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

[QuattroRomeo]

Sounds like you're getting ready for cruising!!

 

Towels- no problem at all, do not pack any! There will be beach towels in your cabin. They are a different colour than the regular towels. If you need more, just ask the room steward. All you need to do is bring them back. Once back in the cabin, put the damp towels on the shower floor and they will be taken and cleaned.

 

Wifi- this is a huge subject on every board.. we only use it for email and web surfing, and have very little downtime. Others report it is too slow for videos or streaming. So prepare the youngins ! Mind you on Alaska cruises you will be in several US ports so phones could use your usual phone plans there. We're from Canada so it's not an option for us.

 

Port visits- no problem getting on and off the ship when in the ports- just line-ups! Make sure you all have your plastic keycards when getting off and on. They are scanned at the exit/entrance ramp each time. You can get on and off as often as you want. They will announce the time you must be back for each port. It is usually a half hour before departure.

[NewCruiser-2023]

Thank you so much. This is wildly helpful!! Okay, now I've come up with a few more 😛

 

Are there places on board to watch sports (major league baseball games)?

and more importantly...
I got us all checked in for the cruise yesterday. That was a process. Almost took me an hour. Anyway, HAL emailed this morning with our boarding times. My husband and I are scheduled for 10:20am and our boys are scheduled for 11am. Not ideal, but the real problem is we will be coming on the train from Seattle (after flying in from the East Cost the day before), and we won't be arriving in Vancouver until nearly 12noon and still have to take the subway to the port. Nowhere in the emails/attachments do I see "if this time doesn't work for you..." instructions.

[Haljo1935]

22 minutes ago, NewCruiser-2023 said:

Thank you so much. This is wildly helpful!! Okay, now I've come up with a few more 😛

 

Are there places on board to watch sports (major league baseball games)?

and more importantly...
I got us all checked in for the cruise yesterday. That was a process. Almost took me an hour. Anyway, HAL emailed this morning with our boarding times. My husband and I are scheduled for 10:20am and our boys are scheduled for 11am. Not ideal, but the real problem is we will be coming on the train from Seattle (after flying in from the East Cost the day before), and we won't be arriving in Vancouver until nearly 12noon and still have to take the subway to the port. Nowhere in the emails/attachments do I see "if this time doesn't work for you..." instructions.

So exciting @NewCruiser-2023 for your first cruise to be so close!! Strange your boys got different check-in  times - must be in a different cabin/on different booking number? Regardless, there will be no problem for you all to check in together. As for getting there later than your scheduled time, just go straight to check in - no need to change the time. You'll want to not dawdle...🚢

Safe travels - enjoy your cruise!

[Haljo1935]

Thanks @QuattroRomeo for sharing your adventures and pictures - they're beautiful.

[NewCruiser-2023]

21 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

 As for getting there later than your scheduled time, just go straight to check in - no need to change the time. You'll want to not dawdle...🚢

Safe travels - enjoy your cruise!

Thank you so much! I appreciate knowing we can all check in together and won't "get in trouble" for not letting them know we'll be a few hours late. (And, yes, the boys are in a separate cabin (in their mid-20s so a suite with a sofa bed is not an option) and on a separate booking.)

[QuattroRomeo]

As Haljo said, don't worry about the check-in time. When you all arrive at the port, just get in line..!

As far as sports go, I'm not a baseball person but there is a Sports Bar with tv in the Casino. I've noticed various ball games playing in there as I walked by, so check that out.

 

PS thanks for the questions- it is a good reminder of all the things we take for granted after a cruise or two! 🙂

 

[QuattroRomeo]

1 hour ago, Haljo1935 said:

Thanks @QuattroRomeo for sharing your adventures and pictures - they're beautiful.

Thanks for that, glad you liked them! Of course with the Yukon and Glacier Bay for subject matter, it is hard to go wrong! 

[Haljo1935]

50 minutes ago, NewCruiser-2023 said:

Thank you so much! I appreciate knowing we can all check in together and won't "get in trouble" for not letting them know we'll be a few hours late. (And, yes, the boys are in a separate cabin (in their mid-20s so a suite with a sofa bed is not an option) and on a separate booking.)

Here's a tip for next cruise - if both you and spouse (or the boys) are eligible for reduced rates, but the other 2 travelers are not, book a cabin each under the 2 that show the best rates and the other 2 travelers as guest 2, then once onboard go to Guest Services and move yourselves around so boys are in 1 cabin and parents in the other. It only takes a minute for them to update the bookings and give you new cards.That way everyone gets the best discounted rates with the cab inmate of their choosing.

Safe travels - enjoy your cruise!

[NewCruiser-2023]

Thank you! At this point, I don't think any of us were eligible for reduced rates. Shopped around and booked the Have It All package when we could get it through with our Costco membership. The Costco cash back will be nice after a purchase like this.

