HAL Koningsdam 10/10/2021 Coastal California Trip Report LIVE(ish)

[nimi17]

On 10/11/2021 at 9:47 PM, kj329 said:

Loving this thread as we are doing this exact cruise November 7-14. I have a couple questions. How crowded does the ship seem? are they at 50% capacity? more? less?

 

We haven't cruised Holland before, are the specialty restaurants tough to book? or with lowered capacity is everything half empty? We would like to eat at some of the specialty restaurants, but would like to see what is offered in the MDR before we book. This means booking the day of if possible. Is this possible? On a related note, does the MDR menu change daily? or is it the same? Thank you!

My steward, Bagus, informed us that it’s only at 40% capacity. 
 

One gripe that we’ve heard from fellow passengers is that although the ship doesn’t feel full, the waits for practically everything has been about 2 to 3 times longer than usual.

 

The Grand Dutch Cafe, guest services, room service all took at least anywhere from 20 minutes to over an hour so far.

 

There has been a lot of miscommunication regarding room service orders, in the MDR, as well as in the casino.
 

I’ve posted a few MDR menus and more will be coming shortly. There is a new menu each day. You are able to book tables there the day of onboard by calling.

[nimi17]

MDR Day 2

[nimi17]

MDR Day 3 (lunch and 1st gala night)

[nimi17]

🧹Please pardon the dust—I’m doing photo dumps while my data plan is working relatively smoothly. More details regarding our experiences will be coming throughout the day. Cheers!🥂

[dmcfad2]

4 minutes ago, nimi17 said:

My steward, Bagus, informed us that it’s only at 40% capacity. 
 

One gripe that we’ve heard from fellow passengers is that although the ship doesn’t feel full, the waits for practically everything has been about 2 to 3 times longer than usual.

 

The Grand Dutch Cafe, guest services, room service all took at least anywhere from 20 minutes to over an hour so far.

 

There has been a lot of miscommunication regarding room service orders, in the MDR, as well as in the casino.
 

I’ve posted a few MDR menus and more will be coming shortly. There is a new menu each day. You are able to book tables there the day of onboard by calling.

I don’t want to sabotage this blog, but just wanted to comment briefly. I am also on this sailing. This is my experience. Nothing feels crowded. I haven’t had to wait anywhere for anything. Plenty of seats in the showrooms. The shows have been first class. Very talented dancers and singers. (BB King has an amazing female singer). Plenty of pool loungers. I was a little disappointed that the lido pool and hot tubs were closed because of high seas. It didn’t feel that rough to me. But, safety first. The food in the lido at lunchtime has been fantastic. We get room service every morning and it has always been within 5 minutes of the time I requested. All of the staff are so friendly. Our room stewards are wonderful. The bartenders are great! Because this is the first sailing and because of the comments about waiting for dinner in the MDR that I have read about here and heard onboard from fellow passengers, we have chosen to eat in the specialty restaurants every night. Twice in Tamarind and once in Caneleto. We have special requests and they have accommodated us perfectly. We haven’t had to wait for our food at all. Everything is nicely presented and hot. I don’t have one complaint. This morning we are in San Francisco for our overnight stay. 

[canadianbear]

Really enjoying this thread.  Appreciate all the comments and photos.    With so many people doing live threads it sure has helped my boredom and provides me with a sense I’m on the cruises too.  Hubby & I don’t go out much so thank you for doing this.  

[nimi17]

23 hours ago, leerathje said:

 

You have one of the extended verandahs at the aft on Deck 4!  We travelled as a family with 3 cabins side by side on the Koningsdam and had the extended balconies....loved them!

 

L.

 

That must’ve been quite a trip with your whole group booking 3 side by side cabins! We’re having so much fun in our one cabin. Can’t imagine what that must’ve been like for you with all that balcony space! 🤩🤩🤩

[nimi17]

On 10/11/2021 at 11:57 PM, prisage said:

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences.  All of the unknowns have been stressful.  So looking forward to our 11/7 cruise.

 

You’re very welcome!

