Live Review Koningsdam Feb 17-March 23, 2024. Hawaii/Tahiti

[Haljo1935]

4 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

I have it in my notes to write about the Koningsdam Ball and Chocolate Surprise. This was held on the last formal night. Be warned, this is going to sound really negative, but I honestly believe this is a place where HAL needs some improvement...
 

I don’t understand why it’s so difficult to move the parties to the lido. Not every night of course, but the Kdam Ball (or any formal party) would have been perfect for the lido. It was a cool night so heat wouldn’t have been a factor. They could open or close the roof as temperature dictated. There would have been more room to disperse chocolates around. I just don’t understand the hesitation. On a traditional tropic cruise there are three  lido deck parties in 7 nights. Certainly the Kdam could have offered three in 35...

 

I realize that HAL can’t do much to fix the physical design flaws of the Kdam. The theatre, music walk, lido, etc are just too small to accommodate all passengers. BUT- they can improve the scheduling/location of events to compensate. The lido was grossly underutilized in the evening. They weren’t even offering movies each night. The lido is the one venue that can move large crowds and you just can’t get the same unified party vibe when you split people into 3 separate lounges. 
 

Ok -Off soap box. I did put similar comments in my review. Perhaps I’m in the minority, but I have to believe that some people who wanted to attend the Ball (or get chocolate), simply couldn’t because of poor venue scheduling .

I didn't even attempt to go to the ball during the Christmas New Years Hawaii cruise on K'dam for the exact issues you described. 

The tree lighting and New Years Eve countdown were both at the Lido. Both were well attended and would have been a much better option than BB Kings for the ball.

And poolside movies were not shown at night during that cruise, either and rarely during the day. A sadly underutilized feature. 

Edited April 2 by Haljo1935
Typo

[ldog]

9 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

. 

 

Ok -Off soap box. I did put similar comments in my review. Perhaps I’m in the minority, but I have to believe that some people who wanted to attend the Ball (or get chocolate), simply couldn’t because of poor venue scheduling .

 

 

 

I totally agree with you Cheryl.  We didn't go to any of the parties because they were SRO after we came down from late dinner.

 

the problem with showing movies on the Lido deck was the sound was horrible and badly out of sync.

[ljgordon54]

18 minutes ago, ldog said:

I totally agree with you Cheryl.  We didn't go to any of the parties because they were SRO after we came down from late dinner.

 

the problem with showing movies on the Lido deck was the sound was horrible and badly out of sync.

We wanted to watch a movie @ the Lido on a different ship and couldn’t understand it at all so we quit trying. Maybe it is just our old ears.

 

I wonder who/why the cruise director is. Activities should be well planned or that person should answer for it. Anyone would have to know that chocolate is a draw!

Janet

[Mary229]

10 minutes ago, ljgordon54 said:

We wanted to watch a movie @ the Lido on a different ship and couldn’t understand it at all so we quit trying. Maybe it is just our old ears.

 

I wonder who/why the cruise director is. Activities should be well planned or that person should answer for it. Anyone would have to know that chocolate is a draw!

Janet

I can’t stand Lido movies.  During the day the movie watchers can’t hear and the pool loungers are disrupted. During the evening is a better time as the pools are fairly inactive but I still can’t hear the dialog - it is either garbled or painfully loud. I go for the popcorn and leave.

 

i was not impressed by the cruise director on this cruise.  The chocolate is always served that way on HAL and is a lousy system.  I never go anymore

Edited April 2 by Mary229

[js1357]

1 hour ago, ljgordon54 said:

We wanted to watch a movie @ the Lido on a different ship and couldn’t understand it at all so we quit trying. Maybe it is just our old ears.

 

I wonder who/why the cruise director is. Activities should be well planned or that person should answer for it. Anyone would have to know that chocolate is a draw!

Janet

I sat next to a speaker on this cruise and could hear perfectly.  I have no idea why they wouldn't give their customers another option for entertainment in the evenings.  Unlike many ships on other cruise lines, the Lido on Pinnacle Class ships is better suited for movies because of the capability to close the roof.

[anniegb]

2 hours ago, ljgordon54 said:

We wanted to watch a movie @ the Lido on a different ship and couldn’t understand it at all so we quit trying. Maybe it is just our old ears.

