Whats the story about negative Koningsdam Reviews?

[Hlitner]

We have been considering a 21 day Koningsdam cruise and read through many of the cruiser reviews posted here on CC. There seems to be an awful lot of negativity about this ship....and even more surprisingly the crew. What gives?

 

Hank:eek:

[cruiseing marly]

We are booked for twenty one days may 14 th . Hopefully all is great as usual per the rest of our HAL cruises !

 

 

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[Lady Arwen]

We're booked for 14 nights April 30, 2017. I'm confident that the negative reviews will not impact our enjoyment of the ship and our cruise as a whole. We know that reviews can be very different from our own personal opinion.

[Kamloops50]

We have been considering a 21 day Koningsdam cruise and read through many of the cruiser reviews posted here on CC. There seems to be an awful lot of negativity about this ship....and even more surprisingly the crew. What gives?

 

Hank:eek:

 

New HAL ships seem to get a lot negative reviews in first couple of years.

[ski ww]

We've not sailed on her yet. I think all reviews should be taking with a grain of salt. I've read reviews from people sailing on the same ship on the same cruise one says never again & the other person gives it 5* Enjoy your cruise I'm sure it'll be great.

Allan

[OceanTraveller4ever]

A lot of negative critics are from folks who do not like the trend of bigger ships, smaller promenades, and poor designs choices.

 

If you have no qualms about such things, go on her, and enjoy a great cruise :)

[Fouremco]

As we will be boarding the K'dam for 10 days this coming Sunday, we've read just about everything that's been written, positive and negative. It seems to me that the critics fall into one of two broad categories: those that were reporting issues that would best be described as "start up" problems, not at all unexpected in the ship's first months of operation, and those who didn't like some of the changes from the existing fleet. Regarding the latter, the two biggest criticisms appear to be the design of the promenade deck and the reduction in the size and scope of the library.

 

Personally, I take most of the negative comments with a grain of salt. Also, many simply don't affect me, although I fully understand that they do others. For example, we never use the library, so the reduction is a non-issue for us.

 

Nothing that we've read has had the slightest bearing on our anticipation for our first cruise on the K'dam. We know that it will be on its first Southern Caribbean cruise and that all of the ports will be brand new to the ship. Whatever his past experience in the Caribbean, it will also be the Captain's first time taking the K'dam into these ports. There may be issues arising during this inaugural K'dam Caribbean cruise, but we'll be approaching it with an open mind, not ready to criticize every minor thing that crops up.

[Skipper's Mom]

We are boarding on 12/04/16 with 3 other couples. Will let you know our experience. Looking forward to our cruise.:D

[Hlitner]

A lot of negative critics are from folks who do not like the trend of bigger ships, smaller promenades, and poor designs choices.

 

If you have no qualms about such things, go on her, and enjoy a great cruise :)

 

We have nearly 500 days on HAL and are not naive. But the reviews talk about food, service, entertainment, lack of seating in the Lido, etc. Having cruised on around 70 different vessels these kind of reviews cause us some concern. We have had our own issues with HAL, but never service! And our experience with HAL cuisine has been good in the past year. As to entertainment, we do think that HAL lags just about every other mass market line....especially if you look at the offerings after 10pm.

 

Hank

[haladdict]

We sailed on her for 31days, from April 8th and had a wonderful time. Yes of course there were a few minor problems, but all were outweighed by the sheer joy of being on a brand new ship. The New York Deli was great and we even had our breakfast bagels there. The crew were amazing and were no different to crew on other Hal ships. They all deserve medals and a pay raise, when you hear what some cruisers complain about. It all boils down to what kind of cruisers you are. Those who don't sweat the small stuff will like the K Dam much more. The complainers. Well, they will find something wrong.

Sandra

[vjblk]

My sister and I sailed on the Koningsdam last September for the 12 day cruise from Amsterdam to Rome. We enjoyed the cruise. We found the crew to be as good as the crew on all of our other HAL cruises. We ate most of our meals in the Lido. We never had any problem finding a place to sit. At Breakfast we may have had to wander a bit but usually found a place. The waitstaff was really good at clearing tables as soon as someone left. The selection at all the meals was pretty good. And the staff always came around with water, juice at Breakfast. And the staff in the Lido were always friendly and helpful. Yes, the promenade is narrow but still a good place to walk. I thought there was plenty of entertainment. Liked that they had 3 times for the shows in the theater. Also liked the different music venues. And there was plenty of movies to watch on the TV. We would sail on her again.

