"The King and I" - 21 Days on Koningsdam

[ski ww]

Great report, love the pictures. The only negative would be the lack of view on the Promenade Deck because of the life boats. Some day we'll cruise aboard one of the new Pinnacle Class ships.

Allan

[Brindlebury]

Informative, to the point, and tremendously helpful.

Great title too!

Thank you for this.

[sailingdutchy]

Thank you Ann for this excellent review and great pictures and thank you for your and Pat's wonderful company on this ship , as always we had a great time ! Until next time ! :D:D:D

Tony

[Vict0riann]

I'm posting this for Tony - with his words.

 

"Two ways to eat a herring.

 

Exhibit 1: the way the Queen eats it.

 

 

Exhibit 2: how a converted Slovenian eats it the Dutch way.

 

 

Many a herring is eaten along the streets in Holland. They clean the herring and then there is a large dish of chopped onions. You are allowed to drag the herring through the onions just once before you have taken the first bite. There are no forks and knives on the fish carts.....that's why this is the best way because we can't wait to eat the herring until we get home."

 

 

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[sahara1]

Wow you have a great memory Sahara1 to recognize us from afar . I believe we have cruised together a couple of times on the Prinsendam and the Volendam , two great cruises !

Greetings and until next time ! :D

Hi Tony You were always in Lido at breakfast not far from me and usually at Pinnacle the same nights as us. I did the whole 57days on Volendam but I think you got off in Hong Kong.

Poffertjes Ann , delicious had not eaten those for many years . :D

 

 

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[bleacher04]

Sorry Tony, but that looks less appetizing than anything we ate on the streets of Lima!

[Vict0riann]

Sorry Tony, but that looks less appetizing than anything we ate on the streets of Lima!

 

Hi, Paul, Actually the herring was delicious!

[sailingdutchy]

Sorry Tony, but that looks less appetizing than anything we ate on the streets of Lima!

 

Hi Paul , I know Diane would have tackled them and loved them herring is a very nice fish and yes it is not like the BBQ'd Piranha fish we had in Lima :D

[Krazy Kruizers]

We did the Cellar Master's dinner a couple of times on the Westerdam -- it was $129 per person.

[cruisencrazy]

Thank you so much for all of the great information in this particular thread. We are sailing on her next month. Question...does anyone know how much it is to add the spa therapy pool and such for the 10 day cruise? Thanks in advance for your answer :)

[shrimp56]

Thank you so much! This is the first review of Kdam that makes me want to sail on her.

[Vict0riann]

We did the Cellar Master's dinner a couple of times on the Westerdam -- it was $129 per person.

 

Wow! Then maybe we got a good deal after all. I had an idea it was around $86. For the De Librije dinner, we got half off the food portion, as it was priced with the wine pairings separately, but for the CM's dinner it was all included, so no discount.

[Vict0riann]

There were things I missed on this ship. There was no Explorer's Lounge with the Adagio duo playing after dinner. There was an Explorer's Bar instead, and it was definitely just a bar area, with small tables and chairs. We went there a couple of times for early Happy Hours - whereas on the other ships we would have gone to the Crow's Nest. We were told the Crow's Nest was too small for Happy Hours.

 

We missed the "older" type of art from the other ships. There were none of Captain Card's paintings in the stairwells, and the hallways were completely bare. Talking about hallways, they were quite wide, but the stewards had trolleys which occupied half when they were working, and they were working most of the day. A walker or scooter would have had difficulty getting past the trolleys.

 

 

The mariner tiles evidently were not designed by Captain Card, either. At least he is not acknowledged on the certificate.

 

I missed the ambience of the showrooms at sea. I know they have to accommodate a lot more people on this ship, but I do like the more comfortable seating on the smaller ships. As I said earlier, the Mariner receptions were held in the Lido pool area or in the Queen's Lounge. We were invited to two at the Lido pool, and someone mentioned that at the one in the Queen's Lounge the medals were not presented to the (bronze) recipients, just a mention was made that 66 people had received medals in their rooms.

 

I think those were about my only (very minor ) complaints. We had a great time on board, and after writing all this, I think I would sail on her again, all things being equal, and if we had lots of OBC! The main attraction is, of course, all the different eateries, which cost extra.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[bleacher04]

Hi, Paul, Actually the herring was delicious!

Okay, I trust you Ann :D Or given your witty title, is it "Anna" for this thread? ;)

 

Diane and I really enjoyed reading your review and all of the pictures. We hadn't thought much about sailing on the Koningsdam before, but your report has made me re-consider!

[Vict0riann]

Haha - I thought of that, but it would have had to have been "Anna and the King of the Netherlands" - not quite as poetic.

 

 

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[Lizzie68]

Wow! Then maybe we got a good deal after all. I had an idea it was around $86. For the De Librije dinner, we got half off the food portion, as it was priced with the wine pairings separately, but for the CM's dinner it was all included, so no discount.

 

I just checked my final account for our last cruise, and the Cellar Master's Dinner then (on the NA last April) was $89 pp. So you weren't far out in your guess.

[Vict0riann]

I just checked my final account for our last cruise, and the Cellar Master's Dinner then (on the NA last April) was $89 pp. So you weren't far out in your guess.

 

 

 

Interesting. I wonder if it is now being priced according to the food and drink!

 

 

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[Nanner]

Ann (and Mr. Pat), thanks for the review! It sounds like the Dutch Cafe has it together now. When we sailed the Konignsdam last March, there was no herring to be had the entire voyage, and I love the stuff! The other Dutch offerings were pretty scarce there, too.

