cmrvancouver

3 hours ago, 0106 said:

@cmrvancouver I’d love to hear more about your experience at Morimoto.

They have an option of 3 sake cocktails and sake flight and various other sakes. I had a yuzu and sake cocktail  at the bar before we sat down which was very good. I also had a sparkling sake which I quite enjoyed but I think it would probably be more refreshing after a meal. we split the sushi plate and the gyozas. the sushi plate was huge and I'm glad we didn't have a later lunch as there was a lot of food.  We ordered the shrimp 3 ways which was delicious, the lobster pad Thai which I found a little too spicy for my taste but it was definitely very good. for dessert we had the chocolate fondant ball as well as the sorbets which were very refreshing after such a heavy meal. Service and ambiance were good. I would definitely pay to go again.

It all probably depends on cruise, staff numbers and experience. I was konigsdam last week and I have to say that I found the food absolutely wonderful and plentiful.  Waiter was knowledgeable and service was great!

I was on this cruise as well. Great cruise. Love the Music Walk on konigsdam. Food in MDR was quite good except for 1 night was good. Food and service at Morimoto and Sel de Mer was excellent.

8 hours ago, terrydtx said:

We boarded on the K'Dam Nov 4th in San Diego. We had club orange and our check in time was 11:00 with a Group A Boarding time.  We arrived at the terminal at 11am and after going through security and check in we were directed to a separate waiting area for, Neptune and Pinnacle suites, CO, and 4 and 5 Star mariners all in group A.  Group A did not start boarding until about 12:15. There were some passengers trying to board in Group A and when the HAL staff saw they were not in Group A they were told to go to the general waiting area and wait until their group was called. You had to show your boarding pass to board. This was a very nice amenity to have the CO priority boarding as there were several hundred people waiting in the general waiting area.

That's good info. We don't have club orange but have group a 11 am boarding time

I have heard that check in at San Diego terminal is strict regarding boarding times compared to other ports. Is this true.?

7 hours ago, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

Interesting. We were on the K’dam for the first time in August. Our Pinnacle experience was awful. The clothesline bacon was half cooked and slimy, my medium rare steak was well done, and the asparagus was well past its prime. The small casual food venues however,  were excellent.
Maybe fine dining isn’t K’dam’s strong suit?

Actually, while it’s a pretty ship, the whole onboard experience was less HAL, more Carnival. Our recent time on the Eurodam was back to HAL standards and excellent food, even though it was a discounted repositioning cruise where corners tend to be cut.

It seems to be dependent on day of ordering. I also was on Kdam in August and we thoroughly enjoyed both our meals in Pinnacle.  I did enjoy the bacon, but I did find that it was extremely rich,l. The steak was one of the best I've ever had it was super tender and perfectly cooked and my second meal was the halibut and it was absolutely delicious. For dessert we had the chocolate souffle and it was delicious. 

Am hoping that they have changed up some of the slot machines since I was on Koningsdamin in August. If you have a chance, can you advise if this slot is in the casino? TiA

18 hours ago, campbean41 said:

Which ship are you on? We're on the Nieuw Amsterdam on the Nov 25th and the pop-up is not showing up yet.

Nov. 18 konigsdam. It just showed up last week.  I was able to figure it out as there were no reservations available at Tamarind one evening. $64.90 including 18% gratuity 

15 hours ago, oaktreerb said:

I think it includes the San Francisco restaurant tax that the ship has to charge when it is in port in San Francisco.  If the ship is out to sea it would probably be $55.  Too bad they decided to introduce the “pop up” in San Francisco where we have to pay San Francisco taxes.

On our Nov 18 cruise, the pop up is on a sea day.

I have booked for Nov. 18 koningsdam cruise (Nov 23). Was first able to figure it out as one evening at Tamarind was unavailable for reservations. At about 3 weeks out,  Morimoto dining option showed up and I was able to book $65 CA.

As far as I recall from August,  the Dutch cafe opened at 9 or 10 as we had to wait a couple of days for it to open.

