Whats the story about negative Koningsdam Reviews?

[Hlitner]

On my previous Princess cruises, the most recent one in December 2015, they served real lobster tails along with "turf." You could have as many as you wanted without any extra charge.

 

Just got off the Regal Princess (on Sunday) where we had the usual surf/turf with filet and lobster tails (I would never refer to warm water lobster tails as real lobster). And it will be the same on our upcoming Celebrity cruise. Not sure where some HAL fans get their ideas about the competition, but most are simply incorrect. We say this as HAL fans (our next cruise will put us in the 5 Star Mariner category)...but who also enjoy many other lines. I would add that one thing we really like about Princess is that the Lido is open all day (breakfast from 6am until 11:30), lunch most of the afternoon, etc. And the Princess International Cafe is open 24 hours a day with great coffee and a food selection that changes with the time of the day (i.e. fresh donuts pastry in the morn, sandwiches in the afternoon, etc). On Princess you can eat when you please as opposed to HAL when you must eat or snack on HAL's truncated schedule. If one oversleeps on HAL and wakes up around 10:30...try to get a full breakfast :(.

 

Hank

Edited November 11, 2016 by Hlitner

[lahlah57]

Was thinking about what demographic HAL is trying to attract on Koningsdam.

Maybe not the 60 and upward group.....large ship and requires mobility to get just about everywhere.

 

Families......hmmmm.....no childrens swim areas.....ice skating....rock walls.....or water slides.

 

Okay so what I could narrow it down to is......empty nesters....40 to 50 year olds and very mobile 60 and 70 year olds who do not mind moderate crowds at various times.

[sunshine100]

Actually this information came from the staff captain on Koningsdam. If you do some research on this, there are new regulations for ship builds after Concordia's disaster and safety. It is to facilitate lifeboat embarkation. It comes from SOLAS regulations. It is rather complicated but it has to do with the maximum time an evacuation has to take place and how many vertical fire zones on a ship,etc...very complicated things. On Koningsdam you can walk completely around on the promenade deck, but in some areas it is a little tight when encountering others. These changes had nothing to do with Holland America!!!!

 

 

Just a couple of comments--the design of the promenade deck will be forever changed on ALL ships built after 2015 due to the Costa Concordia findings. It has to do with the way the lifeboats are on that deck--it has nothing to do with HA. QUOTE]

 

 

Sorry this is not correct. The design is done the way MOST new ships are designing. This was a choice by the owners, nothing to do with rules after 2015.

 

Saga Cruises have one newbuild in the works and a looks like a second ship to follow. There is a full wraparound promenade deck and the boats are slung under davits and the deck below is completely open.

 

The boats are high, yes. The boats 'seem' to block the views from the cabins behind the boats. In fact there are no cabins there at all. That whole area from side to side is the LIBRARY. Probably the largest at sea. 57,000 gt (roughly same size as VEENDAM) only 999 passengers. 70 Single cabins. One sitting dining.

[SeaBands]

said it was the best HAL cruise she ever had. Staff was wonderful and at the pool the waiter came every day to check that she wanted her tonic water after ordering the first day.

The comment about the worm reminds me of an old joke. WHAT IS WORSE THAN FINDING A WORM IN YOUR APPLE? HALF A WORM.

Edited November 11, 2016 by SeaBands

[Daisyloo]

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:

 

Absolutely not true. We just got off the maiden TA on Koningsdam and I saw I leak with a bucket under it. The ship is beautiful and in great shape.

[CruisingGinger]

I have read negative reviews on ships I have absolutely loved. I will board Koningsdam on December 4th for the first time, so I will come back to this past after, but I would not be concerned.

 

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[Karennella]

Everyone has different tastes. We travelled with two couples, very close friends with whom we often spend our holidays.

First couple loved it, will always cruise with HA and are off on another cruise early next year.

Second couple enjoyed it, have done one HA cruise before but did enjoy their Cunard cruise more.

We enjoyed various aspects of the cruise but found it too crowded and decided we will only do big ship cruises when it is the most appropriate way to see a region. Also decided we will try another brand just because we want to.

Only way to know if you will like it is to try it.

[Topsham]

Actually this information came from the staff captain on Koningsdam. If you do some research on this, there are new regulations for ship builds after Concordia's disaster and safety. It is to facilitate lifeboat embarkation. It comes from SOLAS regulations. It is rather complicated but it has to do with the maximum time an evacuation has to take place and how many vertical fire zones on a ship,etc...very complicated things.

