John and Diane's Konigsdam Adventure

[Johnny B]

November 7, 2016 - Day 26

STILL at sea - Ft. Lauderdale in two days

 

The good news is that it’s blue and sunny and fairly warm - enough for sitting around the midships Lido pool and getting some sun. The bad news? We have, just this morning, entered The Bermuda Triangle! Now I imagine in several transatlantic crossings we’ve made in the last several years that we’ve been in this well-known area, but we’ve never had it so specifically mentioned before. It was pretty rough last night and today the sea is rolling quite energetically, but I don’t think we’re in any mortal danger of shipwreck or disappearance.

 

Last evening was dinner at Sel de Mer again. It really is a lovely restaurant which describes itself as a seafood restaurant with a French influence. That really does describe it well. After the last time we ate there, we decided that starters were really not necessary. I was so full after that dinner that I didn’t even want breakfast the next day. So, instead of starters, we just took full advantage of the mini-baguette provided when we sat down. In fact, we took such good advantage of it that they had to bring us a second one. There’s nothing like warm, crusty bread to make my mouth happy.

 

As I mentioned earlier, the restaurant has a French special each night. Last time we were there on Saturday, so John had the choucroute garni special. The Sunday special is lamb chops cooked in a mustard and bread crumb crust, so that was John’s choice. I took the waiter’s recommendation and ordered the bouillabaisse. When they brought the correct silverware and tools for my dinner, it looked as though I could do dental surgery. There was a long, thin probe with a bent double prong at the end. There was also a tool (for cracking the lobster tail) which looked perfect for pulling teeth. I did use both of them, and the bouillabaisse was quite delicious - and a whole lot of work! John also loved his lamb, and the bite that he gave me was really good.

 

After dinner we went to the evening’s show in the World Stage - a pianist who was incredibly talented and whose fingers literally flew over the keys. He played some Billy Joel, some Jerry Lee Lewis, a whole bunch of TV themes, and finished with Rhapsody in Blue - just beautiful.

 

Since we went to dinner early and then attended the middle show, we had time to get to the Lido outdoor movie before it began at 10:00. Even though it was a movie I’ve seen and loved (Love and Friendship based on Lady Susan by Jane Austen), and I really wanted to see it again, the sound in that big open area is just too difficult to hear, so the next thing I knew John was waking me up about ten minutes into the movie and we decided to call it a night.

 

This evening is a gala evening, with formal dress recommended but certainly not required. Suta, our wonderful dining room steward, is serving us an Indonesian dinner tonight, so we’re really looking forward to that. I’ll let you know tomorrow how that goes.

[Johnny B]

Friday, November 11, 2016 - Day arrival + 2

Home at Last!

 

It was a wonderful European vacation and voyage, but there’s just something about sleeping in one’s own bed. We were scheduled to arrive in Ft. Lauderdale at 7:00 Wednesday morning, but arrived about 5:00 AM instead. We had had little sleep the night before because of the election, but we were quite ready to get up and begin getting ready before 6:00. We had discovered earlier that 4 and 5 star Mariners could disembark anytime after 8:00, so were were determined to be ready, steady, go - even before that time.

 

The disembarkation process is really a finely oiled machine. Everyone is asked what their plans are after the cruise and disembarkation times are assigned based on that information. Luggage tags are distributed with different colors and numbers (ours was Pink 2). Passengers must have their tagged luggage outside their cabins by midnight, and I think little fairies must come to collect it, because I never heard a noise, even though the hallway was chockablock with suitcases and duffels. In the morning, the luggage is organized by color tag and assembled in the large, barn-like reception building, ready to be collected by the passengers and taken through immigration and customs.

 

Since we had docked so early, the first call for disembarkation was made about 7:40, and we disembarked, collected our luggage, sailed through immigration and customs, and were scooting into the backseat of a taxi by 8:00. Since our flight wasn’t until 11:44, we had a long wait at the airport, but we had our handy United Club passes (for having a Mileage Plus credit card), so we enjoyed our time - and some breakfast.

