused:

 

I would love to find reviews of the Koningsdam ONLY from dedicated HAL mariners - like 3* or above. Or even the ability to sort by past experience. It would give a better standard of comparison with the other ships. Anyone find one of those yet???

I would love to find reviews of the Koningsdam ONLY from dedicated HAL mariners - like 3* or above. Or even the ability to sort by past experience. It would give a better standard of comparison with the other ships. Anyone find one of those yet???

I've already commented about our July adventures on the K'dam earlier in this thread, so I'm not going to rehash them again. However, I will say this, I am very sure you will have a great time on your upcoming K'dam cruise if you remember one thing. Don't pay any attention to anything anybody including me has complained about since the K'dam set sail back in April! This is by far the largest ship in HAL's fleet and they definitely have been dealing with some growing pains. However, I'm sure with every cruise, the officers have made small adjustments from the lessons learned from the previous cruises and over time will find what works best and eventually make the K'dam a truly wonderful cruise ship to sail on. Who knows, they may have already reached that point.

So, look forward to immensely enjoying your cruise and if I can make one suggestion, if you will be cruising 10 or more days on her, check out the unlimited laundry option. It's reality cheap on the larger scale of things and who wants to even think about doing laundry while on vacation anyway!

I've already commented about our July adventures on the K'dam earlier in this thread, so I'm not going to rehash them again. However, I will say this, I am very sure you will have a great time on your upcoming K'dam cruise if you remember one thing. Don't pay any attention to anything anybody including me has complained about since the K'dam set sail back in April! This is by far the largest ship in HAL's fleet and they definitely have been dealing with some growing pains. However, I'm sure with every cruise, the officers have made small adjustments from the lessons learned from the previous cruises and over time will find what works best and eventually make the K'dam a truly wonderful cruise ship to sail on. Who knows, they may have already reached that point.

 

So, look forward to immensely enjoying your cruise and if I can make one suggestion, if you will be cruising 10 or more days on her, check out the unlimited laundry option. It's reality cheap on the larger scale of things and who wants to even think about doing laundry while on vacation anyway!

Thanks for your thoughts. Laundry isn't a issue - I'm 5*.

The deal breaker for me on the K-dam is the SS suite layout as seen on pictures. It looks like there is a large area set aside for a make-up desk that takes up space, which pushes the bed/s close to the window. It also seems to reduce the couch size.

The original SS layout worked quite well before, and the redesign is just a waste of otherwise usable space.

I am also a fan of the luxurious wide promenade deck. It indicates a woeful design direction to narrow it down to a minimum.

I would love to find reviews of the Koningsdam ONLY from dedicated HAL mariners - like 3* or above. Or even the ability to sort by past experience. It would give a better standard of comparison with the other ships. Anyone find one of those yet???

If I'm not mistaken I believe I'm the first review of the ship and I'm 3*

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If I'm not mistaken I believe I'm the first review of the ship and I'm 3*

 

 

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Sorry. I didn't mean there were none. :) I appreciate the reviews of those who sail HAL a lot. Better able to compare the larger ship to those I know. Thanks.

i booked a room an deck 4--not knowing it was above the World Theater. Also, the prices had gone down, so today I called and i have a VE guarantee. So we won't know what room we're in until 10 days out. We sail 12/4-14.

 

Anyone else have a guarantee? Are you concerned? The reviews of this ship are not encouraging.:confused:

We have a VE on Deck 7 ...Very pleased although the verandah is a smaller one than on deck 4.

18 days!!!!

:)

I had an inside on deck 7. I liked deck 7 - the Lido was two floors up, very convenient. I am still working on my review of the Konigsdam, Oct. 24-Nov. 9. Hope to finish it sometime this week.

We had a VD cabin on Deck 6 and no complaints here. Felt the verandah was perfectly adequate. Yes I need to get my review completed too:o

How about Royal Dutch Tea and Indonesian Tea time? Still offered? And Japanese breakfast?

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I had an inside on deck 7. I liked deck 7 - the Lido was two floors up' date=' very convenient. I am still working on my review of the Konigsdam, Oct. 24-Nov. 9. Hope to finish it sometime this week.[/quote']

 

Did you like the inside room?

So does this elimination of a decent promenade deck, eliminate a very important legacy of sailing with class. Yes.

As all other lines have abandoned this fine feature, does HAL have to follow suit.

The design direction of the Kdam is just deplorable. Hopefully, they will go back to the full promenade deck on new ships.

The atmosphere of walking on the promenade with other folks, and others on chairs is very special.

So, good for the Kdam fans, less folks interested, means ongoing high cabin prices.

So does this elimination of a decent promenade deck, eliminate a very important legacy of sailing with class. Yes.

 

As all other lines have abandoned this fine feature, does HAL have to follow suit.

 

The design direction of the Kdam is just deplorable. Hopefully, they will go back to the full promenade deck on new ships.

 

 

 

The atmosphere of walking on the promenade with other folks, and others on chairs is very special.

 

 

 

So, good for the Kdam fans, less folks interested, means ongoing high cabin prices.

I am paraphrasing another CC person that said, "Walking the Promenade is a way to commune with the sea."