Koingsdam doesn't really look like a HAL ship

[kangforpres]

Hi Everyone-

 

Watching the Port Everglades webcam and getting a live look at the K-dam and to me it just looks weird with the extra decks forward on top. It looks more like an NCL ship. I know the market dictates more cabins and I like that they are now building ships with cabins to accommodate solo cruisers but the K-dam's lines look like profit was the leading factor in its design. It's a shame since it is now the flag ship of the line it just doesn't have that HAL look to it. One of the satisfying feelings about sailing on HAL is that you feel like you are getting on ship that cruises, instead of getting on a cruise ship.

 

http://www.ftlauderdalewebcam.com/

 

Thanks for letting me vent,

 

Paul

[POA1]

We were docked next to them in San Juan, PR on the Eurodam last month. They didn't look that terribly different. Maybe it's the angle? There was an RCCL ship in the next pier over and it looked quite a bit different.

[Copper10-8]

Hi Everyone-

 

Watching the Port Everglades webcam and getting a live look at the K-dam and to me it just looks weird with the extra decks forward on top. It looks more like an NCL ship. I know the market dictates more cabins and I like that they are now building ships with cabins to accommodate solo cruisers but the K-dam's lines look like profit was the leading factor in its design. It's a shame since it is now the flag ship of the line it just doesn't have that HAL look to it. One of the satisfying feelings about sailing on HAL is that you feel like you are getting on ship that cruises, instead of getting on a cruise ship.

 

http://www.ftlauderdalewebcam.com/

 

Thanks for letting me vent,

 

Paul

 

K-dam is the newest ship, but not officially HAL's flagship. A while back, HAL's powers to be made, in my personal opinion, a kinda strange decision to have co-flagships. Those are still Rotterdam VI and Amsterdam. Prior to those, Rotterdam V carried the title of flagship

[canadianbear]

I won't see her in person until November but she still looks classy, especially compared to those other ships in port.

 

 

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[freestyling]

A wise women (Margaret Wolfe Hungerford) in the late 1800's said it best :). Still true to this day.

Edited January 15, 2017 by freestyling

[sppunk]

She looks like a HAL ship. Do you think Veendam's doesn't since they stacked all those extra aft cabins!

[Frank5]

You are right. The Koningsdam is definitely different than a traditional HAL ship.

 

I was recently on a Koningsdam cruise. I'd describe it as a good compromise between a mass market and a premium market ship. It is designed to hold more people in terms of its passenger public space ratio as well as facilities for a wider age range of guests. It is a very beautiful ship and did not feel crowded to me except during debarcation. However, I stayed in a Neptune suite and had all my meals in the five excellent speciality restaurants so my shipboard experience is limited.

 

The Captain said at a Q & A that the principal reason for modifying the traditional HAL promenade deck with the view blocking life boat placement was to eliminate the stateroom life boat blocked views on their older ships. I found the new promenade deck fine for exercise except for a few narrow spots where you need to either stop or turn to the side to let someone pass coming from the opposite direction. Since I prefer to enjoy the sea view while underway from my veranda deck, I did not miss the lack of deck chairs on the Koningsdam promenade deck.

 

For me, the best features of this ship were the three music venues (blues, rock & roll and classical) and the excellent quality of the food at the five speciality restaurants.

 

If you are a dedicated HAL customer that strongly prefers their traditional product offering, I recommend skipping a cruise on the Koningsdam. If you are more flexible, I recommend giving it a try as the Koningsdam is really a beautiful ship that offers many interesting activities.

[Cruising-along]

Onboard the Koningsdam now and love the ship. BB King and the Tamarind are very good. Same excellent service. Love the extra dining choices. A group of 650 just boarded today, and are taking the showroom every night at 7:30. Time will tell if I like the next week as much as the last week. [emoji6]

 

 

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[Sea Belle]

In Sept after we left the airport in Rome and we were busing towards the K I made the statement that I hoped the ship would still look like a HAL ship. I certainly wasn't disappointed when she came in sight!

 

We found her to be a lovely ship with some new features. Some we enjoyed and some not so much. The experience was memorable, and we would certainly cruise on her again. Some of the things we didn't enjoy are changes that are being made fleetwise. Nevertheless, we remain loyal to the line we prefer, HAL. :D

[DaveOKC]

The Koningsdam and Nieuw Amsterdam were docked next to each other at Grand Turk and I though they looked very similar and almost exactly the same length.

[jtl513]

IMO the K looks more like a HAL ship on the outside than she does on the inside.

 

... and almost exactly the same length.

Almost. The K is 39 ft longer ... just 4% Edited January 15, 2017 by jtl513

[POA1]

The Koningsdam and Nieuw Amsterdam were docked next to each other at Grand Turk and I though they looked very similar and almost exactly the same length.

