Initial thoughts on K’dam

[KirkNC]

After spending six days at sea on the Koningsdam, HAL’s newest ship, we have had lots of time to form opinions. We had just come off the Zuiderdam the week before so any shock we would have experienced over the size of the ship was reduced. We are used to sailing on 900-1,200 passenger ships so the Zuiderdam tuned us up with 1,800 passengers for this ship with 2,800. One thing I did not realize was the Pinnacle class ships are no longer then the Vista class, they just have two more decks. Now as you might imagine, adding two decks and 1,000 passengers without enlarging other areas can create some crowding problems. So on to our impressions, first the positives.

The theater is very nice, comfortable chairs and not a bad seat in the house. The three screen background allows for some high tech stuff not seen on other HAL ships. Initially I thought the theater might be too small but it actually worked fine. They often had three shows to reduce crowding. Leaving the theater is another story as they funnel everyone into tight corridors.

The Lido pool is a double decker affairs which seems quite nice. Trying to walk through is a challenge as there is only a narrow pathway on each side. On the second deck the Pizzeria is located.

The culinary options are great. In addition to the normal MDR, Pinnacle, Lido, The Dive, Explorations Cafe and Canaletto there is the Dutch Cafe (some free items, some not), Tamarind (this is available on Signature class ships), Sel de Mer and a New York Pizzeria. In addition, there is a gelato station by the Lido pool. Strangely missing is the taco bar, not sure why. Also America Test Kitchen becomes a restaurant at night. Everywhere we ate was very good.

Like the Vista class (and I assume the Pinnacle as well), HAL has music row with three musical venues, the B.B. King Lounge, Billboard Onboard and the Lincoln Stage. The later two seemed to be the most popular but for some reason they use electronic pianos in BBOB on this ship (unlike the Zuiderdam) which greatly reduced our enjoyment.

One additional feature was the Queens Lounge which was an additional venue used like the Wajang Theater on other ships.

All in all the entertainment and culinary options are definitely a step up from what we have been sailing on.

I tried to find some rust on the ship but could not, she is as clean as any ship I have ever seen.

The flat screen interactive tv is nice and the AC is the most responsive we have ever seen.

Now the not so good stuff. The first thing that hit me was the change in design. As opposed to HAL’s traditional dark wood with classic art you encounter a contemporary design and modern art. Some like it I am sure, just not me.

Speaking of design, the MDR is just plain ugly. Everything is white except for the yellow window frames, yuk

Perhaps the worst aspect is the cabins, they are tiny.

We usually select a J inside and it has a couch, three full closets and several feet around the bed. The J on the K’dam is small. No couch, barely enough room to get around the bed and only two full closets. In talking to others, all the rooms are smaller. I imagine the single rooms must be like a coffin. In addition to being smaller, we found the walls to be thinner as noise is more of a problem then we are used to. The only good news in the room is the addition of USB ports by the headboard as well as moving the night light switch off the headboard to prevent those midnight surprises.

A close runner up to worst aspect is the promenade. Gone are the chairs one could sit in and past the time on sea days. There is still a promenade but it’s about half as big in places and in others barley big enough to walk around. On our morning walks we had to pray we did not encounter some idiot walking the opposite direction as everyone else as there is no room to pass in parts of the deck. Of course the view is restricted by lifeboats for much of the deck. The promenade is also made of some kind of fake teak that when wet squeaks like crazy when walking in tennis shoes.

Happy hour is in the Billboard Onboard which is great until 2,800 guests show up. It makes for a chaotic event.

For some reason they thought that 12 elevators can handle 2,800 guests versus the 14 that handle 1,800 guests on the Vista class ships, makes sense right?

The carpet in Lido is disgusting and needs to be replaced ASAP.

So those are my rambling thoughts. For our take we look forward to returning to our smaller ships. This one would be last on our HAL list but those looking for jacked up culinary and entertainment options might like the K’dam.

[albingirl]

Informative review. Thanks for posting.

[springtx249]

Thanks for the review.

[portofrome]

I totally agree with you! After my cruise on Koningsdam last February, my next two will be on the Rotterdam and Veendam. ;p

[Lady Arwen]

Thanks for sharing your experience on Koningsdam. We actually love this ship! Yes, the cabins are smaller (except for those lovely large showers) but it's a sacrifice we gladly accept. Everything else suits us perfectly. Thank goodness there are so many ships in the HAL fleet.......something for everyone's taste and preferences.

[jhannah]

Appreciate your thoughts. They are reasonable. We initially had misgivings about sailing Koningsdam, but decided to try it and see for ourselves. We sail next month.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the info on.

[Divi]

Our only disappointment with the Koningsdam is the promenade deck, other than that, we love this ship.

The rooms may be smaller but , as Lady Arwen said, those wonderful showers.

The comment about happy hour in Billboard made me laugh. It does seem as if all the passengers show up for that but it’s not just the drinks but the never ending appetizers.

You know, because the ship doesn’t feed us enough.;p

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to give us your opinion of the Koningsdam.

When we saw pictures of her and saw the small cabins, we were not impressed with her. She definitely does not appeal to us.

[boards]

Thank you for the information about the J-cabins. We book J cabins quite often (Maasdam, Volendam, Rotterdam) but when viewing the pictures of the Koningsdam they appeared way too small even for us. We have booked an obstructed balcony for our Oct. cruise and even though view is not perfect I think we will still enjoy the cabin. Just to be cruising is almost enough.

[Ine]

We sailed Koningsdam last summer. Although we had a nice cruise,the ship looked great. However indeed Koningsdam didnog give the HAL feeling. Too much bling bling, modern art etc. It can be a ship of any other line. Food and service were good, loved the dutch cafe and Tamarind. We were disappointed with the Vista suite, which is NOT a suite, but a room with balcony. The couch was not near the window but near the bathroom. So no view when sitting there. Fresh flowers, well the tiniest vase with mini flowers in it and a few more things.

We heard from others about their very small inside cabins.

[catl331]

I agree with most of what you said. We missed the traditional promenade, traditional art and antiques, brass and dark wood, and a good library ... but those are going away on all HAL ships it seems. My favorite ship is still the Amsterdam, and DH's is the Nieuw Amsterdam because he prefers newer ships to older but it still retains most of the atmosphere of older ones. We likely won't choose K-dam again (or future Pinnacle class ships) unless they sometime offer a special itinerary at great prices! :)

[cartervan]

Thank you for your perspective.

[3rdGenCunarder]

We sailed Koningsdam last summer. Although we had a nice cruise,the ship looked great. However indeed Koningsdam didnog give the HAL feeling. Too much bling bling, modern art etc. It can be a ship of any other line. Food and service were good, loved the dutch cafe and Tamarind. We were disappointed with the Vista suite, which is NOT a suite, but a room with balcony. The couch was not near the window but near the bathroom. So no view when sitting there. Fresh flowers, well the tiniest vase with mini flowers in it and a few more things.

We heard from others about their very small inside cabins.

 

Vista suites have never been true suites, just slightly larger than veranda cabins. We were in a Neptune, so we had a large room, but quite a few people I spoke to in other cabins said they noticed the loss of space compared to the same grade on other ships.

 

OP, you're wrong about the size. K'dam is longer and wider than the Vistas and Signatures. And the increased passenger capacity is closer to 700 (compared to Zuiderdam) than 1000. I did expect the changes in size and number to create crowding, but except for the too-small (IMO) showroom and the bottleneck when shows get out, it wasn't as bad as I expected. A few more midships elevators would be nice. Even when Lincoln Center gets out, the elevators get crowded.

 

I agree with OP that the MDR is ugly. I don't get the curved "ribs." I felt like Jonah inside the whale! Also, the room is noisy. There's a constant background din that makes it difficult to have a conversation without speaking loudly (and adding to the din). I found this ironic because there seemed to be more space between tables than on other ships. The room needs more soft surfaces to absorb some of the sound.

[RuthC]

Thank you for your report. It confirms what I have learned from so many other reports that this ship---this new class of ships---is not for me. I once wanted to regain my goal of sailing every ship in the fleet, but this one is not worth the expense.

 

I know I don't have to give it a try, or see for myself, or hold my opinion until I have personal experience on the ship. I believe the reports I have read, and the pictures I have seen.

I'm happy that I was able to do so much cruising while HAL still produced their lovely older ships.

[Aquahound]

To the contrary, I liked Koningsdam. In fact, I wish they would have broken even further from the HAL norm with even more contemporary design and a true, impressive central atrium. I liked the design of the MDR because it reminded me of the modern design of Celebrity Solstice Class ships.

 

As for the crowds, I can't really say. My cruise in November was grossly undersold, which I found very odd for a brand new ship. We sailed about 800 under capacity, so we experienced no crowding issues whatsoever.

[3rdGenCunarder]

To the contrary, I liked Koningsdam. In fact, I wish they would have broken even further from the HAL norm with even more contemporary design and a true, impressive central atrium. I liked the design of the MDR because it reminded me of the modern design of Celebrity Solstice Class ships.

 

As for the crowds, I can't really say. My cruise in November was grossly undersold, which I found very odd for a brand new ship. We sailed about 800 under capacity, so we experienced no crowding issues whatsoever.

 

Probably undersold because it was overpriced. When I looked ahead to a winter cruise for 2019, I was surprised at how much higher the K'dam per diem was for a comparable length of 10 or 11 days. HAL figures people want the new ships, so they're trying to make as much as they can off the K.

[Wishing on a star]

Just from the photos, I would agree that some of the design/decor on K is just awful.

I have mentioned this before.

Crayola crayon primary red, and that yellow... Really???

 

And, sorry but they can call the space they call Canaletto a specialty uncharge 'fine dining' venue?

That space really needs some re-design.

 

I am hoping for a better look/feel on the N. Statendam!!!

Even if it is a bit more 'contemporary' than the prior HAL ships.

[Aquahound]

Probably undersold because it was overpriced. When I looked ahead to a winter cruise for 2019, I was surprised at how much higher the K'dam per diem was for a comparable length of 10 or 11 days. HAL figures people want the new ships, so they're trying to make as much as they can off the K.

 

I booked about a month before the cruise. I paid $849 for a VD veranda. That's a pretty good price for an 11 night cruise.

[catl331]

In fact, I wish they would have broken even further from the HAL norm with even more contemporary design and a true, impressive central atrium. I liked the design of the MDR because it reminded me of the modern design of Celebrity Solstice Class ships.

I agree - the K belongs in the Celebrity fleet.

[Wishing on a star]

Agree about the lack of a real central Atrium area.

If we travel on the Nieuw Statendam, we will really miss the nice 'Piazza' on all off the newer Princess ships!

[Boytjie]

One thing I did not realize was the Pinnacle class ships are no longer then the Vista class, they just have two more decks. Now as you might imagine, adding two decks and 1,000 passengers without enlarging other areas can create some crowding problems.

 

The Koningsdam is actually 40 feet longer and 9 feet wider than the Vista class. It might not sound like much but it adds up.

[Daisyloo]

Thanks for sharing your experience on Koningsdam. We actually love this ship! Yes, the cabins are smaller (except for those lovely large showers) but it's a sacrifice we gladly accept. Everything else suits us perfectly. Thank goodness there are so many ships in the HAL fleet.......something for everyone's taste and preferences.

 

I agree totally. I also have to add that we have enjoyed every ship we have cruised on.

[stickey_mouse]

I like the look of the modernized Koningsdam, but have not sailed on her. I am currently booked on her soon-to-be sister ship, the Nieuw Statendam. I think HAL had to evolve somewhat to try to capture more market share and compete with other lines in its class. I'm glad that they have both styles of ships to choose from, and time will tell which are more popular and generate more revenue. Vote with your dollars!

[callmedeb]

Thanks for sharing Kirk! I look forward to cruising on her in September =)

 

Deb