KONINGSDAM - The Cruise Against Which All Future Cruises Will Be Judged

[foodsvcmgr]

Just off Koningsdam 10 Day Southern Caribbean yesterday.

Having previously sailed this ship two years ago, the range of improvements since then are striking. First and foremost it is very apparent to someone such as myself working in the hotel F&B industry that there has been a huge customer focused service initiative and training. First night in traditional late seating the waiter says "please let me know if there is anything special or different you would like and I will try to get it for you", wine stewardess says "we are here to make your Holland America experience special", asst. maître d' stops by daily, WOW the service attitude has just gone to a new level.

 

A quick overview of my other experiences:

Embarkation - Despite being "suggested" to arrive mid-afternoon, we arrived at 11:15, whisked our way through and were enjoying lunch in the MDR at 12:10. Cabins were ready upon boarding.

 

Food - Noticeable improvement since our last HAL cruise. Interesting to see the generic MDR dinner menus are now heavily themed to Caribbean dishes, lighter foods. fish, etc. in keeping with the itinerary. Old favorites and Everyday selections offered as well. 

Best Pinnacle experience we have had in a while and excellent dinner in Tamarind. Our food in Canaletto was fine but getting tired of the odd menu format and the buffet location of the venue so will give it a pass next cruise.

Outstanding variety and quality in the Lido for breakfast and lunch. 

Dive In runs rings around the competition, NY Pizza was just ok.

 

Entertainment - Rolling Stone is a home run. I am 60 and the age range onboard is mostly 55-75, so no longer the kid onboard LOL. Great to see the sea of white heads in the Rolling Stone nightly singing, dancing, and having a fabulous time, SRO every show.

Billboard much better than two years ago, Lincoln Center unfortunately no where near as good, obviously depends on the skill and enthusiasm of the individual performers ship to ship, cruise to cruise.

Superb virtuoso pianist in the World Stage one night. And yes, I can confirm the singers and dancers are no more.

 

Ports - My favorite Caribbean itinerary, ABC's to me by far the nicest and cleanest islands, made better by great weather.

focused 

Ship - Immaculate from recent drydock.

 

Staff - Great service in cabin, dining, and bars. I'm sure that Capt. Darin Bowland is responsible for setting the tone onboard, great guy.

 

Other Notes - Received our 100 day bronze medallion this trip, very nice ceremony.

The new app works great and is very helpful looking up daily programs and menus and checking your account.

Only a few books left in the library, mostly focused on the Caribbean region.

10 PM happy hour still held in Crows Nest.

Casual nights very informal, Gala nights a few tuxes, maybe 20, in MDR at least most men wearing a suit or sport coat, many with ties.

You can no longer bring a portable fan , mine was confiscated upon boarding, picked it up on the way out.

Disembarkation very smooth, my group was 8:30-8:45, called at 8:32, in cab within 20 minutes to FLL thanks to electronic passport app.

 

Bought my FCC's - just hoping my next HAL cruise will measure up to this one. Any questions, please ask.

 

 

 

[kazu]

Nice report 🙂

 

great to hear you have seen improvements. 😄 

 

and congrats on your bronze medal.  Always fun to get one 🙂. 

[Cruising-along]

I am so happy to see this.  We also were on the Koningsdam 2 years ago and sadly it was one problem after another on that cruise.  From our cabin stewards to the Pinnacle to the beverage dept.  the whole 2 weeks.  Service was way down overall.

 

We're booked on the K for 26 days this fall, and even though reviews have been good, the fact that you saw a huge improvement over 2 years ago just made my day.  

[colonialinnkeeper]

Leaving later this month on B2B and enjoyed the report.  Makes it feel even closer.  We are doing same itinerary and looking forward to being in Curacao again after being away about 10 years.  Thanks.

[DeeniEncinitas]

Thank you for your great report👍

Best of all congratulations on your 100 day Bronze medallion!

Denise😊

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

 

Congratulations on getting your 100 day medal.

[Crusinsusan2]

Thank you so much for posting. Sailing next week on your same itinerary for the second time and delighted to hear the Konigsdam is as good or even better as we recall. LOVE this itinerary!   

[sevenseasnomad]

We spent Christmas 2018 on K and enjoyed it more than we thought we would, since I like the smaller ships.  Our service was up to HA's standard all the way around, which is why we keep coming back.

