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We were on the October 10th, 2021 sailing aboard Koningsdam....as her first sailing after the COVID cruise hiatus. The ship was sailing about 50% capacity and it was a wonderful experience for DW and I. The crew was incredible, and of course the ship was immaculate. Monterey was dropped, but that wasn't a surprise. I wouldn't hesitate to sail another California Coastal, and K'Dam is our new favorite BHB. It was great to be back to sailing again......the crew's mantra was 'Welcome Home'!

We are booked for the April 6th, 2024 sailing aboard Volendam. This will be our first time to sail through the Panama Canal. I am retiring in June of this year, and looking forward to longer cruises. I will be following along to hear Crew News thoughts about Volendam. Our first HAL cruise was in 1998 aboard Veendam, so looking forward to returning to a smaller HAL ship.

Thanks everyone for their thoughts and input. Looks like we will be sailing Volendam next year!

DW and I are looking to book a Full Transit Panama Canal Cruise for 2024. However, when I search for 2024 Panama Canal Cruises, I don't see any full transit cruises aboard Pinnacle Class ships. We are totally hooked on the Pinnacle Class ships. We love the dedicated Club Orange Dining Room, Grand Dutch Cafe, and New York Deli. Our first cruise was in 1998, aboard Veendam. Our first Alaska cruise was aboard Zaandam. We've sailed all 4 Vista Class Ships, and most of the Signature Class Ships. We've enjoyed all of these classes of ships, but, when we sailed aboard Koningsdam for the first time, it was like something clicked. We'd found the ship that fit us perfectly! Does anyone in the group have any inside information that might know if HAL is planning to offer any full transit Panama Canal cruises aboard a Pinnacle Class Ship anytime soon? Thanks, in advance, for your replies. Sam

I think the best drip coffee onboard HAL is the Rotterdam 1873 drip coffee in the Grand Dutch Cafe. And, the Heineken, on tap, is a good beer.

I think Pete hosts all of the Mixology classes and events. We saw him several time on Koningsdam during our Alaska cruise. He served us at the Whiskey tasting at 'Notes'. He's a really engaging guy!

Thanks Miss G, missed that. I guess there was some confusion about which ship the missing crew member was from. We appreciate the crew so much for their hard work and dedication to making sure your cruise is a memorable one.

There’s been another thread on CC reporting that a Koningsdam crew member has been reported missing and supposedly went overboard. Have there been any announcements, or talk among the other crew or passengers, to your knowledge?

We sailed aboard Koningsdam in June, and we docked at the Ore dock during our visit to Skagway.

Hello Steve4031, enjoying your updates....Erza is a gem! Please tell her that Sam & Cyndie say hello! We were aboard Koningsdam June 11 - 18. And if Kathy is still in the Neptune Lounge, you will love her, too!

Hey Pete, from what I'm reading on the Reykjavik Grapevine website, they are discouraging tourist from visiting the eruption site. They say that the hike in is very treacherous and long, and that the gasses from the eruption can be very dangerous...if not fatal.

Thanks for allowing us to follow along Pete! We had originally booked this cruise, but ended up cancelling and decided to do another land trip to Iceland instead. DW and I lived in Iceland in 1973, when I was attached to NAV STA Keflavik. You'll fall in love with Iceland. We've had the pleasure of returning to Iceland in 2018 and 2019.....then you know what happened after that. We're arriving in Reykjavik on August 27th and spending 14 days travelling around the country. You mentioned what foods to try on this trip, and we love the fish, lamb, and cheese in Iceland. But, it you want to really step out on a limb, try the hakarl....it's fermented Greenland shark. You can find it almost anywhere....and it's mostly tourists that try it......ONCE! Good luck on trip.....fair winds and following seas!

We arrived in Juneau June 13th aboard Koningsdam....had rain that visit, as well. From what I've viewed this season, Juneau seems to have had more rainy days that sunny ones....a little jealous, as we've been sweltering in 100+ degree heat and almost no rain since we returned home June 19th.

We traveled with a group of 6 in June, on Koningdam to Alaska. We had no trouble showing up for breakfast, or dinner, and getting a table for our group. However, I do believe that you can speak to the Club Orange dining room manager and they can reserve a table for your group, as well.

Only one?😝

I wasn't aware that they have drip coffee in the Explorations Cafe....is it a pour over?

I know we all love the specialty coffees in the Grand Dutch Cafe, but I prefer a brewed coffee for my first cup in the morning. And, to be honest, the brewed coffee offered in the MDR and Lido are almost undrinkable....IMO. However, I found that the Grand Dutch Cafe offers a Rotterdam 1873 drip coffee that I fell in love with on our recent Koningsdam Alaska cruise in June of this year. I did some browsing on the internet and learned that this coffee was actually exclusively for HAL ships and comes from Beukenhorst Coffee USA, out of West Palm Beach, FL. If you enjoy a good drip coffee, I'd whole heartedly recommend the Rotterdam 1873 from the Grand Dutch Cafe.

I'll say 'Amen' to your comment. After sailing twice on Koningsdam and enjoying the Grand Dutch Cafe, among the other added venues, I'm hesitant to sail the ships that don't have these!

We sailed Koningsdam to Alaska R/T Vancouver on June 11th. We were one of the first groups to board (almost exactly at 11am). We were told that the cabins were not ready at that time, and were directed to the Lido. At about 12:00, I checked with one of the Lido staff and was told that the rooms were ready. This has been the first time in a while that the cabins were not ready upon embarkation.

We could not get VeriFly to accept any of our documents. It was a total bust for us.....However, when we boarded Koningsdam in Vancouver, it probably took all of 10 minutes for all 6 in our party to present our ArriveCan receipts, and COVID test results at cruise check in. The facial recognition (photo uploaded to Navigator App) made the whole process a snap.

If you are performing an antigen test, the time frame is 2 days prior to sailing. The PCR test time frame is, as you correctly stated, 72 hours. We tested(PCR test) at a local facility, here in the US, on Wednesday afternoon for a Saturday sailing in Vancouver.

In October, 2021, we stayed at the Hilton Hotel & Marina in San Diego prior to embarking on our California Coastal cruise aboard Koningsdam. We enjoyed the hotel.

When we started cruising HAL, in the mid '90s, it was formal nights, which meant suit and tie for men, and cocktail dresses for women....at a minimum. We looked forward to dressing for dinner and having the photo ops for a cruise memory. We remember taking DW's brother and wife on an HAL Alaska cruise in the early 2000's, providing them with the 'Know before you go' booklet and advising them of the MDR rules and regs. When we stopped by their cabin on the first 'formal night' they came out dressed in blue jeans and matching denim shirts! We just returned from our Koningsdam Alaska cruise last month, and neither of us even bothered packing 'formal' clothing. It was black slacks and a dressy top for DW, and khakis and button-up shirts for me. We just rolled with it and had a great cruise!

I always thought that I liked the smaller ships better....i.e. Zaandam, Amsterdam, etc.. Now that we've sailed the Pinnacle Koningsdam for our first two cruises, post-COVID, the expanded specialty restaurants, stand alone Club Orange, and the overall layout of these ships has changed my mind. Does HAL have plans to integrate these features in their VISTA, or Signature Class ships?

We love the food in the Tamarind restaurant. The Grand Dutch Cafe has great specialty coffees and their draft beers are really good.