My mini-review of Koningsdam post dry dock

[Busy Girl]

Was on the Koningsdam May 1-6th out of  Vancouver. Embarkation was miserable - it took us 2.5 hours, Nexxus/Verifly did not influence the situation at all (were not being used).
 

I spoke with an Officer in line at the Dutch Cafe - due to supply issues the furniture in the Crows Nest had not arrived during dry dock - it is all set to be replaced and a new library set up.  
 

Lincoln Centre is no more; that’s something I will miss.  
 

This was the third cruise on Koningsdam in 13 months - the first time the ship was full for a sailing and it felt very full - very long lineups in the Lido, et al. Unfortunately I found the quality of the food in the MDR to have gotten noticeably worse; nothing I wanted twice, never ordered dessert (cookies at the Dutch Cafe were better than anything my husband got), food almost never hot. Next time we will likely be paying to dine in the specialty restaurants - perhaps “as designed’. 

[terrydtx]

4 minutes ago, Busy Girl said:

Was on the Koningsdam May 1-6th out of  Vancouver. Embarkation was miserable - it took us 2.5 hours, Nexxus/Verifly did not influence the situation at all (were not being used).
 

I spoke with an Officer in line at the Dutch Cafe - due to supply issues the furniture in the Crows Nest had not arrived during dry dock - it is all set to be replaced and a new library set up.  
 

Lincoln Centre is no more; that’s something I will miss.  
 

This was the third cruise on Koningsdam in 13 months - the first time the ship was full for a sailing and it felt very full - very long lineups in the Lido, et al. Unfortunately I found the quality of the food in the MDR to have gotten noticeably worse; nothing I wanted twice, never ordered dessert (cookies at the Dutch Cafe were better than anything my husband got), food almost never hot. Next time we will likely be paying to dine in the specialty restaurants - perhaps “as designed’. 

Issues like you describe is why we have added Club Orange to our upcoming  Koingsdam and Volendam cruises. 

[Busy Girl]

1 minute ago, terrydtx said:

Issues like you describe is why we have added Club Orange to our upcoming  Koingsdam and Volendam cruises. 

Agreed - we spoke with the DINING ROOM  manager in Club Orange - the menu is almost exactly the same, only one additional menu item per category (one appie, main, et al) and free mimosa’s (do not drink). That being said, my sister dined in the Orange Club (they had a suite) and they really enjoyed it so its likely worth the cost just to try. 

[luv2cruzuk]

On 5/14/2023 at 3:40 AM, WannaSea said:

Really enjoyed watching your Koningsdam food review. Your comments were very useful with an appropriate description to complete the well composed and edited video clips. Though I may not order the same, your information will be helpful to me for dining choices on my upcoming K cruise. Nicely done.

Thanks so much. 
 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise. 

[jimdee3636]

@luv2cruzuk

Having been on the Koningsdam recently (actually, the cruise just before yours), I enjoyed your video reviews and can endorse just about everything you said, including your love of Tamarind and your disappointment with the Pinnacle Grill.

 

When we first started cruising with HAL back in 2007, dinner at the Pinnacle was something special, and it more-or-less remained so for quite a while. But around 2014 or 2015 we started to notice a deterioration in Pinnacle food and service standards (no matter what ship we were on). Even with our "four-star Mariner" discount, it didn't seem worth the dinner surcharge. However, we tried going there for lunch on sea days and were pleasantly surprised by how good it was. We found that the key to good luncheon service there was to make a reservation for when they open (12:00PM, I think), order a bottle of wine, and tell the waiter we won't be ordering food until the wine has arrived. It always seemed to do the trick. We'd enjoy a nice, leisurely lunch with good service. But we still avoid the venue at dinner. The MDR (late fixed seating, table for two) has always worked well for us, and when we want a special treat there's Tamarind.

 

Thanks for your insightful reviews.

Jim

[luv2cruzuk]

1 hour ago, jimdee3636 said:

@luv2cruzuk

Having been on the Koningsdam recently (actually, the cruise just before yours), I enjoyed your video reviews and can endorse just about everything you said, including your love of Tamarind and your disappointment with the Pinnacle Grill.

 

When we first started cruising with HAL back in 2007, dinner at the Pinnacle was something special, and it more-or-less remained so for quite a while. But around 2014 or 2015 we started to notice a deterioration in Pinnacle food and service standards (no matter what ship we were on). Even with our "four-star Mariner" discount, it didn't seem worth the dinner surcharge. However, we tried going there for lunch on sea days and were pleasantly surprised by how good it was. We found that the key to good luncheon service there was to make a reservation for when they open (12:00PM, I think), order a bottle of wine, and tell the waiter we won't be ordering food until the wine has arrived. It always seemed to do the trick. We'd enjoy a nice, leisurely lunch with good service. But we still avoid the venue at dinner. The MDR (late fixed seating, table for two) has always worked well for us, and when we want a special treat there's Tamarind.

