A quick review of Koningsdam June 1 - 8

[nw gardener]

Thought I would share my experience/thoughts on our cruise we just completed. DH and I did this same cruise last year and we enjoyed our cruise this year just as much. This was DH's first time traveling with a wheelchair so I'll share that experience as well.  We booked an aft cabin (8201) last year under the HIA early booking, and also Club Orange. There was a price drop while the early booking was still in effect which HAL honored,  a very good savings on top of the CO upgrade. Last year DH was struggling with walking long distances,  so early this year he finally decided to get a folding power  travel wheelchair. We decided to keep our non handicapped aft cabin because we love the wake view. The wheelchair just barely fit through the cabin door and folded nicely so it was not in the way in the cabin.

 

Embarkation:  Some of our worst embarkation nightmares have been at Vancouver,  but not this year. Very smooth and painless.  We live just over the border in WA and have gotten to the port via several modes of transportation.  This year, we decided to go all in testing the travel wheelchair and took Flixbus which drops off at Pacific station (same as Amtrak) and a taxi to the port. Dropped off in the parking garage for luggage drop just after 11:30. Up to check in, no one in CO line. Main check in lines not long either.  Then off to security and US Customs,  both with very short lines, and then right onto the ship. Lots of walking but we just moved along continuously.  Got our key cards at cabin, ordered on the app for the Dive In, eating at 12:15. Elite beverage package broken in at 12:16.

 

Dining:  We did the Pinnacle Grill the first night and service was very good.  We both had the tenderloin with lobster dumplings....hmmmm very good steak.  The rest of our dinners/breakfasts were in CO dining and we never had to wait for a table at dinner.  There were waits for some folks there at peak dining times both breakfast and dinner. Service was quick and we enjoyed the smaller,  quieter venue.  We had lunches at NY Deli, Dutch Cafe, Dive in,  and lido once. Food being subjective...we enjoyed our meals and have no complaints, other than the pounds we must now lose.

 

Entertainment: Didn't do any shows or presentations at the main stage as we've seen several previously and we really enjoy the Music walk. The current BB Kings group is very good and the current Rolling Stone group is outstanding.  We enjoyed our evenings there and some nights it was hard to get a seat.

 

Ship:  I never found out the final passenger count but it was a FULL ship. Don't know how things were resolved for 2 couples, but there were very irate people at guest services the first day over both being booked into the same cabin. I was there ordering flowers for my cabin but didn't stick around to listen to the shouting.  Both appeared to have paperwork in hand.  Later DH spoke to a family (different) where the adult daughter booked a balcony , solo, next to parents,  was moved out of her cabin after boarding,   into an Oceanview,  then an inside a few days later. DH did not ask how she was compensated, but she told DH she didn't want to move from her balcony,  she may have been a victim of the double booking I saw. There were times where it was difficult to find seats at different venues,  crow's nest, lido, pool area, etc. You can find the  ebb and flow of the crowds and work around them we found.

 

Still playing catch up around the house of course,  I'll come back and try to finish this tomorrow and happy to answer questions.

[gizmodog]

Did you find the rooms small?

was there a walk in shower or combination tub and shower?

thank you for the review.

[HappyInVan]

1 hour ago, nw gardener said:

Ship:  I never found out the final passenger count but it was a FULL ship. Don't know how things were resolved for 2 couples, but there were very irate people at guest services the first day over both being booked into the same cabin. I was there ordering flowers for my cabin but didn't stick around to listen to the shouting.  Both appeared to have paperwork in hand.  Later DH spoke to a family (different) where the adult daughter booked a balcony , solo, next to parents,  was moved out of her cabin after boarding,   into an Oceanview,  then an inside a few days later. DH did not ask how she was compensated, but she told DH she didn't want to move from her balcony,  she may have been a victim of the double booking I saw. There were times where it was difficult to find seats at different venues,  crow's nest, lido, pool area, etc. You can find the  ebb and flow of the crowds and work around them we found.