 

I wonder who/why the cruise director is. Activities should be well planned or that person should answer for it. Anyone would have to know that chocolate is a draw!

Janet

The cruise director was Kristen Hickman. She was observed leaving the ship, complete with luggage, at the end of the cruise,

 

FWIW I raised the schedule/room allocation with her on Day 2 of the cruise.  She replied, it had nothing to do with her.

 

As has been stated before, the public venues on the vessel are far too small for the size of the passenger list.

[ljgordon54]

16 minutes ago, anniegb said:

The cruise director was Kristen Hickman. She was observed leaving the ship, complete with luggage, at the end of the cruise,

 

FWIW I raised the schedule/room allocation with her on Day 2 of the cruise.  She replied, it had nothing to do with her.

 

As has been stated before, the public venues on the vessel are far too small for the size of the passenger list.

Well sometimes when people are on the downhill slide leaving a job, they don’t give a darn. 😞 

[anniegb]

43 minutes ago, ljgordon54 said:

Well sometimes when people are on the downhill slide leaving a job, they don’t give a darn. 😞 

To be fair, it was said this cruise was her first cruise as a cruise director. I lay more blame at those who assigned her to the vessel.  She had previously worked at Microsoft amongst other employers.

 

[highscar]

On the cruise before yours Kirsten was excellent and well liked. She was very knowledgeable about all her talks.  Also was very personal when off duty.   The best we have had on many cruises.  

[anniegb]

8 minutes ago, highscar said:

On the cruise before yours Kirsten was excellent and well liked. She was very knowledgeable about all her talks.  Also was very personal when off duty.   The best we have had on many cruises.  

Interesting and your POV is at odds to those of other cruisers on this thread..  FWiW the general consensus on my cruise and I accept it is based on anecdotal evidence Kristen was not perhaps the 'best fit' for the role.

Delivering a presentation on useful apps when travelling, why select London as an examplar when the next ports were based in Hawaii ??

Curioser and Curioser.

 

 

 

 

 

[oregonian17]

1 hour ago, anniegb said:

To be fair, it was said this cruise was her first cruise as a cruise director. I lay more blame at those who assigned her to the vessel.  She had previously worked at Microsoft amongst other employers.

 

I totally agree that it is HAL at fault for hiring her in that position. She was the CD on my Dec cruise and I was not happy with her on that cruise.She's a wonderful speaker but that is all the positives I can say about her. I write many comments on the ship. I wrote a negative for her on Friday before disembarkation. I wrote that there are 2 positions that need to be carefully selected. The first one is the lead entertainment host. Grant is a 10++ Are there any negatives for him? NO. And then there's Kristen. I heard that the new cruise director was good. I hope so. 

[BermudaBound2014]

Yep, Grant was a 10+, born to be in front of crowds with a mic. So warm, welcoming, and inclusive. He really had a positive impact on my cruise.

 

I’m still a little miffed that dance class was cut short 2 days early because Grant was needed in the world stage. Sure, the world stage was a great presentation, but couldn’t dance class have been offered sometime in the 9-10 hour block? After Tai Chi but before the “life at sea’ presentation? If you added in the folks participating in the balconies, dance class had to be approaching 100 participants and it was the ONLY activity offered for those of us who want a little more high energy. I get that Grant is only one person and can’t be everywhere, but there has to be a work around besides cutting out an activity that had such high attendance. Again, a scheduling blunder.

 

Regarding movies at the lido. I do agree that during the day would be invasive on all the folks enjoying the pool. But why not throw on some music videos? That large screen showed a drop of water for 35 days (well there was some gold chain thing too for variety). I asked every single day in the app for music to be played in the lido. If only for a couple hours. If not the lido, then the sea view. Offer one pool with a bit livelier atmosphere. I do understand that on this particular cruise that might have been difficult since the majority of passengers likely grew up without MTV, but every generation likes music. Again, not both pools. Leave one for those who want silence. If HAL wants to rid itself of the decade old ugly stereotype of the cruise line for the “newlywed and nearly dead” then they need to pay attention to those of us who are asking for more energy. Somewhere we can find a compromise between radio silence and Guns and Roses.