 

Congrats on your 100 days.  The ceremony sounds as though it was icing on the perfect cruise for you.  What nice memories.

[AncientWanderer]

Thanks for the wonderful positive review, foodsvcmgr!  I bet it makes many of us look forward to upcoming trips!

[rkacruiser]

2 hours ago, foodsvcmgr said:

Our food in Canaletto was fine but getting tired of the odd menu format and the buffet location of the venue so will give it a pass next cruise.

 

This comment supports my suggestion that Canaletto be moved to the Club Orange area if Club Orange does not work as HAL expects.  Being a part of the Lido Restaurant has never made me feel that Canaletto really was a "specialty restaurant" other than its menu and the Stewards' uniforms.

[fatcat04]

Great review. Glad you had such a great cruise.

Gratz on your bronze medallions!!

[canadianbear]

Congratulations on your medallion!  

 

Our family of 4 were also on this cruise.  I commented to my husband how great the staff were-more so than on our December Eurodam cruise.  We had a great time-only disappointment was no escargot on Gala night-we love it. 

 

It it is also our favourite ports as we love to snorkel.  It was nice the Captain arranged to stay in Aruba longer because of the parade. 

 

We dined in the Tamarind and Pinnacle and both were great.  Lido & MDR no issues at all.  Crew seem very content. I was on the ship last month as well when it was Captain Timmers and all was excellent then.  

[fatcat04]

4 hours ago, foodsvcmgr said:

 

Entertainment - Rolling Stone is a home run. I am 60 and the age range onboard is mostly 55-75, so no longer the kid onboard LOL. Great to see the sea of white heads in the Rolling Stone nightly singing, dancing, and having a fabulous time, SRO every show.

Have to admit, this is a big draw for us. We are mid 40's and HUGE 60's/70's music fans. We LOVED BB Kings on Nieuw Amsterdam but the All Stars they had were just so amazing. I haven't danced that much since high school/college days. I am really looking forwards to trying Rolling Stone Rock Room. 👍

[ski ww]

Thanks for your review, hope to some day cruise on the Koningsdam.

[Crew News]

I think the new Hotel Director, Santosh, arriving for the holiday cruise could have played a big hand in making improvements to the ship's atmosphere.  Santosh has always had a good ear for Cruise Critic member comments.

[Despegue]

A couple of months ago, reviews of Koningsdam had a lot of complaints regarding service, lack of training and a general feeling of the crew not feeling their best...

I am extremely happy to see things have improved, especially as my family and I will be cruising on her coming May.

 

Strange though that the change in service is that much dependant on the HD. The previous HD, and actually also the next HD replacing current HD Santosh is mr. Gulbahar from Turkey. He had an excellent reputation with the crew and passengers at NCL.

i have a feeling that the introduction of Nieuw Statendam caused a lot of newbies to crew Koningsdam, and the resulting issues.

[leavesofapple]

Just returned home from same  cruise. Seventh cruise but first on HAL. Enjoyed it a lot and agree with initial post on most things. 

 

A few additional comments:

Volume in rock venue much to loud at times. Painfull. 

We appreciated the classical music in Lincoln Center Stage. 

I get the impression HAL is trying to be a little different from other lines with the musical theme on the ship. Successfully in my opinion. 

The Post-Modern Jukebox-show was a disaster. Large part part of the audience walked out during the   performance. 

We observed one couple in line for the MDR told they could not be seated until the man had changed from shorts. 

Lots of interesting art all over the ship. We did our own art tour one day, walking down all three starwells. 

 

In all a very pleasant cruise on a well run and beautiful ship. We would happily consider HAL again. 

[VMax1700]

Thanks for the reviews.  We have just pulled out the suitcases to start throwing clothes at them.

2 weeks 1 day 1hour 34 minutes and we will be starting to head towards PE to join K'dam for 24 days .

We have sailed her 3 times before and enjoyed every minute.  Now after your review we are so, so looking forward to it again!

 

 

[rkacruiser]

9 hours ago, leavesofapple said:

I get the impression HAL is trying to be a little different from other lines with the musical theme on the ship. Successfully in my opinion. 

 

Based upon my experience on Nieuw Statendam, I agree with your opinion.

[rkacruiser]

19 hours ago, fatcat04 said:

We are mid 40's and HUGE 60's/70's music fans.

 

The music of the 60's and 70's is the music of this type I enjoy.  However, during my Nieuw Statendam cruises--14 days b2b cruises--the Rolling Stone Rock Room band played only one song that I recognized from that era.  Maybe the playlist depends upon what the band/singer knows? 

