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Back from Koningsdam + video

steilkurve

By steilkurve,
in Holland America Line

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steilkurve

steilkurve

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Well, I thought I'd be on this board sooner since we disembarked from Koningsdam a week ago but work got the better of me this week. So here I am with thoughts and some footage of this new ship. This won't be a review but rather observations which will hopefully help fellow cruisers researching this ship. Happy to answer questions or provide tips.

 

While we have been cruising for 20 years, this was our first voyage on HAL. We are a couple in our 40s and we traveled with our 13 and 11-year olds. Previously, we have sailed Royal, Celebrity, Carnival, Disney, NCL and Princess. While we have always been intrigued by HAL, the age of our kids drew us towards more active ships with slides and the like. This time, however, everything seemed to coincide and drove us to HAL: New ship and one visiting a country that had long been on our to do list, Norway.

 

We disembarked July 31st from Koningsdam's Voyage of the Midnight Sun. The 4 of us stayed in a Vista Suite on deck 6. All in all, because of the ship, the line and the destination, this was an exceptional trip.

 

Here's my footage of the ship. For those interested, there is an extensive tour of our Vista Suite at the end.

 

 

And our observations on Koningsdam and HAL:

 

- The ship is overall very elegant and subdued. Reminded us of Celebrity, a style we quite like. All of the spaces had something attractive, except for us, the atrium. A bit too bland and with no real purpose.

 

- We liked our Vista Suite and it managed the 4 of us well! We had wanted a larger cabin such as the Signature Suites but none were available and the Neptune Suites only accommodate 3. That being said, the Vista Suite had plenty of storage for all and despite what others have written, we feel like the few extra feet made a difference for our larger group. 4 in a single cabin for 14 days. It has to be well designed! Happy we didn't settle for a straight verandah cabin.

 

- The food was quite good. If we had to rank, we preferred the specialty restaurants (with Pinnacle Grill, De Librije and Culinary Arts Center at the top), followed by the buffet and finally the dining room. Latter is not bad just more run of the mill than the others. Special props to the New York Deli and Dive In for what I would call the best premium pizza and burgers we've had at sea, and complimentary to boot. Only room for improvement is buffet hours. We are admittedly late risers but we always managed to arrive right when it was closing. We always felt an extra 30 minutes would have been nice, whether morning, midday or night. To be fair though, our last cruise was on Princess and their always on buffet. Also, a small quirk probably related to how new the ship is but we often encountered clean dishes in the buffet that were still dirty.

 

- We loved all the production shows. The dancers and singers were so good and the wrap around screen is impressive. We also liked the other cool things they did like showing BBC's Frozen Earth with live music from the ship's band.

 

- While our kids missed the slides and water parks of other ships, we on the other hand really enjoyed the HAL ambiance. We especially appreciated the absence of hords of party people you sometimes find on other ships. All areas always felt quiet and relaxing. And the legendary friendly HAL staff didn't disappoint. Frankly, aside from a Maître D in the dining room, we didn't find anyone not genuinely wanting to help.

 

These are my quick thoughts. Any questions, don't hesitate.

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steilkurve

steilkurve

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Thanks for the review and video. We leave in 3 months in a Vosta so greatly appreciate the video!

 

Glad you enjoyed your trip. Norway is drop-dead gorgeous, isn't it?

 

 

 

Oh yeah. Up there with Alaska in our top nature-based travels. Wanna go back!

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steilkurve

steilkurve

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By chance did the TV have dining menus available yet?

 

 

Yes. Was there from day 1 for specialty restaurants. MDR took a couple of days to get off the embarkation day menu and then was fine for the rest of the cruise.

 

 

Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

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sppunk

sppunk

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Yes. Was there from day 1 for specialty restaurants. MDR took a couple of days to get off the embarkation day menu and then was fine for the rest of the cruise.

 

 

Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

 

Thanks for answering. I knew the MDR ones were coming, good to see they've made it.

 

The system will get better and better as they keep adding features. I assume account statements haven't been added yet?

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steilkurve

steilkurve

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Thanks for answering. I knew the MDR ones were coming, good to see they've made it.

 

 

 

The system will get better and better as they keep adding features. I assume account statements haven't been added yet?

 

 

 

Nope but they were accessible on the Navigator.

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doone

doone

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Thanks for your great review and the video, I have been intrigued with this beautiful ship, I am looking forward to sailing her in the near future. So glad you enjoyed your first HAL cruise.

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theduffys

theduffys

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Can you tell me what kind of daily activities they had? I'm curious to hear from the perspective of a younger family.

 

We were also on this cruise with two kids (grands) age 11 and 12. This was a rather port intensive cruise, only 4 sea days out of 14. Our kids really liked Club Hal. Since it was summer holiday time there were a goodly number of kids in the tween club. They also really enjoyed the pool every afternoon.

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Member

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.... the legendary friendly HAL staff didn't disappoint. Frankly, aside from a Maître D in the dining room, we didn't find anyone not genuinely wanting to help.....

 

Was the Maître D not helpful to you & other guests too?

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