jabcruiser

Was very disappointed when HAL pulled out of Tampa, it being my favorite and most convenient port.  But just read that Celebrity will be coming to TPA winter 20/21 with Southern, Eastern, and some Panama cruises.  This might just force me to give them a try.  Apparently the ship will be newly refurbished also.  Sounds interesting.  

Jane

No worries.  Have been on at least 6 Carnival cruises and one NCL(never again) and absolutely no comparison to HAL.  Koningsdam is a bit larger than our preferred HAL ships and we noticed more crowding in Lido, but all is relative isn't it?  Minuscule lines compared to Carnival and NCL.   Service, cleanliness, food quality all way above anything offered on Carnival and NCL.  We like to complain when things change, but hasn't fallen to Carnival and NCL levels for sure. You will love it if you are used to those cruise lines.  NCL does generally have better showroom entertainment but we aren't much into that anyway.  Love BB King Blues club.  If you are a drinker and don't buy drink package make sure to hit the happy hours.  Nothing like that offered on Carnival, not sure about NCL as that was one of our first cruises years ago.  Anyway we save a lot on drink tab by strategically using happy hour.  You will love Koningsdam I am sure.

Jane

Agree with those above suggesting Pinnacle for lunch on a sea day.  Just confirm when you board the days it will be offered and make your reservations.  We never do Pinnacle for dinner any more, except when have a freebie like on our next cruise.  We do like Canaletto and usually go there more often since it is very reasonable with our Mariner discount. I like the seafood stew at Canaletto which is similar to Cioppino at Pinnacle but better tasting in my opinion.  Food likes/dislikes are so personal as others have noted, that what I love you might not.  Food in MDR on most HAL ships is quite good, and the Lido offers several items from MDR menu each night also. We have taken to eating in Lido at least half of the time on recent cruises. A lot of times just can't do another heavy meal and Lido has such nice salads and cheese/fruit plates which we enjoy.  Also be aware that HAL still offers free room service from MDR menu.  Just call around 4:30 OR 5:00 and order and give them your requested delivery time.  For some reason they like you to call and order around this time, even though you might want a 7 or 8 o'clock delivery. I loved the new Navigator app on our last cruise as you can pull up the daily menus.  Used to have to go down to MDR after lunch and take a picture of that night's menu so I could see what they were having. The picture was so I could remember what they were having to tell DH or if wanted order room service.  Haha.

Have a good cruise.  Enjoy.

Jane

I believe you were very lucky and lesson well learned.  At least you did not require emergency medical evacuation which, as others have said, can run $100,000 or more.  When we began cruising many years ago I educated myself regarding travel cancellation and medical/evacuation coverage and determined that what the cruise lines offer is generally very expensive and lacking in complete coverage and for lower cost  comprehensive travel insurance can be purchased. When I signed up for Medicare (regular, not managed care) I made sure to educate myself as to what is covered and what is not.  Any coverage out of country, with a few very specific exceptions, is not covered just as cosmetic surgery, dental, acupuncture and several other services are statutorily excluded by standard Medicare. HAL explains their coverage on their web site and if you neglected to read your conditions of coverage that certainly is not HAL's fault.  Sorry for YOUR mistake, but don't blame HAL. Happy future cruising.  And please do your homework before your next cruise, no matter which cruise line you decide to take . Good travel insurance which includes medical as well as emergency evacuation is a requirement for us, otherwise I would worry myself sick and not be able to enjoy the cruise.

Jane

I believe you were very lucky and lesson well learned.  At least you did not require emergency medical evacuation which, as others have said, can run $100,000 or more.  When we began cruising many years ago I educated myself regarding travel cancellation and medical/evacuation coverage and determined that what the cruise lines offer is generally very expensive and lacking in complete coverage and for lower cost  comprehensive travel insurance can be purchased. When I signed up for Medicare (regular, not managed care) I made sure to educate myself as to what is covered and what is not.  Any coverage out of country, with a few very specific exceptions, is not covered just as cosmetic surgery, dental, acupuncture and several other services are statutorily excluded by standard Medicare. HAL explains their coverage on their web site and if you neglected to read your conditions of coverage that certainly is not HAL's fault.  Sorry for YOUR mistake, but don't blame HAL. Happy future cruising.  And please do your homework before your next cruise, no matter which cruise line you decide to take . Good travel insurance which includes medical as well as emergency evacuation is a requirement for us, otherwise I would worry myself sick and not be able to enjoy the cruise.

