Koningsdam

SEPTEMBER

We absolutely love Holland America and would highly recommend them.

AUGUST

We had 15 of us on this once in a lifetime vacation. Everyone had such a great time, from kids to teens to adults. The wildlife was spectacular, as was the weather. It was the perfect trip!!

JULY

The cruise was great, with a comfortable ship,friendly and helpful crew,excellent food and varied entertainment. Woukd recommend it to anyone.

JULY

We thought the food would be a lot better than it was.

MARCH

It was the most memorable cruise for my husband and myself because we were celebrating our 50th anniversary. From the moment we arrived onboard it was so relaxing, lots of fun, the crew was the best ever!! From the Captain to every single person who worked there; best Customer Service ever!! Courteous, genuinely good natured, and quite funny. Not in a phony way. The ship's interior so impressive. My husband spent a afternoon taking pictures on every deck. Also you care about a person's faith. We had a interdenominational service every sea day and got to know lot of folks; not counting the friends we met from all over the world and fellow retired veterans. We loved the entertainment, Decklin was outstanding and Gage kept us on schedule and well informed. Hats off to the BB Kings Blues Band!! They were the best group of singers and musicians we had ever heard on cruise ship. All of the entertainment was fantastic. High Five to the Dining Room, Lido Buffett, Specialty restaurants, Dutch Cafe, Dive In, Gelato, Pizza , all of them. Thanks to our two room attendants: Agus & Kandra. Thirty five went by quickly and we are looking forward to our next cruise hopefully October next year.

FEBRUARY

Entertainment was not great. Movies at pool could not be understood, as there was too much reverberation Closed captions would help. Evening entertainment was only average other than the 3 bars where music was great, especially the piano bar! World stage shows were average at best and having last show at 8:00P.M. ending too early, when having dinner at 7:30. I liked that the pool top could be closed but I would have liked it better if it was opened all of the days when the weather was permitting . I would have liked to be able to use the second pool where it was opened but could not as the pool deck was filled with with offensive smoking. The service and food were outstanding. I don’t think that I would sail on this ship again for the above reasons.

JANUARY

I was very disappointed with my service in the spa. I requested an acupuncture treatment, which I have had many times before. First, I had to wait 30 min after my scheduled appointment until I finally went to the desk and asked what's going on. The Dr was very difficult to understand, the first 5 needles were extremely painful, that should never occur at all. Then I find out when I get my bill there was an additional charge of $49.00 for LED treatment, which was simply putting the light over my back. I was never asked if I wanted that extra treatment, which was useless. This was the worst treatment I have ever received.

DECEMBER

It's been over 10 years since I sailed on Holland America. Our category A Veranda stateroom was very comfortable, a bit larger than the standard balcony with good storage and a nice shower in the bathroom. I was surprised to see all the extra charges: "Gelato" on the pool deck; honestly, the free ice cream in the Lido Market was better. Dining Room "dinner menu" always included entree items for extra charges ($20 - $32) So surprised to see these items in the main dining room. Lemonade in the Lido Market. Bingo "markers" are $8 - sold as souvenirs!! Holland America has long been a favorite for an older passenger profile and remains true today; most guests were "retired/baby boomers". Most all transactions are done on the Navigator App which would be a challenge for some.

NOVEMBER

Overall we enjoyed our trip on the Koningsdam for a winter getaway to the Mexican Riviera. The service was top notch and beautiful vessel. The only thing we wished were a little better was the taste of the food, more activities, and the ship was quite rocky (first time on this ship vs many others we been on, may have been rocky sea weather for season)

AUGUST

We have taken over 50 cruises, all on premier lines. This was our first time on Holland America and the cruise was among the very best.

JULY

I will definitely recommend Holland America to all my family and friends. We were not feeling well during the cruise, so didn't participate in many activities or entertainment.

JUNE

When I decided to eat, things that were listed on their menus were not available and this is the only disappointment I experienced

MAY

Excellent trip All the excursion I was on were great Loved seeing the huskies pups Learn about Alaska and the wild life Great Trip

APRIL

Have been on Konigsdam several times and like the ship and medium size, cabins are good, staff amazing as always. Like Step One dancers but rest of ship entertainers were just ok, the guest entertainers were poor or mediocre. We only eat in Lido and there are lots of food choices, but sometimes food is cold by time you get to table. Lot of sea days, 12 out of 21 but we knew that when booking. There are quite a variety of activities and lectures for you to choose from.

APRIL

We were glad they had the show that told about how the ship ran. I would have loved to have a more advanced art class, or a class to learn how to crochet or knit. We loved the interfaith worship services.