 

Overall, it was a lovely cruise. For my part, though, it was really just too port intensive. I do love days at sea and they were as rare as hen’s teeth. The ship, however, is really beautiful, big and shiny and has far more bells and whistles than the smaller, older Amsterdam. We appreciated the choice of alternative restaurants, with Tamarind and Sel de Mer being our favorites. The World Stage, where major shows took place, was absolutely beautiful, but we were told that it seats only 600 people and fills rapidly - even with three shows each evening.

 

Since we’re really just gym rats in the morning, we were impressed with the size of the gym and the ready availability of many different types of exercise equipment. As on the Amsterdam, it faces out onto the beautiful view at the bow of the ship. It really helps when you’re running on the treadmill to keep your mind on all that beauty instead of all that pain!

 

As on all HAL ships, we found the crew to be just wonderful. We enjoyed running into old friends and found it a serendipitous coincidence that Suta, one of our favorites, turned out to be our waiter for all 28 days. Then we made a new crew friend in his assistant, Pur, who is about 6’4” and just loves to laugh.

 

What are the drawbacks? For us, I think the main negative was the size. It is easily twice the size that we like, and that fact just kept hitting us over the head. When we walked from one end of the ship to the other, it was like a major hike. When we wanted to sit around the midships Lido pool, there was often not even one lounge available. The lines for the Dive-In and the New York Deli were such that we hadn’t seen on a smaller ship. However, I think that a lot of people enjoyed the extras that such a large ship can provide, i. e., the restaurants, showrooms, etc. It really is all in your preferences and your perception.

 

So . . . should you give the Koningsdam a try? Absolutely! Did I enjoy sailing on a brand new ship? Of course. Do I want to do another cruise on it? That’s a definite maybe. Perhaps a shorter one or with an unpopular itinerary that would be less crowded. For now, however, we’re really looking forward to December 21, when we board our “old friend,” the Amsterdam in San Diego. We’ll be with lots of friends and on a ship on which we know basically every nook and cranny. I don’t think I’ll be nearly so anxious to get home when we return to Ft. Lauderdale on April 26.

 

If you have any questions about the ship or about our experience on it, please feel free to ask and I’ll try to answer. I’m certainly not an expert on this new ship, but I’ll do my best.

[freestyling]

Thanks for your review of the new ship. We will be on her in Dec and again a few times in 2017!

[djhsolara]

Thank you for your wonderful review of the ship and especially of the dining. We will be on K-dam in January.

 

We just booked a cabana as well as the Ultimate Dining Package, so it was great to hear your recommendations for dining.

 

It seemed like you cancelled Canaletto. Did you ever dine there? We've done Canaletto on two ships and have yet to have a good experience there. Just wondering what it's like on K-dam since it is part of our package.

 

Thanks again!!

 

 

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[happyglobetrotter]

Great report just saw Louise and Brian are also onboard.

 

 

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Yes, we were also on the 28 day cruise and we loved the ship !!! Cannot wait to go back on it next year. Spectacular cruise.

Reliving many moments of it with such nice blog comments and details from Diane and John is a wonderful pleasure and a treat.

 

Louise and Brian

Edited November 12, 2016 by happyglobetrotter

[Jade13]

November 3, 2016 - Day 22

 

At Sea en route to Ft. Lauderdale

 

Our dining room steward and assistant, Suta and Pur, were supposed to be rotated downstairs on this segment, but we asked Hardy, the upstairs manager, if they could stay and he very kindly said that they could. When we asked him about the rotations and the reasoning behind them, he told us that the responsibilities on upper and lower decks were different and they want to make it as fair as possible. There are also rotations among the bar staff, so when we see a server in one location one night, we might see him/her somewhere else the next.