Jane

Thanks for all the good info from you all.  We are still outside our booking window for Flight Ease but am getting anxious to be able to check the fares.  Approximately a month to go before we can do that and apparently the airlines have not published schedules/fares that long out either  But I will be sure to check fares for both Flight Ease and directly from airlines when we can. I did find a discount airline from Rome to FLL and just checking some fares in the fall appears we could afford Business class with them, assuming rates won't change much but who knows.. Need business class as don't think I can handle economy all the way from Europe.  Probably get a blood clot - not kidding. Also, have read the posts about going into flightease to check fares after initial reservation and then losing original booking.  I will be very careful about making any changes if we are able to do flightease.  Why does HAL make things so difficult?  I ended up just calling them for initial cruise reservation which is good as got way better room than was showing online for our B2B cruise and some extra credit also.  I have generally  done on line bookings previously, but HAL website is so screwed up now decided best to call them.  Worked out better.

Thanks again to all,

Jane

We are booked on April 2020 Transatlantic cruise from FLL to Rome, then continuing on Greek Odyssey cruise terminating in Venice.  We plan on staying in Italy for another week or so traveling from Venice to Florence and ending in Rome.  So we will need a one way flight back to Florida from Rome.  My question is whether I will be able to use Flight Ease returning from Rome a week or so after our cruise ends in Venice.  Flight Ease pricing not available for this cruise for another month or so but hoping some fellow CC members can give me some info on this.  Really hoping Flight Ease has some good fares we can use.  We have never used it before so am clueless at this point.  Also, we could fly back to about any city in Florida or even east coast depending on cost, then just fly Southwest back home , even though we are leaving from FLL.  Can we pick any airport to return to based on cost and schedule, or will we have to return to FLL to use Flight Ease?  

Thanks for any insight you experienced international cruisers can give.

Jane

You will love the Signature Suite and we had no noise issues at all with the connecting room. The SS are so much roomier than the standard veranda cabins. Plenty of closet and storage room so no concerns there.  Enjoy your trip.  Don't just stay on the veranda though through the canal.  Go forward and aft also for different views. They also open a deck forward, maybe level 4 or 5, very early with coffee and rolls served so try to do that if you can.  Started raining hard so that was kind of a wash out on our trip. Enjoy.

Jane

17 hours ago, wdw1972 said:

Those verandahs are half exposed and half covered.  Anyone above can look down and see you if you're in the exposed half, but obviously not if you're under the covered half.

 

Sue/WDW1972

We were in one of these on Konigsdam in Dec.  Not an issue.  The people above really don't stand there staring down at the balconies below I don't believe.  Guess wouldn't go nude just in case, but really not an issue. We liked the large balcony.

Jane

On 1/30/2019 at 12:21 PM, drowelf said:

 

When we were on the Zaandam off SA in 15 for the Superbowl, they had 3 sets of seats up front in the roped off area. Set #1 was a pair of barcalounger type seats. Since I've never seen them anywhere else on the ship, I have no idea where they came from. That set was dead center before the big screen and came with all you could eat/drink (alcohol included) for the duration of the game (I think it included part of the pre-game too). The other two sets were some nice couches set to either side of the center section. I can't remember what the drink perks were, but it had some. All 3 sets had dedicated waiter service to fetch your drinks and food. I believe there was an additional menu for these folks that included more stuff than just the snacks set out for general consumption. 

 

The game was also piped into several of the bars and available on your in-room TV. 

Several years ago when our Broncos played we were on Westerdam and purchased this VIP package. Cost right at $50 person and included front row comfy seating, food, alcohol drinks throughout game, and dedicated waiter.  HAL really put on a nice spread with lots of game day finger foods, carved watermelons and stuff, special super bowl cakes.  Was really nice and we had a great time, especially since our team won.  Highly recommend you do this. Funny thing about game telecast is no commercials.  So during commercial breaks the CD and assistants have little games and give out assortment of prizes.  I mean lots of stuff.  Was fun but did miss seeing the commercials a bit, I hate to admit.

Jane

On 1/31/2019 at 1:51 PM, brookie848 said:

What time does this place open? We prefer getting places early and then getting back to the ship at a decent time. 

 

Also, can you confirm that there are restrooms available?

