Just back from KONINGSDAM Premier Voyage

[TylerRose]

We just returned from our 7 night cruise sharing HAL'S premier voyage on the ms Koningsdam. We booked it the day they opened for bookings after waiting eagerly since it was first announced. It was our first inaugural voyage & I was soooo excited! We headed to Italy a few days early and stayed at "The Bocelli Farmhouse & Winery”- in Lajatico & explored Tuscany with lot's of other special options the farmhouse arranged for us! Our ports included Dubrovnik (Croatia), Kerkira (Corfu) & Olympia (Kakolon) in Greece. We had a brief port stop in Sarande, Albania to avoid port tax if we had not... and then Naples & back to Rome in Italy.

 

Our Neptune Suite (7071) was lovely, spacious, and inviting. Its veranda nice & large. We spent lots of time relaxing on it enjoying the sail. The room had far more storage space and outlets/USBs than any of our previous cabins & I really liked the shower stall & tub in the larger bathroom. I did not miss the dressing room at all from previous HAL ships & the separate toilet area worked especially well for us. Thank goodness it included laundry & dry-cleaning because we boarded in need of both! Turn around was both quick & efficient.

 

The concierge service in the Neptune lounge remains my favourite suite perk. The Neptune's best purpose IMO: it allowed me to iron out all the quirks I failed to take care of in advance- in spite of my usual over planning. I was very grateful to not stand on lines at front desk. They had a few gatherings for suite guests in it with munchies & wines... there were other gatherings elsewhere for mariners.

I had prepurchased the Suite Elite supplement package to make sure I experienced everything K had to offer. At $751 for the two of us, I am not sure it offered all that much in "savings"- (especially if you had mariner discounts)- but a "nudge" to take full advantage of it all. The most important part to me was access to the hydro pool and thermal suite- both are superb on K and well worth the cost. This hydro pool has a "rainfall curtain" around the edges and I loved the sound it made. The windows in the saunas allowed sea views & there were all sorts of different steamers & showers. But for me, after the thermal loungers- my favourite thing was the horizontal shower. Now, I wouldn't want to be the person standing there watching me get off by stomach after lying on my belly for this shower to massage my back... but it is definitely worth the aerobic activity of climbing in to the thing! The package also included a beverage set-up: we chose 4 bottles of moscato- that we kept in dining room & followed us to restaurants as "our wine"... a Dinner for 2 at Pinnacle Grill, 150 minutes Internet, & 2- $50 beverage cards good for everything from mixed drinks to fancy coffees. We never had a chance to use the Culinary Arts Center cooking class, or wine tasting's that were a part of it... & our flowers never made it- so they apologized and credited our account.

 

 

At early seating, we had a lovely table for 2 near the window sharing sunsets while we dined in her beautiful main dining room. We enjoyed all our meals & I thought the food presentations had been elevated. On Gala Nights, my DH looked quite dapper in his Tux & I saw many others. I allowed my ball gown to flow & my black evening gloves to shield me from the shellfish. (BTW, HAL does an excellent job of dealing with food allergies and keeping you safe!) Individual interpretations of “Gala Night” created an all over the whole ship festive celebration.

We dined twice at the Pinnacle Grill & once at Tamarind. Meals are slow, relaxed, elegant & tasted delicious.

We never made it to Sel de Mer, Canaletto, Blend or the Culinary Arts Center. With so many options now available on K… a seven night cruise simply doesn’t allow the time to try “it all”. We also never ate in the Lido... or tried the gelato bar.

 

The World Stage is definitely a game changer in entertainment for HAL. Comfortable viewing from all angles with lots of special effects. A comic, magician, vocalist & 2 HAL shows- K's ensemble includes 10 dancers 3 vocals & 5 "HALcats". (Not sure what they call themselves now). They added chairs on stage for one show to help create a "theatre in the round". We had so much fun- I was even pulled up for a dance!

So much talent aboard this ship! The Queens Lounge & Billboard Onboard were our evening favourites and hard to choose between. So we bounced back and forth between evening sing along's with the 2 piano players and jazzy BB King Blues music & dancing. I was happy to see a new incarnation of Adagio Strings with 5 performers on the Lincoln Center Stage. The new Queens Lounge may very well be the most elegant and appealing venue I have ever seen on a cruise ship!

