karlth

It sounds like The Blue Lagoon is a major tourist attraction. We will be spending the night in Reykjavik and our hotel concierge mentioned there are a couple of thermal pools near the hotel. Would we be missing out on a more interesting experience at Blue Lagoon if we opted to visit the local one in town?

The Blue Lagoon is certainly more interesting but the local outdoor pools are a great alternative, cheaper and closer!

http://www.swimminginiceland.com/

We just got off the Koningsdam not too long ago. Sure there were things that could have been done better, just like on other HAL ships. I've yet to take a perfect vacation! We did have a great time though...it's really what you make of it. Koningsdam's food was probably some of the best we've had across the fleet...and it really was a beautiful ship.

Totally agree. I've sailed on several cruise lines and if pressed I'd probably say that Koningsdam was the best. Food, service, ship, cabins were all excellent. The World Stage was superb, most shows were professional grade, there were free movies and snacks.

There were some queues in the Lido especially but on the whole the experience was superb.

The sandwiches on the Koningsdam were excellent.

I was on the Koningsdam last week and although the library is very small the books have been well picked. A number of travel guides for the region being cruised and some excellent historical and cultural reference books.

I was in a Verandah cabin and there were no ports visible on the TV.

On the other hand all movies and TV series were free. :) They had around 50 movies and a number of TV series.

Kudos to HAL.

That might be an issue. There was some smoking on Koningsdam's balconies with the accompanied odour.

I sailed on MSC Divina last year and it was great, very comparable to other mainstream cruise lines. No complaints what so ever.

The only thing that let it down in my opinion was the quality of the food in MDR. It was considerably better on Celebrity and HAL.

Just came of the Koningsdam. Sailed on the Celebrity Reflection around 3 years ago.

They are now very similar with a slight edge towards HAL. The food and service is slightly better, in fact the food on the Koningsdam is the best I've ever had on a cruise line (sailed on most of the mainstream lines).

Entertainment was about the same with one or two big shows. Cabins looked about the same. The design of the ships was very similar as well.

Can't go wrong with either cruise line but if you are looking for activities and entertainment I'd rather recommend NCL.

Yes, I would also love tips as we sail on the 12th! For me, I'd love tips on dining (since we are on my time dining), specifically times to go that are less crowded. Also, I can imagine that we will frequent the Dutch café often as I enjoy coffee and my 13 year old daughter will enjoy the treats. Is it always crowded?

 

Last minute packing advice? Things we need for the stateroom that we wouldn't think of?

 

Lastly, are there any shows or specialty dining that are inappropriate for a 13 year old to attend, albeit a very well behaved one. :)

Ditto. 14 year old daughter here. :)

I'll be sailing on the Koningsdam in a few days and considering it is a brand new ship - any tips from those fortunate to have sailed on it so far? :)

Thanks :)

US, UK or European? Voltage?

Thanks

Does anyone have the hours and locations for non suite passengers on the Koningsdam?

PS. Does HAL still server that delicious Swiss Muesli at breakfast?

I posted this information in another thread but it's something that is probably useful for cruise passengers visiting Reykjavik:

--

I'd highly recommend walking from the port to the downtown area if you are fit enough. It is a designated walking path, not a pavement and should take about 20-30 minutes. You'll walk past several sites that you might otherwise miss: Hofdi, The Sun Voyager and Harpa.

When you get to Harpa (take a look inside it is a stunning building, especially the view on main stairway) just continue walking on the path on the harbour itself where you'll probably walk past the Icelandic "navy", some fishing boats, Hotel Marina, the dry dock and continue all the way to the best Icecream shop in Iceland, Valdis.

To return walk towards Kristkirkja and then towards Hallgrimskirkja through the downtown area. I'd recommend walking up Skolavordustigur for the best view of Hallgrimskirkja.

Then just get lost for a few hours, wander about and notice Reykjavik's main distinction from other capitals (apart from its small size): No two houses look the same.

I've sailed on both (Noordam and Reflection) and HAL felt like a an old 4 star hotel in need of slight refurbishment. Celebrity was more modern. Both would though be classified as elegant cruising with good food and lacking in entertainment on board. The food on the MDR on Celebrity was the best I've had on a cruise ship while the service the HAL was overworked but very good.

Both cruise lines were more elegent and traditional than NCL and Royal, but if you need to be entertained and want to try different restaurants everynight then I'd certainly recommend the latter.

I'll be cruising on the Koningsdam in a few weeks and I'm looking forward to the improvements they've made.

I'd highly recommend walking from the port to the downtown area if you are fit enough. It is a designated walking path, not a pavement and should take about 20-30 minutes. You'll walk past several sites that you might otherwise miss: Hofdi, The Sun Voyager and Harpa.

When you get to Harpa (take a look inside it is a stunning building, especially the view on main stairway) just continue walking on the path on the harbour itself where you'll probably walk past the Icelandic "navy", some fishing boats, Hotel Marina, the dry dock and continue all the way to the best Icecream shop in Iceland, Valdis.

To return walk towards Kristkirkja and then towards Hallgrimskirkja through the downtown area. I'd recommend walking up Skolavordustigur for the best view of Hallgrimskirkja.

Then just get lost for a few hours, wander about and notice Reykjavik's main distinction from other capitals (apart from its small size): No two houses look the same.

I'll be sailing on the Koningsdam during the European Football Championship. Does anyone know if it will be shown on board?

This is probably the VH category cabin. HAL told me that the obstruction was when you looked down from the balcony, so not infront of the balcony.

So really only a partial obstruction.

Not meaning to be snarky, but why can't you just bring your own book?

Probably due to the same reason why we don't bring our own pizza to Italy!

It is a large part of the over all experience for many people. :)

Asked HAL directly and got this reply:

"The life boats are not directly in front of your verandah (VH 4th deck), however they are right below. You will see the top of the life boats when looking out from your verandah."

Just curious is anyone has seen or been in a vh category on the Koningsdam. How obstructed are they? Each photo I see the tender ships seem to be at a different level. Some show the lifeboats at the bottom of the balcony, and some seem to obstruct at least 50% of the view. Seems also that the larger lifeboats on the aft location of the ship are somewhat more obstructing. Want to book, will need some info to determine level of balcony!!

I'm also very curious to find out how obscured the view is. I've booked a VH cabin (can cancel until May 7th) but it is difficult to see how the lifeboats are.

Is there anyone on the Koningsdam that could take a picture?

There is another thread here were we are discussing how "partially obscured" the VH cabins are.

I phoned Holland America directly and they don't even have picture of that particular category.

So it is still a mystery. :confused:

Saw this on tripadvisor:

"Yes: lifeboats are located ON deck 4. They will obstruct deck 4 MIDSHIP cabin views. (That was why I was recommending either fore or aft of the lifeboats!) Deck 5 cabins will look DOWN on them"

Based on that 4th deck "partially obstructed "sounds like a horrible choice, especially on a scenic sailing. :/

Can anyone reassure me?