LIVE from the Koningsdam Holiday Sailing - Dec. 17th - Jan 7th - exploring my first Pinnacle Class ship 🤞

[kazu]

 

@BetsyS.many thanks for wishing me luck.  You brought it to me 👍 

 

How loud can kazu shout Bingo?  Twice !!!!  I was 2 numbers away from the big jackpot but missed out and “only” got the consolation.  

 

I admit on doing a small Happy dance on 2 wins 

 

 

 

[Vict0riann]

Lucky you are driving, Copper!  A number of people on the roll call have had their flights canceled, and now are having to drive.

[BetsyS.]

Jacqui - Congratulations!! I'm happy for you. 😊 I love Bingo too.   Picture of Snoopy dancing is so cute!   The little boy in shark costume is adorable. I'm glad his

mother said it was ok to post it. 

             If you play Bingo tomorrow, good luck with that too!!!!  I hope you win 

the "free cruise Bingo!"

[ChinaShrek]

7 hours ago, kazu said:

 

It’s mid ship - at the Lido bar where the Lido pool is.  It is currently out of order - hopefully it will be working by the time you board.

 

It took a week and 1/2 for one of the ice making machines to get fixed so your timing might be just about right. 

I heard one of the bartenders say it has been down for weeks. 

[Chickadee910]

Have you visited the casino.I was wondering if it’s very smoky.thanks. We get on when you disembark.

[Copper10-8]

1 hour ago, Vict0riann said:

Lucky you are driving, Copper!  A number of people on the roll call have had their flights canceled, and now are having to drive.

 

Yeah, it is/has been/will be tomorrow a huge mess in airline world 😌 All the best to the folks flying!

 

It's only a two hour - or less if the Chippies aren't looking 😉 - drive for us 

Edited December 28, 2022 by Copper10-8

[Vict0riann]

Will you accept a little dry land food porn?  On the recommendation of @SFO PETER, we went a bit early to our reservation at Gaslamp Fish House, aka Spike Africa’s and lucked in to happy hour.  We ordered the pear and Brie flatbread as well as the crab cakes and fish and chips, and we managed to squeeze in a shared slice of Black Cherry cheesecake.  And wine.  Mucho vino!   Now we are stuffed…

 

the walk back to the hotel worked off maybe 20 calories?

 

 

 

Edited December 28, 2022 by Vict0riann

[kazu]

3 hours ago, Chickadee910 said:

Have you visited the casino.I was wondering if it’s very smoky.thanks. We get on when you disembark.

 

Have I visited the casino?? LOL - I would say too much 😉. 

The entire casino is not smoky but it is where the smoking area is - close to the bar.

The alcove with the machines has no smoke and the machines just a row away don’t seem to have any smoke in the air.

 

They have air purifiers at the smoking machines and they seem to be doing a pretty good job.

Haven’t heard anyone complaining at all FWIW. Of course as in all cruises, YMMV.

6 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

Will you accept a little dry land food porn?  On the recommendation of @SFO PETER, we went a bit early to our reservation at Gaslamp Fish House, aka Spike Africa’s and lucked in to happy hour.  We ordered the pear and Brie flatbread as well as the crab cakes and fish and chips, and we managed to squeeze in a shared slice of Black Cherry cheesecake.  And wine.  Mucho vino!   Now we are stuffed…

 

the walk back to the hotel worked off maybe 20 calories?

 

 

 

 

Yum - looks lovely Ann 👍 

[kazu]

4 hours ago, BetsyS. said:

Jacqui - Congratulations!! I'm happy for you. 😊 I love Bingo too.   Picture of Snoopy dancing is so cute!   The little boy in shark costume is adorable. I'm glad his

mother said it was ok to post it. 

             If you play Bingo tomorrow, good luck with that too!!!!  I hope you win 

the "free cruise Bingo!"

 

Thanks 🙂. I’ll take the jack pot over the free cruise - but heck if I could manage either I”d be delighted.  Not counting on it 😉 

 

I have NEVER seen so many people playing Bingo on a ship before 😱 

[BetsyS.]

Jacqui - When so many people play Bingo, the jackpot gets bigger!  Good luck the next time you play.  Thanks for all your reporting and great pictures! 😊

[BetsyS.]

Ann - Your dinner looks delicious! 😊

[erewhon]

@kazu  Jacqui, I appreciate that you are taking time to post during your cruises, thank you.

Hope you have another win at Bingo, Good Luck.

[Chickadee910]

Thank you ..spend a lot of time in the casino and on the last two cruises the casino seemed almost smokeless.. have fun the rest of your time on board.happy new year 

[Andi Land]

15 hours ago, ChinaShrek said:

I heard one of the bartenders say it has been down for weeks. 

It was broken when I was on in June and when I was on in November it worked one week and was broken the other week. Seems to be hit or miss. 

[kazu]

Good morning from the Koningsdam at sea.

While the Gala night menu didn’t sound exciting I will say that the beet appetizer was very good.

Jeannie and I had the prime rib and once we got the properly cooked one (first ones we got were not medium rare and we sent them back) it wasn’t bad.  Other people I talked to raved about it - so we are probably fussy (and know how to cook 😉).
 

my friend had the lobster surcharge - the big one and said it was delish.

 

Dessert choices didn’t appeal so Jeannie and I both had the cheese plate.  And yes - there were crackers on the plate 👍 

 

[BetsyS.]

Jacqui - You were right to send prime rib back if it wasn't cooked properly. You're not fussy. Glad they got it right the second time.