 

 

 

 

Yes, I am quite aware of all of this. What I am tell you is that there is no SOLAS rule says the boats have to be sitting on the deck as with KODM. The boats can be situated ABOVE the deck with a 'normal' promenade deck below... as in the new ships for Saga. They have the same rules as any other ships. A far as embarkation... yes, boats are swung out and the boats are lowered to the deck edge. Same with the boats on the old Vista class, it takes no more or less time than the boats on the KODM. The new designers want a whole row of cabins with balconies with a view rather than a promenade as old Vista ship. That is economics.

[Jade13]

"QUOTE=sunshine100;51528906]Actually this information came from the staff captain on Koningsdam. If you do some research on this, there are new regulations for ship builds after Concordia's disaster and safety. It is to facilitate lifeboat embarkation. It comes from SOLAS regulations. It is rather complicated but it has to do with the maximum time an evacuation has to take place and how many vertical fire zones on a ship,etc...very complicated things. On Koningsdam you can walk completely around on the promenade deck, but in some areas it is a little tight when encountering others. These changes had nothing to do with Holland America!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

"

 

 

Thank you for pointing this out. Makes perfect sense. The promenade deck is now the walking deck and deck 11 has the jogging track. It worked out great for us and we used both spaces.

 

 

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Edited November 12, 2016 by Jade13

[Jade13]

"(QUOTE=lahlah57;51528424]Loved Kdams transatlantic cruise.

 

If you are bored on her.......it's your own dam fault:rolleyes:)"

 

 

 

 

Too funny. I wasn't one of the bored people. I enjoyed the lectures. I did meet lots of folks who were complaining. One says she went to the cruise director and complained because she was "bored to tears". There really wasn't a lot to do for those who were not interested in the lectures or sitting in the sun around the pool. One thing my dh said was that he missed the dedicated theatre where they could show movies all day. This of course was a transatlantic with 9 sea days. I liked the movie screen set up at the lido pool but with main dining at 8:15pm the only movies I could go to were at 10:00pm. They had an excellent BBC presentation with live music one night at the world stage and it was a highlight as far as the entertainment.

 

 

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Edited November 12, 2016 by Jade13

[Ken the cruiser]

Personally speaking, I believe the cruise director and his or her staff plays a big role in the overall "enjoyment" factor of any cruise. Afterall, they are responsible for planning most of the events (or lack there of) while you're on the cruise aren't they?

 

Just for curiosity I wonder how many different cruise directors the K'dam went through their first year? We had Shawn on our 14 day mid July Norwegian cruise. If you sailed on the K'dam this year, do you remember your cruise director's first name?

[Stuteley]

We were on 30 September cruise - lovely ship. However, we had verandah cabin on deck 4 (4199) with an interconnecting door - which simply did not keep the noise from next door. We were woken on the first day by the excited chatting (shouting) of the English woman next door on the phone. As fellow Brits we could totally follow her conversation, never experienced this on any other ship. This continued the whole cruise - not her fault, she too was on holiday and should not have to whisper ! The front office were very pleasant but led us to believe they would solve this - but eventually agreed that they could do nothing, except offer us another cabin (also with an interconnecting door as those guests had been moved !). So - check the deck plans and try to ensure you don't have this problem, unless of course you are a family group of similar.

[Tennessee Titan]

On any cruise with a couple of thousand passengers, there are about 300 who complain about something, and about 100 who complain about everything. To the 100, why do you bother (spend all that money)??

We enjoyed forty days on the K immensely. Minor nits, but nothing to write home about.....

[Hlitner]

We recently posted a new thread about the latest US News and World Report rankings. Among the HAL ships the Koningsdam rated near the bottom of the heap. The negatives just keep on coming and what is troubling is that the K'Dam is the model ship for the future of HAL.

 

Hank

[Tennessee Titan]

We recently posted a new thread about the latest US News and World Report rankings. Among the HAL ships the Koningsdam rated near the bottom of the heap. The negatives just keep on coming and what is troubling is that the K'Dam is the model ship for the future of HAL.

 

Hank

Unfortunately, people post negatives much more frequently than positives. They are free to go elsewhere; more for the rest of us!

 

I am sure Holland will have no trouble filling the ship, and the Nieuw Statendam to follow!

Edited November 19, 2016 by Tennessee Titan

[cporses]

If they are below par, send them to Australia. We will sail on anything. [emoji39]

Cruising up by as much as 30% per year.