 

From my experience so far, the most important thing is to schedule a rapid test as soon as possible and to come with a lot of patience! 
 

I booked mine through CVS at the 13-day mark. The rapid test appointments filled up very quickly in the San Diego area and none were to be found a few days prior to the cruise within a 15-mile radius.

Cruise ports are subject to change at a moment’s notice in the current environment. We loved that we are getting an extra day in SF but would definitely have loved to visit Santa Barbara as well.

 

Either way, we’re just happy to be cruising again as we haven’t been on a ship since 01/2019!

[nimi17]

On 10/12/2021 at 7:27 AM, SLC1954 said:

Please keep in mind that this is the first sailing in 1 1/2 years, the staff have not had passengers on board and they are trying to find the rhythm of working together.  I was on the first sailing in Alaska on the Nieuw Amsterdam and had the same hiccups. With each day they got better. It’s kinda like your first day at a new job. 

i will be on the K’dam on the October 31st sailing, so it will be interesting to see how they come together in the next few weeks.  
Enjoy the cruise, I know I sure did!

Oh, yes. My intent of these posts is not to complain but to paint a picture of our experiences, whether they be positive or negative.

 

All of our encounters with the crew have been nothing but positive. Everyone has been most gracious and eager to make our experience onboard as enjoyable as possible.

 

We couldn’t ask for a better crew 🥰🛳⚓️

Edited October 13, 2021 by nimi17

[nimi17]

On 10/11/2021 at 8:04 AM, Marion B said:

   Like StLouisCruisers, I'm also hoping for better times food wise.  Hope all other aspects of your cruise are up to par.

Thank you, Marion 🙏 I’ve been blown away by food at the Lido buffet and absolutely loved the coffee and snacks from the Grand Dutch Cafe. The quality from both were superb and those pastries! 🍰🍪🧁🥧🍨🍮 🤤🤤🤤

[nimi17]

Nami Sushi

Although the salmon sashimi wasn’t the freshest everything else we had there was very tasty. The lobster tempura roll 🍣 and hamachi usuzukuri (not pictured) are not to be missed! 

 

[Cruise Suzy]

1 hour ago, nimi17 said:

I’ve posted a few MDR menus and more will be coming shortly. There is a new menu each day. You are able to book tables there the day of onboard by calling.

 

For those with Anytime Dining,  MDR reservations can be made as soon as the Specialty Dining reservations are available online. I assume those using Navigator can do the same.

 

Because we booked with promos that included 2 Specialty Restaurants and our TA gave us 2 more, we selected Anytime Dining. I reserved the Specialty Restaurant and MDR times on 8/18 for our 10/20/2021 cruise and on 10/8 for our 2/20/2022 cruise.

[bcummin]

Thank you for the exquisite photos.

We are so glad that you are enjoying your "Welcome to Holland America Line" cruise, in spite of surprises.  I am thinking that maybe in-person requests get more accurate results than digital requests???  

The Bread Pudding at lunch in the Lido is special.  My other favorites are The Raisin Bun, Museli, and an Egg Benedict at breakfast.  I love the Asian station at lunch time.

We used to get a whole little birthday cake, along with the waiters gathering to sing Happy Birthday.  Covid seems to have changed that.  Years ago one tablemate had requested a Rum Cake.  It came floating in rum and was especially enjoyed by all.  Our last Anniversary cake came labeled "Happy Birthday."  We said thank you and enjoyed it all the more.

One of your shipmates is like a HAL celebrity.  Jeff, alias Tanman, has a private blog where he posts great photographs.  You might spot him out nurturing his suntan. 

Happy Birthday to your Dear Husband.

Barbara   

Edited October 13, 2021 by bcummin

[nimi17]

18 hours ago, zgscl said:

This was my experience also from the Nieuw Amsterdam. I am sure they will get the kinks worked out over the next couple weeks 

I loved following along with you and your mother on your Alaskan trip not too long ago 🤩 You were a major inspiration for this undertaking and while I haven’t managed to keep up with you (there were so many great photos from your trip!), I am certainly enjoying myself attempting to 😅

Edited October 13, 2021 by nimi17

[Florida_gal_50]

3 hours ago, nimi17 said:

It was smooth sailing for us but the captain said over the speaker that we had to sail to grab passengers from the last two tenders due to the rough waters later that afternoon? (That was my understanding but please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong) 
 

They had to close the pool later that day and all the next. 

