Review of K'dam 14-Day Voyage of the Midnight Sun Cruise

[patrickmoran]

My wife and I have returned from Koningsdam's May 29th to June 12th Voyage of the Midnight Sun cruise. We had a great cruise and liked the new ship. A little background to get started. Also if someone could point me to instructions about embedding pix that would helpful. I tried those in CC FAQs section but it wasn't working.

 

We are in our mid-60s and last sailed HAL in 2011. We have over 20 cruises, mainly Carnival, Princess and Celebrity. I am deaf so can't offer much comment on the entertainment other than the venues were all popular.

 

We booked an OV guarantee months ago. We got 3 upsell offers in the 2 weeks before the cruise but didn't bite. 5 days before the cruise we got our cabin assignment. We scored an upgrade to a VC balcony cabin, 5040!:D Great location, forward on the Gershwin deck.

 

Big hits for me on the K'dam: Notes (whiskey bar), New York Pizza & Deli, and Dive In.

Big miss: size of hot tubs at the Sea View pool. 2 people and they are crowded. I can't imagine 4 in them!

 

Can't comment on ship's internet speed because we didn't use it. I found enough free internet spots in the ports to keep up with email & FB.

 

We only ate 2 dinners and 1 breakfast in the MDR. Ate once each in the Pinnacle Grill and Caneletto. Otherwise Lido buffet, deli or burgers.

 

More later

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome Home

Great start to your review.

You need to belong to a host site to post pictures on CC -- sites Photobucket.

[kazu]

Welcome Home

Great start to your review.

You need to belong to a host site to post pictures on CC -- sites Photobucket.

 

Or if you are using an iPad/ smart phone - use tap a talk. Very easy to install pics on it :)

 

I second KK's welcome home and look forward to hearing more.

[jtl513]

If you want to post pics without joining any web storage site (such as photobucket) try http://www.tinypic.com It's pretty easy to figure out.

[Taters]

Thank you so much for posting. I am scheduled for a cruise on Koningsdam next May, and am also deaf. I have cochlear implants, which I love, but they are not perfect and hearing with them is quite challenging. I am looking forward to your perspective.

[patrickmoran]

Thank you so much for posting. I am scheduled for a cruise on Koningsdam next May, and am also deaf. I have cochlear implants, which I love, but they are not perfect and hearing with them is quite challenging. I am looking forward to your perspective.

 

If all goes well, I will get my implant on the 28th. I had hoped to have it done and turned on for this cruise but it didn't happen. I told my wife if I had it I would probably develop a Norwegian accent as I learned to hear again. LOL

 

Other than missing out on the new entertainment venues, being deaf was not much of a problem. The main production shows weren't as visually entertaining as those on Princess or Celebrity.

[patrickmoran]

A couple of quick comments on the cabin and the ship:

 

The promenade has been discussed quite a bit. My surprise was that it was not all under cover. Most is half covered and some not at all. So walking during inclement or really hot, sunny weather may mean using the gym. I used the gym several times and found lots of equipment to use. I go mid afternoon and did not have a problem getting a treadmill or using the weight machines.

 

The cabin, as discussed, is snug. It is definitely smaller than Celebrity S-class ship balcony cabins. Storage space was OK. We brought lots of clothes for the 2 weeks and found places for everything. There are 2 drawers at the foot of the bed under the mattress. The shower is nice size and did not have any problem getting hot water. Our main issue was the shower water temp would oscillate from hot to cold. Reported it but I don't think they did anything. Not a big issue but for a new ship... Unlike Princess ships, you can get nice cold water from the faucet. Balcony size was fine and definitely larger than Princess Royal/Regal balconies. Except on the forward or aft balcony cabins on Beethoven deck (4), you cannot look straight down and see the water. All upper balconies look down on the tenders or half of the Beethoven balconies. Not a big issue for me but you can't see what's happen on the pier next to the ship when docked.

Also balconies on the Navigation deck (8) are only half covered.