Here is the the Koningsdam next to the Eurodam in San Juan. The most obvious design differences are the extra passenger deck up top and the design of the smokestack. If you are in the Lido on the Eurodam, it's most pronounced. It still has HAL lines and looks - at least it did to us.

 

[DaveOKC]

IMO the K looks more like a HAL ship on the outside than she does on the inside.

 

Almost. The K is 39 ft longer ... just 4%

 

Longer than I thought! Thanks for the correction.

[Copper10-8]

Here is the the Koningsdam next to the Eurodam in San Juan. The most obvious design differences are the extra passenger deck up top and the design of the smokestack. If you are in the Lido on the Eurodam, it's most pronounced. It still has HAL lines and looks - at least it did to us.

 

 

Check out the "Jolly Roger" :eek: at the stern of that cool looking sailing vessel

[jtl513]

Longer than I thought! Thanks for the correction.

A very useful link for many stats:

http://www.hollandamerica.com/assets/news/FastFacts.pdf :)

[Skoogs]

I miss the real or common HAL promenade deck, thankfully there is the "older" ships to choose from.

 

 

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[Boytjie]

There is a bigger difference between the looks of the R class and the Vista class ships; was the Zuiderdam also considered to not look like a HAL ship?

[jtl513]

There is a bigger difference between the looks of the R class and the Vista class ships; was the Zuiderdam also considered to not look like a HAL ship?

We didn't start cruising HAL until 2002, and didn't join CC for 4 years after that, so I don't know what people's reaction was to the Z-dam when it joined the fleet ... but IMO the Z-dam inside resembles the R class ships more than the K-dam resembles the Z-dam. On our K-dam cruise I often felt like I was on a different line. Edited January 16, 2017 by jtl513

[rafinmd]

To me the one that least looks like a HAL ship is also my favorite, the Elegant Explorer. As for the Koningsdam, time will tell. I leave home 1 month from today and board 3 days later.

 

I'll be comparing with the R&S ships, for the foreseeable any comparisons with the Vista/Signature ships will have to be based on their Cunard sisters.

 

Roy

[Boytjie]

We didn't start cruising HAL until 2002, and didn't join CC for 4 years after that, so I don't know what people's reaction was to the Z-dam when it joined the fleet ... but IMO the Z-dam inside resembles the R class ships more than the K-dam resembles the Z-dam. On our K-dam cruise I often felt like I was on a different line.

 

The OP mentioned watching the Koningsdam on the web cam so I assume OP was talking about the ship's profile. Based on that I would say the Vista ship profiles look a lot different from the earlier HAL ships. ;)

[sheba2008]

I miss the real or common HAL promenade deck, thankfully there is the "older" ships to choose from.

 

 

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Me too, thats why I'm not going to sail her again, next ship for me is the Zaandam and I will enjoy the promenade deck sitting in a chair, will be cold in Antartica hahaha.

 

Linda

[POA1]

The OP mentioned watching the Koningsdam on the web cam so I assume OP was talking about the ship's profile. Based on that I would say the Vista ship profiles look a lot different from the earlier HAL ships. ;)

I agree that the different ship classes have different visual profiles, but HAL ships definitely have a family resemblance. (We have a front row seat and get to see a lot of cruise ships pass.) Unless a Cunard ship is in port, like today with the Queen Victoria, you won't see any distinctive blue hulls. (Cunard and HAL have very different blues when seen up close.)

 

Also, thanks for all the sail away announcements. Greatly appreciated!

[Boytjie]

I agree that the different ship classes have different visual profiles, but HAL ships definitely have a family resemblance. (We have a front row seat and get to see a lot of cruise ships pass.) Unless a Cunard ship is in port, like today with the Queen Victoria, you won't see any distinctive blue hulls. (Cunard and HAL have very different blues when seen up close.)

 

I thought Cunard ship hulls are black.

 

There are a number of ships based on the Vista class (originally a HAL design) and operated by Cunard, Cost and P&O. They do look similar but their livery distinguishes them.

 

Also, thanks for all the sail away announcements. Greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks for the thanks. :)

[Cruzaholic41]

Koningsdam looks like a container ship.

[Sequim88]

As long as the ship has the Crows Nest lounge top and forward it says "HAL" to me. After first cruise on HAL (Veendam) then switching for various reasons (mostly itinerary) to RCCL I immediately noted the loss of forward view from the Viking Crown lounges which over look the pool from mid-ship. Konigsdam has preserved the HAL forward view over the bow.

 

Koningsdam looks like a container ship.

Nowhere near as much as NCL Epic does.

Edited January 16, 2017 by Sequim88