Live Reports from the Koningsdam January 2 Mexico Cruise

[sandiegoscribe]

Hi, We're Ron and Mary James.

 We live in North San Diego County and will make the long 40 mile trip to Downtown San Diego to board the Koningsdam for the seven-day voyage to Mexico this afternoon. The "live" posts of the previous Koningsdam Mexico cruise extremely helpful and encouraging in getting ready for our seagoing adventure -- especially during the trials and uncertainties of the pandemic. We hope our posts will be as helpful and encouraging. Next post will be at sail away. Cheers!

 

[Sharon in AZ]

Bon Voyage!

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Have a great cruise.

[Florida_gal_50]

Have a wonderful time.  Looking forward to hearing all about it.

[Mtn2Sea]

Bob Voyage!!

[Lido deck main]

Bon Voyage

[Vict0riann]

Bon voyage!  😀  We have friends on board, so I'm interested in hearing all about your cruise.  I do find I can't see the picture you posted - do I have to do something special to see it?

[gknep]

I’m on the ship right now as well, we are having  a fabulous time

[sandiegoscribe]

It’s the morning after sail away and we just had a nice breakfast at the Lido Market, the Kdam’s creative buffet. Here are our first impressions of the ship and crew.

First, a little about the boarding process in San Diego. Initially, it seemed a bit unorganized, at least to the uninitiated, with a confusing system of dropping luggage and finding the correct line for our assigned boarding time. The confusion was compounded because two Holland America ships were boarding on this sunny afternoon, the second day of the new year. No signs showed where to take luggage or which lines were for which ship. Thankfully, a monitor came by frequently to sort people into the right lines.

After a half hour wait, they directed us into the terminal for all the pre-boarding checks. Being a San Diegan, I’m a little embarrassed by our cruise terminal, which looks more like an abandoned warehouse than the sleek modern buildings we’ve experienced around the world. Hopefully, as more ships make San Diego a home port, the city will build a decent facility worthy of its waterfront location.

That said, the process inside the terminal was organized and efficient. In about 30 minutes, we passed through security, health screenings and check-in. In one area, dozens of cruisers who hadn’t gotten their required covid test in advance were waiting to be tested. The high number, we were told, was the result of a lack of testing available on the holiday weekend. (We did ours with an at-home test that was both convenient and efficient.)

Once onboard, we took the elevator to our stateroom at the stern. The beautifully appointed room offers amazing views of San Diego harbor through the window to our veranda, large enough for two full sized reclining deck chairs and foot stool. Our room looked new with a very large flat screen TV and plenty storage to hang and stow our stuff. The desk, and two nightstands had US standard plugs and USB ports for charging. This was much appreciated that spared us from the big tangle of wires and gadgets on shared chargers on other ships.

The most pleasant surprise was the modern bathroom, with glass-enclosed shower, a well lit mirror and large containers of Elemis toiletries. It was by far the nicest we have experienced in our many years of cruising. Another pleasant touch is motion-activated floor lighting that illuminates night-time bathroom visits.

The ship and its interiors are knockout gorgeous, modern, clean and seemingly new. Museum quality art catches your eye around every corner in public areas that abound with shops, restaurants, bars and entertainment venues. We plan to spend time in these fun destinations, starting tonight when the first gala night caps a relaxing sea day. Comfortable seating, often with views out over the water, invite conversations or just secluded spots to read or reflect.

One thing of interest to all cruisers is how the ship and passengers are dealing with covid.We’re happy to report that we have not seen one passenger or crew member without a mask unless eating or drinking, or on an outside deck away from other passengers. Everyone is taking precaution and prevention very seriously.  

One other item of note is that the number of passengers and crew are almost equal at about 800 each. The previous voyage over New Years had about 1800 cruisers on board. So there’s no problem with this sailing getting a table, reserving dining or finding a comfy chair anywhere on the ship.

[nocl]

It is an old warehouse.

 

Just like San Francisco had for a number of years.

 

A lot more cruise ships leave from LA, so not that much money or interest  to build a new one in San Diego

[Riversedge]

Thanks for your reports.  It’s good to read about the ship as we board when you get off.  If you get a chance, can you ask how many passengers are booked for the January 9 sailing?  We are hoping for the same kind of experience you are having. 

[madera1]

Enjoy your cruise. Thank you for sharing your experience with Cruise critic.

[Copper10-8]

Looks like you're off to a good start! Yeah, be sure to see/listen to the BB Kings, the Rolling Stone Rock Band, Clara and Colin on the pianos, the classical quartet and the really good Step One Co. Tonite should be "Humanity" in the Main Stage. Have a great time!

[Luvtennis6060]

7 hours ago, sandiegoscribe said:

It’s the morning after sail away and we just had a nice breakfast at the Lido Market, the Kdam’s creative buffet. Here are our first impressions of the ship and crew.

First, a little about the boarding process in San Diego. Initially, it seemed a bit unorganized, at least to the uninitiated, with a confusing system of dropping luggage and finding the correct line for our assigned boarding time. The confusion was compounded because two Holland America ships were boarding on this sunny afternoon, the second day of the new year. No signs showed where to take luggage or which lines were for which ship. Thankfully, a monitor came by frequently to sort people into the right lines.

After a half hour wait, they directed us into the terminal for all the pre-boarding checks. Being a San Diegan, I’m a little embarrassed by our cruise terminal, which looks more like an abandoned warehouse than the sleek modern buildings we’ve experienced around the world. Hopefully, as more ships make San Diego a home port, the city will build a decent facility worthy of its waterfront location.