 

Oh, about the speakers. I did notice one speaker was blown. Easy enough to fix. Nearly every other cruise ship I have been on in the last decade has had movies/music videos at the lido with no sound issues. Since every single movie that was shown at the lido was also available on stateroom TV, the lack of movies wasn’t a copywright issue. I get that movies at the pool require more staff and I am the last person who wants to make more work for the crew, but HAL really should address the lack of space issue that the Kdam design created. Seems easy enough to press play every night; again a scheduling issue.

 

I would like to know who was in charge of scheduling events. Based on the conversation  @anniegb had with Kristin, it wasn’t the cruise director. So who was it? Typically it is the cruise director but apparently not on this cruise. I hope they can learn from our surveys because my requests in the app went no where. After ignoring my 22nd request for some light music during the day, I think they would have preferred it if I volunteered to walk the plank. 🙂 

 

Finally, these are certainly first world gripes. I mention them here to help prepare future cruisers for what they might encounter, and I mentioned them in the survey (and app) to help HAL better meet the needs of the up and coming population of cruisers. Make no mistake; the good far outweighed the bad. I had an AMAZING journey on the K’dam. Largely due to all the relationships I was able to form with like minded travelers and the incredible places we visited. Most importantly, I most certainly made life long friends and that trumps listening to Bon Jovi at the lido. 

 

 

 

[anniegb]

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Yep, Grant was a 10+, born to be in front of crowds with a mic. So warm, welcoming, and inclusive. He really had a positive impact on my cruise.

 

I’m still a little miffed that dance class was cut short 2 days early because Grant was needed in the world stage. Sure, the world stage was a great presentation, but couldn’t dance class have been offered sometime in the 9-10 hour block? After Tai Chi but before the “life at sea’ presentation? If you added in the folks participating in the balconies, dance class had to be approaching 100 participants and it was the ONLY activity offered for those of us who want a little more high energy. I get that Grant is only one person and can’t be everywhere, but there has to be a work around besides cutting out an activity that had such high attendance. Again, a scheduling blunder.

 

Regarding movies at the lido. I do agree that during the day would be invasive on all the folks enjoying the pool. But why not throw on some music videos? That large screen showed a drop of water for 35 days (well there was some gold chain thing too for variety). I asked every single day in the app for music to be played in the lido. If only for a couple hours. If not the lido, then the sea view. Offer one pool with a bit livelier atmosphere. I do understand that on this particular cruise that might have been difficult since the majority of passengers likely grew up without MTV, but every generation likes music. Again, not both pools. Leave one for those who want silence. If HAL wants to rid itself of the decade old ugly stereotype of the cruise line for the “newlywed and nearly dead” then they need to pay attention to those of us who are asking for more energy. Somewhere we can find a compromise between radio silence and Guns and Roses.

 

Oh, about the speakers. I did notice one speaker was blown. Easy enough to fix. Nearly every other cruise ship I have been on in the last decade has had movies/music videos at the lido with no sound issues. Since every single movie that was shown at the lido was also available on stateroom TV, the lack of movies wasn’t a copywright issue. I get that movies at the pool require more staff and I am the last person who wants to make more work for the crew, but HAL really should address the lack of space issue that the Kdam design created. Seems easy enough to press play every night; again a scheduling issue.

 

I would like to know who was in charge of scheduling events. Based on the conversation  @anniegb had with Kristin, it wasn’t the cruise director. So who was it? Typically it is the cruise director but apparently not on this cruise. I hope they can learn from our surveys because my requests in the app went no where. After ignoring my 22nd request for some light music during the day, I think they would have preferred it if I volunteered to walk the plank. 🙂 

 

Finally, these are certainly first world gripes. I mention them here to help prepare future cruisers for what they might encounter, and I mentioned them in the survey (and app) to help HAL better meet the needs of the up and coming population of cruisers. Make no mistake; the good far outweighed the bad. I had an AMAZING journey on the K’dam. Largely due to all the relationships I was able to form with like minded travelers and the incredible places we visited. Most importantly, I most certainly made life long friends and that trumps listening to Bon Jovi at the lido. 

