LIVE - Koningsdam Oct 17th - ¡Mexican Riviera!

[Heartgrove]

We had the same serving-from-behind the counter in the buffet on Viking Ocean this past July. I much prefer it and glad to see that we will have that on our cruise in December. One of my pet peeves are the passengers that break into the line to get "just one thing." I believe serving from behind cuts down on that behavior.

[triiip42]

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Enjoy your cruise. 

We sail on K on Feb. 2nd , so we are following your postings with interest.

[Gretchendz]

1 hour ago, Hogladyrider said:

@aring75......when we sailed HAL it was the same, no self serve at the buffet, they filled your plate from behind the counter.  We actually prefer this over serve yourself.

 

The selection of food at the Lido was outstanding and OMG the fresh bread was to die for since we do not eat much bread anymore.

 

I am a fan of no self serve at buffets for two reasons; cleanliness and cuts down on food waste.  To me there is nothing appealing about seeing a cruise passenger with their plate piled HIGH with food and they leave most of it to go in the trash!  JMO

 

Or, worse yet, which I have seen on "premium line cruises" a guest takes a roll or something and then puts it back! Ugh!

Edited October 18, 2021 by Gretchendz

[twodjs]

We have really enjoyed the addition of Mexican Ambassadors on past cruises and understand they have just boarded Koningdam for the next few cruises. They offer several performances featuring both excellent vocals by Alejandro and a variety of regional dances with great costuming. Performances were usually by the Lido pool, but this may vary on Koningsdam. Looking forward to experiencing their talent again on our Thanksgiving cruise! Hope you get to see them, too!

[aring75]

2 hours ago, twodjs said:

We have really enjoyed the addition of Mexican Ambassadors on past cruises and understand they have just boarded Koningdam for the next few cruises. They offer several performances featuring both excellent vocals by Alejandro and a variety of regional dances with great costuming. Performances were usually by the Lido pool, but this may vary on Koningsdam. Looking forward to experiencing their talent again on our Thanksgiving cruise! Hope you get to see them, too!

This sounds like something we’d really like! I’ll look for them. 

[aring75]

We enjoyed the wonderful weather and picturesque sail away. 
 

Bye San Diego! See you in a week. 
 

 

 

[aring75]

Made our way out of the inner harbor listening to the “Arrh, Arrh, Arrh” of barking seals. 
 

 

 

Sailed past the lighthouse and we were on our way!!

 

Edited October 18, 2021 by aring75
Edited because my phone hates me.

[aring75]

Dinner tonight was in the main dining room at 5:30. 
 

 

 

Got a copy of the paper menus, though they were asking diners to utilize the app to read the menu. Mine just didn’t want to cooperate at the time. 
 

 

[canadianbear]

What a beautiful clear day for your sail away.  
Enjoy your cruise!

[aring75]

They come around with the bread basket ahead of your meal. 
 

Mark likes when there’s a basket of bread on the table. Then he can just eat a piece or two and not worry about if they’ll come back again. 
 

I kinda like not having a huge basket of yummy, yummy carbs tempting me all night. 

 

The multi-grain rolls were delicious. 
 

 

 

 

Mark started with a classic Caesar salad. He said it was fresh and crisp.
 

 

 

 

I tried the tomato and buffalo mozzarella. It was good, but not great. The tomatoes were very bland.
 

Edited October 18, 2021 by aring75

[aring75]

Mark opted for the short rib stroganoff. He was surprised by the two larger cuts of meat. He liked this dish quite a bit. 
 

 

 

 

I went with the grilled salmon served over cilantro rice. I thought it was very good, but maybe just seared a little too long. Mark tasted it and thought it was good too. 
 

 

[aring75]

For dessert, I tried the brownie cheesecake. It wasn’t nearly as sweet as I expected. Which was great! But it was just okay. Not bad at all, but just okay. 
 

 

 

 

Mark ordered the Alaskan tart. It was fantastic. He let me taste a bite (a very small bite) and I wished I had ordered one. 

 

[canadianbear]

I’ve never been a fan of HAL’s desserts but do like their tarts & sundaes ☺️

[aring75]

Stopped by the Dutch Café while walking around after dinner. 
 

 

 

 

[aring75]

The Dutch Café has this gorgeous dessert case. 
 

 

 

And just look at what a lovely place to sit and enjoy your coffee, pastry, sandwich, whatever! We are definitely going to have to come back here. 
 

[aring75]

Enjoyed some live music at the Rolling Stone Rock Room. 
 

 

 

Had a Negroni and a Hemingway Special. 
 

 

 

Drink menu:

 

 

 

 

[zgscl]

37 minutes ago, aring75 said:

The Dutch Café has this gorgeous dessert case. 
 

 

 

And just look at what a lovely place to sit and enjoy your coffee, pastry, sandwich, whatever! We are definitely going to have to come back here. 
 

 

Thank you so much for the great report! The Grand Dutch Cafe looks lovely! I think this may be my new hangout. 

Happy to hear the service issues in the MDR from the first week seem to be resolved. Also, looks wifi is up and running, so it sounds like all is well. 

[erewhon]

20 hours ago, aring75 said:

 

 

Yep. Sea42 is right. I think the Southwest Flight Tracker app had it at 4 hrs and 45 minutes.
 

Our total travel time was 7 hrs and 45 minutes, but the first leg was TPA to Chicago. That took a little over 2 hours, then we boarded more passengers in Midway. 

 

Thanks for your reply.

[aring75]

7 hours ago, zgscl said:

Also, looks wifi is up and running, so it sounds like all is well. 

WiFi seems fine. I mean, it’s cruise ship WiFi, so it’s definitely not speedy, but no real complaints so far. 
 

I AM, however, having some trouble with Cruise Critic. I’m still logged in (or at least it shows that I am on the site), but it won’t allow me to post. I’m having to logout, clear my browsing history, and sign in again almost every time. 
 

I’ve switched between Chrome, Safari, and Firefox and it’s a continuous issue. So I definitely think it’s CC related. 

[Lido deck main]

8 hours ago, aring75 said:

Stopped by the Dutch Café while walking around after dinner. 
 

 

 

 

The Dutch Cafe used to bring these great almond cookies out at 3:00 pm.  I don’t know if they still do after Covid.  They would be in a glass cookie jar on the right side of the counter as you were facing the counter. 

[aring75]

7 minutes ago, Lido deck main said:

The Dutch Cafe used to bring these great almond cookies out at 3:00 pm.  I don’t know if they still do after Covid.  They would be in a glass cookie jar on the right side of the counter as you were facing the counter. 

Thanks! I will look for them. 
 

😁 I can’t wait to surprise Mark with my super-secret inside information. 

[Cruise Suzy]

26 minutes ago, Lido deck main said:

The Dutch Cafe used to bring these great almond cookies out at 3:00 pm.

And earlier in the day they had humongous chocolate chip cookies!

[aring75]

1 hour ago, Cruise Suzy said:

And earlier in the day they had humongous chocolate chip cookies!

Lol, my list of things to try gets longer and longer!!

[aring75]

We headed to Explorations Café this morning for the good coffee. Mark decided to try a vanilla latte. I got an iced mocha. Both were very good. 
 

 

 

[aring75]

This area is located in the “Crows Nest” all the way forward and up on deck 12. 
 

 

There are lots of seating areas. And great places to sit and relax while looking out the windows at the water.