MonikaJ42

11 hours ago, KaylaJ13 said:

Sounds so fun! We will be going next year! I have to ask, what was the dress like for dinners and such? Formal nights that need dresses for women and ties for men? Thanks!

It was, you will have a great time.  Day 2 and Day 5 are dressy nights as they call it with photo stations all across the ship.  I have seen people dress to the nines while others were just in jeans and even shorts so really its up to the person 🙂

10 hours ago, horseymike said:

Thanks for taking your time to share your experience . Glad you enjoyed your cruise 🛳️

Thank you! We had a wonderful time 😃

6 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

Beautiful pictures; thanks for sharing. Happy to hear your impressions of HAL were positive and that you'll be back.😎

We really like the K'dam as we quite enjoy Grand Dutch Cafe.

AK is awesome!!

Thank you! Yes she is a beautiful ship, we had a wonderful time 😀

We just got off the Koningsdam and no reservations required.  Some days we would show up early and others late and would never have to wait for a table.  There was 5 of us.  Service in the Club Orange dining room was awesome.  We really enjoyed it.  

1 hour ago, oakridger said:

Very nice pictures and review!  If I go back to Skagway, I plan on doing the same as you and renting a car and driving up.  The train is really enjoyable too, but I have been on it three times so a change of scenery will be good next time.

 

Thank you for taking the time to give us your review.

 

~Nancy

Thank you, yes the drive is quite nice and so scenic.  It’s so worth it 😀

1 hour ago, zonk42 said:

Thanks for your review. We’ll be on the same ship and itinerary next May. Where were the pictures with all the sand taken?

Carcross Desert along the drive from Skagway to Emerald Lake 😀

Hi All

We are back from our fist HAL cruise and wanted to provide our thoughts and comments. 

Embarkation: From Vancouver.  We were all worried as we heard such horror stories but to our surprise it was really quick and smooth.  We had Club Orange so the priority embarkation I'm sure helped matters as we arrived to the port at 11:30am and stepped foot on the ship at 11:49am.  There was only 2 ships in port, the Koningsdam and the Majestic Princess.  

Cabin: Vista Suite 5127.  Great location and layout.  It was the perfect size for the 3 of us.  The pull out couch was overall comfortable.  Minor comment was the on and off vibration that you could clearly feel but it was not overly bothersome.  Our stateroom attendant was absolutely wonderful, always smiling and knew our names by day 1.  We would definitely book this room again.

Ship: The Koningsdam is a beautiful ship, the perfect size, not too big or small.  She's 7 years old but in great shape. All the public areas/restaurants are clean and well taken care off.  Casino is on the smaller size but we still had fun gambling.  There was always something happening for entertainment purposes.

Ports of Call: Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay and Ketchikan: This was my 2nd cruise to Alaska (1st on the Disney Wonder) and my parents first.  . Juneau, we did the salmon bake which was ok (not sure we would do that one again) For Skagway, just be aware, it is a tad of a walk to town from where the ship is docked.  So if you have mobility issues and planning to walk to town, give yourself some time.  We rented a car when we got to town and drove up to Emerald Lake, the drive is absolutely beautiful and scenic and I highly recommend it as you can stop anywhere you want and I think you see more than taking the train. Glacier Bay was just WOW.  Pictures do not really do it justice.  Ketchikan was the only port where we had rain but the rain stopped by the afternoon. Of all the towns, my parents enjoyed Ketchikan the most.  Creek street and the lumberjack show are a must do.

Food/Drinks: The food was good and plentiful.  Drinks were well made and served quickly.  We had breakfast/dinner in the Club Orange dining room.  Service was quick and you were made to feel very welcome.  We ate at the Pinnacle Grill on day 2 as our included specialty restaurant in the have it all package.  We liked our dinner but all agree that we probably would not have paid the surcharge to eat here otherwise.  The highlight for us was Tamarind.  We paid the $35 surcharge and was blown away by the service and food.  Everything was delicious and just a great experience that we highly recommend.

Disembarkation: As we had Club Orange, we had the option of 8-9:30am disembarkation time (Group Black 1).  We had our final breakfast in the Club Orange dining room and was off the ship by 8:30am.  Breezed thru Canadian customs and in the car driving home by 9am.

Final Thoughts:  A wonderful cruise and just a great experience. Definitely would book with HAL again.  I'm thinking soon as due to our play in the casino, we received free cruise offers!  Bring on the next one!

Thanks for reading, here are some pictures.

It’s definitely a little tight but manageable.  The sofa bed itself is actually comfortable so I’m sure she will like it.  Wishing you a great cruise! 

Here are some pics of the sofa bed. 
Overall nice room, would book again. 

5 hours ago, Cheadle_Chick said:

  

We are on the same cruise! 

So exciting! We just can't wait!

On 8/29/2023 at 11:21 AM, Loreto said:

Enjoy the Koningsdam.....especially Gelato and Grand Dutch Cafe☺️! Have a great cruise!

Thank you so much!  We are very much looking forward to it!

4 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Right... maybe 122 is too much for him? 🫣

Wowsers!! 

12 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

James Taylor  - thanks for that, I love that 🎵 🎶 

Yes, sunny AK is stunning. I just wanted OP to realize there are things to do almost no matter the weather. 

In May, we were blessed with piercing blue skies, a bit of rain and clouds.

 

 

Thank you, beautiful pictures!!