I'm pretty sure they opened about 9 am.  We got there about 10 and left around noon and that was on a Sunday.  There were already several couples there set up with beach chairs.  I didn't use the restrooms but my husband did and he says they were basic but not filthy or anything. You might search "Raschal's Bar" in Barbados.  Seems like i saw a picture on line, maybe TA,. with hours written on it.

Jane

On 1/19/2019 at 2:10 PM, beshears said:

So to reach Brandon's Beach in Barbados, the Taxi charges $6 each way, is that correct?

Yes. That is correct. Per person. 

Jane

We had VB4209 on Koningsdam recently which is aft starboard.  Very deep -about 10 feet.  Clear rail.  Those far forward might have solid rails,  but aft are clear. Found size of cabin to be adequate.  Didn't notice significant difference from Vista class ships.

Jane

15 hours ago, MARLEY225 said:

Another question for those who have been on the Koningsdam lately.  Is the casino smoke=free?

No. 2 nights only.

Jane

1 hour ago, Travrat said:

We could hear the TV and talking in our connecting room on Koningsdam

We just off Koningsdam in a connecting room very similar to your location.  Never heard a thing.

Jane

If you decide to do this cruise, contact Woodwind in Bonaire right away to see if you can get on the snorkeling excursion.  Absolutely best ever snorkel excursion.  We have done many and this beats them all by a mile.  Do not miss it is my advise. 

Also, is the $2500 for both of you?  If so that is ok price. We just paid about the same for a veranda on Koningsdam that was 11 days.  Got OBC that covered tips and a Tamarind dinner. Sister ship to this one.  You should enjoy it.

Jane

6 hours ago, FM said:

I

Is it the angle of the toilet … as it appears somewhat crowded on the one side ...

You cannot sit straight on unless you are under maybe 5'3".  I am 5'6 and couldn't as glass shower enclosure blocks your knees.  

Jane

6 minutes ago, Moriah said:

Did you miss the wider wrap-around walking deck? Is that still on deck 3? Others have commented that it is very narrow and doesn't have the same feel as the outside deck 3 space on the Vistas. Wondering if you noticed that.  Are many out for exercise in the early morning?

We don't normally use promenade deck much but did notice it is much narrower than on Vistas.  That is why they have to do muster inside as promenade too narrow.  Not room for lounge chairs either i guess as didn't see any out there and would certainly block the narrower sections.  There is a running track up top on Sun deck and we did see it being used.  However there are cabins there at one end so there was a sign no jogging before 8, I believe, and an evening cut off time which I don't recall.  Also on Sun deck, which we found interesting, was lots of equipment for doing specific exercises.  Probably dozen or so total and each for specific purpose. Thought that was interesting and an option instead of spa.  We aren't exercise folks but noticed this one day wondering around ship taking some pictures.  Don't recall seeing these on any of our other cruises.

Jane

13 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Exactly! Those little cards are on every in-room dining tray complete with the IRD phone # to call for the pickup. We all know that cruise ship corridors are not the size of Las Vegas hotel corridors. Besides the obvious difficulties a serving tray placed on the floor of the public corridors present to someone on a scooter, imagine a fire alarm going off, a real fire and/or a blackout with fire team members, "masked up" and "on air" from their SCBA bottles having to come through that smoke filled corridor trying to avoid traipsing on those same trays.

 

Wake up people and take twenty seconds out of your life to make that phone call to have those trays picked up from inside your room. Once again, common sense

Agree, always before there has been a card, but on our recent cruise on Koningsdam there was not and saw nothing stating this on room service menu either. But possibly I missed it as we ordered room service from MDR Gala night menus  Did this both Gala nights.  Of course we knew to call for tray pickup from past HAL cruises, but definitely no card stating this on room service tray this time. I was a little surprised because new HAL cruisers might not know to do this.

Jane

3 minutes ago, Nashna said:

Thank you Jabcruiser for a very helpful review.  We sail on HAL for the first time in 19 years in January on the Koningsdam.  I like to learn as much as I can in advance about our sailings.  I would expect that a January 13th sailing would have fewer families onboard and more single and double room occupants.  We sailed to Bermuda on Celebrity during early August and found that overcrowding was the norm due to all the multi-generations onboard.  A crew member told us that the third and fourth occupants in the staterooms caused the ship to be at full capacity.  After that sailing, we vowed to avoid cruises which would be heavily populated by families...except when we were traveling with our own grands.    We have a July, 2020 cruise booked with Viking Ocean which should be a safe bet.