DECEMBER

Everything was fine

DECEMBER

Have done four cruises but this the first on the newer and larger Holland America cruise ships. But newer and larger does not mean necessarily mean better. The staff were excellent as were the excursions and tour operators. The excursions in La Paz, Loreto, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta were worth it. A very odd feature of the cabin was the bathroom. The toilet was the kind used on jet planes and loud when flushing. The water pressure was much lower in both the sink and shower. Last, the bathroom wasn't at the same elevation as the rest of the cabin. The tech used on the cruise ship was mediocre or worse. Channel selection on the television was as prior ships so expectations were low but accessing other features was annoying given the remote control's poor design.The Navigator app was something everyone had to use but the interface was on par with smart phone apps a decade ago and difficult to read on smaller screens. A basic feature such as ship location on a map was only available on the television but not the Navigator app itself. For reasons unknown, communication with other passengers via the Navigator app between android OS users and iOS users was not possible. It became unpleasantly apparent WiFi was only for one devise and had to purchase the delux WiFi package to be able to have access on phone and laptop too. Given passengers need to purchase a WiFi package on a luxury cruise ship is on par with what luxury hotels do but something can live with. Providing passengers with a much needed updated Navigator app should be first priority for Holland America given we used the app so much more on this cruise. It should also be noted not all senior passengers are tech savvy but my son came along and helped me with tech issues.

DECEMBER

Food was not as good as last year. The $50 charge for Internet was a waste of money. The 5 hours at Cabo is not enough time to enjoy that port. The TV rarely worked consistently. However, our waiter in the dining room, Alexis was phenomenal!! Eula, in the Canaletto was so accommodating whenever we ate there.

DECEMBER

Very relaxing and friendly cruise

NOVEMBER

2 hours ship to La Paz. 1 1/2 hour wait for bus and 25 minute bus ride from ship to La Paz. Unacceptable port of call. Should return to Puerto Vallarta

AUGUST

This was a celebration with a family of 12 -3 generations of adults. Perfect venue-time for togetherness and time for independence. Konigssdam offered the best of everything- rooms, food, service. The presentations and entertainment had something for everyone but the older generation found the “music” much too loud. All twelve felt that the trip exceeded our expectations. Great work.

AUGUST

There were problems with inconsistencies and customer service. Some people in our group received additional cruise credits for excursions and were able to use them. For me and my husband, the extra cruise credits were visible on our account but the service desk was unable to apply them. They insisted that the excursion desk could fix the problem. I got up early and went to the excursion desk the next day. They insisted that they couldn't fix it and that the service desk should have taken care of it. Neither the service desk or the excursion desk resolved the problem, and were a little curt about it with me.

JULY

We had the best trip to Alaska. Every meal we ate was delicious and beautifully prepared. We are so happy that we got a balcony room - it was my favorite place to hang out. We will most definitely sail on Holland American again.

JUNE

Absolutely loved this ship especially the two that took care of my cabin. One name Rio and I can’t remember the other ones name. Sorry they did an awesome job friendly personable just amazing.

JUNE

Would highly recommend our friends to look at the Koningsdsm in their future cruise planning. The only disappointment I had was that when I had in-ship credit it should have been entirely refundable to me instead of having to use it on the ship. When I received credit for services not provided by the tour or changed within the tour that money belonged to me and should have been refunded to me.

MAY

Probably my favorite ship from Holland America The Food and drinks are top notch on this ship! This Cruise is more for adults. All the specialty restaurants are wonderful. My favorite is the Tamarind and the Canaletto! Oh the Sushi is wonderful!! But the regular dining room is also wonderful. I think this is the only ship that you will also be totally happy just eating Dinner or lunch in the Buffet. The food is top notch and just as good at the sit down dining room. Can’t say that about other ships buffets. Not as many younger kids running around the ship and in the pools and hot tubs, like on let’s say Royal Caribbean ships. Cons: Well I think the ship closes down a little early at night. I understand as this ship seems to cater to let’s say 65 and over. Still like them to stay open a bit latter at night. Also they have only one Movie showing per night at 8pm so if you have the late dinner you can’t watch it. Maybe another late night movie starting at 10pm to midnight, for those that have the late dinner. Also the sound system for the movie night for the pool is really bad, and you can’t hear the dialogue. This needs to be corrected. Or come up with a way to hand out headsets to everyone as an option. But other than that it is a great cruise, I recommend this ship to everyone!!

DECEMBER

Lots of up-charges in all restaurants. Butter was rationed (1/2 pat per person)but of course waiter happily brought us more as requested. Stateroom ((Neptune Suite) lovely and spacious. Cabin amenities minimal. Bathroom grout needed a good scrubbing…lots of mold. Stateroom attendant was great. Appreciated the cozy throws and robes. The service was excellent everywhere on the ship.