Loved the movie nights poolside and seeing families & friends stretched out on loungers- laughing and floating... enjoying the popcorn & munchies from Dive-in. I did not miss the dedicated theatre from previous ships at all. The new culinary arts center filled class needs & its absence allowed more space for the music walk. The cabins have plenty of movie & TV options.

 

We had spectacular weather all week- so most days the "dome" covering the pool could remain open. Among other places to eat... we enjoyed morning bagels at the "New York Deli & Pizza" sitting on deck. Oddly, the only pizza we ever had in Italy was on board... and it's made to order generously sized personal pizzas were very good.

 

We purchased a special behind the scenes ships tour that HAL split between two days. ($150PP... If you have the chance- GO FOR IT- so much to learn & explore!) Our "guide" proudly escorted us all about as we were welcomed by crew to explain how things work in "their space".

On day one we visited the World Stage & a few performers described the set-up & additional needs for this specialized theatre. Next stop, laundry room: It's massive. (If I could keep mine as organized, I might not need a Doby sock donation bin- but I digress). They sew & mend ALL their uniforms on just 4 Juki sewing machines, 1 serger, & 1 Bernina embroidery machine in a small alterations room! (I am a quilter, and have a larger sewing space than these guys!) Yet, they were all smiles and very proud of the new uniforms and pulling nearly all of them off the racks on time for this voyage. Deep within the ships "workings"... we followed "the flow", discussed & observed their recycling, & storage of waste. We chilled out in the fridge & freezers. They did not allow me to take any souvenirs from the wine cellar- but it too is very well stocked. We finished the tours that day in the bakery & kitchens.

We needed to cut our port time short a bit for tour day 2. They handed us earplugs and took us down below. After exploring the many technical & mechanical sides of things- we went to the bridge. The bridge is huge: we had a tour, a talk, & took pics with our captain. The ships tour finished up with an hour long Q&A cocktail party with hotel director Stan. He & his crew are very proud of the Koningsdam & I agree with him.

 

SO MUCH TO DO... SO LITTLE TIME! We only made it to Trivia in the beautiful Crows Nest once!

I loved the new option of daily info available on my iPhone/ipad. There will still be paper schedules available, but since most of us now carry our phones for texts and selfies- it is a great paper saver. Eventually, they plan to have loaners for anyone who wants one & even more info available with this free app.

The ship, though larger and more populated- never felt crowded. There were always places to sit, or lounge about... walk... and explore.

I believe she has been created to appeal to a wider graphic of guests- but retained, or perhaps even raised HALs standards for classic cruising at a time when cruise lines have no choice but to catch up... or be passed over.

I had hoped for more "premier voyage" festivities :mad:... and yes... there were a few quirks here and there. Just new ship stuff though- nothing any of you need worry about.

 

Perhaps the best compliment I can pay the ms Konigsdam & her Crew... We already booked our next cruise on her for 2017!

[POA1]

Thank you for your review! Glad you had a great time. :)

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Thanks for your review. We were on the Amsterdam and had a chance to get a tour. Your review helped answer some questions.

 

How was traffic flow after the shows thru the Casino? It looked tight..

 

Was the Blend in use very much? Notes?

 

Did the photo lab use facial recognition or the old style pictures on the board? We saw some new TV screen devices in the photo lab..

 

Could you punch a hole in your cruise card? We heard that was not allowed.

 

Did you need to put your card into a slot in your room to activate the lights and AC?

 

We saw three scenes from Musicology....looked fabulous! Glad to hear they still have a band and live singers on the world stage

 

Thanks!

Edited April 18, 2016 by The-Inside-Cabin

[Cruising-along]

Welcome home and thank you for your review! So happy to hear about Adagio. What did you do in the ports?

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

Glad you enjoyed the Koningsdam so much that you have booked another cruise on her.

[Daisyloo]

Great review. Now I am even more excited to be sailing on her in October!

[ithaca gal]

Thank you for your review. So glad you had a great time!

 

Did you have a chance to see if smoking is allowed in the casino?