[trophy_23]

12 hours ago, leavesofapple said:

Just returned home from same  cruise. Seventh cruise but first on HAL. Enjoyed it a lot and agree with initial post on most things. 

 

A few additional comments:

Volume in rock venue much to loud at times. Painfull. 

We appreciated the classical music in Lincoln Center Stage. 

I get the impression HAL is trying to be a little different from other lines with the musical theme on the ship. Successfully in my opinion. 

The Post-Modern Jukebox-show was a disaster. Large part part of the audience walked out during the   performance. 

We observed one couple in line for the MDR told they could not be seated until the man had changed from shorts. 

Lots of interesting art all over the ship. We did our own art tour one day, walking down all three starwells. 

 

In all a very pleasant cruise on a well run and beautiful ship. We would happily consider HAL again. 

 

I agree with you.  We were on the same cruise and it was great overall.  Ship was in great shape, staff was excellent and the itinerary was amazing! Also agree that  Post Modern Jukebox was brutal!! We were at the early show and I have never seen that many people walk out before.  I kind of wanted to go to the late show just to see how the crowd was, but didn’t.  I saw an add for them in the New HAL magazine so they must be sticking around, that can’t be a good thing.  The rest of the music around the ship was great (BB Kings etc).  

[Sibylle]

On 3/7/2019 at 10:08 PM, foodsvcmgr said:

Just off Koningsdam 10 Day Southern Caribbean yesterday.

Having previously sailed this ship two years ago, the range of improvements since then are striking. First and foremost it is very apparent to someone such as myself working in the hotel F&B industry that there has been a huge customer focused service initiative and training. First night in traditional late seating the waiter says "please let me know if there is anything special or different you would like and I will try to get it for you", wine stewardess says "we are here to make your Holland America experience special", asst. maître d' stops by daily, WOW the service attitude has just gone to a new level.

 

A quick overview of my other experiences:

Embarkation - Despite being "suggested" to arrive mid-afternoon, we arrived at 11:15, whisked our way through and were enjoying lunch in the MDR at 12:10. Cabins were ready upon boarding.

 

Food - Noticeable improvement since our last HAL cruise. Interesting to see the generic MDR dinner menus are now heavily themed to Caribbean dishes, lighter foods. fish, etc. in keeping with the itinerary. Old favorites and Everyday selections offered as well. 

Best Pinnacle experience we have had in a while and excellent dinner in Tamarind. Our food in Canaletto was fine but getting tired of the odd menu format and the buffet location of the venue so will give it a pass next cruise.

Outstanding variety and quality in the Lido for breakfast and lunch. 

Dive In runs rings around the competition, NY Pizza was just ok.

 

Entertainment - Rolling Stone is a home run. I am 60 and the age range onboard is mostly 55-75, so no longer the kid onboard LOL. Great to see the sea of white heads in the Rolling Stone nightly singing, dancing, and having a fabulous time, SRO every show.

Billboard much better than two years ago, Lincoln Center unfortunately no where near as good, obviously depends on the skill and enthusiasm of the individual performers ship to ship, cruise to cruise.

Superb virtuoso pianist in the World Stage one night. And yes, I can confirm the singers and dancers are no more.

 

Ports - My favorite Caribbean itinerary, ABC's to me by far the nicest and cleanest islands, made better by great weather.

focused 

Ship - Immaculate from recent drydock.

 

Staff - Great service in cabin, dining, and bars. I'm sure that Capt. Darin Bowland is responsible for setting the tone onboard, great guy.

 

Other Notes - Received our 100 day bronze medallion this trip, very nice ceremony.

The new app works great and is very helpful looking up daily programs and menus and checking your account.

Only a few books left in the library, mostly focused on the Caribbean region.

10 PM happy hour still held in Crows Nest.

Casual nights very informal, Gala nights a few tuxes, maybe 20, in MDR at least most men wearing a suit or sport coat, many with ties.

You can no longer bring a portable fan , mine was confiscated upon boarding, picked it up on the way out.

Disembarkation very smooth, my group was 8:30-8:45, called at 8:32, in cab within 20 minutes to FLL thanks to electronic passport app.

 

Bought my FCC's - just hoping my next HAL cruise will measure up to this one. Any questions, please ask.

