Just Off Konigsdam!

[iflyrc5]

OP-we are booked for 21 day Caribbean cruise on the "K" later this year and

appreciate your report.

 

Where did you snorkel in Bonaire? I've been to Aruba & Curaçao but not Bonaire-did you do an excursion or on your own? My hubby & I love to snorkel so hope to do lots.

 

 

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Do a search for "Woodwind in Bonaire". They do a great snorkel tour to Klien Bonaire

[crewsgirl]

Looking at the deck plans it appears the cabins on 10 aren't directly above the Lido area. It is a hike to the MDR from there. We were mid-ship in 6142. Very quick to get to most locations from there.

 

Yes, midship sounds great! I will take another look, although I probably need to hike to MDR (and back!) to work off all those cruise calories! :'):')

[Lady Arwen]

My DH and I spent two weeks on Koningsdam in May cruising the Med and ending in Amsterdam. Loved it! Koningsdam has now become our all time favourite ship on any line. I've read some less than favourable reviews, but Kdam is a perfect fit for us. Looking forward to our next Koningsdam cruise in 2018!

[RMLincoln]

OP-we are booked for 21 day Caribbean cruise on the "K" later this year and

appreciate your report.

 

Where did you snorkel in Bonaire? I've been to Aruba & Curaçao but not Bonaire-did you do an excursion or on your own? My hubby & I love to snorkel so hope to do lots.

 

 

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Kline Bonaire is the place to snorkle. Many ways to do this, including on your own. There is a ferry/water taxi to the little island, private tours and ship tours. There is some current there, or has been when I've snorkeled there but the fish are very good, water clarity is perfect because there are no rivers that bring sediment to the shore waters, and the coral was still good when I was there a few years ago. Be aware that there is no shade on the island. Kline Bonaire is right next to the ship dock, so very close and easy. Enjoy, m--

[Big_G_111]

Re: The Spa cabins on Deck 10:

 

Far forward would probably be better. I would advise avoiding those cabins aft of the main forward staircase. (VQ 10033/10034 or higher)

 

In particular, there are a few specific cabins there you would definitely want to avoid - VQ10051/52/54/55. Those are the ones directly adjacent to the Lido Pool area. Continual traffic and slamming doors. Even worse, on the port side, there is an automatic door-opening mechanism that is LOUD. I have no idea how the people in VQ10054 got any rest at all.

 

As for the forward location - that worked well for us. You can easily access the stage, the Crow's Nest, the Spa, the Lido Pool, etc. from that stairwell. Yes, getting to the MDR was a hike. We saved some hassle by first walking to the back using the empty hallway of our own (all-cabin) deck, THEN going up/down to the needed floor. That way, we were never fighting crowds.

Edited September 1, 2017 by Big_G_111

[Dismomx5]

Do a search for "Woodwind in Bonaire". They do a great snorkel tour to Klien Bonaire

We used Dee and Woodwind in Bonaire last November. She was fabulous with my husband, whose only previous snorkelling experience had been less than stellar. Definitely recommend!

[Tennessee Titan]

Our first and last cruise on K'dam. Ship is too large for us. Loved the theater and Lincoln Center. However, LC should have a more dedicated space, not just along the passageway, poor design. Missed having a movie theater and the movies shown on deck were mostly unknown to us. Didn't like the fact that there is no room for deck chairs on the "promonnade" deck and no library to browse. Don't know what to do when the smaller ships are gone.

 

Lincoln Center is being relocated to provide a more "protected" location. Should be a great improvement. Look at the Nieuw Statendam deck 2 floor plan for the new layout.

[crewsgirl]

Re: The Spa cabins on Deck 10:

 

Far forward would probably be better. I would advise avoiding those cabins aft of the main forward staircase. (VQ 10033/10034 or higher)

 

In particular, there are a few specific cabins there you would definitely want to avoid - VQ10051/52/54/55. Those are the ones directly adjacent to the Lido Pool area. Continual traffic and slamming doors. Even worse, on the port side, there is an automatic door-opening mechanism that is LOUD. I have no idea how the people in VQ10054 got any rest at all.