[cbr663]

Hank,

 

I just rent to the reviews and read about the most recent 15 of them and the reviews tend to focus on several key areas that are mentioned time and time again on CC. Food temperature in the MDR, crowded Lido and poor cabin service are the most common.

 

These consistent themes are quite concerning. The concern I have is that the new room service menu could force people out of their cabins and clog an already crowded Lido or place even more demands on a struggling MDR. Perhaps HAL has plans to re-assign the room service stewards to other areas? Who knows?

[easyboy]

We've not sailed on her yet. I think all reviews should be taking with a grain of salt. I've read reviews from people sailing on the same ship on the same cruise one says never again & the other person gives it 5* Enjoy your cruise I'm sure it'll be great.

Allan

I agree. Not all people have the same expectations and level of satisfaction.

[mame42]

Has anyone looked at the reviews of the Carnival Vista? About the same negative percentage as the K. However, when the first Viking ocean ship sailed, those reviews hovered around 65%.

[SeaBands]

a friend just returned and emailed us that. Just another inconvenience like no library. We leave on Sunday and will see what else is good or bad.

[hawkeye3d]

On our K'Dam cruise our M&G group universally agreed that our first impressions did not reflect the negativity shown in the reviews. Sure she is different from the other HAL ships, but nothing prevented us from a very enjoyable cruise. Sail on her again, sure in a minute. I take reviews with a grain of salt and set out on each cruise to have a good time.

 

Bob

[oliver1821]

Will be sailing on her December 14th and can't wait!!

 

People who complain about the most insignificant stuff bore the hell out of me!! You should be grateful to have the means to travel and thank God for the health to be able to do so instead of complaining.

 

Happy sailing!!

[Sundagger]

I'll be boarding her on the 13th for 10 days. I've read many live accounts and most of the "problems" won't affect me. I rarely use the Lido, never use the library, never use the Promenade. I like the new entertainment options and the new dining venues. I've always gotten along remarkably well with the stewards and other staff. I'm looking forward to this more than any recent cruise.

[ZSandy25]

We were on the K-dam for close to six weeks and we loved the ship, from our point of view the entertainment was the best we have experienced. I liked how the times were set, we had fixed late dinner and were able to go see a show and then walk to dinner.

 

Never had a problem with the lido and getting a seat, might have to look around but the crew was ready to clear a spot or table quickly. One can go up where the pizzas are made and get a nice bagel sandwich, yogurt with fruit etc. I will say that the chairs in the lido seemed really heavy to me..little hard to move.

 

The table are set with your napkin and silverware waiting. Crew comes around with coffee and juices. Nice touch.

 

We enjoyed the food and we ate in every venue.

 

The staff couldn't have been more pleasant and helpful when I had any contact.

 

The crew, well one of the reasons we sail HAL is because of the crew and we were not disappointed

 

The promenade is narrow and not what one would be used to if doing a comparison but it does go all the way around the ship:) no problem doing my morning laps.

 

They may have this on other ships but it was a first for us, in the lido pool they have a chair lift by one of the hot tubs for those who might not be able to navigate the stairs and getting in the hot tub. We observed this in operation. I thought of my mother with a tear in my eye and thought she would have loved being able to get in that hot tub and enjoy the warm water.

 

Only complaint about cabin was the odd placement of the toilet, its on an angle. Plenty of storage space, lots of outlets and ports. Liked the light in the safe and the closet lights.

 

Library...well there isn't one and although I read on my Kindle I did miss seeing all the books.

 

In summary, nothing is perfect but we enjoyed our cruise and would sail again on the K-dam. I told my DH...she's not your grandpa's Buick. She was like a brand new car with all the new bells and whistles, different but in a good way.