 

Hello from Portugal....we already thought it was rather nice on Königsdamm...bit it's nice to hear good news....I wonder what the vegetarian menus will be like....the last 2 years they were the same....and with my allergies I had scary moments when they served me seafood Which is a strong allergen for me and was comunicated....also nuts....but most waiters did not know what they served... hope this will not happen again....the headwaiter was very sorry and upset in view of the consequence... anaphylaxis.... nothing to be desired...wonder if the communication can be somehow improved...in two weeks we find out...27.3.  10 days....looking forward to it...greetings... Sibylle.

 

 

[foodsvcmgr]

Sibylle - the first thing we were asked by the waiter in the MDR on the first night was “do you have any food allergies or special dietary restrictions” and this question was repeated in each of the three specialty restaurants we visited.

So they appear to be making a communication effort in this regard.

Hope you have a good experience with this and a great cruise.

[Sibylle]

Thanks for your reply...we had told that too... every night... I received a list of vegetarian options and I could choose for the next evening...and I wrote evertime my allergies...and still they gave me fishy food...

I left comments about it on the survey after the cruise but never heard of anyone from HAL..

[boards]

On ‎3‎/‎7‎/‎2019 at 5:08 PM, foodsvcmgr said:

Just off Koningsdam 10 Day Southern Caribbean yesterday.

Having previously sailed this ship two years ago, the range of improvements since then are striking. First and foremost it is very apparent to someone such as myself working in the hotel F&B industry that there has been a huge customer focused service initiative and training. First night in traditional late seating the waiter says "please let me know if there is anything special or different you would like and I will try to get it for you", wine stewardess says "we are here to make your Holland America experience special", asst. maître d' stops by daily, WOW the service attitude has just gone to a new level.

 

A quick overview of my other experiences:

Embarkation - Despite being "suggested" to arrive mid-afternoon, we arrived at 11:15, whisked our way through and were enjoying lunch in the MDR at 12:10. Cabins were ready upon boarding.

 

Food - Noticeable improvement since our last HAL cruise. Interesting to see the generic MDR dinner menus are now heavily themed to Caribbean dishes, lighter foods. fish, etc. in keeping with the itinerary. Old favorites and Everyday selections offered as well. 

Best Pinnacle experience we have had in a while and excellent dinner in Tamarind. Our food in Canaletto was fine but getting tired of the odd menu format and the buffet location of the venue so will give it a pass next cruise.

Outstanding variety and quality in the Lido for breakfast and lunch. 

Dive In runs rings around the competition, NY Pizza was just ok.

 

Entertainment - Rolling Stone is a home run. I am 60 and the age range onboard is mostly 55-75, so no longer the kid onboard LOL. Great to see the sea of white heads in the Rolling Stone nightly singing, dancing, and having a fabulous time, SRO every show.

Billboard much better than two years ago, Lincoln Center unfortunately no where near as good, obviously depends on the skill and enthusiasm of the individual performers ship to ship, cruise to cruise.

Superb virtuoso pianist in the World Stage one night. And yes, I can confirm the singers and dancers are no more.

 

Ports - My favorite Caribbean itinerary, ABC's to me by far the nicest and cleanest islands, made better by great weather.

focused 

Ship - Immaculate from recent drydock.

 

Staff - Great service in cabin, dining, and bars. I'm sure that Capt. Darin Bowland is responsible for setting the tone onboard, great guy.

 

Other Notes - Received our 100 day bronze medallion this trip, very nice ceremony.

The new app works great and is very helpful looking up daily programs and menus and checking your account.

Only a few books left in the library, mostly focused on the Caribbean region.

10 PM happy hour still held in Crows Nest.

Casual nights very informal, Gala nights a few tuxes, maybe 20, in MDR at least most men wearing a suit or sport coat, many with ties.

You can no longer bring a portable fan , mine was confiscated upon boarding, picked it up on the way out.

Disembarkation very smooth, my group was 8:30-8:45, called at 8:32, in cab within 20 minutes to FLL thanks to electronic passport app.

 

Bought my FCC's - just hoping my next HAL cruise will measure up to this one. Any questions, please ask.

 

 

 

We totally agree with your review.  We were on the Koningsdam for a TA cruise last Oct. and enjoyed the cruise very much.  The Rolling Stones and a change to the performances in the BB King and the Lincoln centre were announced.  We also bought a Future cruise for this fall, but on the Noordam.  Thank you