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Wow, can't believe the Koningsdam has gotten that bad. I was on this ship over New Year's from San Diego to Mexico. Ship was full I think. I ate all of my meals(except 2) in the Lido. Never had to wait too long to get served. I think the most people I had to wait behind was maybe 5. There were always plenty of desserts available. Tables were being cleared and cleaned constantly. Servers offering drinks were always right there asking what I wanted. Breakfast was a bit chaotic but I don't eat much for breakfast. Easy to grab a yogurt , some cereal anspd a sweet roll. I ate dinner on the last gala night in the MDR with 2 others. At around 7 there were only a few people in front of us to get to the podium. Got our buzzer and only waited about 5 minutes for our table. Service was good. Waiter and his assistant were quite attentive. Sorry you had a different experience.

Yes on the Koningsdam there are separate men's and women's saunas just outside the entrance to the thermal spa area. You don't need a pass to use them. I always buy a pass. Love the hydrotherapy pool and the steam rooms. I don't spend alot of time on the heated loungers. I find them uncomfortable after awhile.

It has been awhile since I cruised in Europe. I'm cruising out of Amsterdam this summer and I always give extra to my cabin steward at the end of the Cruise. Do I tip in US dollars or should I use Euros? And how about room service? I believe I've always used USD but don't really remember. Thanks!

Anyone else having issues with their HAL account? I just logged in and have 0 credits(I'm a 3 star mariner) and my July cruise is gone. Also my profile info is incomplete. Hope it's a glitch.

This kind of what helped me make a decision on going solo. I chose the Koningsdam over New Years as it was a ship I had sailed on before and I had been to the Mexican Riviera twice. I thought familiarity would make me feel better. And it did help. I am sailing on the Rotterdam out of Amsterdam this summer. I chose this one because I have been to Amsterdam twice and I think I will be comfortable in a pre cruise stay there. No need to rush around and see the sights. Just relax until i board the ship. And I will probably go on mostly ship excursions. Whatever you decide, I am sure you will enjoy yourself.

My sister passed away in July. We were really close and traveled together at least twice a year when we both were working and hoped to cruise after we retired hut then covid hit. We loved to travel and I really want to continue to travel if even by myself. I went on a HAL cruise over New Years to the Mexican Riviera. I was a little apprehensive but I had a good time. I went to the meet and greet and met some nice people. They also had some solo events. They had 2 solo traveler meetings that were fun. Met more nice people. It was nice to meet these people as you would see them around the ship and they would stop and talk with you. They also had a solo travellers lunch one day. Again had a fun time talking with other solo travellers. Met one lady where we had a nice connection. Made arrangements to meet for dinner and we enjoyed it so much that we met every night for dinner. Did our own thing during the day but met for dinner to catch up in our day and then went on to check out the music venues. I did ship shore excursions and again people are so friendly. Never felt too alone. I enjoyed this cruise so much, I've booked another one for this summer. I hope this one goes well too. Also there is a solo cruiser forum here on Cruise Critic where you can get tips. I think cruising Will be great for solo traveling as you can have alone time and time with others.

I do that too. I start looking at excursions as soon as I have booked the cruise. If I see ones I really want to do I'll book them right away. I'm cruising in July and have just booked 3 ship ones and 1 private one already.

Maybe this has been asked but I was wondering what amenities they have in the cabins. Soap, shampoo, lotion? Trying to figure out what to pack for next week. I'm not too particular in what I use so what they have should work.

Thanks. It's snowing here in Seattle today. I'll take pleasant. I figured the sea day might be cool. Thanks for confirming that.

Glad you're enjoying your cruise. Looking forward to boarding on the 29th. How's the weather? Hot? Trying to start gathering what to pack. Never an easy task.

Well the post above talked about a 11 am flight and rolling off their own luggage. They were told they could make it. I wasn't sure if that meant that in order to make it that you had to take your own luggage off. Thanks anyway for your answer.

If I have an 11 am flight out of SAN would I have to take my own luggage off? Thanks,

I am going on my first solo cruise over NewYears on HAL. My sister passed away in July. She was my best friend and travel buddy. We traveled alot and cruising had become our favorite vacation. I really didn't want to give up traveling and with the encouragement of friends, I decided to book this trip. It's a ship I've been on and an itinerary I've done before. Figured familiarity would help ease into solo travel. I used to travel for work sometimes so flying and staying pre cruise should be okay. Not sure how a whole week will go. But I figure I won't know until I try. It's not always easy for me to talk with strangers but I have always found cruisers to be a friendly bunch. Looking forward to this cruise.

Me too. I panicked alittle when it said I had no upcoming cruises. Thought I missed final pmt and cruise was canceled. But all's good now.

Can't comment on 225 but I've stayed twice in 229 which is a deluxe balcony and once in 219, a mini suite on the Lido deck. Have never heard much noise from above deck. Love being on the Lido deck. Like being able to just walk across the pool area to the Lido buffet. Also like having the grill and a bar just around the corner. As mentioned above, just find a picture of a mini suite. They are all pretty much the same. Just note that balconies on the Royal class ships are not that big.

The UN General Assembly is the 13th to the 27th. The General debate starts the 20th. I expect that impacts demand for rooms causing higher rates.