Koningsdam Questions

[teacherman]

We have previously sailed on HAL 3 times, but that was several years ago and on some of their "smaller" ships. Since then, we have sailed only on RCCL and Celebrity, which we have enjoyed, especially the Diamond Lounge cocktail hours, as we have access to those. We are now considering an 11 night cruise on the Koningsdam for next spring, as we like the itinerary. We have tried to do research on the ship, but it seems to offer some conflicting opinions. So, if some of you that have been on it could please answer some questions, it would be most appreciated.

 

1. I have heard that there are very few public areas that offer views of the ocean. Is this true, as we enjoy a view.? (We will have a balcony, but do not want to spend the whole cruise on it).

2. There is a daily "happy hour" offered with reduced drinks. Is this true and if so, what time is it offered?

3. The balconies on the fore and aft of deck 4 are larger, but have steel railings rather than plexi-glass. Is this true?

4. For "My Time Dining", or whatever it is called, there are very few tables for 2 available. Is this true?

5. There is very little shaded area available near to the pools. And HAL offers more smoking areas than other cruise lines. Is this true?

 

This may seem somewhat "picky" but we enjoy certain things while on a cruise and we are just trying to see what we might get to experience. Any advice/information on these topics is welcome. Thank you.

[CruiserBruce]

 

1. I have heard that there are very few public areas that offer views of the ocean. Is this true, as we enjoy a view.? (We will have a balcony, but do not want to spend the whole cruise on it). There are many public areas that have views of the ocean.

2. There is a daily "happy hour" offered with reduced drinks. Is this true and if so, what time is it offered? Yes. The schedule will be in your cabin. The times may vary by day or sailing, but 4pm is a common one.

3. The balconies on the fore and aft of deck 4 are larger, but have steel railings rather than plexi-glass. Is this true? Forward deck 4 does. Not sure of aft.

4. For "My Time Dining", or whatever it is called, there are very few tables for 2 available. Is this true? This has been beat to death here. "Many" is subjective, but no one has complained about getting tables for two. They can, and do, frequently make tables for 4 into tables for 2 when needed.

5. There is very little shaded area available near to the pools. And HAL offers more smoking areas than other cruise lines. Is this true? No, absolutely not. Smoking has also been beat to death here, many times over. KDam has a second deck at the main pool that is essentially all shade. Plus shade on the main pool area.

 

This may seem somewhat "picky" but we enjoy certain things while on a cruise and we are just trying to see what we might get to experience. Any advice/information on these topics is welcome. Thank you.

 

Some reading around the board will get you lots of info.

[Lady Arwen]

We have previously sailed on HAL 3 times, but that was several years ago and on some of their "smaller" ships. Since then, we have sailed only on RCCL and Celebrity, which we have enjoyed, especially the Diamond Lounge cocktail hours, as we have access to those. We are now considering an 11 night cruise on the Koningsdam for next spring, as we like the itinerary. We have tried to do research on the ship, but it seems to offer some conflicting opinions. So, if some of you that have been on it could please answer some questions, it would be most appreciated.

 

1. I have heard that there are very few public areas that offer views of the ocean. Is this true, as we enjoy a view.? (We will have a balcony, but do not want to spend the whole cruise on it).

2. There is a daily "happy hour" offered with reduced drinks. Is this true and if so, what time is it offered?

3. The balconies on the fore and aft of deck 4 are larger, but have steel railings rather than plexi-glass. Is this true?

4. For "My Time Dining", or whatever it is called, there are very few tables for 2 available. Is this true?

5. There is very little shaded area available near to the pools. And HAL offers more smoking areas than other cruise lines. Is this true?

 

This may seem somewhat "picky" but we enjoy certain things while on a cruise and we are just trying to see what we might get to experience. Any advice/information on these topics is welcome. Thank you.

We love Koningsdam and I'll try to answer your questions.

There are many, many areas on the ship with ocean views, especially Lido deck. Happy Hour is in the late afternoon, 4-5 pm. Only cat VH on deck 4 have steel railings (most forward cabins) the rest are plexiglass (just look at the deck plan). Yes, the balconies are huge...we stayed in 4020 and loved it. We had a table for 2 every evening with no problems at all. Loads of shaded areas near the pool on Lido deck. We virtually lived in this area for two weeks. Smoking is allowed in the casino and at the aft pool. Yes, the casino does get very smokey and that was my only disappointment. If you want a non smoking casino, then Celebrity would be a better choice. If you have any other questions, please just ask!

