Kongisdam and will my DW and I like it?

[NOSaints1]

We're in our mid 30s and have only sailed Carnival, the Breeze, Valor and Conquest. We try to cruise in April to the Caribbean where it's starting to warm up in Canada. We have no kids and don't plan on it. So I've seen a few videos on the Kongisdam on popular cruising, so what's HAL like, the food, entertainment, onboard activities, people on a 7 day Caribbean cruise. What's different from this ship compared to the rest of the fleet and is HAL/Kongisdam right for us?

 

 

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[leenieweenie]

We too have only cruised Carnival! but when the opportunity arose to book a brand new ship-the koningsdam- and to cruise to Norway and the Artic Circle, we just had to do it. We will be on this wonderful new ship in July, this year and are expecting to love it. It looks great. I am sure you both will have a wonderful time on your cruise-it will be what YOU make it!!! enjoy!

[NOSaints1]

My DW saw her grandma on a Holland cruise to Alaska and she saw all older people, so she thinks that's the way it is

 

 

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[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We are young 62 and yes depending on the cruise some of the youngest, but the cruise line is excellent .we are past that stage of our lives that I what to see people walking all over the ship with a beer bottle. I guess in one word Holland Cruise line is very classy.

[kjw869]

We are young 62 and yes depending on the cruise some of the youngest' date=' but the cruise line is excellent .we are past that stage of our lives that I what to see people walking all over the ship with a beer bottle. I guess in one word Holland Cruise line is very classy.[/quote']

 

Yup, no hairy chest or belly flop contests on Holland America! ;)

[sail7seas]

Is there something wrong with senior people?

It isn't contagious. :D Actually, if we are all very lucky, all of us will be old one

day. Lots of people think it beats the alternative. :)

 

As to whether you and your DW will like HAL's brand new ship which has not yet joined the fleet. Who knows? None of us have seen or sailed her yet. We cannot know. She is a new class of ship and the 'first of' so there are not yet any sisters by which to gauge.

 

[InTheWASide]

As to whether you and your DW will like HAL's brand new ship which has not yet joined the fleet. Who knows? None of us have seen or sailed her yet. We cannot know. She is a new class of ship and the 'first of' so there are not yet any sisters by which to gauge.

 

 

OP did also ask how it compares to a lot of the rest of the HAL fleet... you could have addressed that part too... :rolleyes:

 

OP,

Koningsdam will have a similar arrangement (not exact... SIMILAR) to the newest ships like Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam. Relatively new dining venues like Tamarind that are wildly popular by most people's reports are located on Koningsdam along with a new French concept called Sel de Mer (no menu has been released yet)

 

If you like the idea of the cabanas either on the higher deck or near the midship pool you'll have that option here as well. If not, there's an upper level to this lido pool (that's new to HAL but not new for a lot of newer Carnival ships, etc) where you can avoid the entire area near the cabanas (some on here act/seem personally slighted by their existence and let's not get those folks started on the promenade. If it's important to you it won't be near identical to the existing fleet but still is outdoors, will have some great scenic points along the way and still circles the entire ship)

 

Many venues will be similar (if they carry a similar name, they will hold the same function even if larger, different locations, etc). Lots more food and beverage choices, more focus on live musical entertainment, a more modern decor throughout but not totally abandoning their Dutch heritage.

 

Myself and my husband are in our mid-30's and are VERY excited about this ship. As you can see from our signature on here we've been on all sorts of ships and lines. I hope this reply helps and that you have a great time onboard!

Edited January 29, 2016 by InTheWASide

[cb at sea]

Is there something wrong with senior people?

It isn't contagious. :D Actually, if we are all very lucky, all of us will be old one

day. Lots of people think it beats the alternative. :)

 

As to whether you and your DW will like HAL's brand new ship which has not yet joined the fleet. Who knows? None of us have seen or sailed her yet. We cannot know. She is a new class of ship and the 'first of' so there are not yet any sisters by which to gauge.

 

 

Seniors KNOW HOW TO PARTY...they've been doing it for a while! We can out drink almost anyone...and remain upright! Practice makes perfect!

[sail7seas]

OP did also ask how it compares to a lot of the rest of the HAL fleet... you could have addressed that part too... :rolleyes:

 

<snip>

 

 

 

Many of us often answer a portion of an OP. We don't always choose to respond to all that is asked and leave it to others to answer portions we don't want to address.

