robotpony

It’s fairly minimal. You occasionally catch a whiff from the Rolling Stone room (from the Casion), and occasionally on deck adjacent to the sun bar (outside). I’m fairly sensitive to it and it was fine for our last 3 cruises, even walking through the casino.

It's not any worse than Ft. Lauderdale, in our experience. We sailed in April and embarkation took 1.25 hours (12:30 to 1:45). Lines were long but moved quickly for us, and once through we walked on the ship. Disembarkation was < 15 minutes until we sat in an Uber. August embarkation was similar, about an hour.

We were on the Koningsdam in April, and our ranking was: Nami sushi: a la cart choice was nice, as was the sushi. Tamarind: some amazing dishes here (we wanted to do it again). Canalettos: we did this family style, sharing dishes (everyone enjoyed it). Pinnacle: great food, okay service, but the portions were far too big. Rudy's would be up there, but we didn't do it on that last trip. Portions at Rudy's are also huge. The Dutch Cafe is pretty great, a little bit weird, but worth doing. There are a few desserts that are fantastic. We also found the food here better in April versus November or August of last year. Also: try the fries and peanut sauce just for something completely different.

Highlights: This was an experiment of how-many-sea-days we like, and it turns out we loved the extra sea days. We had an inside cabin and cabana, which worked well ~4 or so of the sea days were very “Vancouvery”, but that didn’t stop us. We bundled up and read until we got too cold to do so, then escaped to the Crow’s nest for coffee. This was as close to a perfect cruise as we could hope for. We kept busy, were up later than we should have been, and made many new friends. We also saw a bunch of Hawaii! The port: The YVR port was good for us, but not for everyone. Embarking was slowish for a few reasons: this was only the 2nd ship of the season and systems were down in the AM. Despite this, we were on board in about an hour after arriving at the port (so by 1:30PM). Disembarking was super fast, but it helped that we knew Canada Place pretty well. Tip: exit out of the port on the far right and skip the taxi/bus lines if you can, took us less than 15 minutes to be on the road (transit or uber a few blocks away). The ship: It was a full, but not too full cruise (2560 pax I think). There were very few kids and the demographic skewed older (making us younger!). Lines were only bad for MDR for early seating on dressy days (tip: eat later when the crowd skews older) We didn’t wait for anything, but we also planned around known busy times. Entertainment: We found many more entertainment options, and many quality improvements as well. There was a new jazz band in ocean bar (also played with the comedians). There was a new main stage act: the Major 4th singers, 2 new shows. There were 3 different comedians (2 had musical acts), that hit all age groups pretty well. There were many more EXC talks, quite varied as well. BB’s, Rolling Stones, and the duelling pianos were all excellent, the highlight of our trip. There was easily 2x more entertainment compared to November or August of ‘22. We missed a bunch of the entertainment, but speciality art classes were back, the art auction, and the regular game shows, trivia, and such. This was Holland America’s 150th, and there was much celebration. They even had a HA Gin and Beer (the Gin was fabulous). There was an Orange party, and a dressy night on King’s day. Food: There were food improvements across the board, and we didn’t have a bad meal or dish. I am an accomplished cook, and quite good at eating too. The MDR was elevated from our last two trips, the Lido was more consistent and varied, speciality restaurants were strong, and the quick eateries were improved. We ate dinners at either the MDR or Lido, about 50%/50% depending how busy we were. We did each specialty restaurant once. Lunches were mostly quick service or the Lido (when on ship). We did High Tea once. We had no bad food, and mostly had excellent food. Service was improved generally, and we still heard too much complaining. We did not wait anywhere for long, but this wasn’t true for early diners in the MDR on a few select nights. Ports and excursions: All port days were excellent, and where we tendered it was fine (tip: remember that tendering can be pretty slow, so plan extra time in your schedule). The highlight for us was the beauty, nature, and stories of the peoples of Hawaii. Fresh poke was a close second. We had one bad tour (a bad guide, poor itinerary), but that’s on us. The other tours were great to fantastic, including the crater national park and wine tour. Our self-directed days were all great, and we found interesting things to do with very little stress, thanks especially to the EXC talks (Betty Ann is a rockstar!). Victoria was a surprise highlight, and walking from the terminal to downtown was perfect during the blossom season. We both grew up visiting Victoria regularly, but hadn’t walked that part of the city in many years. Ship improvements: We were on the Koningsdam in August (and NS in November), and we found the ship in, well, ship shape. The library was not complete yet, but they did have books out in the Crows nest, in addition to a nice selection of games and puzzles. The Crows nest changes were nice (more seating, new seating), and the coffee shop wasn’t moved. Starlink was fantastic, as good as 4/5G in most urban areas. You could stream Instagram and Facebook stories. If you had the streaming package you could stream pretty much anything (we saw a lot of sports on laptops and iPads). There were some minimal changes in the cabanas (some new cabana coverings), but no new hot tub. Things we've learned: There is a flow to a particular ship, itinerary, and passengers. Figure it out! We tended to eat lunch late, so quick service waits were super low. We observed the MDR busy times and avoided it, and didn’t wait there. Bar service is about timing and getting to know the staff. Entertainment flow is similar, learn to avoid rushes, and grab a seat early if you really want to see something. Hit up the later shows if possible. Fun facts: The duelling pianos on the Koningsdam are fake (cases around electric pianos) due to a snag during construction of the ship. They’re real on the NS, and we all laughed when George opened up his piano to show an empty box. They sounded great, despite that. Canadian ports have really weird rules for bar service (we’re Canadian, so it’s a fun fact for us). Only 1 bar can operate per floor for “safety” reasons. This makes service in Canadian ports way more work for ship staff. There was some sort of power issue on the ship one night where people got together to sing. That practice continued after hours in a number of venues! We loved seeing guests have so much fun together. What’s next for us? We have more cruises booked! We booked another on this trip, a bucket list cruise to the Antarctic. We love how booking onboard, especially further out, gets you such fantastic deals. Iberian coast (NS) - September 2023 Eclipse tour; Mexican Riviera (Zaandam) - April 2024 Voyage of the Vikings (Zuiderdam) - August 2024 Antarctica (Oosterdam) - January 2025 We’re really enjoying the music, education, and port intense nature of HAL, The great staff and food are a bonus!

