TurtleDriver

So?  Did you decide to go?  My wife and I will be doing the 25 day version of the cruise (May 5-May 30) with 2 of our friends.  We think it will be an interesting adventure.  We've previously enjoyed the 14 day Alaska cruise on the Sojourn and looking forward to the Ovation. 

My wife and I will be on the July 23 to Aug 8 (Seward to Vancouver). We are supposed to dock in Vancouver by 7 am.

Wine is our beverage of choice and we are spoiled in that we drink nice wines (What's the saying: "Life's too short to drink bad wine"?) While we really liked the K'dam and almost every other aspect of the cruise and service, it is highly unlikely we will ever take HAL again due to how they handle their beverages, especially the wine. Had they allowed us to pay the difference to switch to the previously unavailable Elite package, it might be a different story.

I can't compare to other ships and if you mean a card entry system being a lock with card key access, then yes, they don't have it on the K'dam.

At the main entry to the suite they had a table and chair and a woman sitting there asking for your card (and keeping it until you left) . I'd call it low tech card key access. However, there is more than 1 door in and out and some folk would enter by other doors.

On our recent K'dam trip, an Elite Beverage package at $54.95/day was offered that mirrored the Signature package except it allowed for higher priced wines ($15 not $8).

We were on the same trip and your impressions mirror ours to a large extent. A couple comments.

Cabin

We were in Neptune Suite 7083 and though the cabin was fabulous and the service provide by the two guys taking care of us was exceptional. It was our first ever cruise and I was happy to see that they cleaned the salt off the windows and decks every morning we were not at sea to make the outside space more usable (lots of salt for deck 7!).

Food

We thought Tamarind was great, Pinnacle Grill and main dinning room were good. We did not have good experiences in Sel de Mer (horrible food) or Canaletto (very average food, very poor service). We only went to the Lido when we simply wanted a salad for lunch. We ate at Pinnacle Grill twice and it was nice but not exception (in our opinions). We were a foursome (our 2 friends convinced us to come on this cruise) and we never reserved a table in the MDR and never had to wait more than 2 minutes for a table. We often got Table 36 (right by the windows) when we requested it.

Ports

We would not recommend the HAL tour of Waterfalls and Waffles, the guide was nice but the tour was only 1 stop to view 2 waterfalls, 1 stop to look at a dam and hydro power lake (yawn) and 1 stop for cold, limp waffles that were made well in advance because of the number of tour busses being pushed through the place.

Geiranger was fabulous and we highly recommend the RIB boats to zoom out to the waterfalls. We wished we had more time there. We also did a non-HAL activity by renting little electric cars to drive up to lookout points. It worked well but getting in and out of the cars is not easy and if you are overweight you likely will not fit or be comfortable.

In Bergen we had a private guide arranged and had a great walking tour and then we did the funicular. We were sad that our time there was a few hours less than planned.

Yes, any drink listed at $8 or less is included. We had 2-3 choices for a red or white that were $8 or less, not all on the same list.

One comment having just come of the K'dam. The $8 wines are very inexpensive wines (at retail). None of the wines we had on our wine lists are what I would consider "high end". If you want good wines, bring your own. We found 1 red we though was drinkable in the MDR and one wine steward in Tamarind was even nice enough to run down to the MDR to get it (twice!) as it was not available in Tamarind. We really didn't like the options that they had in Tamarind and I gave up on $8 wines in Sel de Mer and order (and paid full price) for more expensive options.

On boarding, we were presented with a list that showed an Elite Beverage option at allowed wines up to $15. We were not able to upgrade and were told if we wanted it, we would have to pay the full charge for the package ($55/day IIRC). A real disappointment as it was not possible to get that option when we booked the trip (we could only book with the Explore 4 option and the Signature Beverage package).

On our recent K'dam sail we left the laundry between 8 and 9 am when we went to breakfast and it was always back by the end of the day (3 times).

On the recent Fjords sailing on the K'dam the thermal pool was often not crowded (especially on the North Sea crossing heading out) but on at least one occasion when my wife was there it was very crowed with folk that simply walked in the back door to the area from the Lido pool area instead of using the 'main' door where there was a person to check that you had paid for access. The Lido access issue was only observed on one occasion of the times we used the area, but it was an annoyance given what was paid for 'exclusive' use.

We were just on the K'dam for the 7-day Norwegian fjords trip and we signed up for it. It's hard to say if it was worth it as we had some issues that prevented full use.

The giant thermal tub (hot tub) was very nice. It was really interesting to try and use it when we were crossing the North Sea in very large swells (8 meters or more). The tub level would change by almost 1.5 feet as the water sloshed back and forth and went over the sides. :) The warm lounges were better in rough seas.

