35 Day Hawaii, Tahiti Cruise.

[LouChamp]

10 hours ago, Seasick Sailor said:

 

We appreciated Fanning Island and our fellow cruisers really helped ($$)  I knew before arrival about the island and island life. No toilets, running water, bars or snacks. The school kids and teachers danced and sang, had little shell made items. It is primitive, surely. Yes, there was some trash in the bushes along our walk, but if you looked, there were plastic bottles which the islanders don't have. 

 

Anyway, the kids and teachers were very appreciative of our gifts. 

Aloha. Agreed.  also the little table to get your passport stamped!

[OlsSalt]

Plastic trash floats all across the Pacific Ocean and does come ashore - to islands with traditional lifestyles, which obviously do not include municipal waste hauling facilities.

 

This is not trash generated by the islands, nor their  traditional lifestyles which in fact are respectful to nature because they must be.  They probably don't like the invasion of plastic trash any more than you like seeing it. 

[Sir PMP]

Nice itinerary, wrong ship..

[mightycruisequeen]

52 minutes ago, Sir PMP said:

Nice itinerary, wrong ship..

I agree.  I don't dislike Koningsdam, but I loved HAL's older, smaller ships on that itinerary.    The Statendam, the old Rotterdam and the Maasdam were pretty darn perfect for cruises to the South Pacific.  

[julia]

1 hour ago, Sir PMP said:

Nice itinerary, wrong ship..

Agree!

 

We did this trip in Feb/Mar of this year and loved the itinerary (OP, I will post later on some great snorkeling excursions, not thru HAL).  While we liked the staff, service, cabin, and food on the Koningsdam, we probably would not sail that ship class again.

[Tampa Girl]

12 hours ago, Sir PMP said:

Nice itinerary, wrong ship..

My thoughts, exactly.  We are booked on the 51-day cruise on the Zaandam, in September, 2024.  I would have liked the 35-day, but not on the Koningsdam, or any other Pinnacle class ship.  

[BermudaBound2014]

13 hours ago, Sir PMP said:

Nice itinerary, wrong ship..

 

12 hours ago, mightycruisequeen said:

I agree.  I don't dislike Koningsdam, but I loved HAL's older, smaller ships on that itinerary.    The Statendam, the old Rotterdam and the Maasdam were pretty darn perfect for cruises to the South Pacific.  

 

11 hours ago, julia said:

Agree!

 

We did this trip in Feb/Mar of this year and loved the itinerary (OP, I will post later on some great snorkeling excursions, not thru HAL).  While we liked the staff, service, cabin, and food on the Koningsdam, we probably would not sail that ship class again.

 

22 minutes ago, Tampa Girl said:

My thoughts, exactly.  We are booked on the 51-day cruise on the Zaandam, in September, 2024.  I would have liked the 35-day, but not on the Koningsdam, or any other Pinnacle class ship.  

 

I'm booked on this itinerary on the Koningsdam. I have sailed vista class and the wonderful little Amsterdam, but never Pinnacle. Can you please tell me what you don't like about Koningsdam? It won't bother me to hear negative comments because I like to know the pros and the cons. I can tell that the space ratio is tight when compared to the competition, but other things?? 

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

 

 

 

I'm booked on this itinerary on the Koningsdam. I have sailed vista class and the wonderful little Amsterdam, but never Pinnacle. Can you please tell me what you don't like about Koningsdam? It won't bother me to hear negative comments because I like to know the pros and the cons. I can tell that the space ratio is tight when compared to the competition, but other things?? 

From my 2019 memory.  The big aggravation is the management of the Dining Room which by reports continues to be an issue.  It is always congested for some reason.  I have never experienced anything like it or since and I have sailed the NStatendam.  Be sure to get fixed dining , it is quieter, simpler and more serene.   The promenade is chopped up and blocked.  On the upcoming cruise I will likely walk up on the sports deck - not my favorite as it is windy but they do have some outdoor exercise machines up there.  I do enjoy those.  The inside cabins, which I think neither of us are sailing, are tiny and should be designated solo. Other than that certain areas of the ship experience congestion which seems to have been adjusted on the other Pinnacle class ships.  Getting off the ship in port can be congested also, plan accordingly.  Other than that I didn’t have complaints. 