Thank you.  I was afraid of that.  I've had some bad tendering experiences so I think I'll likely stay on the ship.

[treesah]

Nimi, enjoying your photos and narrative.  Very generous of you to share your adventures.  We'll be following you on the K-dam on 10/31.  A belated happy birthday to you and your honey.  

[Florida_gal_50]

2 hours ago, nimi17 said:

My steward, Bagus, informed us that it’s only at 40% capacity. 
 

One gripe that we’ve heard from fellow passengers is that although the ship doesn’t feel full, the waits for practically everything has been about 2 to 3 times longer than usual.

 

The Grand Dutch Cafe, guest services, room service all took at least anywhere from 20 minutes to over an hour so far.

 

There has been a lot of miscommunication regarding room service orders, in the MDR, as well as in the casino.
 

I’ve posted a few MDR menus and more will be coming shortly. There is a new menu each day. You are able to book tables there the day of onboard by calling.

That sucks about the Grand dutch and the guest services.  That's much longer than normal in my experience.  Hope it gets better for you.

[Florida_gal_50]

1 hour ago, nimi17 said:

Oh, yes. My intent of these posts is not to complain but to paint a picture of our experiences, whether they be positive or negative.

 

All of our encounters with the crew have been nothing but positive. Everyone has been most gracious and eager to make our experience onboard as enjoyable as possible.

 

We couldn’t ask for a better crew 🥰🛳⚓️

It's important to hear both good and bad.  Please don't be shy about that.

[Marion B]

Nimi17,

   Birthday wishes to your husband.  Glad to hear the high seas are bringing out the romantic in him.

   Continuing to enjoy photos nd menus.

   Looking forward to more details.

   Did I understand correctly - you had a rapid test in San Diego?  Do you mind sharing where and how much?  In case our appointments at home fall through, I'd like to know where we can get tested there as Plan B.  Thanks.

   Continue enjoying.  

[bhwestgrove]

Thank you for sharing this wonderful update nimi17, it’s been great fun! Quick question about the entertainment in the main showroom/World Stage. In years past, the main shows ran somewhat during each set dining time for the “opposite” diners, so during early seating for those dining late. With so many people transitioning to anytime dining, I’m wondering when the main shows (not late night etc) are occurring. Would you have that information available?  I’m working on our dining reservations for our January sailing and still love the production shows that typically play on “formal” evenings. TIA, and enjoy your cruise!

[leerathje]

2 hours ago, nimi17 said:

That must’ve been quite a trip with your whole group booking 3 side by side cabins! We’re having so much fun in our one cabin. Can’t imagine what that must’ve been like for you with all that balcony space! 🤩🤩🤩

 

It really was!  Dad and his friend, brother and SIL, and Hubby and I travelled together.  We had the dividers opened between the balconies, and had tons of fun!

 

L.

 

Edited October 13, 2021 by leerathje

[CruiseMGM]

Happy birthday(s) to you both and thank you for sharing your cruise with us. We're on the Konningsdam in December and wondered if you would care to expound on your BLEND adventure! I think I'd like to do that with DH, but don't know much/haven't read much about it!

 

Enjoy, and thanks again!

[nimi17]

MDR DAY 4 (breakfast and lunch menus same as day 3)

[jhsocal]

nimi, does it seem a bit disorganized or do you think reduced staff due to 40 percent capacity?

[PSR]

7 hours ago, nimi17 said:

MDR Day 3 (lunch and 1st gala night)

 

So your first gala night was Day 3? Usually it is on Day 2. I don't want to schedule a specialty restaurant on the first Gala night, so I was assuming it was always on Day 2, but I guess I shouldn't assume if it can be on Day 3 as well...