Koningsdam Mini Review

I am posting this mini-review on this forum to be able to address some of my inquiries from previous posts as I was planning for my cruise and answer any questions anyone might have. This is just a collection of some of my observations based on this being the first cruise my partner and I have taken with HAL. As you can see from my past cruises, I have tried most of the major lines and Celebrity has been my favorite, so wanted to give HAL a try to see how they compare.

Firstly, I have to say that I loved the décor of the ship and thought the size was as big as any ship I would ever want to sail on again. I feel that the ships keep getting bigger and bigger and they just keep packing in more and more passengers, so as best they tried to manage this I really felt that there were just too many people on board and much of our time was spent trying to avoid the crowds. Smaller is better for me personally.

Here are some general thoughts and observations from my perspective that might be of help or interest.

Food:

I thought the food in the main dining room was on par with Celebrity and we thought the service was excellent. We sprang for the “Distinctive Dining” package which enabled us to experience Pinnacle Grill, Tamarind, and Canaletto, and I must say that there is a definite difference in the quality of the food. All three dinners were excellent and well worth the extra cost. The Lido was just OK and always very crowded. I don’t see how they could have done a better job in dealing with 2,700 or so passengers all wanting to eat at just about the same time. I liked the fact that they served the food at the buffet lines, kept the tables set up with silverware and served beverages at the table which helped manage the crowds a bit better. I thought the coffee was awful, and was not a fan of the pastries and bagels. The bagels served were in my opinion especially bad and, and the danish pastries dry and unfavorable. Mind you I am not very picky in this area. Panera Bread and Dunkin Donuts standards would be fine by me and one that should be able to be achieved by HAL. I had to go to the Grand Dutch Café and pay extra to get a decent cup of coffee. Speaking of the Grand Dutch Café, to me service and food served there was one of the highlights of the cruise. I loved all the specialty items they featured which were all free and it was never busy. One of the best kept secrets of the ship in my opinion and I would highly recommend it! I very rarely saw people ordering from “Gelato”, probably because they served free ice cream all day at the buffet so why pay for it? I loved the burgers served at “Dive In” and the pizza and sandwiches were very good at the “NYDeli”. I am not sure they know what to do with the “Culinary Arts Center”. It seemed to be underutilized and not quite the right venue for the happy hour and lite bites menu they were serving. Takes up quite a bit of space and seems underutilized.

Pool Areas:

Always crowded and chaotic around the pools, but plenty of quiet and space on the upper decks. Although there were not many kids on board, what kids there were pretty much took over the pools and hot tubs the entire time. The aft pool should be made adults only as many lines do to address this, especially since it is also the smoking area and packed with smokers.

Entertaiment:

Loved the World Stage layout and digital technology, but the performances were just OK. Lincoln Center Stage was a big hit and the performers where amazing. Such a shame that loud sounds of the “Hello Kitty” themed slot machines and other noise travelled down from the spiral stairway. This was so disrespectful to the musicians and could easily be remedied with a high curved glass wall to separate the spaces better, which I am sure is being considered for the future. Other entertainment venues were also very good.

Cabins:

Loved the balcony cabins, although a bit tight in comparison to Celebrity. The shower was great and the toilet a bit awkward just as others have reported. I loved the Elemis bath products!

Other public Spaces:

The Crow’s Nest was one of the nicest spaces on the ship. It was warm and cozy, much like a big comfortable living room in comparison to the similar space on the Celebrity Solstice class ships. It was so nice and relaxing to spend time up there. The little nook in the corner had some books and could easily be expanded to carve out a more proper library, but there were books, puzzles and games galore. Loved this space! The “Notes” and “Blend” areas were very rarely used. I literally never saw anyone in there during the entire cruise. I think they need to rethink these spaces. The same goes for the high-end jewelryshops. I hardly saw anyone in there. Perhaps the onboard shops are facing some of the same realities as here on land in that people are doing much of their shopping online?

As a final summary, I liked HAL and would do another cruise with them if the price and itinerary is right. Not sure I would say I like them better than Celebrity but they are certainly on the same level. For me though, the crowds are what I find the hardest thing to deal with. I would do better on the more premium line’s smaller ships, but unfortunately that costs for me is a bit unrealistic, but maybe someday!

I took tons of great pics and would be happy to answer any questions, just let me know…

Thank you for your review. We have not cruised the Koningsdam so it was good to hear your impressions.

Joseph123, Thanks. About the Pools: Next month we do a Transatlantic to Italy, so I'm guessin' few kids> So, are the Pools heated nice n warm? Where do people laze and nap with a book/KINDLE without a Promenade Deck w/loungers? Is it packed around the Inside Pool, ie too few loungers? Did you use the Sauna up on 10Forward? Finally, is the GELATO $Free$ ??

Enjoyed your review and pretty much agree with all of it.

We loved the Dutch Café but didn't find anything else that we liked about this ship more than the Nieuw Amsterdam or Eurodam ..... and we like the smaller size of those two, compared to the K'Dam.

Sure, the toilet location isn't a huge deal, but we didn't enjoy the semi-sidesaddle position that had to be taken!

We always book a cabana and could not believe that they downsized the area of the two Family Retreat Cabanas. That alone convinced us not to sail her again because we like to relax there with our son and his wife ... and that Family Retreat Cabana on the K'dam does not allow for that.

All said and done, we are still in love with the NA and Eurodam!

Thanks for your review, my sister is sailing her next month and we, as a family, will be on her March 2019. We are all excited to sail as a family and I am sure we will enjoy the ship.

I will agree with the above poster, I, too, love the Eurodam and NA for sure.

Joseph123, Thanks. About the Pools: Next month we do a Transatlantic to Italy, so I'm guessin' few kids> So, are the Pools heated nice n warm? Where do people laze and nap with a book/KINDLE without a Promenade Deck w/loungers? Is it packed around the Inside Pool, ie too few loungers? Did you use the Sauna up on 10Forward? Finally, is the GELATO $Free$ ??

The pools are not heated nice and warm.

There is a lounging area around the pool and above the pool (a half deck, if you will, overlooking the pool).

The gelato is NOT free.

Joseph123, Thanks. About the Pools: Next month we do a Transatlantic to Italy, so I'm guessin' few kids> So, are the Pools heated nice n warm? Where do people laze and nap with a book/KINDLE without a Promenade Deck w/loungers? Is it packed around the Inside Pool, ie too few loungers? Did you use the Sauna up on 10Forward? Finally, is the GELATO $Free$ ??

I found the pools to be always packed, especially during sea days and believe heated since the water was not cold at all. Lots of areas around the pools for eating and not a whole lot of loungers. The were probably only about 60 kids total of the ship out of 2,700, but they were all in the pools. I hate that there is no space on the promenade deck for loungers, but the upper decks had plenty of wide open spaces. There is an area all the way at the front of the ship on the top deck above the retreat area that is very nice and quiet if it is not too windy. They don't show this space on the deck plans for some reason. I did not use the saunas and the gelato is not free, but as I mentioned there is always free ice cream in the Lido area.

Hi thanks for your review. This will be our first HAL cruise this summer and it will be on the K’dam as well. Did you visit the spa at all? Curious about the thalassotherapy pool in particular. As you know, on Celebrity that pool is open to all adults, and we really enjoyed it on the Summit. Sort of disappointed to learn that it is an up charge to use that pool on the Koningsdam.

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Hi thanks for your review. This will be our first HAL cruise this summer and it will be on the K’dam as well. Did you visit the spa at all? Curious about the thalassotherapy pool in particular. As you know, on Celebrity that pool is open to all adults, and we really enjoyed it on the Summit. Sort of disappointed to learn that it is an up charge to use that pool on the Koningsdam.

 

 

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We have purchased the Thermalsuite pass before but chose not to because it was easier for passersby to look in as compared to the hydropool on other ships. The pass is roughly $249 for two for a seven day cruise.

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

Appreciate your reports on various aspects around the ship.

I am surprised that children were allowed to use the aft pool. On other HAL ships the aft pool has been for adults.

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

 

 

 

Appreciate your reports on various aspects around the ship.

 

 

 

I am surprised that children were allowed to use the aft pool. On other HAL ships the aft pool has been for adults.

Hmm, then maybe the rule just wasn’t being enforced. Lots of people in and around them which I guess should be expected with that many people.

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Hi thanks for your review. This will be our first HAL cruise this summer and it will be on the K’dam as well. Did you visit the spa at all? Curious about the thalassotherapy pool in particular. As you know, on Celebrity that pool is open to all adults, and we really enjoyed it on the Summit. Sort of disappointed to learn that it is an up charge to use that pool on the Koningsdam.

 

 

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Looked pretty neat but I did not get to use it. Did not seem to be crowded at all when I passed by on several occasions. The gym area was never crowded either.

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Thanks so much for reviewing. We are heading away on the Koningsdam in April for 22 nights and my husband has just actually purchased the Distinction Dining package so it is great to hear it was a wise move (not that i would ever doubt my husbands choices :-) I mean .. he chose me obviously hehehe )

Out of interest sake, what floor were you on? How did you find the stability - I have read lots of people saying it is one of the most stable ships in the fleet

Thanks so much for reviewing. We are heading away on the Koningsdam in April for 22 nights and my husband has just actually purchased the Distinction Dining package so it is great to hear it was a wise move (not that i would ever doubt my husbands choices :-) I mean .. he chose me obviously hehehe )

 

Out of interest sake, what floor were you on? How did you find the stability - I have read lots of people saying it is one of the most stable ships in the fleet

We were in cabin #8193, which was the last cabin before the actual aft facing cabins. It was actually a great value and I loved the location with very easy access to the upper decks. We had an actual aft facing cabin on our cruise last summer on the MDC Fantasia and really liked that. I did not really think I felt the notion any more than other locations on the ship, but most would disagree with me. I like feeling a bit of motion when cruising.

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Thank you for reviewing your cruise.

I very much enjoyed reading your review.

Keith

Thanks for the great review. Have to agree the coffee in the Lido on all HAL ships is terrible. I complain about it on every post cruise survey.

Allan

Thanks for sharing the info.

Thanks for taking the time to post your comments.

Pool Areas

 

Although there were not many kids on board, what kids there were pretty much took over the pools and hot tubs the entire time. The aft pool should be made adults only as many lines do to address this, especially since it is also the smoking area and packed with smokers. …

It used to be adults only

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Thanks for the review.

 

OP, next time try the Nieuw Amsterdam or Eurodam that are 1* above the Koningsdam less the Dutch Cafe.

What do you like better about those two ships? We have not been on NA, but really liked Koningsdam.

The only design feature I did not like is that the thalassotherapy pool takes up the entire space that would be the entrance to the lido deck on most ships with large doors off of the elevators. As I recall on Koningsdam you have to go around a narrow corridor off to the side to get to the pool deck.

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What do you like better about those two ships? We have not been on NA, but really liked Koningsdam.

 

The only design feature I did not like is that the thalassotherapy pool takes up the entire space that would be the entrance to the lido deck on most ships with large doors off of the elevators. As I recall on Koningsdam you have to go around a narrow corridor off to the side to get to the pool deck.

 

 

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On the other ships that have the hydropool, it is centered between two hallways that connect the elevators to the Lido pool. On the K, the hydropool is connected directly to the thermal suite (in fact, you have to walk by the ceramic loungers to get to the hydropool). So this took away one of the two hallways. We used the hydropool every day, and even by the end of our 11 day cruise, finding the hallway out to the Lido pool seemed awkward.

I suppose you can see into the hydropool on K'dam more than on the other ships. But you'd have to get up close and peer through the clear spaces between the frosted spaces. I don't recall seeing any blinds or curtains, which I think the other ships have. But I don't see that as a big deal. It isn't as if it's meant to be totally private--you are sharing with other passengers, so who cares who's looking?

Connecting the thermal suite to the pool has pros and cons. The main downside is that people walk through the ceramic lounger area making it less quiet. On the upside, you don't have to walk down a public hallway and find your spa key to get to the thermal suite after you've been in the hydropool.

My complaint about K'dam's hydropool is that it's shallower than the ones on the Vistas and there are no side jets. And the shower head things are much too strong.

Joseph123, other than pool area, did the rest of the ship seem crowded? Was it smooth leaving the ship at the ports? We like the vista class ships, a bit concerned about the larger number of passengers.