 

I hope the beef at the Cellar Master's Dinner was much better than those tough "half a cow"s I remember from our second CM dinner on the Mediterranean cruise. I am glad to see they are still offering CM meals on some cruises, and hope they have one on our upcoming TA.

 

You are very correct about the hallways. My FIL was using a walker or wheelchair, and those carts were almost always in the way. I think they don't have as many service closets on the Koningsdam, as I don't recall the carts being so omnipresent on prior voyages. Perhaps I was just more sensitive as it was an issue for Bill's dad.

 

Still hope we get to sail with you two again someday soon!

[Vict0riann]

Hi, Nancy, you are very welcome. I think the hallways on the smaller ships preclude any carts. The stewards carried things back and forth to their little rooms, perhaps this ship is just too large for all that walking.

 

The Dutch Cafe was very well organized, with Dutch staff, and the food was very good - fresh and hot when it was supposed to be. Amazing that it was all free (well, not free, but no additional charge:)). We always knew where to find our Dutch friends as they hung out there on a regular basis. I think we got our 5-star discount on the coffees, too, I'm not 100% sure about that, but I seem to remember it that way.

 

The CM dinner really was excellent, smallish portions, and just delicious. No "half a cow" for us! I will check the prices beforehand though, another time. And I think a lot depends on the Cellar Master.

 

We have a TA coming up, too. We should be able to coordinate our TA's one of these years!

[Florida_gal_50]

Yes, 4 and 5 star Mariners do get a 50% discount at the Dutch cafe and also for gelato on the lido deck if that is of interest to anyone.

[sailingdutchy]

Thank you Ann for the very extensive review . You and your camera saw more than I did on our two cruises on the Koningsdam . I made it to all the restaurants but not the exorcise room , I know I should have but the Dutch cafe pulled me towards it . I agree very much of what you mentioned . She is not my favorite ship , it is too modern and stark .

No nautical history of the almost 150 year old Holland Amerika Line. We loved all the choices of restaurants specially because we do not like the dining room at all. ( The Ikea room )

My personal believe is HAL should have stuck with the Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam class size ships and should have made improvements on that .

 

End of the story is we had a great time with you , Patrick and our Dutch friends , we should have joined you earlier ! :D:D:D Until next time !

Martha and Tony

[jennymaxgirl]

Hope it's legible!

 

 

 

 

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Excellent review. Thank you for posting all the pics and details. Is this wine package available for purchase in the dining room on embarkation day? Or do they set up tables around the ship on embarkation day for purchasing the package? I can't help but notice these prices are far better (cheaper) than what is offered to me for purchase prior to sailing. Did they recently change the prices onboard? Is this package available to everyone or do you need to have a high Mariner status? Thank you kindly . Sailing Koningsdam in 48 days!!

[sailingdutchy]

Excellent review. Thank you for posting all the pics and details. Is this wine package available for purchase in the dining room on embarkation day? Or do they set up tables around the ship on embarkation day for purchasing the package? I can't help but notice these prices are far better (cheaper) than what is offered to me for purchase prior to sailing. Did they recently change the prices onboard? Is this package available to everyone or do you need to have a high Mariner status? Thank you kindly . Sailing Koningsdam in 48 days!!

 

Hi Jenny , Yes they recently changed the wine package . There are now 3 different packages , Cellar 1 , 2 and 3 and you can buy 4 , 6 or 8 bottles from either package. You can get your package from any wine steward in the diningroom and specialty restaurant or special tables that are set up at embarkation day . Anybody can buy the packages the prices shown are for the 1 and 2 stars , with 3 stars you get a 25 % discount ( service charge is on the regular price ) 4 and 5 stars get a 50 % discount ( but service charge again is on the regular price ) . There is no need at all to pre purchase this before you get on board . Usually on the first sea day there is a wine tasting 4 smaller glasses out of Cellar 1 and 2 $ 15.00 I believe .

 

Hope this helps you . Enjoy the Koningsdam enjoy the specialty restaurants also ! :D

[VanIsleCruisers]

Hi Jenny , Yes they recently changed the wine package . There are now 3 different packages , Cellar 1 , 2 and 3 and you can buy 4 , 6 or 8 bottles from either package. You can get your package from any wine steward in the diningroom and specialty restaurant or special tables that are set up at embarkation day . Anybody can buy the packages the prices shown are for the 1 and 2 stars , with 3 stars you get a 25 % discount ( service charge is on the regular price ) 4 and 5 stars get a 50 % discount ( but service charge again is on the regular price ) . There is no need at all to pre purchase this before you get on board . Usually on the first sea day there is a wine tasting 4 smaller glasses out of Cellar 1 and 2 $ 15.00 I believe .

 

 

 

Hope this helps you . Enjoy the Koningsdam enjoy the specialty restaurants also ! :D

 

 

 

We are sailing on the Maasdam next month and we were planning to get what used to be called the “Navigator” package, but these new packages seem like much better deals. We checked HAL's website and it is still showing the old Navigator and Admiral's Choice options under “Beverage Packages”.

 

Does anyone know if HAL is offering or planning to offer these new wine packages on the other ships too?

[bobalink]

What beautiful photos and a great review, Ann! Reading your comments and seeing the photos brought back happy memories.

 

I like the food porn photos, too! I have so many photos of food taken on that ship. :')

 

We loved the Koningsdam and would sail on the King again in a heart beat. The dining venues were outstanding. We ate several times at the Dutch Cafe. The Split Pea Soup was so good after a long (cold) day of touring the fjords. DH was able to order his favorite beer there, too.

 

We also loved the stunning and creative floral arrangements.

 

I look forward to meeting you in May on the Prinsendam!

 

Bobbie