Yes, I also noticed more multi generation families on this cruise and more kids than normally on HAL.  But really not at all bothersome to us.  The kids seemed generally very well behaved.  One evening at early BB King show some little ones really getting it down on dance floor.  They were so cute and everyone having a great time. We did enjoy this cruise.  Was just a little different than the normal HAL we are used to.

Jane

40 minutes ago, GlennG said:

Thank you, jabcruiser, for your well-balanced review of the Koningsdam.  Your review was useful as we prepare for our own cruise on January 13th.  Like you, we have not cruised on Holland America's newest ships, and we are a little apprehensive about crowding and the increased size of the ship.  We are specifically concerned about crowding during the embarkation and debarkation of the Koningsdam.  Can you share your experiences with us?

The embarkation was longer lines than we have previously experienced on HAL.  More like our Carnival experiences.  Probably 30 minutes in line to check in, then another 30 minutes in seating area before our group called.  Heard from CrewNews that late embarkation due to workers still on board post dry dock so that may have been just an anomaly for our cruise.  Debarkation was late also.  We did expedited and carried off our bags.  Scheduled to begin at 7:30 but almost 8 when finally opened the gates.  Very long line by then, but it moved quickly and customs a breeze so no complaints there. Maybe 15 minutes to get out to shuttle pickup after debarkation began so that was good. 

Jane

Just back from 11 Day Southern Wayfarer cruise.  This was our 6th HAL cruise and 4 of those were on the Vista Class ships in the past few years.  For those of you wondering about any differences experienced on Koningsdam from our previous HAL cruises, here are some things I noted.  Some good, some bad IMHO.

Happy Hour:  Yes they have it at 4:00 every day but not in Crow's Nest or ocean bar.  It is in Billboard Onboard and Rolling Stone Rock Room which are right across from each other.  $2 second drink..  They don't serve individual appetizers, but rather have a walk up station with about a dozen items including olives, cheeses, bread sticks, delicious pastry straws, great nuts, chips, salsa, vegies and dips and probably more items that I have forgotten. Liked this.

There is also a second Happy Hour in Crow's Nest at 10:00 but we did not attend that.  Also Blend seemed to have an evening happy hour with 2nd glass wine free.  Not sure if that was every day, but did see it at least a few days in When and Where.

Ship:  Yes it is bigger, and yes it seemed more crowded than our previous HAL cruises.  Lido buffet and pool areas especially where this noted.  But the outside seating is a huge improvement.  Lots of comfy sofa and big padded chair seating in pool area and on deck above pool and even on Sun deck which also had glass partitions which blocked the wind and provided some more private little cove areas to lounge.  But believe actual lounge chairs available were fewer.  Especially noted this aft lido pool area which seemed smaller in area than on other ships.  Pools more crowded than have experienced previously and several days shortage of pool towels noted. Outside table seating was good and way more comfy chairs there too.  Movie every night on Lido but we didn't attend any. One thing I noted was you could actually understand the PA announcements and Captain Timmers spoke really good English.  Usually can't hear or understand at least half of the announcements.  First time had inside muster and though more comfortable setting just did not make me feel very safe.  Just don't think it would work that well during true emergency.  Ship definitely lacked the classic art and sculpture we have enjoyed so much on previous cruises.  Artwork looked like they just got it from the Art Auction people on board.  Not our taste I guess.

Lido Buffet:  totally staff serve here.  Even juices in a.m. behind glass. Nice Hibachi station where you pick vegies and meat and sauce and they prepare for you.  Also sushi, dumplings and several pre made items here.  This was very popular.  Italian station appeared the same but pizza now has it's separate venue on deck above Lido.  That often very crowded with 45 minute wait one evening, but Pizza very good.   Didn't seem to serve as much lamb as on previous cruises.  It was served couple of times but prime rib, roast chicken, steak and roast pork seemed to be the standards here.  Of course always a fish item also.  The many stations on Lido were nice but it just seemed a lot more crowded with longer lines than have experienced before. All pre-made sandwiches with too much mayo or butter. 

No more taco station back by Dive In - missed that. Did note that Lido Buffet seemed to be open longer hours than on previous cruises with limited stations open until 4:00 in afternoon and dinner maybe until 8:30.

