Koningsdam review - June 19 - July 10 Baltic and Norway

Hi, all,

It looks like my review will be more useful here than on the Reviews page, so I am copying the bulk of it here. If you want to read it all and see photos, the link is:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=541353

Great cruise, great ship, wonderful service; beware the spa!

We cruised the Baltic for 14 days and then Norway for 7 days on this Collectors Cruise on the MS Koningsdam. Despite mixed reviews on this new ship, we expected it to be fabulous and we weren't disappointed.

Check-in was smooth and the waiting area was comfortable. They even had a souvenir shop in the waiting area, which helped the wait go faster. It was a bit of a hike to get on the ship, but the warm welcome and the shiny new ship made the walk worth it.

Our cabin was a Vista Suite on the Navigation Deck. These suites have the bed moved close to the verandah and the couch and desk/vanity are closer to the closets and bathroom. We liked the rearrangement very much because it made the cabin feel very spacious when you walked in. It also gave extra room for dressing and for getting ready to go out each day. With the bed near the verandah, we enjoyed being able to lay in bed and watch the scenery outside. The bed was very comfortable, as always with Holland America. The new flat-screen TVs are really nice and we enjoyed using all aspects of the programming.

The closets have light-up rods in them, which really help in being able to see your clothes. I loved those! There is also plenty of storage space, at least there was in our cabin. When we first entered, it looked like there wouldn't be enough room to put everything away, but appearances were deceiving. We had lots of room and even had some empty space once we had moved in.

The verandahs have partitions between cabins that can be opened so that you can share your verandah with another cabin. That was great because we were traveling with friends next door. On Deck 8, the overhang was minimal, so watch out for water coming from above!

There is new furniture all over the ship - styles that we haven't seen on other ships. In the cabin, the desk/vanity chair is a big improvement. It's very comfortable and doesn't have arms, making it slide under the desk easier and making it a good fit for everyone. The Lido chairs are very pretty and shiny - chrome frame and arms - but they are really, really heavy! After 21 days, my arm strength had built up and I could move them a little easier, but for the first week it was quite a job to pull one out. All of the chairs on the ship seemed to be a bit wider than on other ships and they were all comfortable.

We purchased unlimited laundry and our clothes were cleaned and pressed promptly, sometimes getting them back the same day. The only mishap was that one of the belt loops on my jeans came loose. A few days later, it was intact again - they sewed it back on for me, without me asking. I was delighted!

We ate in the main dining room, the Pinnacle, and Tamarind. All were wonderful. The food in the main dining room was the best we have had during our cruises with Holland America. The Pinnacle was exceptional, both for lunch and for dinner. And Tamarind always takes our breath away. The wasabi-encrusted filet is my favorite selection of the whole ship.

One difference in the main dining room is that there was no Yum Yum man - even though I never took any of his offerings, I missed his smile as we left the dining room each evening.

Lunches alternated between the Dive-In, for both burgers and hot dogs, and the New York Deli, for pizzas. All were excellent. I was very pleased to be able to custom order my burgers without a bun - they didn't even blink and always served it perfectly.

Service throughout the ship was quite good. The only place that could have used improvement was our first room steward. He was ending his contract after the first half of our cruise and it seemed that his head wasn't in it anymore. We had to beg for laundry bags nearly every day, which was annoying. That said, he did keep the room spotless, so we appreciated that. Our second room steward was perfect!

The public spaces on the ship are all quite wonderful. We especially liked the Queen's Lounge, which is now on an exterior wall and has windows. Compared to the ships where it is in the interior, it was especially lovely. The art pieces throughout the ship, as well as the flower arrangements, have a musical theme and are gorgeous.

We didn't take in much entertainment, but what we did was great. I especially enjoyed the talk with the Lincoln Center musicians and hearing about their training and interests.

