We enjoyed this cruise, but it wasn't superb. The itinerary was awkward ~ we found it exhausting to have three ports in a row, & would have preferred days at sea in between. The ship is very clean & modern, but so new that it still has some kinks. The cabins are smaller than comparable ones on other Holland America ships. The walking deck is narrow, & doesn't allow for lounge chairs, & all the decks with loungers are up top, with few shady spots. The Koningsdam would not be our first ship of choice for our next cruise.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
The embarkation process was superb ~ no waiting whatsoever, smooth, & friendly. We appreciated that we could get on the ship immediately upon arrival, & our stateroom was ready for us.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The food, except for a few isolated mishaps, was quite good. The dining room meals were well-presented, and mostly well prepared. The buffet offered an excellent selection and speedy service. We liked that all dishes were served & nothing was self-service.
Lido Market
4 out of 5
The food selection is vast, & service is pleasant & efficient. Seating can be a challenge at busy times. The hours are not the same as the dining room, so be sure & schedule accordingly.
The Dining Room
4 out of 5
The grand staircase in the center of the dining room is a really neat feature.
The Dining Room
4 out of 5
We did not have an assigned table & got to experience many different seating locations in the dining room. It is a cheery & bright space, with many service stations. We particularly enjoyed the tables near the windows, as well as the quieter, out-of-the-way tables.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We really enjoyed the classical performances at Lincoln Center Stage, but found the rest of the musical entertainment sub-par. Movies by the pool were a nice experience, but the choice of films was not great. The enrichment lectures were terrific, but there were far too few of them. The ship's library was scant, but very attractive.
Half Moon II
5 out of 5
Really liked this room, & hoped there would be more activities scheduled in it.
Half Moon I
5 out of 5
This is an excellent room, & should be more extensively utilized.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
We really enjoyed the classical performances at Lincoln Center Stage, but found the rest of the musical entertainment sub-par. The shows on the main stage weren't very good, though the theatre venue itself has very impressive technology. Movies by the pool were a nice experience, but the choice of films was not great. The enrichment lectures were terrific, but there were far too few of them. The ship's library was scant, but very attractive.
Lincoln Center Stage
5 out of 5
This was the best entertainment on board. The musicians were excellent, & the musical programming was pretty good. The Lincoln Center Stage is a great venue, & we really appreciated ship staff going to great lengths to keep peripheral noise to a minimum during the performances.
World Stage
4 out of 5
This is a technologically superb venue, but the level of productions presented on our cruise did not live up to its standard. We would have liked to have seen more films & traditional music here.
Queen's Lounge
5 out of 5
We really liked this venue for the formal afternoon teas. It's spacious, comfortable, & has wonderful light.
Queen's Lounge
5 out of 5
The afternoon tea service here was lovely. It's a spacious & comfortable venue.
Art Gallery
4 out of 5
The curator is excellent, & has a very interesting collection. The art auctions we watched were entertaining & educational.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
The dining room service was pleasant & professional, but slow. Our room steward was superb, & merits the highest of praise. Most ship personnel were friendly & efficient, with a few exceptions.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The ship is exceptionally clean, but the decor is too modern for our tastes. We preferred the more traditional styling of the Eurodam.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
The cleanliness levels were excellent, except for the last few days, when the lavatory began to get somewhat malodorous. The cabin was smaller than we expected, & smaller than our same level of cabin on the Eurodam. We also didn't care for the styling as much as the Eurodam. There were some kinks that hadn't yet been worked out: our other cabin had blown-out light bulbs, a safe that didn't work, a broken balcony door handle, & poor drainage on the balcony.
Ship tip
Get a suite ~ it'll probably end up being the same size as a balcony stateroom on other ships.
The beach is okay, but not great. The proximity of beach to ship pier is excellent. The shops are scant & internet availability is poor. We had done a long hike up the beach on a previous cruise, which we enjoyed a lot, but did not do any excursions this time.
No beaches nearby, but there is a large pool with slides & canals. Not a lot to do at this port, but be sure to hike up to the bar on the hill for the excellent view & some great exercise. Also, we loved the giant chess set, & wished we had chess masters among us.
We liked Bonaire quite a lot. It's a nice island, of very manageable size. The car rental process was lengthy & laborious, but we enjoyed having a car. The salt mounds at the south end of the island are very cool. The north end of the island is complicated, with all roads leading to the town of Rincon. We recommend doing the drive along the water from town to the north side of the island. The distillery was not great, & the wild donkeys do not care for people. There is a little bit of shopping in town, but nothing of note, except the Salt Shop, which we liked very much.
Very lively during the day, but tends to die out at night, except for the corporate establishments right by the port. The synagogue is a major point of interest ~ we had an excellent mini-tour from the guard. We did not find any good beaches, but there are some very scenic spots.
This was the best island of the ABC's, & we would have liked to spend more time here. There are lovely beaches, good shopping, beautiful scenery, & the island is small enough to navigate easily. Car rental was easy & convenient. Definitely recommend Aruba as either a destination of its own, or a cruise stop. Do not miss the donkey sanctuary or the rock formations.
Very smooth & speedy. Waiting outside the terminal for your ride is difficult, because security constantly harasses you, but the disembarkation itself was great.
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