Koningsdam

[mcrcruiser]

After the 2024 Alaska Season  ,Koningsdam we understand will be sent through the Pamama Canal for a dry dock . Can any one tell us will HAL ever replace Koningsdam with a Pinnacle Class ship . The replacement Nieuw amsterdam is a totally diffrent  feeling vs the Koningsdam 

[highscar]

Replace ??? Why?

[Sir PMP]

I don't understand, the ship will be in dry dock for 2 weeks.

[twincheryl]

Hmmm… We’re booked on Koningsdam Jan 2025 and according to HAL website she is coming back to San Diego after Alaska this year.

Edited June 24 by twincheryl

[POA1]

I think he's referring to the fact that the Kdam is going back to the Caribbean for the 2026 season and that the Nieuw Amsterdam is going west and doing the Hawaii & Mexico itineraries that the Kdam has been doing for a few years.

 

I think "swap" would have been a better word instead of "replace."  Am I correct in that's what you mean @mcrcruiser?

 

 

Edited June 24 by POA1

[Moriah]

44 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

After the 2024 Alaska Season  ,Koningsdam we understand will be sent through the Pamama Canal for a dry dock . Can any one tell us will HAL ever replace Koningsdam with a Pinnacle Class ship . The replacement Nieuw amsterdam is a totally diffrent  feeling vs the Koningsdam 

I don't understand your question.  Koningsdam IS a Pinnacle Class ship.  It's the first ship IN the Pinnacle Class!  So "replace with a Pinnacle Class ship" doesn't make sense.  It's the third newest ship in the fleet, so I hardly think it's ready for replacement!  As for Nieuw Amsterdam being a "different feeling", NA is in the Signature Class, and is a few years older than K-dam.  It is smaller, and perhaps that's what you mean by the "different feeling"?  Also, ships regularly undergo dry-docks for various reasons, but not for "replacement"... ???

Edited June 24 by Moriah

[Moriah]

13 minutes ago, POA1 said:

I think he's referring to the fact that the Kdam is going back to the Caribbean for the 2026 season and that the Nieuw Amsterdam is going west and doing the Hawaii & Mexico itineraries that the Kdam has been doing for a few years.

 

I think "swap" would have been a better word instead of "replace."  Am I correct in that's what you mean @mcrcruiser?

 

 

Ooooohhhhh, I posted my confused reply before reading this, which of course makes sense.  Sorry about that.  I do understand NA being a "different feel" for Alaska than Kdam...

[mcrcruiser]

To make the question clearer .does any one know will HAL replace the Nieuw Amsterdam after one season in San Diego with a pinnacle class vessel . I know many people who will not  sail on nieuw amsterdam & prefer a pinnacle class vessel 

[mcrcruiser]

1 hour ago, highscar said:

Replace ??? Why?

For the  late 2024 Mexico season & then in 2025 Koningsdam will be in the Caribbean late in the year   & Nieuw Amsterdam will be servicing the San Diego port for Hawaii ,Tahiti ,Mexico & Coastal Calif   cruises . Many people we know will not sail on other than a pinnacle class ship 

[0106]

@mcrcruiserYou posted this same question in April.  You will have to wait until HAL publishes the schedule for the summer of 2026.

 

[mcrcruiser]

8 minutes ago, 0106 said:

@mcrcruiserYou posted this same question in April.  You will have to wait until HAL publishes the schedule for the summer of 2026.

Right now it seems to us that HAL wants all 3 pinnacle class  in the Atlantic not the Pacific Oceans

 

[mcrcruiser]

1 hour ago, twincheryl said:

Hmmm… We’re booked on Koningsdam Jan 2025 and according to HAL website she is coming back to San Diego after Alaska this year.

It has nothing to do with the 2024 or  early 2025  but after the 2025  alaska season ,koningsdam goes back through the  Panam Canal  to the Atlantic Ocean 

[SeaMatesNYC]

21 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

Many people we know will not sail on other than a pinnacle class ship 

Perhaps you will all drive to San Pedro and happily cruise on mammoth Princess ships?

[terrydtx]

We have sailed on both the Koningsdam and the Nieuw Amsterdam and much prefer the Koningsdam and any other Pinnacle class ships. The NA is close to 14 years old and has no Club Orange Dining room or Grand Dutch Cafe, which IMO sets the Koningsdam heads above the NA. 

[mcrcruiser]

9 minutes ago, SeaMatesNYC said:

Perhaps you will all drive to San Pedro and happily cruise on mammoth Princess ships?