That said, the process inside the terminal was organized and efficient. In about 30 minutes, we passed through security, health screenings and check-in. In one area, dozens of cruisers who hadn’t gotten their required covid test in advance were waiting to be tested. The high number, we were told, was the result of a lack of testing available on the holiday weekend. (We did ours with an at-home test that was both convenient and efficient.)

Once onboard, we took the elevator to our stateroom at the stern. The beautifully appointed room offers amazing views of San Diego harbor through the window to our veranda, large enough for two full sized reclining deck chairs and foot stool. Our room looked new with a very large flat screen TV and plenty storage to hang and stow our stuff. The desk, and two nightstands had US standard plugs and USB ports for charging. This was much appreciated that spared us from the big tangle of wires and gadgets on shared chargers on other ships.

The most pleasant surprise was the modern bathroom, with glass-enclosed shower, a well lit mirror and large containers of Elemis toiletries. It was by far the nicest we have experienced in our many years of cruising. Another pleasant touch is motion-activated floor lighting that illuminates night-time bathroom visits.

The ship and its interiors are knockout gorgeous, modern, clean and seemingly new. Museum quality art catches your eye around every corner in public areas that abound with shops, restaurants, bars and entertainment venues. We plan to spend time in these fun destinations, starting tonight when the first gala night caps a relaxing sea day. Comfortable seating, often with views out over the water, invite conversations or just secluded spots to read or reflect.

One thing of interest to all cruisers is how the ship and passengers are dealing with covid.We’re happy to report that we have not seen one passenger or crew member without a mask unless eating or drinking, or on an outside deck away from other passengers. Everyone is taking precaution and prevention very seriously.  

One other item of note is that the number of passengers and crew are almost equal at about 800 each. The previous voyage over New Years had about 1800 cruisers on board. So there’s no problem with this sailing getting a table, reserving dining or finding a comfy chair anywhere on the ship.

Are they making passengers wear a mask when they sit at a bar indoors?  I hope it’s not the sip and cover routine.

 

Cindy

 

[DAllenTCY]

Passengers for Koningsdam 1/9/22  =  1,227

 

David

[slb1949]

Thank you for the posts. Good information. We are boarding January 16 to hawaii. Crossing our fingers. 

[erewhon]

Thanks for posting.

Have a fabulous cruise.

[GTVCRUISER]

Thank You for your report , I will be on the January 9th 2022 cruise 🙂

Edited January 4, 2022 by GTVCRUISER
spelling

[sandiegoscribe]

Someone asked about mask wearing. So far, everyone has been wearing masks except when they are seated and eating or drinking including in the bars and dining rooms. We were cleared for Cabo this morning at 10 a.m. without problem and began tendering right away. Lot's of tender boats no waitin in either direction. Three cruise ships in the harbor, the port very busy. About half the visitors were wearing masks in Cabo. So far so good, we have not heard of any breakouts. 

[sandiegoscribe]

Our experience on the KDam has been outstanding so far. It's far exceeded our expectations in every category. The crew have been wonderful, friendly and helpful, always with a greeting and a smile. The ship was a revalation, beautiful and fun, and the food delicious. The Lido Market is one of the best bufffets were had at sea. It's like a quality Mercados we've enjoyed in Europe. A food hall with several individual restaurants, each serving a specialty menu, carving station, bakery, sushi etc. The omelets are made to order and the soups are excellent.

 

Our first dinner was in the main dining room. Because we are only 800 strong, they seated us in the lower section. I had the trout and Mary had the salmon. Both were good, not fishy and not overdone. The service again was excellent. We have a drink package and we had much more of a choice of wines than we had on either Azamara or Celebrity, which, until now have been our line of choice.

 

Last night we had happy hour cocktails at the Oceans bar, perfect setting for drinks and chatting. Once we were seated we removed our masks as everyone else did. I ordered a Vespa, martini made famous by James Bond, and couldn't believe it was part of my Signature drink package. It was as good as the one we had at the Palicio Hotel in Lisbon where the drink was first made for Bond. And of course, it was shaken not stirred. Mary sipped a couple of glasses of very drinkable prosecco.

 

Despite the smaller number of passengers, it didn't feel like the ship was empty especially in the evening. But it was nice to be able to find a nice place to sit without hunting around. That was the case in the pool area and the main venues and bars. Next, up, Our most excellent dining experience at Rudi''s Sel De Mer. I'm having some issues transfering photos, but I'll be posting some photos as soon as I can.

Edited January 4, 2022 by sandiegoscribe

[GTVCRUISER]

Do they still give you the Mariner Cocktail coupon  in your cabin  ?

[kjshoppie]

We’re also on the Kdam, for the first time.  We agree with everything you’ve said about the ship.  It is so light and airy compared to some of the other ships!  The food and the service have been excellent!  
We were aboard the Zuiderdam last week for the Christmas sail.  It was a wonderful itinerary, even though we were not allowed to disembark in Topolobampo.  The service however, was awful!  Hope they’re getting their act together better this week and in the next few weeks!!

Stay safe out there!!

[zgscl]

16 hours ago, kjshoppie said:

We’re also on the Kdam, for the first time.  We agree with everything you’ve said about the ship.  It is so light and airy compared to some of the other ships!  The food and the service have been excellent!  
We were aboard the Zuiderdam last week for the Christmas sail.  It was a wonderful itinerary, even though we were not allowed to disembark in Topolobampo.  The service however, was awful!  Hope they’re getting their act together better this week and in the next few weeks!!

Stay safe out there!!

I always avoid the first few sailings (after dry dock, new launch, etc.) I was on the 3rd or 4th sailing back on the Nieuw Amsterdam and the 5th or 6th on Koningsdam and we did not have any of the new ship pains that others had reported on the first couple trips. I am sure the crew will get back in the groove of things pretty quickly.