I watched a good number of movies on the room TV - good selection. I could watch my talking heads on MSNBC, CNBC and Fox News though I had to account for the 6 hour time diff. ESPN Int'l was showing college baseball and softball playoffs, soccer. They showed the EURO 2016 games on the Lido movie screen. Otherwise the movies/shows on it weren't my cup of tea. It looked great and being covered helped versus alot of cruise ships big screens.

[theduffys]

Thanks for the report. We will be taking this trip in July. Do the drawers at the foot of the bed cut down significantly cut down on the under bed storage space for luggage? We have a quad cabin for us and two grandchildren so, a fair bit of luggage.

[patrickmoran]

The drawers probably take 1/3 of the space under the bed. The advantage for you will be 1 drawer has bedding for the extra beds. That should be empty for you. 4 in the cabin will be really tight, especially with the sofa open.

[colonialinnkeeper]

Thanks for the beginning review. Looking forward to reading much more.

[patrickmoran]

I can't believe I left off my list the biggest hit on the ship: the Grand Dutch Cafe!:eek:

The GDC had lots of good eats and drinks. The great thing was they were different, very Dutch. Besides the coffee and sweets, there are 4 beers on tap, 2 you usually don't find in the US. There were a bunch of Belgian and Dutch bottled beers to try and Dutch liquors. Great pea soup, tasty sandwiches and desserts. I would have needed another 2 weeks to try everything, though I gave it my best shot.:p

GDC was a popular spot. The staff was very friendly, helpful, and hustling all day. At peak times they would get overwhelmed and things could take awhile and tables didn't get cleaned.

[patrickmoran]

When we booked HAL was offering the Explore4 promotion. So we had the Signature Beverage Package and free dinner in the Pinnacle Grill.

The SBP worked well, maybe too well. Did I mention I put on 10 pounds?:( So I tried lots of drinks at the different bars. I had no problem keeping under the $8 per drink limit for alcohol or beer. Lots and lots of choices. Wine is a different matter. Not many choices, especially for whites or bubbly.

One thing I found out was that I did not need to order only 1 drink at a time. I could get 2 drinks or doubles. We found this out in the MDR when the wine steward put my wife's and my drinks and wine on the same order. When we checked our account, no problem - no charge. I guess until you hit the 15 drink limit everything is free, assuming its not more than $8. The most I could get through were 10 in 1 day -whimp!

 

Notes is a new whiskey bar. They have 100 whiskeys, bourbons, scotches, etc. It is set for tasting, straight, on ice, and with water. You get a double shot of your selection! There were quite a few choices available for $8. There were 3 or 4 choices available for about $300, including 2 Pappy Van Winkle bourbons! I would usually stop by in the evening and get a glass to go. Really enjoyed it and found some new favorites!

[Carnevale]

When we booked HAL was offering the Explore4 promotion. So we had the Signature Beverage Package and free dinner in the Pinnacle Grill.

The SBP worked well, maybe too well. Did I mention I put on 10 pounds?:( So I tried lots of drinks at the different bars. I had no problem keeping under the $8 per drink limit for alcohol or beer. Lots and lots of choices. Wine is a different matter. Not many choices, especially for whites or bubbly.

One thing I found out was that I did not need to order only 1 drink at a time. I could get 2 drinks or doubles. We found this out in the MDR when the wine steward put my wife's and my drinks and wine on the same order. When we checked our account, no problem - no charge. I guess until you hit the 15 drink limit everything is free, assuming its not more than $8. The most I could get through were 10 in 1 day -whimp!

 

Notes is a new whiskey bar. They have 100 whiskeys, bourbons, scotches, etc. It is set for tasting, straight, on ice, and with water. You get a double shot of your selection! There were quite a few choices available for $8. There were 3 or 4 choices available for about $300, including 2 Pappy Van Winkle bourbons! I would usually stop by in the evening and get a glass to go. Really enjoyed it and found some new favorites!