I am considering buying shipboard credit as the exchange rate is significantly better than if I purchased cash at home.  However I am wondering if I can use purchased shipboard credit in the casino at the slot machines? TIA

7 minutes ago, kazu said:

How long is your cruise and from where?  On a 7 day, I wouldn’t expect much - especially with all the specialty restaurants 

On a longer cruise, depending on the port you are leaving from, you may have the special Indonesian meal, De Libije or possibly a Cellar Master (they are just coming back).  It all depends on the itinerary and the HD on the ship.

We are cruising for just 7 days. We can always hope....

Scanning through previous threads, it seems that there might of been some special dining events on board and am wondering if anyone travelling on the Koningsdam to Alaska this season has seen or experienced any of the following:

Dinner at the Culinary Arts Center (Deck 2);: Holland America Line's show kitchen transforms into a dining venue at night for the first time on Koningsdam. The room is large and well lit with an open kitchen as its centerpiece, and a combination of tables for two and large tables for groups. You're invited to get up and talk to your fellow diners, which makes for a convivial atmosphere.

The Pinnacle Grill also plays host to the occasional pop-up restaurant, most notably Le Cirque and Jonnie Boer's three-Michelin-starred De Librije, which offers a completely different menu at a much steeper price.

Any information is appreciated. TIA

16 hours ago, VennDiagram said:

 

Could this be what the person you mentioned was referencing, the Heritage Cruises?  It isn't on all cruises, from what I can see.  The one prior to our K-dam cruise is a Heritage Cruise, the one we are on is not.

"Visit ports that are rich in our history on Heritage Cruises. Go back in time at Retro Happy Hours and join in classic games and activities, like shuffleboard and Dutch High Tea. "

Thanks for the suggestion.  I have checked and it does appear that our cruise may be a heritage cruise, and it does appear that the happy hour special is accurate. Will definitely try the Dutch high tea.

6 hours ago, WriterOnDeck said:

Go back and look at the photo. At the bottom of the left page it says it is on the 150th Anniversary crossing, which was on the Rotterdam.

This was posted on facebook in a group sailing chat by someone who was on the Koningsdam so is/was not limited to Rotterdam. The only question now is whether it was sailing specific or available during this anniversary year. I guess I will find out when I board later this year.

40 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I’m sorry, what is a koningsdam board?  I’ve been on the koningsdam multiple times and they’ve never had anything like this.  I’d be willing to make a pretty good wager it was just the Rotterdam for that one cruise.

It's a thread forum on another site

1 hour ago, sxphil said:

Sorry yes I understand but once again if you have the package does it matter?

It does. As only 15 drink limit, can save pkge for additional specialty coffees or alcoholic or non alcoholic drinks

47 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

So far this was only on the Rotterdam TA that I’ve seen.  Lots of big shots on board to give them a distorted idea of how a cruise actually is.

This was actually from a Koningsdam board, however, the poster did not indicate if it was a one sailing special... Fingers x'ed it isn't ;)

21 minutes ago, Gigi1977 said:

I’ve never heard of a 75 cent drink on board in all of my 30 plus cruises.   But I’m sure if there are, you may  pay for them…. 

This is from unnamed group

I have heard that there might be happy hours on board with drinks for sale for approximately 75 cents. If I choose to purchase this type of drink, do I have to use the drink package or can I just pay the 75 cents and save the more expensive drinks for my package.  TiA

14 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

There have been many discussions on the topic. You can upgrade only on board, and BEFORE you buy your first beverage on the plan. I don't know the current cost...I think its about $10 per person per day.

Part of the reason for my question is someone on Facebook HAL forum indicated that was no longer possible with HIA. So I thought I would see if other's experiences were similar.

Good morning 

Travelling on Koningsdam in August. We have ourchased HIA ehich includes base drink package and I am trying to find out if it is possible to upgrade to elite and the cost. Has anyone been able to do this recently? 

We've booked a cruise to Alaska on the Koningsdam in August. We currently have the Have It All which includes 1 restaurant, but I am wondering if HAL also have dining packages similar to Royal or NCL? and, if so, when are they generally available to purchase and the cost?

TIA

Sailing next April on Sky, we have large porthole OV. All pictures show bed(s) against window. Is there enough room to have bed (s) placed against inside wall instead to allow us to be able to stand at window to look outside? 

TIA