The only place on the ship that really disappointed us was the spa. We always buy a pass for the thermal suite because we enjoy the hydro pool and the thermal beds. On this ship, everything had been redesigned, but not for the better. The pool is ringed with a rain shower, which sounds nice, but it was loud and if you leaned back while resting in the pool, you had rain in your face. Also, there are two very strong showers in the middle of the pool, aimed at each other. We saw a woman nearly get knocked over because of the force of them. And if anyone who had broad shoulders (like my DH) was in one, the spray went everywhere, including all over me as I was reclining. Needless to say, we got out of there pretty fast and went to the room with the thermal beds. Sadly, they were a disappointment, too. First, there were no hooks for hanging one's robe and no collection point for towels, meaning there were piles of used towels laying around. Then, the beds were in a U shape, so instead of looking out to the sea, we were looking at other people on their beds. Finally, the room was part of the traffic pattern to the hydro pool and other amenities, so there was a constant flow of traffic through the room. It was not relaxing in the least. Finally, we gave up, and while leaving we told the receptionist that we hated it and would not be returning. First, she though were were joking, but then realized we weren't. She had the manager call us a bit later. Her first words were that she had refunded our money - and we hadn't even asked for that. I had to ask her if she didn't want to hear anything about why we hated it. With some prompting, she did listen, but I got the feeling it wasn't the first time she'd had this conversation. The spa is why I rated Fitness & Recreation so poorly - it is the only vaguely fitness-related thing we do on the ship and it was a total disappointment.

We attended a couple of special events that were very nice. In the past, we were invited to a cocktail party for those on Collector Cruises. In this case, we were invited to a special lunch, an Indonesian Rijstafel. It was really delicious and something special. We also attended a reception with the Captain where I received my 100-day medallion. This was beautifully done and our group had a wonderful time.

We took two HAL excursions, one in Copenhagen and another in Oslo. Both were good in getting us to the major sights and giving us a little time for souvenir shopping. The Copenhagen tour ended about an hour early, though. The guide kept fussing that we were going to be late, but we weren't. I never figured that out. We also took several excursions with SBP Tours (St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Stockholm, Berlin) and those were priced better and had much smaller groups (one tour was only nine!), which was great. Those excursions were more liked forced marches, however, and in Berlin we didn't even get a chance to buy as much as a magnet. Since I enjoy taking small souvenirs home from each destination, that was disappointing. I did like SBP, however, and recommend them highly.

At the end of our cruise, weather kept us from returning to Amsterdam and we ended up disembarking in Rotterdam. HAL provided buses to get us back to Amsterdam, which meant a bit of craziness, but all in all, they handled it very well.

In total, a spectacular cruise on a beautiful new ship! We can hardly wait for our next one!

Best regards,

Priscilla

Thank you for your comprehensive review. We are booked on this cruise next year and were wondering which port was used in Copenhagen since there are now three.

Thank you for the review.

Thank you for your review! We're booked on the K for 2 weeks in January.

I know what you mean about having to beg for laundry bags. We had the same issue on the Maasdam. :(

We also used SPB tours in St. Petersburg and Berlin (2 years ago, Eurodam). I think the time is so limited in Berlin because of the long ride to and from, it doesn't leave any time for shopping. I like to pick up at least a magnet from each place too. I see I have one for Berlin, so we must have had a couple minutes somewhere. :confused: Our guide's name was Heather.

Priscella,

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts on the KDam. We all learn from on another's experiences. That is what makes Cruise Critic so special!

I'm sorry, but I can't remember which port we used in Copenhagen. I believe it was the one that was closest to everything. We took one of the ship's tours there, so all we had to do was get on a bus. Whichever port it was, there was a long line of shops (it was labeled as outlet shopping) along the pier walk.

Thank you for your comprehensive review. We are booked on this cruise next year and were wondering which port was used in Copenhagen since there are now three.

Best regards,

Priscilla

I'm sorry, but I can't remember which port we used in Copenhagen. I believe it was the one that was closest to everything. We took one of the ship's tours there, so all we had to do was get on a bus. Whichever port it was, there was a long line of shops (it was labeled as outlet shopping) along the pier walk.

 

 

 

Best regards,

Priscilla

Thank you, no problem. We have been there quite a few times and probably just take the HAL shuttle (if offered) into town.

Thanks for writing a review on the Koningsdam. I am glad you liked the ship.

Nice to see a thread with a positive theme.

Thank you very much!

Excellent report, thank-you.:)

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

I clicked onto your link -- loved the pictures.

Glad you had a wonderful cruise.

Thanks for posting. A great review - glad you had a wonderful trip. I'm now more excited for our November cruise on Kdam!

Thanks for reading my review, everyone! I'm glad you've enjoyed it. There's nothing like life on a cruise ship, especially a shiny, new one!

Best regards,

Priscilla