Koningsdam Inside Passage review: June 24-July 1, 2023

[QuattroRomeo]

We did receive a Club Orange bag, and a couple of towel animals with chocolates on the dressy nights. Later in the cruise, the Delft tiles appeared.

 

P.S. I have washed a previous orange bag successfully on delicate setting, in case anyone wonders about them!

 

 

[QuattroRomeo]

[QuattroRomeo]

I have to ask if anyone else thinks that the beds on HAL are smaller than they used to be? Or is it unique to the Pinnacle class, and the older ships have larger cabins and beds? They call them 2 "twins" but together that would be a king, and we sure did not have a king on Kdam or Rdam! Am I misremembering? We found them too narrow, and sloped down on one side. 

Edited July 4, 2023 by QuattroRomeo

[QuattroRomeo]

I had made 3 reservations for specialty dining before we got Club Orange, but decided to cancel them so as to enjoy CO on such a short cruise. Used the credit to purchase future cruise deposits! 

We ate breakfast every day but one, in CO. All dinners were in CO, 2 lunches in Pinnacle Grill, and the rest in New York Deli and Dive-In. With snacks from Dutch Cafe of course..

[QuattroRomeo]

I'll backtrack a little to describe embarkation. We took the ship transfer from the airport (YVR) to the port. We had decided to cancel the transfer bus and just take a cab, but apparently it was too late to cancel without forfeiting the payment. So we kept it. Worked out okay though. We were able to catch the first bus at 10 am. Being a Saturday, the traffic was light and we made good time. As you may know, the bus parks in the underground parking and there is a short walk to the terminal. As you walk alongside the terminal, you go past the signs for Crew Entrance, In Transit Entrance, and then the ship entrances (there were 2 that day, Koningsdam and Princess Something). On the left, before you enter, there are washrooms. If you don't have Priority boarding, use them! Use them now!! 

Once inside, there was already a long snaking line for general boarding. The Priority boarding line was empty, save for us. After that there was the line for Customs. No priority there. Both ships combined for that one. Then off to the waiting area, except for Priority. We were able to walk on board shortly after 11:00. Probably the earliest we have ever embarked. Thank you, CO!

[QuattroRomeo]

Once on board, we made our way to the stateroom to drop off our carry-on bags. The doors were still closed at our end of the hallway but we were able to open them, found our room was ready and keycards waiting. So we watched the safety video, unpacked a little, and headed out to scan our cards at the muster station. It was too early. Had to return around 12:30 for that. So I took a few photos and then we headed up to deck 10 for a visit to New York Deli- our first food stop of the cruise. 

[sp2]

16 hours ago, QuattroRomeo said:

We are just off our 7-day Inside Passage cruise on the Koningsdam, June 24- July 1. Thought I would share some photos (mostly food!!) and thoughts, as I always enjoy reading others' reviews and there is always some little nugget of info that proves useful to somebody else.

 

We booked quite last minute (May 27) as there was a good Canadian funds deal on inside cabins. Now, I do know that many have shared how small these rooms are on Pinnacle class, so we thought that for 7 days, we will find out if we can stand it. You know, for the future!! More cruises = a good thing.. Anyway, being last minute, we couldn't book Club Orange. I called 4 times after booking, and 10 days before departure, managed to get CO!! Couldn't believe it. The upgrade option was of no use, they only had one other inside to offer and we liked the one we had better. But I was happy. Then the Tuesday before sailing on Saturday, I got an upgrade offer too good to refuse. So, we ended up with a Family OV. So much for the " inside experiment"...

 

When we got on board there were signs at the Guest Relations desk reading "We are sailing at full capacity, No upgrades available".. So I guess we did okay!

 

Did they give you a discount on the Club Orange since you couldn’t take advantage of the cabin upgrade?

 

[QuattroRomeo]

I wish!! But no. Technically, they offered me something- it was an identical inside on a higher deck. Not something we consider an upgrade, but they do. 

[POA1]

Great start to your report! Thank you for all the details.

[NewCruiser-2023]

Thank you for your post. I appreciate the details and the pictures of the paperwork. Good to know what room service breakfast options are, and having a heads-up about laundry costs and procedures is very helpful. Also appreciate the tip to use the bathroom before beginning the pre-boarding waiting game. This is invaluable to first-time cruisers. Forgive my newbie questions, but I take it Club Orange is exclusive access to extra dining options and the bypassing of various waits.
Does the cost to upgrade to CO vary or is it a set price? And can I ask how much?
What is Family OV?

And the Delft tiles...they look like coasters. Are those for use in the cabin, a purchase option, or a gift from HAL? (Sorry - really showing my naivete!)

Edited July 4, 2023 by NewCruiser-2023

[QuattroRomeo]

1 hour ago, NewCruiser-2023 said:

Thank you for your post. I appreciate the details and the pictures of the paperwork. Good to know what room service breakfast options are, and having a heads-up about laundry costs and procedures is very helpful. Also appreciate the tip to use the bathroom before beginning the pre-boarding waiting game. This is invaluable to first-time cruisers. Forgive my newbie questions, but I take it Club Orange is exclusive access to extra dining options and the bypassing of various waits.
Does the cost to upgrade to CO vary or is it a set price? And can I ask how much?
What is Family OV?