 

 

Unbelievable!!! 🫢

[nw gardener]

Good morning and continuing where I left off about the ship. I've noticed that AK cruises from Vancouver are heavily marketed to tour groups in Commonwealth nations. I've had the pleasure over the years meeting some lovely folks from Australia,  Great Britain,  etc. There were 2 large tour groups on board this trip but caused only minor disruptions to venues (Ocean Bar and Crow's nest partially roped off for private function a couple of times). In general average age overall about 50 on-board,  a  few families with kids, and one "service dog" that appeared to be more pet than service.  

We enjoy several things on the Pinnacle class ships...full music walk, Grand Dutch Cafe, CO dining,  and NY Deli available for breakfast. This is the largest size ship we  want to cruise on anymore however.  As I've read on this board from others, we are not a fan of the small promenade walk, the funky chopped up layout of deck 10, and layout of the Crow's Nest.  Especially since the Koningsdam does AK and the Crow's Nest is heavily used, would love additional seating there by moving out the Excursion desks or the art rooms. The Crow's Nest is promoted for use in  Glacier Bay when the park rangers are on-board but so difficult to use it due to standing room only.

[nw gardener]

Cabin:  We love an aft cabin and 8201 was great...we booked it again for next year 😀. Plenty of outlets and storage,  and DH wheelchair fit nicely in the corner.  Balcony had 2 chairs with footstools and a small table and it's fully covered. No soot or smoke issues from Seaview bar,  quiet.  Occasional chair scraping from above when setting up but that didn't bother us. Very easy to just pop up to the lido for a snack or more importantly,  a drink 🍸 . Apologies..no pics of the cabin.

[nw gardener]

Service:  I have nothing but kudos to the crew, we encountered great service and I've found you give a smile and you'll get one back.  I did use the app to give some positive comments to a few outstanding employees and they do appreciate them greatly.  Will do the same on my post cruise survey. 

 

 

[nw gardener]

@gizmodog. Our balcony cabin was fine for space for us. Bathroom had shower only with glass door, and only drawback is the toilets on this class ship are slightly on an angle to the shower and for taller/larger people...probably a tight spot. Plenty of outlets and storage.

[nw gardener]

Ports:  Before leaving/packing for this cruise I saw the weather forecast was looking a tad bit wet for the week. Thankfully,  we saw more sun than forecast,  and even worked on our tan in Skagway lol.

First full day at sea, gray and raining.  Oh well, still enjoyed looking for whales, food and drinks,  Music walk that evening.

Juneau: Some light rain in the morning then partly cloudy,  and spotted humpbacks and a killer whale just after dropping off the Tracy Arm excursion.  We were in no rush getting off the ship when we reached Juneau since we only had the tram booked.

Skagway: Rain and wind in the morning then sun in the afternoon,  was able to enjoy the Seaview area later in the afternoon and watch the helicopters come and go. No tours, just wandered the town, used the city shuttle rather than the long walk into town.

Glacier Bay: Sadly a pretty wet day. We've enjoyed in the past beautiful weather and great views so felt bad for the folks who couldn't appreciate seeing the depth of the mountains there. Early in the morning just before picking up the rangers,  there was an announcement for a medical team at a cabin. About 2 hours after picking up the rangers we noticed we were suddenly slowing,  then turning around.  We knew immediately it was probably for a medical evacuation,  and 20 minutes later the captain announced just that.  The ship needed to get back to Bartlett cove to coordinate a medflight from Juneau.  After reaching there the patient was offloaded to a  ship tender (which we retrieved later in the afternoon when dropping off the rangers). Thankfully for everyone on-board,  we went back up into Glacier Bay even though at this point we were almost 5 hours behind schedule.  We didn't go by John Hopkins Glacier but did get to Marjorie,  although less time was spent there than normal.  Fuel bill probably a little higher this trip since the captain did make up the 5 hours and we got into Ketchikan on time. Glacier Bay still stunning in the rain,  but shocking at the retreat of Marjorie since we first cruised AK in 2006.

