Koningsdam to West Coast

[hobo1937]

Just happened to be checking out South America cruises on the HAL website and found a cruise called the Voyage of the Americas on the Koningsdam from Ft Lauderdale to San Diego and Vancouver sailing on March 5, 2020. The cruises are 44 and 48 days respectively. Looks like maybe she will doing Alaska in 2020.

[rafinmd]

Sounds like she's too tall for the Bridge of the Americas to be taking that long.

 

Roy

[St Pete Cruiser]

Thanks for bringing this new Koningsdam cruise to our attention. I didn't notice it yet. Yes, it would seem to be in place to do the Alaska season. Maybe HAL needs the smaller ships back in Europe, as the Veendam will be going to Venice.

Roy, is the bridge really that low? Oosterdam made it under our Skyway Bridge here in Tampa Bay, but Koningsdam can't.

[rafinmd]

Bridge of the Americas is a LITTLE bit lower than the Verrazzano. I do know that QM2 routinely but narrowly clears that but is just a little too tall for the Bridge of the Americas. My conjecture that it was too tall was based on the length of the repo cruises. I think it would be about 25 days rather than 45 if she were going through the Panama Canal.

 

Roy

[MekesMom]

Sounds like she's too tall for the Bridge of the Americas to be taking that long.

 

Roy

 

I think I remember hearing something about the lifeboats not fitting through the Canal.

[St Pete Cruiser]

That is right about the life boats. Captain Darren did mention that last month at his Captain Chat, which was why K'dam and Nieuw Statendam would be doing Europe. Guess some HAL execs wanted the K'dam in Alaska. I think the route around South America is a very nice alternative to the canal.

[Cruiser Bruiser]

This is very exciting. I hope there are shorter segments, as I'm anxious to go back to Brazil.

 

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[Boytjie]

Sounds like she's too tall for the Bridge of the Americas to be taking that long.

 

 

 

Roy

 

 

 

The NCL Bliss just passed through the canal on it’s way to Alaska. I doubt the Koningsdam it talker or wider than Bliss.

[BillB48]

I could only find one website that indicates the air draft of the Koningsdam and it appears to be under 200'. The maximum air draft for ships to clear the Bridge of Americas is 205' and the length and beam certainly don't pose a problem for the new locks.

 

 

The life boats on the Koningsdam appear to be stowed in a similar position and height as the Caribbean Princess which has been doing partial transits all winter long. The lifeboat overhang looks to be high enough not to pose a problem with the lock wall. They also handle passenger ships differently at the new locks than regular cargo ships by not making the ship fast to the lock wall when water is admitted (or released from) to the chamber. Instead the ship is held in the center of the chamber with mooring lines to each side of the chamber to avoid contact with the lock wall not unlike what the "mules" would do at the old locks.

 

 

Perhaps the Koningsdam's absence form the Canal is just due to the itineraries?

[ski ww]

A circumnavigation cruise of South America on the K'dam to Vancouver would be one we would be interested in.

Allan

[Despegue]

I always presumed that Koningsdam can easily use the Panama Canal now. She is actually designed to be able to do so.But if Capt. Bowland says Nay, I am obviously incorrect.

[St Pete Cruiser]

Looking at the pics of the Koningsdam's lifeboats, they do not have a deck or protection over them like the Caribbean Princess does. They do seem more "exposed" than some of the other newer big ships. I know I don't like the walk around deck as well as they block the view.

[MS BEER]

What we were told is that the Panama Canal Company did not release the final rules for the new PanaMax canal until 3 months before opening. The big sticking point is that NOTHING can hang over the sides and the Big K & the NS's lifeboats extend beyond the side of the hull. So, they cannot go through either the old nor new canals. That is what we were told by Capt. John Scott on the Eurodam.

[rafinmd]

That's a bummer. I wonder if there's something they can do to fix it for the Nieuw Statendam. It's an interesting itinerary, but I'm on Cunard's World Cruise then. I might be interested in the return journey.

 

Roy