Edited June 3, 2018 by Lady Arwen
spelling

[catl331]

3. The balconies on the fore and aft of deck 4 are larger, but have steel railings rather than plexi-glass.

Only the VF far forward (4001 to 4020) have the steel-wall railings.

 

4. For "My Time Dining", or whatever it is called, there are very few tables for 2 available.

MDR plans are available at http://halfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/kodmmdr-new-numbers.pdf

On the K, both levels are used for Open dining, so count the number of two's on both.

 

Only cat VH on deck 4 have steel railings

They are the VF. The deck 4 VH (4041 to 4167) have plexiglas, but are obstructed by lifeboats right in front. Edited June 3, 2018 by catl331

[Lady Arwen]

Only the VF far forward (4001 to 4020) have the steel-wall railings.

 

MDR plans are available at http://halfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/kodmmdr-new-numbers.pdf

On the K, both levels are used for Open dining, so count the number of two's on both.

 

They are the VF. The deck 4 VH (4041 to 4167) have plexiglas, but are obstructed by lifeboats right in front.

You are correct, steel railings are cat. VF and 4022-4036 are cat. VB with plexiglass. Thanks for correcting my error.

[Overhead Fred]

We were on the Koningsdam about a month ago for a TA/Mediterranean cruise. Here are my thoughts on your questions.

 

1) I did not notice any lack of ocean views in public areas. The Grand Dutch Cafe had a particularly nice seating area with great views. There are many outdoor nooks-and-crannies on the upper decks that seemed to have little traffic.

 

2) It may vary depending on the itinerary, but our happy hours (buy one drink, get a second of the same for $2) were in the Billboard Onboard bar from 4-5 pm and in the Crow's Nest from 10-11 pm. They have an extensive buffet with lots of snacks during the Billboard happy hour. There were also wine specials in the Ocean bar and martini specials in the Panorama bar from 5-6 pm.

 

3) The aft verandas should all have plexiglass railings. It should be clearly stated on the deck plans - look at the symbols printed on the rooms.

 

4) If you mean "Anytime Dining", then you may have to wait a bit for a table for two. You can also make reservations for your preferred dining time and table size. I think you can do this for a few days at a time. We did not try this since we had the late fixed seating (a bit after 8 pm) in the MDR. There seemed to be many empty tables in the MDR during this seating so you should not have an issues getting a 2-top if you can eat on the late side. We saw many tables for 4 being used by couples only. Our table stewards did indicate the early seating (around 5:30 pm) was busier than the late seating.

 

5) There are balcony areas around the Lido and aft pools that does provide ample shade. The designated smoking area was under the starboard balcony by the aft pool which cuts down on shade areas for smoke-intolerant folks.

[*Miss G*]

Not all HAL ships have smoking in the casino. Those that do, also have non-smoking nights and non-smoking areas.

[baggal]

We're recently off the Koningsdam (3 weeks ago) and we loved this ship! Beautifully designed with an excellent crew from the captain on down to the crew you don't ever see (laundry, chefs, etc.).

 

As far as smoking in the casino, there were a few nights that were listed as completely smoke free. On the other nights, if you were playing a table game, and if you asked nicely and didn't demand, the pit boss/manager would try to accommodate non-smokers by opening a table as far away as possible from the smoking table. And of course, you could have your choice of slots wherever you wanted. Your option.

 

As far as anytime dining, considering we were in Europe with passengers from ALL over the world, I was surprised at how early people would line up to wait for anytime dining to open. One day we were coming back from an excursion at about 4:40 pm and people were already waiting in line for the MDR to open. What time do these people eat breakfast and lunch? They do let you make reservations in advance for anytime dining but usually outside of this busiest times. I also did notice that the line was the longest on the "Gala" evenings. However, after our first "gala" night, which happened to be the second night of the cruise, we were able to make reservations for the time we wanted. The MDR manager was very accommodating.

 

I hope this was helpful. We loved this ship.

Edited June 3, 2018 by baggal
grammar

[Fouremco]

Not all HAL ships have smoking in the casino. Those that do, also have non-smoking nights and non-smoking areas.

Unfortunately, the Koningsdam is not one of the ships with a smoke-free casino.