I got a cold for the last 2 days of the sail and did not want to go to the suite and spread germs around and my wife chose not to go alone. That limited our use (in addition to having the extra day in Port in Amsterdam). Since we simply used on board credits to pay for it, it wasn't an issue for us. It would be great for a 2 week cruise where there would be even more opportunity to use it.

One issue was crowding, even with the 60 person limit. It appeared that some folk 'snuck in' via the doors to the Lido pool area and used the thermal area which made it more difficult to find space.

The rolls are of typical size. We all ordered an appetizer, a bit of sushi, and a main course. We didn't like the wine selections on the menu in Tamarind so out wine guy ran down to the main dining room to get us a bottle of wine we liked (twice). We really enjoyed the meal and the view as we left Geiranger was fabulous.

What we got is Marchesini Brut Vina Spumante. I'm not sure if it's from HAL or AmEx Platinum travel. We were told in the Neptune Lounge it was 'free'. We haven't opened it yet, probably tonight as we turn back to Amsterdam.

Had a really nice dinner in Tamarind last night. Best seat in the house looking out over the back of the ship at the fjord and then sailing out.

Much nicer sailing last night on calm seas.

There was a bottle waiting for us when we got onboard the Koningsdam this week.

The captain told us this morning that the waves got up to 10-12 meters! The ship was much more stable than I would have expected. Best part was I did not get sick. :)

Gala night in the MDR last night was very nice and the food was good. The waves made dining interesting but you couldn't ask for more from the staff. While we expected a 20 min wait to get seated, they took us in immediately (at 7 pm). We've never had to wait to get seated and the staff have generally been attentive.

We used tenders in Geiranger today. They used 6 tenders and it took a good 45 minutes of sitting around from w hen we had to report for our shore excursion before the took us to a tender. It seemed a bit disorganized and could have been better if they had provided more information up front.

So far still enjoying the trip and the ship.

This will be a bit long as I have 3 days of impressions so far. Most are good and we are enjoying the trip.

First, this the maiden cruise for my wife and I. We didn’t think we’d enjoy cruising an a big ship (more than 250 passengers) due to crowding but our friends convinced us to join them on this 7-day cruise to view the Norwegian fjords. Our preconceived notion was that we would not like a big ship.

The second consideration for me was also ship size, but this time the other way around. I get sea sick and thought that the Koningsdam might be a good test to see how I would do on a bigger ship. If it works well, I’d be willing to try a smaller ship. At the small 8 passenger fishing boat I know I fail and get sick. My wife gets claustrophobic so I thought we would do the first cruise with a larger cabin and we booked a Neptune Suite.

I joined CC to read about the Koningsdam and get some tips on what to expect. You folk have been a great help in setting expectations for this trip.

This is day 3 on the ship and I figured I’d use some of the time at sea to start pulling together my thoughts so far.

Boarding was simple and as folk have described it. We had no wait to get checked in and were sent to a lounge where we waited about 20 minutes before we were boarded ~25 minutes before HAL scheduled us.

We had our first disappointment at boarding – the ship was not to sail as scheduled and we would spend 22 hours at the dock in Amsterdam. We were informed that the delay was due to weather and that we would not be able to follow the schedule because of wind and waves. While this was a bummer, we had been warned both by HAL (reading the fine print in all the crap they send) and by CC forum posts. We decided to roll with it.

We waited for our luggage to show up (about 1 hour) before leaving the cabin and going exploring. Based on CC posts I knew that if we wanted to enjoy the Thermal Suite we would need to do that quickly, so as soon as we came across the spa we took a tour. We did pay the extra for the thermal suite after taking a look at the facilities. We found that the 60 slots were filled soon after we signed up. I don’t think the folk that had a later boarding would have even had a chance to sign up (they were gone before they could board).

HAL had scheduled us to some very early dining times on days we didn’t want for Pinnacle Grill and Canaletto. So I used the concierge in the Neptune lounge to get times and dates we wanted. There was a massive line at guest services so we were happy to have this option.

We had lunch in the Main Dining Room and dinner in Pinnacle Grill while we sat in port. The lunch was ok and dinner was nice and service was ok to good.

It didn’t take the 4 of us to develop a significant dislike for the beverage package. The servers in the MDR couldn’t tell us what was included and what wasn’t and said we had to wait for a wine steward to come and take our order and explain it. It took almost 30 minutes to get a wine steward to come to the table. She explained what was covered and what wasn’t. We also were given information that HAL now has a better package, I think it was called the Premium Beverage Package, but we could not ‘upgrade’ from one package to the other. I had asked our TA about different packages when we made our reservation and she called HAL but was told the Signature Package was the only one available. It would be nice if HAL made changes, they would make provisions for folk who got the only package available at booking to upgrade. We are folk that really enjoy fine wine and the $8 limit means the only time we will enjoy a nice wine is when we open one of the bottles we brought on board.