 

 

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[Gail & Marty sailing away]

I am sure she is a fine ship.

 

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[sahara1]

Unfortunately, people post negatives much more frequently than positives. They are free to go elsewhere; more for the rest of us!

 

I am sure Holland will have no trouble filling the ship, and the Nieuw Statendam to follow!

 

This is very true however if HAL has made mistakes and no one says then they can't correct them. No ship is perfect but if we don't let them know then they can't change. I have always found the line has always listened and that is why I only cruise HAL>

[Sea Belle]

We were on 30 September cruise - lovely ship. However, we had verandah cabin on deck 4 (4199) with an interconnecting door - which simply did not keep the noise from next door. We were woken on the first day by the excited chatting (shouting) of the English woman next door on the phone. As fellow Brits we could totally follow her conversation, never experienced this on any other ship. This continued the whole cruise - not her fault, she too was on holiday and should not have to whisper ! The front office were very pleasant but led us to believe they would solve this - but eventually agreed that they could do nothing, except offer us another cabin (also with an interconnecting door as those guests had been moved !). So - check the deck plans and try to ensure you don't have this problem, unless of course you are a family group of similar.

 

We were on the same cruise in a connecting cabin, deck 7, and never heard a sound except when we were on our verandah. Perhaps it is the difference in decks? The trip was fun. Our only complaint was the lack of musical entertainment, dance music, available for the cocktail hour prior to late dinner in MDR. :)

[Stuteley]

We both love HAL which is why we were so disappointed at the soundproofing issue. My post was not to moan, but to help people when they were choosing cabins. I would certainly have chosen one without the interconnecting door had I known. The manager of the front desk admitted they did know there was a problem with this but were at a loss on how to resolve it.

 

 

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[RoyalVisit]

We recently posted a new thread about the latest US News and World Report rankings. Among the HAL ships the Koningsdam rated near the bottom of the heap. The negatives just keep on coming and what is troubling is that the K'Dam is the model ship for the future of HAL.

 

Hank

 

The "negatives" are just opinions. Many seem to forget that the Koningsdam is not a traditional HAL ship and was designed to appeal to a wider audience. For example, we are both around 40 yrs old and wouldn't likely have considered HAL but the new ship appealed to us. I'm looking forward to the variety of music onboard. I also cruised on the Maasdam years ago and had a good experience with my parents.

[RoyalVisit]

On any cruise with a couple of thousand passengers, there are about 300 who complain about something, and about 100 who complain about everything. To the 100, why do you bother (spend all that money)??

We enjoyed forty days on the K immensely. Minor nits, but nothing to write home about.....

 

Absolutely agree! Everyone is entitled to their opinion but if traditional HAL cruisers don't like the new ship then cruise on the other ships in the HAL fleet. We've been on small and large ships with RCL and yes the experience is different so cruisers should keep the minds open to new experiences.

[fusion927]

Yes, the ship is different. Yes, the ship has a few minor issues (I'd love to go out on my 8th floor balcony and not hear music from above 24 hours a day!). And yes, it might not appeal to the traditional HAL audience.

 

But my wife and I (late 50's, 8th HAL cruise) love it. So much so, that we are not sure we ever want to sail on anything else again. From the music venues, to the incredible (unbelievable?) world stage, to the new food options, the ship just works for us.

 

Mark

Edited November 19, 2016 by fusion927

[iancal]

I would be interesting to divide the Kdam reviews between those who are HAL regulars and those who are not.

 

I suspect some HAL regulars may give this ship a less than glowing review. Especially the ones who are stuck in the groove so to speak and expect HAL to remain as it was notwithstanding the economic realities of the industry.

[Stuteley]

You may not have meant to, but your second paragraph is bordering on ageism. Yours is one of several posts suggesting that people who have different views from you are change-resistant dinosaurs who should keep off the Kdam. We are 3 star mariners so probably come into your category but we loved the Kdam, especially the Dutch Cafe and the music venues. We are totally open to new concepts - but do expect the same standards of soundproofing as on the older HAL ships. We have not listened to a neighbour on one side through the interconnecting door in any other ship - HAL, Cunard, Celebrity whatever. HAL accepted this is a problem that they need to solve - so hopefully their new ship will be perfect. We would certainly sail on the Kdam again (if the itinerary suits us, of course) but ensure there is no interconnecting door.

 

 

 

 

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