 

As for the forward location - that worked well for us. You can easily access the stage, the Crow's Nest, the Spa, the Lido Pool, etc. from that stairwell. Yes, getting to the MDR was a hike. We saved some hassle by first walking to the back using the empty hallway of our own (all-cabin) deck, THEN going up/down to the needed floor. That way, we were never fighting crowds.

 

Thanks so much for the info! I can see your point and I am currently looking more midship and lower. I understand that the balcony space on the VQ cabins is quite limited as well. Thanks again, it is helpful to get good info!

[crewsgirl]

We just spent 7 days on the Koningsdam (8/20/17 - 8/27/17), cruising to Norway RT from Amsterdam. Rather than starting a new thread, I'll just hijack this one to post my thoughts.

 

For the most part, I'm aligned with the OP. Excellent food in all the venues, great service. Absolutely agree about "the best showers on the seas". Had one of the Deck 4 mega-balconies - very nice bonus relative to other decks, IMO. Grand Dutch Cafe was great - and on my cruise, became the hangout for actual Dutch people, which speaks well for the food's authenticity.

 

As for negatives: Entertainment/activities seemed limited, compared to previous cruises on other, more mass-market lines. World Stage layout is a bit wacky - I went to a Q&A with two of the headliners, and they had little good to say about the configuration from the performers' viewpoint.

 

Most critically, HAL will need to re-jigger the Lincoln Center Stage. It just doesn't work as-is. You have a main walkway that has to be closed off with doors and "Quiet, Please" signs. You have the Billboard dueling piano lounge across the walkway, whose customers have to either shut up or clear out during a Lincoln Center performance. Finally, you have the open spiral staircase up to the casino. Heck, at one point, while shooting craps, the guy next to me got chewed out by a concert-going passenger for being "too loud". Too loud - in a casino! That was a new one for me.

 

Overall, it was a delight to take a vacation on such a nice, new, well-appointed ship.

 

So, can you tell us which cabin on deck 4 you would recommend? You got my attention at "mega-balconies", haha, I am thinking maybe 4154?

[Big_G_111]

From the layout, it looks as if they just flipped the locations of BB King and Lincoln Center.

 

That's an improvement in terms of not having to worry about casino noise or general bar noise. However, that area is still open to the deck above and the walkway alongside.

 

Also, I'm a bit wary of space utilization. On my cruise, BB King was packed whenever the band was playing. The Lincoln Center space is nowhere near as large and doesn't have a dance floor. Unless they are planning to just supersize the new BB King area by also taking over the Billboard space, it doesn't make sense.

[Big_G_111]

So, can you tell us which cabin on deck 4 you would recommend? You got my attention at "mega-balconies", haha, I am thinking maybe 4154?

 

No, not that big! :D

 

Any of the VB or VF balconies have a nice, large extension open to the sky above, on top of a covered area equal to those of the higher decks.

[Reagan0712]

So, can you tell us which cabin on deck 4 you would recommend? You got my attention at "mega-balconies", haha, I am thinking maybe 4154?

 

Cabin 4154 is more toward the back of the ship. And toward mid-ship you may be dealing with a view of the lifeboats on the fourth deck. The attached picture was taken from our balcony on the 6th deck.

[canadianbear]

Thank you to those that answered my snorkel question about Bonaire.....I booked us with Woodwind! Read up and they have lots of great reviews so thank you for your tips.

[sahara1]

Thank you to those that answered my snorkel question about Bonaire.....I booked us with Woodwind! Read up and they have lots of great reviews so thank you for your tips.

We have been on Woodwind many times.Dee is great. We always feel safe.

 

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[erewhon]

Thank you for the review and photos.

[murphy4]

Do a search for "Woodwind in Bonaire". They do a great snorkel tour to Klien Bonaire

 

 

We used Compass in Bonaire and were very pleased