Nice, New Ship

Koningsdam Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern

susie817

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 43

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

10 Night Southern Caribbean Seafarer (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 13, 2016

Ship: Koningsdam

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 10040

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

We were looking forward to cruising on this new ship but were a little disappointed overall. On the bright side, the staff on the entire ship, as always, were above average, always ready to accommodate with a smile. Our stateroom stewards (Sri & Wahyu), the Billboard OnLine bartenders, Bailon & Marc as well as the Crows Nest bartenders (especially Tony) were excellent---always there when you needed them and very entertaining. We still enjoy the nightly towel animals & chocolates before you turn in. The shows and showroom were very enjoyable---loved the theater in the round.

On the other hand, our embarkation was a nightmare---only one TSA line open and we waited after being on line in security for quite a while (over 2+ hours) before being cleared to get on the ship. Once on the ship, there seemed to be many more guests then the info states---lines everywhere for whatever you wanted to do. Our spa cabin was nice, however the balcony extremely small. There seemed to be a little wasted space on the side of the bed next to the bathroom. Since you were hitting the shower enclosure with your knees when you used the toilet, this extra space could have been used in the bath or the toilet should have been positioned better. We also found the atrium design to be lacking---stairs were closed during the whole cruise (we were told there are several designs on the ship that they are planning to change already). The overall flow of the ship seemed cut-up. We were also a little disappointed in the night activities---seemed not much going on that you could join in and the few entertainment areas were so crowded, you couldn't really enjoy them.

We have always enjoyed the HAL ships, however, it appears they are venturing into the larger ship category and this is taking a lot of their good points away.