 

I didn't wish to get into a discussion about the whole fleet. I've been on and sailed all the current HAL ships and some which have left the fleet but for Prinsendam and most of them multiple times. I wasn't in the mood to write a huge long response. ;) I think it is allowed to respond as fully or briefly as one wishes, isn't it? :cool: :rolleyes:

 

Edited January 29, 2016 by sail7seas

[NOSaints1]

My DW is Dutch/Friesan and has a pair of clumpens if that's how you spell it(wooden shoes), and loves her double salted zouts, those black candies with salt on them.

 

 

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[Krazy Kruizers]

In recent years have done a few Collectors Cruises made up of 2 seven day cruises.

We have noticed a lot more younger people on these cruises.

Will you like the Koningsdam? Hard to tell as no one has sailed on her yet. We are waiting for reports to see how she compares to the Vista and Signature ships we have come to love. She does have several different venues listed for her as compared to the rest of the fleet.

When the Zuiderdam, first Vista class ship, made her debut, we didn't book her for a couple of years. Thought we wouldn't like the bigger ships. Then the next couple of Vista ships arrived and we tried one. Fell in love with the Vista class ships. From then on as soon as a new Vista Ship and Signature ship arrived in the Caribbean, we were booked on them.

[Roz]

I didn't realize it was "against the rules" to only answer part of a poster's question or questions. :D People are trying to be helpful to the OP, don't knock them.

 

If there was a ship I really wanted to sail on, or an itinerary I really wanted to do, the ages of the other passengers would be of no concern to me, but that's just me.

 

Roz

Edited January 29, 2016 by Roz

[colonialinnkeeper]

We have always felt that enjoying a vacation and getting as much out of it as possible, is up to us. When experiencing something unexpected, making lemonade out of lemons has always been our philosophy. There will be so much offered and available, imo, people of every age and interest will find a great vacation awaiting them.

[sammiedawg]

The OP asked very good questions and it is fine to ask about the age of passengers.

You will be sailing on a shiny new ship which is always invigorating.

The biggest difference I see from the rest of the fleet is the passenger space ratio. The ratio is going to be 37.5 on the new ship, it will feel more crowded than other ships in the fleet which have ratios generally in the mid 40s.

Other differences will come to light after the ship launches.

Take the cruise and don't spend too much time analyzing every little thing. enjoy.

Edited January 29, 2016 by sammiedawg

[Blue Mudshark]

Is there something wrong with senior people?

It isn't contagious.

I've known people in their sixties for my entire life. I've lived with them, played with them, and worked with them. Now I'm one of them. It's clearly contagious.

[PeetNL]

My DW is Dutch/Friesan and has a pair of clumpens if that's how you spell it(wooden shoes) ....

The wooden shoes are named "klompen" in Dutch and "klompkes" in Frisian.

Cordial greeting to your wife (and yourself of course) from Fryslân,

Peter (Oranjewoud, Fryslân, The Netherlands)

[rubytue]

Seniors KNOW HOW TO PARTY...they've been doing it for a while! We can out drink almost anyone...and remain upright! Practice makes perfect!

So true!!!

 

Our first cruise was a 10-day HAL cruise in late fall (i.e. not a good option for school age parents). We were 30/31, and other than a few other honeymooners, most of the cruise was age 50+. Of all the excursions we did, 10 years later the one we still talk about was St Martin. Whatever we had planned was canceled for wind, and when we walked off the ship a group of 6 "seniors" grabbed us to join their taxi tour. We still talk about how much fun that day was. Not all seniors are boring! The group we were with were years past the point of caring what people thought, and just wanted to have fun. We were singing and drinking. And of course they had all sorts of advice for the young honeymooners ;)

Edited January 29, 2016 by rubytue

[Tampa Girl]

OP did also ask how it compares to a lot of the rest of the HAL fleet... you could have addressed that part too... :rolleyes:

 

OP,

Koningsdam will have a similar arrangement (not exact... SIMILAR) to the newest ships like Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam. Relatively new dining venues like Tamarind that are wildly popular by most people's reports are located on Koningsdam along with a new French concept called Sel de Mer (no menu has been released yet)

 

If you like the idea of the cabanas either on the higher deck or near the midship pool you'll have that option here as well. If not, there's an upper level to this lido pool (that's new to HAL but not new for a lot of newer Carnival ships, etc) where you can avoid the entire area near the cabanas (some on here act/seem personally slighted by their existence and let's not get those folks started on the promenade. If it's important to you it won't be near identical to the existing fleet but still is outdoors, will have some great scenic points along the way and still circles the entire ship)

 

Many venues will be similar (if they carry a similar name, they will hold the same function even if larger, different locations, etc). Lots more food and beverage choices, more focus on live musical entertainment, a more modern decor throughout but not totally abandoning their Dutch heritage.