 

 

 

Hi Cheryl

 

Kristen disclosed in her conversation with me, that Emma was i/c scheduling.  As I understood it, Emma was Grant's line manager.  BTW how many managers does it take to run that department ? I reckoned that Grant had 3 line managers 😉

Grant, JMO, had such a heavy workload - he could have done with an assistant 🙂

 

Edited April 2 by anniegb

[Mary229]

Grant came from the Disney camp.  They do an amazing job of training perky people.  My tour guide for my Yukon Denali was Disney trained and there was absolutely nothing that could ruin her disposition plus she had amazing logistical skills.  They find the “type” and they train them well.  If HAL is able to lure them away they are a true asset to the line. 

Edited April 2 by Mary229

[secondtime]

2 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

I asked every single day in the app for music to be played in the lido. If only for a couple hours. If not the lido, then the sea view. Offer one pool with a bit livelier atmosphere.

 

Not everyone wants to listen to music in public places.  There may be more passengers complaining of music than requesting it.  There are many who want to quietly relax during the day.  When there is music, it is often so loud you cannot carry on a conversation with some wonderful fellow passengers.  Also, your choice of the type of music that should be played may not be my choice.  Many of us bring earbuds to listen to our type of music at our choice of volume.  Many of us cruise on HAL for the less lively atmosphere.

[Sherry H]

Must admit that I don't like music in public places.  I find it irritating if I am trying to read.

Also, secondtime is correct that sometimes it is to loud to carry on a conversation and not always my choice of music. 

[BermudaBound2014]

All that is very true. Indeed. No argument from me. Lots of people sail HAL for the subdued atmosphere, hence their reputation.

[BermudaBound2014]

5 hours ago, anniegb said:

Hi Cheryl

 

Kristen disclosed in her conversation with me, that Emma was i/c scheduling.  As I understood it, Emma was Grant's line manager.  BTW how many managers does it take to run that department ? I reckoned that Grant had 3 line managers 😉

Grant, JMO, had such a heavy workload - he could have done with an assistant 🙂

 

Hi Annie!! Thanks for the info. Two questions, who the heck is Emma and how does she still have a job?

 

I vote for everyone getting out of Grants way and letting him run the entertainment!! 
 

 

[ljgordon54]

I do think there is some “middle music” that most can agree on and those who don’t like it can use another pool. However, a huge screen with a drop of water is insane! Can you imagine all the photos, videos and things of the current cruise, future cruises…..Lord the photography I see from cruises is amazing and I wonder if most of the people who take pics wouldn’t love to share? If not, advertise for shore excursions. Something. I have stared at that water drop and thought how stupid I am for looking at it! 

[BermudaBound2014]

5 hours ago, Mary229 said:

Grant came from the Disney camp.  They do an amazing job of training perky people.  My tour guide for my Yukon Denali was Disney trained and there was absolutely nothing that could ruin her disposition plus she had amazing logistical skills.  They find the “type” and they train them well.  If HAL is able to lure them away they are a true asset to the line. 

I thought Grant came from Royal? I swore we talked about rhapsody of the seas. Although come to think of it he did mention Disney wasn’t a good fit for him due to all the kids. I suppose he could come from both Disney and Royal. I have never sailed Disney but the Royal playmakers do an excellent job!! 
 

Entertainment is one area where HAL falls way short when compared to other main stream lines. It’s evident entertainment isn’t a priority given the size of grants team (3) is tiny compared to others with activity staffs over 10.

 

Where Hal excels is itinerary at an excellent price point. I know that’s why I sail with them.

[anniegb]

5 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Hi Annie!! Thanks for the info. Two questions, who the heck is Emma and how does she still have a job?

 

I vote for everyone getting out of Grants way and letting him run the entertainment!! 
 

 

Hi Cheryl

 

IIRC it was Grant who mentioned Emma was his boss. Apparently she was visible at the crossing the Equator ceremony, Also if I further recall correctly, Grant mentioned  that Mikey another boss Mikey ?? joined in Honolulu.  So by my count, there were 3 personnel who delivered most of the classes and 3 supervisors/managers ?? 

It is possible that Emma was not i/c scheduling but was name dropped by Kristen??

[Mary229]

9 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

I thought Grant came from Royal? I swore we talked about rhapsody of the seas. Although come to think of it he did mention Disney wasn’t a good fit for him due to all the kids. I suppose he could come from both Disney and Royal. I have never sailed Disney but the Royal playmakers do an excellent job!! 
 