[BandBlady]

Nice to hear you had such fun .Sorry We never met up but must have been around the same places as we had breakfast at the New York Deli every morning and went to BBkings at night.

Yes she is a fabulous ship and we hope to sail on her again too .

Best wishes Kay

[Clarea]

Appreciate the feedback!:)

[kalliekae]

Thank you for the review. Sounds like a beautiful ship with more to do on her than HAL's other ships. We look forward to booking a cruise on the Konigsdam.

[1ANGELCAT]

Welcome home Robyn and Scott.

It was so nice to meet you.

Kathy

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[KirkNC]

Thanks for your feedback, I can tell you had a wonderful time!

[SC_GAY_Cruiser]

So I think all your pre-cruise expectations and planning were met. That is also what makes a wonderful cruise!

 

dave

[teamflames]

Thanks for the review and so glad to hear you had a great cruise, hopefully ours will be as much fun

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

[puppycanducruise]

Thank you for taking the time to post your review.

Glad you had a good cruise.

[Tampa Girl]

Thank you so much for your review. You did a fine selling job! You mentioned that your Neptune Suite was larger than other cabins that you had had. Did you mean larger than the Neptune Suites on the other ships?

[themerle]

Enjoyed your review! Thanks for sharing!

[Cruiser Bruiser]

Thanks for posting your enthusiastic review of the beautiful new Koningsdam. I especially appreciate the positive notes about the new entertainment offerings. Only 9 1/2 months to go! Cheers.

[Joebob204]

Excellent review. Well thought. Doing a 21 day cruise in August. Can't wait!

[sppunk]

Wait you mean the new ship isn't terrible and you'll never ever ever sail her?!

 

Glad you had a great trip and thanks for the awesome, clearly-designed review!

 

FWIW I grew up in Longview and worked as a designer at the Morning Telegraph about 10 years ago (got married at church on the loop!). I say this just to express my deep prayer that you this week go to Stanley's for me. kthnx.

[DeeniEncinitas]

Enjoyed your review!

Thank you!

Denise:)

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Thanks for your review. We were on the Amsterdam and had a chance to get a tour. Your review helped answer some questions.

 

How was traffic flow after the shows thru the Casino? It looked tight..

 

Was the Blend in use very much? Notes?

 

Did the photo lab use facial recognition or the old style pictures on the board? We saw some new TV screen devices in the photo lab..

 

Could you punch a hole in your cruise card? We heard that was not allowed.

 

Did you need to put your card into a slot in your room to activate the lights and AC?

 

We saw three scenes from Musicology....looked fabulous! Glad to hear they still have a band and live singers on the world stage

 

Thanks!

Let me see if I can answer you questions since Robyn is probably busy :) I am on my lunch hour.

How was traffic flow after the shows thru the Casino? It looked tight..

To me it seemed the same as any Vista or Signature Ship. The way the show room is set up you have just as many exiting from level 2 as you do level 3.

Was the Blend in use very much? Notes? Actually in the evenings there was always someone sitting at Notes and it was always busy , was not able to see anyone at Blend. I think Blend is in a rather out of the way place. I only passed by it once and it was not open at the time. But others may think differently.

 

Did the photo lab use facial recognition or the old style pictures on the board? We saw some new TV screen devices in the photo lab.. Yes used the facial recognition, the first picture they took was embarkation(not the check in pic), from them they had your picture and cabin number and then they matched up from there.

 

Could you punch a hole in your cruise card? We heard that was not allowed.

I cannot answer this question never asked but then I am one that would never punch a hole in my card, as a collector of many things that just hurts the value lol

 

Did you need to put your card into a slot in your room to activate the lights and AC? YES, but like the Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam you can use another card like AARP, AAA Insurance card and that works well ;)

 

We saw three scenes from Musicology....looked fabulous! Glad to hear they still have a band and live singers on the world stage

[rafinmd]

Lunch break? Don't tell me you had to work today. Oops, I forgot yesterday was probably supposed to be your day to recover from the flight.

 

Roy

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[Dejlig Ko]

Looking forward to boarding her on May 22 for ms Koningsdam's first Norwegian fjords cruise; even more so after reading your review. Thank you!