 

 

 

If you ever wondered why you should be on good terms with your dining room stewards, we are a good example. I mentioned earlier that when I told Suta that I loved pad thai, he expectedly brought it to me one night. Tonight we’re going to be having an Indian dinner after telling Suta how much we like Indian food. Apparently the crew has three choices of dinner: Indonesian, Filipino, or Indian. What we’re having is the crew’s Indian menu for tonight. We didn’t even know that this was a possibility, but since we love Indian food, we’re really looking forward to it - even though some of the items on the menu (which we saw last night) are not familiar to us.

 

 

 

.

 

 

We also just got off of the transatlantic. If you were responsible for Suta and Agus remaining upstairs in the dining room, thank you. They were one of the best, if not the best dining steward and assistant we have ever had.

 

My only real disappointment on this cruise was there really wasn't any Indonesian, Indian, or Thai food available on a daily basis. I never thought to ask our dining stewards to have anything specially brought to me. The food in the Asian station at the lido was disappointing even though I tried some multiple times. This is very different than on the Celebrity ships where they have this food available at their buffet every day.

 

And yes, I did say something to the Chef at the lido about the lack of Indian food (and also the fact that I had just been told that day that the dumplings were vegetarian when in fact I bit into one that had pork....) and he just something about them not making the menus.

 

 

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[alsas]

Loved all your reports on your blog,thank you for pictures and descriptions. Looking forward to seeing you both onboard our favourite ship the Amsterdam.

 

 

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[Storylady]

What are the drawbacks? For us, I think the main negative was the size. It is easily twice the size that we like, and that fact just kept hitting us over the head. When we walked from one end of the ship to the other, it was like a major hike. When we wanted to sit around the midships Lido pool, there was often not even one lounge available. The lines for the Dive-In and the New York Deli were such that we hadn’t seen on a smaller ship. However, I think that a lot of people enjoyed the extras that such a large ship can provide, i. e., the restaurants, showrooms, etc. It really is all in your preferences and your perception.

 

Thanks Diane and John for taking the time to blog about your Koningsdam Inaugural TA Cruise. We too were also on the TA portion of the cruise. And I think you have done a wonderful job of summing up the positives and negatives of the of Koningsdam. I would second your comments on size of the ship and the huge number of people onboard.

 

We didn't have a balcony. Our stateroom was an Oceanview C Large which we thought was one of the nicest staterooms we have had on HAL ships. The window is also the largest we have seen on all of the HAL ships. There was more space to store items than in other staterooms we have had including balconies. Whoever designed the rooms, did an excellent job.

 

Would we cruise on the Koningsdam again? Yes, we definitely would if we were doing a TA or Caribbean cruise.

 

Sorry, our paths didn't cross so that I could have told you in person how much I have enjoyed your daily cruise journals on the Amsterdam and now the Koningsdam.

[Mystymom]

Thank you so much for taking the time to keep us informed about your time on this new ship. I'm hoping you will "take us along" on your upcoming World Cruise. Evelyn

[oliver1821]

Thank you for taking the time to post your review!!

[Johnny B]

Thank you for your kind words. We'll be boarding our old friend the Amsterdam on December 21 in San Diego for the Canal cruise and then staying on for the WC until April 26 and I WILL be writing about that. See you in December.

Diane

[Ineke]

Thank you for allowing us to travel along again. Looking forward to Dec. 21 to do so again. We truly appreciate the time and effort you make to write these posts!

[Martezz]

Diane and John, we really enjoyed our excursion with you two to Montserrat and Cava. Hope you got to enjoy that Cava onboard! Looking forward to seeing you on another cruise. Marty and Gary

[Johnny B]

Marty and Gary - yes, we did enjoy the Cava on board. One bottle we polished off in our cabin and one (because we paid corkage) we enjoyed with our friend Stephanie in the Tamarind bar. It was wonderful!

[Love the beach]

Thank you....I enjoyed following along with you!