And the Delft tiles...they look like coasters. Are those for use in the cabin, a purchase option, or a gift from HAL? (Sorry - really showing my naivete!)

Welcome to CruiseCritic and to cruising! Glad that these things are helpful. Club Orange is an add-on that you can purchase pre-cruise, if it is still available. On 3 certain HAL ships, called Pinnacle Class, there is a separate small dining room and you can go there instead of the much bigger MDR (Main Dining Room).The menu is the same as MDR plus another entree choice. There are a few other features, the biggest being a cabin upgrade in the same category. The price is $25 pp/day up to 13 day cruises, and $15 pp/day on longer cruises. There are many threads on CruiseCritic about it so I will find one and link you to it later. Family OV is a larger Oceanview cabin. It has a big window and 1.5 bathrooms. I will post some photos. The tiles are indeed coasters-they have cork on the back. They are gifts from HAL once you get Mariner status (after 1 cruise). 

[QuattroRomeo]

A few ship photos on embarkation day in Vancouver:

 

[QuattroRomeo]

New York Deli - deck 10 midship: 

 

[NewCruiser-2023]

Thank you!! I so appreciate the information...AND the pictures. The photo of folks in the pizza area is especially helpful, because I can see how the cruisers are dressed. I started to panic after reading the original (official?) review of the Koningsdam from 2016 (?) where it mentioned tuxedos and gowns not being necessary but also not being out of place in the specialty restaurants. We're in our 50s, and our sons are in their mid-20s, and none of us are planning on getting that gussied up!

[Florida_gal_50]

5 minutes ago, NewCruiser-2023 said:

Thank you!! I so appreciate the information...AND the pictures. The photo of folks in the pizza area is especially helpful, because I can see how the cruisers are dressed. I started to panic after reading the original (official?) review of the Koningsdam from 2016 (?) where it mentioned tuxedos and gowns not being necessary but also not being out of place in the specialty restaurants. We're in our 50s, and our sons are in their mid-20s, and none of us are planning on getting that gussied up!

Do worry about that.  I saw one dude in club orange in his jammies and slippers.  I've seen people gain entrance into the MDR in shorts for dinner, even though it's not supposed to be allowed.  Hal doesn't follow its dress code (for the most part). Things have changed a lot since 2016.

[NewCruiser-2023]

13 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Do worry about that.  I saw one dude in club orange in his jammies and slippers.  I've seen people gain entrance into the MDR in shorts for dinner, even though it's not supposed to be allowed.  Hal doesn't follow its dress code (for the most part). Things have changed a lot since 2016.

Oh, good. We're not the jammies OR slippers in public type, but it's good to know casual/dressy casual will suffice.

[Florida_gal_50]

7 minutes ago, NewCruiser-2023 said:

Oh, good. We're not the jammies OR slippers in public type, but it's good to know casual/dressy casual will suffice.

I should have said do not worry.  Seems like you caught my drift 😛.

[QuattroRomeo]

My favourite at NY Deli- reuben sandwich and salad. I also like the Central Park Pizza but managed not to double up this time!.. This restaurant does not charge extra fees. Water, iced tea and lemonade are also available gratis: 

[QuattroRomeo]

Roaming around the ship a bit, to the atrium on Deck 3, which leads us to the popular Dutch Cafe!!

 

 

 

 

[QuattroRomeo]

[QuattroRomeo]

of course, the bossche bol- 

[QuattroRomeo]

Occasionally, Dutch Cafe has palmier cookies and almond cookies with marzipan filling, usually displayed in a jar instead of the showcase. The items in the showcase and these cookies, are free. The specialty coffees and liquor have a charge. There are a few packaged items, like licorice, that have a charge, but are clearly marked.

 

 

[sue1898]

@QuattroRomeo thanks for you report and photos! We too were on this cruise but sadly I started coughing Sat. night so kept a low profile til Tuesday when I visited the medical center. Negative for Covid but given ZPack and cough syrup for upper respiratory infection. Retested Wed.and was positive so I was quarantined until Sat. My husband never tested positive but we and 14 others were separately disembarked Sat. I’m thankful that we’ve been to Alaska six times and that HAL was wonderful with taking care of our needs and that I generally felt good. Thankfully we were in a Neptune Suite. Your posts are fabulous!

[QuattroRomeo]

Sorry to hear that, Sue! It's always a disappointment to be ill on vacation. Glad they took care of you! I see many of your cruises are on non-Pinnacle ships. Do you enjoy them as much ? Or is it difficult to compare with the circumstances of this last one?!

[QuattroRomeo]

Views of Dutch Cafe from the atrium, and the Cafe bump out room, that overlooks the promenade deck: