ms Koningsdam?

Any information about the quality and ease of the ship would be appreciated. We are new to Holland - only cruised on it one a long time ago and have been on Princess for a long time. We wanted to try something new.

This appears to be a new ship so does to have any problems?

I'm not quite sure what information you're looking for, but I can say that we really enjoyed our two weeks to the Mediterranean this past May. Beautiful, modern ship, good food and service. Entertainment is fine, but some people would like more variety in the evenings.

 

Koningsdam has a really lovely pool area with lots of sofas, chairs and coffee tables, as well as your typical dining tables and chairs. I would not hesitate to sail on Koningsdam again. I'm sure you will enjoy your cruise!

Edited February 16, 2018 by Lady Arwen
spelling

We just came off the ship in January. It was one of my favourite ships. Large bathrooms with showers. The best I have seen. The food for the most part was good and loved the theater.

I liked K'dam.....but what exactly do you mean by quality and ease?

I really enjoyed my two weeks on the Koningsdam last summer. That cruise was a reward to myself after suffering a broken hip in January. Given that I was still a little short on a full recuperation, I had no problems navigating the ship. Even the one day where we definitely felt the motion of the ocean, I was fine.

 

I liked the choices available in dining and I tried them all. I thought the decor was beautiful and the front office desk was very helpful to me. I would gladly said this ship again.

We spent almost 60 days on her and had a wonderful time. Good variety of specialty restaurants, very good pool area and we enjoyed the theatre in the round as well as the music boardwalk area. The staterooms are smaller than HAL’s other ships.

I loved this ship and cannot wait to sail on her again. And the best shower ever!

There are dozens of threads on KDam down the board, with tons of info. Great ship!

Great food options, including Sel de Mer, Gelato, Grand Dutch Café, Tamarind, Pinnacle Grill, Canaletto, and the standard MDR & Lido Buffet. Easy to get around and of course shiny new.

 

We have sailed on her twice now, including a 21 day Caribbean collector and a 7 day eastern Carib. Had an upsell to a Vista suite on the 21 day, and discovered that it was not much more than a Veranda with about 3 feet extra depth and the bed and sitting area flipped. They do give you binoculars and an umbrella! For what they are charging for the Vista Suite, I will stay with a Verandah. While you do get double Mariner points for booking a suite, I have a hard time considering this a suite. Just my opinion. Would rather be on a Vista or Signature Class ship and get a Signature Suite as they are 1.5 times the width of a verandah stateroom.

 

All said, the K'dam is a lovely ship with great crew. You will enjoy her immensely.

Edited February 17, 2018 by jbecker6469
spelling correction

Thank you for all the things you like about the ship. As I said, we are new to Holland and this Holland Board and all Boards are different on CC. It is nice to see such wonderful replies. Your responses have made us look forward to the trip more than when we book.

We enjoyed the K'dam very much on our December 2016 adventure. We booked and inside on Shubert deck fwd and had a wonderful time. Fantasitc mid sized ship < 3000 passengers never had the feeling of crowding. Dining in both included and extra fee were very nice. The entertinment all around was fantastic IOHO. It's a Holland America experience, discrete and subtle.

I'm sailing on the KDam next week for the first time and looking forward to it.:)

I spent 21 nights on the MS Koningsdam in November 2016 and will be cruising on her in a few weeks. VERY nice ship. A bit different from the traditional HA but still a very pleasant time was had. I hope that you will enjoy your cruise!

We spent 21 days last year and will spend 11 days on her next month. Can’t wait to be back on this beautiful ship. Loved the dining venues!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

The Koningsdam is a huge step down from what this brand has once achieved.

I have cruised on this ship and prepared a thorough review of this ship.

However the experience was so disappointing in comparison with the Nieuw Amsterdam (the newest ship built before the Koningsdam) that I still don't have enough enthusiasm to sit and finish it.

In a few words...

We won't cruise on this ship in the future.

Major features have been removed or reduced in favor of cramming in more cabins and increasing revenue.

500 (!!) passengers added, public spaces reduced.

The best spa at sea (what HAL can be proud of) has been ruined.

The iconic HAL promenade deck is gone.

It's not the worst cruise ship at sea of course. It's now more mass market, less Holland America, but not the worst at sea.

But....

The thing is: Quod licet lovi, non licet bovi.

It's embarrassing to see Jupiter doing what bulls are doing.

We prefer not to see this.

I'm sorry, but I respectfully agree to disagree. We loved Koningsdam! The features that you mention as being a step down from the traditional HAL product, did not impact our enjoyment of this ship at all. We were not disappointed at all, in fact we found some features to be an improvement over many of the HAL ships we've sailed on. The Lido pool area is our absolute favourite of any ship on any cruiseline. We're all so lucky to have different ships for different tastes.

I'm sorry RonBe. I forgot my secret decoder ring. But I'm guessing what you said is not a good thing.

I'm sorry, but I respectfully agree to disagree. We loved Koningsdam! The features that you mention as being a step down from the traditional HAL product, did not impact our enjoyment of this ship at all. We were not disappointed at all, in fact we found some features to be an improvement over many of the HAL ships we've sailed on. The Lido pool area is our absolute favourite of any ship on any cruiseline. We're all so lucky to have different ships for different tastes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I'm sorry RonBe. I forgot my secret decoder ring. But I'm guessing what you said is not a good thing.

 

Love your response. We are very much looking forward to our cruise in Oct. (TA), especially after reading the other good reviews.