 

I so appreciate everyone's helpful reassurance and advice! ❤️ Can't wait to report back after our adventures! (Though, I'm sure you'll see more of me before we set sail)

[NewCruiser-2023]

I promised I'd be back, and here I am! Do prescription meds need to be packed in the orange pharmacy bottles we got them in? It is so much handier putting them along with vitamins in the 7-day pill organizer. 
And can we use our shipboard credit to pay part of our end-of-trip crew incentives charge?

Thanks again...see you in a few more minutes 🤣

[QuattroRomeo]

They do advise to have original Rx bottles. I imagine some people just bring their pill organizers, and it may not be a problem since you will be in mostly US ports. I haven't read yet where anyone had a problem with it, but don't know for sure.

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/ca/plan-a-cruise/get-ready-for-your-cruise/faq

 

With the word "prescriptions" in the search word box, you can see the official line tor this.

 

If you have OBC (onboard credit) on your account, yes, it will be used for shipboard charges including crew appreciation charges.

 

 

[Haljo1935]

1 hour ago, NewCruiser-2023 said:

I promised I'd be back, and here I am! Do prescription meds need to be packed in the orange pharmacy bottles we got them in? It is so much handier putting them along with vitamins in the 7-day pill organizer. 
And can we use our shipboard credit to pay part of our end-of-trip crew incentives charge?

Thanks again...see you in a few more minutes 🤣

We never have an issue w/meds being in a pill organizer; takes up so much less space. We have access to the original Rx via retailer app on phone should it be needed.

Yes, crew gratuities can be paid from your OBC (onboard credit) balance.

Safe travels - enjoy your cruise!

[NewCruiser-2023]

Thanks, friends!!! ❤️

[NewCruiser-2023]

Thanks, everyone! You have all been a great help to me the last few months. We fly to Seattle tomorrow and set sail from Vancouver on Saturday. Super excited and ready to enjoy the fun of the ship and the beautiful ports of call.

[QuattroRomeo]

Happy first Bon Voyage!!🚢🍾🍾🍾

[NewCruiser-2023]

Thank you! One last question (I should have known I wasn't finished)...we are mostly packed but I am really on the fence about whether we all need to bring a pair of decent slacks for Saturday's dinner in the Pinnacle Grill. If we bring slacks, we will wear them just that night and that's it. There isn't a lot of suitcase room for something we plan to wear just once. If we (me, husband, two twenty-something boys) wore jeans to dinner in the PG would we stick out as under-dressed? I could wear with cardigan and scarf, and they would wear with polos. Is that okay or would you suggest each squeezing that pair of slacks in too to dress more properly?

[QuattroRomeo]

I wouldn't worry about bringing slacks if you don't think they would get worn much. Nice jeans are ok- but no shorts at night in dining rooms. And top it off with a collared shirt (like a polo), for the gents, and for yourself a scarf and cardigan, would be fine. Alaska cruises tend to be a little more casual. Don't stress now- just go and explore and enjoy!!

[NewCruiser-2023]

51 minutes ago, QuattroRomeo said:

I wouldn't worry about bringing slacks if you don't think they would get worn much. Nice jeans are ok- but no shorts at night in dining rooms. And top it off with a collared shirt (like a polo), for the gents, and for yourself a scarf and cardigan, would be fine. Alaska cruises tend to be a little more casual. Don't stress now- just go and explore and enjoy!!

 

Thanks a million! Slacks removed and space made ❤️

[NewCruiser-2023]

Just wanted to circle back to this discussion and thank you all for the helpful answers to my many questions. Our cruise was five months ago now - gosh time flies - and I've finally gotten around to writing a review of our experience. Here's the link if anyone is interested, but it's really long, so you should get a cup of coffee and find a comfy chair 🙃

Cruise Review

 

 

[QuattroRomeo]

So glad to hear that your family enjoyed the cruise! 

Very unfortunate to have a suitcase stolen, but you managed to recover really well! Was there ever anything found?

[NewCruiser-2023]

@QuattroRomeo Thanks! Nope, despite having my son's home address, email address, and phone number on that suitcase, it never made its way back to him...empty or full. He hasn't seen any of it. It was really discouraging and nuts how it just disappeared between the time we gave the bags to the shuttle driver and when we unloaded from the shuttle. My son was a great sport about it, though. If it had to happen to one of us, he was the best one. He said later that it sort of took away any pressure he was feeling for the vacation to be perfect...and said if the clothes fell into the hands of one of Seattle's many homeless, it was okay because they needed it more than he did. And, thankfully, his wallet, cellphone, and car keys were all in his backpack, so he lost nothing but a week's worth of clothes. But it still really threw a wrench in our morning...and our moods. So grateful that things got so much better once we got on the Good Ship Koningsdam 😊