LAFFNVEGAS LIVE from the Premier Sailings of the MS Koningsdam

[LAFFNVEGAS]

As we won't be able to punch the new cards, I'll need to pick up a couple of sleeves for our November cruise. Does anyone know if the new cards are the same size as the old ones?

 

Same exact size, same as any credit card. :)

[Fouremco]

Same exact size, same as any credit card. :)

Thank you, not only for your reply to my question but for your entire wonderful thread. I've thoroughly enjoyed every post! :)

[0bnxshs]

Okay, I see now that it's a number for all HAL ships, not just K'dam. I just thought it was strange to see because 321 is my area code in east-central FL!

 

Know Before You Go says:

 

Additionally, you can call the ship directly from the shore.

We recommend that you use this for the most critical

emergencies only: Connecting to a Holland America Line

vessel at sea is simple by using Ship Dial Service. A credit

card is required for all inbound phone calls to a ship. The

rate is US$16.00 per minute and billing begins at the time

specified. Please have the ship’s name, your party’s name and

stateroom number before you call.

Instructions:

1. Dial 1-800-993-5483 (US). From outside the U.S. access

1-321-837-6106.

2. Listen to the announcement.

3. Listen to the menu and select the number thcorresponds

to the ship you are calling.

4. If you receive a busy signal or message, please hang up

quickly and try your call again.

 

I found that rather curious as well, John. :)

[0bnxshs]

Lisa, I am curious if you noticed the vibration referenced in one of the reviews of the same cruise? Wondering if you could comment on it, whether or not you noticed it.

 

Here's the review: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=531102

Edited April 22, 2016 by 0bnxshs

[teamflames]

I also saw that review. Proves how subjective views on food are.

I giggled about the guy complaining about the incorrect weather report especially if he really was British [emoji28]

 

 

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[frankc98376]

Thanks for the GREAT reports Lisa!!

 

Looking forward to hearing all about it face to face in October :D

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Lisa, I am curious if you noticed the vibration referenced in one of the reviews of the same cruise? Wondering if you could comment on it, whether or not you noticed it.

 

Here's the review: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=531102

 

Interesting Review, I do agree with him on several points especially comparing to NCL. I did not feel any kind of vibration but I chalk up his vibration to his location on the ship, we were mid ship deck 7 and definitely no vibration ever. Actually the smoothest sailing of any Hal ship. YES lots of pipes leaking all over the place. Several tables of the Main dining room people could not sit at due to the water flowing out of the ceiling from broken pipes.

What I do disagree with his review was the food quality. Over all this was by far the worst food I have ever tasted on a cruise :( Which i guess just shows food is very subjective. Tom did say the steak was OK in the Pinnacle. I do agree that Ceasar Salad was tasteless. Yet 99% of the food the whole week had so much salt or preservatives in it. This was the first ever cruise that both Tom and I lost weight.

I still have not put all my thoughts together but overall we are still amazed we were in the Med, loved the ports and definitely want to return but NOT on HAL. I think our days of sailing HAL are close to be over. Our upcoming Westerdam in October may very well be our last.

The food quality has fallen so badly over the years and this sailing being the worse I think they thought the smoke and mirrors of the fancy new ship no one would notice the food.

YES lots of problems with the spa/ spa crew. The new thermal suite is nice but I am not sure anyone really tried the hydro therapy pool. Everyone I spoke with was upset that the way the bubbles go and the benching angles no matter your size you float. There is no way to really relax with out hanging on to the bars.

The over all worst is the attitude of the crew, on the surface they smile, seem happy but when it comes down to actually being able to help someone they fall short. They are exceptionally good at nodding and saying something that they think will get you to just go away.

The worst was how I was treated when attempting to get the Inaugural plate that was not left for us on the last Gala night. The following morning I went to the Neptune to inquire as to not having gotten one. The Concierge, stated three times are you sure you did not get it???? No that is why I am down here in the Neptune Lounge. Well she had to check with our cabin steward and Confirm that we did not get it and would let us know :confused:

So later that day I called the Neptune, they stated that we should have gotten the plate have we checked all over our cabin....NO we did not get the plate. This went on for a total of 5 phone calls inquiring to wanting our Inaugural plate and basically being accused of lying. This would NEVER EVER happen on NCL. They would apologize which HAL never did and we would have it right away. We finally got the plate as we were going to dinner the last night at 6:30. We knew if we did not have it at that point we would never get one :mad:

Of course I already mentioned the hour of waiting in the Neptune the last morning with not a Concierge in site. Tyler Rose sat with us in the Neptune and was also shocked as well that no Concierge was in there which on disembarkation morning this was basically uncalled for.