I'm not sure it was great value for us (a bit better than break even), mostly because the days we had at Half Moon Cay were pretty short overall. It was nice to have a fixed cost for those drinks, compared to other islands where it was out of pocket, but next time I think we would just pay a la cart.

They are almost always excellent! They're tucked around the corner on that station too, so most people miss them. A few stations have an extra service area around that side that most people miss.

I work in a casual industry, but even in my home office I wear office appropriate clothing. It makes it feel like my workplace!

You used to be able to buy a drink package for the island ($25 or $35 per day?), but I'm not sure if it is still provided. We bought it for one of the two days we were there and each had 3 drinks and a few waters.

We eat dinner about 45% 45% 10% between the MDR, Lido, and speciality restaurants, and about 90% 5% 5% between the Lido, MDR, and quick service for lunch. If we do breakfast, it's the Lido or the late breakfast option at the pizza place. Lido excels at a few quick choices and simple breakfasts (like muesli). Our dinner favourites are the distant lands curries/stir fries, salads, and occasional meat-and-potatoes. The Lido is perfect if we want to catch a show and all of the bands, but the MDR is our favourite on dressy days of all sorts. Speciality stuff is ~1 per week, and is always great. The MDR is great for the experience, and we'll do this late if we do it. Lunches and breakfasts are usually taken up to our cabana, so most of the Lido/quick service business is skipped.

We saw dozens of people in their robes most sea days on the Kongingsdam last week. There are a few reasons that might be okay, but I don't think I could do it.

Uber works very well in Vancouver as well, and we just walk 1 block to the convention centre and catch it there. It's about $75 to home for us, likely a bit less to the Airport. We've never waited more than 10 minutes, and getting out of Canada place is pretty easy if you stick to the right of that huge mass of people.

I learned last trip that HAL offers upgraded HIA on some cruises as well (but I'm not sure if it's only when booked onboard). The "extra" HIA included gratuities, upgraded internet, and the upgraded drinks package. as well as the excursion/dining packages. This is a fantastic value.

I'm pretty sure it's within 90 days (so 3 months). It's a great deal when you can get it!

The only inconvenient outage was the elevators. Lights were limited, entertainment was powered down, the casino was down, and the ship stopped moving. The captain called it backup power and no further explanation was give. Once power resumed it took a good while for various systems to power back up, but guests were able to stay where they were and move around the ship (except for the elevators). The captain did not say if it was an engine or other technical issue, but the ship was very quiet.

The ship was on backup power, so the only real interruption was elevator service. Otherwise it was a brief interruption in an otherwise fantastic cruise, and even with the power on backup food service continued so cruisers could have their required periodic caloric fix 😄 In the past I have seen power outages on other large ships. Our local mega ferries occasionally will stall out due to operator error or malfunction, and it can take some time to get power fully restored. Even in the event of a more complex failure, there are contingency plans in place to resume service quickly.

A few nights ago the power failed in the Koningsdam while we were at the piano bar. It took about 25 minutes to fully resolve, and the last sets for each band were cancelled. A fellow traveler grabbed their personal guitar and played their own set while we were on emergency power. the Lido remained open, but elevators were unavailable. It was a neat experience, and the staff handled it well.

The current piano bar players on the Koningsdam are fantastic too (Kenny and Leina). They’re funny, and their voices work exceptionally well together.

I think Matt said it was a 6 month contract, but it may be to the end of the Alaska season.

On this cruise (Koningsdam, Hawaii), it seems like they are testing out some new acts. The dancers have only 2 nights, and there is a new singing group, and two musical comedians, in addition to more EXC talks. I haven’t seen the BBC Earth program on this itinerary, nor the quartet. Almost all of the shows have been at capacity and people are getting to the venue 30+ minute early.

Tommy, Matt, and Rachel have made their way from the NS to the Koningsdam with a new drummer and bass player (both are excellent). It is great to see them again!

Nope, it’s still there! They have added the shore excursions desk across from it and reconfigured the crows nest.

These machines are great, I use them several times a day. Sadly, I have not seen anyone else use them so far this trip 🫤

Your TA can also book the cabana, which can be helpful if you're coordinating with other parties and want to get space near each other.

I found wifi reliable all over the ship on our last few cruises (i.e., the connection between my device and the ship), and when it wasn't a quick reconnect often fixed it. Reconnect can be as simple as enabling/disabling wifi, though sometimes required going through the app to re-authorize the device (Connect → Internet). Occasionally restarting the HAL app would be needed to get it to work again, for the times it wasn't behaving as expected. Wifi is only half of the equation, though, and internet access. itself is less reliable and is heavily filtered, as well as being throttled. Starlink will be better (once available), but it will also have downtime and regions with limited availability and bandwidth.

The first time we heard about pickle ball we thought someone was pulling our leg. Now it is very popular around here (western Canada), and it looks a lot like table tennis, but on a ¼ tennis court (I think). It seems to be something couples especially enjoy.