[travelholics]

We had originally (2 years earlier) booked this cruise when it was scheduled on a Vista ship. It was then changed to Koningsdam and, subsequently, the itinerary lost Bora Bora and several other small island visits, not at HAL's instigation, but because French Polynesia decided to limit entry to some islands to much smaller ships. We had never travelled on Pinnacle class and thought Koningsdam would be 'too big' for us, but we were excited still, given the long Covid break.

It turned out we thoroughly enjoyed Koningsdam - the music walk, dutch cafe, more speciality restaurants, particularly Tamarind, and we will be happy to sail on this categroy again. We did miss the smaller ship Promenades, but you have to go with what is offered at the time, and we thoroughly enjoyed this itinerary and would do it again! 

We had 2nd sitting fixed dining and could enter at 7.45. It was very quiet with lots of empty tables around us on mst days. The service was excellent and our waiters relaxed and willing to help in any way. We always received a plate of freshly cooked vegetables to share and drinks arrived in no time. Again, sometimes we had to miss some events in the theatre or elsewhere, but there was so much going on that it was impossible to attend everything!

Fantastic value for money, bearing in mind the distance travelled and the places visited. 

[alyssamma]

2 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

 

 

 

I'm booked on this itinerary on the Koningsdam. I have sailed vista class and the wonderful little Amsterdam, but never Pinnacle. Can you please tell me what you don't like about Koningsdam? It won't bother me to hear negative comments because I like to know the pros and the cons. I can tell that the space ratio is tight when compared to the competition, but other things?? 

I've only sailed the NS - and I assume the K is similar. I made a list of pros and cons if you are interested...

 

 

[cruiselvr04]

There are few cabins left for 2024.  
 

We would be new to HA.  Long time Royal Caribbean cruisers.  The itinerary really interests us.  DH loves to snorkel so would find that great.  Do all ocean view rooms have at least a love seat?  And how obstructed are the life boats? Are you looking over them or are some balcony cabins directly in front of a life boat?  Are these obstructed cabins over a public deck? 
 

 

[Tampa Girl]

3 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

 

 

 

I'm booked on this itinerary on the Koningsdam. I have sailed vista class and the wonderful little Amsterdam, but never Pinnacle. Can you please tell me what you don't like about Koningsdam? It won't bother me to hear negative comments because I like to know the pros and the cons. I can tell that the space ratio is tight when compared to the competition, but other things?? 

 

I have avoided all the Pinnacle ships for a few reasons:  I do not enjoy being on large (compared to Vista class or R class) because: 1)  Many ports are closed to them and even when not closed, the smaller class ships find themselves at other than the primary pier, necessitating long walks or cabs to get into town; 2)  we like long cruises, and I fear that it is more difficult with that many people to develop the "community" flavor of a group which has been together for several weeks.  The "community" feeling is one of the joys of long cruises; 3)  the promenade deck is not 360; 4) the cabins appear to be smaller, and I want a larger, not smaller, cabin for long cruises; 5) and, finally, I simply do not like crowds - just too many people.  We recently sailed on the Eurodam, which was the largest HAL ship that we have been on.  It took me a while to get used to it, but I did and enjoyed it.  But even that size is not good for a lot of ports.  Either the ship would not be allowed in port or it is moored away from the center of town.  For our purposes, the Vista class or, preferable the R class, fit our sailing preferences.

 

For those reasons we chose the R class Zaandam's 51-day South Pacific.

[Mary229]

2 hours ago, cruiselvr04 said:

There are few cabins left for 2024.  
 

We would be new to HA.  Long time Royal Caribbean cruisers.  The itinerary really interests us.  DH loves to snorkel so would find that great.  Do all ocean view rooms have at least a love seat?  And how obstructed are the life boats? Are you looking over them or are some balcony cabins directly in front of a life boat?  Are these obstructed cabins over a public deck? 
 

 

Yes, the OVs have at least a loveseat.  Here is a HAL fan favorite website: halfacts.com.  Once there click on “pinnacle” in the top menu.  This will take you to a list of cabins where clicking will display actual photos of that cabin

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, Tampa Girl said:

 

I have avoided all the Pinnacle ships for a few reasons:  I do not enjoy being on large (compared to Vista class or R class) because: 1)  Many ports are closed to them and even when not closed, the smaller class ships find themselves at other than the primary pier, necessitating long walks or cabs to get into town; 2)  we like long cruises, and I fear that it is more difficult with that many people to develop the "community" flavor of a group which has been together for several weeks.  The "community" feeling is one of the joys of long cruises; 3)  the promenade deck is not 360; 4) the cabins appear to be smaller, and I want a larger, not smaller, cabin for long cruises; 5) and, finally, I simply do not like crowds - just too many people.  We recently sailed on the Eurodam, which was the largest HAL ship that we have been on.  It took me a while to get used to it, but I did and enjoyed it.  But even that size is not good for a lot of ports.  Either the ship would not be allowed in port or it is moored away from the center of town.  For our purposes, the Vista class or, preferable the R class, fit our sailing preferences.