Ketchikan: Another partly sunny day, and another day when we took our time getting off. Met a friend who lives there and also did some shopping at Creek Street.

Last day: 😥. Beautiful weather for the inside passage.  Spent most of the afternoon on the balcony enjoying the awesome scenery.  Love the aft cabins for  Alaska as you are out of the wind.

 

Taking a break to do yard work catch up,  will finish my review this evening with thoughts and some pics.

[kdakda]

21 hours ago, nw gardener said:

Dining:  The rest of our dinners/breakfasts were in CO dining and we never had to wait for a table at dinner.  There were waits for some folks there at peak dining times both breakfast and dinner.

Thanks so much for taking the time to share.  Glad you enjoyed the cruise!

We're doing a repeat of last year because we had such a good time.

Also glad that you did well in the CO dining room.  This was the one very disappointing part of last year's cruise and we're hoping it's better this year.  What time did you usually eat breakfast and dinner?  And what are you considering peak times?  I was often at breakfast soon after it opened and 7:45 for dinner and had 10-20" waits many times during the week.

I do expect delays the first night and first breakfast, but it never got consistently better........and we never experienced this on other ships.  

[nw gardener]

@kdakda, We are early risers so at breakfast around 0730 give or take. 0830 seemed to be the busier time. For dinner it was normally 5:30 and service was normally quick and we were out in an hour.  We'd then head to the Crow's Nest for after dinner drinks before heading to the Music walk. Dinner seemed to be busiest around 6:30, but every cruise can be different.  If in doubt ask the hostess Dian and she'd be happy to suggest times too. I think she's on till the end of the month then Danni who was host last year replaces her. There were times when the MDR appeared very jammed up with lines back beyond CO, although it appeared much better by the end of the cruise.

[nw gardener]

Disembarking:  Just as easy as embarkation.  Walked off at 0815, caught the Quick Shuttle,  home at 12:30. FYI for anyone taking a bus transfer to Seattle,  even though they may advertise a certain arrival time in Seattle,  you can end up spending some considerable waiting at the border for Customs to process your bus. 1 hour delay for us and there were some who were very worried about catching their flights. 

 

Final thoughts...a cruise is what you make of it, we are blessed that we can vacation.   DH is happy to have more mobile options with his wheelchair and is now more eager to travel. 

 

Leaving Vancouver

 

[nw gardener]

Woke up to this Monday morning.

NY Deli pizza before getting off in Juneau

Clouds but no rain in Juneau

[nw gardener]

Good morning Skagway!

Still plenty of snow on the nearby mountains

New Ore dock built this winter.  Ships using the Railroad dock still do the combo of bus or tender due to the rock slide 2 years ago.

Leaving,  passing Haines

[nw gardener]

Marjorie Glacier

[nw gardener]

Creek Street

Enjoying the balcony before sail away

Bye Ketchikan,  see you next year

[nw gardener]

Inside passage

 

Perfect sunset for the last night

And we are back...

[Dismomx5]

39 minutes ago, nw gardener said:

Final thoughts...a cruise is what you make of it, we are blessed that we can vacation.   DH is happy to have more mobile options with his wheelchair and is now more eager to travel.

Nailed it! Thank you for sharing. It's been 10 years since we did Alaska. I think it might be time to book again!

[rwethereyet1969]

Thank you so much for the review.  We are cruising for the first time next year May 31 - June 7 on the K'dam.  It's nice to read your experience for this cruise to help me gauge expectations for next year.

 

When you noted seeing long lines waiting to be seated in the MDR, do you recall the time of day?  We are early eaters and have anytime dining instead of fixed.  I considered changing to fixed with early seating but I don't want to tie up a table knowing we won't be eating in the MDR every night.  Do you think showing up for MDR around 5:30pm is a good bet for a lower wait time?