 

HAL's current policy:

 

SMOKING POLICY

For the comfort of all of our guests, beginning with sailings departing in 2017, all staterooms (cabins) including stateroom verandahs, showrooms and most other indoor areas are designated non-smoking. Smoking is also permitted on certain other designated, outside decks. The designated smoking areas for all ships are as follows unless otherwise noted.

o Casino – Designated areas for active slot players in Casinos. ms Eurodam, ms Oosterdam, ms Westerdam and ms Zuiderdam casinos are completely non-smoking. ms Noordam Casino is completely non-smoking, with the exception of two nights per cruise

o Oak Room on ms Noordam only, including cigars and pipes.

o Sea View (Retreat) Bar/Pool on designated side of the ship

o Sun Bar on ms Koningsdam and ms Nieuw Statendam only

o Sports Deck in designated areas only

Cigar and pipe smoking is not allowed anywhere inside the ship, with the exception of the Oak Room on the ms Noordam; it is only permitted on the outside decks where smoking is otherwise allowed. Electronic cigarettes and vaping devices are permitted in staterooms but are not permitted on stateroom verandahs. These devices may be used in all designated smoking areas listed above.

Any guest who smokes inside staterooms in violation of our policy will be charged a US$250 cleaning fee per day of violation.

[*Miss G*]

Unfortunately, the Koningsdam is not one of the ships with a smoke-free casino.

 

 

Sorry, I should have been more explicit. My post was in response to the one indicating the OP should sail with another line if they wanted smoke-free casinos. As a previous poster indicated, the smoke-free nights for the Koningsdam were posted in the When and Where. There were also smoke-free areas on smoking nights which the staff were pretty vigilant on keeping that way.

[rafinmd]

My opinion is that ocean views on Koningsdam are a LITTLE better than the RCI ships I've sailed (Radiance, Vision, Oasis, and Quantum classes) and a LOT better than any Celebrity ship (Solstice, Summit) I've sailed. There are probably other HAL ships with better ocean views but not compared with many other cruise lines.

 

 

I'm not a casino person. I've noticed a trace of smoke presence passing by it but significantly less than I've seen on Royal.

 

 

Roy

[OVgirl]

Unfortunately, the Koningsdam is not one of the ships with a smoke-free casino.

 

HAL's current policy:

 

SMOKING POLICY

For the comfort of all of our guests, beginning with sailings departing in 2017, all staterooms (cabins) including stateroom verandahs, showrooms and most other indoor areas are designated non-smoking. Smoking is also permitted on certain other designated, outside decks. The designated smoking areas for all ships are as follows unless otherwise noted.

o Casino – Designated areas for active slot players in Casinos. ms Eurodam, ms Oosterdam, ms Westerdam and ms Zuiderdam casinos are completely non-smoking. ms Noordam Casino is completely non-smoking, with the exception of two nights per cruise

o Oak Room on ms Noordam only, including cigars and pipes.

o Sea View (Retreat) Bar/Pool on designated side of the ship

o Sun Bar on ms Koningsdam and ms Nieuw Statendam only

o Sports Deck in designated areas only

Cigar and pipe smoking is not allowed anywhere inside the ship, with the exception of the Oak Room on the ms Noordam; it is only permitted on the outside decks where smoking is otherwise allowed. Electronic cigarettes and vaping devices are permitted in staterooms but are not permitted on stateroom verandahs. These devices may be used in all designated smoking areas listed above.

Any guest who smokes inside staterooms in violation of our policy will be charged a US$250 cleaning fee per day of violation.

 

My bolding above. When we were on Koningsdam, I did not see this bar open with smoking in that area. Has anyone seen it used as a smoking area. I know it's on the port side and smoking one deck lower is on the starboard side.

Wonder if they changed their mind about this area and just haven't updated their website.

Thanks for any insight.

[baggal]

My bolding above. When we were on Koningsdam, I did not see this bar open with smoking in that area. Has anyone seen it used as a smoking area. I know it's on the port side and smoking one deck lower is on the starboard side.

Wonder if they changed their mind about this area and just haven't updated their website.

Thanks for any insight.

 

3 weeks ago on the Koningsdam, if you are talking about the bar (don't know its name) and tables on the STARBOARD side of the aft pool - then yes, this area is used by the smokers. For the most part we were hardly out there, too windy and chilly, but there were definitely a few smokers when we came by.

[OVgirl]

3 weeks ago on the Koningsdam, if you are talking about the bar (don't know its name) and tables on the STARBOARD side of the aft pool - then yes, this area is used by the smokers. For the most part we were hardly out there, too windy and chilly, but there were definitely a few smokers when we came by.

 

Thanks,that would be the Seaview bar. Apparently, two levels up there is also a bar on the port side.

Never saw it being used.

I'm just curious about it.

