Veendam vs Koingsdam

Same Itinerary, which would you choose and why?

Koningsdam for me, hands down. New ship, more dining venues, more entertainment options. The Veendam has some mixed reviews. Our friends sailed her and were terribly disappointed. Lots of folks love her, though. I guess it depends on what you are looking for in a cruise.

I like the small size of Veendam. The K is larger than I like, but I'd go with the K because it has a hydropool and Veendam doesn't. K also has Lincoln Center (not sure if Veendam does, too), and movies by the pool. And if it's a warm-weather itinerary, it might matter to you that Veendam has only one pool, and the K has two, plus a very nice Lido pool area.

Veendam, no contest. Much as I hate how that (formerly) lovely ship was butchered, I still would sail her over the Koningsdam, if the itineraries were the same.

I prefer the smaller ships, and the Veendam is smaller by a lot, as compared to the Koningsdam. But even though she is smaller, her cabins are much larger in comparable categories.

The Veendam has that lovely promenade where passengers can sit and enjoy the sea, in the shade (or protected from inclement weather), or where they can actually promenade! Although the Koningsdam has a semblance of a promenade, it is just a shadow of what the other ships have.

Over the years, too, I have found that the larger the ship, the less personal service. Good service still matters to me, and I would expect the Veendam to be better at this than the Koningsdam, just due to her size.

For me, Koningsdam without any hesitation. The service is comparable to other HAL ships, as is the food. Beautiful decor, extremely comfortable Lido outdoor area. Decent entertainment (HAL is not known for it's entertainment on any ship). Of course, others will disagree. You will have to make a decision on what's important to you personally. Big, new ship vs smaller, older ship.

Having just completed my second cruise on the Konigsdam, I don’t even think there is a comparison. Yes, the Veendam is a smaller, old ship if you are looking for small, but please give me new, more dining options to choose from if you so desire, state of the art theater in the almost round, Lincoln Center, Billboard on Board, gorgeous ship, flowers everywhere, excellent service. Whatever you choose will be the right one for you.

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We have sailed on the Veendam but not the Koningsdam.

We much prefer the larger ships -- more options for dining -- just 1 difference.

Therefore we would pick the Koningsdam.

I've not been on either.

I've looked at the deck plans of the Koningsdam and all the cabins look so small. It looks like they have squeezed as many people as possible onto the ship.

Next year we are hoping to cruise the Med and we have to choose between these two ships and we are leaning towards the Veendam.

I've not been on either.

I've looked at the deck plans of the Koningsdam and all the cabins look so small. It looks like they have squeezed as many people as possible onto the ship.

Next year we are hoping to cruise the Med and we have to choose between these two ships and we are leaning towards the Veendam.

We stayed in a VA veranda cabin on deck seven this past November on the Koningsdam. Smallest veranda cabin we have ever stayed in on HAL. We enjoyed the ship otherwise.

For us it would come down to Veendam, a tired, poorly maintained ship well past it's sell by date vs. a new, state of the art cruise ship that is designed for today's cruise market.

Absolutely no comparison.

We would welcome the opportunity to sail on K. We would never consider a cruise on Veendam.

V may be smaller but seriously lacking in entertainment options. Tired ship. I'd go with K.

Veendam, no contest. Much as I hate how that (formerly) lovely ship was butchered, I still would sail her over the Koningsdam, if the itineraries were the same.

 

I prefer the smaller ships, and the Veendam is smaller by a lot, as compared to the Koningsdam. But even though she is smaller, her cabins are much larger in comparable categories.

The Veendam has that lovely promenade where passengers can sit and enjoy the sea, in the shade (or protected from inclement weather), or where they can actually promenade! Although the Koningsdam has a semblance of a promenade, it is just a shadow of what the other ships have.

Over the years, too, I have found that the larger the ship, the less personal service. Good service still matters to me, and I would expect the Veendam to be better at this than the Koningsdam, just due to her size.

(bold is mine) I've never experienced that kind of difference going between the S class and the Vistas. But I did notice it on the K. Maybe just bad luck in cabin stewards, but they were not as good as we're used to. First time in a long time that we didn't leave any tip for the cabin stewards. MDR service was good, but we've had better on our previous few cruises.

In talking to other passengers, we did get the sense that the cabins on the K are smaller than comparable cabins on other ships. We were in a Neptune, so we didn't notice a size difference--we're after the big balcony more than the big cabin, so cabin size doesn't matter in that case.

The promenade deck isn't a big deal to us since we get a balcony, but I have to agree that the K's has zero charm. For people who get Inside or OV cabins, the loss of that seating is a big minus.

Our last 3 cruises have been on the Koningsdam. We loved her and would pick her over the Veendam.

We sailed on the K-Dam last year and while it’s a nice ship, we won’t sail on her again. We noticed the difference in number of passengers immediately (compared to the NA and Eurodam). We did not

Like the new stage set up nor did we care for the

Movies on the Deck. Just our opinion but never again.

Summer Slope, is this a Southern Caribbean cruise choice? Seem to recall seeing the same or very similar cruise on these two ships. We are interested leaning toward "K" because the balcony cabins are less expensive. Our first choice would be a Vista class ship. Other posts really cover the differences for you.

Summer Slope, is this a Southern Caribbean cruise choice? Seem to recall seeing the same or very similar cruise on these two ships. We are interested leaning toward "K" because the balcony cabins are less expensive. Our first choice would be a Vista class ship. Other posts really cover the differences for you.

Yes, to include Cuba. I thank you all for your replies and will make a "chart" to compare apples to apples for what we enjoy about a ship. We have been on the "old" Westerdam and Zuiderdam and will be on the Zaandam in May.

I would have to say that the best service I have ever received was on the Koningsdam. Beautiful venues, wonderful showers, and immaculately kept. So far she is my favorite ship.

I love the older, smaller ships for the opportunity to book a stateroom right on the lower promenade deck - either located close to a door for easy access to outside or a Lanai cabin. It’s much more of a vintage ocean liner experience closer to the sea vs a resort hotel experience. That won’t be an option much longer when they eventually go out of service, so I’m enjoying them now.

The ever-larger, fancier ships with ever more passengers are fine for a resort vacation experience - we’ve sailed quite a few with HAL and Celebrity. There’s always a newer, sparkly one with more bells & whistles coming along, but none of them have cabins on the promenade deck any more.

Yes, to include Cuba. I thank you all for your replies and will make a "chart" to compare apples to apples for what we enjoy about a ship. We have been on the "old" Westerdam and Zuiderdam and will be on the Zaandam in May.

Your experience on the Zaandam will really tell the tale on if you would like the Veendam or not.

The Veendam doesn't have the aft as others have posted, but it will certainly give you a good indication.

A comparison of what is important to you is very wise. That will probably tell you which is the better choice ;)

I would choose none of them.

Although nice, the Veenadam is for retirement cruising. The Koningsdam is a caricature.

Are there other options?

Thank you all for your comments. But the cruise in the K has disappeared. So I guess it will be the Veendam if we go.

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Thank you all for your comments. But the cruise in the K has disappeared. So I guess it will be the Veendam if we go.

 

 

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uh-oh, could be a charter. What itinerary and date were you looking at?

uh-oh, could be a charter. What itinerary and date were you looking at?

Southern Caribbean/Cuba in January. 21 days.

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Summer Slope, there is an 11 night Southern Caribbean cruise on the "K" that departs on January 23, would that work for you?

Summer Slope, there is an 11 night Southern Caribbean cruise on the "K" that departs on January 23, would that work for you?