The ship is beautiful and I am glad to see that HAL is improving the entertainment. I did board the ship with lots of patience, I knew there would be problems being the first revenue cruise but there are just things that should not matter if it is the first or the 50th cruise.

I was actually quite nice to all the crew and tried to kill them with kindness but basically did not help.

[InTheWASide]

Interesting Review, I do agree with him on several points especially comparing to NCL. I did not feel any kind of vibration but I chalk up his vibration to his location on the ship, we were mid ship deck 7 and definitely no vibration ever. Actually the smoothest sailing of any Hal ship. YES lots of pipes leaking all over the place. Several tables of the Main dining room people could not sit at due to the water flowing out of the ceiling from broken pipes.

What I do disagree with his review was the food quality. Over all this was by far the worst food I have ever tasted on a cruise :( Which i guess just shows food is very subjective. Tom did say the steak was OK in the Pinnacle. I do agree that Ceasar Salad was tasteless. Yet 99% of the food the whole week had so much salt or preservatives in it. This was the first ever cruise that both Tom and I lost weight.

I still have not put all my thoughts together but overall we are still amazed we were in the Med, loved the ports and definitely want to return but NOT on HAL. I think our days of sailing HAL are close to be over. Our upcoming Westerdam in October may very well be our last.

The food quality has fallen so badly over the years and this sailing being the worse I think they thought the smoke and mirrors of the fancy new ship no one would notice the food.

YES lots of problems with the spa/ spa crew. The new thermal suite is nice but I am not sure anyone really tried the hydro therapy pool. Everyone I spoke with was upset that the way the bubbles go and the benching angles no matter your size you float. There is no way to really relax with out hanging on to the bars.

The over all worst is the attitude of the crew, on the surface they smile, seem happy but when it comes down to actually being able to help someone they fall short. They are exceptionally good at nodding and saying something that they think will get you to just go away.

The worst was how I was treated when attempting to get the Inaugural plate that was not left for us on the last Gala night. The following morning I went to the Neptune to inquire as to not having gotten one. The Concierge, stated three times are you sure you did not get it???? No that is why I am down here in the Neptune Lounge. Well she had to check with our cabin steward and Confirm that we did not get it and would let us know :confused:

So later that day I called the Neptune, they stated that we should have gotten the plate have we checked all over our cabin....NO we did not get the plate. This went on for a total of 5 phone calls inquiring to wanting our Inaugural plate and basically being accused of lying. This would NEVER EVER happen on NCL. They would apologize which HAL never did and we would have it right away. We finally got the plate as we were going to dinner the last night at 6:30. We knew if we did not have it at that point we would never get one :mad:

Of course I already mentioned the hour of waiting in the Neptune the last morning with not a Concierge in site. Tyler Rose sat with us in the Neptune and was also shocked as well that no Concierge was in there which on disembarkation morning this was basically uncalled for.

The ship is beautiful and I am glad to see that HAL is improving the entertainment. I did board the ship with lots of patience, I knew there would be problems being the first revenue cruise but there are just things that should not matter if it is the first or the 50th cruise.

I was actually quite nice to all the crew and tried to kill them with kindness but basically did not help.

 

Interesting. And I think a lot of this can show the difference one cruise to the next can have as well as that food and service can be so subjective. I'm fully aware the cruise we were on was not typical, but we actually had more construction (in some cases rooms not totally finished or art that was not yet installed), etc going on most times, confusion with venue staffing after our first muster drill (we had 2) and yet things like the food were fantastic (I wasn't thrilled with my Tamarind entree but I misread the preparation which was my fault). All over the ship the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful (referring to servers in every venue we ate in, bartenders in the Crow's Nest and Billboard Onboard [even amazing when Billboard was completely overwhelmed one night and that venue ended up being open til nearly 3am every day], Ocean Bar and so on). Service in the Culinary Arts Center for dinner was probably the best service of the cruise. They were literally falling over each other to be helpful and they were so friendly. And we had the first meals that venue had EVER put out so there was a lot of room for some major problems. Yet we never experienced any.

 

Again, I'm aware the sailing I was on had a lot of employees, contractors, etc and therefore is not "typical" in every way, but my experience was so opposite of yours. All that said I did not utilize the spa and we did not take any meals in the MDR so I can't really speak to those experiences other than to say it's our experience in over 30 cruises that spa staff is almost ALWAYS "uppity". We just toured both venues and took some photos.