[nw gardener]

@rwethereyet1969, if you can get early fixed dining I would suggest that as your best bet. If you aren't going to make fixed for an evening they will give your table to someone else for the evening after 15 minutes.  There was also a podium set up by the Ocean Bar where you can make,  or cancel reservations including to let them know you won't make your fixed dining that evening.  If you want to do any time,  you can make reservations for the MDR as well, there were 2 lines there  - one with and one without.  The first 2 nights seemed to be the worst , followed by Glacier Bay,  especially when first opening at 5 to 5:30. Port days when many are still off the ship doing excursions seemed ok.

[rwethereyet1969]

Thank you for the advice!!  I plan on eating at Tamarind on night 1 to avoid chaos.  I might try to make an early reservation at the podium for night 2. Do you know the hours the podium is staffed?  Could we go to the podium right after breakfast or does it not open until lunch time?

 

On port days, we may just eat in port and/or have something light at the lido buffet.  Glacier day and last night, we might do MDR or room service.  Also considering a 2nd specialty ressie if there is a Morimoto or Rudi's that fits into our plans.

 

I am not opposed to waiting for up to 20 mins for a table in the MDR.  If it's a long line/wait, we would probably just switch plans and go to the buffet.  We are very go-with-the-flow casual folks however we just can't do late meals.

[nw gardener]

I would go to the podium after embarkation and set up reservations then, they may let you make your MDR reservations for the week if not planning on the entire week. Book the Tamarind online before you board as soon as you can. Port days are much easier dining in any venue since many are off the ship or coming back later in the day and don't tend to eat early. Dressy nights will be busy! The podium is open all afternoon on embarkation day, not sure of the hours other days,  can't recall if they were listed in the dailies

[leerathje]

4 hours ago, rwethereyet1969 said:

Thank you for the advice!!  I plan on eating at Tamarind on night 1 to avoid chaos.  I might try to make an early reservation at the podium for night 2. Do you know the hours the podium is staffed?  Could we go to the podium right after breakfast or does it not open until lunch time?

 

On port days, we may just eat in port and/or have something light at the lido buffet.  Glacier day and last night, we might do MDR or room service.  Also considering a 2nd specialty ressie if there is a Morimoto or Rudi's that fits into our plans.

 

I am not opposed to waiting for up to 20 mins for a table in the MDR.  If it's a long line/wait, we would probably just switch plans and go to the buffet.  We are very go-with-the-flow casual folks however we just can't do late meals.

 

If you don't mind sitting with others, my DH and I will often ask to sit at a table of 6 or more.  I have met many interesting people, and pretty much never had to wait for a table!

 

L.

 

[Cruise Suzy]

On 6/9/2024 at 12:12 AM, nw gardener said:

This was DH's first time traveling with a wheelchair so I'll share that experience as well.  ... Last year DH was struggling with walking long distances, so early this year he finally decided to get a folding power travel wheelchair. We decided to keep our non handicapped aft cabin because we love the wake view. The wheelchair just barely fit through the cabin door and folded nicely so it was not in the way in the cabin.

 

What brand and model was the wheelchair? How wide is it? I use a rollator which does fit thru our non-handicap stateroom door. Should I need a wheelchair while we are still cruising, I would like to remain in our preferred location if possible.

 

I am glad your DH is more eager to travel/cruise now that he has more options.

[nw gardener]

@Cruise Suzy, the wheelchair we decided on is a Pride Jazzy carbon.  It's 24 inches wide but we did find we could carefully get it through the doorway,  and once it cleared the door no problem.  We got it mostly for the weight ( 43 lbs) and ease of folding it up for travel.  Doesn't have the power or distance of larger non folding chairs or scooters but found it worked great for this cruise.  He could use it all day on the ship,  and we went all over downtown Ketchikan and Creek Street and still had some battery at the end of the day. Last year on the ship, 2 walking trips from aft cabin to Crow's Nest would negate doing much off ship, so this is a great investment for him.

[Cruise Suzy]

@nw gardener Thanks. I hope not to need one for the cruises booked thru March 2026, but who knows what is in our future. We live in FL and DH won't fly, so we drive to Ft. Lauderdale for HAL cruises.