Specialty restaurants:  We tried Tamarind the first evening and liked it  Rather strange though that they were "out" of a couple of items on first day of cruise and first day of new menu. Pinnacle still offers lunch on sea days and we took advantage of that and loved it.  Canaletto about the same.  Enjoyed Grand Dutch Cafe free food items and thought that was very nice.

No Culinary Arts Center and no cooking demos.  Missed them.

HAL Navigator:  Used this every day and very convenient.  Booked a dinner reservation and worked like a charm.

Shops:  All new and not impressed.  Jewelry shops looked same to me but I have too much jewelry I never wear so didn't visit.  Separate T shirt shop had 2 types of t-shirts basically.  One with pocket and one without. Same logo on all that we saw.  Just small HAL ship logo.  That was it.  Gift shop had usual liquor and tobacco but very few smaller gift type items.  Nothing there of interest to us as have plenty of watches don't wear and plenty of dressy clutches don't use.

Room:  Yes the toilet seat is somewhat annoying but really no big deal.  Nice night light across from foot of bed that lights automatically at night from movement.  Glass shower doors - Yay.  Storage about the same.  Small round table (Veranda cabin) not suitable for in room dining so used desk. 

MDR:  Only visited during muster.  Too many stories of 30 minute waits for water glass fill, 2 1/2 hour dining times,  long open seating waits, etc. My impression was that decor appeared very minimalistic.

Room service:  Ordered both gala nights from MDR menu as usual for us.  Hope they continue this option but worried they may discontinue in future as a cost cutting measure.

These are most of the differences I noted from previous HAL cruises.  I am sure I missed some though.  Service was good and generally on par with HAL standards. We did enjoy the additional dining venues on this ship and the new BB King Blues club was really nice and band was great.  As I stated in other posts, did not enjoy the Rolling Stone Rock band but seemed busy every night so obviously others did. Just didn't think the band and especially singers were very good. New World Stage looked really nice but we did not attend any shows there.

Hope this helps anyone considering a Koningsdam cruise.  Any questions will be glad to give my two cents.

Jane

16 hours ago, iflyrc5 said:

Are you saying that the America's Test Cooking demos are totally gone?   I emailed HAL mariner society and got a response today that they are still doing them just in a different location on the ship than before dry dock.

Seattle might think they have them, but if they do they certainly were not mentioned anywhere on board.  We were on the Dec 10 sailing and I looked every day and no mention at all.  Maybe they will start them again after new year but they no cooking demos on our cruise. Missed them on this cruise.

Jane

On 12/25/2018 at 9:09 PM, Grimster said:

We went on the tour with Christelle last week and all 7 of us had a great time. It was so nice to have a guide that spoke English and Christelle really enjoys educating her customers on the history of Martinique. The treats and drinks were great and the drive around the island was very relaxing. When paying with a credit card we didn't have an opportunity to tip so make sure that you have some cash on hand. I like taking island tours to learn about the history of the island and see as much of it as possible and this is one of the best that I was ever on. 

 

John 

We took this tour couple weeks ago when on a HAL cruise and everyone just loved it.  There were about 16 of us(our roll call was quite active and we ended up with a larger group) so she used the larger Mercedes van but it was comfortable and everyone really said they enjoyed it.  One of the best island excursions we have ever done.  The virtual reality glasses at the waterfall were awesome for those of us who  couldn't make the trek down.  Highly recommend this tour.

Jane

On 12/12/2018 at 8:11 PM, austin_mommy said:

Someone had posted about this earlier on this forum but I didn't see a response. Has anyone had any experience with http://www.martiniqueexcursions.com/cruise-passengers-tour-details/martinique-north-island-tour/? We do not speak French and Martinique seems to have limited options.

Haven't tried this one but you should look at Karambole Tours.  The operator Christelle speaks perfect english. In fact she was previously an english teacher.  We are just back from our tour with her on Dec 14 and everyone just loved it.  She cooks up little local treats which she serves at each stop.  Nice, newer Mercedes van.  We took the tour called Pile et Face (Heads and Tails) and went to a waterfall, historic church, St Pierre, rum factory and stopped at a really nice beach on our way back for 30 minutes or so.  We so enjoyed this excursion.  One of the very best we have ever taken.  Look it up.  Highly recommend.

Jane