15 hours ago, Loreto said:

Sounds like you are on my cruise...the Eurodam the 2nd.  I am packing layers and an umbrella.  This is my 10th Alaska cruise, sailing in every month.  Weather is always unpredictable.  Never had an excursion cancelled.  Alaska is spectacular whatever the weather!

No we are on the Koningsdam out of Vancouver ☺️ Thanks so much for your response!

Hi All

We are 4 days away from our cruise, so excited!.  I just looked up the weather forecast for the ports and it looks like a mix of rain and sun. 

Juneau, 100% rain forecasted for the 4th 😞  We booked the salmon bake, could it possibly be cancelled? Are the tables covered?

How's Alaska in the rain?

It is what it is but was so hoping for good weather...

Thanks in advance!

14 minutes ago, oakridger said:

 

People have reported the time has changed for them more than once in the couple of weeks/days before sailing.  As the others have said, since you have Club Orange you will have priority boarding no matter what.  Have a great cruise!

 

~Nancy

Thank you! Appreciate the response! 

On 8/21/2023 at 10:39 AM, CruiserBruce said:

As you have Club Orange, you will board in the Priority group. Not with Group D. Many discussions on people's experiences here.

HAL just changed our time from 11am to 11:20am and boarding group D to E now…Is that normal for them to change it? Will it get changed again? We cruise Sept 2.  

14 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

It's not a boarding time, it's a check in time. You got the best one.

 

Cursing out of Vancouver? Why?

LOL no not cursing!  Post corrected.   I understand the 11am is the port arrival time, I was more curious about the boarding group D 🙂 

14 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

What does the "PAT" refer to?

Port Arrival Time 🙂

13 hours ago, crystalspin said:

If you can do it, you should take a couple pics with the sleeper made up (the stewards will put it away during the days) -- and upload them to HalFacts.com. This question comes up from time to time!

For sure as i was looking for the same pics or even a video and there is none.  

Hi all, we just got assigned our arrival time and boarding group.  11am, boarding group D. We added CO to our booking. First time cruising with HAL, did we get assigned a good time? Cursing out of Vancouver to Alaska.  Looks like the ship is sold out.  
 

4 hours ago, triiip42 said:

Hi

It has been awhile since you posted this. We are wondering if you sailed and if you used the vista suite sleeper sofa? We know about the veranda rooms and sleepers.

We are looking at a cruise on the Koningsdam in a vista suite with sleeper sofa , with our granddaughter.

I have looked all over HalFacts and these threads(could have missed it) but have not come across a description or photos of the room with the sleeper set up. 

Several questions: With the sofa/bed in use can you get by it to the bathroom? How much room is there between it and desk?  Can a 5'6" person sleep/fit comfortably on it? Looking for that type of info....

Thank you

Have not cruised yet, our cruise is in a couple weeks.  I will report back for sure! 

12 hours ago, terrydtx said:

I think you will love HAL and whoever posted that youtube video may have had an axe to grind with HAL and should be taken with a grain of salt. We have never had a bad meal in any HAL MDR or buffets. We did a 14 night cruise last August on the Oosterdam and never heard or saw anything about food shortages. The only shortage I knew about was they ran out of Macallan 12 year old Scotch at $18 a shot, my favorite pre dinner drink. Last year I had to pay the full $18, this year I will only have to pay $7 with the HIA drink package.

Thanks so much! I am feeling much better and getting more and more excited. I'm taking my parents and this will be their first cruise overall so I think I'm just overthinking things.  We are pretty easy going people so I'm sure if there ARE any hiccups, we still will have a good time 🙂   Thanks again!

Thank you everyone that responded, you are all truly wonderful, thank you for taking the time to make me feel better!!  Happy Cruising!!

9 hours ago, disneyochem said:

I just got off the Koningsdam (August 12) and had a fabulous time as always (4th time in Alaska on her).  It was a full ship but I think it is designed to hold the crowds.  Always able to find prompt bar service and areas to view glaciers and wildlife.  Hubby tweaked his knee playing golf so we ended up using the elevators more than usual but never had more than a few minutes wait each time. 
 

I was on a VIP casino cruise so spent some time in the casino.  I only play slots but I was always able to find open machines though some machines (Buffalo etc) were difficult to find open.  The Koningsdam has a little room with slot machines forward to the casino that adds to the number available.  We were in Juneau and Skagway until the evening on port stops so the casino didn’t open until 9 or 10 pm but that happens on port days!

 

Didn’t experience any food shortages but we were Club Orange this trip.  We only eat twice a day on a cruise so only had breakfast and dinner—never visited the buffet so can’t really comment on what the shortages might have been.

 

Lots of great musical entertainment on board as well as a naturalist and Alaska-themed enrichment.  I don’t like the enrichment talks because I have seen them before.  Since this is your first cruise, it will be new to you!  HAL has a number of Alaskan presentations that they use on their ships and have used for the past two years!

 

I only had one beef with the HIA package.  I ordered a Cosmo at the Sea View Bar on the first day.  Bartender told me it was not covered by my package—cost $1 more.  So I paid the $1.18 for my Cosmo.  I was on the Westerdam in July and the drink was covered by the HIA package.  Guest Services told me the new price went into effect August 1.  What irked me was that my Lemon Drops were covered but not cosmos! 
 

We like the Koningsdam and have three more cruises booked on her.  The staff and crew are phenomenal!  I think you’ll have a great cruise!

Thank you so much for your detailed response!  I feel better, thank you!