 

When we were on K'Dam there was a limit to the SBP even if you were under the $8 mark. That limit was 3 drinks at a time. We didn't realize this until we found we were getting some charges on our account as we assumed the limit of $8.00 per order was what mattered but that is wrong. When we ordered two espresso drinks each with an extra shot, much to our surprise, they charged us for one of the shots as each espresso counted as one drink as did each shot which brought us to four drinks according to the front desk. We were surprised and frustrated at not having had that info as it was rather confusing. So, with SBP pay attention both to the $ limit and to the number of drinks ordered at once.

[erewhon]

Thank you for commenting on your 14 day cruise.

[Bulldog3777]

Is the casino smoking or nonsmoking?

[0bnxshs]

Is the casino smoking or nonsmoking?

 

They allow smoking in the casino, just no cigars or pipes.

[patrickmoran]

Is the casino smoking or nonsmoking?

 

I did not spend much time in the casino but it was not smokey. But I am not very sensitive to smoke. I saw a sign that smoking was only permitted at designated slots. I am not sure about the tables but I never saw anyone smoking at them or the poker tables.

[patrickmoran]

This will take you to the Shutterfly album I created with my ship pix:

 

https://pjm3113pix.shutterfly.com/pictures/550#550

[patrickmoran]

We flew from Miami to Amsterdam leaving Friday, May 27th, on Delta via Atlanta. Unfortunately, we were delayed leaving Atlanta for 5 hours because of mechanical problems. Instead of landing at 8:45 am on the 28th, we arrived after 1 pm. So much for my preordered tix for the Van Gogh Museum.

We took the train to Central Station and then walked to the Crowne Plaza Hotel. This was a 10 minutes walk with luggage. We checked in about 3pm, showered and crashed. We had dinner at Moedders which worked fine. That lead to a walk through parts of central Amsterdam. We took a tram back to Central Station. As we were walking back towards the hotel, we passed on of the canal tour boats landing and they were getting ready to leave. We bought tix and jumped on. We had a pleasant dusk tour of the canals, about 1 hour.

The next morning we had tix for Anne Frank's house at 9:15am. As we were crossing the street in front of the hotel, Anne tripped and fell. She banged herself up pretty good so she skipped the tour. I went and enjoyed it. You have to book online to get tix and they're pretty limited.

About noon we checked out and took a taxi to the cruise terminal (16 euros). We left the luggage with the porters and joined the masses in the terminal. It took about 1 1/2 hours until we were onboard. We dropped our stuff in the room, up to the Lido deck for lunch then walked around the ship.

 

Our stay at the CP was great. It was free. I had joined IHG's frequent guest program and had gotten the linked credit card. For the annual fee of $49 I get a free night at any hotel. The CP books at hundreds of euros!:eek: Plus I got half off the breakfast buffet, made it almost reasonable. IHG's program is more generous than say Marriott's, which I am using in Rome for a free night. Marriott restricts you from the high end hotels for the free night but still worth the annual fee. Got to stretch those retirement $$s.:)

[mame42]

Great pics. I know that many of us appreciate the pics of the VH verandahs.

[theduffys]

The drawers probably take 1/3 of the space under the bed. The advantage for you will be 1 drawer has bedding for the extra beds. That should be empty for you. 4 in the cabin will be really tight, especially with the sofa open.

 

Thanks for the heads up. 2/3 of the space should be okay. I'm sure the steward puts the linens back during the day so, that drawer will remain unuseable. The grands are both 12 so we will probably close up the sofa when we get up.

[rkacruiser]

Other than the shower which most seem to think is large, what is your opinion as to the size of the bathroom and the placement of the commode?

[patrickmoran]

Size and placement seemed fine. There was adequate storage space for toiletries. I would have liked the toilet paper roll holder placed higher.

[Carnevale]

Other than the shower which most seem to think is large, what is your opinion as to the size of the bathroom and the placement of the commode?

 

We found the bathroom to be very cramped with far from enough storage (would be better to have shelves on both sides of the sink or, better yet, cabinets with doors). We also are not fans of the angled toilet as that gives too little space. But the shower is great.

 

Re the casino question: there were some nights designated as non-smoking (sorry but I don't recall how many as we aren't casino players).

[theduffys]

Pat, there appears to be box seats over the lido pool area. Are these just for certain people, rentable?