[Roz]

I enjoyed your observations, Sandy. I liked your comparison between your grandpa's Buick and today's cars. Still the same in some ways but lots more add ons as standard equipment. Can't wait to try out the Koningsdam for myself.

 

Roz

[GeriatricNurse]

I've heard that there are water leaks within the ship all over the place with buckets in place! :eek: Can anyone confirm this fact? :confused:

[Sea Belle]

We were on the K for 12 days in Sept/Oct and she is a beautiful ship. Yes, there are changes. Some of these we liked and some not so much, but that didn't stop us from having a wonderful cruise. Take your Kindle etc. for reading, don't expect to dance in the Ocean Lounge before dinner, move the chairs in the Lido with care (heavy!), love your shower & electric plugs in abundance & excellent seating/surround scenery/sound system etc. for shows, & plenty of storage in your room, & the cabana-seating around the lido pool at no sharge, and the NY Deli all day, & the decor & I could go on and on! The crew is special - as always on a HAL ship! We found the food to be good and served graciously in all venues. Book a cruise and enjoy the ship that is a little different OR if you are scheduled already just relax and enjoy! ;)

[Topsham]

Has anyone looked at the reviews of the Carnival Vista? About the same negative percentage as the K. However, when the first Viking ocean ship sailed, those reviews hovered around 65%.

 

 

I was just on board the Carnival Vista last week in Bermuda, just as a visitor for the evening.

 

Completely for anything I have ever seen! Spacious. The décor is quite modern, more like a mall. Beautiful decks and lots of things that I thought, "I had wish this on HAL ships." I would sail in the ship for a seven day cruise. Forget about itinerary, sail in this ship to just stay aboard and enjoy... bars, restaurants, decks, pools etc. The 'Cucina de Capitano' (Captain's Kitchen) is fantastic. Perfect menu and excellent food and wines. The waitress' do a bit of a show... singing some Italian favourites. A fun evening. The Alchemy Martini Bar... WOW! Three bar tenders and going non stop. Some quite good martinis too! I was dining with two friends. They sail with HAL and other cruise lines. We all felt that the ship is not what we expected, but a ship to sail in... just for the experience.

 

Stephen

[jhsocal]

The key word here is "different". The changes have been well documented by our CC members. They will appeal to some, not to others. The major negative for us, potential for overcrowding in public areas. To not like the ship is not tragic, we have all the other HAL ships to enjoy.

[Carnevale]

The key word here is "different". The changes have been well documented by our CC members. They will appeal to some, not to others. The major negative for us, potential for overcrowding in public areas. To not like the ship is not tragic, we have all the other HAL ships to enjoy.

 

jhsocal, the sense of crowding on K'dam is not surprising when you look at the numbers. I dug the following up online so my sources may not all be 100% reliable but I found this interesting as it fits with our sense that we didn't have as much space on K'dam as we are used to having on other ships. Here are the results I found when I calculated the ratio of ship tonnage and passenger capacity on a variety of ships from HAL and elsewhere (this notes the cruise line, name of the ship, passenger capacity, tonnage and ratio in order):

 

Cunard QM2 3,090 pax Tons= 151,400 Ratio= 49.00

HAL Maasdam 1,258 pax Tons= 55,575 Ratio= 44.18

HAL Westerdam 1,916 pax Tons= 82,348 Ratio= 42.98

Celebrity Solstice 2,850 pax Tons=122,000 Ratio= 42.80

HAL Noordam 1,924 pax Tons=82,318 Ratio= 42.78

HAL Volendam 1,432 pax Tons=61,214 Ratio= 42.74

Princess Island 2,214 pax Tons= 92,000 Ratio= 41.55

HAL Koningsdam 2,650 pax Tons= 99,500 Ratio= 37.54

 

How we each experience space is a very personal thing and I realize some people like the vibe that comes with having more people around them. For us, we are much happier on other HAL ships and while we are glad we tried K'dam we are also glad there are other ships that we can go back to.

 

P.S. Sorry for the formatting here. I created it in columns and when I posted the formatting disappeared and I'm not sure how to clean it up. Hope you can still get a sense of the comparisons.

Edited November 10, 2016 by Carnevale
Formatting