Yes only for a long itinerary  as we would need a Uber to drive us over 100 miles each way . Seems to us that while we need fully accesable handicap cabins they are in short supply  .There is a March 2026 54 day cruise on Island Princess ,a more modest sized ship .however ,the handicap cabins where taken  more than 2 years in advance . No matter what ship we mthe handicapped are less able to get a cabin to take care of our needs 

 

 some people shoud look at what Holland America calls hndicap balocny state rooms  on Nieuw Amsterdam . Yes ,we looked at the deck plans  just 2  balcony handicap cabins are actualc handicap sized  on deck 6 all the way forward .what  the cruise line sats are handicap cabins are not because the crest except the Neotune suite are actually reguar size cabins yet maked with a wheek chair , How does That work for any one who needs a roll in shower ? 

[Moriah]

I actually understand someone saying they won't cruise on a Signature class ship.  Those two are my least favorite in the fleet as well.  For a long time I would not step foot on a Pinnacle class, because I declared them (untried) "too big!" Now I love them, but still prefer Vista Class size... anyway, everyone has their preference.  For me, a Vista ship with the addition of the Grand Dutch Cafe would be perfection. 😀

[terrydtx]

5 minutes ago, Moriah said:

I actually understand someone saying they won't cruise on a Signature class ship.  Those two are my least favorite in the fleet as well.  For a long time I would not step foot on a Pinnacle class, because I declared them (untried) "too big!" Now I love them, but still prefer Vista Class size... anyway, everyone has their preference.  For me, a Vista ship with the addition of the Grand Dutch Cafe would be perfection. 😀

Last November we cruised on Koningsdam from San Diego and the ship was 100% capacity. It never felt any more crowded than our previous Signature and Vista class cruises that were also at capacity. In August we are on a sold out Volendam which could feel crowded.

 

I have always believed that the 2 Signature class ship were a mistake by HAL. They had about the same passenger capacity as the Vistas and one more specialty restaurant, but there just wasn't that much difference. After the 2 were built and delivered it didn't take long for HAL to pivot and announce the future construction of the Pinnacle ships.

Edited June 24 by terrydtx

[CruiserBruce]

2 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

To make the question clearer .does any one know will HAL replace the Nieuw Amsterdam after one season in San Diego with a pinnacle class vessel . I know many people who will not  sail on nieuw amsterdam & prefer a pinnacle class vessel 

As explained when you asked this before, Koningsdam will return to the West Coast after its one season in the Caribbean and it's dry dock. The return is already in the schedule. It departs FLL April 10, 2026.

 

Already giving up on Princess?

[BermudaBound2014]

32 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

As explained when you asked this before, Koningsdam will return to the West Coast after its one season in the Caribbean and it's dry dock. The return is already in the schedule. It departs FLL April 10, 2026.

 

Already giving up on Princess?

 

I don't think Kdam is going to be sailing from San Diego in 2026 and suspect that is what the OP is inquiring about.

 

Looks like the Kdam departs FLL on April 10th, 2026.

That cruise ends in San Diego  on April 27, 2026

But then Departs San Diego April 27th and heads straight to Vancouver to start the Alaska season.  

 

https://www.cruisemapper.com/ships/ms-Koningsdam-1036#google_vignette

 

 

 

 

Edited June 24 by BermudaBound2014

[CruiserBruce]

@BermudaBound2014, the schedule for Fall of 2026 is not out yet. But given the history, and the complexity of moving Koningsdam through the Panama Canal (it has design issues that N. Statendam and Rotterdam don't have), it seems very likely KDam will stay on the West Coast.

 

"Will HAL ever" is a nearly impossible question to answer...

[Boatdrill]

4 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

I know many people who will not  sail on nieuw amsterdam & prefer a pinnacle class vessel 

That's one of the great things about cruising. There's a ship for everyone. I don't care for the  Pinnacle Class ships (no matter where they're going) and prefer Signature and Vista class ships. I like that HAL swaps ships from one coast to the other. 

[POA1]

12 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

To make the question clearer .does any one know will HAL replace the Nieuw Amsterdam after one season in San Diego with a pinnacle class vessel . I know many people who will not  sail on nieuw amsterdam & prefer a pinnacle class vessel 

I don't think anyone would know until almost a year from now. Since the swap is Caribbean for Mexico and Hawaii, I don't suppose we'll know until the 2027 schedule comes out.

[AerynSun_JohnCrighton]

Interesting. We are on her in Dec for Mexico. I assume OP means 2025?

[BermudaBound2014]

32 minutes ago, AerynSun_JohnCrighton said:

Interesting. We are on her in Dec for Mexico. I assume OP means 2025?

 

No, we've been down this path a few times :).

 

 

 

 

Edited June 25 by BermudaBound2014

[3rdGenCunarder]

23 hours ago, Boatdrill said:

That's one of the great things about cruising. There's a ship for everyone. I don't care for the  Pinnacle Class ships (no matter where they're going) and prefer Signature and Vista class ships. I like that HAL swaps ships from one coast to the other. 

 

I agree with you. I love the Vistas and the Signatures feel like stretched Vistas. Don't like the Pinnacles. Never say never, but it would take a special itinerary to get me on a Pinnacle again.