 

Myself and my husband are in our mid-30's and are VERY excited about this ship. As you can see from our signature on here we've been on all sorts of ships and lines. I hope this reply helps and that you have a great time onboard!

 

Since you, also, have not yet been on this ship, your ability to compare the Koningsdam with the rest of the fleet is, perhaps, optimistic. From the pictures that I have seen of the new ship, I find little similarities. Even the suites are different. It will be exciting to hear reports from the first travelers. Please do report.

[sail7seas]

So true!!!

 

Our first cruise was a 10-day HAL cruise in late fall (i.e. not a good option for school age parents). We were 30/31, and other than a few other honeymooners, most of the cruise was age 50+. Of all the excursions we did, 10 years later the one we still talk about was St Martin. Whatever we had planned was canceled for wind, and when we walked off the ship a group of 6 "seniors" grabbed us to join their taxi tour. We still talk about how much fun that day was. Not all seniors are boring! The group we were with were years past the point of caring what people thought, and just wanted to have fun. We were singing and drinking. And of course they had all sorts of advice for the young honeymooners ;)

 

I love this story. It's wonderful.

 

Thanks for sharing with us. :)

 

Some great comments, all.

 

[jvalentine]

We're still 30-somethings and really like sailing on HAL. It's lower key than other cruise lines we've been on. (I still like NCL a lot though for their suites/Haven areas.) HAL has always been a great vacation for us though and the new Koningsdam I'm really excited about. The bit about sailing with seniors...we actually love it and every couple of years we take our grandmother along with us. She LOVES it..she has her own room and all that and she's basically pampered the entire trip. Plus, it's awesome to see her get out and have a good time.

 

I'll take sailing with seniors over kiddos any day. :)

[InTheWASide]

Since you, also, have not yet been on this ship, your ability to compare the Koningsdam with the rest of the fleet is, perhaps, optimistic. From the pictures that I have seen of the new ship, I find little similarities. Even the suites are different. It will be exciting to hear reports from the first travelers. Please do report.

 

Comparing deck plans and public room visuals is not very difficult.

 

What will the EXACT CRUISE EXPERIENCE be like on the other hand, is simply not an answer that can be given

[visagrunt]

I started with HAL in my late 30's and it continues to be my line of choice.

 

I love the R-class ships, and was underwhelmed by the Vista Class. I embarked on the Eurodam with some trepidation, but found I enjoyed her much better than the Zuiderdam. So despite my "large-ship" misgivings, I'm headed to Rome on April 8 for the premiere voyage of the Koningsdam.

 

What I see, I like. The proof of the pudding will be in the cruising, of course, but I fully expect her to provide a cruise of the same type and style as her fleet mates, which will suit me down to the ground.

[NOSaints1]

How does HAL compare to Celebrity or Princess

 

 

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[InTheWASide]

How does HAL compare to Celebrity or Princess

 

 

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In my opinion the experience on HAL far surpasses Princess. However in many ways Celebrity is equally or slightly more impressive than HAL. A lot of this has to do with ship architecture (Celebrity's Solstice Class ships are extremely modern design). We had a magnificent cruise on Celebrity Solstice, but my favorite cruises have still been those on HAL.

 

If you like one though, you are almost certainly going to like both.

[cruz chic]

How does HAL compare to Celebrity or Princess

 

 

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I've cruised many times on princess and they have a pretty solid product. Many times service in the MDR is much better on princess. Hal's rooms are nicer and bigger. The beds are better on Hal. Food at dinner can be better on princess. Celebrity is a hot mess to me. I stood at the front desk for at least a half hour for simple queries. The food was either good or inedible and forget about getting any sort of wine service. Entertainment is better on princess, more night life. I can't recall anything spectacular on celebrity for entertainment.