Not enough varied activities offered. Dining room experience was great. Did not care for Lido deck dining.
Overall, a nice trip we feel this ship, Koningsdam is geared to older people but it doesn't accommodate to physically handicapped people. More wheelchairs are needed.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Embarkation was rather smooth, somewhat of a wait only because we had to get to the port hours ahead of embarkation time as the main road in Amsterdam was closed for the yearly marathon. The downfall of the day was I requested wheelchair assistance to board and never got it. HA has only 5 wheelchairs, not enough for such a large ship. The walk to the ship gangway was long. Overall, the Koningsdam is not an accommodating ship for physically handicapped.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Although we did not eat in any of the specialty restaurants, as this was an additional charge, the menu and food in the dining room was very good, large enough portions, and wonderful waitstaff. On early excursion days we went to the Lido Deck for breakfast and lunch. There was a variety of food selections.
Wine selections were great but very expensive, by the glass $11.00, beverage & wine packages are very costly, however if you like wine every night it's cheaper by the package.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Very limited activities. A lot of seminars on health & exercise. Nothing much else offered. Some computer classes on using IPhone components on PC.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
There was a variety of entertainment, some very good(singers, musicians) to not entertaining ( juggler, comedian). The various lounges had different genre of music from chamber, Billboard top 100, and BB King singers.
Also a casino, if that's what you like.
Children's Programs
The Koningsdam has nothing to offer kids. This ship is not family oriented, more for the older generations.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Excellent waitstaff in the dining room and on the Lido Deck. Our waiter Greeted us by name at every meal. We were a party of 10 people and our waiter would have our choice of beverage waiting at our place.
Our room steward catered to our needs, cleaned room daily, ice bucket always filled and always had a pleasant personality.
In fact the whole crew was very friendly and accommodating.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
For me the ship wasn't a mid class size. Having the dining room at the back of the ship and the entertainment stage at the front made a lot of walking back and forth and up & down, our daily regime. Just walking from our stateroom to the dining room was 3000 steps.
When getting off ship for an excursion the walk from the front of the ship to the gangway, usually midship, and at the port to the buses was a long walk. No shuttle or wheelchair assistance for people with mobility difficulty.
The ship was very clean, staff was always cleaning 24/7!
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Spacious, plenty of closet and drawer space. Comfortable bed. Although our room was considered an obstructed veranda, we could see everything. Daily cleaning of room & bathroom, fresh towels. Nice walkin shower!
Ship tip
Be prepared to walk a lot!!! If you have mobility difficulty, bring a walker. There is a lot of walking on this ship. I regret not taking my walker as it would have helped keep me more balanced than just my cane.
Too big a city with lots of people and bicycles. Dirtier then expected it to be. We did our own exploring. Took a River Canal Dinner Cruise which was wonderful. We bought tickets to the Anne Frank House but were informed there were 5 flights of very narrow and steep stairs. Could not do it and no turning back once on tour. They don't tell you this when you research the Places to See & Things to Do in Amsterdam. In fact, many excursions are not specific and detailed enough (steep climbs, long walks, many steps). They cost a lot and you spend most of your time on a bus traveling 1 1/2-2 hours getting to the destination.
We did an excursion to Corfe Castle. The scenic countryside was beautiful as well as the quaint English cottages along the way.
However, they should tell you that the castle is at the top of a very steep mountain with a very narrow pathway, straight up and what you see are the ruins of Corfe Castle. Just a long bus ride. Only other thing there is a small gift shop where you can buy coffee, cold drinks but be sure to have pounds, otherwise you will pay by credit card with transfer charges added on.
Very nice! Rained a lot while here. Glad we had an umbrella & rain jackets. Hard walking on cobblestone sidewalks and roadways. Got to enjoy Spanish wine and tapas!
We enjoyed this excursion Fado & Tapas! After traveling through very narrow streets we arrived at the Dinner Theater Heranka Magna.
A great show of traditional music and singing. We enjoyed tasting the port wine and many interesting tapas!
We took an excursion to Quelez, Sintra and Cascais. Too much to see in too little time. The Palace of Quelez was beautiful but so much time there allotted for only 30 minutes in Sintra and 20 in Cascais. This excursion needs to cut out one of the latter towns.
Great excursion to the top of the Rock by cable car. Beautiful views of the port, and Morrocco! Seeing the Strait of Gilbraltar between the southernmost tip of Spain and Morrocco was breathtaking.
At the top were the Barbary monkeys waiting to have their photo taken.
Would have loved more time there. Took a bus into the city center, walked around, had a huge glass of Sangria!
Evening excursion: Flamenco Dinner
Great entertainment! Dinner: Paiella. Not so goodq
Breathtaking port! Yachts everywhere!!! Sailboats galore!
Excursion to top of mountain to see Bellver Castle, just a photo stop. Next to see the Majestic Cathedral of Palma, only from the outside. Many many steps to climb! Next stop, Son Amar, a 16th century hamlet to experience Son Amar Pascion Show! More flamenco, sangria and tapas!
Good to know and you're not the first person I've heard this from about the Koningsdam. I sail on her in December and I am looking forward to doing not much. How were the rooms? I have a verandah room.
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