 

My dining was in (at some point or another during the cruise) Culinary Arts Center for dinner, Tamarind, Canaletto, Sel de Mer, Lido, NY Pizza and Dive In as well as room service and both food and beverage at the Grand Dutch Cafe. We did not eat in the MDR, Pinnacle Grill, Gelato.

Edited April 22, 2016 by InTheWASide

[teamflames]

The captain martini blog was very critical of the mdr but very impressed with tamarind

 

 

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[InTheWASide]

The captain martini blog was very critical of the mdr but very impressed with tamarind

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

 

Not familiar with that blog. Can you share the link?

[jtl513]

Not familiar with that blog. Can you share the link?

http://captainmartinisblog.tumblr.com/

[InTheWASide]

http://captainmartinisblog.tumblr.com/

 

thanks!

[PAcruise16]

Speaking of Captain Martini's blog, I noticed while reading it that he mentioned Tamarind and Canaletto selections that seemed different from what I've seen on posted menus. Did anyone take pics of menus from Koningsdam - other than those already shared here (Sel de Mer, Main Dining Room). I am curious as to whether changes have been made and new offerings added as we'll be on our first HAL cruise in June.

 

I also do want to add that I greatly appreciate all of the reviews and pictures so far. Even though I haven't been posting, I've valued every word and the time spent putting all of this information together.

[InTheWASide]

Speaking of Captain Martini's blog, I noticed while reading it that he mentioned Tamarind and Canaletto selections that seemed different from what I've seen on posted menus. Did anyone take pics of menus from Koningsdam - other than those already shared here (Sel de Mer, Main Dining Room). I am curious as to whether changes have been made and new offerings added as we'll be on our first HAL cruise in June.

 

I also do want to add that I greatly appreciate all of the reviews and pictures so far. Even though I haven't been posting, I've valued every word and the time spent putting all of this information together.

 

I didn't take pictures of menus in Canaletto or Tamarind but I did take pictures of what we ate and put them up on Twitter. @dozersdaddytoo will show you those posts

[sppunk]

Brad and Lisa are both well-respected members here who share their opinions and they can be trusted more than most anyone else.

 

The fact they were on the same sailing and experienced different things shows truly how each sailing is a personal thing and what one experiences isn't what another one might. It's really amazing how that happens to me (and it can happen anywhere, not just a cruise ship).

 

I thank you both for your thoughts and reviews. :)

[InTheWASide]

Brad and Lisa are both well-respected members here who share their opinions and they can be trusted more than most anyone else.

 

The fact they were on the same sailing and experienced different things shows truly how each sailing is a personal thing and what one experiences isn't what another one might. It's really amazing how that happens to me (and it can happen anywhere, not just a cruise ship).

 

I thank you both for your thoughts and reviews. :)

 

Thanks sppunk!

 

For clarity - I was on 4/3-4/8. Lisa was on 4/8-4/15.

[0bnxshs]

Interesting Review, I do agree with him on several points especially comparing to NCL. I did not feel any kind of vibration but I chalk up his vibration to his location on the ship, we were mid ship deck 7 and definitely no vibration ever. Actually the smoothest sailing of any Hal ship. YES lots of pipes leaking all over the place. Several tables of the Main dining room people could not sit at due to the water flowing out of the ceiling from broken pipes.

What I do disagree with his review was the food quality. Over all this was by far the worst food I have ever tasted on a cruise :( Which i guess just shows food is very subjective. Tom did say the steak was OK in the Pinnacle. I do agree that Ceasar Salad was tasteless. Yet 99% of the food the whole week had so much salt or preservatives in it. This was the first ever cruise that both Tom and I lost weight.

I still have not put all my thoughts together but overall we are still amazed we were in the Med, loved the ports and definitely want to return but NOT on HAL. I think our days of sailing HAL are close to be over. Our upcoming Westerdam in October may very well be our last.

The food quality has fallen so badly over the years and this sailing being the worse I think they thought the smoke and mirrors of the fancy new ship no one would notice the food.

YES lots of problems with the spa/ spa crew. The new thermal suite is nice but I am not sure anyone really tried the hydro therapy pool. Everyone I spoke with was upset that the way the bubbles go and the benching angles no matter your size you float. There is no way to really relax with out hanging on to the bars.

The over all worst is the attitude of the crew, on the surface they smile, seem happy but when it comes down to actually being able to help someone they fall short. They are exceptionally good at nodding and saying something that they think will get you to just go away.