Entertainment is one area where HAL falls way short when compared to other main stream lines. It’s evident entertainment isn’t a priority given the size of grants team (3) is tiny compared to others with activity staffs over 10.

 

Where Hal excels is itinerary at an excellent price point. I know that’s why I sail with them.

His first position was at Disney.  Disney has a unique and rigorous training program.  I don’t know if you know pre-lockdowns HAL had a training school also.  Almost all of their new Filipino and Indonesian hires went through that program that is why there was a uniformity of excellence in service and attitude. That program needs to be brought back up to prelockdown levels.  

[BermudaBound2014]

Thanks Mary~ Did you have issues with uniformity of excellence? 

 

I was very pleased with the standard of service onboard. There was a bit of service inconsistencies (most complaints appeared to be in the MDR which I didn’t attend). There were a few misses with room service and I did get a glass of ice dumped on my head while I was sleeping in my playpen, but other than that, I thought service was outstanding :-).

 

About the ice incident. It was a total accident and my guy was literally in shock! That could have happened regardless of training. I took it like a champ, assuring him that I needed to wake up anyway (and have witnesses that I was more concerned about the young mans ego than I was about my abrupt waking @Rhonda and Keith haha).  I’m just thankful he didn’t dump a glass of ice on some of the CrankyMcCrankisters I saw around the ship who would have most certainly went after his job, or asked for OBC ;-) 

 

But here’s the thing. This young man (who will remain nameless just in case someone wants to be a jerk about the dumping) was going above and beyond in service when he had the little ooopsy. Since I had the same playpen daily he learned that I liked Arnold Palmers. In this instance, he was bringing ice to my Arnold Palmer so that when I woke up the drink would be fresh and cold! How Sweet Is That???? He and I are social media friends now and we will forever laugh about the time he woke me up from a leisure nap by dousing me in an ice bath :). 

 

When I compare the service on HAL to the service we received on Carnival and NCL just a month prior, HAL’s service was significantly better. More servers walk around offering drinks (that was non-existent on carnival). Sure there were instances in busy venues that it was difficult to get a drink, but I am more concerned about the amount of watering down that HAL is doing to the drinks than I am about waiting an extra 20 minutes. I’m not a huge drinker. One evening I polished off three gin/tonics pretty quickly. On land I would have been seriously impaired. Onboard, I felt the tiny tiniest of a buzz. It happened several times. I actually stopped consuming alcoholic drinks because I could keep drinking (and drinking) with the only measurable result being the calories were making fat. By the end of the trip it was wine or beer for this girl. 

 

Back to service: My cabin stewards serviced the cabin twice daily (no longer the case on carnival or ncl). They were exceptional. I told them they did not have to do towel animals for me nightly and they insisted! I got chocolates on my pillows (was that a function of it being a legendary cruise or are all HAL cruises getting chocolate?) Also, the service in the lido was exceptional for me. I sat on the opposite side of the line that was open and, again, got to know the same person daily. He always had my drink ready and that guy would have gotten me anything from the buffet had I asked. 

 

I guess my super long winded point is that with or without the service excellence program, I would rank service on HAL a solid 9/10, especially when compared to NCL and Carnival. I did not see anything service related that I thought needed serious revision.

 

I do believe that they need to bring back the uniformity of excellence training when it comes to programing onboard entertainment. Lack of physically active and fun things to do (especially with those long stretches of sea days) was really the only area I thought in need of significant revision. If HAL wants to grab the attention of the soon to be retired Gen Xers, they need to rid themselves of their reputation as a cruise line for the elderly. And note that, imo, elderly isn’t a number~ it’s a mindset.

[Mary229]

35 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Thanks Mary~ Did you have issues with uniformity of excellence? 

I am very familiar with HAL and I have noted some unevenness since the lockdown era.  I wouldn’t go as far as saying a fail just some small lacks of polish.  There simply aren’t as many senior, long term staff to show the newbies the ropes.  In a few years I am sure it will work out.  

[Rhonda and Keith]

On 3/28/2024 at 2:12 PM, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Great picture of you. I sent you a PM.