[Fouremco]

Thanks,that would be the Seaview bar. Apparently, two levels up there is also a bar on the port side.

Never saw it being used.

I'm just curious about it.

Good point. We haven't been on the K'dam since 2016, when there was smoking by the Sea View Bar. When I saw this list in the 2018 KBYG, I thought that they had perhaps moved it to the Sun Bar. I know that there were a lot of complaints when it was located adjacent to the Sea View Bar, not only from the patrons of the bar but from passengers wanting to sit around the pool. Darned smoke just wouldn't stay in its designated area!

[C2CMH]

Hi, Sailing on the K in November. Does anyone know if the walls or the door of the cabin are magnetic. Thanks in advance.

[Fouremco]

Hi, Sailing on the K in November. Does anyone know if the walls or the door of the cabin are magnetic. Thanks in advance.

Walls and ceilings, yes. Door too, I believe, but I didn't try.

[teacherman]

Based on the information provided, we have booked cabin 4028 for an 11 night cruise. I believe it is on deck 4, forward, port side, and has plexi-glass railing on the balcony. Hopefully, we will enjoy the Koningsdam as much as we enjoy Celebrity and RCCL (except for the Diamond happy hour which we will greatly miss, as we meet a lot of experienced cruisers there and gain much information about ports and ships.) Thank you to all who provided advice.

[rafinmd]

Hi, Sailing on the K in November. Does anyone know if the walls or the door of the cabin are magnetic. Thanks in advance.

Technically , I don't believe they are magnetic. They are steel and hold YOUR magnets quite securely, a very handy way of keeping track of things.

 

Roy

[catl331]

Hi, Sailing on the K in November. Does anyone know if the walls or the door of the cabin are magnetic. Thanks in advance.

We didn't try magnets on the K, but in the past we've found it takes a strong magnet to stick and hold any weight on most walls or doors. However the door frames will hold even a weak "refrigerator magnet".

[C2CMH]

Thanks, I have found some hook magnets on Ebay that say they can hold up to 20lbs. I just want to use them to maybe hang purses or port bags. I will also bring some personal magnets for the outside door so our cabin door is easy to find! Does anyone know if there are hooks on the back of the bathroom door already?

[Fouremco]

Thanks, I have found some hook magnets on Ebay that say they can hold up to 20lbs. I just want to use them to maybe hang purses or port bags. I will also bring some personal magnets for the outside door so our cabin door is easy to find! Does anyone know if there are hooks on the back of the bathroom door already?

Yes, there are hooks on the back of the bathroom door, but we too take hook magnets for a multitude of uses.

 

[RW_MI]

On 6/6/2018 at 10:57 AM, Fouremco said:

Yes, there are hooks on the back of the bathroom door, but we too take hook magnets for a multitude of uses.

 

 

This is an old thread, but I'd love to know where you ordered those magnets, Fouremco, or anyone else who's used them to hang hats and empty backpacks (or equivalent items). 

 

I bought some before my last cruise, and they varied in strength, even on the door frames.  Most weren't strong enough to hold an empty lightweight backpack with a straw hat. 

 

Thanks.

[Fouremco]

19 minutes ago, RW_MI said:

 

This is an old thread, but I'd love to know where you ordered those magnets, Fouremco, or anyone else who's used them to hang hats and empty backpacks (or equivalent items). 

 

I bought some before my last cruise, and they varied in strength, even on the door frames.  Most weren't strong enough to hold an empty lightweight backpack with a straw hat. 

 

Thanks.

This link will take you to the appropriate page at Lee Valley Tools: http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=73796&cat=1,42363,42348

 

We use the "B" magnets, and take three packages of three with us, all of which we put to use.

 

Amazon sells something similar, but I have no experience with them: https://www.amazon.com/Magnetic-Premium-Neodymium-Hooks，Indoor-Workplace/dp/B07H9QZNPV/ref=sr_1_12_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1543706978&sr=8-12-spons&keywords=magnetic+hooks&psc=1

 

 

[RW_MI]

33 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

This link will take you to the appropriate page at Lee Valley Tools: http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=73796&cat=1,42363,42348

 

We use the "B" magnets, and take three packages of three with us, all of which we put to use.

 

Amazon sells something similar, but I have no experience with them: https://www.amazon.com/Magnetic-Premium-Neodymium-Hooks，Indoor-Workplace/dp/B07H9QZNPV/ref=sr_1_12_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1543706978&sr=8-12-spons&keywords=magnetic+hooks&psc=1

 

 

Thanks very much!