First but not Last

Waited a short while to get checked in and about 15 minutes until our group number was called. The check in clerk and boarding announcer both encouraged us to take lunch as soon as we boarded. This was an indication of the cruise - they want you to enjoy yourselves.

Hadn't planned on eating in the main dining room too often as we didn't feel we wanted to make the effort to 'dress up'. How foolish of us. The 'smart casual' for me was a polo shirt, sweater and slacks with a white shirt and blazer for the "Gala Nights (3)". Sure some men wore tuxedos and some women wore sparkly tops and dresses, but I did not feel out of place. Anyway, back to the food in the main dining room which we found to be top rate. Meat cooked in the kitchen when you ordered and waited for your starter. GREAT choices at every meal (at least 6 entrees) with incredible starters, soups, salads and desserts. My wife had two desserts almost every night with the last night's being a chocolate mousse cake with ginger syrup - I think she could live on just that if she could be it locally. The wait staff were so friendly and excellent at their jobs. We are non drinkers but the sommeliers were still chatty and nice even though they couldn't sell to us. The cafeteria style lido restaurant offered a varied menu at different stations - Far Lands (Asian), The Sweet Spot (Desserts), The Bread Basket (Sandwiches), Home Style (chicken, steaks etc.), Roasting Pot (Roast Dinners), Salad Bar etc. Some reviewers have complained about wait times. We didn't have problems and with a little bit of effort we almost always snagged a table next to the windows. When you are crossing the Atlantic on a sold out ship with 7 days at sea, you really do have a lot of time on your hands, so a 5 minute wait for an all you can eat meal is really a first world problem. The Burger Bar had good burgers, fries and hot dogs whilst the pizza bar prepared a freshly cooked pizza within 10 minutes. The Dutch Cafe had delicious Pea Soup & Danish desserts - yummy. My wife and I are not coffee drinkers but we thought the fancy coffees looked great. However, in talking to a few Starbucks customers on board, I was informed that the coffee on the ship left a lot to be desired. I took my cold drink cup with me and a few packets of a powdered drink mix (no cals etc.) which was more than adequate to supplement the free lemonade, free juices and iced water which was available anytime that the lido cafeteria was open (seemed almost all day). The ambiance in the MDR was classy & the Lido Restaurant was tastefully modern. Cleanliness was top rate. Didn't have a bad meal on board. We chose not to eat in a specialty restaurant because we were completely satisfied with the 'free' food on offer and could not see any point in splashing out more cash.

One reviewer labelled the review "Nursing Home Afloat" and I will confess that, as a recently retired man, I was probably in the youngest 10% of the cruisers on this cruise. So if you are looking for a disco, karaoke, noisy pool party type cruise then HAL cruises are NOT for you. There were only 32 children on board out of 2600 passengers (probably because of timing and the fact it was a repositioning cruise). I spent time in the Microsoft Computer class, my wife attended the Chef's Kitchen classes. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening entertainment in the theater, the Billboard 'dueling pianos bar', the Lincoln Center stage, BB Kings Jazz / Southern Music dance club and the pre-dinner classical pianist. We took part in the trivia quizzes and watch the occasional big screen movie next to the lido. The in cabin TV had loads of FREE recently released movies which could be stopped, saved and restarted if you fell asleep watching them. Used the casino one time and lost $100 in 30 minutes (par for casinos on ships). Did NOT try to win it back. Stupidly didn't venture into the pools or hot tubs as it just seemed too much of an effort.

LOVED all the shows but especially the BBC One World show, The Koningsdam Dancers, Singers & Band (were always first rate). The guest performers were most varied & entertaining and we even went to a couple of shows twice. As mentioned by other reviewers, the backdrop / graphics in the main theater are awesome. Likewise we stopped in most nights to listen to the Billboard pianists who were outstanding.

ABSOLUTELY AWESOME, WONDERFUL, BRILLIANT, POLITE, HELPUL, EFFICIENT, CHEERFUL,

THOROUGHLY enjoyed the ship. The Koningsdam is beautiful, spotlessly clean and very classy. As this was our first HAL cruise, I cannot compare it to other HAL ships and I don't understand the criticism that it is not a typical HAL ship.

EXTREMELY comfortable cabin with enough room for two over weight pensioners. A little tight between the bed and the TV wall, but overall a very nice cabin. We felt the bed rocking a little at night (seriously folks get your mind out of the gutter) due to the increased speed, but that helped us sleep. The balcony wasn't used as much as we thought we would due to temperatures in the high 50s, but it was large enough for the two of us. As previously mentioned, the TV was great for movies, cruise information and live TV (Fox News, BBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, ESPN, ESPN 2). Daily dinner menus for the MDR & specialty restaurants were also displayed. The King sized bed was VERY comfortable and there was more than enough storage room for our clothes and 3 suitcases. We had plenty of power sockets, lights & desk space. The in room safe provided a secure spot to safely store wallets, jewelry, cash, passports and laptop computers. There is an in room fridge that we rarely used as our WONDERFUL cabin stewards always kept our ice bucket filled to the brim. The bathroom is well lit & bright. As previously mentioned the toilet angle is awkward & you have to learn to ride 'side saddle' if you are taller than 4'. However, the shower is THE BEST shower I have ever used except for the shower at the Ritz Carlton Hotel Arts shower in Barcelona. It is just the right pressure, temperature & so roomy for a cruise ship shower. I would cruise on the MS Koningsdam again just for the shower. The Elemis shower products are first class and you really do feel invigorated after the shower. Towels are bath sheet size.

Best disembarkation to date.