I'm organizing a family trip in May 2025 for 4 for the 14-Day Yukon+Denali: Tour Y3L booking a Neptune Suite. We're in our early 30's and prioritizing the land portion. I do not see us taking another cruise to Alaska for 5+ years at least so we're hoping to make the most of it on land.
I have more questions about the ship. I have read reviews, seen YouTube footage of the rooms & ships, and reviewed the deck maps over many hours. I'm hoping to get some feedback on some questions I couldn't quite get a clear answer on:
Lack of Club Orange private venue on Zaandam - is this a big deal?
Dining - I know the Koningsdam has more options. I'm wondering if they're good enough to warrant picking this ship?
Rooms (Neptune Suite)
On the Zaandam the NS rooms are all on Deck 7 below Lido whereas on the Koningsdam they're also available on Deck 6. We're concerned about the noise so wondering if anyone has insight on whether Koningsdam is quieter even with more people.
Crowds - I've never been on a cruise and wondering if 2500 vs. 1400 people (and weekday boarding for Zaandam vs weekend) makes a big difference.
Views - I've read that the Zaandam has better viewing areas like the crows nest and smaller crowds. That makes me wonder how things are aboard the Koningsdam?
Thanks everyone!
Thank you all so much for the incredible feedback! I booked us for May 14, 2025 aboard the Zaandam! Super excited to report back next year.