[Johnny B]

Regarding Canaletto, we made a reservation but it turned out to be on the evening that Suta, our amazing dining room steward, had arranged for an Indian dinner (from the crew mess) for us, so we decided to forego Italian for Indian. Besides, there's a Canaletto on the Amsterdam, so we'll no doubt be there a few times, since our friends Susan and Michael love it so much and we sometimes go with them.

[phxbne]

Thanks so much for sharing another wonderful journey! I look forward to 'travelling with you' again in December!

[rosynew]

Thank you for your kind words. We'll be boarding our old friend the Amsterdam on December 21 in San Diego for the Canal cruise and then staying on for the WC until April 26 and I WILL be writing about that. See you in December.

Diane

 

Looking forward to read about your next cruise.

[shipfriend_max]

Hey John and Diane,

 

I am following this thread since I am booked on Koningsdam for August 2017.

 

On your cruise, did they still offer regular tea time, as well as Royal Dutch and Indonesian tea time?

Or was something like a new event offered? I am asking because I have read different information...

[Johnny B]

Yes, they did have tea time almost every day, but only for an abbreviated time, usually from 3:15 to 3:45. I don't remember them having Royal Dutch tea time or Indonesian tea time. Hope you enjoy the Koningsdam.

[StartrainDD]

Hey John and Diane,

 

I am following this thread since I am booked on Koningsdam for August 2017.

 

On your cruise, did they still offer regular tea time, as well as Royal Dutch and Indonesian tea time?

Or was something like a new event offered? I am asking because I have read different information...

 

That I recall on two sea days they had a "High tea" with a band playing. Tea is always in the Queen's lounge and high tea days it fills up quickly! Once filled people begin waiting... The high teas were nice but I preferred the Royal Dutch Tea in the dining room. No Indonesian tea (but I understand that is becoming rare on many HAL ships...).

 

The other days tea was offered as John replied. Always in the Queens lounge. Did not fill up on 'normal tea' days.

Edited November 28, 2016 by StartrainDD

[shipfriend_max]

That I recall on two sea days they had a "High tea" with a band playing. Tea is always in the Queen's lounge and high tea days it fills up quickly! Once filled people begin waiting... The high teas were nice but I preferred the Royal Dutch Tea in the dining room. No Indonesian tea (but I understand that is becoming rare on many HAL ships...).

 

The other days tea was offered as John replied. Always in the Queens lounge. Did not fill up on 'normal tea' days.

 

@Startrain and Johnny:

Interesting to know. So tea time is not gone as such, bur´t Royal Dutch/Indonesian Tea Time has been replaced by other, new events? Koningsdam doesn't have it anymore in dining room?

But as the thing as such, are they more or less the same, with a large buffet in the middle of the room, and special decorations? And is the Royal Dutch Tea on other ships in dining room still offered?

 

As far as I understand, Koningsdam has new events...

Edited November 28, 2016 by shipfriend_max

[Tennessee Titan]

Thank you for an excellent, positive, informative review. No bitching, nit picking,etc. It is hard to believe that many of the posters on these forums were on the same ship/cruise that we were! We were also on the 28 day + 12 days in the eastern Med....

BTW: I agree with everything you said!

[LadyVol1]

 

Since we’re really just gym rats in the morning, we were impressed with the size of the gym and the ready availability of many different types of exercise equipment. As on the Amsterdam, it faces out onto the beautiful view at the bow of the ship. It really helps when you’re running on the treadmill to keep your mind on all that beauty instead of all that pain!

 

 

Were any free "sweaty" fitness classes offered like Total Body Conditioning or Circuit Training or have those been cut out like Maasdam's Guest Relations Manager Carlos told me is the new Seattle policy?

 

 

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[Johnny B]

Regarding the gym, as I recall the only free classes were "non-sweaty" stretch and such in the morning. As I headed to the gym, I saw people lying on the floor in the workout room getting their bodies ready for the day. Several other options, including yoga and spin, charged for participating. I get enough sweat on the treadmill so that I didn't need to pay for anything.