Love your response. We are very much looking forward to our cruise in Oct. (TA), especially after reading the other good reviews.

 

We did the October TA last year. It was fantastic. In fact, it was hard not to push the button to buy it again this year. And I may still do that. lol

We wholeheartedly agree with you. Yes, Koningsdam is somewhat different but concur that some of features were an improvement, specifically the pool area(s) and the showers—loved them!

 

Loved the promenade deck & library on older ships but booking a verandah and bringing a book/kindle is an easy fix. The way we look at it is we are temporarily checking in — not residing there indefinitely.

 

As for the HAL of years past, I don’t recall a library, verandah cabins or an open walk around promenade. Most of the promenade on the Rotterdam V was enclosed.

 

Yes, we are lucky that we all have so many choices...

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

In order for HAL to compete today with other main stream cruise lines and to continue remaining afloat-literally and figuratively-they had to create this new class of ships and I am grateful that they did. Change can be good if we allow ourselves to find the positive in all cruising experiences. Nothing is perfect!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We wholeheartedly agree with you. Yes, Koningsdam is somewhat different but concur that some of features were an improvement, specifically the pool area(s) and the showers—loved them!

 

I agree. I just wish HAL would have gone with a design that included an impressive central atrium like the other cruise lines.

HAL is not alone.

Cunard new ship is doomed to be built on the Koningsdam platform.

This is a tragedy for Cunard.

Not a tragedy?

Of course not... Every herd has its own black sheep.

Let's allow ourselves to find the positive: other sheeps are not black.

The name for the new ship is being dicussed.

I suggested HMK Oliver Cromwell. :)

 

I am sure they said the same thing about Queen Victoria. ;) It seems to be quite popular now. They also whined about QM2 not being like QE2 but now she too is popular.

I am sure they said the same thing about Queen Victoria. ;) It seems to be quite popular now. They also whined about QM2 not being like QE2 but now she too is popular.

 

And people who loved the old QE and QM were horrified at how modern QE2 was. I'll reserve judgement on the new Queen, and hope Cunard doesn't do some of the things I dislike about the K.

 

My initial reaction to K'dam was not positive. Much of what I didn't like was my own fault because I booked a corner aft. The ride was horrendous (there's a whole other thread about that) and the bathroom was bad. No towel bars anywhere and the shower was smaller than a phonebooth. Come on, I paid a lot of for Neptune suite, could I at least wash my hair without banging my elbows into the sides of the shower??????? (I've since learned that a NS along the side has a decent shower.) And it was a hike to everywhere! (except dinner, which was an elevator ride away) We rarely used the Neptune Lounge because it was too far away to bother going. We actually went to the MDR one morning because service in the Pinnacle was so terrible. Word must have gotten back that we were in the MDR (they ask your cabin number) because the Pinnacle manager called me to ask what had gone wrong.

 

Sell, sell, sell! We got the hard sell everywhere we went--pushing packages, trying to sell the upcharge restaurants, even a little card on the table at dinner saying they had fresh stone crabs for $39 per pound. Either I learned to ignore it, or the selling eased off after a few days, but it was not a good first impression. Certainly not the way other HAL ships feel.

 

I agree with Ronbe62, the spa is not as nice as it is on the Vistas. The pool is shallower and there are no side jets for your legs, which I always used. The shower thing in the middle is so strong that if someone stands under it, everyone gets splashed. This is not restful. There are fewer places to sit in the pool area. And you have to walk through the thermal suite (ceramic lounger area) to get to the hydropool. The traffic reduces the relaxing feel of the loungers. The changing rooms are farther from the thermal suite and smaller. Also oddly arranged.

 

The main showroom is so small in proportion to the ship that even with 3 shows per night they can seat only about half of the passengers in total. And that was a theme I heard in talking with many passengers. The ship is bigger but the cabins and public spaces are smaller. (Also less staff--waiters seemed rushed and cabin attendants less than attentive) Only exception I saw was the Lido pool area, which definitely is larger because of the second deck and very nice. There is something wrong with the design of the dining room. It's loud. There's an overall din that is wearying. Difficult to have a conversation without shouting and adding to the noise level. Maybe too many people in the space?

 

The ocean bar has a stage and dance floor, the perfect venue for a small band like the Neptunes (anyone remember them??) Instead, they had a so-so piano player that only about half the people listened to--the rest talked.

 

I began to dread the rest of the cruise. I started thinking "If this is where HAL is going they can $%^&ing well go without ME!"

 

But after the first 2 days we found things we did like. The biggest plus was Lincoln Center Stage. Those musicians are excellent and that became our evening entertainment most nights. I sail Cunard, too, and I think their entertainment--both quality and variety--are top notch. As I listened to Lincoln Center, I thought Wow, this is better than Cunard.

 

After a few days our waiters got to know us and got into a pattern where they seemed less rushed and could anticipate our needs and even find time to chat a bit. We got used to the spa and started going very early so that it would be less busy, and we adjusted to the odd layout. We discovered the movies by the pool. I finally learned my way around the endless pages of the interactive TV (half of which were SELLING something).

 

I still don't love the K, but I'm willing to give it a second try next winter, mostly because of the itinerary and Lincoln Center. I'm also staying midships, not aft. And I'll board expecting the "new" HAL, not the HAL I'm used to.

Isn't it interesting how experiences are very different? If I had had the same experience as 3rdGenCunarder I would also have left with a bad impression. I'm glad to know that not all suites have the reduced shower space. When I saw their size it influenced my decision to never choose one on this ship. But if this is not the case I may change my mind!