DECEMBER

This was a really fun cruise, but it is evident that the Koningsdam is not fully staffed but is sailing full. This really showed up in the main dining room and lido areas, with excessive waits. The food and service was definitely much better in the specialty dining. The crew is amazing and friendly, just not enough of them. The ship is beautiful and relatively new.

SEPTEMBER

We took advantage of the Alaska and Yukon land adventure before joining the ship in Skagway. Holland America was wonderful in making the complex land arrangements and keeping us informed. We recommend this itinerary for the exposure to Alaska and Yukon as well as the pleasure of a relaxing and memorable cruse to Vancouver.

SEPTEMBER

We had a spectacular time on this cruise. The staff on ship were fantastic. The food was spectacular. We had a great weather which was a bonus, as it had been raining for a few weeks prior to the beginning of our Cruise. The Glacier National Park was simply amazing.

AUGUST

Everything was great except internet service!

AUGUST

Wonderful trip! Beautiful cruise ship…food and entertainment was outstanding. The staff went above and beyond to make everything perfect. Our trip was amazing from start to finish.

FEBRUARY

Stateroom service by Indri & Tri was excellent. Food beverage service at table 80 [second deck] was also excellent. Jamie was the best cruise director we have ever had. We thoroughly enjoyed the cruise, and we are looking forward to our next HAL cruise.

FEBRUARY

This cruise was almost perfect. I love that the ship was half full too. Everyone wore masks. Dining room was sanitized after every seating. Just a great cruise from beginning to end! Specialty restaurants were wonderful. Loved Rudi's bistro & seafood. Main dining was very good. Loved Billboard Onboard with dueling pianos, Rolling Stones rock venue had great music, B.B. Kings had good blues. Lincoln Center Classic music was also good. Service was excellent in all areas. My bedroom carpet was either worn or a little dirty.

FEBRUARY

Wonderful staff. Orange Club dinning etc. is fabulous and well worth the price. Ship is well maintained and extremely clean. They are very concerned about controlling the spread of germs.

JANUARY

The ship was clean and the staff was excellent. The service was good and the food was fine. Different people look for different things. We had fun, but would more likely book a different cruise line if doing the same islands.

DECEMBER

I always sail HAL and I have sailed the Konigsdam including the inaugural cruise about 4 or 5 times. I am a veteran cruiser and some of the changes overall have been good but some not so good so the lines begin to blur between HAL and others. But I will continue to sail HAL because the crew and staff are so people/service oriented and HAL is extremely good to its crew. They openly mention the ability to rise in the hierarchy of the company and the benefits are good. Happy Crew, Happy Passengers. The officers are extremely competent and can be seen around the ship. You can usually catch the Captain out and about, even eating in the various locales. A great company.

AUGUST

Service by crew in dining room and else was very good. Shore excursion staff was especially helpful, specifically on advising us on excursions appropriate for wife with limited mobility.

AUGUST

Staff was excellent. The dining room was nice but did get backed up on several occasions. Stayed in an inside room and it was very comfortable and met our needs. Our room was the only inside room on the floor in our section. Was perfect. The Caption was very enjoyable and his announcements were nice to listen to. Did not attend any entertainment events in the main stage. The B/B King lounge was to loud and the couple playing the pianos were not very good singers. The trivia sessions were lots of fun and a good way to meet people.

JUNE

none

MARCH

<div>Even though they have signs saying you cannot save lounge chairs at the pools, people did it anyway, but tough to enforce. Loved the smaller ship with 2,000 capacity. Grand Turk was not what we expected for the port - thought it would be Turks &amp; Caicos, Grand Turk is not a tourist resort.</div>

FEBRUARY

Great cruise. Had never been on Holland America before. Have taken many cruises on several other lines. This was great and may move it up on the list of favorite lines!!

JANUARY

Our first visit to the islands on the itinerary except Half Moon Cay. The beach there is amazing and the water beautiful. Saw a good bit of the other islands on excursions thru ShoreTrips and had very informative and enjoyable introductions to those stops. Weather was gorgeous. Our stop at Aruba was on Sunday so most everything was closed.