The worst was how I was treated when attempting to get the Inaugural plate that was not left for us on the last Gala night. The following morning I went to the Neptune to inquire as to not having gotten one. The Concierge, stated three times are you sure you did not get it???? No that is why I am down here in the Neptune Lounge. Well she had to check with our cabin steward and Confirm that we did not get it and would let us know :confused:

So later that day I called the Neptune, they stated that we should have gotten the plate have we checked all over our cabin....NO we did not get the plate. This went on for a total of 5 phone calls inquiring to wanting our Inaugural plate and basically being accused of lying. This would NEVER EVER happen on NCL. They would apologize which HAL never did and we would have it right away. We finally got the plate as we were going to dinner the last night at 6:30. We knew if we did not have it at that point we would never get one :mad:

Of course I already mentioned the hour of waiting in the Neptune the last morning with not a Concierge in site. Tyler Rose sat with us in the Neptune and was also shocked as well that no Concierge was in there which on disembarkation morning this was basically uncalled for.

The ship is beautiful and I am glad to see that HAL is improving the entertainment. I did board the ship with lots of patience, I knew there would be problems being the first revenue cruise but there are just things that should not matter if it is the first or the 50th cruise.

I was actually quite nice to all the crew and tried to kill them with kindness but basically did not help.

 

Thanks, Lisa, for your exhaustive reply to my question and all your dedication to running your "Live From" thread here. It's been very enlighening. :)

[0bnxshs]

Thanks sppunk!

 

For clarity - I was on 4/3-4/8. Lisa was on 4/8-4/15.

 

Can I assume, InTheWASide, that you also did not experience a similar vibration on Koningsdam during the shake-down cruise?

[InTheWASide]

Can I assume, InTheWASide, that you also did not experience a similar vibration on Koningsdam during the shake-down cruise?

 

Correct. At no point anywhere on the ship did I notice any vibration of any kind. Low decks, high decks, forward mid or aft. Nothing.

[0bnxshs]

Correct. At no point anywhere on the ship did I notice any vibration of any kind. Low decks, high decks, forward mid or aft. Nothing.

 

Very good, thanks! And thanks for your insights on Koningsdam during your cruise, too. Both you and Lisa have been very helpful.

[sppunk]

Can I assume, InTheWASide, that you also did not experience a similar vibration on Koningsdam during the shake-down cruise?

Vibrations can be very specific to ocean currents, propulsion speeds, etc. So the time noticed or whatever can vary greatly.

 

HAL engineers knew the Tamarind location on Eurodam and NA was prone to vibrations and it was a structural issue, hence why Tamarind is moved. IMO any ship can have a vibration high up, especially when moving slower than the current (if it's not moving in the direction of the ship itself).

[InTheWASide]

Vibrations can be very specific to ocean currents, propulsion speeds, etc. So the time noticed or whatever can vary greatly.

 

HAL engineers knew the Tamarind location on Eurodam and NA was prone to vibrations and it was a structural issue, hence why Tamarind is moved. IMO any ship can have a vibration high up, especially when moving slower than the current (if it's not moving in the direction of the ship itself).

 

 

With tamarind it was also a matter of no one could find it. [emoji12]

[SC_GAY_Cruiser]

With tamarind it was also a matter of no one could find it. [emoji12]

 

Brad - one of my favorite bars on Euro and Nieux was the Silk Den and yes it has been incorporated into the Tamarind location.

 

So this ? - is this a bar that is still a great place to get away from the crowds or is it really meant more for patrons of Tamarind?

 

dave

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Brad - one of my favorite bars on Euro and Nieux was the Silk Den and yes it has been incorporated into the Tamarind location.

 

So this ? - is this a bar that is still a great place to get away from the crowds or is it really meant more for patrons of Tamarind?

 

dave

 

Hi Dave, In my opinion the quick answer is No. I am not sure if adding the Bar in the Restaurant was an after thought or it was meant to seat people while they wait to be seated for dinner. There is not much room to it and it is basically right in the Tamarind and you cannot just walk in there to have a seat at the bar. The same with the New Sushi Bar..

[1ANGELCAT]

I was also on the Premier sailing. I did not notice any vibrations but my cabin was also on deck 6 midship.

I thought the food was good,not outstanding but no different than any other HAL voyage.

My issue with the MDR was the absolutely CHAOCTIC seating issue with having open and fixed mixed together on both decks.

I waited in line 15 minutes the first Gala evening to get to my fixed table for 8:00 seating.

I made my feelings strongly expressed onboard and was told this was an experiment to accommodate more pax.

I also noted this on the post cruise survey when I rated the dining room as 0 and unacceptable.

I am waiting to see if I get a reply from Guest relations,if not I will be sending an email,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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