 

For those reasons we chose the R class Zaandam's 51-day South Pacific.

I love the Zaandam and the 51 day was my first choice also.  This is DH’s cruise and he likes 21 to 30 days.  I definitely agree that the Zaandam is by far a better ship even if it were the same size.   I have sailed it a few times and thoroughly enjoyed each cruise. The Koningsdam is my least favorite ship in the fleet 

[Sir PMP]

5 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

 

 

 

I'm booked on this itinerary on the Koningsdam. I have sailed vista class and the wonderful little Amsterdam, but never Pinnacle. Can you please tell me what you don't like about Koningsdam? It won't bother me to hear negative comments because I like to know the pros and the cons. I can tell that the space ratio is tight when compared to the competition, but other things?? 

A monster like this doesn't fit in to the small pacific islands, Moorea, Raiatea, and not allowed in Bora Bora, which is a must see, just imagine when visiting a small island, what comes off this ship is just not right..

[BermudaBound2014]

14 minutes ago, Sir PMP said:

A monster like this doesn't fit in to the small pacific islands, Moorea, Raiatea, and not allowed in Bora Bora, which is a must see, just imagine when visiting a small island, what comes off this ship is just not right..

 

I'm not following you.

 

With the new law, even the smaller HAL ships aren't allowed in Bora Bora since the limit is 1,200 passengers and the Zaandam and Volendam carry 1,400.

 

The  Koningsdam is far from a monster by cruise ship standards as it is classified as mid-sized (although It maybe a monster to you).  The Koningsdam is stopping in Moorea, Raiatea, Fakarua, Nuko Hiva, and fanning island. As far as I can tell, its size is not prohibitive of visiting any of the small pacific islands of French Polynesia with the exception of Bora Bora and, like I said, even HAL's small ships are too big for Bora Bora. 

 

But I do understand about size over whelming small ports from a sustainable perspective.

 

FWIW, I have sailed on several of the true monsters. While some of the big ships do feel crowded, others offer much more space per passenger than the Pinnacle class. According to space ratio data, the Koningsdam will feel more crowded then the behemoths of the seas.  

 

 

Edited June 5, 2023 by BermudaBound2014

[travelholics]

Whilst I agree that it would  have been wonderful to take this cruise on an R ship (we were on Zaandam to Antarctica in 2020 and loved getting to know our fellow travellers), it was lovely to have a balcony, which would not have been in our budget for the 35 day Polynesia journey.

I think the only other cruise ship we saw was a Windstar in Tahiti, so eventhough Koningsdam brought 2500 passengers, it was not like in Alaska with maybe 10000 plus extra visitors. At tender ports, arrivals were spreadout and some chose to stay on board as Cruise Director advised stepping ashore could be difficult. We did not have priority tendering, but we got to the tender distribution spots about half an hour before tickets started being handed out and we were always in the early tenders. We did not encounter any long wait returning to the ship. 

[bennybear]

We spent 23 nights on the Koningsdam and totally enjoyed it.  We were concerned after so many negative comments but found her beautiful and spacious.  The stateroom MAY 

have been slightly smaller, but it was very well laid out with a huge shower and wonderful balcony.  I honestly noticed no difference.
 

@Tampa GirlI am confused about your comment that the promenade is not 360 degrees.   It is narrower in places but you can easily walk all around, unlike Princess where you have to go inside and out of the Royal.

Edited June 5, 2023 by bennybear

[crystalspin]

7 hours ago, cruiselvr04 said:

There are few cabins left for 2024.  
...The itinerary really interests us.  DH loves to snorkel so would find that great.  Do all ocean view rooms have at least a love seat?  And how obstructed are the life boats? Are you looking over them or are some balcony cabins directly in front of a life boat?  Are these obstructed cabins over a public deck? 