 

Thanks for your insightful reviews.

Jim

What a great tip about lunchtime at Pinnacle Grill. I’ll definitely be trying that next time. 
 

Wasnt Tamarind simply amazing! I could eat there right now! 
 

I’ve got another video lined up, last one of this series, where I explore what you can eat in one day!

 

 

 

[BigMattT]

Oh my god what did they do to the Crows Nest?! Woah. Metal chairs with narrow arms? Yikes. 

[oakridger]

Another poster reported that the new chairs missed the port and will be put on the ship.  I don't remember which thread they put this info on but it was a day or two ago.

 

~Nancy

[Colorado Klutch]

12 minutes ago, BigMattT said:

Oh my god what did they do to the Crows Nest?! Woah. Metal chairs with narrow arms? Yikes. 

 

Doesn't really matter. Unless you go there in the middle of the night, the Crowe's Nest will be packed with people and every single chair will already have a butt parked in it. 

[BigMattT]

16 minutes ago, Colorado Klutch said:

 

Doesn't really matter. Unless you go there in the middle of the night, the Crowe's Nest will be packed with people and every single chair will already have a butt parked in it. 

 

I’ve been on 3 sold-out Pinnacle class sailings when, while busy, seats were available pretty consistently. The exception was on occasions when high demand speakers and interpreters were presenting. (Golden Gate Bridge passing, Glacier Bay, etc.)

 

Glad to hear these may not be the permanent seating. Tiny chairs and cruise lines insistence on narrow arms on every seating arrangement are the bane of my onboard life.

 

[Colorado Klutch]

17 minutes ago, BigMattT said:

 

I’ve been on 3 sold-out Pinnacle class sailings when, while busy, seats were available pretty consistently. The exception was on occasions when high demand speakers and interpreters were presenting. (Golden Gate Bridge passing, Glacier Bay, etc.)

 

Glad to hear these may not be the permanent seating. Tiny chairs and cruise lines insistence on narrow arms on every seating arrangement are the bane of my onboard life.

 

 

Just got off Koningsdam last Saturday. Crowe's Nest seating was never available during the day during the entire cruise. When the speakers/Ranger was there, standing room was in short supply. My wife and sister were able to get seats one day by waiting around and pouncing when somebody left. I once saw a couple getting up to leave their seats. I immediately and politely stood directly behind one of the chairs and a woman stepped directly in front of me and planted her butt in the seat. It wasn't worth the confrontation. 

Edited May 16, 2023 by Colorado Klutch

[reposado]

1 hour ago, Colorado Klutch said:

 

Just got off Koningsdam last Saturday. Crowe's Nest seating was never available during the day during the entire cruise. When the speakers/Ranger was there, standing room was in short supply. My wife and sister were able to get seats one day by waiting around and pouncing when somebody left. I once saw a couple getting up to leave their seats. I immediately and politely stood directly behind one of the chairs and a woman stepped directly in front of me and planted her butt in the seat. It wasn't worth the confrontation. 

 

When we did tracy arm fjord with celebrity the speaking naturalist is broadcasted all over the ship including balconies and on the TV which I thought was nice to enjoy the scenery to. Is that the case for HA for Tracy arm fjord or glacier bay?

[Colorado Klutch]

3 minutes ago, reposado said:

 

When we did tracy arm fjord with celebrity the speaking naturalist is broadcasted all over the ship including balconies and on the TV which I thought was nice to enjoy the scenery to. Is that the case for HA for Tracy arm fjord or glacier bay?

 

In Glacier Bay, the Ranger announced animal sightings and few other things from the bridge. Otherwise, I think he was in the Crowe's Nest. I'm not sure because I didn't want to fight the crowds up there. I braved the open weather up on the bow. 

[*Miss G*]

21 hours ago, reposado said:

 

When we did tracy arm fjord with celebrity the speaking naturalist is broadcasted all over the ship including balconies and on the TV which I thought was nice to enjoy the scenery to. Is that the case for HA for Tracy arm fjord or glacier bay?

 

Yes.  We sat on our balcony and could hear everything that was being said.  It was also broadcast on the TV, bow, and other indoor and outdoor spaces.  We really enjoyed it.

[reposado]

1 minute ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Yes.  We sat on our balcony and could hear everything that was being said.  It was also broadcast on the TV, bow, and other indoor and outdoor spaces.  We really enjoyed it.

 

Great to hear! Thank you.