NOVEMBER

<div>Over all this transatlantic crossing was fantastic. Holland America remains my favorite cruise line. I love the small low key ship with out all the flashy water slides and rollerskating. Makes for a more relaxed, quieter experience. The smaller number of passengers (compared to some of the other huge ships) makes for easy and quick on and off. The ports were great. My favorites were Malaga, Spain and Funchal, Madeira. We were lucky and got a stateroom with an enormous veranda.</div>

OCTOBER

Overall excellent experience that exceeded my expectations

OCTOBER

<div>Our adventure on the Koningsdam was great. From awesome dining experiences, fantastic entertainers, multiple choices of entertainment, port lectures, fantastic ports of call, and superior service----I cannot think of a thing I would change.</div>

AUGUST

When you got to the ports there was nothing to do and the excursions were too expensive.

OCTOBER

None

APRIL

Koningsdam met all of our expectations. She is a beautiful ship...only thing we were not crazy about was the design of the Lido. Not "user" friendly to us.One can not walk through from one side to the other except for one crossover. After a few days we did get a better handle on it! All in all, we had a wonderful time and highly recommend HAL Koningsdam!

MARCH

Beautiful new Holland America ship with lots of new amenities.

MARCH

Lido foods are served behind counters so less touching of foods by customers. Specialty restaurants are outstanding.

FEBRUARY

Nice Ship

FEBRUARY

Will definitely chose this ship again, but hope they have a more exciting Carribean itinerary next time.

FEBRUARY

Beautiful new ship, inside and out. Usual good service. All forms of entertainment were excellent. Lido was excellent. Also enjoyed Pinnacle Grill and Cannelletto. However, did not care for dinning room food-too "gourmet", too many weird combinations. Things were somewhat disorganized at times. Communications were also poor.

JANUARY

We honestly enjoyed the cruise. The boat was brand new and everything was well cared for. The stops were enjoyable and nobody bothered you like they do in Jamaica. I have never been at a beach like the one at Half Moon Cay. I have never seen sand like that, either, and I am from Florida! The crew from top to bottom was excellent in my humble opinion. Do not be afraid to get on this boat; you will be glad you did!!

DECEMBER

Ship was very new and clean.It was a quiet, mature crowd but that is what we were looking for... no belly flop contests or hairy back contests like you find on Carnival.. Had a great Blues Band that played all nights but one. The main stage had a great show every night. Overall, was a great experience and never felt rush to do activities. The food was great and the Lido market food was just as good as food in the main dining room. Also served lobster and filet mignon in the Lido Market one night. Overall, the experience was great and this ship is definitely for people who want a quieter more relaxed sailing experience.

DECEMBER

We enjoyed a great cruise on the MS Koningsdam. 19 days with nice ports (Gran Turk, Amber Cove, Half Moon Key,...) Great and good food, nice restaurants (Sal du Mer as restaurant and Pizza Deli as snack). We booked again already for next year!!

DECEMBER

HAL has significantly reduced many "perks" offered in the past but still a good value due to good service, good food and sensibly sized ships. Koningsdan demonstrated that HAL FINALLY has is embarkation and disembarkation procedure act together

OCTOBER

Overall wonderful cruise.

OCTOBER

Had a very good time with family & friends on this cruise. Stateroom was very comfortable and room stewards (for 7143) were excellent. Charging for water in the stateroom and bar charges were very inconsistent. Arnold Palmer drinks (lemonade & ice tea) were either no charge by certain waiters in the main dining room, but was charged if the request was made to a sommelier. Charged for milk if requested after breakfast. :-( World Stage entertainment was okay... seen better more professional acts on other Holland American ships. Land tours - ran behind schedules, no notice about having proper change for use of toilets. Guides were hard to understand for our English speaking group.

SEPTEMBER

Brand new ship with great facilities, outstanding entertainment in main stage with 270 degree view and lunges - food outstanding in main dining and speciality restaurants

AUGUST

The organization of moving so many people aboard and into and off ship was handled well. Our luggage was waiting for us at cabin and also the tender into Gieranger went smoothly. The weather conditions required decisions to be made causing changes in the itinerary. Actually it was beneficial to us as we were able to spend some time in Amsterdam. Other changes were not a problem. Our cabins were so lovely and the beds were comfortable. Food was wonderful and offered endless variety. How nice to pick up breakfast at Lido Deck and sit by a window with view of ocean. Entertainment and activities offered lots of diversion and the ship itself was elegant and beautiful. Great commentaries on the sights as we sailed past scenic and noteworthy locations.

MAY

We thoroughly enjoyed being on the Christening voyage of this new ship. A highlight was sailing down the Maas River to waving and cheering crowds. Sadly, because of our flight time out of Amsterdam, we were unable to see the queen and could not attend the reception.

MAY

As a single, I ate at the Lido buffet. I found that the main entrees were limited. Pork loin to the max!! The sweets were the size for a canary to eat. I also had a problem with ship employees clogging the food lines at the Lido. Maybe they could eat before paying guests showed up.