Snorkeling is REALLY BIG on these islands! The only OV cabins without a loveseat are the Accessible ones, which have two chairs (additional to the one at the desk), presumably for easier re-arranging. For views from the Partially Obstructed verandah cabins, check here:

https://halfacts.com/pinnacle-class/

You can view any of the Deck 4 "PO" cabins, many show the view from balcony. While there is a slight difference depending on whether you are over a lifeboat (forward) or a tender (aft of midship), mostly you will NOT see the water below, but will see the sky and perhaps at least some of the horizon. 

 

The Deck 4 PO cabins are over the outside Promenade, and partly over various public spaces. Including the casino and main galley, but being over the Galley is far better than being under! You can compare the deck plans to approximate what is under you. The more-important what is over you -- will be other staterooms.   

[Silver Sweethearts]

11 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

I'm booked on this itinerary on the Koningsdam. I have sailed vista class and the wonderful little Amsterdam, but never Pinnacle. Can you please tell me what you don't like about Koningsdam? It won't bother me to hear negative comments because I like to know the pros and the cons. I can tell that the space ratio is tight when compared to the competition, but other things?? 

 

You will be going to a place in the world that is still somewhat peaceful and serene.  It isn't the Koningsdam in particular that bothers us but rather what it stands for.... Civilization.  Our experience in the South Pacific has been on the Paul Gauguin, and it holds 332 passengers - the right size the islands can accommodate.  No, the Koningsdam isn't huge, but why go to the South Pacific if you can't get close to it.  It is a place that should be viewed up close, personally and not with 2.650 passengers trying to get ashore and view it too.

Edited June 6, 2023 by Silver Sweethearts

[crystalspin]

9 minutes ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

 

You will be going to a place in the world that is still somewhat peaceful and serene.  It isn't the Koningsdam in particular that bothers us but rather what it stands for.... Civilization.  Our experience in the South Pacific has been on the Paul Gauguin, and it holds 332 passengers - the right size the islands can accommodate.  No, the Koningsdam isn't huge, but why go to the South Pacific if you can't get close to it.  It is a place that should be viewed up close, personally and not with 2.650 passengers trying to get ashore and view it too.

I would definitely choose the Volendam over the K'dam, to get to experience Bora Bora (they are still showing that as a port of call, despite being over 1200 capacity). But the Voledam has a 51-day itinerary, and that is just too long to be away. Thirty-five days is pushing it; we may have to hire a house-sitter rather than presuming on family!

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, crystalspin said:

I would definitely choose the Volendam over the K'dam, to get to experience Bora Bora (they are still showing that as a port of call, despite being over 1200 capacity). But the Voledam has a 51-day itinerary, and that is just too long to be away. Thirty-five days is pushing it; we may have to hire a house-sitter rather than presuming on family!

Not unusual for cruise lines to show destination that they might not be able to go to.  As far as the volendam it will depend on how many passengers book the trip. Low enough to be under the limit, it can stop there, too many and the limit exceeded it will not.

 

Last year the numbers were low enough for Bora Bora to be included.

[mcrcruiser]

The smallest ships on HAL that we sailed were the Ryndam & old Rotterdam  . Even though  many like the smaller ships ,theywere   put into service in  1999  .Being the Padfic ocean is so huge we like  the newer more up to fate technology &  size  for comfort reasons 

We booked a habdicap cabin with a huge balcony that we can see out  & down  on Deck 4 .you got to book really early as there are only 2 of these one on each side of the ship 

 

We acrually have 3 cruises booked on Koningsdam ,the 35 day  Hawaii /south Pacific . 18 Hawaii & 14 day Mexico /Calif ports  .Reason is it sails from out home port San sdiego & no  flying needed .

 

 So I guess we all come from different reasons why we prefer certain vessels .This ship is out go to home to see what we would not be able to see 

 

 

[Mary229]

I guess if we wanted an authentic experience we could take the Kon-tiki.  I am sure somewhere, somehow, someone is offering that experience too

[BermudaBound2014]

12 hours ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

 

You will be going to a place in the world that is still somewhat peaceful and serene.  It isn't the Koningsdam in particular that bothers us but rather what it stands for.... Civilization.  Our experience in the South Pacific has been on the Paul Gauguin, and it holds 332 passengers - the right size the islands can accommodate.  No, the Koningsdam isn't huge, but why go to the South Pacific if you can't get close to it.  It is a place that should be viewed up close, personally and not with 2.650 passengers trying to get ashore and view it too.

 

Would love to be able to swing Paul Gauguin, but you and I are from different tax brackets. That's why you get to live on Maui year round and I'm only there a few months 😄