Day 2 was relaxing and allowed us more time to explore the ship while we sat in port. My wife and I both did a workout and used the thermal suite. We liked it a lot. The exercise room was crowded but we only had to wait ~5 minutes before the cycles we wanted were freed up.

Lunch on day 2 was on the run as we didn’t finish our workouts until about 1:30 and we had to rush to get a bite in the Lido before the muster drill. As we had been warned by folk on CC, the Lido was a zoo with a table very hard to obtain. That difficulty aside, the food was better than expected.

Dinner on day 2 was in Canaletto. Service was fair to ok and the food was ok to good. The experience was ok, but I don’t think we will want to return to it for dinner. Our Italian restaurants at home have better food and better service.

As we were having our day 2 dinner we were moving from the canal to the North Sea. Weather was as promised – windy and big waves. By the time we went to bed, the sea was getting pretty rough.

We were up early on day 3 thanks mostly to the weather. The size of the Koningsdam is certainly a big help. We had swells of 3-4 meters in the morning that increased to 7-8 meters by lunch time. I’m doing fine so far thanks to a Scopolamine patch. It’s strange to be on something so big that moves around as much as it does. It feels like a bumpy airplane ride that has gone on for 24 hours now but it’s not a big problem. We can walk around ok but they have cancelled some activities and closed off some of the upper decks.

We repeated our exercise and thermal suite experience of the day before. The thermal suite is interesting when you get 2 foot waves in the big tub. We smiled and enjoyed it but water was flying around.

Tonight is a Gala night and we will be in the MDR for it.

So far we are pleased with the ship. We get a bit tired of the staff trying to upsell us for activities (lot’s of requests to do a wine tasting) but it’s not too obnoxious. The two guys that take care of our cabin are superb and the cabins are very nice. Bigger and nicer than I expected.

Not to side-track the OP's question, but where/how does one signup for an internet package once on board? My wife and I will be taking our 1st cruise on the Koningsdam in August and I'm trying to make sure I know how things work. Same question for cell phone access. The HAL web site directs you to an AT&T site but when I was setting my AT&T phone up for the ground portion, I was told I can only do the phone on the ship as the Koningsdam doesn't have anything with AT&T. Can I just go to the Neptune lounge and get help from the concierge there (we are in a NS, wanted to maximize the likelihood we'd enjoy our first cruise)?

I look forward to your continued posts for this segment of your trip.

My wife and I will be doing our first cruise ever on the Kdam Aug 7-14. It's certainly interesting to read the reports to have some idea of what to expect before we go.

I'm not sure how you can use GOES without your card. To avoid the long lines for normal entry, you goes to the machines for GOES, insert your card, let it take your finger prints, scan your passport and fill out the form. It then prints a receipt that you show as you walk through the exit.

Most GOES people are business travelers and simply select "no" for all of the stuff on the form (no purchases, no alcohol, no farm visits, etc). It takes about 20 seconds.

And yes, the 'interview' is very quick. I was lucky compared to many and only had to drive 15 minutes to get to SFO for mine (~6 years ago when the program started). Also, AmEx paid for my fee. United would have also. Check your credit card benefits to see if it is listed or check with your primary air traveler for if you qualify.

Ask your doctor, you might be able to DIY or have your spouse do it.

I give my wife her allergy shots every week. I simply had to get "trained" by a nurse to do the shots. I'm a biochemist and have given animals shots often in the past, so it was no issue for me. My wife carries an Epi pen just in case of an issue. We get 8 weeks of shots at a time and simply bring the required doses with us when we travel.

As noted, as many items as you want as long as it fits and they are not too big.

TSA-Pre is wonderful and I've never had them ask me to remove the liquids bag for inspection in over 5 years. (I'm looking forward to my first cruise, but have flow over a million miles.) If you are not TSA-pre and want to get it, the simplest way is to sign up for a GOES card (do a search on Global Entry). It makes entry back into the USA easier too.

If you travel a lot and get tired of zip lock bags that look beat-up after 2 trips, you can get a nice, durable bag from Amazon. For example: http://www.amazon.com/Flight-001-Carry-Clear-Quart/dp/B00H8T0YXE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462496550&sr=8-1&keywords=tsa+bag+clear

I believe Laffnvegas' LIVE FROM thread has some pictures of the various outlets around the room... might have been in a different thread though. The info is here, just don't recall precisely where. But I just had a regular verandah room and there were tons of outlets and USB connectors around the room

Thanks, I found the thread and the photos. It looks like we will be set. I was worried as my wife uses a CPAP and needs power near the night stand at the bed.

I'm a newbie and have the same question but for a different ship. I'll be on the Koningsdam in a Neptune Suite in August and was wondering about outlets (number and placement). Any help would be appreciated.