         Have a great sea day and good luck at Bingo! 😊

 

[SusieKIslandGirl]

@kazuOn the cruise we just got back from, one of my trivia teammates was going to final bingo. I "took any hex off her" and sprinkled good luck dust on her 😇. She won over $325 so no hex and good luck to you!!!

[Overhead Fred]

@kazu - Hi Jacqui! It sounds like your cruise is going pretty well so far and we hope you are enjoying it. 

 

I have a quick question. The answer may be somewhere in the 19 pages of this thread (which I read every day) but rather than looking for a needle in the haystack I will ask. Can you remind me what are the breakfast and dinner hours for Club Orange? 

 

Thanks and enjoy being snow-free for a few weeks!

[kazu]

14 minutes ago, Overhead Fred said:

@kazu - Hi Jacqui! It sounds like your cruise is going pretty well so far and we hope you are enjoying it. 

 

I have a quick question. The answer may be somewhere in the 19 pages of this thread (which I read every day) but rather than looking for a needle in the haystack I will ask. Can you remind me what are the breakfast and dinner hours for Club Orange? 

 

Thanks and enjoy being snow-free for a few weeks!

 

Happy to Fred

Club Orange hours are the same as the MDR.  

 

Today is a sea day so breakfast is 8 am to 9:30 am.  On port days, it’s earlier.  Dinner is 5 pm - 9 pm.  You can go by the Dining page (last page of the Daily) for the Dining Room for Club Orange hours.  I include that page each day with the Daily I post.

 

 

[kazu]

Thanks for the good wishes for Bingo today and Susie, I appreciate you taking the “hex” off.  😃   Hoping I get to sit with the same 2 I did yesterday  (very nice guys) even though they “caught” me.  Last night at the Sea View Bar another person I chat with often joined us and she asked if I got paid for posting on CC and laughed and said no.

 

She wanted to know what I was doing and I explained about the LIVE thread.  After she left one of the guys had a big smile on his face and started to chuckle.   I was perplexed and then he laughed and said he had been following me on the cruise and knew who I was.  Caught.  I was caught.  LOL.

 

Here is today’s Daily:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not on the Daily is the Mariner recognition thing t 11 am and yes, I’m going as a couple of friends should be getting their medallions today 👍. There must be more Mariners this time as it’s in the Billboard.  Last segment’s was in the Ocean Bar.

[Ready2go11]

I reached 100 nights earlier on this Koningsdam cruise but did not receive an invite to the 11am on board ceremony. Do they make you wait until your next cruise?  I always thought it was the cruise you earned it on. 
 

Btw, my sister and I achiever 4 star at the conclusion of our last cruise in October and never received a pin or any recognition, although our account and benefits on this cruise do reflect 4 star. 

[kazu]

A comment on the MDR, if I may.

 

My friends couldn’t get Club Orange and invited me to join them if I could bypass CO.  I decided to do so and OMG - slow.  I don’t mind a leisurely meal but the wait for even a drink was stupid and if I hadn’t been listening my friend and I would have gotten each other’s wine 😱 There just wasn’t proper flow to the meal.

 

Waited for quite a while for the 1st appetizer and the 2nd (for those that got one) came before the 1st was done.  Then the wait for the entree and the wait to replate 2 medium rare roast beef.

 

I honestly think they are just too short staffed.  Especially when I compare it to the service I had in the MDR on the Oosterdam which was just a few weeks ago and post covid.  There the flow was good.  Proper waits in between, prompt drinks and attentive stewards.

 

Service in Club Orange is much better and quieter.  The 2nd floor level of the MDR is very loud.  Club Orange is more reminiscent of the service I had on the Oosterdam  and in pre-covid days on HAL.  it’s nice to have it but it seems like on this ship at least you have to pay a surcharge (cost of Club Orange) to have decent service and that doesn’t seem to be right to me.

 

Mind you, I have only been to the MDR once (and doubt I will be back) but based on what Jeannie said my experience is not out of line.

MDR was lined up for breakfast this morning. 

[0106]

Hi Jacqui- I’m enjoying your LIVE thread.  CC should pay you!🤣💰

 

I always enjoy “Ask the Captain”. If you go, I’d love to hear your impressions.

 

They really need to prepare some new EXC talks.  The Wizard of Wireless was interesting the first time I saw it but it appears on every cruise.  

[kazu]

Just now, Ready2go11 said:

I reached 100 nights earlier on this Koningsdam cruise but did not receive an invite to the 11am on board ceremony. Do they make you wait until your next cruise?  I always thought it was the cruise you earned it on. 
 

Btw, my sister and I achiever 4 star at the conclusion of our last cruise in October and never received a pin or any recognition, although our account and benefits on this cruise do reflect 4 star. 

 

You should receive the bronze medallion on this cruise - it’s awarded on the cruise where it is earned.  I believe you will find your medallions on your bed tonight.  From what has been reported on the boards and from what I have seen on this cruise and my recent one, they only invite 5* Mariners - silver medallion and above.  

 

The 4* pin is not given until after you have earned it so you should have received the pin on this cruise.  It may be the ship doesn’t have any like the tiles.  You could certainly ask at Guest Services if you want one to see if they have it.  There is no other recognition other than the pin and the perks you get with it.

[Ready2go11]

Thanks for the quick response. Disappointing given how much money I’ve spent on HAL. I thought it would be nice to attend a bronze ceremony with my sister as a shared memory. I guess it will be memorable in a different way now 😉

 

We do not need 4 star pins. Important thing is to receive the benefits (which we did).